Leaving Harry alone is a BAD idea, so Sirius convinces Remus and his cousin Tonks to take him somewhere "safe": no Death Eater would look for him in Vegas. Olga Marie needed some R&R from Chaldea, so was tricked to visit the city. The two wake up married, plus Tonks. Drinks and Elvis may have been involved.
IIIII
For those hoping for a return, and an update of my stories, I'm sorry to disappoint.
I am still not fully recovered mentally.
"Metatron Hold My Ramen" in specific, I still want to find somewhere to watch Two Saint Men first. Without needing to get a VPN, at least.
It is a surprise that I finished a working chapter of… anything for now.
This is a story is one that I had stuck in my HDD for… a while. And just decided to rewrite these last weeks. Actually finish a chapter, at least, instead of a series of snippets. Hopefully more in the future.
The fact it ended up having the first chapter released with the 5th Anniversary of Fate Grand Order is honestly just a happy coincidence.
And what is this story?
Yet another person using Blood Brandy's Vegas Vacation challenge as a guideline. Not a full take on it, though. Later it devolves into a version of "Harry Potter is the MC of Fate Grand Order".
In this one, Harry gets married to Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea in Fate Grand Order. And Tonks.
Things I will do or not from Vegas Vacation:
Harry is not visiting Vegas because Sirius faked his death. In fact, he is not dead yet. The story goes right before OotP, not right after. Yes, it is irresponsible, but Sirius is a Marauder who spent years in a nightmarish prison and Remus is filled with guilt about it. Tonks is supposed to help Remus stop any stupid things that may happen. She fails spectacularly as you know.
As the challenge focuses on superheroes, be DC or Marvel, and in Fate magic is also kept secret from most, there is no reason to change laws.
I cannot make Olga Marie not be drunk too, as else she would be taking advantage of him (plus in canon she holds herself back a lot, I do believe that she needs to be drunk to let herself have fun/go with it). And Tonks is marrying someone she knows is both famous and still underage. This will be a mutual bender marriage.
Harry goes to Vegas, like the challenge asks for, and Remus is there (supposedly) to try and keep things safe (he fails). He was also at the wedding. Same for Tonks, on both counts.
They were married by an Elvis impersonator. Because why not keep it.
He did win a lot at a casino, and they wake up in a private room.
Unsure about the whole "fight while in Vegas is caused by Potter Luck". Make your own judgement.
…so yeah, earlier in the timeline, not superheroes, magic is secret, Olga Marie and Tonks are also drunk. I think those are the major changes.
So, about the fic itself.
For those wondering, the pairings I am almost sure to have is: Harry with Olga Marie, Tonks, Marsh, Jalter and Ereshkigal. Luna (the HP one), Hassan of Serenity and Nobu may be added in the future.
And DaVinci with a Marauder, not sure if just Sirius, maybe both so Remus can help control them.
Don't expect any more to join, but I admit it may happen.
Yes, Olga Marie is 24-25 at the start of Fate Grand Order (thanks to Case Files giving her age as 11 in 2004), and this story starts not long before FGO happens. And yes, with the time I chose to start this story Harry is almost, but not even, 15.
Some people may have a problem with this.
Considering the popularity of HarryxTonks, and their age difference is exactly the same, I choose to ignore arguments about this.
…Well, not exactly the same. It seems like neither girl has a confirmed official birth date, but I found some possibilities, and… The only source of Olga Marie's birthday I found makes it July 30th like Neville's, one day before Harry's, meaning it did not happen yet at the start of the story so she would be 23. And Tonks' is either May 11th March 24th or January 1st depending on the source (I'm taking the first one since closer to the others' age) but regardless making her 22, technically a year younger than Olga Marie. Regardless, my point stands.
Timeline will be moved forward for the HP cast until 2017, the time FGO was released in English and when Fate Grand Order is taken as having started (save for the JP version, which is 2 years advanced, and yes, dates were adjusted in the games themselves whenever a year is mentioned).
Also, fun fact: Harry Potter was not really short, not by the end of the books at least. It was Daniel Radcliff that was short.
But in this story, at this age, he will be given Radcliff's height… for two reasons:
1, Harry is still young, so he has a growth spurt to go through still, and
2, that makes him around the same canon height of Tonks and Olga Marie (from what I could find, not that much info about her available. At least through Google).
IIIII
The Magus, the Wizard and the Elvis Marriage
As the sunlight hit his eyes, Harry groaned. Of course it would hit his eyes. It always did. Even if he moved around in the bed so it would not, or even turned the other way around and used his pillow as a shield.
A normal person would be weirded out by this. But Harry Potter knew that magic was real, was a magic user himself, and had the sneaking suspicion something in the world was aiming to give him a hard time for a while.
He resisted. Closed his eyes a bit tighter. Pulled the warm body he had been holding in his sleep tighter into his chest. He felt comfortable. He felt warm. He felt happ—
He pulled what tighter into his chest?
His mind finally rebooted, he took proper gathering of what his body was telling him, of his surroundings. And every thing his senses told him made him both happier, and more nervous.
He was on his side. A thick, soft fabric that felt like high-quality cotton was under him, adjusting to his shape as his weight let him sink into it. A thinner sheet of the same fabric was on top of him, keeping him warm.
Both his front and his back, on the other hand, were being hugged very comfortably to a material that brought that cotton softness to shame. It was warm, very warm, and it felt even better to the touch than silk, with some parts of it felt slick, others course, but each and every one felt great.
The shape was not a full match, much thicker and more solid than a bedsheet, yet in his mind that was just the way it should be.
