Fusion of Destinies II: Day of Reckoning
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 50: Mission Final
8-23-2010
by Grey-X

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

xxxxxx

July 6, 1997 A.D., 9:28 A.M. Western European Time

Number 4, Privet Drive

Harry noticed he was breathing heavily as he stared at Aunt Petunia, who was lying down, comatose, in a specially-prepared bed back in their house. For the last two days, she had flitted in and out of consciousness, her condition hardly improving. Harry couldn't understand why he was this anxious about Aunt Petunia. Despite her unbelievable transformation, the two of them wound up butting heads like they always did, only now it was in a deadly conflict that decided the fate of the world. She was still as prideful and petty as ever, and yet, her condition weighed heavily on Harry. I guess I should be grateful I DO feel like this, Harry mused. Refusing to condemn family completely...it means I'm nothing like Bellatrix or Voldemort or Valkyrie...

"Harry, are you okay? You look tense, mate," Ron said suddenly. Hermione and Samus were also there with him, the latter in her robe disguise. Looking over Petunia's still, frail-looking body were Professors Slughorn and McGonagall, scrutinizing her closely as they weaved a set of charms Harry couldn't quite figure out.

"I...I'll be fine. I mean, the worst is over for now, right? Valkyrie's gone, Voldemort won't be strong enough to try anything for a while, and...at least Aunt Petunia's still alive," Harry said, only half-believing his own words.

"Well, about that last part, she's very weak, m'boy," said Slughorn suddenly, looking up. "I won't pretend that I understand half of what my...well, what my old pupil did. But it looks like when her transformation wore off for the last time..."

"It left her in a weakened state yet again," finished McGonagall. "I'm almost sorry that there's no more of that special plant Asara made for her. It would be the only way of guaranteeing that Mrs. Dursley remains stable. As it is, it will probably be at least two weeks until the potions that Slughorn brewed for her restore some of her health. But if she ever ventures into Hogwarts again, or any place with a high concentration of enchantments, her condition will deteriorate once more."

"On top of that, according to what Adam gleamed for our last round of bio-scans, that'll happen if she so much as uses her own magic again," said Samus, narrowing her eyes as she looked down on Petunia. "Strange, isn't it? She let herself be eaten up by jealousy over everything her sister had. Now that she finally has it all, she can't ever use it again. It'll tantalize her forever."

Another bit of irony: that's the punishment Valkyrie loved most. Letting your enemies live to suffer psychological torture, Harry thought darkly. Of course, Voldemort does a lot of the same thing...

"Sounds fitting to me," Ron said bitterly, clearly not forgetting all the times she clashed with them as Ped.

"I guess I agree, even though she did save us," said Hermione weakly.

"Well, there's little more we can do here. Best to just let her rest until it's time for her next round of potions," said Slughorn as he motioned around the bed.

"Wait a second," Harry said, a horrible thought suddenly coming to him. "What about the enchantment on this house? Won't that trigger the Ragnarok virus again?"

"As far as Adam can tell, it's just not strong enough to empower the virus like all the enchantments around Hogwarts did," said Samus quickly as they filed out of the room. "Hopefully, none of the places the Order plans to ferret your family to will affect your aunt like that, either. In fact..."

Samus, who had led everyone out of the room Petunia was recuperating in, bumped into Dudley as he suddenly burst through a door. One look up at Samus was enough to make him as skittish as ever, and he nervously sidled along the wall past everyone else. As Harry watched Dudley go as he stared back at him curiously, Hermione said, "And who knows what's going through his head these days. All that time in Inferno's base, him and his dad found and shipped back here after Maxime barged into that outpost...it'll never be the same for him either. Of course, his father...I think we can all agree that modifying his memory was for the best."

"To avoid a heart attack in his mid-forties, the raving, foaming-at-the-mouth old git? Truer words were never spoken," Ron agreed. "At least there's no need with Harry's cousin, considering how empty his head is anyway."

"I HEARD ALL THAT!" roared Dudley's voice from down the hall.

The six of them looked down the hall blankly, then they turned back to each other except for McGonagall, who looked up the stairs. "And now that the memory modification is done, hopefully Arthur and Kingsley will get it through his head that they have less than a month to stay here. Once Harry comes of age, Voldemort will be more than ready to descend on this house." Harry stared at McGonagall blankly. "What is it, Mr. Potter?" she asked.

"Nothing, just that I don't think I ever heard you use that name aloud," said Harry. McGonagall's eyes widened, as if caught stealing from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. "It's alright, Professor. After everything that's happened these last few weeks, none of us will look at things the same way again."

"Funny. I was pretty sure everything would look the same to you, Harry," said Hermione. "Voldemort's still out there, you're back here, your family's all back here, the protection on this house is still set to expire..."

"When Hermione puts it that way, it sure doesn't sound like anything's changed," said Ron. "Valkyrie turned the whole world upside-down, but now, it just feels like all we did was just flip it rightside-up. The same things that we all wanted to change, that Valkyrie did too...it's all still there..."

"Makes you wonder. If Valkyrie's plan hadn't involved starting World War III, and if her virus hadn't had such a fatal flaw...would we have still went against her?" said Hermione.

Harry glared at the two of them, slightly shocked. "Don't tell me we're supposed to be having regrets now. I thought we already decided that it wasn't a choice between Voldemort and Valkyrie. Both are rotten to the core, and we just had to join up with the former for a while to beat down the latter. Now it's just time to focus on the former again."

"And it's not like Valkyrie hasn't made any lasting changes," Samus reminded everyone darkly.

"All too true," sighed Hermione. "At least Valkyrie never went the complete megalomaniac route and did something like, say, make a worldwide broadcast announcing the existence of our kind. Kept expecting something like that all these weeks, but...guess she was more like Voldemort than she cared to admit. Preferred to leave most of the Muggles in the dark and let their fear fester."

"Didn't need anything like that, not with how her armies kept causing chaos with magic before Inferno was bottled up," said Ron. "Sure, half of the chaos was seen by the Muggle militaries, and hundreds of wizards around the world are working overtime as Obliviators to work on the Muggles that saw the other half..."

"But there'll be no way to rewrite all their memories, no way to indentify everyone who witnessed their power firsthand," said Samus. "And too many in the governments of this era's nations got involved. On top of all the disasters Valkyrie caused, all the ships and buildings and structures destroyed..."

"All sorts of rumors and wild theories will be spawned in the years to come," said Hermione, finishing her thought. "Most Muggles'll still go out of their way to explain away what was obviously magic. But whatever happens from here on in...no way our two worlds can ever stay completely apart anymore. In a strange, sick way...Valkyrie still won in the end."

"No," said Slughorn sternly. "Asara wanted to bring everything in both worlds crashing down, and at the very end, you four kept that from happening, didn't you?"

"More or less. I doubt most of J.B.'s superiors back across the Atlantic would agree with you, though," said Harry dryly. "How they explained away the wrecked Washington Monument and that huge pile of dirt where half the White House stood, right before their Independence Day thing, I have no clue."

