Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter universe or the Resident Evil game franchise

FROM THE IMAGINATIVE MIND OF PINOY GAMER

IN COLLABORATION WITH [ENTER TEXT HERE PRODUCTIONS]

PRESENTS

Resident Evil: Devolution

Hogwarts School Year 2005-2006 was to start with relative quietness and some Ministry 'reminders'. Instead, two students are forced to fight and stay alive as they try to survive the experiments made by an alumnus with an agenda. They don't know it yet, but their nightmare has only just begun.

NOTES:

Line Break - # # # # # # # # # #

Flashback - # # # | # # #

Speaking - "Word"

Thoughts - 'Word'

Spells - Word

Chapter 5: September 1, 2005 | 2315 Hours | Basement to Ground Floor Stairway, Hogwarts Class Building

"They look dead." Daphne whispered as she peaked around the corner.

Potter pursed his lips. "I don't like this." he muttered, bringing out something from his bag. "I'm testing something first, though."

"What is that?" she asked, looking intrigued. The item was a miniature black horn with legs attached to it, looking like some bare mechanical duck.

"The Weasley Twins call it a 'Decoy Detonator'," Potter explained, juggling the item on one hand. "As you can tell, it creates a distraction."

Daphne snorted as he winded up the item. "What's it going to do, wake up the dead?"

Instead of answering, Potter let the item do its work. It dashed across the corridor, creating loud noises as - 'By Merlin, are they waking up?' she thought in surprise as the bodies slowly stood up and followed the Decoy.

"Knew it." Potter stated, stepping out into the corridor once it was clear.

Daphne immediately rounded towards him. "Explain, now!"

"Something like this happened back in Racoon." he began, moving towards the Greenhouse Entrance with his shotgun out. "We were kidnapped when we were trying to get out of the Police Station, the police chief locking Claire back in."

"Wait," she asked, making sure to keep an eye out behind them. "Why did the this…chief kidnapped you two? Shouldn't you be helping each other."

Potter snorted, looking amused. "I'll tell you later why Sherry got kidnapped in the first place but when Claire was looking for a gate pass, she passed this room full of dead bodies." he replied, opening the door slowly to peak outside. "Coast clear, let's move. Lock it when you close it."

With him watching her back, Daphne immediately closed the door and began spelling it. "Anyway, she accidentally dropped a vase nearby and the all the dead bodies began standing up." he continued as she casted a Freezing Charm at it. "Claire barely got out of the room alive. Afterwards, she made sure to shoot any dead bodies in the head if we see any - a waste of bullets but better than being jumped."

"Done," Daphne finished, turning to Potter. "Well, at least you have something to use this time around."

He nodded. "Fleur, it's Harry. What Greenhouse was the herb placed again?"

"A moment please?" Fleur replied over the earpiece. "It's in Greenhouse 7, Harry."

"Thanks Fleur." Daphne replied as they moved towards the specific greenhouse. "Any news on the BOWs?"

"Tracking…none are in the immediate area." Fleur replied. "Although there's only one Trynorg guarding the Great Hall."

"Can you find the other?" he asked, exchanging his shotgun for Professor Snape's revolver. "I'll rather not-"

A large hand immediately smashed out of greenhouse door, grabbing and lifting him into the air. The entire greenhouse entrance gave way as a half-naked, grotesque-looking, half-giant burst through it. "Bloody hell!" she screamed, quickly backing away from it just as it threw Potter into another greenhouse. "POTTER!"

"Only a Trynorg without its Inhibitor Armor." a feminine voice filtered through her earpiece. "I know an ogre is quite large…but I never expected for it to grow that large!"

"Fucking hell, that's what a T-Mage does to an ogre?" she heard Potter moan in despair over the radio. "G-Argus is hard enough already."

Daphne groaned as the grey-skinned monster turned its eyes on here. "Potter, better get your arse out of that rubble!" she shouted, the upgrade Trynorg slowly lumbering towards her. She immediately casted a Blasting Curse at it, barely making a scratch on it. "Fuck, it's spell resistant!"

She heard a soft boom, noticing Potter had his shotgun out. "Damnit," he said over the earpiece, cursing. "It's hide is too hard!"

"Good luck killing the Girge!" Spencer said in a sing-song voice. "You'll need it."

The line went dead as Daphne fired an overpowered Exploding Charm, causing the Girge to pause before continuing its slow walk towards her. "Nothing's working!"

"Aim for its dick!" he shouted from behind it. She would have laughed if the giant wasn't two steps away from her.

