Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate Stay Night.
Shirou Emiya and the Road Home
Temporal Distortion
Unknown Location
Anomaly
Who am I?
What happened?
My memories are scrambled...distorted...misplaced...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts...
Why can't I remember everything?
The image of a girl with purple hair and a wistful smile flashes through my mind.
Do I know her?
Who is she?
Why do I feel like I want to see her again?
She is...her name is...
I can't remember...
But I know she's important to me more so than anyone else...
The image of another girl—this one with dark hair dressed in red—flashed through my mind, giving me a chilling smile...
I'm suddenly afraid—no scratch that—I'm terrified! That girl's smile is enough to scare me never mind what she might do if I ever meet her!
Yet, I can't help but feel like I want to see her...
A flash...I see young girl with red eyes and white hair...she's dancing around a empty park with a smile on her face.
So innocent...
Another image—this time of a stunningly beautiful woman with long purple hair and a tall figure. She could easily pass as a supermodel...the scene changed...she's now holding a dagger attached to a chain and her hair is flowing around. She's fighting someone...
I can't remember her name either, only that I feel safe with her standing beside me and facing down the enemy...
The enemy...
A woman in black with blond hair stands before me with cool, frosty eyes that seemed to bore into my very being. A black—tainted—sword in her hands riddled with crimson runes is held at her side, ready to strike as she stares at me almost expectantly. I stare back and feel a connection that has broken but continues to linger, a memory of better times that had been discarded. Her name...she was my...I made an oath to her...didn't I?
She's fighting the woman with purple hair and the dagger, a fast and brutal battle to the death though the latter was only staying alive because of her speed. Time passed and the woman slowed, exhaustion no doubt setting in thanks to the inhuman pace of the battle. It was a faint that setup the black swordswoman for a follow-up attack with what looked like a unicorn of all things. The black swordswoman responded by readying her blade, dark energy charging and then releasing at her opponent.
Rho Aias
What did I do?
I did something and the swordswoman's attack was blocked—mostly—resulting in the two combatants to be blown away from each other. I scramble over to the downed swordswoman and drive a small blade down into her chest, killing her.
It hurts!
I can't stand this pain!
My mind shatters...
I feel myself fragmenting...
I'm breaking...
No!
I...will...not...break...
I'm standing on an alter—the first two girls are there—the purple haired girl now has blood red eyes and almost silvery hair. She's dressed in a black dress lined with red streaks and vein-like runes are stretching up her neck. The other is the dark-haired girl from before; she's lying down on the ground in a pool of blood—alive but unconscious and in need of a healer. I approach the now white-haired girl and after getting passed the shadowy forms that try to attack me, I stab her with a strange jagged dagger. She collapses into my arms, her clothes shredded and the runes on her skin now gone. The purple-haired woman from before appears and takes the two girls away, fleeing the cavern.
Another battle—this time against a man who was practically a corpse—he was fast and strong despite the state he was in. I wasn't any better; my left arm didn't belong to me and my body was riddled with swords that seemed to be stretching out from within me. He clearly had more experience and was simply stronger in a straight up flight like this but despite that I still faced him down. In the end it was my opponent that fell first and then...
Angra Mainyu
All the evil in the world created the Dark God that was about to be born; a monster that was beyond human comprehension and beyond understanding. It was an abomination that would bring about the apocalypse and destroy the world. Created from the antihero once known as Avenger, even before it was born it was killing innocent people and corrupting the one that was it's 'master,' the purple-turned-white haired girl from earlier.
This was supposed to be the end...
I was broken...
Distorted...
Yet I was still standing...
Until the end...
I forget how to breathe...
There's no pain anymore...
Did I hold her in my arms beneath the rain?
The names echo through my mind as the memories clear...
Rider
Rin
Saber
Illya
Sakura
Trace...
...On.
The body died but the soul remained, forging a holy sword to strike down the monster that threatened her.
And so I fell...
The Hero-Nobody-Knows—Shirou Emiya—closed his eyes...
...And the Boy-Who-Lived—Harry Potter—opened his eyes.
November 1994
Scotland: Hogwarts
Black Lake
My name is Harry James Potter, I'm the only known survivor of the killing curse because of the sacrifice of my parents—mainly my mother—thirteen years ago. The one who tried to curse me was a Dark Lord calling himself Voldemort who had his body destroyed that night when he tried to kill me. I spent the next ten years enslaved to my aunt's family knowing nothing but hatred—unaware of loss nor aware of gain—and thanks to my cousin no one ever got close to me. Then I received my Hogwarts letter—an invitation to a magic school in Scotland—and I thought my troubles were finally over, that I had finally been saved.
How naive I was...
Between the house rivalries, biased professors and the constant danger that the school brought, I was already struggling to get by. My 'relatives' considered me and everyone else capable of magic as freaks so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that they weren't the only ones who hated me for something beyond my control. To top it all off I discovered that Voldemort was still semi-alive and would no doubt be trying to kill me for 'defying him' at some point after he regained a body.
Regain a body...
Was that when the dreams started? When the memories started to surface in my mind detailing the life of a man—a hero—from a different world? Shirou Emiya was the man who saved a world from Angra Mainyu—a Dark God beyond my comprehension—and sacrificed himself to protect her. The sheer scale of it all had almost overwhelmed me and to be honest if I were a lesser person then they surely would have broken me when they first started leaking into my mind.