"Uncle J still can't believe we let Narcissa Malfoy go, by the way, for that very reason," Hermione interjected suddenly.

"I still find it hard to believe you let Tom Riddle go," added Slughorn. "What, you finally stop one of my crazed old pupils, only to let a chance to stop the other one slip away?"

Harry stared sheepishly at Slughorn, not sure how he could worm out of that one. In a way, Ron had been right: they were right back where they were a month ago, wondering just where Voldemort's Horcruxes were. Until those were found and destroyed, Voldemort would just come back, and far more quickly than last time. At least there was no chance of Valkyrie ever doing the same.

Or rather, he hoped there wasn't.

In the end, Harry stuck with the same answer he used to back his choice in the first place. "Like I said before, there was no way to take out Voldemort, not to mention Bellatrix, without killing the Malfoys, too. I wasn't about to pull something that Voldemort would, blow someone I just made an agreement with away."

"Not like the Malfoys'll ever return the favor," spat Ron bitterly.

Harry paused for a moment. "You never know. Maybe they actually learned something and someday, hopefully, they will."

"Well, Mr. Potter, I must give you credit. The integrity you showed in dealing with the Malfoys, how you're looking after your aunt. As far as I'm concerned, you've long since come of age already," said McGonagall.

"It's certainly more than what I would've shown them, especially your aunt, given everything I heard about her even back when...well, when Lily was still around," said Slughorn uneasily.

Harry cast one last glance over toward the room his aunt was resting in, then walked out into the living room. "Say whatever you will about her, but...wizarding tradition applies here."

"Not really. Asara made her a witch artificially," Hermione pointed out.

"Doesn't matter how it happened, she's one of us now, like it or not," said Harry. "She kept me alive by letting me live here all these years, and she saved you and Ron for whatever reason. Making sure she recovers, making sure no one else finds out she was a Reformer, especially Scrimgeour and Umbridge...this makes us even," he said with an air of finality.

"Still can't believe they're back in charge of what's left of the Ministry, after the Valhalla Agenda finally come to light," spat Samus.

"Believe it. Our kind here in England are still scared and confused, and it's a mad dash to rebuild what's left of the Ministry, lest V-V-Voldemort take advantage of this discord and seize power himself," McGonagall explained. "For the moment, though it disgusts me to say it, that means leaving Scrimgeour in power."

Samus still looked murderous, but the patience and wisdom exuded by McGonagall seemed to rub off on the bounty hunter, and she quickly calmed down. "Their time will come, though. Promise me that," Samus replied sternly. "Anyone foolish enough to mess with both the fabric of time and something like Phazon...as soon as they've outlived their purpose, they've got to go."

"I'll gladly use the whip on your Paralyzer to drag them out of the Ministry myself, when the time comes," said Harry vindictively. "Even now, even after everything Valkyrie did, I still have to admit she had a point. Everything that was screwed up about our world before Inferno went on a rampage is still there. Guess I shouldn't beat myself up too much for being tempted at first, being offered a way to sweep it all away."

Hermione sighed heavily. "In a strange way, Dr. Asara's dream was a good one. It was just the dreamer who became corrupted," she said thoughtfully. "And she only left us with even tougher hurdles. Those Muggles who know about us, or at the very least suspect we exist now...it will take a long time before the fear and distrust can be worked around."

"We'll find a way," said Ron hopefully. "That's why, at the end of the day, I'm glad Asara's gone. Her whole plan, it was like taking the easy way out. Wiping everything away because you can't make do with the world you had. She was right, though. Getting rid of Voldemort and those Valhalla Agenda conspirators in the Ministry won't magically make all the world's problems go away. We'll have a lot of work to do here in England long after they're gone."

"And we'll do it. We'll show all the Infernians we can accomplish some of the things they aimed for...but our way. The right way," said Harry. Still feeling mentally exhausted, and many muscles still aching since they took down Valkyrie, Harry plopped down on the couch, still deep in thought. Eventually, he spoke up again. "Y'know, in a way, we are going to prove Asara right, about being able to adapt, survive, and build a better world. We're just going to prove that how she wanted this evolution to go was wrong. She might've known better than anyone how evolution works, at least biologically, but...she never quite caught on to how it all gets screwed up when you try to manipulate it. When you try to mess with it the way Valkyrie did, well, it's not really natural selection anymore, is it? It's just trying to bend everything to your will, using science as an excuse to do it."

Samus sat down beside Harry, placing a comforting, reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And here you thought you didn't understand the basic tenets of biology, and science in general, as well as I do. Now, as far as I'm concerned, you may understand them a bit better," she said kindly. "I guess there's no telling what in store for this era now, but...whatever happens to me, if I can go back to mine, yours'll be left in good hands. I was sure of it last time and I'm even surer now."

Harry smiled and looked at the floor, not sure what to say. Suddenly, he remembered something important that had to be done before Samus tried to go back. "Oh, Samus, that's right. I need to give this back to you," Harry said sheepishly. He fished through the pockets of his jacket and pulled out her Paralyzer.

Samus stared at it for a moment, motioned to take it from him, but then drew her hand back. "No. I want you to hang onto that," she said. "You've got some rough missions ahead of you and you know it, so some extra firepower could be crucial."

"Samus, no! This is part of your childhood! I-I-I can't just keep it!" Harry protested. "Besides, your whole reason for me having this was the element of surprise. Well, Voldemort and the Death Eaters know all about it now, so what's the point?"

"The point is that I'm telling you you keep it," said Samus with a tone of finality. "I mean, it's only fair. Something you were quite intimate with was just handed off to me. Or rather, the Etecoons and Dachoras," she went on, smirking wryly. A bit of an uneasy silence lingered in between them, and the whole room for that matter. Harry looked down at his hand, holding the Paralyzer and testing its weight all over again. Then, thankfully, Samus spoke up again. "So, all that talk about all the work that needs to be done in the years to come...what about the next few days?"

"Well, I want to spend a day or two over at the Burrow and at Hogwarts, help with getting everything back in order," said Harry. "Then...I'm coming back here until Aunt Petunia's ready to be moved. Right now, with Voldemort still out there and pissier than ever, don't want to take the chance of the enchantment breaking, because one or both of us is away too long again," he went on, his scar suddenly throbbing again, punctuating how his arch-nemesis was now more driven than ever.

"Not exactly tactically sound. Things could change drastically over the next few days. Voldemort could easily bottle you up here and wait for the charm's clock to run out," Samus noted.

"Like I said before, for me and Aunt Petunia to finally be even...I'll take that chance," Harry replied.

"Still say it's tactically unsound," Samus repeated. "Then again, somehow, those moves of yours that are tactically unsound tend to work for the best anyway."

xxxxxx

July 6, 1997 A.D., 11:16 A.M. Western European Time

Malfoy Manor

Even as a relative calm and a shaky sense of peace fell upon Harry Potter's old home, a dreadful, malevolent atmosphere had taken hold of what was left of Draco Malfoy's. Once Samus Aran and her little band of hunters had finally finished off Valkyrie, Voldemort had seen to it that all his remaining Death Eaters relocated there to start rebuilding it. His vehemence and impatience were strong motivators, making the wrecked manor a beehive of activity. The Dark Lord's insistence on seizing this ripe opportunity to further infiltrate the Ministry, along with planning another mass breakout from Azkaban, had all his followers in a panicked haste to carry out his plans.