'Ah, fuck it!' she thought, casting a Blasting Curse between its legs. To her surprise, the Girge double over in pain. 'Bloody hell, it actually worked!'

"Oi, get over here before it rises up!" Potter shouted, waving frantically at her from the gate. "Come on!"

Dashing madly towards him, Daphne manage to get out in time as the Girge began to rise. "Open the gate!" she screamed at him. "OPEN IT!"

Cursing, the Gryffindor tried to force the gate to open but unfortunately, it won't bulge. "Stand back!" he said, aiming his gun at the lock and fired. Nothing happened except for the gate lock sparking.

"Alahomora!" she casted, praying to whatever deity to make it work - which still didn't unlock. "OPEN DAMNIT!"

Looking back, Daphne screamed as the Girge was already halfway towards them. Suddenly, it fell on its knees, shaking the ground and causing them to stumble…towards its outstretched hand. "Argh!" she screamed in pain as the Girge grabbed and slowly squeezed her, mouth wide open as if… "POTTER, IT'S GOING TO EAT ME!"

# # # | # # #

"Daphne, do you know why we're here?" Aunt Sansa Greengrass asked opposite of her in the heavily warded dueling room of the Greengrass Manor.

"No Auntie." fourteen-year-old Daphne replied formally with an air of stoicism. Inside, however, she was sweating rivers as she tried to calm herself. 'Anytime I'm in this room, there's always pain.'

"We are here because I'm going to teach you a spell I won't normally teach until you are of age…but times are changing." she sighed before her eyes narrowed at her. "However, you are to swear an Unbreakable Vow first before I teach it - even then, we will first study what this spell is before I even teach you what the wand motion is."

Her aunt walked towards her, chin up as she began looming over her. "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear." she said, hammering each word into her being.

"Ye-yes Auntie." Daphne stuttered, gulping in fear.

"Good," Aunt Sansa replied, crouching before her to level her eyes with hers. "What do you know of the Killing Curse?"

# # # | # # #

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Daphne screamed as she pointed her wand at the open mouth.

She could feel all her negativity becoming magical energy, strengthening the Unforgivable as it coursed through her arm, creating a bright, green ball of light flying off the tip of her wand and into the belly of the beast. Time stood still, as if Mother Nature herself was shocked by the very nature of the spell, the world silent, rendered speechless by the darkest spell created by magic.

And like the Biblical Goliath that was hit by a stone to the head, the Girge fell backwards as it let go of Daphne. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she heard Potter cast, magic letting her levitate to the ground. "Did…did you use what I think you used?"

"I…I-" she began, unable to form words. "Oh Morgana, I used it!"

"Yeah, you did." he replied dryly, eying the Girge. "Well, at least we know what to use next time."

"Damnit Potter, you don't understand!" Daphne screamed in despair, surprising him. "I swore an Unbreakable Vow and I broke it and-"

SLAP!

"Ouch!" she exclaimed painfully, rubbing her cheek. "What was that for?"

"You were rambling - and, in case you're wondering, you're still standing." he replied flatly, getting an embarrassed blushed from her upon realizing that yes, she was still alive. Glancing back at the Girge, he gave a low whistle. "Well, looks like we now have a new cure for the T-Mage."

He was right - there was nothing left of the Girge nor the Trynorg they were fighting earlier. All that remained was a young ogre, stiff and - thankfully - dead. "You're right…" she muttered, slowly walking towards it.

"Looks like the Killing Curse literally kills everything." Potter guessed, frowning. "Man…can't believe I'm that lucky."

"What makes you say that?" she asked. Instead of answering, he merely pointed at the scar on his head. "Right…you're the 'Boy-Who-Lived', of course how could I forget that."

Potter had the audacity to looked hurt at her sarcasm. "Oi, I'll have you know I'm the 'Boy-Who-Lived-Twice'." he said proudly, chin up. "Surviving the G-Virus is my second claim to fame."

Daphne rolled her eyes, though she did smile a bit before remembering what she used. "Oh Hecate, what have I done?" she muttered, paling.

The Gryffindor raised an eyebrow. "I know you used a dark spell but what's so bad about it?" he asked. "I mean, you've been using dark spells for almost the entire night, what the difference-"

"The difference, Potter," she cut, glancing sideways at him. "Is the Killing Curse poisons the soul of the caster."

Surprised, he let her continue. "The curse draws powers from the darkness within the caster, forcing it to course through the body." she explained softly, still reeling that she used the very spell her aunt warned her not to use. "The more it's used, the higher the chances of the darkness killing you."