No...
The memories didn't start recently; they started three years ago with the troll and saving Hermione. That night was a blur but I can vaguely remember the scattered memories that seemed to disappear right after I saved her and only recently could I recall them. Then came the battle with the Basilisk to save another girl—Ginny—and I gazed upon the Sword of Gryffindor for the first time. I felt a connection with it—My Body is Made of Swords—and used it to kill the Basilisk.
Were these really someone else's memories?
I'm not sure anymore...
Who am I really?
What am I?
I am the Bone of My Sword
That voice again...
I sit at the edge of the water and gaze out at the lake. This year had been the worst yet with the whole Triwizard Tournament mess and the whole school turning against me, thinking I'd entered my name into the aforementioned tournament. I didn't do it of course—someone else put my name in—but everyone thinks I did, even my 'friends' if that's what you can call them. They'd dropped me as soon as my name came out of that Goblet of Fire but for some really strange reason I just couldn't bring myself to care.
Hey...
Why was it so quiet around here?
I'd come here to clear my head but now that I thought about it this place was too quiet—there were students from three schools here after all—so why hadn't someone stumbled upon me yet?
"You never fail to entertain, Shirou Emiya," a booming voice spoke from behind me.
I turn but instead of going for my wand, my hands are spread out and projecteda pair of white and black swords.
It felt so right to have them in my grasp again...
"It seems that you remember," said the man in front of me. He stood a few feet away from me; he was an old man with gray hair and crimson eyes dressed in rather stylish black clothes complete with a cloak. His presence alone nearly brought me to my knees...
"Who are you?" I ask as I grip my blades—Kanshuo and Bakuya—tightly in my hands.
"I am Kischur Zeltrech Schweinorg," the old man declared to me. "And you are Shirou Emiya."
Zeltrech...
I've heard that name before...
"The Second Magic," I muttered and he smiles. "Tohsaka..."
"Indeed," he nods. "She will be my prized student if I have anything to say about it," he chuckled. "But I'm not here to talk about her."
He wasn't?
"Then why are you here?" I inquired honestly confused.
"I was watching you when you destroyed Angra Manyu and your body died. It was rather entertaining," Zelretch replied. "When that happened your body died but your soul remained and fell through the cracks. You made a wish upon the Third Magic."
A wish?
"W-what?" I ask in surprise.
"When you destroyed Angra Manyu, you purified the Holy Grail and then made a wish upon it. Do you remember what it was?" he grinned back at me.
I made a wish? How? What happened? Why can't I remember? I can remember everything leading up to it and my final projection but then it all goes white. He said that my body died but my soul remained so I must have made contact with the Holy Grail at that time but if that's the case then what did I wish for? Zelretch just stands there waiting as if to give me time to come up with an answer to his question but I can't remember anything after that point.
The image of Sakura's smile flickers through my mind...
Her smile...
"I wished to see Sakura smile again," I whisper my answer and I know it's true.
"Her smile?" Zelretch smirked in response. "I imagine she cannot smile if you're not there with her."
Sakura...
My heart hurt just thinking about how much I missed her.
"I need to go back to her," I declared plainly.
"But you cannot return to her as you are now," the old man counters causing anger to rise up in me.
"Why not?" I demand as I try to restrain my mounting rage.
I had to get back to her...
"In case you haven't noticed that body you have wasn't originally yours," Zelretch spoke calmly. "This world's Harry Potter was killed back on Halloween of 1981 because his mother didn't finish her sacrificial ritual in time."
"So I'm not the real Harry Potter?" I ask.
"You're Shirou Emiya," Zelretch confirmed with a nod. "I've seen a few worlds where the real Harry survived and ended up beating that little Riddle. He might be just as entertaining as you are."
Entertainment?
"Am I like a TV show to you?" I ask annoyed.
He just smiles...
"More like a visual novel," his answer confuses me.
What?
"Why can't I go home?" I asked trying to turn the conversation back to business.
"When you destroyed Angra Manyu your soul was fractured and damaged. It needed somewhere to safely heal," Zelretch explained. "You were practically at the Root of Existence so it was rather easy for it to grant your wish. It sent you into this dimension and sealed your soul inside a recently vacated body, I'll give you one guess who."
"Harry Potter," I nodded. It makes sense; he was hit by a killing curse which is said to rip a person's soul from their body so this world's real Harry Potter died with his parents that night. The Holy Grail placed me in the baby's empty body; the Root of course recorded all of human history and would most likely include other dimensions so I wasn't really that surprised that it also recorded what had happened that night.
"You still haven't answered my question," I say with a small glare.
"Your soul is now fully healed and will be changing your body into that of Shirou Emiya's," Zelretch continued. "It's not ready yet and won't be for another year or so."
"Changing?" I ask confused. "You mean I'm going to get my body back?"
"In a manner of speaking," he shrugged. "That body you have is a partial metamorphmagus so your soul is using it to change into your original body. In the end it all comes down to you really; and of course there is also the tournament to consider."
"What do you mean?" I question further.
"It's simple," Zelretch answered with a chilling smile. "You'll lose your magic if you don't compete in this tournament so you can't go home right now and of course it will still take some time for your soul to reconfigure your body. I will return in one year and at that time I may just take you back to your family, how does that sound?"