But at the moment, Lord Voldemort was taking some leisure time, attending to the matter of disciplining Draco Malfoy. And his idea of discipline was long hours of grueling, meticulous torture, and letting his uncontrollable screams of agony permeate his ruined home. As a solemn, not-so-subtle lesson to his followers, but especially his parents.

As much as this barbarism was pure psychological torture for Draco's parents, it was just as traumatizing for Severus Snape as well. He stood outside the door of the small room Voldemort chose for his nefarious work, staring blankly as Draco's cries rent his ears. Snape could tell Draco was doing his best to not show weakness and not scream, and admired his tenacity, pride and quiet defiance. He made no secret of taking a liking to the boy even before he first stepped into his classroom. And now, he was forced to endure hearing Draco suffer. Even more galling was how, once again, he was relegated to the role of a spy, unable to directly act and prevent any and all of Voldemort's evil. Simply watching and waiting to fulfill the job Dumbledore left him...

Snape mused on how lucky he was to climb back into that role, that he was able to fool the Dark Lord so completely again. Once Snape realized he could not go through with Val's plan, all that was left was the hope of fulfilling his old vows, his old promises, realizing almost too late that he would break them if he helped Val succeed. To Snape's utter astonishment, the hastily cobbled-together collection of excuses and half-truths placated the Dark Lord.

Snape told him it was all a ploy to gain access to Kor-Zor's dark power for the Dark Lord to use, that at first he hadn't understood the scope of Val's plans for him, that he hastily seized the opportunity in the hopes of stealing Kor-Zor's secrets when the time was right. He stuck to the story of things spinning out of control for him. Thanks to his skill with Occlumency, Snape kept on bending the truth, saying that Val had too many safeguards put around Kor-Zor's spirit, that too many of her subordinates were always around, making it impossible. At least, until Val evacuated the lunar base and waited for Potter and Aran to come to them, where he played his ace in the hole in the form of Weasley and Granger. Even then, he claimed, reaching Kor-Zor proved impossible, and settled for copying all of the relevant data from Val's computers.

At least, that's what Snape claimed, but he purposely rigged the module he stored the terabytes of data in, rendering it useless. It was not as if the Dark Lord understood Muggle technology, or technology of any sort, enough to see through that lie. On top of that, he sabotaged the Infernian scout ship, but thankfully, Draco's power suit burned itself out while acting for Voldemort and was beyond all repair.

Voldemort might have been willing to bend his own rules about rejecting technology when the Chozo or Muggles from Samus's time were involved, but he'd never have the respect and intimate knowledge that let Val reach such dangerous heights with it. The late headmaster was right all along: the Dark Lord made no real effort to understand whatever he looked down on. How easy it was to keep exploiting that one flaw of his. Now if only Potter could exploit the rest in time...

"Potter," Snape whispered to himself, finding that, amazingly, the thought of that self-assured boy no longer made his blood boil. In fact, as much as Snape hated to admit it, Potter actually gave him hope, just as he did nearly everyone else. All the Chozo and Muggle technology and all the help he had notwithstanding, Potter finally proved he could rise above mediocrity when he put his mind to it.

That, combined with the fresh knowledge he gleamed from Val...Snape hoped it was enough to sustain him in the dark days to come. The full extent of Dumbledore's plans for both of them, the truth behind Voldemort's immortality, and the story behind the so-called 'Deathly Hallows'. Most importantly, however, was Val reiterating how there was a slim hope that, in a strange way, Lily's sacrifice would protect the boy from the Dark Lord one last time...

Snape shut his eyes tightly as tears started to come, the crushing guilt and anguish coming back in full force. Even moreso than usual, as Snape was left with the crushing realization that again, it was only his loyalty to Lily's memory, and the promise he made over her grave, that kept him from going past the point of no return. Before, it was fear for Lily's life that turned him away from Voldemort's evil. And then Val returned, once again showing him the love he desperately needed. But even after it became plain that hate had warped her soul permanently, Snape still refused to see it...until Val made it crystal clear that she intended to kill Lily's son if it meant fulfilling Lily's dream. And in the end, that, and only that, kept Snape from going completely over the edge.

You always tried to reassure me, headmaster, that I was braver than I gave myself credit for. That I was a better man than I gave myself credit for, Snape thought bitterly to himself. Bollocks. I'm what I always accused Potter of doing, shying away and letting others do the heavy lifting. And how I keep refusing to see the madness around me until it's almost too late...it goes to show I've learned nothing. At least it looks like Potter's finally learned a thing or two.

Draco's scream filled the manor's lower levels again, prompting Snape to finally walk away. Hopefully Potter's learned to act swiftly, he added bitterly. Sticking his hand in his robe's pocket, he pulled out a mangled piece of metal. The remains of Valkyrie's wedding band, which was blasted off after she unleashed all her horrible, Phazon-fueled rage. Along with it, he still had his own, still pristine. A sad reminder of what he once had, what might have been. Unbidden memories of all the time they spent together in their youth, working on new potions and dark spells, the only ones who understood and completed each other, and of course, her subtle ways of entrapping and seducing him. Only now, nearly sixteen years later, she almost seduced him into betraying himself and the two people whose memories Val claimed to honor. Through sex, through promising vengeance for their unborn baby, Val almost took him down a darker path than the Dark Lord's.

He stared at them for a moment, then closed his fist around them as he closed his eyes again, the tears coming back. I sacrificed my one last chance of living a happy life for myself, Potter, just to give us both one last shot at what we were originally destined to do. Don't you dare disappoint me now.

"You really did still love her, even after all this time," came a soft voice from behind him. Whirling around nervously, he saw Lucius and Narcissa standing there. They hid their anguish over their son's torture well. At the moment, though, their stares betrayed curiosity, silently asking why Snape switched sides yet again.

At length, Snape walked up to them and swiftly cast Muffliato. "Both of them, Narcissa. Loyalty to one's memory just won out over the other," he said flatly.

"And that's the only reason?" asked Lucius.

"Did Potter need to give you two any other reason besides saving Draco to turn on Val?" Snape replied delicately. Even those they were old friends, he wasn't in much mood for conversation. "Ah yes, I suppose the idea of giving Muggles our power didn't sit well either."

"It was...starting to, believe it or not," said Lucius.

"Severus, the point is, well, you don't have to worry about us betraying anything you revealed to us during our time in Inferno," said Narcissa nervously. "Our Occlumency skill isn't in the same league as yours, but...your secrets are safe with us."

"And how you hinted at Dumbledore and Potter having some plan for besting the Dark Lord, well, if that's true, I'd say we're all for letting the boy do it," added Lucius.

Snape regarded them carefully for a moment. "And If there's ever a time where you'll have to openly choose between Potter and the Dark Lord and his forces, what then? You know my answer, but what about you two?"