Potter gave a low whistle. "No wonder it's an Unforgivable." he said, shuddering. "It's literally a double-edged sword - or spell, in this case."

Daphne nodded grimly. "Yeah…" she muttered before turning to him. "Come on, let's get the herb."

The two made their way towards the ruined greenhouse, the moon lighting their path. "What's so special about this herb, anyway?" she asked as they clambered over the entrance's rubble. "What does it do?"

"The herb - or the entire herbal family, to be exact - has some special properties." he began, spotting a potted green-colored plant. "Take the green herb for example: chewing the herb slowly heals your wounds over time."

She arched an eyebrow. "What, there's more than one colored herb?"

"Three actually - green, red, blue." Potter replied, grinning. "Green helps in healing and strengthening, blue cures most poisons, and the red amplifies the effects of the two when mixed together in powdered form."

"And the one we're looking for?"

He shook his head. "No clue," he answered honestly. "But if I had to guess, it's a super herb that heals and cures - aha, here it is!"

They stopped before a potted plant and Daphne couldn't help but gasp at how beautiful it looked. "Wow…" she exclaimed softly, admiring at how the colors blend together to create a rainbow-like wave pattern. She made a move to touch it only for Potter to stop her.

"Don't," he warned. "The leaves turn into powder if rubbed with force."

"Really? What, you snort when you accidentally turn it to powder?"

He snorted. "Yes." he replied, chuckling at her expression as he knelt to open his bag. "It's either chew the leaves or suck it through the mouth."

Once the herb was secured, the two headed for the frozen door. "Fleur, any surprises for us?" Daphne asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Fleur replied sadly. "We have Polishers and Infected gathered before the door, trying to claw their way through."

"Looks like we're going around then." Potter said, sighing as he brought out his shotgun. "What do the grounds look like, Fleur?"

"Crawling with Chimeras." Fleur answered, making Daphne wince.

"Great…more monstrous things after us." Daphne deadpan, getting a chuckle from the two. "Anything else?"

"Uh…does Hogwarts have a baby dragon?" Fleur asked, sounding worried.

"We had one back in first year but Hermione and I sent to Romania." Potter replied.

Daphne gave him an incredulous look. "There was a dragon back in first year?"

"Yeah, short story is Hagrid managed to win a dragon egg." he chuckled. "Named him Norbert right after the hatching."

"Well…" Fleur replied, sounding worried. "This…dragon thing looks like it was starved and skinned."

Potter paled. "That's no dragon," he answered hurriedly, making a mad dash towards the gate. "That's Argus in stage 3 form. We got to go now!"

"How many stages are there?" Daphne angrily groaned as she ran after him. Ignoring her, he kicked the gate open forcefully that the entire thing flew off its hinges. "Oi, answer me!"

"Less talking, more watching!" he growled, bringing his gun to bear. "Fleur, sit rep!"

"They're gathered in the fields near Quidditch Pitch." the veela reported immediately as the two ran towards Merlin's Gate. "Path towards the Transfiguration Corridor is clear though."

Making their way through the ruined entrance, they slowly walked past the wet floor filled with debris. Suddenly, the door at the other end burst opened to reveal screeching Chimeras running towards them. "Back!" Potter screamed, the two back peddling their way to the exit.

Turning, Daphne took a few steps only to halt as two more Chimeras appeared, blocking Merlin's Gate. "Through the Pitch, now!" she shouted, dashing towards the Quidditch Pitch.

"They're trying to corner us!" he shouted behind her, two booms followed after. "And stick close to me, damnit!"

She skidded to a stop, in time for the Chimera to burst through the ground…and fly backwards as its chest was destroyed. Stumbling, she looked up to see the Gryffindor pump his shotgun and blew the head of another Chimera. "Stand up now," he snarled. "and cover my back!"

"I'm sorry!" Daphne shouted, scrambling to stand and immediately stuck her back towards his as the Chimeras slowly encircled them. "I-

"Greengrass, shut up!" Potter growled behind her. "Focus!"

'Breath Daphne, breath…' she thought rapidly, eyes darting among almost three dozen Chimeras surrounding them. 'Calm down, believe Potter has a plan.' "Got any ideas, Potter?"

"I'm open to yours." he answered, making her growl in annoyance. Before she could answer, one of the Chimera sprang towards her. Quick as lightning, she casted a Blasting Curse towards it and pulverized the entire torso. The rest of the herd ('Are they even a herd?') immediately attacked, sprinting towards then like there's no tomorrow.