He moved his arms, taking in the full shape without moving too much, instincts warning him it would be a bad idea to go too far down. Yet the shape was… great to the touch, a bit soft but with some clear firmness if he pushed a big more.
He hugged it to himself a bit more, and he stood corrected. While much of what he was exploring with his touch felt like that, there were two softer protrusions pressing on his ribs, with a pointy tip pushing into him, and if he paid more attention he could feel the same on his back, between his shoulder blades.
It felt like…
…
He did not remember feeling them before so it was just out of his imagination, but were they… naked breasts? And two pairs of them?
It couldn't be… but now that he let himself notice, the shape of fit female bodies hugging themselves to him was just undeniable. It was either the real deal or a very nice replica.
Well, that revelation woke up his brain on high alert. It had… not been a gentle whiplash, his head throbbing and him releasing a small groan, but he had other things to worry about at the moment.
What had happened? Why was he sleeping on a bed so comfortable that made Hogwarts' ones to shame? Sandwiched between what he was pretty sure were two women, both great to the touch by the way?
The one behind him was hugging him to her with her arms around his chest as if a teddy bear, her breasts as mentioned pushing between his shoulders, while her legs were hooked around his, as if an amorous octopus.
The girl in front, on the other, hand was hugged by him to his chest (although she hugged him back). She got her own arms around him but it was a soft hold, and her legs were also just softly touching his.
It…felt nice. Both of them, in different ways.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The light burned, and his headache felt even worse, but he refused to let those get on his way. He went through worse, after all.
Slowly he looked down, away from the sunlight and towards the girl sleeping on his chest.
He blushed even harder immediately. While the sheet covering them did not let him see anything inappropriate, just the mere sight of her face was enough to make him turn red.
She was… she was just beautiful.
Her skin was very light, almost pale, like an office worker that did not get to enjoy the sun in a while, yet also was kept very healthy.
Her long hair went even more past the barrier between blond and silver than the Veela he met did, almost looking to be pure white.
Her nose was small but pointy and a bit upward, which coupled with her thin face and angular chin made her look very regal, and coupled with her soft cheeks rounding her looks it gave her a "spoiled princess" vibe girls like his Pansy Parkinson wished they could.
He was not sure how long he spent there admiring her, it could have been minutes, it could have been seconds, but eventually he noticed her eyes fluttering as she slowly woke up. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to glare at the sunlight before turning away, looking him in the eyes and giving him a small, deeply happy smile.
Despite his confusion he could not help but smile back, his green eyes admiring her now revealed amber, almost golden ones.
Admiring as the happiness was covered with confusion, then fear as they widened.
She blinked. Looked at him. Looked at something behind him. Looked down, separating a bit so she look between them at—
Harry could feel his face going redder at what she just uncovered to his sight, as well as something downward suddenly pressed into the girl.
"Kyaah!" she screamed, jumping out of him and the bed like a scared cat, taking their cover with her and letting him admire her body. His eyes widened as he instinctively memorized the vision of the woman, naked of all but her panties, before she had time to cover herself, ignoring the signals of his brain to flinch at her loud yell.
Then he remembered that he was also exposed, and quickly moved his hands down to cover the bulge in his boxer briefs from her sight. Even if it was completely justified, it was very embarrassing.
An annoyed moan sounded from behind him, then a pained hiss and the grip of the girl tightened up.
"Stupid sun," she said, groggily. He could understand the sentiment.
Wait, he recognized that voice!
"Tonks?"
He waited. No answer for a second. Two.
"Bwaah!"
As he kinda suspected, the auror threw him away out of the bed, and from the sound of it jumped herself down the other side of it.
Turning himself on the ground slowly and looping up, the first girl was still blushing up a storm, but seemed calmed down. She turned the bedsheets into an improvised dress, unfortunately said his teenage mind, and was looking around as if the room was a giant, annoying puzzle.
Well, that expression jogged his memory.
"Wait, you're the girl I met at the bar," he said aloud. "Olga Marie, right?"
She turned her head to him owlishly, and blinked. Recognition finally reached her too. "Oh, you're… Harry, right?" As he nodded back, then flinched (but he was pretty sure she tried to hide a snicker so it was fine), she relaxed.
"And I'm Tonks," same the voice on the other side of the bed. "And am I glad you guys at least remember each other at least, I don't think I ever went on a bender this big in my life."
"A bender…?" Harry asked, confused. Looking at Olga Marie, so was she.
Tonks looked to the two, as if she could not believe they didn't know. "Wait, really?" Judging by her expression when neither he nor Olga Marie replied, she really could not. "A 'bender' is when you drink so much your mind basically 'blacks out' and you can't really control yourself anymore. You may or not remember what you did after it's over."
"Why would anyone do this?" Harry asked back. "Why did we do this?"
Tonks shrugged… or so it seemed, she was still hiding herself behind the bed. "It is either because it feels liberating to let yourself go like that, or they just enjoyed drinking a bit too much and went too far into it. That's what we did, by the way. You guys were having fun talking and drinking, and I ended up joining in."
Harry frowned. He… remembered they had talked, a lot, but could not remember anything about what they told each other save their names… and that she had a nice laugh.
Blushing, he pushed those thoughts away. And the ones imagining how her almost-naked body would look laughing.
"Don't worry, Harry," Tonks joked. "I'm still wearing the same underwear I was before, you did not do anything too important only to forget, yet."
"I never even kissed a girl and woke up between two topless beauties," he shot back.
Then Tonks blushed.
And so did he.
"I take these here mean you are wizards?" Olga Marie asked haughtily, but judging by her blush as she lifted two wands and a pink bra that was probably Tonks' (it seemed just a bit bigger than what Harry imagined would fit the white-haired woman) he guessed it was to hide her own embarrassment.
