Reviews:

Pyromania101: Harry will definitely have more fire to him, all things considered, as for Dobby, things might be different, but not in a bad way.

Darkscythe Drake: Yeah, the timeline is post-canon, and things are going to be very different from how things actually turned out.

Well- O- Being: Since Titans do have their own eyes that the user can see through, that would be a unique concept. As for Harry, he's on course for a rebellious streak due to both emulation and personal frustration. Him becoming his own person of sorts is something he'll have to learn from being called out as well as the hard way.

Colt Cobra: It will make him vulnerable to certain spells, but can also function like how Hagrid is part giant, some spells won't affect at all, while it will take much more force to actually do any damage. The killing curse wouldn't outright destroy the Titan, since it is more or less a puppet, but if it were to strike the nape... As for the curse, I delve into more detail this chapter to maybe clarify things.

PaperbackAlloy: Yes, since the original Ymir split her soul into Harry and the new Ymir, he has access to all Titan memories since she could also see them while trapped in Paths. And whose to say Zeke won't be making some form of appearance at one point or another?

Draedon's Forge: Thank you! This one is a bit later than usual, but I hope the wait is worth it.

123ABIR123: Thanks! Here's the chapter.

Austin: I do hope to give Harry more inner fire here, starting by his impulsiveness with the Dursley's. Yup, the wards are null and void now. Ginny and Luna make their debut, and as for his scar, since it is a Horcrux, he can still communicate with snakes. As for how much Sirius and Remus know, they know very little.

BadWolfRisen: The second-year begins now.

Kadessor: Thanks, given how the story wasn't completed when I took to writing this, I could only really go off the clues which had been left behind. So much more could have been done with the memories, so I hope to take a good focus here with them. I do hope for him to feel both new and like the same old Harry from the books, but with more motivation.

TheChamp123: Thank you so much! I've said before that Eren will be involved one way or another, so there's that. I have a design of his Titan form when he finally gets it. There's always a possibility a certain bearded monkey can show up. I consider both Harry and Ymir to be the main character of sorts, so I'm glad that both play off each-other well and can continue to grow and bond. Eren and the Queen know he is still alive. As for Mikasa, I really hope to do her justice; I see her still having an overprotective stance towards Harry and would fill a godmother position naturally.

ThatOneCat101: That's also correct. As for that question, I don't know that answer.

Diaspared: Glad that you find it interesting. There's still mysteries left to be uncovered, so who's to say?

Guest: Risky indeed. As for someone seeing him... Hopefully your questions will find answers here.

Guest: I'd say the chances are fairly large, but not 100%

Lena: Wow, thank you so much! That really means a lot.

thomquiri: Yes, that would be the case.

Yoana: Well, here's the update, I hope it lives up. And as far as I'm concerned, AOT no Requiem is the true canon, I understand completely.

Tatsumaki Isshin: Is that Spanish?

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J. K. Rowling and Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan is owned by Hajime Isayama. I own nothing

Chapter 15: Solitude of Night

"Well, Dumbledore, did you hear what I just said?"

The aged Headmaster fixed his half-moon spectacles on his crooked nose and fixed his dwindling twinkling gaze on his visitor. He was met with a locked brown gaze, and a constantly moving electric blue one. "Indeed I have, Alastor. You say that Harry is now at the Leaky Cauldron."

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody gave a basic nod. His magical eye briefly turned a full 360 in its socket. "I was on the Knight Bus with him that night, don't think he saw me in the back. Came just in time, too. Looks like he was in a scrap with his cousin and some other local boys."

"That does sound accurate." Based on Minerva's earlier report about the boy's previous living condition, the headmaster wouldn't rule out bullying from their child. He had hoped that some of the additional compulsion charms he put up around the wards to have the Dursley's more civil would have held; but if Harry truly did no longer call that place home, they were completely moot.

"You want me to take him back?" Moody inquired.

"No."

"Positive?"

Dumbledore heaved a quiet sigh. "Taking Harry back to Privet Drive will only foster more animosity and resentment than he already has. I believed Petunia Dursley capable of loving a child unconditionally." As Lily had. "I see now I was sorely mistaken."

"Even if we did force young Harry to return, I believe he would only seek to break free harder than before," Dumbledore surmised. "It is… only natural to desire freedom and I do not seek to rob him of this." Not as before.

"So what then?" Alastor anticipated his final decision.

"For now, it is best to leave him be. Continue to keep a close eye on him and ensure he doesn't encounter any trouble, but do no more."

Alastor gruffed in reply. "Good."

"You speak of before?" Dumbledore guessed.

"What else is there?" he rhetorically asked. "First day of watching the boy he goes out to some field, gets struck by golden lightning and winds up in a giant skeleton of sorts." His magical eye spun around. "Had to apparate out of there if a jiff. When I returned, the thing was just gone - evaporated into thin air. I've seen all manner of dark deeds and magical beasts, but that was something else."

"It certainly appears so," Dumbledore rested his chin on his knuckles. Moody's report lined up with what he had found beneath the third floor. Whatever type of magic this was, it was unlike any practiced here. It could only be from the otherside.

"You don't appear too surprised," Moody observed. "Something you're not telling me, Albus?"

"A great many things, all for good reason."

Moody fixed him with both eyes. "I've always trusted you, Albus, but even I don't like being kept in the dark. If Potter poses some kind of threat then-,"

"Then please allow me to deal with the consequences," he interrupted the grizzled ex-Auror.

"You?"

"Yes, me." Perhaps that person feels this guilt as well. "I… do not expect you to fully understand the full context of everything, Alastor; but at the very least know that I will do everything in my power to try and set things right." As I've always should have done.

Moody pursed his lips, his scarred and mangled face looking more unpleasant than usual. "If that's all you've to say, Dumbledore, fine. I'll follow your lead. And if it ends up getting us killed, I know to blame you in advance."

"That is all I ask, as well as keeping quiet about this to the rest of the Order."

"The Order?" Moody repeated. "This is something that warrants the Order's involvement?"

"I'd rather it not. That is why I mention it now."

"I don't see much of the order now that I'm retired. Hell, I don't really see much of anyone anymore. Arthur'll floo me every now and again, but I suspect he does that to make sure I'm not lying on the floor dead. Then there's you; calling me in when you need someone on watch. So, sure, this'll stay between the two of us."

Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Alastor."

Moody gave a final stiff nod before hobbling over to the fireplace to floo back to his assigned post. His magical eye gave a final once over of the interior of the chimney. He paused from his scoop of floo powder to gaze back across the office.

"One more thing, Dumbledore."

"Yes? What would that be, Alastor?"

"Whatever it is you aren't telling me - I hope it has some explanation, for ours and that lad's sake."

To that, Dumbledore conjured up a simple nod. It was far from reassuring but closer to any one truth in particular. It would have to be enough.

Green flames enveloped Moody's being, consuming him until there was but a layer of soot lining the stones. Fawkes stretched his wings. The phoenix had been less active as of late, a sign that a burning day was soon upon them. Dumbledore reached a long finger out to scratch under the magical bird's beak.

"You have an extraordinary gift, old friend. To be able to be reborn after death; there is surely one who would wish for nothing greater." And he was still alive out there. Hiding. Waiting.

"But with every new life you live, yours will hardly ever change. You will carry on as you always have while the world itself takes its change. How many worlds will have come and gone before anything will change for you?"

And perhaps, Dumbledore figured if anyone could relate to a feeling such as that, they were severely out of place, in a room of their own down in London, maybe sleeping dreamlessly.

The setting he was seeing was more than a tad hazy. The lighting had been lowered to match the twilight of the outdoors and the laughing and chatter of the patrons drowned out the noise of crickets. From the perspective he was seeing, he was seated at a table with a few other young men around him; three others once one came back with a few flagons in hand.

The one distributing the drinks already had a slightly red face that spread up to the line of his closely-cropped hair. A shorter blonde man smiled and accepted the smallest of the drinks with a polite nod. Another, the seemingly tallest of the bunch took his before it could spill everywhere. He had a luscious mane of ash brown hair and the start of a beard that covered his chin.

"Watch it," the tall man advised. "This shirt's new, I don't need you staining it already."

"Oh-ho, sorry, Jean," the shorter man smiled. "Is that one your mom picked out for you?"

"First of all, shut up. Second, I plan on wearing this under my dress uniform. If the captain catches sight of any stains how do you think he'll act if a senior officer presents himself as some sort of slob, huh?"

"Hey, that's a good point."

"Yeah, no kidding. Just how sloshed are you? You haven't had that much to drink yet."

The blonde examined the tipsy man. "Jean does have a point, Connie, we've only been here a little less than an hour."

Jean gave a wry smile. "Thanks for the backup, Armin."

"And, Jean, why did you even recommend coming here if you know Connie gets this way whenever drinks are involved?" The one now known as Armin asked.

"Hey, I would have recommended Nicolo's place, but Sasha took Mikasa there for a little girl's night or whatever. So, I figured we earned a little downtime, too, just us guys."

"I'm fairly certain Nicolo wanted to try his hand at some Hizuru dishes and wanted Mikasa's opinion on it," Armin remembered.

"Still, Sasha tagged along, as usual," Connie said after a swig of his drink. "Come to think of it, she's been off at his restaurant every time she's off duty."

Jean and Armin shared a look. "Not jealous or anything, are ya, Connie?"

Connie spit some of his drink back into his flagon. "Me? Nah!"

"Sure about that?" Jean pushed.

"C'mon, man! Sasha's cute and all, but all the time we spent in training and after that, she's more like my long-lost twin sister or something." He laughed to himself. "And believe me, I know about annoying siblings. Back in Ra-," he stopped.

Connie's mouth hung open as he stared down into the contents of his drink. His expression darked. He shook his head. "A-anyway, I know about siblings. If Sasha's happy, I'm happy for her."