Potter's gun blew the heads of many of them as Daphne flung spell after spell to stem the tide, to no avail. "Argh!" she shouted as a lucky one pounced on her - only for him to kill it afterwards.

"I got six shots left," he shouted, dropping the shotgun as she casted an Exploding Charm to another Chimera. Drawing Professor Snape's gun, he shot another one behind her. "Make that five!"

"Bombarda Maximus!" she casted towards another Chimera. "I have a spell - Confrigo - I can use - Bombarda - if you need to reload!"

"Cast it!" Potter shouted, his last shot blowing a chunk off a Chimera's head.

"Portego Diabolica!" Daphne casted with a twirl, blue flames encircling the two of them. One Chimera was burnt to ashes as it went through the flames, leaving only 12 left. "Do what you need to do!"

As he knelt to reload his gun, she tried to maintain focus on her Shield from Evil Charm. Though she had been practicing this spell for two years now, her magical capacity only allowed her to maintain it for one minute (two if she wanted to collapse from Magical Exhaustion). "Potter," she growled out, feeling the flames dim a little as her magic began to strain.

Thankfully, she heard the telltale sound of a chung-chung. "Drop it," he said, standing up with both guns at the ready. Daphne ended the spell, collapsing in exhaustion as the Chimeras ran forward to attack. Her Gryffindor companion stepped forward, acting as her shield and what happened next would forever be sketched into her memories.

Harry Potter was a whirlwind of destruction, each shot fired from both guns ended the life of a Chimera. His movement so fluid that it looked as if he was dancing to a tune no one could hear as he fired round after round, mesmerizing her as he effortlessly dealt with the specimens with grace. She shuddered to think what would have happened if he was using magic and not guns - the very thought terrifying her.

With the last Chimera had its head pulverized by a shotgun blast ('Seriously, how powerful are these muggle weapons?'), the Gryffindor fell onto his knees, panting. "Come on," he said a moment later, shooting her a grin. "You rested?"

"I should be asking you that question," she shot back, shaking her head in disbelief. "How in-"

A loud roar cut her off, moments before a leathery, monstrous, mutated dragon-like creature burst out of the base of the Astronomy Tower. "RUN!" Potter screamed, grabbing her tightly as they scrambled away from the collapsing tower.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck!' Daphne repeated the mantra as she trailed behind him. Looking back, she swore as the thing started lifting off the ground. "POTTER, IT'S FLYING!" she screamed as they neared the bridge towards the main hall.

"INCOMING!" he shouted, sliding across the bridge just as a claw destroyed the roof, blocking the path before her with rubble. Without stopping, she vaulted over it, executing a shoulder roll to land before him. "Show off…"

"Potter, what…what was that?" she asked, panting hard. She hadn't run that fast since she was ten, acting as a horse for Tori when Father and Aunt Sansa were preparing a surprise party. "Was…was that Argus?"

He nodded. "Stage 3 G-Mage, if I had to guess." he replied, trying to stretch his back. "Come on, let's head back."

Exiting into the Courtyard, the two nearly made it to the Grand Staircase doorway when a large boulder flew past them, destroying it. They both groaned loudly as they spotted Argus roar at them from the rooftop before leaping down and cracking the Courtyard floor. "RUN!" Potter shouted as they both ran away, casting a Snail Pace jinx only for Argus to swat it away. "It's not working!"

Daphne was about to reply when she spotted the last Trynorg point the swirling gun at her as it stood before the Great Hall doors. Suddenly, she was tackled sideways as it started firing. "MOVE!" he said, eyes full of fear and anger as she was forced to stand up. "MOVE GREENGRASS, MOVE!"

Scrambling after him, she gave one last peak behind her to see the two BOWs dish it out on each other before running with all her strength to get to the stairs. As they reached the first floor, the staircases around them began to move. "JUMP!" Potter screamed as he did, the Slytherin copying him.

"Oomph," Daphne gasped, crashing into her Gryffindor companion. "Sor-"

A loud crash cut her off, turning to see Argus break through the entrance, a Girge following it. "Go, go, go!" he urged, helping her stand up. The two continued running as the two monstrous BOWs beat each other. The staircase wasn't even helping, either changing direction or detaching from their position, forcing the two to jump and stumble - at one point, she nearly fell if not for his quick reflects and a timely casting of a Levitation Charm.

"Fucking stairs…" Daphne muttered, collapsing to her knees as she tried to steady her breathing. "I'm never climbing them again."

"Amen to that," Potter praised, leaning by the wall of the seventh floor corridor. "I don't give a shit if I had to skip classes, I'm never climbing them again."