"Ah good, you know of magic," Tonk's raised her hand, and Olga Marie threw her the undergarment. "So, you're a witch, a magus…?"
There was no spoken reply, but—
…did a rune just start glowing from her forehead? It… seemed so. And he could even feel the magic she was charging up.
Tonks nodded at that.
"What's a magus?" he asked.
"A different type of magic user, they use runes and some magic circuit thinguies instead of wands," Tonks replied. "I heard it is complicated to use and very risky, though, wands are easier and safer."
"It's not just that, and wands are not an option for us," Olga Marie shot back, finding out her own bra, pure white just like her panties, and drawing Harry's eyes to her backside as she bent over to grab it under a table.
"Wait, you can use magic without being able to use wands?" Harry asked, surprised. "Is it that Kwikspell Course I saw a pamphlet of once?"
The confused look Olga Marie gave him answered him nicely enough. Tonks' laugh did not help.
But she did answer at least. "Kwikspell is a scam to take advantage of desperate squibs. I have no idea how maguses do magic, but it is something they can check at Saint Mungus. And since squibs are those with no magic but with at least one wizard parent, it is part of medical checks."
"It is magi," Olga Marie corrected, looking around the room for her clothes, Harry guessed. "One is a magus, more are magi. And we need to learn to activate and use our magic circuits through training, while you guys just need the wand because your old blood is hard to control when young and you suppressed it too much after growing up."
"Old blood?" Harry asked. "And do you mean it like, accidental magic?"
"Pretty much," Tonks said, standing up fully dressed since she was summoning her clothes from around the room. "It's not that much of a surprise, really, accidental magic is the same as wandless magic, just… accidental. But it is hard to learn to control it, so we use wands that helps… and then we kinda good too good at it to be able to do it by accident, and it is hard to train to do it on purpose. Like…" she thought for a minute, "forcing yourself to pee your pants, you kinda internalized to not do it so it is hard to force yourself to. Found your pants," she finished, calling them to her from the top of the wardrobe and throwing them to him.
"Thanks. What about the 'old blood'?" he asked both.
"Maguse—magi" she corrected "claim wizards are descended from hybrids with magical species, and that's why we can use magic so easily and in ways that are impossible for them."
"Like Hagrid is a half-giant and Fleur's grandmother is a Veela?"
"Like that, but much longer ago," Tonks confirmed. "Like Merlin was half-incubus, things like that. Of course, purebloods are offended by this and claim things like it was just a way to call Merlin a manwhore, that old gods were just powerful wizards and the like… so they try to squash the idea that they are not 'really pure', and don't even tell muggleborns about magi so they don't "get ideas". My mom is a pureblood that works as a Healer in Saint Mungus, though, and she told me it coming from different sentient magical species makes much more sense with what she had to heal."
Harry nodded. It just… made sense, both how wizards got magic, and why those proud of their blood would claim it is wrong.
More importantly, since he was now wearing his pants he could help them look for his and Olga Marie's other clothes. Since the others were already looking around the rest of the room, he went to look near his side of the bed. Since Tonks had hid on the other side and Olga Marie had avoided even looking in his direction…
Which… was exactly were her clothes were. Which makes sense, as that was the side of the bed she had been sleeping at.
But another thing he noticed was a manila folder in the nightstand. Curious, he reached for it even before calling her about the clothes.
Inside it were… pictures, and a document… pics of… and the document said…
He sat down on the table. Read it again. That… couldn't be right. …could it?
"He-hey Tonks," he called, his voice breaking a bit. "Is your name really 'Nymphadora'?"
"Who told you that?" was the angry reply, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Wait, what's…"
"Ah, not a bad name, and you did say your mother agreed wizards are hybrids from long ago," the magus commented, distracting her.
"Yes it is a bad name," she complained. "It is long and confusing for a kid, and when I was in my teams I was around other teams with a name that starts with nymph."
Harry flinched. Yeah, he was right in the age to think exactly of the joke she must have heard the most.
Time to change the conversation. "Olga Marie, was your family name Animusphere?"
His reply was narrowed eyes. "What do you mean was?"
His reply was turning the document to face them.
A marriage certificate.
Of Harry James Potter, Nymphadora Vulpecula Potter née Tonks, and Olga Marie Asmleit Potter née Animusphere. With Sirius Orion Black and Remus John Lupin as witnesses.
The contract is magically binding, and cannot be undone until at least a year has passed.
"What…" was all Olga Marie could say, before looking into the hands of… apparently her husband, then her co-wife and finally her own.
How had she not noticed they were wearing gold bands in their ring fingers?
As for the other wife…
"…any chance you may still call me Tonks?"
IIIII
Harry was not having a good time.
Sure, he rarely had when at the Dursleys', but this time he had come back from school not long after not only getting someone else killed, someone that had always been a good person to him (even if he became his crush's boyfriend).
That death was also when they were kidnapped in a ritual to resurrect the man who once terrorized the country. Who killed Harry's parents. Who had already tried and failed to kill Harry himself more than once (first as a baby, something that made Harry a symbol for those against him, and most recently right after his resurrection, because Harry had been made a symbol of his past failings). And that had followers among the most rich and powerful men in the country.
And the Minister of Magic, that is The Government, buried his head in the sand both because "people would be scared if they were told he was back", never mind they need to know to protect themselves, and because… well, he had among his followers some of the most rich and powerful men in the country. Including some that line the minister's pockets.
It did not help that it seemed like Voldemort was keeping himself quiet. Sure, him not spreading death and destruction was good, but also meant he making his moves in the shadows in some actual plan.