No one said much to that and they all turned to their drinks. They drank until they were empty. Another round made its way over to their table. And another.

"Hey… hey… you've been awfully quiet, Eren."

From his perspective, he looked up from his drink and across the table to Jean who was leaning back in his chair but kept a hand gripping the table to make sure he didn't fall backward completely.

"Mm. Yeah, I guess I have."

"Geeze, man," Connie leaned next to him. "Don't tell me you're already drunk. Even Armin's had more to drink than you."

Sure enough, Armin's face was quite red and his eyelids seemed to droop more than they should. "I'm sure Eren is just *hic* tired is all. *Hic!*"

"Oh, yeah," Jean took another gulp of his drink. "Is the commander still keeping you and Armin up at night for 'research?'"

"Why'd you *hic* say it like that?" Armin inquired.

"Come on," Jean ignored the question. "You've been in this funk ever since we took back Wall Maria. I can't even remember the last time we beat the crap out of one another."

He lifted the mug to his lips. "Just a lot on my mind, I suppose."

"Have you *hic* s-sorry," Armin apologized, sobering up a bit. "Have you unlocked any more of your father's memories? You've still been meeting with Historia to see if you could find out more, haven't you?"

"...We've met." He took a drink. "And, no, I haven't seen anything that relates something new to the past. I was just thinking about… the future, I guess."

"The future?" Jean parroted. "Wow. You're more of a lightweight than Connie over there."

"S-screw you, man," Connie slurred out, his head resting on folded arms.

Seeing a form of discontentment, Armin asked a waitress for a glass of water which he quickly downed to help clear his head. "What about the future, Eren?"

He stared across the table at the blonde youth. "It's… nothing that I want to trouble you guys with. I was talking with Floch about it and-,"

"Floch?" Jean interjected, a humorous grin on his long face. "He's the last person I'd suspect you'd talk to that doesn't involve butting heads, or have you forgotten Shiganshina?"

"I remember."

"So, when you'd start hanging around with him?" Jean further pressed.

"I guess a little after the awards ceremony."

"Seriously? That long ago? Then again, I never really talked to him outside of headquarters because Floch is… you know… Floch."

"He is," Eren didn't argue. "But he's dedicated. He believes in our survival. He believes… in a better future."

"Eren," Armin then asked. "Where are you going with this?"

Eren turned his attention back to his drink. He raised it to his lips, but brought it down full as before.

"Just thinking of the upcoming expedition across the sea. We'll all be going there."

"Uh… yeah, that's right," Armin slowly nodded. "We really owe Madam Kiyomi our thanks for giving us residence to stay while we're there. I was talking with the commander the other day about how if we-,"

"Have the two of you figured out an alternative yet?" Eren then asked.

"What do you-?"

"Have either of you come up with a plan of survival that doesn't involve sacrificing our lives and the lives of our children?" Eren clarified. "Have you thought of a way that doesn't involve the Wall Titans walking free?"

"..." Armin was silent at first. He opened his mouth before closing it again. At last, he settled on, "Madam Kiyomi mentioned the reason for the date she picked for us to go across the sea was because Marley is playing host to delegates all around the world. With the Eldian population outside of our island, population and living conditions have to be addressed. If anytime is opportune to see what the outside world thinks of doing, it would be at the summit."

"Don't we already know the answer to that?" Eren rhetorically asked. "When you say, 'what the world thinks of doing,' you mean what they plan on doing to Eldians in the ghettos all around the world - what they plan on doing to us. We're just an Eldian problem to them."

"O-okay, you're not wrong, Eren. But why even have a summit to discuss what to do if they already have a solution in mind?" Armin then offered.

"Probably to get anyone with cold feet onboard with it," Eren suggested. "They fear us. Why wouldn't they? There's just too much that they don't understand."

"Again, you're right, Eren," Armin agreed. "They don't know about us. People, no matter who, will always fear what it is they don't understand. Even back in Trost when you sealed the hole, the military didn't fully trust you. Now, you're one of the most important figures of our country. Sure, convincing the rest of the world that we aren't a threat is going to be harder than convincing our own military, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. But to have a future where genocide is the result… how could anyone accept that?"

"I don't think any of us want to accept that," Eren agreed. "But the world could."

"Eren-,"

"What do you think will happen if peace talks don't work?" Eren continued. "All the hate and fear that's been brewing for 2000 years, how does that all just go away? Even if we show the world we don't want any trouble, we still live on an island that they want to conquer. You can destroy a people, but the land will still live on. By that logic, we would be the ones getting genocided. It isn't right, but it will happen to one side of the other unless an alternative is presented - unless the world has no other choice but to leave us alone."

"And who would force them to come to do that; you?" Armin asked.

"Maybe. Why not?" Eren offered.

"Because that isn't who you are," Armin waved his hand. "You've always believed freedom is what is natural to humanity. If you force people to act a certain way, you'd be taking what you value the most."

"Isn't it the same?" Eren countered. "All around the world Eldians are treated as third class citizens, maybe even worse, just because they were born. From my dad's journals and what we learned about the Marley Warriors, are they not forced to act and think a certain way? And what about us? We had that same system in place here thanks to Karl Fritz. We were kept ignorant and isolated and expected to just accept our deaths when the rest of the world came to kill us. They tried taking our freedom away. And if someone tried to take my freedom, I'd take theirs instead."

Armin was shaking his head. "Then that's no better than Karl Fritz! It would just-!"

"Can you guys keep it down?" Connie asked, his hands nursing the side of his head. "Enough with the talking, please."

"Yeah, enough's enough," Jean agreed as he stood up to stretch. "We come here to relax and you two turn it into some debate. If I really wanted to listen to this, I would have chosen the interior life."

Armin looked down, abashed. "Sorry, Jean. I guess we all just had a little too much to drink." His blue eyes looked across the table. "C'mon. We should take Connie back to headquarters so he can sleep the night off."

"I'll meet you back there," Eren said, his perspective gaining height as he stood. "I just wanted to take a little walk; clear my head a little."

"Need some company?" Jean offered.

"I'll be fine," Eren declined.

"Nonsense," Jean ignored. "You and I can ruff the other up a little bit. Maybe that'll get you off your doom and gloom. We'll see you guys back there."

They appeared to have left the pub they had been partaking in and walked down the gaslighted street and shops to a small park area where they found a bench to occupy. In the distance, a tall structure loomed over the rest of the rooftops. It had to be at least fifty meters high and it looked to curve to further encapsulate the town that it surrounded.

"Ah, night air feels good," Jean crossed his legs. "Probably should have grabbed some water before we left. I'm feeling an afterbuzz coming on."

"That's just what happens."

"Don't patronize me. That was the first time I've ever seen you argue with Armin. You two are usually always seeing eye-to-eye."

"Not always. I've stood up for him, looked out for him, shared a dream with him, but that doesn't mean that we agree on everything. There's plenty of things that he says that I don't agree with and I'm sure he could say the same about me."

"Sure, sure, I get you. Still, we won't know what'll work in the future or what won't unless we explore all our options, right? No one really knows what will happen."

"...You're mostly right."

"Oh! High praise from Humanity's Hope." Jean joked, nudging him with his elbow for a reaction. Eren gave none.

"The only issue is the time it will take to get it right."

Jean's smile began to lessen. "Ah. The curse. Right." He let out an awkward cough. "Hey, I'm trying to cheer you up, I didn't mean for this to take a left turn like that… even if you brought it up."

"...The curse… right."

"Hey, c'mon, don't think about that now. If a curse can be created, there's probably some way to break it. If you're going to die, it'll be because you made some suicidal choice or something and that'll come way past your little expiration date, you'll see. Heh!" he laughed. "I might even be there to tell you how much of a pain-in-the-ass best-friend you turned out to be."

He sounded like he made a sniffle and turned away to wipe his nose on his sleeve. Eren remained silent. His attention was on the distant wall before gazing up towards the moon.

"I… I hope we're all around for that long. Someone will have to be. At least, I'd want someone to be. There's probably a lot that I won't be around for."

"..."

"...Do you want kids one day?" Eren suddenly asked.

"Me?" Jean seemed confused. "Well, uh, hell yeah, yes! I'd love kids. Of course, I'd have to find a woman for that, too, and… just where are you leading with this?" he asked, now on the defensive.

"Just that if you were to have kids of your own and didn't return home because of what's going on with the world, I'd look out for them. I'd… tell them all about you; the good, the bad, the really embarrassing parts."

"Wow. Glad my hypothetical death will bring you and my kids amusement."

"But I'd focus on the good," Eren continued. "I'd want them to know all about you, about the kind of man you were, about the kind of friend you were. And if they wind up loving or hating you for being dead, I'd want them to know they were what was most important to you in the end."

Jean was clearly not expecting the conversation to turn this way. He wiped his nose again and cleared his throat. "Well, that's uh… I… I'd do the same for you, you damn maniac. I'd make you out to be some sort of hero! No kid of yours is going to grow up not knowing who you were or what you did!"

"Thanks, Jean."

"No problem." Silence fell between them.

"You know, Eren, you talking about kids, that mean that you…?"

"Just asking. And if I did, I wouldn't tell anyone right away."

"Alright, fair enough," Jean raised his hands in surrender. "Still, if you ever do, I wish that poor girl luck with what she's about to get herself into."

"I don't think I need to wish you the same. I hear some horses mate for life."

"Damn right you don't have to wish me - what did you just say?"

"What? You're strong, reliable, you'd look natural in an open field; you'd be a real catch."

"Those sound like fighting words, Yeager," Jean stood up with a fierce smile on his long face. "Right here, right now, what do ya say?"

Eren sighed but stood up nonetheless. "You sure you're not too drunk?"

"What did I say about patronizing me?"

They both swung a fist with anything but malice.