A loud, victorious roar made them look at each other worriedly. "Painting's just over there so come on." he continued, standing up.

Thankfully, Fleur was waiting for them by the door/gate. "Thank St. Joan you're both here." she breathed out in relief. "Hurry, Watson needs those supplies ASAP!"

Potter threw his bags towards her. "Go, I'll close the door!" he shouted as she caught it, getting a nod.

"How is she?" Daphne asked Fleur as they headed downstairs.

Fleur sighed. "Not good. Watson's at the ninth suppressant."

"Ah, you're here!" Watson greeted them. Daphne noticed he looked older than he was a few hours ago, looking gaunt and pale. "Right bring out the Rai-ARGH!"

Watson collapse suddenly, clutching his left arm as he groaned in pain. Daphne immediately dropped the bag, rushing besides him as… "Is that fur?" she gasped in horror, his left arm slowly growing dark, grey fur as his hand started growing claws.

"Grab that - ARGH - autoinjector," he growled out, pointing towards the table besides Emma's bed. Fleur immediately grabbed it as Daphne tried to keep Watson steady. "Hurry!

"Catch!" Fleur shouted, throwing a plastic vail at Daphne. Once in her hands, she handed it to Watson immediately, who then jabbed it into his arm and sighed in relief.

"Spencer wasn't joking about the time…" Watson muttered as his arms slowly stopped shaking, the fur disappearing, though the elongated nails and fingers remained. "Right, we got work to do. Green-"

"Watson," Daphne cut worriedly. "Your-"

"We can discuss what's wrong with me after the Maledictus Cure has been made." Watson snapped, anger in his eyes. "Worry about Emma, she takes precedence."

"Woah," Potter exclaimed, announcing himself as he reached the lab. "Everyone okay?"

Fleur shook her head, eying Watson carefully. "He collapsed but won't say why."

Watson winced as he tried to stand, Daphne helping him up. "We have other-"

"Watson," Daphne pleaded as they moved near Emma's bed. "Please, what did you do?"

"Doc, we ain't making the cure if you don't tell us." Potter added, crossing his arms.

Growling, Watson huffed as he sat on the chair by Emma's bed. "I turned myself into a werewolf." he revealed to their shock, inspecting his partially transformed hand. "Spencer wanted to weaponize the Lycanthrope strain but I manage to dissuade her by prioritizing a cure or at least a suppressant first."

"Bloody hell, are you mad?" Potter exclaimed angrily. "This…this Mage virus is bad enough and you two wanted to expand it?"

"I've made my bed with my choices, Potter." the magical scientist snapped, narrowing his eyes at the Gryffindor. "No need to rub it in."

"Back to the point, you're a werewolf now?" Fleur asked, giving him a worried look.

Watson nodded, sighing. "Yes." he said gravelly. "I've only made a suppressant to it as my cure research is getting nowhere."

"And a suppressant can only go so far…" Potter continued, getting a nod.

"How?" Daphne asked, curious.

"It allows the infection to create an immunity from the suppressant if constantly used," Watson explained. "Making it useless in the long run. Of course, there's also the side effects to consider."

"Side effects?" Fleur asked, looking worried.

Watson nodded before crying out in pain, clutching his arm as it shook violently. "NO!" he shouted as they moved to help him. "Focus on the Maledictus Cure, worry about me later!"

"Doc-"

"NO! Emma takes - ARGH - priority at all cost." Watson stated firmly, glaring as he fought through the pain. "The equipment has been set - AH - up already, I'll guide you throu-"

"Watson!" Fleur cried out as he collapsed, rushing besides him. "Harry, look for another suppressant - it looks like this."

Fleur then turned towards her as Potter began rummaging through the drawers nearby. "Daphne, you start making the cure - you're the best potioneer we have right now."

Daphne shot her French friend a lost look. "Fleur, I don't-"

"I'll guide you through it."

Everyone turned towards Watson as he sat there, grimacing through the pain. "Bring out the Rainbow Herb and Mandrake Potion." he began, wincing as he clutched his arm. "The last suppressant is in the freezer, Potter - topmost level, labeled Alpha. The partial cure is beside it - labeled Omega."

Potter immediately brought it while Daphne reluctantly brought out the potion and herb. "Potter, transfer the potion into that container over there." Watson instructed, sighing in relief as he plunged the suppressant into his arm. "Greengrass, remove the leaves and the roots of the herb - be careful, enough rubbing on the leaves turns them into powder."

"What's next doc?" Potter asked as Daphne carefully removed the leaves and roots. The leaves were delicate, forcing her to pluck them carefully from the herb, while the roots were flexible but chunky.