"Like a joke," I shot back only to blink in confusion.
That sounded like him for a second there...
I hated him but I never really knew why...
If I ever see him again I'm going to ask if he can keep up with me...
"It's your only option," Zelretch chuckled at my response.
...Damn it.
"Fine," I gritted out not liking my options. "I'll finish the tournament and then I'll go home."
Home...
My life as Harry Potter had never really had a home; I had my 'relatives' house and Hogwarts but neither had felt like a real home. Now that I had my memories back I remember where I really belong; my home was back in Fuyuki city with Sakura, Rin, Illya and Rider. I'd do anything to see them again, even stay here and compete in this thrice damned tournament. After all I was still a hero if only to them, and heroes don't lose when it matters the most.
Zelretch just looks at me with a grin...
"I'll see you in a year boy," Zelretch said with a wave goodbye before he disappeared.
I need to relearn my magecraft quickly if I was going to make it through this...
In the end her smile was all that mattered...
November 1994
Scotland: Hogwarts
Stadium
I stood decked out in red and black armour reminiscent of Archer from back during the Grail War. As much as I hate to admit it the man had style and his armour was practical for the kind of thing I was about to face. Everyone in this school seemed to hate me now and were I the original Harry Potter then I might actually be concerned or even angry. But my name is Shirou Emiya; I was steel that was forged in fire and fought to protect her even when she was being consumed by her inner darkness.
And Shirou Emiya was her hero alone...
Was it wrong that I didn't feel anything negative when Crouch told me we'd be trying to take a golden egg from a dragon's nest? A part of me was awed at the fact I was about to face a phantasmal creature straight out of legend and another part of me even looked forward to facing it. But still it was a surprise that they would be using dragons for this task; I mean they're big and dangerous with enough firepower—pardon the pun—to kill anyone they turn their gaze on.
Wait a minute...
The other champions didn't seem surprised at all; even Cedric looked like he knew what was going to happen and had been expecting it.
It's almost like...
"You all knew we were facing dragons didn't you?" I accused with a glare at the other champions. "Am I the only one who didn't cheat?"
The room stilled as the three paled and started sputtering hasty denials. They were good but comparing them to the likes of Sakura Matou and Rin Toshaka whom were experts at keeping secrets and deceiving others was like comparing the Heaven's Feel to a tennis match. No matter how good they are there is simply no comparison; I mean Sakura had hidden the fact that she was a Magus from me for years and Rin wore the perfect persona to such a degree that only a hand full of people could see through it.
The damage was already done though because a certain journalist by the name of Rita Skeeter—someone who was quickly rising to the same level as Kotomine on my 'natural enemy' list—circled on them like a vulture. The power of the press indeed...a cannon blast caught my attention signifying the start of the task resulting in Cedric stepping forward and hesitantly walking out of the ten into the stadium, most likely to his death considering the state he seemed to be in.
Why wasn't I nervous?
I was about to face a dragon for crying out loud!
I should be a nervous wreck but instead I'm almost bored...
Another cannon blast and Krum stepped out.
How am I going to beat a dragon exactly? I mean I could just go for the egg and run—I mean it's not the first time I've gone into an enemy stronghold and captured a prize—but then I'd have to escape before it roasted me and I would probably be forced to use my more 'unique' abilities. I mean I've spent the last two weeks rediscovering my limits and while this body has more magic circuits than my old one, it wasn't physically conditioned to handle my more powerful projections.
This was just like back before I released Archer's arm...
I was so weak back then...
A third cannon blast rang out and Fleur disappeared from the tent.
To hell with it! I'll just wing it like I did before; it's not like I haven't dealt with this kind of thing before not only in my first life but also as Harry Potter. I mean just two years ago I killed a thousand year old basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor so a dragon shouldn't be much harder. After all it can't kill me with a look from its Mystic Eyes or poison me with its venom...though it has wings so it can fly...and it breaths fire...it's also got claws.
Okay I might not have thought this through...
A fourth cannon blast catches my attention and I just now notice that the tent is empty save for me.
"And here is our fourth and final contestant!" I hear Bagman's voice echo through with an amplification spell of some kind. "Please give your cheers for Harry Potter!"
I step out of the tent and into the stadium. The dragon is nowhere in sight and the audience in the stands above are quiet despite Bagman's attempts to whip them into a frenzy. It's too quiet...I can't see the dragon...there's no sound...suddenly I hear a crunch as if a rock was smashed and immediately flung myself to the side as a large and deadly tail lashed at me from above and behind, digging into the ground where I had stood just a moment ago.
I roll to my feet quickly and look up at my opponent. It's massive with its wings spread out and its claws clutching at the side of the stadium just above the entrance to the tent. If I didn't know any better I'd almost say that it was intelligent enough to plan out a pretty good sneak attack. I'm sure Rin or one of the other Magus would part with a lot of money just to get to study one of these creatures just to find out how smart they actually were.
It roared at me...
"You're strong," I comment honestly. "But I've fought stronger."
A dragon—even an Hungarian Horntail—was nothing compared to a darkened Berserker on a rampage.
And don't even get me started on a darkened Saber...