Harry stifled a yawn as he sat up on the bed. Barely opening his eyes, he reached over to the nightstand to fetch his glasses which he fumbled at putting them on. He felt that he could have stayed asleep just a little longer to watch the rest of that memory play out from the other Titan's perspective.

Alas, he could already feel the morning grogginess pass him by. The light peeking through his window certainly wouldn't allow it. Letting his feet touch the floor, Harry made way to get ready for another day during his stay at the Leaky Cauldron.

Opening his door, he looked down to see that a tray with some porridge and juice had been left out for him. He had asked Tom if he could get meals delivered right to his room in order to remain covert. The bartender was all too happy to oblige his request and had warm food brought up to him three times a day. But today, there was something else tuckered away next to the silverware.

An envelope sealed with the Hogwarts crest awaited him.

Harry brought his meal inside and shut the door. This was the first real piece of mail he had gotten all summer. And with term starting back up again soon, it appeared that Dobby the house elf either didn't or couldn't interact with Hogwarts mail. He started to open it as he scooped some porridge into his mouth.

'What've you got there?' her now familiar voice spoke only to him.

Looks to be a letter from Hogwarts. I never told anybody that I was coming here and only Tom downstairs knows. So either he wrote and told Dumbledore or they have some way of tracking me.

'Are they sending you back to those people?'

I'm not going back there; not now, not ever. He pulled the letter out from inside. It's… a school list.

And by all accounts, it was just an ordinary second-year school list. It had all the classes and their required materials neatly listed as well as a reminder about the train schedule and basic rules of Hogwarts. Looking it over again, the DADA class had listed all books by an author named Gilderoy Lochhart.

Looks like this means that they know where I'm staying.

'What will you do?' she asked. 'Find another place to stay?'

Where? He asked. Coming here was a risk, it isn't like anywhere else would be better. At least they don't seem ready to ship me back to the Dursleys, that's never a bad thing.

'I suppose,' she had to admit.

He got dressed properly and covered his scar with his hair and even took off his glasses when he went downstairs to the pub. With his new list, he could at least get shopping done early. Looking around, the pub was nearly deserted at this time of day, not at all like the scene he had seen last night in his mind.

I had another dream last night, Harry confessed as he entered the alley and hit the bricks in the order he had been shown.

'I'd expect.'

This one was a lot clearer, they've all been getting like that ever since you first started talking to me.

'Uh-huh. So, what was this one about?'

I was seeing it through Eren's view. We were at this pub with three others named Jean, Connie, and Armin - you said before he's the Colossal Titan, right?

'Right. And both Jean and Connie held esteem in their own ranking. Go on.'

They seemed… pretty cool. Are they still around or, during the war did they…

'No, they're still alive and mostly well.'

Mostly?

'The three of them, and quite a few others, had a falling out with Eren at the end of the war. They… I guess you could say they couldn't offer a solution of their own and couldn't condone Eren for his over what should be done.'

They betrayed Paradis?

'Erm… sort of. They thought that if they helped the rest of the world that it would convince them that not all Eldians were devils and that maybe a more peaceful solution could be had.'

Well, did they?

'...'

Ymir…

'What? The rest of the world hated us and wanted us dead, I told you as much before. The world feared Titans and the threat that they posed. That was ground enough for wanting to kill every Eldian alive.'

So they knew the world wanted them dead and decided to help them?

'I never said it was well thought out. It was a rash decision at best.'

But, you and I are still alive and so is the island. And if we have Titan powers, isn't that still cause to want another war?

'All the more reason why the power of the Titans has to stay a secret. When Ymir Fritz's soul split to ensure that we would live to be born, that came with her power, too. The curse might be gone, but the power isn't, not yet at least.'

Meaning?

'I mean that there is no passing of Titan power anymore. The ones who inherited it from someone else, once they die, that's it, that power will be gone for good. No more Titans.'

So when we die, too, that'll be it?

'Yes, unless something else happens before that, but I don't know what. The world will be without Titans, just as Eren always wanted. Well, maybe a bit later than he wanted, but still. Because of what he did, no other Eldian will have to be looked at as a monster.'

And do the other Titan Shifters know this, too?

'No. Didn't I tell you before. Every Titan is unique including the ones you and I have. My Titan is connected to Paths and can supply the others with their Titan forms if I want to. I don't have a reason to grant anyone aside from you and Eren one, and thankfully, the others don't know so they've never tried to summon one.'

And we still don't know what mine is capable of.

'Not yet, but I think once we find a way for you to fully get connected to Paths, that will take care of itself.'

If you say so.

He couldn't help but feel that frustration grow. To have a power unlike any other and not even be able to use it, what did that make him? He could be doing so much more, that he knew for sure.

Making a stop to Gringotts, Harry presented the key he had kept from his first visit and a goblin escort arrived shortly to take him underground to retrieve the necessary funds from his vault. Counting out what he figured to be a good sum of currency, he concluded his business with the goblins who gave little bows of their heads along with accompanying sneers to match.

Exiting the bank, Harry set his sights on his next destination: Flourish and Blotts. He made sure to keep his head down and that his hair was adjusted so that his scar was properly concealed. The bookstore seemed to be a hub of activity today, mostly crowded with chattering witches over a moving picture advertising a visiting author by the name of Gildeory Lockhart; the very same whose books made up the entirety of the DADA text.

Ducking his way through the crowd, Harry made for a stack of Lockhart books on display for an autobiography titled: Magical Me. The book held a picture of a man with sharp features, pampered golden hair, and a wide dazzling smile. He turned to the introduction.

"Hello, dear reader, to the tale of the extraordinary life of Gilderoy Lochart - me. I hope by you reading this that you'll come to see the true face behind Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Reward (see chapter three for my special brushing and flossing routine). And that smile certainly didn't completely banish that infamous banshee (see annotations for my other works). Regardless, I do hope that you come to see me past the veil of fame and come to the conclusion that I am just like you. Who knows, maybe reading this will help you achieve your own bout of glory one day; I'll keep an eye out for new promising witches and wizards in the field, maybe share the spotlight together!"

Harry wasn't even aware he had been making a face as he read that passage. What is this… trash? He thought to himself. His new professor no doubt is an avid fan of this author. Nevertheless, he picked up a copy as well as all the others that were assigned, feeling none too thrilled about doing so. He quickly made his purchase and exited the crowded store before the author of these books made his public appearance; and if the crowd of witches was anything to go by, it would likely be any second now.

Harry barely made it halfway down from the shop before he heard a call of: "Is that you, Potter?"

He froze. His hand clenched into a half fist. Perhaps he should have worn the invisibility cloak. With feigned ignorance, he turned around.

Walking down the alley was an unmistakable head of platinum blond hair with an accompanying smirk that didn't exactly scream friendliness.

'Oh, him again.' She spoke for both of them.

"Hello, Dr-er, Malfoy. I wasn't expecting to see you before school."

Malfoy appeared perplexed. "What are you on about, Potter?"

"I mean exactly as I said," Harry reiterated. "And can you not say my name so loud? I don't exactly want to draw attention to myself - especially near this crowd." He gestured over to the crowded bookshop.

"Ah," Malfoy nodded. "Anyway, I meant that I wrote to you earlier this month saying that I would be stopping byDiagon Alley today since I'd be with someone who wanted to meet you. Evidently, you never wrote back."

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," Harry apologized. "I haven't been getting any of my mail. Something called a house elf has been intercepting all of it."

"A house elf?" Malfoy repeated before stifling a chuckle. "Sounds like someone's pulling a practical joke on you, Potter. House elves are completely docile and obedient. My family house elf loves his position and always does as told."

Harry just nodded along, not interested in more of Malfoy's bragging. "Anyway," he continued. "As I just mentioned, I'm here with someone of great importance." Malfoy looked over his shoulder to where a man was walking their way. "Meet my father."

He wore an expensive set of dark robes lined with silver, probably a sign of his Slytherin ties. Even though he walked just fine, he carried a cane with a serpent head grip. His hair was long, falling to his shoulders and was the same shade of platinum blonde as his sons. And while they both shared the same shade of grey eyes, they appeared far colder on this man than they did on his son. He gazed down at them with an air of impassive arrogance.

"Draco, there you are."

The younger Malfoy briefly paused, a mild look of shame crossed his face at rushing ahead without his father present. "I'm sorry, Father. I saw someone from school whom I thought you'd take an interest in."

Malfoy senior's eyes flittered over to the green-eyed boy. A flicker of recognition passed him. "Ah, yes, I see it now. Who could ever mistake you for anyone else?" He extended a gloved hand. "Lucius Malfoy."

Very hesitant, Harry reached out and grabbed by the fingers only. A small shake was given. "Dra- er, Mal- your son has mentioned you quite a lot last year." It was honestly annoying. "You two look very much alike."

The younger Malfoy seemed to swell at the comparison while the senior only allowed a small upturn of his corner lip. "Charmed to say the least. I took after my father and he after his. The Malfoy line has a long history as Draco has no doubt mentioned."

"We're even part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Draco pridefully interjected. Not even the Minister can claim that." His father fixed him with a shaded look.

"Boasting brazenly is unbecoming, Draco."

That was rich considering everything his son usually talked about.

"Sorry, Father." He looked away.

"Anyway, you bear a resemblance to your own father." Lucius's face turned more neutral. "He'd no doubt be proud - if he were alive. Truly, a pity."

I wouldn't sound too sure of myself if I were you. Harry thought as he resisted the urge to kick that cane out from the elder Malfoy's grip to see if he actually needed it for balance.

"Taken far too young - the both of them." He seemed to be probing him, waiting to see what kind of a reaction he could get out of him.

"I… didn't realize you were close with them," Harry even replied, perhaps a bit lower than he meant to.

"We were acquainted with one another a few times. I was ahead of them in our years at Hogwarts, I mainly knew of them from my disowned sister-in-law, and I never fought besides them during the war. A rather nasty control curse was inflicted on me at the time and my memory of some events is hazy at best.