Lucius suddenly looked at the floor, crestfallen. "I...I am not sure."

Snape let out a little snort. "Well, if that is all, I will trust you both...for now," he said, then swept away, doing his best to tune out another scream from Draco. Acting selfishly to live with myself...that's what turned me. Maybe one day it'll turn them too...

xxxxxx

July 8, 1997 A.D., 8:56 P.M. Western European Time

Hogwarts

It was either fortunate or unfortunate, depending on how one looked at it. It turned out Dumbledore had left instructions for building another enchanted clock in his office, and it took McGonagall a little over a day to ready one for Samus. Thus, that gave Samus far less time to spend at Hogwarts, with friends she might never see again, than she had at the conclusion of her last mission. Forgoing any real sleep, Samus spent many hours walking the halls of Hogwarts, revisiting all the house-elves in the kitchens, and basically marvelling at the school's wonder and beauty all over again.

Of course, the castle didn't feel as lively without all the students there. On top of that, signs of the siege and occupation by Inferno were still there, hurting the mood, and leaving a grim reminder that Samus would soon be departing while leaving her friends with the same mess to clean up as before. In fact, thanks to Valkyrie, an even greater one. On top of finishing Voldemort, they were now left with a world that would never be the same. And it's not like my future's any better, assuming I even have one to go back to, Samus thought morosely.

At any rate, it was finally time to say her good-byes and head back to her time. And so, with a heavy heart, Samus made her way to the courtyard she last landed her ship in. To no one's surprise, a whole crowd had gathered there, waiting to see her off. She spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione right away, and gathered around the ship, Samus saw Professors McGonagall, Hagrid and Slughorn, Arthur, Molly, Ginny, Charlie and George Weasley, Moody, Kingsley, Lupin, Tonks, Fleur, Neville, Luna, Dobby and, to her surprise, Captain J.B. Granger.

"Captain, you're still here?" Samus asked as she walked up to her ship. "I thought you would've been called back to your country by now."

J.B. snickered a little. "Well, the Pentagon needs me in the official role of liaison a bit longer, it turns out. Just as well. Like you, wanted to spend every last second I could here, anyway. Doubt I'll get an excuse to come back until my niece graduates." Samus caught Hermione looking at the ground, fidgeting nervously. No doubt even her uncle knew nothing about their plans to not return for the new school year.

"Can't blame you. We both have some rough times ahead of us," said Samus. "I mean, even after you get back, seeing how everything's changed between this planet's two worlds..."

"Please, don't remind me. This was one Fourth I think everyone back home would rather forget," J.B. said quickly. "Still, I'm optimistic. So hopefully when I go back home, I won't be dragged away from those would-be jet jockeys back in Hawaii that need me."

"A quiet teaching stint...we should all be so lucky," said Slughorn, thumping J.B. on the back. "Take care of yourself over in America. I mean, as far as Muggles go, you're one of a kind."

"Oh, don't worry everyone. I'll be looking out for any collabs with the Royal Air Force from here on in, I promise you," said J.B.. Arthur's expression suddenly brightened, which drew a look of ire from Molly. No doubt she suspected J.B. promised Arthur some hands-on time in an actual plane. After all, Samus let George and J.B. pilot her ship, but Arthur was a different story.

Suddenly reminded of George, she turned to where he was standing, right next to Fleur Delacour. He looked as self-assured as ever, more insufferably cocky than anyone she ever set out to hunt. Still, she had plenty of respect for George, and found herself strangely uneasy around him. It took a while to find her words, reaching out to grab his hand and shake it. "Thanks for all the help with my ship, George. Doubt this mission would've gone as well as it did without you."

"Anytime, Samus. Anytime," George replied with a wink.

"A pity you can't stay long enough for the wedding," said Fleur suddenly. "I think many were looking forward to seeing you as one of the bridesmaids. You would have looked oh-so-lovely..."

Samus heard many groans from all around her, especially from Ginny and Hermione. Deciding to play with their heads a little, she replied by saying, "Yeah, it's too bad. I think part of me was looking forward to it, too."

"You two weren't the only ones," said George in a hushed voice.

Predictably, this evoked gasps from almost everyone. Ron got over his surprise quickly, and delicately asked, "What...brought about that change of heart?"

Her flippant attitude suddenly fading, she looked over to George, memories of the SA-X's vision flooding back. For the first time, George looked nervous and taken aback by her gaze. "Let's just say I've learned there's far worse things to fear," she said at length.

"Well, in any case, 'bout time fer our mutual friends ter get inside th' ship," said Hagrid suddenly. The sound of a fist rapping on metal followed. Samus turned to what was securely fastened underneath her ship: Arthur Weasley's Ford Anglia, out of which the Etecoons and Dachoras stepped out. "Ye have no idea how much th' little blighters helped me out, Sammy. This here thing didn't show itself much, but when it did...oh holy hell. Guaranteed ter scare all th' hippogriphs and thestrals out of their wits. Dunno how they did it, but yer friends finally tamed th' beast."

"And now the only way to ensure this...sentient vehicle remains docile is for the Etecoons and Dachoras to take it with them," spoke up Adam. "How these beings formed such a bond, I am at a loss to explain. But it is of no trouble to us. Of course, how we will explain towing a terrestrial vehicle from Earth's ancient past to the Galactic Federation's patrols, I am also at a loss."

"Somehow, I still think explaining the B.S.L.'s destruction will be even harder," said Samus darkly.

"It still mystifies me, how you think your future is still there to go back to, after everything that's been affected in our present," Lupin pointed out.

"We didn't either, until Adam dug up some stuff and shared it with us," said Harry.

"Or rather, what I uncovered in my own data banks after removing a virus I didn't even know Valkyrie planted," said Adam. "A rather surreptitous fellow, this virus. I would not have been aware of its presence had I not also aided Captain Granger in purging Faction's more pernicious one from his country's computer network."

"And...by eliminating it, what did you find?" asked Moody.

"That Valkyrie deliberately had parts of Adam's historical database inaccessible," said Hermione. "She probably planted this bug before Samus even travelled back to the future that first time. My guess is, Valkyrie didn't want Samus and Adam too savvy about this time period, since her aim was to change everything forever."

"Which Valkyrie did. Valkyrie's now changed Samus Aran's entire future," muttered Dobby darkly.

"Not necessarily," said Ron quickly.

"Yeah. Valkyrie told us she had a peek at the not-too-distant future. But if she took a closer look at the present, she would've found that a lot of things she planned to do...were already part of Samus's recorded history," explained Harry.

"Something mucking up the Panama Canal, some storm tearing up America's capital, a nasty corona ejaculation, the Vatican wiped out by terrorists or whatever, the list goes on and on," said Ron.

"But, of course, that's all seen through a lens centuries after Muggles and wizards collaborated to keep the true scope a mystery to everyone else," Hermione added. "All of Valkyrie's talk of changing things forever...turns out this was one of those weird time paradoxes all along. The X parasites, Samus Aran and her Metroid DNA, the Phazon from the Valhalla...they all had to come back and affect the past to make the future what it's supposed to be. A future where we're not completely hidden, and even work with Muggles again."