"Delacour, group the leaves into two sets of seven. Greengrass, dice those roots into 28 cubes - you can use the knife on the other table. Potter, how good are you with scientific machinery?"

"I'm rated for handling lab equipment, why?"

"Good, you're watching over them when the two use them." Watson stated, turning to Fleur, Daphne still chopping the roots. "Once done, bring the first set of leaves to that that machine over. Potter, make sure that a vial is attached to the machine's valve."

"What about the potion?" Daphne asked, wiping off sweat from her brow.

"That'll be next." Watson informed her. "Are the roots done?"

"Just made 14." Daphne replied, bunching them up together. "Where do you need them?"

"Potter, mix them into the Sonicator - yes, that machine, Delacour - along with the leaves. Once in, turn it on and let the machine do its work." Watson continued, growling in pain. "Delacour, get the vial with the potion into that cooler. Potter, set it to 40 Fahrenheit or 5 Celsius."

"Done!" Daphne exclaimed, grinning as she finished chopping the roots. "What's next?"

"Gather the remaining roots and leaves and put them into that blender." Watson ordered, pointing towards another weird-looking device. "Potter, once they're inside, make sure to lock the lid and blend it until they've become powder. Don't worry, there's a button there that'll tell you where to crank it up."

Just then, the…Sonicator (what a weird name to call the machine) and the chiller started beeping. "That was fast." Fleur said in surprise.

Potter snorted as the blender started beeping. "They're the industrial kind, of course they work fast." he replied, stopping the blender before moving to remove the two vials. "Next?"

"Inject Omega into the vial and then put both into that isolation glove box. Greengrass, detach the blender and put it in as well." Watson ordered, panting in pain. Fleur moved to help but he waved her off. "Don't mind me - Potter, is it done?"

Potter nodded, inserting the items into the weird, metal box with glove arms and a clear glass several inches thick. Once he secured it, he started pressing the small window beside the box's flap before putting his arms through the gloves. "Bring the tray forward and into your viewing screen. Once there, I want you to pour the Sonicator vial slowly into Potion vial." Watson stressed, watching him intently.

"Will the two react negatively?" Daphne aske, worried. They've braved through monstrous BOWs to make this cure and she'll be damned if it got wasted because of a potion accident.

Thankfully, Watson shook his head. "Once done, I want you to double check the glove box again and make sure all systems are green." he ordered sternly.

"All systems a-ok, doc!" Potter replied, checking a small window near the viewing port. "Do I pour the vial into the blender?"

"Pour it slowly and no matter what happens - Do. Not. Stop."

To their surprise, the moment Potter poured the potion, the blender began releasing rainbow-colored smoke that engulfed the inside of the container. "What the-"

"Don't stop, Potter!" Watson warned, glaring at him. "Keep pouring and wait for the smoke to sucked back into the blender."

True to his word, the smoke slowly returned to the blender. "What would have happened if we breathed that smoke?" Fleur asked, turning to the magical scientist.

"We die." he stated simply, watching as Potter as he shook the blender lightly. "Once you're done shaking, pour the contents back into the original vial then remove it from the glove box."

Suddenly, Daphne heard Emma moan in pain. "Emma!" she shouted worriedly, kneeling beside the child.

"Daphne…" Emma croaked, moaning in pain. "It…it hurts…"

Daphne shot Watson a look. "Do we make her drink it?"

Watson shook his head before crying out in pain, falling off his chair. "Potter, attach the vial to the injector gun!" he groaned out as Fleur propped him to the wall. "Greengrass, grab the transforming arm and expose the crook, now!"

Following the instructions, Daphne grabbed the arm as it slowly grew a familiar dust-colored fur. Pausing, she immediately pried Emma's eyes open to see unfocused yellow, lamp-like eyes like…

"Meow…" Looking at the floor, Daphne saw the same lamp-like eyes of Mrs. Norris stare back at her, tilting her head as if asking "Yes?"

"Realized it now, haven't you?" Watson said smugly, startling her. "Now you know why Argus hates every single one of you."

Daphne could feel her stomach churn, wanting to vomit out. She couldn't believe it - all these years, every single student has hated was a woman cursed to be stuck into the form of a cat…and nobody stopped to ask why Argus was so attached to the cat. "May Magic forgive us…"

"Greengrass, what's wrong?" Potter asked, looking worriedly at her. "Hey, is that Mrs. Norris?"

"She'll tell you later," Watson said, opening his hand out. With the cure at hand, he turned to Daphne. "Greengrass, the arm?"