Or so it seemed. He was stuck in Privet Drive, isolated from anyone magical. Yet he always felt like there was someone watching him.
He tried to shake the feeling away. If even Moody was captured, should he even try to be paranoid? Yet it was always there. Always.
He could not even talk to his friends about it. Ron did not have a phone (magical family) and he didn't know Hermione's. Letters could be intercepted, as much as he trusted Hedwig's skills, and even in their own letters they seemed shifty, not saying much of anything and acting really suspicious. As if they were being told not to tell him anything.
This night specifically felt… weird. Not bad, just weird. As if something would happen.
Thinking about it, he was alone in the house while his relatives were going to receive a prize and a paid dinner at a high grade restaurant.
Something Vernon and Petunia would never say "no" to. Both of them just live to show off, and even ignoring the food both parts would be a way to flex their importance over their neighbors.
It would be the perfect bait to get to him alone.
On the other hand, he did not know of anyone that would try to attack him that would bother, his relatives not being able to use magic and all that.
It was with that mindset that he was ready and with wand in hand when he first heard footsteps at the lower floor of the house. Footsteps that were not from any of the Dursleys.
Quickly he threw himself behind the bed, invisibility cloak at the ready.
Which was why he was surprised that there was mundane cursing then an actual knock at his bedroom door.
"Pup? You awake?" came the voice of… Sirius?
"It is Remus Lupin and Sirius Black," came the voice of… well, Professor Lupin.
Not that he could be sure. Not after the previous year, when someone used a potion to pretend to be Alastor Moody for months while the actual person was locked up.
"What was the creature in your office the day I visited you to talk about the boggart?"
"A grindylow," was the instant answer.
The second person did not bother to wait. Soon there was a dog's bark and the sound of its claws scratching the door. Well, if there was any better proof that it was the dog animagus…
Well, there was a chance but even becoming an animagus was rare, and finding a dog one to recruit, just to fool him…
So he was still under the cloak when he opened the door, letting inside his old teacher and a dog that could turn into his godfather. Or, supposedly, the other way around.
Until Sirius turned to him, sniffing loudly, and quickly turned back into a human and throw him upwards with a happy laugh.
It must be reminded that Sirius was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit while Harry was not much past a year old. It was also the wizarding prison, meaning he was mentally tortured for thirteen years.
So he can be excused for, in the excitement of meeting his godson personally ever since he was forced to run away, he forgot the young man was not, in fact, just past a year old. With the size and weight to match.
Thus a surprised Harry hitting a surprised Sirius and both falling down on the ground, under the laughing gaze of an unsurprised Remus Lupin.
"Well, if anything proves you are Sirius, it would be this," Remus said, helping the young man up.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up Moony," Sirius shot back.
"What are you two doing here?" Harry asked, shaking his head. He was only able to watch the pair interact for a short while before, but it was almost like seeing the Weasley Twins interact… well, George is usually a bit closer to Fred's behavior, but he is still the relatively rational one.
"We are kidnapping you to Vegas!" Sirius revealed, smiling wide.
"…what?"
"What he means is…" Lupin tried, "…no, I think that explains it well enough."
"…I repeat. What?"
"It's pretty simple, really," Sirius shrugged. "You are kept here because it is the safest place for you in Britain. I am staying into a Black property that I hate, but that is currently the safest place for me in Britain. But I have at least some helpful company and am already going a bit more bonkers, while you are just… boiling in boredom at this place, with just the memories of what happened."
Harry nodded. He could not deny he was not doing so well.
"That's when I had an idea," Sirius got to his main point. "Those are the safest places for us in Britain. Nothing stops us from going to another country, and most of them would be safer."
Harry thought it up. "Fair point," he agreed. "But isn't Las Vegas, like, full of people? Won't we be recognized?"
"Hardly," Lupin took over. "As Padfoot reminded us earlier, the safest place to hide something is in plain sight. Even if they were looking for you past the Atlantic Ocean, you will still be in the middle of many others. The chance of someone noticing it is you among the crowd is incredibly low."
"It is why our best pranks were planned right under the teachers' noses. They would not think we were actually doing it, plus the sounds of the crowd muffling us. It wasn't just to show off," Sirius laughed. "I think Snivelus used some spell that made things sound as if around a crowd too, but I could find nothing about it in the library."
Harry could not help being surprised by that. With how his Potions teacher and his godfather hated each other, the fact Sirius was praising anything Snape-related meant he should take note of it.
"Anyway, we also have this," Sirius threw him something, which Harry caught by reflex. Good. While he did not really take pride in the "youngest seeker of the century" title, he did take pride in how fast he could react and catch things.
It was… "A bracelet?"
"Yup," Sirius confirmed, showing his own. "Exclusive for use in Vegas, hides your identity and even your age. As long as we don't tell anyone, or break the law in anything but those two, the four of us are free to go anywhere while there."
"Nice," was all Harry could say. Kinda overpowered, but if it was Vegas-only it meant there was some control over them.
…wait.
"Did you say 'four'?" he asked, looking around for whoever was with them.
"Ah yeah, we'll take a stop at my cousin's so we can take her too," Sirius shrugged. "Her mom Andy was the only one of the family beside me to go against them and leave, and even married a muggleborn. You'll like her. A bit clumsy, but cool."
"Speaking of her, let's get what you will need," reminded Remus, lifting a backpack. It was not small, around the size most tourists use on movies. "I'm thinking that after we come back we could just go to Sirius' place right away."
"Good call," Sirius replied, turning… well, serious. "This backpack has an expanded false bottom, so let's keep all but clothes in there. Where's your school trunk?"