Samus still wasn't sure what to make of all this. She had a certain amount of pride herself, and hated the idea that everything she did here, both times while in the past, was somehow preordained. Did that mean everything she'd do for the rest of her life was somehow preordained, too?

"Samus, I wouldn't think too much of it," said Harry, as if he knew what was weighing on her mind. "What we did, keeping the timeline the way it turns out it was supposed to be...it's because we chose to fight to keep it that way."

"It's our choices that make us what we are," said Samus, repeating Dumbledore's mantra.

"That's right. It's just too bad there's hardly anything about our world in Adam's database. Could use some...clues," said Harry, no doubt thinking about Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"Still can't believe we're parting under the same circumstances again," said Samus. "Me with my fight in my era, and you with yours. But...at least there's some comfort in knowing things'll progress the way they're supposed to."

"And, as far as this era's concerned, will end with Harry Potter's ultimate victory," chimed in Adam. "I hardly think Earth's history from this point on would have progressed from this point as it did, according to my now virus-free database, if Voldemort ran about unchecked for much longer. And seeing the courage, resourcefulness and resolve of Harry and all his friends...it is further proof that Tom Marvolo Riddle's days are now numbered."

Harry simply nodded, still humble enough to keep silent about all his recent successes. After that, Samus briskly walked around, saying an individual farewell to everyone who gather around to see her off. Dobby, in particular, had a particularly clingy display and a long, tearful farewell that consisted of an entire ballad. When she finally got back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, they had something else for her: an entire stack of their old spellbooks. "No telling what you'll face in your era from here on in," said Hermione. "Might pay to bone up on your witchcraft, just in case."

"Do us a favor, though, in case we ever see you again," said Harry. "Whenever it comes time to use that crazy fire spell on that Ridley bloke, make damn sure you get that on camera. That'll be priceless."

"Think we'll ever see Samus again?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Last time we saw her off, we figured the chances were slim, yet here she is again," said Harry coyly.

Samus smiled warmly, then hugged Harry one last time. Finally, it was time to board her ship. She stood under it with the Etecoon and Dachoras, who warbled and screeched as they were all levitated up. Casting one last, bittersweet gaze out of the cockpit window, down at the some of the most loyal friends she ever made, Samus then deftly manipulated the controls and ascended. The ship flew away from the castle and out into orbit, where the path back to SR388 in her time awaited...

"Harry Potter had a point, you know," said Adam suddenly. "Twice now, you two were thrust together to preserve the integrity of the flow of time. The single-greatest source of chaos that plagues his era and his world shall soon be eliminated, from the looks of it. Your presence will no longer be needed here, in his foreseeable future, but...what can be said about our future?"

Samus leaned back as McGonagall's new clock tumbled through space, where it finally reopened the vortex and the way home. Many things still troubled her, not the least of which was her uncertain fate involving the Galactic Federation Police. Not to mention, the Space Pirates, and possibly even Ridley still, were hiding somewhere, licking their wounds and awaiting another opportune time to strike. And what truly had become of the witches and wizards in her time?

Looking down at the stack of spellbooks her friends gave to her, Samus said, "Whatever's coming, Adam, we'll be ready. If Space Pirates and Dark wizards thought I was trouble before, well...the best is yet to come." And with that, Samus's ship shot through the vortex, and both vanished altogether.

xxxxxx

The Chozo's sacred home in the tunnels underneath the arid surface of Zebes were usually quiet and peaceful, a perfect environment for the sort of silent contemplation and meditation the ancient space-dwelling race valued. But right now, an uneasy feeling of anxiety permeated the home of this Chozo tribe. It had just come to their attention that something interrupted all long-range surveillance of certain solar systems at the far edge of the galaxy. For most of the tribe, this was little more than a mild inconvenience, a minor curiosity. Except for those of the tribe that knew the terrible truth about what the Chozo did on that world, many, many cycles ago.

Once they became aware, though, of strange solar activity coming from that world's star, most assumed that was to blame, and continued with their studies and philosophical pursuits with little worry. Eventually, though, some of the tribe investigated further...and discovered the probable cause for those solar anomalies...

And then, mere days ago, the detection of what was undoubtedly a collection of dark matter and dark energy removed all doubt. But just as the tribe's elders ordered a battleship to be prepared, to be dispatched to Earth at once, the dark matter and dark energy vanished as suddenly as it had come.

The battleship was deployed anyway, but the tribe's Chozo elders found no trace of dark matter, dark energy, or the being undoubtedly responsible for pulling it all there: Kor-Zor. The ancient prison used to seal him was gone, and the four sanctuaries housing the black hole generator left behind for the magic-users of that planet...the pieces were gone, and the sanctuaries sealed up permanently. Probes and scout ships routinely fed back survey data, but for days, nothing else looked amiss. That was, until they detected a ship with technology far beyond anything that world's inhabitants had, which promptly vanished into what looked like a wormhole.

"I am telling you, Teal Sight, we can scrutinize the surface of that world for the next ten decacycles, and we will find nothing," said one of the Chozo elders, Grey Sol, as they walked through the tunnels burrowed through Brinstar. "What we helped those four humans plan for has reached its fruition. The four pieces of their black hole generator are gone, and so are all traces of Kor-Zor. There can be only one logical conclusion."

"Would it not be prudent to keep monitoring Earth?" protested Teal Sight. "Kor-Zor may finally be a memory, but the weapon built to defeat him could cause greater evil if left unchecked in the hands of humans."

"You forget how our ancestors helped these humans' ancestors ensure that anyone who assembled our black hole maker be thoroughly tested, to make sure their wisdom matched their courage and power," said Grey Sol. "We must give that race credit for progressing as far as they have, especially if they triumphed over Kor-Zor without our aid this time."

"But...of course, elder. Please forgive my impertinece for questioning your judgment," said Teal Sight quickly.

At last, the pair came to a bubble door, which Grey Sol promptly opened with a tap of his energized cane. As they entered the deepest parts of the research facility on the far side of Brinstar, Grey Sol turned back to Teal Sight. "But you are still anxious. Another matter still preoccupies you."

"You understand me all too well, elder," said Teal Sight. "It's the matter of...that strange ship we discovered just recently."

As the pair passed a long row of bubble doors, Grey Sol carefully considered his response. "Yes, that is a mystery. And when I personally looked into the mystery, I stumbled upon more questions than answers. Would you believe, even though the technology of the ship itself is decidedly alien, unlike anything we've seen, its pilot was not only a human, but wears a suit derived from Chozo technology and is even infused with our blood?"

Teal Sight gasped, utterly speechless. "H-H-How is that possible?" he demanded.

"I do not know. But the wormhole the ship disappeared into...did you know it gave off chronometric particulates?" replied Grey Sol thoughtfully.

"Are you asserting that Earth had a visitor from its future, one from which another human was given a suit we forged?" asked Teal Sight.