"Oh." It was all Harry could really think of. Even though Lucius spoke with clear confidence, he didn't sound like he really believed it himself. Harry wasn't going to call him out on it and just nodded along.

"Yes, it is rather unfortunate," the elder Malfoy continued. "Very talented, both of them. Especially for your mother considering her upbringing."

"I'm sorry." Harry didn't know if he said that as a question or if it even really mattered. Honestly, he wouldn't mind if he intended some offense.

Lucius was keen to gauge his reaction; his cold gaze widening by a slim margin. "Pardon, I only meant that she was rather quick to adapt to our culture as fluently as she did. She was a modest woman, never one to brag or boast of her academic achievements or attract any unnecessary attention to herself." His eyes shifted beyond where Harry stood. "Funny how times have changed."

Harry looked over his shoulder back at Flourish and Blotts where a familiar group of redheads were assembled next to a couple in casual muggle clothing as their father engaged them in a quite animated conversation. A bushy mane of brown hair next to them standing next to the couple clued him into who they were.

Lucius Malfoy shook his head. "It seems Arthur Weasley can continue to surprise me. Come, Draco." Lucus strode forward, his robes showing a brief outline of a book tucked away inside as he walked past with a curt nod.

"See you at school then," the younger Malfoy bid a similar farewell as he trailed along after his father.

Rolling his eyes after the both had passed, Harry meant to continue on along until he heard a voice call out: "Harry! Harry, is that you?"

Not wanting to be too careless, he snuck a brief glimpse behind him to see Ron coming his way, waving to get his attention. He turned around and put a finger to his lips to halt the other Gryffindor from calling out again.

"Blimey, it really is you!" Ron beamed as he neared. "I didn't think that I'd see you until school started back up. What're you doing here?"

"Just buying new supplies, you know," Harry answered. "Isn't that what everyone here is doing?"

"Right, yeah. Bit of a dumb question," Ron admitted. "Most of my family is here now. Mum's still inside hoping to get Lockhart's signature." He made a gagging gesture afterward. "Plus I thought I saw the Malfoy's talking to you, wanted to make sure they didn't put some kind of curse on you or something."

"I'm curse free." Except for being unable to go home to where I really belong. "Besides, Malfoy is really just all talk anyway. Not too sure about his father, though."

"Yeah, my dad isn't too fond of Malfoy either," Ron nodded. "He reckons the Minister listens to him more than anyone else, well, maybe not Dumbledore but that's because he's well, Dumbledore."

"He's Dumbledore, alright." And also someone who knows how and why I even ended up here.

"So, how'd your holiday go?" Ron then asked. "You went away to some foreign island, right?" Harry could have gone without the reminder.

"Oh, that," he avoided the cheerful look Ron was giving him. "I couldn't end up going for more than a few reasons."

"Really? That's a bummer, mate." Ron offered a more sympathetic expression. "What'd you end up doing then?"

"Nothing much, really. I just tried to avoid the family I was with as much as possible, and exercised a bit."

"Exercise?" Ron observed him. "I guess I can see it. You don't look as scrawny as you did last year - no offense."

I wasn't that scrawny.

'Yes you were,' Ymir objected.

Gee, thanks.

'Don't feel too bad, Eren was a scrawny kid, too.'

"You know," Ron began, "if you really didn't have anything going on, you could have sent an owl to my house. I mentioned back during the winter holiday that my mum wouldn't have minded if you came over to stay." He actually sounded a bit hurt.

"Hm? Oh! Right, you did mention that." His Paradis objective was a bit more important than visiting a schoolmate in the summer. "I um, thought about it a little, but I thought it might have been a little last minute by then."

"Rubbish!" Ron dismissed his non-existent worry. "My family is large enough, one more person wouldn't have changed that much. You want to meet them? They're right over there." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to where the other redheads were gathered.

"Uh, sure…" Harry responded, almost second guessing himself. While he shared a dorm with Ron at Hogwarts, he wouldn't say they were close friends or anything, despite the redhead's best offers.

"Great! C'mon, I'll introduce you."

Following a safe distance behind the taller boy, Harry approached the assembled Weasley family. A woman on the plumper side and holding a stack of Lockhart books noticed him first.

"There you are, Ronald." She handed him the stack of books she carried. "These are all yours; not signed, I'm afraid."

"They don't need to be," Ron dourly replied as he took the books.

"Where'd you run off to?" she inquired.

Ron inclined his head behind him to where Harry was. "I just wanted to talk to Harry for a bit."

"Harry?" she repeated before taking full sight of the other boy. "Oh, hello, Harry! How're you?"

"Erm, hello," Harry offered in response. "I've been… better than before." He didn't even know if that was a lie or not. Perhaps he was just thrown off by the sudden interest a stranger had in him. He was further caught off guard when she suddenly decided to hug him. His body tensed and Mrs. Weasley released him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," she apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Uh, yeah," Harry composed himself. "I'm not really much of a hugger, sorry."

'Really?' her voice sounded in his head.

What? He challenged. It isn't like the Dursley's ever embraced me at first sight.

'Fair point, but just prepare yourself for when you do get back here because if you think I'm not going to hug you, you're sorely mistaken.'

"Geeze, Mum, way to embarrass him."

"Yeah, that's supposed to be our job."

Fred and George had appeared behind their mother; ever=present grins still plastered on their faces.

"Hiya, Harry!" They greeted.

"Staying out of trouble?" George asked.

"If not, we can fix that," Fred added.

"Boys!" their mother reprimanded them.

"Hello, Harry," one with glasses - Percy approached. "Excited for another year? Any questions you have I'll gladly answer as-,"

"-As school prefect," the twins finished simultaneously.

"Honestly, Perce."

"It's like you've been rehearsing."

"There isn't anyone from the Ministry here to impress."

"Except dad."

"Hm? What's that?" A man with balding red-hair and glasses asked.

"Arthur, dear, Ron was just introducing a friend from school," Mrs. Weasley explained. "This is Harry Potter."

Mr. Weasley adopted a look of fascination. "Truly?" he asked. "I was just talking with some muggle parents of one of your classmates. They didn't seem to understand what I was asking, but perhaps you can clarify: what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

It took Harry a second to realize this man was serious. "Uh, I've never actually owned one. Sorry?"

"Curious." Mr. Weasley said. "Perhaps they're a form of collectors item. I have my own collection of plugs at the moment, truly spectacular devices! Seeing how muggles get along without magic is a joy!"

"Mr. Malfoy didn't seem to agree when he passed by," Percy mentioned.

"Yes, well, it would seem he and I have very different ideas of what disgraces the name of wizard," Mr. Weasley concluded. "Anyway, how are you, Harry? Our boys have told us a bit about you already."

"I'm… doing alright, really," Harry answered. "I wasn't really expecting to run into anyone today, though."

"Ah, I see," Mr. Weasley nodded. "Our family is quite big, and our two oldest sons aren't even here. Oh! And let's not forget our youngest member - Ginny."

Mr. Weasley moved aside to show a girl with the same hair as the rest of her family who had been trying to remain unseen until now. When she spotted him, her legs became rooted to the spot, her hands trembling as they held her cauldron-full of books while her eyes widened considerably.

"Erm, right," Harry acknowledged. "Hello." He waved.

Ginny actually dropped her cauldron, spilling her assembled supplies. Her face quickly turned the same shade of red as her hair as she began to pick up her fallen school texts, along with what seemed to be a personal journal of sorts. She promptly avoided eye contact with him after that.

Fred and George stifled a laugh at their sister's expense while Ron rolled his eyes and Percy pinched the bridge of his nose. Harry just took a few steps away from the startled girl. Weird, he thought.

'Eh, it isn't so weird.'

Yeah? Why's that?

'Oh, no reason,' she answered.

Yeah, whatever you say. Harry mentally rolled his eyes, knowing she would get the gesture.

Mr. Weasley clasped his hands together. "Some of us Weasley's might not be much for first impressions, but we do make a fine second!" Harry merely nodded along. "It's Ginny's first year. After her, Hogwarts will have hosted a whole new generation of Weasley students."

"Hard to believe that the new semester is almost upon us," Mrs. Weasley mentioned. "Do you have a way of getting to King's Cross, dear? Ron mentioned that you live with muggle relatives and all."

"Are you offering me a ride?" Harry asked for clarification. Based on how welcoming they seemed, it seemed to be what she was implying.

"If you wanted," Mr. Weasley said. "I just so happen to have the machine referred to as an 'automobile.' Quite lucky I was able to get my hands on one - ingenious invention. Anyhow, it's more than capable of carrying all of us and luggage, I've made sure of it."

"What do you say, mate?" Ron asked.

"Uh… sure, I guess so. As long as you all don't mind." It would beat dragging his belongings to the station.

"It won't be a hassle at all, dear," Mrs. Weasley assured him.

"Right," Mr. Weasley nodded. "What address should we meet you at?"

"Oh, the Dursely's aren't really too keen on magic, or wizards in general," Harry mentioned. "It probably wouldn't be best to go to their house. If it's alright, you could just meet me at the Leaky Cauldron. I can rent a room until term starts."

"Your relatives would let you do that?" Mrs. Wealsey then asked, sounding more than a bit concerned.

"They're perfectly fine with it, honestly." And it wasn't as if Harry ever planned on returning to their home anyway.

"If that's what you prefer," Mr. Weasley sounded accommodating. "We'll be here an hour before departure."

"That'd be brilliant," Harry agreed.

Mr. Weasley shook his hand and his wife led them further down the alley to a few other shops; their kids each bidding Harry a brief farewell, except for Ginny who promptly lowered her head as she walked past. In turn, Harry made his way back to his room at the Leaky Cauldron.

I guess that's that.

'It sure seems that way,' she agreed.