"Uhm, locked in the cupboard under the stairs," Harry said. "Besides what is there and under the loose tile, all I have are the clothes, really."
Sirius nodded and went to get the trunk, while Remus took his clothes from his wardrobe to pack in afterwards and Harry himself went to get his secret mainly-food stash.
When Sirius returned, he took one look at Harry's clothes and made a face, but just put the trunk in its place inside the backpack before he and Remus organized the actual clothes.
It was… weird, how serious they got.
Then… Sirius put his hand to his ear.
"Canis One to Roman One. Preparations are done. Over."
Remus then did the same. "Here is Roman One. Affirmative Canis One. Target Bambi Two acquired."
"Oi!" Seriously. He understood why the name, but it sounded offensively like he was a Direct-to-Video sequel.
"Deploying Escape Pod. Over."
Remus then took from his pocket a plastic pea pod.
"Affirmative," Sirius replied. "Bambi Two, please hold yourself safely to the Escape Pod. Over."
Rolling his eyes, he obeyed, but still complained. "This is Bambi Two. I wish to request a codename that does not sound like a cheap cash grab. Over."
"Bambi Two, this is Canis One. Please speak closer to your communicator. Over."
With a sigh, he lifted his hand to his ear—
"This is Roman One. Activating Escape Pod. Over and out."
And Remus tapped the toy food with his wand, activating the portkey.
This was Harry's third portkey, as far as he could recall.
The first one, he had no idea how they were like and ended up sprawled on the ground. The second one, first it was by surprise and the way back was running for his life.
Third time was not the charm.
Sure, the two adults had no problem, meaning the portkey worked as intended. He could see it from his vantage point on the ground. And "see" was a manner of speech, as both the backpack and his glasses seemed to have been thrown away as soon as he landed.
His eyes burned a bit into the light. It was a new annoyance. They have been like this ever since the graveyard, if he was not wearing his glasses his vision would not just be blurry like before but now it would start to sting a bit. It was not a hurt, not like his scar; it was more like if someone was shining a light to his eyes that he could not see but could feel.
Still, annoying.
He was so annoyed by it, he did not notice the fourth person in the room until she was right in front of him. Or rather, her hand.
"Wotcher, Harry," came her voice. "I'm Sirius' cousin. You can call me Tonks. Just Tonks."
Looking up… yeah, she was just a blurry mess. So he just held her hand and let her pull him up.
"Thank you," he said, looking her in the eye… well, he thought he was. It was purple, amber, grey, green, blue… He just couldn't tell the color? It was pretty, but a bit confusing too.
At least he could tell she wasn't that much taller than him. He had a bit of a complex about his height, being small and thin since he was young.
She was also… pretty focused on his eyes himself, still holding his hand. It was a bit embarrassing, really.
At least it wasn't his scar this time?
Thankfully, Sirius came to his rescue. "Tonks, is there something wrong? Why are you looking at Harry like that?"
When she did not answer, he put his hand on her shoulder and shook it a bit. "Tonks?" he called. "Tonks!" he repeated, shaking a bit faster.
"Nymphadora!" he almost yelled, shaking her shoulder hard… and while she seemed to not even have felt the shake, it at least made her look away from him. "Wha?" she asked, in… ok, blame his teenage hormones for that, but it sounded cute to him.
"I'm asking if there is something wrong," Sirius asked, and Harry could feel the worry in his voice even as he took his glasses from the older man's hands. "You just froze as soon as you looked into Pronglet's face…"
Then Sirius… well, Harry imagined Sirius was looking at him, but couldn't tell. His vision was that bad…
"Your eyes are different," came Sirius' confused voice. "I can't tell what it is."
He shrugged, and put his glasses back. Ah, glasses. He hated needing to wear them, yet he loved them for letting him see. "Yeah, they feel weird ever since the whole… you know," he shrugged. "I think I need a new prescription or something."
He most likely did, he only got it the once and people's eyes change. But after the graveyard… as mentioned, stings.
He looked around the room… and landed eyes on the fourth traveler. Tonks dressed… different. A normal different. All other witches and wizards he ever met either had no idea how to dress in muggle clothes or dressed in them so rarely they just went with basic clothes. Tonks dressed like she was on the way to watch a rock band perform live. Spiky pink hair, cropped black shirt of some band called "Twisted Sisters", ripped denim pants. Just missing some accessories (besides the bracelet that looked a lot like his so didn't count), and wearing black boots instead of white sneakers.
"Not what I…" Sirius shook his head. "You know what, fair enough. We'll look for a magical optometrist or something while there. Maybe some contact lens," he added. "Trust me, they are annoying to put on and take off but they feel really freeing."
"Ah right," Professor Lupin said from near a wall. Was it him, or he looked just a bit annoyed at him? Did he do something wrong? "You needed glasses before, Padfoot."
"Really?" he asked, a bit surprised. Sirius needed glasses too? Why does he not anymore? He was told his father wore glasses, why did he if Sirius was able to not need them anymore?
"We can talk more in Vegas," Sirius broke his thoughts with a laugh. If he also needed glasses once, he knew how much Harry would want not to.
At that point, Professor Lupin approached the middle of the group, holding… wait, really?
"Ok, everyone hold the hula-hoop," yes, really, "and I'll activate the portkey."
Harry held a hand to his glasses, to try and not be blinded when they got there, before holding it himself.
The next second he was looking at the sky, with a hurting back. Yeep… not a good landing this time, either.
But even before he could get his bearings, he was being lifted and dragged away by a rushing Sirius Black. It was a rare time he was not smiling, and Harry wondered why.
"Sirius?"
"Optometrist first," was the answer. "I refuse to have our fun interrupted because your eyes fell off or something."