"I am the Bone of My Sword," the words escape my lips as my soul resonates with them.
The dragon takes a breath...
"Trace On," my magic circuits are flooded with prana as it brought my hand up in front of me.
Then breaths out a stream of fire at me...
"Rho Aias!" my voice echoes as a large flower-shaped pink shield with seven petal-like forms spreading out from the center was projected in front of me. A Conceptual Item regarded as an absolute defence against any thrown weapon, however by its very nature it is a seven-layered Bounded Field so it could also be used to repel dragon-fire too when required. The shield holds as the flames struck it and eventually the fire died down.
The dragon seemed confused that I wasn't dead yet...
Good
That meant it underestimated me...
My body wasn't conditioned yet to withstand the sheer amount of power I used to throw around; I could handle one more projection before my magic exceeded my body's capabilities so I would have to end this now with one single move. Unfortunately most of the weapons I can trace that could do just that would also push my body beyond its limits and I don't plan on dying again, at least not until I see her smile.
Wait...
That might work.
The dragon roared again and lunged at me; I jumped to the side and into the trench that ran alone the wall of the stadium while reinforcing my body as the Horntail took a swipe at me. Its claw grazed my side but it thankfully didn't penetrate the skin though I wouldn't be surprised if I had a nasty bruise after this. Its tail lashes out, striking the rocks over my head and causing them to fall as the crowd cried out. I jumped up out of the trench and back onto the large rocky platform.
It was now or never...
"Trace On," I spoke clearly as I raised my hand over my shoulder and projected a large nameless axe-sword. Technically it wasn't a real Noble Phantasm and as such didn't require the sheer amount of prana others do since it was pretty much a lump of slab that Hercules picked up to fight in the Grail War when he was summoned as a Berserker.
A dragon?
Don't make me laugh!
I killed a blackened Hercules nine times with this so a dragon has got nothing on him!
"What's he doing?!" Bagman voice echoed from above.
"Trigger off," I said as I flick my magic circuits off and held my blade to the side and a bit behind me while facing the dragon.
Said dragon seemed to realise just how much of a threat I really was and launched itself at me.
"Set...Nine Live Blade Works!"
I move under it as it attacks and launch my counterattack. I wasn't using magic here; instead I was using pure god-speed to decimate my opponent. Nine strikes—all of them precise and deadly—cut into the dragon's hide with inhuman speed and strength. It happened in an instant; one moment the dragon was about to skewer me and the next it was flung several feet back in a crumbled heap covered in deep wounds.
The silence that followed was thunderous...
I waited to see if the dragon would get back up...
It didn't...
I didn't let my guard down as I shakily walked over to the dragon's nest and picked up the golden egg. I didn't waste any time in walking back to the tent and leaving the wounded—possibly dead—Horntail to the dragon handlers. I tried not to let on just how exhausting that last strike was as I pass through the tent where the Healer was waiting with the other champions. There was chatter from the other stands but I ignored them...
One task down...
Two more to go...
December 1994
Scotland: Hogwarts
Seventh Floor Corridor
This days that followed the First Task were annoying to say the least; first off it seemed that Dumbledore kept trying to speak to me about the magecraft I used to fight the dragon though I was always able to get away before revealing anything. It was second nature for a Magus—even a third-rate one like me—to hide their magic from others and if that painful feeling I get from my Reality Marble was any indication, the old man and Snape had been trying to read my mind.
Though I think they've now learned not to try and enter my mind. It seemed that such an attempt caused more pain for them than me; it wasn't really surprising considering the fact that unlike others I wasn't normal. I had only realised it now because looking back on what I used to think and how I used to be during my first life, I had been abnormal. The Dursleys call me a freak and to be honest back then they'd have been right; I had never valued my own life at all and had always concentrated on saving others.
People with Reality Marbles aren't normal...
Especially ones like mine...
There was also Ron and Hermione trying to mend our friendship but in the end I chose to stay away from them, both because I couldn't trust them with my life like I had done before and because I probably wasn't going to see them again once this year was over. Besides they had only now started to believe me about not willingly entering into the tournament and that was only because they had seen me fight a dragon and win.
The Yule Ball was coming up shortly and as a champion I'm supposed to have a date. To be honest I didn't care about the dance at all or even this world in general and there was no way I was going without Sakura or even Rin or Rider. McGonagall had said it was a tradition and tried to order me to find a date and go but I told her I wasn't going to. Malfoy tried to run his mouth soon after but thankfully Professor Moody was nearby a deal with him.
To be honest Malfoy reminded me a bit too much of Shinji...
And I hate Shinji.
Why was I here again?
Oh yeah...
I had wanted to go somewhere where I wouldn't be accosted by nosy students or professors that should mind their own business.
This walk had led me here...
Wait...
Was there a door there a second ago?
I look around and then back at the door that I was certain wasn't there when I got here. I slowly approached it and brought my hand up to touch it. It looked ordinary but something didn't feel right—call me paranoid—and I narrowed my eyes when the door seemed to shrink slightly to accommodate my size, changing from a large double door to a single one. I whisper two words as I place my hand on the doorknob and close my eyes.
"Structural Analysis."
By the Root...