"As improbable as it may sound to us, it seems a most logical assumption, given what facts we have," said Grey Sol. "There is much here we cannot hope to understand just yet."

"If that is the case, would it not be prudent to not only investigate further, but send...him to help us do it?" inquired Teal Sight.

At last, the pair came across the one bubble door behind which was the one Teal Sight referred to. A bubble door only a Chozo elder could open, and Grey Sol lightly tapped it with his cane as well. It opened far more slowly than most of the other bubble doors. "I do not believe so. We required his services a mere cycle ago, and it will be many more decacycles before he is ready to aid us again in any way."

Grey Sol and Teal Sight stared thoughtfully at the stasis pod housed in the small room beyond the hatch. A small glass panel let them look at its occupant, a lone, aged human male, with a bald head and a small, white beard. His features beared an eerie resemblance to the creatures referred to as 'monkeys' on his homeworld...

xxxxxx

May 2, 1998 A.D., 8:28 A.M. Western European Time

Time marched on for Harry Potter as his lifelong destiny to resist Lord Voldemort, and everything he stood for, approached its climactic conclusion. The skills and lessons he and his friends learned from Samus proved invaluable. They hunted down each and every one of Voldemort's deadly Horcruxes and uncovered the true secret of the Deathly Hallows' power. Though it was by no means easy, and there were heartbreaking losses along the way, in less than a year, Adam Malkovich and Samus Aran's predictions came true. In the end, for all Voldemort's talk of being the most powerful and brilliant sorceror of the age, Harry came to realize the Dark wizard outsmarted no one but himself...and saw to it Voldemort's own power blew him away.

At long last, a terrible chapter in Earth's history came to a close, and all of Harry Potter's kind breathed easier. Though, that morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione had to reflect on what they discussed with Samus months before. That eliminating Voldemort was by no means the end of their struggles, that they all had a duty to keep fighting, to make sure they left their world better than they found it...

But as their destinies continued to unfold on Earth, it was just yet another trifling detail in the tapestry of the entire universe, which kept on being woven. Earth's sun kept swirling around the Milky Way Galaxy along with the rest of its stars, comets and meteors kept zipping across Earth's solar system, all the planets kept revolving around their sun, and the universe marched on.

As everything in that solar system kept on progressing as it should have, any casual observer could be forgiven for overlooking one little bit of an asteroid as it shot past Neptune, barely escaping its gravitational pull, and kept on its way out of that solar system. And anyone who had been watching could also be forgiven for missing a tiny blip of strange radiation coming from that asteroid chunk, and what was giving it off...

Nestled in between two sharp pieces of rock that were jutting out, there was a robotic appendage resembling the left arm of a human. As it soared past Neptune, it looked inert. But then, spontaneously, its mechanical fingers flexed in an uncoordinated, random matter. This went on for a few seconds as the asteroid chunk left the solar system, but then, its fingers clenched to form a fist...

xxxxxx

May 4, 1998 A.D., 10:15 P.M. Western European Time

St. Mungo's Hospital

"Thank God that Longbottom kid probably won't be coming over to St. Mungo's for a while," said one of the Healer assistants as he and his co-worker worked on tidying up the hospital room that, among other patients, Frank and Alice Longbottom were committed to. Thankfully, both of the insane patients were fast asleep, along with all the other patients there. Including the one that was separated from the rest by a thick curtain. "Hate to be the one to explain why THIS particular patient is in here with his folks. You don't mess with a kid who has the balls to wave a sword in Voldemort's face."

"Look, what the kid doesn't know won't hurt him," said the other assistant. "The whole place has been flooded with patients both because of all the Death Eater takedowns, and the reckless partying afterward. There was no other place to put her for the moment, and that's that. By the time this Neville Longbottom revisits his folks, she should be long gone."

"She should ALREADY be long gone. That spell she was hit with, and where...no one should've survived that. Nothing human, anyway," said the first assistant, waving his wand to reset the covers over Alice Longbottom.

"Think who we're talking about. She ceased being human a LONG time ago," replied the second assistant as they left the room, leaving the patients alone.

Including the one concealed behind the curtain. A quick peek behind it would have revealed it was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, now completely catatonic. At first, it was believed that Molly Weasley had killed her outright, but it was later discovered she was barely clinging to life. As such, she was shepherded away here, with few knowing her fate. For the last two days, as most of the Wizarding world celebrated the demise of her master, she lay there in that hospital bed, comatose, the steady rising and falling of her chest the only sign of movement and life.

Until, hidden from the view of anyone else, her eyelids slowly opened, revealing a glassy gaze aimed straight up at the ceiling. The virulent, passionate fire that was once ablaze in those eyes had been all but snuffed out, replaced by something else. A chilling, patient gaze, of one watching and waiting for the right moment to make a move.

And then, Bellatrix's eyes slid back shut, and there was no way of knowing when they would snap open again...

THE END?

xxxxxx

And thus, after about a year and a half since starting it, this whole sordid affair now comes to a close. And it took two and a half years after wrapping up the original to even start this sequel. So, after taking four years to finally complete this sucker, what do I have to say for myself?

Well, like I said before, I had no intention of doing a simple rehash of the original. And since the original was little more than the plots of Metroid Fusion and Order of the Phoenix meshed together, I felt the need to go the extra mile. To take it to the next level, I first sought a way to give the follow-up a different, and even more epic, feel. I realized the easiest way to do that was, this time, tie the mythologies of the two franchises together. And that's where the plotline of the founders of Hogwarts teaming up with the Chozo came from.

But where that led to was the typical 'ancients seal away an apocalyptic evil' storyline, something we've seen dozens of times. So I had to go further. Looking back to what people liked about the first, one of the selling points was how Samus Aran and Harry Potter were dynamic characters in that story. The original had a theme of openness, playing upon how Samus is always viewed as a brooding loner, and how in his fifth book Harry was infamous for being a dick to even his friends.

I needed a different theme for the sequel. As I brainstormed a bit more, I dwelled on how in both franchises, the line between good and evil is pretty clear-cut, and the villains have absolutely no way to truly dissuade or tempt the heroes. Eventually, I settled on a theme of temptation. I wanted Samus and Harry to be offered things that could fulfill their wildest dreams if they only abandoned their chosen heroic paths. Then they struggle to resist, and come off as even bigger heroes as a result. Unfortunately, none of the canon villains in either franchise could fill that role, and that's where the need for Valkyrie came from.

I'll admit a lot of the time brainstorming was spent hammering out all the details of Valkyrie's character, and I'm sure it showed. I guess I now gotta answer for why she flirted so dangerously with Villain Sue territory. Well, the simple answer is this: for a new villain to temporarily replace Voldemort as the Big Bad of Harry's world and be able to take on Samus Aran, that person had to be someone pretty damn special. That's how Phazon eventually worked its way into the plot, as a means of giving a witch the boost in power needed to challenge them all. The decision to make my new villain an evil counterpart of Lily Potter came much earlier. Since Lily herself is a bit of a Canon Sue, viewed as an apex of goodness and light in Harry's world, it just made sense to have our new villain be her mirror image.