You think they're planning something? I figured you would have said something sooner.

'I wouldn't say they're planning anything. Sending you back to school means that you'd be under a more watchful eye. They just seem like well-meaning people, I suppose.'

Yeah, I suppose so, too.

Harry sorted his purchases out and packed them away in his trunk, save for the two heaviest which he used to exercise his arms.

Can you tell me something? Harry asked mid-lift.

'Ask.'

Are there a lot of well-meaning people where you are?

'I guess most people are well-meaning enough if you get to know them. Armin understood that well enough, even if his ideas about it were a little… eh, naive, I suppose.'

Most; not everybody, though.

'... No. Not everybody.'

And if our spots were switched; if I were on Paradis and you were here, would you go with them?

'I suppose I would. But, I guess it also wouldn't matter.'

Wow. Way to look on the brightside.

'Coming from you? I just mean that one of us would still be missing either way. And that wouldn't stop someone like Eren.'

When the morning of September 1st came around, Harry was already awake before 9, a whole hour before the Weasley family was to arrive. He made sure his belongings were properly packed, and fed Hedwig some bacon until the ride on the Hogwarts Express. Tom, the innkeeper, lended a hand in lugging his trunk down the stairs as the time grew closer to their expected arrival.

"You'll be alright?" Tom asked as Harry made his way to the door.

"Oh, yeah," Harry confirmed. "Someone's coming to get me. I'll be waiting outside."

"Right," Tom nodded. "A room is always open to you here if you are in need." Tom gave a small bow of his head and went to tend to a few morning clients.

Exiting the toasty aroma of the inn, Harry rested his trunk and cage on the curb, watching a clock across the street as the minutes began to tick bye. They ticked and they ticked, ever closer to the tenth hour.

And when the hands were properly aligned, Harry was met with… nothing. Just the usual bout of expected traffic, none of which seemed to have flame-red hair. Time continued to progress without impediment.

Guess I'm walking. Harry felt like smacking his head. Think I can make it there if I run?

'How far is it?'

Beats me.

'Well… it's not too late, is it? It's only been about five minutes.'

Almost fifteen, Harry groaned. Why couldn't anything ever be easy?

*BEEEP*

The noise snapped his attention to his left where a blue Ford Angela was pulling up to the curb. The car parked and a rather flustered, but still smiling, Mr. Weasley stepped out to greet him.

"Harry! Good to see you. Sorry about the delay; some of us got off to a bit of a sleepy start."

"What about Fred and George?!" Ron's voice called from the backseat.

Mr. Weasley promptly ignored that as he opened the trunk to store Harry's. "I've got this. Go ahead and climb in the back, there's plenty of room." He gave a sly nod of his head.

Not about to waste any more time, Harry opened the door and was greeted by all five of the Wealsey children already seated. And despite the model car being fit for a total of at most, five, occupants, there still seemed room to spare. He took the seat adjacent to the door, next to Ginny. The girl instantly clammed up and seemed to try and shrink in on herself. The twins snickered at her.

Mrs. Weasley turned around to face him from the passenger seat. "Comfortable back there, dear?" Harry wordlessly nodded. "Sorry if we were a tad late. It was a very busy morning getting ready."

"Uh, that's fine," Harry told her.

Mr. Weasley climbed into the driver's seat. "Ah! Told you there was enough room, Molly. Muggles saw fit to make sure this could accommodate a family transit."

"Hm. Yes, I suppose so, Arthur," she agreed. "Are they all like this, or have you gone ahead and tinkered with the poor thing more than you've already done?"

"Oh! Look at the time!" Mr. Weasley refrained from answering. "We really must be going."

"You know, Dad," Fred began.

"If you really wanted to save some time," George jumped in.

"This'd be a great opportunity to show our guest of honor what this car can really do."

"Absolutely not!" their mother quickly shut them down. "There's more than enough time."

Indeed, there was. By roughly 10:45, they had arrived at King's Cross.

Mr. Weasley parked the car and secured them carts to haul their luggage. This year was the same as last, packed full of people that they had to meander around in order to get to the barrier that divided platforms nine and ten. They gathered round, waiting for people to pass before making their move.

"Alright!" Mr. Weasley clapped his hands. "Who'd like to go first?"

"I'll lead Ginny through first," Mrs. Weasley offered. "I want to make sure she gets through okay."

"I've seen it done before," Ginny quietly mumbled, avoiding the looks from her brothers, and Harry's above all. Still, she lined her cart up and ran towards the barrier with her mother's guidance. Right as they were about to hit the wall, they vanished right into it.

"Good to go, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Yeah," Harry affirmed as he lined up to go next.

Knowing what to expect from last year, Harry kept on a straight track as his legs propelled him towards the barrier. Closer. He was almost there. Closer. A few more steps and he would be there. Closer. He didn't even blink, not even as his cart crashed directly into solid brick, sending his luggage, Hedwig's cage, and his body crashing to the floor.

W-what…?

"Harry!" he heard Mr. Weasley shout as he rushed over and assisted him to his feet. "Are you alright?" 'Are you alright?!' two voices asked simultaneously.

"Y-yeah." He fixed his glasses, which had been knocked askew and backed his cart away from the barrier as a few pedestrians paid him odd glances.

"Everything's alright," Percy reassured some spectators. "He merely lost control of his trolley." The twins shook their heads as they gathered up Harry's fallen belongings and owl.

"What happened?" Ron asked once the crowd dispersed. "You did everything right. Is the barrier closed or something?"

"That's a good question," George said.

"You want to go next and try it out?" Fred asked.

"Shut up, you two!" Ron scowled.

"That's enough, boys," Mr. Wealsey told his children. "But there is something odd about all this."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Look over there, at that clock." Mr. Weasley pointed to a clock that clearly read, 10:50. "That's still a full ten minutes before the train is set to depart." He rubbed his head. "Right. Percy, stay here, you're in charge." Percy straightened up at the responsibility.

"Where will you be going?" he asked.

"Me? I'll be going to the nearest restroom." Mr. Weasley departed.

Before two minutes had passed, Mr. Weasley had returned with two men in trench coats that partially obscured the robes that they had on underneath.

The two men each took a stand on each side of the barrier and began running their hands along the bricks. They gave occasional taps here and there with their obscured wands and quietly muttered a few incantations. When they were satisfied they had covered the entire wall, they gave a nod to Mr. Weasley. He nodded back.

"Care to try this again, Harry?" he asked. "I'll be with you this time."

Taking a running start again, both Harry and Mr. Weasley pushed the trolley straight for the dividing barrier. They neared, and Harry kept his eyes open, the same as before and then…

They were standing on a separate platform filled with an assortment of people and steam coming from the scarlet engine that clearly read: Hogwarts Express. From over by one of the passenger cars, Mrs. Weasley was waving her hand, the last of Ginny's luggage being loaded onboard.

"Second times the charm, as the muggles say, yes?" Mr. Weasley said.

"Er, close enough," Harry didn't feel like correcting. "But what happened earlier? Everything we did now was what I did by myself."

"Curious, indeed," Mr. Weasley agreed. "In case of emergencies like that, the Ministry always has a few professionals stationed nearby, you just have to know where to look."

"And do they know what happened?"

"It might be a bit early to say, but either the barrier wasn't enchanted properly, which is unlikely, or someone managed to tamper with it at that exact moment."

"Who could do that?"

"Hm. Maybe not a who and more of a what. There are a variety of magical creatures that exist that can perform magic that wizards cannot. Maybe one of them was nearby and was feeling a bit mischievous. Hard to say for certain."

'A magical creature?' Ymir considered. 'You don't think that includes…?'

House-elves? Yeah, actually, I do.

'I guess he didn't take your refusal too kindly.'

So? Harry asked. I'm here now, aren't I? And unless he plans on derailing this train with everyone on it, I'll be able to continue my search.

'Gee, I hope you didn't just jinx yourself with that.'

I'm not holding my wands.

'You know what I mean, smarty.'

"There you are, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley called to them. "That seemed to take a bit longer than expected."

"Bit of a barrier issue, I'm afraid, but all's well and right, now," he assured his wife. "Be back in a jiff, just want to make sure the rest of the boys get through without issue."

"Of course. Right! Come along, dear." She helped Harry with his luggage onto the train. "Do you mind sharing a compartment with Ginny?" she asked. "I plan on having Ron ride with her as well, but an extra set of eyes never hurt anyone."

"I guess not." Really, it didn't matter. He didn't mind not talking.

"Right this way." She led him down the hall to one of the compartments. Opening the door revealed the youngest Wealsey as well as another girl her age with blonde hair and a distant expression on her face. Strangely, Ginny was actually talking with this girl until her mother entered with Harry in tow.

"Here we are, dear. All set?"

"Uh, yeah, I can get my luggage from here… thank you."

"You don't mind if Harry rides with you, do you, Ginny?" her mother asked. Harry offered a weak wave.

Ginny took an interest in a sight outside the window and wordlessly shook her head. The blonde girl actually waved back to him.

"I don't mind," the other girl said. "Most say three is a crowd, but I think it's a good number. It'll help confuse the wackspurts."

Harry didn't really know what to say to that, so he just took a seat closest to the door with enough space between the two girls. Mrs. Weasley departed soon after to see to the rest of her children, leaving the three of them alone for now. Silence soon followed.

'Are you going to say anything?'

Like what?

'I don't know… introduce yourself or something.'

Ginny already met me.

'Yeah, but this other one didn't.'

She heard me called "Harry," she probably already knows. I'm famous, remember?

'Ugh! Sometimes I wonder why I bother.'

You're welcome to switch places with me at any time.

'I'll pass.'

Yeah, that's what I thought.

"So, uh… who're you?" Harry directed towards the unknown girl. By doing so, she turned her head to face him and he could clearly see radishes acting as earrings.

"Hello."

"...Hello?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood. And you're Harry?"