The room beyond this door was some kind of Marble Phantasm that reshaped itself to match the preference of the one who entered. Since I didn't have anything in particular in mind the room configured itself into a large vault housing hundreds of items both magical and mundane. I stepped inside and walked through the 'large' room filled with all sorts of treasures. I keep walking simply looking around for anything of interest when I feel an unnatural pull from my left.
I look over and narrow my eyes at the box that sits on a wooden table. I could always smell magic in my first life and after awakening in this one I could as well. I had still unconsciously been recognizing various magic 'signatures' even before my awakening and I knew what this one was. I'd smelt it before, twice in fact though the last time was two years ago now. It was the smell of snakes in a similar manner that Zouken smelled like worms.
This thing smelled like Tom Marvolo Riddle AKA Lord Voldemort...
I approach the desk and open the box. Inside is a beautiful Diadem fitting a lady of noble stature...and I can't help but want to throw up in disgust. This thing was the source of the prana smell I'd picked up; just looking at it I could tell it was exactly the same as the diary I had destroyed two years ago. I could feel its prana fluttering about...trying to tempt me into putting it on...it fails...it tries again...it fails again...I can't let this thing exist any longer.
"Trace On," I speak the words as a single jagged dagger appears in my hand.
The last time I had used this was when I stabbed Sakura with it, forcefully severing the connection between her and Angra Mainyu. To be honest I had thought of using this on myself to break the contract I had with the Goblet of Fire however I was unsure of what would happen if I actually did that. I could lose my magic by effectively breaking the contract so I had opted just too simply complete the assigned tasks and be done with it.
It was good enough for this kind of job though...
"Rulebreaker," I say clearly as I drive the jagged blade down upon the diadem. An echoing scream fills my ear similar to the one from the diary two years ago which is soon followed by my own scream—not of pain but of surprise—as two black clouds of darkness explode from the diadem and my scar.
It hurts...it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts...
And then the pain is gone...
What was that?
February 1995
Scotland: Black Lake
Platform
The Yule Ball came and went with me not attending. McGonagall had given me death glares in her class throughout January because of that but she at least understood that Cedric was the real Hogwarts champion and so since I was effectively an outsider in the tournament, I wasn't really required to go. With winter ending the snow had melted and spring was just around the corner. At this point I had finally been able to understand the clue that the golden egg I had taken from the dragon in the First Task so I had mostly been concentrating on that.
In preparation I had also turned the Marble Phantasm Room on the Seventh Floor into my own personal workshop. The egg's clue was cryptic but simple; something I miss would be taken from me and if I didn't get it back within one hour then it would be lost forever. It was at this point that I wished that Rin was here, she'd have thought of something by now concerning the Second Task. Honestly the 'thing I'd miss the most' as the egg had put it had already been taken from me—or should I say I had been taken from her—and I was going to return to her.
So that left the question...
What was taken that I would miss?
Professor Moody had given me some gillyweed that would allow me to breathe underwater for an hour which wasn't surprising considering the Second Task was being conducted in the Black Lake. Apparently the 'thing I'd miss the most' was hidden somewhere at the bottom of the lake and I was supposed to recover it. The gillyweed was disgusting but it did its job; I now had gills and both my hands and feet were webbed. I reached the 'prize' quickly and was surprised at what I found.
The 'prizes' were people...
Three of which I recognized...
Ron, Hermione and Cho were tied to floor of the lake by chains along with a young blond girl I didn't know. What they were doing down here I didn't know but I wasn't going to let them just float there forever. I swam over and vanished the chains. A second later a half-shark Krum came barrelling out of nowhere and grabbed Hermione, pulling her up towards the surface. Cedric arrived soon after and took Cho, nodding at me before heading up to the surface too.
That left Ron and the young girl...
Where was Fleur?
She should be here by now...
Was she held up?
Did something stop her?
Damn it...
There was no time...
I grab bother Ron and the girl, trying to carry the both of them to the surface. It was now that what looked like a squad of Merpeople circled me with their leader seemingly 'shouting' something at me that I couldn't understand. The hostility was clear though and they closed in with what looked like pitchforks in their hands. Fine...if they want to try and stop me from saving these two then...I'll show them just who they're dealing with.
"Trace On," I say as I let go of Ron and the girl.
They continued to float upwards as my magic circuits flickered on and flowed with prana. A familiar lance appeared in my now free hands since I doubted swinging a sword would be effective while underwater. Again the chief Merman snarls out something and several Merpeople swim not at me but at the girl I had released. Was there some history there? Why were they going after her and not after me or Ron?
Like I would let them hurt an innocent...
Especially when she reminded me of Illya...
"Gae Bolg!" I breathe out and thrust the lance in my hand away from the Mermen. Space and time seemed to bend as instead of hitting nothing but water, my attack seemed to stab one of the Mermen attacking the girl causing the others to panic at seeing one of their own struck down seemingly without any origin.
It was now I realised just what kind of situation I was in...
There were two hostages here and I was at a severe disadvantage underwater. There was no way I could save both hostages and fight off all the Merpeople at the same time. Damn it! This is just like back with Saber and Sakura! I couldn't save both of them so I chose to save Sakura over Saber and in the end I'd realised that no matter how hard I try, I could never save everyone. Only now the choice was either Ron—a former friend whom abandoned me—or the girl that reminded me of Illya.
You can't save everyone
I make the choice...