Harry resisted the urge to laugh. Being magical, it was a possibility, or something like that.
"But seriously, I want to see you right when whatever is in your eyes is better," he gave a more genuine smile. "I remember whenever I had to change glasses, how everything just looked so much better. It was like the world became a beautiful painting, until I got used to it."
Harry did not reply to that. It has been… so long since he got glasses. He wondered how changing the lenses would make things look.
Speaking of that, "don't you need them anymore?"
"Nope," was the reply. "Ever since I first became Padfoot. Becoming an animagus also gives some back. Wormtail reacted to things quicker, your pops got much less clumsy even on the ground – don't think anyone told you, but before then he was… well, you just met my cousin but you'll get what I mean soon. I needed glasses before."
"So… are you colorblind?"
"In a way," Sirius shrugged. "Normal colors are there, but kinda muted for me, as if covered in a half-strength filter that turns it all in shades of blue and yellow. Save for when I turn into Padfoot, then full blue-yellow. So… kinda colorblind on the red spectrum, and a bit less on the green since it is not really a combination of blue and yellow outside paints. The actual combination doesn't exist for human eyes, kinda like magenta."
"Magenta?" Harry repeated.
Sirius shrugged. "I looked a bit into colors when I noticed my eyes changing. Magenta is not a real color, since light is a scale and not a wheel. There is no intersection between red and violet, gut the brain figures out a middle ground. The problem is, human eyes can see green, and it knows that whatever Magenta looks like it isn't green. So it created magenta. The anti-green."
"Anyway, don't dogs have worse vision than humans?" Harry brought the conversation back. "How did it fix yours then?"
"It is mostly because eye placement," Sirius pointed at his face. "Dog's eyes are farther apart, giving them more peripheral vision but less binocular vision. So Padfoot sees more, Sirius sees farther. Both of us got a dog's better motion sensitivity, though.
Also, my issue was astigmatism, not nearsightedness. So for that I kept my normal human sight."
Harry blinked. "Astigmawhat?"
"Hopefully you won't need to deal with it," was the reply as they finally entered the magical clinic, and Sirius went to arrange for someone to check his eyes while Remus and Tonks finally arrived.
"Harry, please help me trying to control Sirius," Remus huffed as he sat down. Thankfully I had some idea of this place, but if I didn't we could have lost you two easily in this place."
"Sorry," was all Harry could say. He had no real idea what he could do to stop Sirius… and honestly, for now he wasn't sure he needed to. They did travel there to have fun.
Tonks followed… and tripped on the entrance, falling down on the ground. And… her hair turned red for a second, before going back?
"Uhm," he tried to ask, but the woman herself beat him to the punch.
"I'm a Metamorphomagus. I was born being able to shapeshift. But… unless I'm forcing myself to keep a shape minor things like hair and eye color can change with my mood."
"So… you can change shape, but in exchange you're an eternal mood ring? Sounds… annoying."
"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Tonks shrugged. "But since it makes things harder among muggles, so I'm using a weaker version of your bracelet. People without magic just ignore that they saw anything in me change."
Harry nodded. He didn't even think of that.
The conversation was broken by Sirius. "Pup, the doctor is ready!"
He nodded to the other two, and went to have his eyes checked.
…
The doctor was… not amused.
"This is…" she growled. Growled! "Who was the irresponsible person that was taking care of you? If you told me someone just gave a young you some random pairs of glasses from a sale and told you to keep the one that let you see from far away I'd believe it."
Harry's silence was telling.
The doctor sighed. "Most of the problems with your eyes are damage done by being made to use these." She then started rummaging some drawers. "The good news is, thankfully I can fix these with magic. If this was a muggle clinic though…" another sigh.
"The bad news is, until your eyes have some days to rest and adapt I won't be able to give them a proper check." She put a small bottle on the table. "Until then, all I can give you is these eyedrops that work like temporary, adaptable contact lenses. They are not cheap though, be it eyedrops, contact lenses or glasses, so everyone just changes their prescription later."
"I'll pay," Sirius told Harry. "Plus new glasses and a set of contact lens for later. Take it as a birthday gift if you want to."
Harry did want to protest… but that would mean going against the doctor. He already knew how that would end from the Hogwarts' Medical Wind. "Fine, Sirius. Pretty sure you'll do it anyway…"
He could not see without his glasses, but he was pretty sure his godfather was nodding with a "you're damn right" look on his face.
"These are new to me," Sirius commented, counting the payment for everything. "Twenty years ago when I needed them all I had were glasses and lenses that I had to take off every night."
"Now you need to take the lenses off just one night a week, just like a muggle one, but with ours you don't need to use eyedrops to keep your eyes hydrated," the doctor explained. "Still just as annoying to put on and remove though. The eyedrops themselves are one drop every couple of days, but most people don't think it is worth the price. And glasses can be enchanted."
That said, the doctor finished up… whatever she had to do. Harry counted three different eyedrops, with some wanded magic in-between each.
Then she saw her grab the eyedrop she put on the table before. "Now, blink a bit to spread it, and let us see how your beautiful eyes look when they are healthy as they can be."
He did so, and… "Wow…"
His vision was sharper than ever before. And the colors seemed more vibrant, too. It was like the difference between clean and dirty glasses, but much bigger.
"The sting in my eyes is gone too," he said out loud.
"Yeah, it was the damage," the doctor explained. "It wasn't letting the magic flow through the eyes but wasn't letting it leave either."
He blinked at that. Those words sounded… weird. If it only started to hurt after the graveyard, then something that happened there made his magic flow different through his eyes?
Not something he could ask about without revealing his identity, though. And Sirius with him.