Some would accuse me of putting too much of myself into Valkyrie, as all people who write Mary Sues do. Well, believe it or not, those who lob that criticism are absolutely right. In designing Valkyrie's character, I took every unsavory part about my own personality and experiences, and shoved them into the pretty package I had dreamed up. And as the story went on, the reader saw more and more of that packaging stripped away, revealing all the ugliness within.

What about how Valkyrie had such an impact on so many canon characters? Well, as far as Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy are concerned, there was good reason. I wanted to keep Draco as a reluctant foil for the Golden Trio, and be able to beat them at their own game. In essence, keep going with the side of Draco seen in Half-Blood Prince, since I was kinda disappointed by how he didn't have a bigger role in Deathly Hallows. And through his eyes, it was a perfect way to show Valkyrie and the Reformers and develop all their characters. As for Snape, I wanted to preserve the suspense that always hovered around him, about what side he would ultimately choose. Plus, Snape and Valkyrie made a great counterpart couple to the Potters. Of course, while James and Snape loathed each other, they wound up on the same side, in contrast to Lily and Valkyrie who were close friends but had radically different views of the world.

On top of the radical new villain, I just wanted to push the envelope further. As everything got pieced together in my head, loads of little plot bunnies, involving things I thought would be cool to see in a Harry Potter story, worked their way in. The worlds of wizards and Muggles finally colliding? Sure! Voldemort teaming up with Harry Potter? Why not? Getting Harry out of Great Britain and seeing the world, especially America? Bring it on! Bringing Moaning Myrtle back from the dead? Go for it! Playing with the side of Petunia Dursley revealed in Deathly Hallows? Sure thing! Dreaming up new members of the Granger family? About damn time!

The last thing I felt that needed to be improved was the Metroid half of the story. Again, the first time around, it felt like I novelized a second quest of Metroid Fusion. This time around, I wanted something completely different, so that's where the Zelda-style levels revolving around the Founders came in, not to mention the Reformers serving as minibosses and the devious creations of the Founders to fight in each one. I felt that that, combined with the team aspect, was enough to make it more than just another Metroid-ish novelization, and made up for how there were no new abilites outside of the beam-spell combos.

And so, there you have it. There's the whole sad story behind this sequel, which looks like people around the Internet as a whole regarded as a mixed bag. I gave it my best, but...eh, can't please everyone. Hopefully though, in a few years, I can make more people happy again with Fusion of Destinies III: Rise of the Seven Stars, which will finally take the struggle between good and evil into Samus's time. Not gonna reveal too much beyond the sequel hooks in this chapter, since it'll take me some time to hammer out the complete plot of this sequel as well. Plus, there's stuff I wanna work on before then. Already decided on what my next fic will be, but for the crossover I'll write after that, I've got some ideas. Take a gander at what I've thought of below and tell me what you think...

- Castlevania/Sonic crossover, drawing mostly from Unleashed and Order of Ecclesia.

- Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover, set in between SuperS and Stars and drawing mostly from the X-Men comic storylines in the 1990s.

- South Park/Final Fantasy III fusion, as in the REAL Final Fantasy III on the NES, and not that overrated drudgery that was actually Final Fantasy VI.

- Sly Cooper/Transformers crossover, using an original incarnation of the latter.

Well, enough yammering from me. Now that I'm done with this, I've got another week to wait until I can indulge my Metroid obsession all over again in the form of Other M. And hopefully, there'll be at least one POST-FUSION sequel before I feel the time is right to wrap up the trilogy. In the meantime, I'll end it with a list of all the references to games, movies, television, book and Internet memes that littered this whole fic.

xxxxxx

The idea of there being 'temples' devoted to each of Hogwarts's four Founders no doubt made readers think of The Legend of Zelda more than anyhing else, but there were other influences:

- Four things that needed to be manipulated in Ravenclaw's sanctuary to collapse the central tower was a lot like the Eagle's Tower, the next-to-last dungeon in Link's Awakening.

- The masks from the four temple bosses in Majora's Mask adorned the wall in Valkyrie's private museum.

There were copious nods to the Metal Gear series, besides the method of introducing the Reformers being very Foxhound-ish:

- Hermione's musing about such a tiny organism changing the world is taken from the demo exposition in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

- Samus's final words being 'the best is yet to come' is a nod to the main theme of Metal Gear Solid.

- Wildflower jumping off of Azkaban, only to resurface standing on a jet was, naturally, a nod to Solidus Snake's antics in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

- Valkyrie's air forces making use of Hinds loaded with enchantments is an homage to how the very best Metal Gear games always have Hinds (the MSX originals, the PS1 and GBC sequels, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater).

- Why was J.B. Granger depicted with a mullet? Take a wild guess.

There were Castlevania references abound yet again:

- The lower levels of Slytherin's sanctuary having loads of huge gears was a huge nod to the clock tower levels seen in almost all Castlevania games.

- Moody was, naturally, trying to remember the name of the Belnades clan, hinting at how Harry and Samus might also be in the Castlevania universe.

- The SA-X, of course, aped Dracula's throwing-the-empty-wine-glass schtick right before her fateful duel with Samus.

- Wildflower did not mimic any villains from the Castlevania series (definitely not Actrise), but she did mimic Dracula's classic attack pattern from Order of Ecclesia (fireballs/bats, then flaming meteors, then deadly rain) .

- Valkyrie herself was heavily influenced by not only Castlevania's depiction of Dracula, but certain descriptions in Bram Stoker's Dracula (part of Konami's official timeline) , such as having both aspects of an adult and a child's mentality.

- Samus dealing damage through Wildflower's suit with her wisp whip was another nod to Castlevania.

- Snape and Valkyrie's combo attack with the tornado was inspired by the team attacks in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.

Sonic the Hedgehog had a lot of subtle influences, like the chase fight with Helga Hufflepuff and mimicking how the Dreamcast games brilliantly told their stories from multiple viewpoints. But the biggest reference was the final battle against Valkyrie and Kor-Zor, directly inspired by the last fight in Sonic Heroes.

The idea of Ron and Hermione adrift in space, with their dog tags no doubt floating in their faces, was a nod to the similar scenario with Squall and Rinoa in Final Fantasy VIII.

There were several subtle nods to Mega Man 9, such as:

- The chapter name 'We're the Reformers' was taken from the track 'We're the Robots', which plays in the second part of Dr. Wily's fortress.

- Ped's lock of silvery hair mimics the plume on the front of Splash Woman's helmet.

- The way sparks shot from the tip of Samus's boot when magma fell in Gryffindor's sanctuary mimics how the same thing happens with Mega Man while standing too close to cascading magma in Magma Man's stage.

Anyone notice how almost all of the big villains do a Street Fighter II move?

- Valkyrie uses Ryu and Ken's Shoryuken on Voldemort in their duel.

- Snape does Guile's backflipping kick thing on Harry during their fight in Hufflepuff's sanctuary.

- Wildflower uses E. Honda's flying headbutt during her fight in Gryffindor's sanctuary.