"Yeah. I'm Harry."

"Harry Fontaine?" she asked.

"No. Why?"

"Harry is a pretty common name," she said. "I just wanted to ask."

"Do you know a Harry Fontaine?"

"No." She rocked her feet back and forth from her seat. "What should I call you then?"

"...Just Harry is fine, I guess." Who knows, he might not even go by that name for long.

"Hm. Are you sure?" she asked. "Harry by itself seems a bit plain."

"L-luna!" Ginny finally spoke up. "You shouldn't say that!" She caught Harry looking her way and quickly turned her attention back out the window.

"Um, I guess you're not wrong, Luna," Harry admitted. The reflection of the glass mirrored Ginny's surprise. "Just, uh, call me whatever you like, I guess."

"Really?" Luna cocked her head to the side. "You don't sound so sure. Maybe when you figure it out yourself, you'll let me know."

"Uh-huh…" Does that strike you as strange?

'She has radishes for earrings, that actually sounds pretty tame.'

"There you are!" a voice spoke up from the compartment door.

It was Ron, along with the twins.

"Oh. Yeah, we're here. You lot get through okay?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. No problems. Still, that was pretty weird back there. Good thing dad got it all sorted out."

"What happened?" Ginny quickly asked.

"Count yourself lucky you weren't there to see it, sweet baby sister," Fred said.

"Your whole world would have crumbled around you," George shook his head.

"Harry can probably attest to that," Fred winked.

Ginny did not seem too amused, but was far too shy to ask what they meant. Harry took it upon himself.

"What they mean is that the barrier wasn't working when I tried getting in," he explained. "I crashed pretty good."

"Y-you did?" concern showed in her voice. "Are you… um, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"I'd say so," Luna spoke up. "You said you crashed pretty good. If you crashed badly you'd probably be in worse shape. Although, maybe you crashed so badly that you made it look good."

"Er, anyway…" Ron continued on, "You still gave us a right good scare. I was thinking if the rest of us couldn't get through, we might have to take the car to Hogwarts. Maybe dad would have even let me fly it."

"Your car can fly?" Harry asked.

"When dad said he tinkers with it, that's what he meant. It can even turn invisible so no muggles can see."

Fred and Geroge chuckled at their brothers proposal. "Sure. Whatever you say."

"You might even be lucky enough to just crash it into the Whomping Willow." They grinned.

"Whomping Willow?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Fred said. "Big old willow tree on the school grounds. It comes alive and tries to whomp anyone who gets too close."

"Haven't you seen it?" George asked. "Kinda hard to miss. But if you were driving with Ron, you'd probably find some way to crash into it."

"Don't you two have somewhere else to be?" Ron indignantly asked.

"Point taken," they agreed. "On that, we bid you adieu." They retreated from the compartment, letting Ron close it on them.

"Stupid Fred and George," he grumbled. "I'm a decent flier. If I can handle a rickety old Cleansweep, I can drive a flying car. If I save for a new broom, I'll be trying out for the quidditch team one of these years."

"Uh- huh," Harry mindlessly nodded along. His mind focused on a different detail.

A big magical tree that attacks anyone who gets too close, huh.

'What are you thinking?' she questioned.

I thought you'd have said something by now. But I remembered how you said the original Ymir got her powers. She fell through a hole in-

'In a tree!' she finished. 'You think that might be it?'

It's the best lead I got so far. Maybe that tree will have that source I'm looking for to fully open up the Paths. And… if it does, will that mean that…?

'There's only one way to find out.'

For Harry, the train ride was bit of a bore. He found himself giving very brief answers to any conversation that arose, namely from Ron, who seemed completely oblivious to his want for some quiet. Harry would just nod and go along with whatever Ron had to say before letting his mind drift back to the possibility of exploring the grounds later that night via the invisibility cloak.

Ron would say some things to his sister, as well, who seemed to open up a bit more as time passed between them. She would occasionally glance over to Harry and ask if what Ron said was true, to which Harry would try to remember what they had been discussing. It probably wasn't much help, but the addition of Luna seemed to be beneficial.

Apparently, Luna's house wasn't too far away from where the Weasley family lived. Her father ran a magazine press from their home called the Quibley, or something like that, Harry didn't really pay attention to the name. Luna actually had a copy on hand and showed it off to Ginny who expressed some interest, unlike her brother. She even had a special pair of glasses on hand to allow the wearer to see secret articles along with some fantasy creature or another.

As the sun got lower, and their destination neared, they took turns changing into their school robes. Not even an hour later, the train began to slow and crawl to a stop. They had arrived at the station.

Stepping out onto the steam-filled platform, a familiar voice called out: "Firs' years, this way!"

"Alright, off you go, Ginny," Ron instructed his sister.

"Mm," she nodded, before pausing to look at him and Harry. "Maybe I'll… see you in Gryffindor?"

Did she expect him to say something? "Uh, well the rest of your family is, so… there's a good chance."

'That's reassuring.'

I'm not the Attack Titan, I can't see that future.

Ginny didn't seem to mind as she obscured a small smile and went with Luna to the docks where Hagrdid would be awaiting them.

"Bit of a loon that one," Ron said once they were gone.

"Your sister?"

"No! I mean, she is a pain, but that's not the point. Luna. Let's hope she's not with us in Gryffindor."

"I don't know that answer."

"Ron, Harry!" Percy called them over to the non-first-year students. "Carriages are over here. Come on, now!"

Not about to disobey the resident prefect, they followed the horde of assembled students who were lining up to get into their carriages. The closer they got, the better a view Harry got of the things pulling their rides.

They had the shape of a horse, but appeared far more skeletal. A pair of leathery wings protruded from their backs which they kept tucked to their side. Their eyes were pale and milky, reflecting only shadows.

"What are they?" Harry asked Ron as they were about to climb into a carriage with Seamus and Dean.

"What's what?" Ron asked, dumbfounded.

"The creature pulling the carriage," Harry pointed to it.

Ron looked. "Where?"

"There!" Harry exclaimed.

"There's nothing there, mate," Ron shook his head. "It pulls itself. You sure you didn't hit your head earlier?"

Harry looked at the creature, the creature looked back. "Whatever. Nevermind." He climbed next to their fellow dormmates as the carriage began to move up the road towards the castle.

'For what it was worth, I could see them, too.'

...Thanks.

It wasn't long before the all-too familiar sight of the illuminated castle presented itself into view. The carriages pulled up to the main entrance in a single file line, letting each student disembark before retreating back down the road.

Exiting the carriage, Harry joined the rest of the assembled student body as Professor McGonagall led them to the entry and subsequent Great Hall. Everything looked exactly the same as it had when he had first arrived here one year ago. He took his seat at the Gryffindor table, not too far from the middle, casually observing the already seated faculty.

McGonagall was absent for the time being, no doubt awaiting the first-years. Snape seemed as gloomy as ever, and he could just discern the top of Flitwick's head. Dumbledore was seated in the center, not looking in Harry's direction, but at a fixed point at the opposite end of the hall. Harry eyed the aged headmaster a bit longer.

If he was troubled about Harry's outburst at the end of last semester or sudden departure from the Dursely residence, he didn't make it known. Just how much did Dumbledore know? The Potter's were obviously close to him, and vice versa, but did they even tell him the whole truth, whatever that may be?

"Hi, Harry!"

He was broken from his musing by Neville taking a seat next to him.

"Oh. Hullo, Neville."

"Uh, everything alright?" Neville asked, noticing his expression.

"Hm? Oh! Yeah, I'm good." Harry forced a smile. "Glad to be back, just a bit of a lousy summer."

"Sorry to hear that," Neville consoled. "Did that trip not go as planned?"

"More like not at all." Yet another reminder.

"Gee, that does sound lousy. Maybe this summer?"

"Yeah. Who knows?" Well, maybe one person.

The doors of the Great Hall opened and McGonagall came strolling in with the newest bunch of first-year students. The Sorting Hat was placed on the first head and the hat cried out its verdict.

The sorting seemed to go by much faster this year than it did with his. Perhaps that was just because he wasn't in it. Harry wasn't even really paying much attention to it until that Luna girl was called up. Hers took a bit longer than normal before the hat declared her a Ravenclaw. "That was a lovely conversation," she said as she meandered over to her new table.

Nearing the end, Ginny was called forward and took her turn. After a brief pause, the hat pronounced her a Gryffindor. No sooner had it done so than Fred and George stood up and shouted: "Family reunion!"

"Take your seats, Messers Weasley," McGonagall warned.

They obeyed, saying to those closeby, "Couldn't resist. Mum made us promise to not embarrass her too much. But, maybe at the end of the year…" they left the rest unsaid as Ginny scowled at them when she took her seat. Her expression changed when she noticed him and turned to look at her empty plate with a hidden smile.

Once the sorting had concluded, Dumbledore took a stand and began the start of term speech.

"Welcome all to another fascinating year at Hogwarts. I would like to start by first introducing our latest Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Please welcome Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart."

Him? Harry recalled the books he had been required to buy.

Lockhart seemed every bit as exuberant as his picture with his rich, blonde hair and dazzling smile, complete with colorful robes. He even stood up and gave a bow followed by a sparkling smile.

"He's amazing," Lavender Brown swooned.

"What a tool," Seamus snickered. Harry was inclined to agree with him.

Dumbledore continued when the applause had settled. "Now, as a reminder, the Forbidden Forrest is as the name implies - forbidden. The third-floor corridor has been refurbished and is readily available for usage to and from classes. And before we dig into our lavish feast, I only wish to add that Hogwarts will always be a home to those who need it."

Ir could have been Harry's imagination, but he felt as if Dumbledore's eyes passed directly over him when he said that last part.

"Let us eat."

Ron was easily the first person to start feasting once the food magically appeared. The once nervous first-years didn't have to worry about fighting for scraps as more instantly arrived once it was getting low.