I discard Ron to the side and swim over to the young girl. I quickly grab her and pull her close, using my own body to shield her from the Mermen's spears. I grunt as one of them cuts across my shoulder leaving a line of leaking blood. I kick the attacker away and swim upwards with the girl in my arms as the Mermen pursue us. I lost track of Ron as we ascended higher and after a few agonizing seconds we breached the surface of the water. The girl was instantly awake the moment the air hit us and started talking fast in a language I didn't understand. I think it was French; shaking my head I swam over to her and pulled her towards the docks even as numerous Mermen emerged from the water behind us.
Don't these guys ever give up?
"Go!" I shout to the girl as I push her towards the docks and turn towards the pursuing Mermen.
Even though she clearly didn't know English and despite being frightened, she seemed to understand. She started swimming frantically towards the docks as the Mermen closed in. There were a lot less than there was before—only three instead of the dozen that initially assailed us—though their chief seemed to be leading the charge. Underwater it was hard to swing a sword however it was slightly easier on the surface as long as you knew what you were doing. Carrying a sword in the water and using it was difficult however for someone like me who could recreate weapons in an instant—mid-swing if necessary—it was much easier to do what I had planned.
As the first of the attackers came into range I rushed at him, my right hand sticking up out of the water as I traced a nameless sword. I brought the blade down and stabbed the Mermen in the shoulder causing it to scream and flail as I pushed it away. The second came in from the side and thrust his spear at me. I threw myself to the side and dived, evading the strike. Turning round I swam right at it, impaling it through the stomach with the same sword I had traced before.
Finally the chief charged into the fray—clearly angered by the deaths of its kin—and attacked me with its trident. I spun round to face it and traced another sword, barely managing to block in time. It pushed me back, snarling in my face as I struggled to keep myself from being killed. Damn it! This one wasn't like the others; it was stronger and faster not to mention that it had the home field advantage being a race that thrived underwater.
No!
I'm not going to die here!
Sakura...
Give me strength...
My magic circuits burn as I feel my internal Reality Marble start to shift, blades exploding from my back and forearms surprising the Merman chief. I roared at it as I pushed back and knocked the chief away. I didn't let him recover, rushing and threw a punch at the Mermen chief's face. Of course the water would have lessened the amount of damage one of my punches could do but I wasn't really punching him, instead a single sword exploded from my knuckles and stabbed straight through the chief's forehead.
My Body is Made of Swords
I let go and pulled back, swimming away from the now dead Mermen chief. I could feel the swords interlocking and pushing against each other beneath my skin as I felt the extra weight of the weapons trying to drag me down deeper into the water. I winced as pain flooded my senses even as I forcefully retracted the blades back into my Reality Marble. My blood was mixing with the water but I didn't care, I just swam back to the surface. The gillyweed wore off just as I broke the surface of the water and gasped for air. Wiping the water from my eyes I spotted the docks and started swimming towards them.
"Mister Potter!" I could hear Madam Pomfrey shout as I pulled myself up onto the docks and collapsed to the steal floor. I was exhausted and in a lot of pain but I'd felt worse. "Hold still and let me take a look at you."
"Never...mind...me," I gritted out. "What about that girl? The one I rescued; is she alright?" I needed to know...I needed to know that she was safe...I needed to know that I'd made the right choice...I needed to know that even if it was just one life...I had at least saved her.
"Thank you," it was Fleur who answered as she crouched down beside me with tear in her eyes. "You saved her even though she wasn't yours to save," she wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you."
Ah...good...I...saved...someone...after...all...
I didn't even feel it when I lost consciousness and the world turned black...
June 1995
England: Little Hangleton
Graveyard
How did it end up like this? After the Second Task everything had gone to hell; everyone was staying away from me because I had killed the Mermen that were trying to kill Fleur's little sister and Ron kept giving me betrayed looks for choosing her over him. Even though I'm glad that he's alive I personally stopped caring what he thinks of me ever since he and Hermione betrayed me back in November. Even though the Daily Prophet and Dumbledore were both giving me grief about killing the Mermen—claiming I had gone dark—I honestly don't care anymore.
All that matters is seeing her smile again...
The Third Task was supposed to be straightforward; go into the maze and fight your way through various challenges to reach the Triwizard Cup. The first one to reach the cup and claim it will be the winner of the tournament. For someone with my skill set it was rather easy; I simply traced a chain-saw in the shape of a sword and started cutting my way through the maze walls until I reached the center. I don't think wizards and witches even know what a chain-saw is so I don't think they planned for that particular method of reaching the cup. Hell, the only reason I knew how to trace a chain-sword is because Archer saw one once during his life and recorded it so I copied it from him back when I had his arm attached to me.
The moment I took the cup things went to hell; the cup was a portkey and took me to a graveyard where I was promptly stunned upon arrival before I could do anything. I groaned and shook my head as I came too. I blinked to clear my vision when I realised that I seemed to be tied to some kind of angel statue in the center of the graveyard. Standing a few feet in front of me was...by the Root...it was Voldemort...a fully revived Voldemort whom was speaking to a number of what I knew to be Death Eaters.
Why do I feel like Archer is laughing at me right now?
"Harry Potter," Voldemort spoke as he turned towards me and sneered. "The Boy-Who-Lived," he chuckled as I struggled against my restraints. "Have you come to die?" he asked as his Death Eaters laughed in the background.