He could talk with Hermione and research about this later, she would love the idea.
"Great! Now that you can see, we can get you some proper clothes!" Sirius finished happily.
"Wait what?"
"Yup. Clothes of your own," Sirius confirmed, dragging him out of the medical office and into the streets. "Clothes that fit and look good on you. I may not be able to convince Remus, but as my godson it is my responsibility to make sure you are properly clothed from now on."
"But they are comfortable on me now," he tried to plead. "And I don't really mind how it looks."
"You say that now," Sirius countered. "And you don't like it later you can just keep them in your backpack, your old clothes are there too. But trust me, you will feel better with properly fit clothes that feel like your own. Kinda like wearing brand-new underwear on New Year's Day."
He only got confused looks from his godson. But no proper denial. So Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to what he hoped would be his better weapon.
"Cousin, you're the only one of us four who knows anything about proper muggle fashion," he told Tonks. "Do you accept the mission of updating my godson's wardrobe? If you take this mission, you are free to use this for your own clothing too."
In his hand was a black credit card. Harry didn't get tit.
"If you do not, I will be forced to accept the salespeople's word for it."
The woman rolled her eyes, but took the credit card before approaching him. "Come Harry, let us grown-ups get us clothes you'll feel good in."
It had been… Much more fun than the jokes about shopping clothes with women was.
Of course, it helped that Tonks acted more understanding than any other women he could remember interacting with.
He doubted McGonagall or Mrs Weasley would give him much of a choice, he did not talk with Ginny that much but he doubted she would be that much help, and Hermione would roll her eyes when he asked for clothes without much green and assume it was because Slytherin. Tonks asked why, since if matched his eyes so well. And actually nodded and accepted the answer, and save for a joke even the green clothes were another shade than his eyes.
He would not say he was having fun, but as he tried more clothes he could see what Sirius meant. Seeing himself in the mirror with clothes that fit, that he chose even if with help… it was kinda freeing and relaxing.
He just hoped he would not need to spend so long at this the next time. It felt good this time because of how different he felt and the company, but he doubted it would be this good if he has to do everything again after a growth spurt.
He mentioned this to Tonks while they were paying. "Don't worry, we can just adjust them later. They won't feel as good but will be useable, and then you slowly buy actually fitting ones to take their place."
They exited the store with many bags of new clothes, over half of them his but only just. Seems like Tonks enjoyed Sirius' idea of buying things for herself too.
It was getting late though, so they went to take a bite to eat at a fast food. It was… actually the first time Harry was at one. It wasn't bad, but not his favorite either.
They took their time, and even bought an ice cream. It had quite the long line, people seemed… surprised the machine wasn't broken? Weird.
When they left the place, it was already night in the sky… and the streets actually went alive. Every building seemed to be covered in colored neon lights, it was as if they became completely different! And if it looked like it was filled with people under the sun, it was nothing compared to the nightlife.
Sirius made a show of closing his eyes and went "eeny meeny miny mo," but all he pointed was in the same place. Camelot. It seemed… high class, despite being a casino. And… England-based. Fair enough, with the name.
Inside, Sirius bought plenty of betting chips, shared them with the other three, gave them some money for food and drinks, and just… left.
They just… kept looking at where he went, confused, until he was lost in the crowd of betters.
"…wait, am I just supposed to find a game and bet?" Harry asked the other two, confused.
"I… think so," Professor Lupin replied. "I'll… go make sure he doesn't get us all kicked out, I guess. Take care of Harry please."
There went that chance of hanging out with his parents' friends. But again, he guessed Sirius only wanted for both Harry and himself to relax and enjoy the night for now. Both had been locked up without being able to stretch their legs freely, after all (even if only figuratively for Harry). They'd have plenty of time to hang around the next day.
So he turned to Tonks. Well, seeing how she frowned in the direction Professor Lupin went, he guessed she wasn't exactly happy to be basically his babysitter…
"You can have your fun," he told her. "I'll just look around a bit before playing a game." Sure, he doubted he would end the night with even half the chips Sirius gave him… But he guessed it was part of the fun? Still, he wanted a game he would have some chance to win.
It was as she looked around that he saw her, drinking at the bar.
Long white hair, sharp amber eyes… and an expression that seemed to reflect his own feelings, as if she was worried about something but trying her best to ignore it all.
And failing.
Well, he could always try to help? Even if just a sounding board, Hedwig did not usually answered him but he still felt better talking to her.
He did not know if his offer would be accepted. Maybe he would be ignored, he was a stranger to her. Or maybe it would be accepted, he was a stranger to anything she told him would not reach those she knew either.
Nodding to himself, he approached. A bit nervous, he was approaching a stranger uninvited, when was the last time he did the approaching? Yet, he kept going.
IIIII
"I agree with Sirius," Tonks finally said aloud, fearing what would happen next.
Sirius, her mother's cousin (technically also hers in some degree) who had been in a torturous jail for years for a crime he never actually did, made some good points.
Both her and Remus were part of the guards of the secret defensive group Order of the Phoenix, a group where a normal mission is to be a guard protecting Harry Potter, Sirius' godson.
And the boy was miserable. Which… made total sense.
He not only blames himself for the death of someone, someone that only was there because Harry himself wished to do a good act.
The relatives he lived with made clear that they would rather let him die than help him in any way.
And thanks to Dumbledore convincing them to keep shut as to "not worry him", even his friends are avoiding any contact with him, else they risk telling too much.
Yes, "miserable" was a good word to use. Thankfully, she doubted "suicidal" was already a part, but it was a big risk still.
Thus Sirius' plan.
It was a stupid plan. Even if it worked, everyone involved would be punished upon return.