"Is that all you're having?" Neville asked, seeing just some basic potatoes, vegetables, and chicken on Harry's plate.

"I'll get more," Harry informed, taking a bite of his chicken. His eyes went back to the staff table. Can't be falling asleep tonight.

Once dessert had been served and properly devoured, the prefects escorted their assigned houses back to their proper dormitories. Percy gave the password to the portrait of the Fat Lady and she swung open to admit them to the Gryffindor common room.

Once Percy gave his little speech, Harry made way to the now second-year dormitory, where all of his stuff had properly been moved. His three other dormmates joined not too long after and began changing into their pajamas. Harry did so as well to ease any suspicion about getting up there before anyone else. If asked, he said we was just tired and wanted to get some sleep for tomorrow. He closed the curtains of his bed and waited until he heard the snores coming from Ron and Neville to alert him that everyone else was asleep.

Harry opened his trunk and produced the invisibility cloak, along with his spare wand. Harry tiptoed down the flight of stairs back to the common room before putting his shoes back on as well as draping the cloak over himself. He was ready.

When he slowly pushed the portrait open, he did so as to not wake the Fat Lady from her slumber before making the trek back down the grand staircase to the entry hall.

He had to cling to the wall as Filch unexpectedly rounded the corner, grumbling to himself about how noisy the new first-years were. Mrs. Norris was hot on his heels as he ascended the stairs, spotting Peeves poking his head out of a wall and blowing a raspberry his way.

Waiting until he could no longer hear the haggard Caretaker, Harry pushed open the door and stepped out into the cool night air. Thankfully, the candlelight from the castle and reflection from the moon gave him enough to traverse the castle grounds.

'Do you even know where you're going?'

Not really, but I didn't really need to know where I was going last year on the third-floor.

'I think this is a bit different.'

How?

'Well… I don't know, it just does.'

Don't you want me finding a way back?

'What sort of question is that?' she took offense. 'You know I do. I just wish you wouldn't do it so-,'

So, what?

'...There's still time, that's all I'm saying.'

Maybe it seems that way to you, but not me, he argued. I have, what, one year there? A year I can't even remember without dreaming about it, and even then, it probably isn't even my memory. All I have is eleven years of lies.

She didn't say anything. He didn't say anything. He stood there, invisible in the solitude of night.

A cloud began to move across the moon, momentarily obscuring most of his light. When it passed, he began to walk again.

'Where are you going?'

Harry pointed his finger to a lone shape just beyond the castle. On an isolated hill sat an old, large willow tree. It lightly moved when no breeze was present.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Also, spoiler review/anlysis of the finale of AOT since I've been asked about it, so read at your own discretion, heavy spoilers. Anyway, next chapter, following pure instinct, Harry explores more of the Hogwarts land, consequences be damned. But every search yields one result. Chapter 16: Source.

Okay, last chance to turn around before spoilers for the finale. Before I begin I want to say: BrownsMagic, Saintichief, and IDon'tKnowANYTHING on YouTube. They cover everything I have to say and more.

Yeah, the last chapter came out and it was something, alright. I began my story while the manga was still ongoing without knowledge of how the series was actually going to end. The most I had to work with was the same as anyone else; I looked at the evidence and themes presented throughout the story and wanted to craft mine as a means of honoring and preserving what made AoT stand out to me so much. I hopefully don't plan to stray from or abandon what I have already established despite the canon events being... well what they were. I've started and committed to an idea and it would be a disservice to the story itself to not follow through on what I set out to do.

To answer on how I will adapt, I asked myself that question of when exactly (aside from post canon) changes would have to be made. When it comes to the AoT characters, I had specific places I would have them in despite whatever happened in canon that will be revealed more once the story shifts perspective to the other half. I can say that considering everything and knowing the full line of events now, this story will be following an AU starting around chapter 137 in the canon manga.

As for my thoughts on the actual ending of AoT itself, well... there were certainly parts of it that I liked and thought were good (the Levi scene of him seeing his fallen comrades and offering one last salute being the highest for me, but at this point, that's like saying the ocean is big) but overall I don't have any strong feelings of enjoyment nor do I feel angry or sad about it. I just feel sort of "meh" or like a disappointed dad, I guess.

These last three chapters have just felt really off to me so with it ending the way that it did really didn't have as much impact as it could've since I started to notice a decline in quality of sorts that made everything feel rushed or lacking in many regards. With the actual final chapter I actually had to take numerous pauses to ask, "huh?" and "what?" throughout my reading. It just felt that nothing really felt organic, just artificial. I honestly felt that I was reading an entirely different manga written as an April Fool's joke since nearly none of the major themes, parallels, or even major payoffs were really as prevalent as they ought to have been. (or maybe a manga written by Kodansha execs of Isayama's editor?"

I'll get more into that, but I feel I should go over the characters themselves as I felt that they were really offered the biggest disservice and quite frankly, assassination in many regards. I'll go in order from least assassinated to the most at least imo.

Armin. During this last arc, it was made abundantly clear that Armin is Isayama's favorite character. I have nothing against Armin, nor do I feel the strongest about him, but I do prefer pre-timeskip Armin over this version of him as I felt he had more agency back then. Now Armin just feels a little like a broken record always wanting to talk and not really utilizing the Colossal Titan to its full advantage except in the final act. I haven't read or watched Naruto, but I know the memes of Talk no Juitsu and seeing the stuff Armin pulled at the end really made me think he maxed his speech skill to 100 during those four years between arcs. I also kinda felt he became a little bit of a Gary Stu at times seeing as he literally won everything and really for the Alliance overall, it felt like things just came too easy to them on a silver platter. Seriously, he got made into Commander of the Survey Corps over a character who was built up to be a leader, he got clout for ending the war, he even got the girl of his (or Bert's) dreams without sacrificing anything for it.

Pieck. Nothing really to say here. Aside from being best girl, she really didn't have enough screentime to have a proper arc.

Next, Falco and Gabi. These two haven't been around as long as some of the others for me to feel their arcs were rushed or assassinated and I don't have too much to say in their regard. Falco was just a good-hearted kid who didn't want any conflict and could see both sides. For as much as I personally disliked Gabi for a majority of the story, I can't deny her arc was good if not a little basic of learning to overcome hate. Plus she's actually probably the one female character who actually has a "happy" outcome.

Next, Jean and Connie. Now, this is interesting since I don't really care for Connie all that much, but Jean was probably my favorite Alliance character, and one of my favorites overall. For as cringe as Connie can be at times, that moment he had with Jean in 138 right before they became Titans I thought was very moving. Of course, any emotion I had for that was discarded when they instantly reverted back in 139. That emotional impact was gone and it took any tension right out for any re-readability. For as much as I like Jean, both he and Connie made the decision to go against and to fight Eren. They knew the stakes and that they could lose their lives in the process. Becoming Titans is a direct consequence of their choice to go against him, but any repercussion to their choice was made invalid

Levi. I think he's awesome. While not having major arcs himself he is still a very human character and it isn't hard to see why he has the biggest fan following. That being said, he really didn't have any agency after killing Zeke and having him end up in a wheelchair and being cared for by Falco and Gabi was a little off since he was never really shown to have a connection with them outside of giving orders.

Zeke is next. So, Zeke being alive was needed for the Rumbling to continue despite it being stated that the Vow to Renounce War was broken and Eren already had control of the Founder? The ideology he believed in so fiercely he was willing to blow himself up since he didn't care to die, he was able to be talked out of it in a single conversation with Armin. While I do think their talk was the best part of 137 for me, it would have been nice if the parasite was given a better explanation 2 chapters before the end and its need to multiply since it seemed to be doing fine in that pool before Ymir stumbled across it. And knowing what is to come in 139, Zeke's euthanasia plan really doesn't sound so bad in the long run. At least AoT no Requiem gives him better characterization.

Reiner. He is one of my favorite characters with how dynamic he can be. With him, we were shown that there really are two sides to every story, and the ones we think of as villains have their reasoning for doing what they do. He and Eren were such good parallels and foils for the other and his resolution was just... comedic? Seriously, he was a man ready to commit suicide and wanting to die in order to accomplish being a hero to creepily sniffing Historia's handwriting. If Reiner had given up his Armor Titan to titan Gabi in order for her to be human again, he would have accomplished his goal to die and died knowing that even if the curse isn't broken, he can at least give Gabi that little bit of time to keep on living. For as much as I love Reiner, he still wiped out 20% of Paradis population and only suffered through his split personality trauma.

And speaking of comedic, Annie! The stoic and deadly combatant is now the comic relief character, stuffing her face with pie and cracking witty one-liners to her comrades. She was absent from the story for so long that a lot of interest died in seeing what would happen with her. And when she does get out, she comes across as just being a tagalong for the Alliance and a throwaway character to later wind up with Armin as his love interest. When I saw her and her father's reunion in 138 only for him to turn into a titan seconds later, I thought that was great. Her goal this entire time was to be able to see her father again and let him know that she was alive. What better way of having that goal accomplished for them only to have it turn as morbid as that. It felt like the classic AoT in that regard and seeing as Annie had zero regrets in killing as many as she did and admitted that she would do it again if she had to, it would have served as divine karma for her sins as well. And I found it a little funny that when everyone saw the ghosts of the fallen, Marco was not there appearing before Jean. It's almost like Isayama knew if he included Marco it would have reminded the reader that Annie and Reiner killed him and would diminish this "celebration" moment.