Tied to a stone statue as I was there was nothing I could do except maybe...
"I am the Bone of My Sword," I breathed as the words echoed through my soul.
"What?" Voldemort inquired bemused.
"Blades are my body and her Smile is my heart," I continued as I glare at the monster in front of me. "I have created over a thousand blades."
"What are you doing Potter?" Voldemort asked me curious. "Have you finally lost your senses?"
"The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many," I proclaim as she appears in my mind. "I have withstood pain to create many weapons."
"Stop," Voldemort snarled at me clearly surprised by my seemingly meaningless words. "I command you to stop," he raised his wand. "Imperio!"
"Searching for the road home," I ignore the curse and continue to his surprise and the surprise of his minions. "In the end her smile is all that matters."
"Enough of this," Voldemort sneered in anger. "Avada-".
"And so I pray," I finish and raise my head so our eyes meet. "Unlimited Blade Works."
Flames sprang up in a circle around me and spread outwards, engulfing the world in a sea of fire. Reality distorted as my own internal world was projectedupon the real world in a way that even the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts could not hope to match. Where there was once a graveyard and darkened sky there was now a barren wasteland filled with an infinite number of swords and a light purple sky the same shade as Sakura's hair.
"Potter..." Voldemort trailed off for once looking frazzled. "What have you done?" he asked before anger seeped into his voice. "What have you done?!" he demanded in rage.
"You see before you my very soul Tom Riddle," I declared causing his eyes to widen. I guess he was surprised that he wasn't the only one who has dabbled in soul-magic before considering the true nature of those abominations he created such as the diary and the diadem I had destroyed.
"Damn you Potter," Voldemort snarled. "Why won't you just die?!"
Why?
Before I would have gladly thrown my life away to save others but now I was no longer that person; I was someone who knew that I couldn't save everyone and so it came down to a choice. Between the many that I didn't know and the people I care about. That was the choice I'd made with Saber and Sakura; I'd known Sakura for years and fell in love with her so much I discarded my ideals just to save her. Even during the Second Task I had effectively sacrificed Ron to save the girl that reminded me of Illya...
Now standing on this hill of swords I had my answer...
"Because I still have something worth living for," I give my answer as her face appears in my mind. "I have a home to go back too," he didn't seem to like my answer. "Well Lord Voldemort? Is your magic enough to stand against my blades?"
"Avada Kedevra!" Voldemort screamed as he hurled the green death curse at me.
"Trace..." I whisper as a single sword dropped down from the purple sky and deflected the curse.
"What?" Voldemort stopped and looked up along with his Death Eaters.
"...All," I finish as the purple sky darkens with three thousand swords materializing overhead. "Fire," I gave the command and the sword shot down towards the Dark Lord and his assembled servants.
"My servants! To me!" Voldemort ordered and the Death Eaters fell in line with their wands raised.
"Protego!" they all called out as they threw up their shield charms.
The swords struck the shield spells with a seemingly never-ending barrage of steel as the sound of clattering blades echoed across the battlefield. I watched on with narrowed eyes as I saw that despite the sheer scale of my attack, their shields were still holding. I needed to break them of that and finish them off; that would allow me to concentrate solely on Voldemort and hopefully I could end this once and for all.
"Trace On," I say clearly as Archer's bow appeared in my right hand. "Alteration," I continue as a long spiral sword formed in my left hand and stretched into the shape of an arrow.
"Potter!" Voldemort snarled at me from behind his minions' shield spell.
"My bone shall twisted all in its way," I declare as I slot the arrow into the bow and pull back the string. "Caladbolg!" I call out as I flood the sword-arrow with more prana then it could handle and released the string.
This sword that I had changed into an arrow was a copy of the original Caladbolg that Archer had stored within his own Reality Marble and was classed as an A-Rank Noble Phantasm. As an arrow it was capable of considerable power for its ability to 'twist' space upon being launched allowing it to break through even the strongest of barriers. Of course I knew that a single arrow—even one like Caladbolg—wouldn't be enough to do more than kill one of the Death Eaters.
That's why I put more prana into it then it was capable of handling; by doing so I had effectively 'broken' it. A Broken Phantasm is by its very nature highly unstable and ridiculously powerful though that power came at the price of the weapon's destruction which is why they're not widely used. I'm different because of the nature of my Reality Marble having recorded thousands of Noble Phantasms allowing me to call upon anyone of them whenever I wished.
I could afford to break a few...
The 'Broken' Caladbolf slammed into the center of the Death Eaters' shield spell and seemed to distort space for a second—piercing the shield—and then exploding in a torrent of fire. I dropped to the ground as the shockwave washed over me before it was pulled back towards the center of the blast. Meanwhile I never let up the barrage of swords descending from the purple sky above even as I heard the muffled screams of Death Eaters dying under the assault. Dust and smoke drifted off as the flames spread all around.
Was it over?
Did I do it?
"Potter!" Voldemort shouted in rage as he stepped out of the flames. His robes now blackened and blood dripping from numerous cuts all over his body. "You will pay for this!"
The snake bastard was still alive...