Numbly, she grabbed the gun and injected the cure into the crook of the arm. Within moments, the fur started to disappear as Emma stopped shifting from pain, a relieved smile forming on her face. "I…I don't believe it!" Daphne exclaimed happily, smiling widely. "It's actually happening!"

"We're not out of the-" Watson began, only to cut himself as fell to the floor, shaking.

"He's having a seizure!" Potter shouted, Fleur trying to steady the scientist as he rushed to Watson's aid. "Hold him!"

"Uncle…" Emma groggily said, rubbing her eyes as she tried to sit up.

"Hey," Daphne greeted, trying to distract the child from seeing her uncle having a fit. Thankfully, it had subsided as Emma fully awoke. "Your uncle just fell on the floor."

"Must have slipped since I was so happy you're awake, squirt." Watson added as he flopped onto the bed, Daphne shooting the two to not say anything. "How you feeling."

"I'm fine, I guess...what happened?" Emma asked, yawning. "And I'm hungry."

The tension broke, everyone laughing as the five year old's stomach growled. "There's some food in my bedroom. Why don't you three go there and eat." Watson continued, Emma getting off the bed with a bright smile on her face. "Greengrass and I will follow shortly afterwards."

"Go, I'll be fine." Daphne urged, giving a fake smile to Potter and Fleur. Although suspicious, the Gryffindor gave a nod before following Fleur out of the room as she led Emma upstairs. Once they were alone, she dropped her smile and turned to Watson, who was finally on the bed with Mrs. Norris on his chest. "What do you want?"

Watson didn't answer, merely content to scratch the cat's ears. "Did you know it was Bellatrix Lestrange who gave my sister the Maledictus Curse?" he said softly, not meeting her eyes. "My older sister, Mary Norris Watson, who was merely an innocent bystander, was cursed to become a cat."

He gave her a tired look. "Twenty years, Greengrass, twenty years of research and experiments just to create a cure." he said sadly, chuckling. "Mistakes were made along the way but I learned from them so I can reach this point."

Watson then started coughing up blood as his body slowly started shaking, Daphne kneeling beside him, full of concern. Mrs. Norris gave a mournful meow, as if realizing something. "I lied about having Lycanthropy - I activated the Maledictus Curse in me."

"Im-impossible!" Daphne gasped. "The Maledictus is-"

"-is hard coded to appear in women only." he replied, coughing. "I'll spare you the details but I convinced the curse to think I'm a woman and…well, I'm feeling the side effects.

"I won't lie, Greengrass, I still hate you purebloods but you seem okay," Watson said weakly, grimacing as he pulled out a small book from his coat. "Which is why I'm giving you this. This journal contains everything I've discovered throughout the years - from my thoughts on the T-Mage to the steps I took to make the cure."

"W-why?" Daphne asked, gently accepting the journal.

He chuckled before grimacing from the pain. "Your sister…has a blood malediction, yes?" he replied, getting a nodded. "Then use my notes to cure your sister from it - consider this my payment for saving my niece."

Daphne's jaws opened as she stared at him. "I…I don't have your knowledge or skills!" she tried to counter, feeling distraught. "Morgana, I don't even know how to operate any of the machines here!"

"And did that stop you from helping Emma?" Watson countered, grinning softly. "You're a good person, Greengrass, and I know I can trust you to use my notes to help the world."

"Meow!" Mrs. Norris meowed, as if telling her to accept it.

She gulped before shrinking the journal, pocketing it. "I'll try my best…"

He merely smirked. "Do, there is no try." he said, grimacing in pain. "Now, I want you to kill me."

"What?"

"Kill me, Greengrass." Watson ordered softly, Mrs. Norris rubbing her head on his hand. "The Maledictus is slowly destroying my body, payment for messing with the laws of Magic."

"The-there's go-got to be a suppressant or-or something!" Daphne stuttered, looking about frantically.

Watson shook his head. "There's nothing more you can do now, Greengrass - I'm dying." he said with full acceptance. "I'll rather go out painlessly then suffer for a few more hours."

"You want me to use the Killing Curse." she stated, understanding what he was referring too. "Watson…"

"Grant me this one last wish, Greengrass." he begged softly. "I already have an express ticket to Hell and I'll rather go out on my terms."

# # # | # # #

It had been a day after Daphne and Tori said goodbye to their mother Arya since she was 'going to sleep forever' as her father Gendry explained to them and here she was, lying on her bed unable to sleep. Making a quick decision, she jumped out of bed and headed downstairs for the kitchen, hoping to get some snacks without Minsy's help to prove to Father she was responsible enough. However, she discovered the kitchen wasn't empty as she originally thought.