Ymir Fritz. Oh boy. I don't think I can even call Ymir a character at this point. She was a plot convenience who helped out whoever for whatever benefit. Everything we were told about how it was Eren who set her free and who understood her. No one actually understood her. Her motives for doing what she does are left unknown. What's more, she was in love with King Fritz? Yes. The man who had her village burned, her people killed and enslaved, had her tongue cut out, set his men and the dogs on her, basically raped her, abused her power, and fed her body to her daughters after she was killed. She loved him all along. It wasn't just slave mentality since childhood, it was love. So her setting the pigs free wasn't because she wanted to experience freedom in some capacity? Her calling for Eren, guiding him to Paths wasn't to reach out to a soul who desired the same as her (and knowing what happens makes that feel all the more bland). And in the end, she just up and vanishes off panel and everyone turns back to normal. I can't even call what she had for Fritz Stockholm Syndrom since that was debunked to mean you actually have to be nice to the one in captivity and from what we were shown, that clearly wasn't the case. I feel bad that I ever felt bad about her.

Historia. She was the best written female character and she proved to be totally irrevelent. Just read the story post timeskip, look at the number of panels she appears in that aren't flashback and if you remove those, its still the same exact story. The biggest thing going for her was the pregnancy subplot which turned out to be completely meaningless. At this point the only defense to have for the baby maybe being Eren's is it has the same eyebrows and is seen wearing a hoodie similar to what he is always wearing. We never got to see the other half of their conversation in 130 and if Farmer is indeed the father there's no need to have any attachment to her child since we don't care about some faceless, nameless NPC. What's more the pregnancy subplot is made even more redundant when the spinal fluid wine is factored in. If she really only got pregnant to avoid eating Zeke there was an obvious way around that with the wine. All the higher ups who talked about that plan of titanizing her drank the wine and were made into Titans themselves. Zeke just needed to scream in their vicinity and there's no reason for her to get pregnant to begin with. And then she actually marries this noncharacter over the 3 year skip in 139? The same man who bullied her as a kid and threw rocks at her and made her feel like complete shit. But hey, he's sorry for what he did and that's okay, never mind that he was her bully. And all the parallels Historia had to the story of Ymir Fritz meant nothing either. Those parallels belong to someone else.

Mikasa. Yes, the main heroine had so much potential only for it to be squandered. The plotline of her Hizuru heritage went nowhere and that was sorely disappointing. When I read that, I thought this could be exactly what Mikasa needed to finally move and develop as a character as well as serving as a chance to further explore this world and see the different mechanics and workings of other nations. Nope. Any development she might have had, which wasn't actually that much despite being one of the main trio, was tossed to the side to the point it felt she was regressing as a character. Everything she did revolved solely around Eren and while the point of her was to overcome her obsession with him, she still ends up miserable for 3 years with a husband which may or may not be Jean (but given how Historia was handled it could just be another faceless NPC she just decided to have a family with) an end that's very pseudo-intellectual. And it was actually her that Ymir was waiting for for reasons that aren't fully explained except to cure a case of fake Stockholm Syndrome. She was a fan favorite, had so much potential, and despite this "happy" ending was still miserable. She deserved better. Also, how was she allowed back on Paradis while the others were going to be arriving? How did she even get back there since the plane was crashed, tracks were destroyed and Falco can't fly them back? Did she just wander as a hermit swim back to Paradis and bury Eren's severed head? Plus how were her memories tampered with if its was established before that Ackermans are immune to memory manipulation? It was one of many plot holes. Just like knowing Eren's head was in the mouth and not the nape.

And, finally, the character that was assassinated the most, the one who had the worst treatment out of any of the others is none other than the main character himself: Eren Yeager. Actually, can I even call Eren the main character at this point? He was asleep for most of the final battle and everyone else got far more screentime than he did. Actually, can I even call Eren a character at all? Since we don't get a POV for him in 139 aside from his part with Armin, that was really more of Armin's perspective than it was Eren's. I have never seen an MC treated with as much contempt and disservice as what happened with Eren here. Everything about him is made to be as pathetic as possible. When Armin hits him, instead of just absorbing it as he did in 112, he is shown to look utterly ridiculous, whining as he is knocked down. It felt like kid Eren in Adult Eren's body. And it doesn't stop there, remember how Eren said he wouldn't gamble the future of Paradis on chance, how he was opposed to sacrificing Historia, how he has always been one to strive for freedom, how he stopped being a slave to the story and made his own path? All of that is gone. Eren reveals he had no idea why he went through with the rumbling, despite it being made very clear to us why he was doing it. He didn't know if his friends would survive despite being able to see into the future and instead of moving forward completely as he proclaimed, he settled for 80% and is viewed as being considerate by his friends. And then despite having the power of basically a god, Eren allows his mom to get eaten by Dina. If he could influence the past to that degree, why not just use it to end the hatred forever? And of course, his love for Mikasa which I felt was completely out of left field. Now this is coming from someone who wanted them to be together initially after being introduced by the anime. But as I read the manga I noticed a lot of the scenes which the anime promoted weren't as prevalent. Mikasa's feelings for Eren are obvious, but Eren is never shown to reciprocate any of it in the capacity and instead snaps at her, telling her off. He hates being treated as a kid, as an old man. The only real thing that could maybe be interpreted as mutually romantic is the scarf scene in cp 50. But if Eren really did love her like this, it should have been properly showcased. His relationship with Historia felt far more organic and natural and the both of them were shown to have deep respect for the other and when they talked, it was about deep stuff, really humanizing stuff. And while Historia herself has never said a word on the father, it doesn't make sense for a female to ask a platonic male friend what they think about her having a child. But considering how Eren's character was treated it wouldn't surprise me if it truly isn't his. But to further add to this sudden love for Mikasa, Eren then says that despite wishing his friends could all live happy lives, he doesn't want Mikasa to be with anyone else. That's right, he doesn't reciprocate her feelings in real life and then got angry when she familyzoned him. Eren was made into an incel. Even Mikasa admitted to herself in 123 that no matter what answer she gave, it wouldn't have changed anything because Eren had his goal in mind. Except he didn't. He has no idea why he did anything, the world is in an objectively worse state because of him and he accomplished none of his goals. Kill all the Titans? Accomplished by his death by Mikasa. Avenge his mom? He was the reason she died. Achieve freedom and secure the future of Paradis? He was a slave to destiny despite fighting to go against fate and Paradis is now a fascist regime that will erupt in further wars with the remaining population of the outside world. And if Eren was really meant to accomplish nothing,He shouldn't have been the main character to start with. Despite the connection he had with Ymir, he never understood her. Everything that he was set up for, all the interactions he had with other characters felt utterly unfulfilled. And if this is the true Eren, this whining, simping, incel of a character, both Historia and Mikasa are better off without him. It doesn't even feel like the Eren from before the one that despite committing horrendous acts, did so with a clear goal in mind. Here it just feels like Isayama wants everyone to be against Eren. The freedom the readers had to come to their own conclusion and form their own opinion on characters seemed to have vanished in Eren's case for me. Reiner and Annie committed genocide too, but they're able to be forgiven and move on with their lives. Anything Eren had going for him as a character, he was completely robbed of and sidelined to the "heroes" of the story. He was assassinated in just about every sense and frankly, he deserved so much better.

So characters aside, I already mentioned the gaping plotholes of certain aspects, but the biggest one remains what did Eren see that was worth pushing through hell for if he was just going to leave the world in the state that its in? Why would Grisha give Eren the Attack and Founding Titans if he was going to side with the Alliance in 137? What could Eren have shown him that would have convinced his father to do so? Maybe if we got a proper POV for Eren, but that's asking way too much for someone who is just a plot convenience. What about the final panel of the man holding the baby? Well that isn't actually the final panel and is instead the biggest lie in the series of Grisha telling baby Eren he is free. Free to live behind walls under the rule of an oppressive king? That kind of free? That whole final panel sketch leads me to believe 2 possibilities: Either Isayama was just trolling the whole time, or he was actually made to change the original ending. Maybe we'll get a releasetheIsayamacut trending once the anime adapts this. or a movie like End of Eva if the latter is the case.

And as for the additional pages that were added in... when I saw the rest of the world army come to wipe out Paradis years into the future, I laughed. I laughed out loud. The whole series amounted to nothing. Every character and struggle amounted to absolutely nothing. Armin's peace failed, as we all knew it would, it really felt like there was no point in even reading the series start to end. And for what? The possibility of a sequel?

Now, if you've read this far, you've probably noticed points I've criticized about the fates of certain characters being alive and saw that I've made mention to them in this fanfic. But that's the key word: fanfic. I make no profit from this, I'm not looking for one, I just approached a good story with good characters and wanted to see it done justice. With that, I offer up full disclosure, without giving away too many spoilers.

In my story, Eren is alive and well, same with most of the cast 137 and onward, for obvious reasons. We might even get to see a certain monkey man at one point. The world I wanted to have the AoT in is post war, after Eren willingly ends the Rumbling to save the lives of baby Harry and Ymir. He knows the curse is broken, but the Titan power remains, but none of the other shifters do, he instead told them he is the sole wielder of Titan power and if the world should ever rise up for blood, he will fully exterminate life outside the island this time. While the war is done and peace is built on a lie, the secret of others still possessing titan powers must be kept a secret or else further conflict might break out again.

I hope that can give some further backstory on the events I've imagined, and will further elaborate if asked and as the story progresses. Hopefully, I can build the scenario I imagined that is believable in this post war AoT setting eventually.

In conclusion, AoT was an anime that really stood out from the others with how different it was. It felt real for a fantasy sci-fy, there were actions and repercussions to characters acting like generic anime protagonists and it really deconstructed a lot of typical shonen tropes as the series progressed. Of course, it ended with a generic shonen ending mixed with a Code Geass but not executed as properly. These last few chapters don't take away from the overall amazing moments the series had, but it does take away the re-readability for me and if anyone is looking for a series that is a masterpiece start to finish and has an ending that really stands out, I don't think I could recommend this.

Read AoT no Requiem instead, its a fan-made ending free online with stunning art and classic AoT themes and actually follows through with plot points. I actually owe my continuation of this story to them as it reinspired me. Check it out if you like.