- Faction uses Zangief's spinning piledriver on Samus in Hufflepuff's sanctuary.

- Tesla makes like Blanka and uses his rolling ball to pinball around the streets of Salem.

- Ped uses Chun-Li's spinning bird kick on a bunch of Aurors in Hogsmeade.

Ron had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV moment in the Ravenclaw sanctuary, thrashing around one of the 'valkyrie' statues to damage others.

J.B. Granger growing a third arm out of his back was a nod to the ending of Simpsons: Hit & Run.

Harry has some God of War moments, such as taking out an Orangu-Snake with its own axe and ripping the wings off a 'valkyrie' statue.

The way Dudley took out his challenger was the exact method used to best Sandman in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!

Besides Captain Falcon and Kirby actually being part of Samus's universe, other nods were made ot the latter, such as the password for Dumbledore's office being changed to 'Maxim Tomato'.

The bamboo smoking pipe in Valkyrie's manor was Goemon's weapon of choice in the Ganbare Goemon series.

The Razor Knight doing barrel rolls was a nod to Star Fox.

British troops naming one of their tanks the 'Metal Slughorn' was, of course, a brazen reference to the Metal Slug franchise.

Here's the one EVERYONE got: Draco's line at the end of Chapter 17 was ripped right out of Halo 2.

Valkyrie asking Voldemort "Are you with us?" was taken from the commercial for Sly 2: Band of Thieves, perhaps my absolute favorite platformer for the PlayStation 2.

Here's an obscure one: the name of the Death Eater that Valkyrie posed as was a reference to a blatant Mega Man ripoff called The Krion Conquest. Francesca was the main character's name in the American version, while Doropoia was derived from her Japanese name.

The chapter title Streets of Rage was a nod to the beat0'em-up series from Sega of the same name.

There were a few nods to the Dead or Alive series. Valkyrie's clothes were partly inspired by Hitomi's look. Dr. Kasumi Hinada was somewhat inspired by Kasumi, although they share nothing in common other than an Asian background, red hair, and their name.

Valkyrie bringing replicas of the four Reformers to life with magic egg things was a reference to Bonk's Adventure.

Y'know how loads of fans say Harry Potter is most like Star Wars? That's bullshit. X-Men is the franchise that has the most in common, I say, and loads of stuff in this fic reflected that:

- Valkyrie herself was originally meant to be a Doctor Doom-ish character, but I figured Voldemort already fit the mold of archetypal villain. So Valkyrie pretty much became equal parts Magneto, Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse. Tesla's quip about wanting to call her team the Four Horsemen was even a nod to the last one.

- Valkyrie's trick with lowering the air pressure around Voldemort during their duel was taken from Uncanny X-Men #150, where Storm does the same thing to Magneto. Hermione's line about a dream being good, but the dreamer being corrupted, was said to Magneto by Storm in that same issue.

- The idea of Voldemort being forced to side with the good guys came from how every 'part two' of anything X-Men related in non-comic media has Magneto switching sides. The second season of the 90s X-Men toon, X-Men 2: Clone Wars for Genesis, X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, X2: X-Men United...you name it, Magneto does a Heel Face Turn.

- On top of that, Voldemort's whole dramatic entrance into the Ministry of Magic as it was being invaded was ripped right from the opening cinema to X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse.

- Fighting likenesses of the four Reformers during the final showdown with Valkyrie was also meant to parallel how Apocalypse brings out likenesses of his Four Horsemen in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse.

- Tesla shouting "Welcome...to die!" was an obvious nod to the X-Men arcade game.

- The idea of a villainous plot to mutate normal humans was partly inspired by the first X-Men movie.

- Petunia Dursley transforming back into Ped while doing a spinning kick in midair was taken right from Mystique's big fight scene in the first X-Men movie.

- Tesla and Ped's special powers were, of course, inspired by Magneto and Toad.

Fleur Delacour saying "You have got balls. I like your balls," to Harry was ripped right from Team America: World Police.

The way Valkyrie mocked and laughed at everyone in Malfoy Manor when she first revealed herself was directly inspired by the Joker's entrance in The Dark Knight.

The adult Dachora getting Harry away from Narcissa's mud colossus came from a similar scene in Up.

A lot of last minute additions to made as nods to Iron Man 2, such as Faction thrashing around his makeshift whips just like Whiplash/Crimson Dynamo at the racetrack, Harry and Samus's argument which was interrupted by the arrival of a slew of Metroids, and even how Samus putting on her suit mimicked the 'suitcase armor' scene.

Wildflower, of course, used that famous line from Scarface atop Azkaban, repeated much later by Arthur Weasley to great effect.

Valkyrie saying that "One shall stand, one shall fall," was obviously ripped from the animated Transformers movie. Plus, the idea of making the Razor Knight a jet that transforms into a tank came from the sin of thinking that Michael Bay's Transformers wasn't all bad. Funny how Megatron then became a triple-changer, able to become a tank or jet, in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Lastly, the artistic design for the feet of most of the Transformers in the movies inspired the look for Susan Bones and Severus Snape's boots.

J.B. Granger, naturally, repeats Bruce Willis's infamous line from Die Hard after shooting the Razor Knight down.

The whole thing with Valkyrie's message being broadcasted to her outpost in Norway, and the way her Infernians behaved, was inspired by how Shredder first appeared in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Valkyrie announcing she was going 'southpaw' was, of course, a nod to the original Rocky.

Voldemort getting blasted through a headstone after getting slammed by a missile's impact was a lot like one bit of unpleasantness that befell the T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Harry telling Bellatrix that he had a perfect six-to-nothing record against Voldemort mimics how Bart Simpson once told Sideshow Bob the same thing in The Simpsons.

Were those figures Harry saw while flying over Tokyo really the heroes from Sailor Moon?

The nods to the original Dune were pretty damn obvious, such as Hermione's crack to Voldemort about being Bene Gesserit, J.B. having Ron recite the Bene Gesserit axiom about fear, and Valkyrie even calling Faction her own Mentat. But there were subtler influences; the idea of Samus's suit recycling water came right from the Fremen stillsuits.

The eagle on Ron's armor opening the way to Hufflepuff's lair parallels how a thrush reveals the path to Smaug in The Hobbit.

Harry asking Samus whether she wants "meat, or potatoes" when they're about to throw down on a bunch of Metroids was ripped from the awesome new Sherlock Holmes movie. Couldn't think of any lines from the actual books that haven't been aped dozens of times, so I got lazy and used the movie.

There were even nods to Internet memes this time around. The way Harry got all irate while playing Super Mario 64 was meant to parallel the Angry Video Game Nerd.

The Razor Knight's tank form being referred to as 'Thunderfoot' mode was a nod to the Youtube user of the same name and his awesome series Why Do People Laugh At Creationists?

While in Salem, Tesla nearly repeated verbatim one of the famous taunting lines from the infamous The Juggernaut, Bitch! parody from My Way.

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And with that, the reading of this entire fic was completed successfully.

See you next mission,
Grey-X