"Auntie?" seven-year-old Daphne asked as she spotted Aunt Sansa drinking a bottle of what Father called 'Adult Drink' when she asked about it once. "You're still awake?"

She tilted her head, wondering why Aunt Sansa's eyes were puffy and red like she was crying. "He-hey, Daphne…" she hiccupped, smiling sadly. "Come here, will you?"

"Are you okay, Auntie?" she asked, hugging her as tears fell down her aunt's face. "Why are you crying?"

Aunt Sansa returned the hugged, ignoring her question. "Daphne," she hiccupped, gently lifting her chin. "Am I a bad person?"

Daphne gave her a weird look. "Auntie, you're the best aunt anyone could ask for!"

She gave her a sad smile. "I'm the one who place Arya to sleep…"

"Then maybe you can wake her again!" she said brightly.

Shaking her head, Aunt Sansa cupped her face. "I can't Daphne…my spell can't be bro-broken."

"Then why did you do it?"

Aunt Sansa looked faraway, as if haunted by something. "Because she was in pain."

# # # | # # #

Daphne was eleven when she realized what her aunt meant, having overheard a Ravenclaw muggleborn talk to his friends about how his parents told his little sister that they had to their dog 'to sleep' because he was always in pain. Making the connection, she confronted Father and Aunt Sansa when she came home for the holidays, making sure Tori was asleep when she told them. Her father merely sighed while her aunt stared at her calmly, not flinching when she accused her directly. Once done, her aunt brought out the family pensive, casted a spell to allow multiple people to view a memory, brought out a bottle of wine, before showing her the day her mother died.

Mother really wanted to die.

It still shocked Daphne how much shouting Father and Mother had as Aunt Sansa watched on, trying to hold back tears as her mother pleaded to both to end her life. Once it ended, the two of them held her close as she cried, fully knowing the truth. "Will…did you at least leave a letter for Emma?" she asked, surprising him.

"Ye - ack - yeah," Watson said, clutching his stomach in pain. "It's in the…the journal I gave you. Make sure - cough - to give it to her when…when she's ten."

Daphne nodded, summoning all the negative emotions she was currently experiencing. "Any…any last words?"

Watson nodded as she neared, Mrs. Norris rubbing her head against his chin. "I…I proved all you purebloods wrong, Greengrass - make them realize that."

"Avada Kedavra." she casted softly, tapping her wand over his heart. A slow pulse of warm, green light spread slowly throughout his body. Watson closed his eyes, smiling peacefully as the curse finally ended his life. Mrs. Norris gave a mournful howl as Daphne sunk to her knees, crying as she realized how Aunt Sansa must have felt.

Dr. John Watson was dead…and the magical world lost its brightest wizard because of their pettiness. Drying her tears, Daphne stood up as she raised her wand "I promise on my family's magic." she said, shivering as she felt the Greengrass Magic bind her oath. "I will honor your wishes and change our world for the better."

AWESOME NOTES AND NOTIFICATION:

Hallo again my loyal readers! Sorry for the delay, stayed up late last Sunday playing Company of Heroes 2 and then went out to vote for our new senators the following day (Hoping with all my heart that the opposition wins the much deserved 12 seats to counter the administration).

Enough of the politics, let's discuss the new chapter shall we?

As you have noticed, Daphne here went through a redemption-styled arc where she is forced to see how dirty her view is and then makes a promise to change for the better - especially she now inherit's the research of Watson.

For any potential haters after seeing this chapter (especially with the fact that Watson activated the Maledictus curse in him), please be reminded that RE science has done some the impossible (weird creatures, mind boggling viruses, etc) so I can safely say that Watson could have done it since he had the backing of Umbrella.

We also now approach the last chapters of this fic - Part 6 will be a finale while a chapter 7 will be a reaction chapter of sort where the rest of the students and teachers react to what Harry and Daphne experience throughout their ordeal. Now, for those who want to know what will happen after everyone is rescued, don't worry - I plan to make a new story that deals with the aftermath of Devolution that picks up RIGHT BEFORE they are rescued. I have a tentative plot already that involves...other tie ins I plan to write in the future.

ONTO THE COMMENTS:

Greer123: YUP! "RE: Devolution" is basically a Daphne-centric story but set in a RExHP AU. How will this affect the future of the future stories I have, you'll have to wait and see!

NEXT UPDATE: MAY 19, 2019

EDITED: 08/06/19