It's not like I wasn't expecting it but seriously what does it take to kill this guy? I try to steady my breathing as I push myself back to my feet and looked at the scene behind him. His Death Eaters all lay dead with my swords sticking out of their bodies including an unmasked Lucuis Malfoy. All that was left was Voldemort whom looked positively livid at the way his return to physical form had gone so far. Good, that meant I had sufficiently pissed him off...
"What's the matter Tom?" I ask him. "Is this the first time you've fought someone who could actually fight back?"
"You...you..." Voldemort glared as he raised his wand.
"Trace On," I whisper as a single golden sword forms in my hand.
To call it beautiful would be the biggest understatement I had ever made; this was something more than a mere Noble Phantasm. This weapon was something that embodied the wish for victory against even the worst odds imaginable. This was a blade that Saber had wielded both in life and as a Servant. It was a weapon that I had personally used to kill a Dark God and save the woman I loved. This was the Last Phantasm crafted by the Fae and handed to the rightful King of Britain. This was an A-Rank Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm...
This was the Sword of Promised Victory...
Raising it high above my head it glowed in a holy golden light that stretched out from the blade as the two of us locked eyes; for once I could see true fear in the Dark Lord's eyes. He didn't know what this was but he knew it had the power to end him once and for all. Four years ago I first encountered him and now today it would end, and I would finally get to go home. All I needed to do was fulfil my role as Harry Potter...
"Avada Kedevra!" Voldemort snarled as he threw the green death curse right at me.
"Excalibur!" I roar as I bring the sword down unleashing a large beam of golden light that seemed to shake the world.
The two attacks struck each other but the killing curse was quickly overwhelmed by the golden light which washed over the battlefield, breaking the world in two. My Reality Marble shattered under the strain of me not only running out of prana to maintain it but also the sheer amount of prana that last attack had required. I fell to my knees as Excalibur shattered into prana at my side and I found myself back in the graveyard.
Lord Voldemort stood for a moment before he fell to his knees and screamed as his body started to break apart to drift away like it was literally falling to pieces. He looked up and our eyes met just before his flesh turned to stone. He shattered a moment later and silence fell on the broken and wrecked graveyard that bore the scars of the battle that had just been fought. I simply stared at the pile of stone that had once been the reborn Tom Marvolo Riddle and waited for his blackened misty spirit to burst out just like when he had done so with Quirrell.
He did not rise...
"Is it over?" I ask aloud.
"Yes," a voice I knew answered from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and wasn't surprised to see Zelretch standing there clapping. "Bravo," he chuckled at the sight of my exhausted form. "I must say that was very entertaining; you really are an interesting one Shirou Emiya."
"I took the cup," I said as I push myself back to my feet and turn to face him. "I've defeated Voldemort again," I continue. "The tournament is over."
"And if you take a look in the mirror you will see that your body has changed into the one you knew before," Zelretch smiled knowingly.
"...Is he really dead this time?" I ask him.
"Oh yeah," Zelretch nodded. "I already got rid of his little soul anchors and all of his followers are dead. It seems when you killed him with Excalibur you also killed everyone he was linked to through that Dark Mark of his."
So they were all dead huh?
"...Can I go home now?" I ask tired.
"Yeah I'll send you home," Zelretch nodded. "I did offer, didn't I?"
"...Thank you," I whisper as I bow my head.
I was finally going home...
Though I didn't know it at the time it seemed that Dumbledore and a Ministry employee named Dolores Umbridge died of unexplained heart attacks mere moments after I left this dimension...
February 2005
Japan: Fuyuki City
Emiya Residence
It's spring...
That's my first thought when Zelretch drops me off in street I recognize...
The air is colder than I'm used to but I could bare it and judging by the position of the sun I think its early morning. The streets are quiet as I walk through the silent city and towards my one true home. Was it a Saturday? It doesn't matter...I just need to get home...I need to see if everyone is okay...I need to see her. I keep walking, feeling every ache and pain I had ever received yet despite that I kept moving forward.
Almost there...
My dad's house...my home...our home...
I'm here...
I'm back...
I take a deep breath and slide the open the door.
I step inside...
And I'm greeted with to the sight of the woman I love standing there in the hallway. She stopped when she saw me and so did I. We didn't speak...there was no need...it was just us...and then she smiles. Tears swell up in her eyes and I smile back. Now I know...everything is going to be okay from now on...because in the end I'm her hero. I step towards her and pull her into my arms. She embraces me and I can't help but feel that all the hardships I had faced to get here were completely worth it.
"I'm back, Sakura," I whisper in her ear as I hold close.
"Yes," Sakura said as she pulled back and smiled at me. "Welcome home Shirou."
In the end her smile was all that matters...
Author's Notes:
Just a one-shot I had been working on for awhile that I'd thought of ever since I finished the Heavens Feel route of Fate/Stay Night. I originally thought of writing out a full story based on this but I scrapped it when I considered just how long this single one-shot took. I don't know how most HP authors do it but to me it is ridiculously difficult to write out more than a few chapters for a Harry Potter fic. I've written out other HP fics but I've never posted them because I keep hitting brick walls with them every time. That's why I settled on a one-shot and to be honest despite how hard it was to write all of this, it was actually pretty fun. Especially the First Task with the Nine Lives Blade Works, simply writing that and the ending scene with Shirou and Sakura reunited was worth it to me.
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