Yet from what she saw of the young man as his guard, staying invisible and away from him…
He was not grieving, like Dumbledore said he needed time to do. He was drowning in his feelings of guilt, uselessness and paranoia. This isolation was not helping him recover, it was turning him into a time bomb of negative feelings.
He needed some release. Yet he had no friends nearby, no girls, and was not prone to violence.
Yet…
"I can't believe you convinced her, Sirius," said Remus Lupin, her crush. And the third and last person of this meeting.
"I'm not convinced," she shot back. Crush or no, she wasn't just gonna nod and agree. "You've been his guard as much as me, you know he is just miserable. And he doesn't even know there are people there to help, so not like it helps his mind much."
Remus sighed, then moved his hand through his hair as if giving up, convinced but too stubborn to just admit it.
Which was why it was her turn to point out the issues. "It's a big risk, though," she said. "I mean, we will be taking him away from any protection that were put in place. And you know there are some we don't know about."
To that, Sirius scoffed. "Any risks he has are not just from Great Britain, but act damn proud of it," he pointed out. "Doubt they would venture much past France. Karkaroff was even pretty comfortable running off to Durmstrang despite being a traitor and thus main target."
He then pointed out to a world map. "Las Vegas is on a whole other continent, with a full ocean between us. It is also always filled with tourists, thanks to how famous it got, so even in the chance a Death Eater went there they would not be able to do anything without being exposed."
"Hiding in plain sight," Remus smirked, as if lost in a memory.
"Well, the plan itself is… not bad," Tonks nodded. "But… why did you call me here?"
"Two reasons," Sirius said. "One, I really think you would enjoy being there with us.Being an auror but in the middle of this mess, having to lie to your boss because her boss is an idiot but with too many ears…"
"I…" she sighed.
"And two," he pointed to Remus, and her heart did a flip, "Moony doesn't think he would be able to babysit both of us by himself, and I'm pretty sure you're the only other one I can trust with this."
Ok, so it was not because Remus asked for her, only for some help. She could still use this. "But we barely know each other?" she said back. "Why not my mom then?"
"For one, she is married and a mother, so now she is boring," he half-joked. "She also is a healer, meaning if she left on a whim lives could be at risk. Also, you are proud to be an auror yet came here to do the right thing, and listened to me and let me talk to your mom despite me being the most hunted criminal in the country. You're cool."
She could feel a headache coming. Was that how she made her parents feel? She really hoped not.
"Ok, and now the problems with your plan," she decided it was time to point it out. "How are we going to get him out of there, and how is he going to enjoy anything there if he is not an adult yet."
"Oh, the second part is the easy one, really," Remus took over. "We once got hold of a couple enchanted bracelets that use Vegas' natural magic to hide things. One is simply to make people without magic ignore weird features, like your metamorphomagus hair changing color by accident or Hagrid's inhuman height. Another is to hide someone's identity even from magicals, for example Harry's identity. It is used a lot by celebrities so they can walk around without being mobbed. If you don't know already that it is the same person, you will just ignore them. Even if Harry becomes friends to someone, the real identity won't 'click' unless the person is told Harry is Harry Potter."
"And the best part, and why those are so expensive, when Remus said you will be ignored with it, it means even your age is ignored, or even if you go somewhere you are not supposed to," Sirius took over. "It's why we got them, hoping to open it to be used outside Vegas."
"Unfortunately, it seems most of the features are controlled somewhere in Vegas, the bracelets are just receptors," Remus explained. "Which is quite sensible, this way they can set places they would not work and no one can just change them to work anyway."
"They are more sensible than outsiders think, they also save the most water most places around it despite being inside a desert. Even the water show is made with water that can't be consumed," Sirius pointed out. "That also means Vegas left the loophole about underage people on purpose, as long as they can claim they were fooled by the bracelet they can take money from underage wizards with no consequences."
"Perfect for our needs," Remus nodded.
"Which brings us to 'how to get him there'… and that is where an issue comes," Sirius admitted. "We could use one, or both, of your shifts on guard to get him out. Plus Mundungus', since pretty sure he won't care making sure Harry is there. Shouldn't be hard to make a request. Make it a night shift too, so no one would pay much attention for even a bit longer and we have some time at the stores since we are eight hours ahead.
But after that it will be kinda obvious neither he nor the three of us are where we should be and in reach to be contacted. So if you agree to join up on this plan you will face consequences with the Order."
"I don't care," Remus shrugged. "As long as you can convince me it is a good idea on Harry's side I'm in. And since even Nymphadora agrees it is…"
"My problem is not with the Order," Tonks shrugged, ignoring Remus calling her by her first name. "I'm a voluntary here and have my own job and no one here is my mom despite Molly Weasley treating everyone as if she was.
My problem is with my actual mom and my actual job."
"I'm hoping you and Remus can convince Andy," Sirius said. "As long as you explain about Harry, it should be no problem. Then Andy can help you claim a few days out from Amelia due to family-related issues and you should be free to go."
She nodded. Harry was part of the family in a way, and Director Bones was a good boss, she was demanding but it was because of how aurors were the magical version of the police force yet they were always stumped by the corruption of the Minister and those bribing him.
"Fine," she nodded. She was not sure if she was annoyed to be convinced so easily or happy to go with them.
And so things went just as planned. Easy. Too easy.
Her parents… seemed to have more of a problem with Remus' presence there than anything. Her mom even pulled him aside and he came back a bit pale.
But besides that? Everything worked smoothly.
During Remus' guard duty she waited for them at her own apartment, luggage ready and wearing her bracelet. She kinda wanted to go with them, but they pointed out that while she knew him, he never even saw her before.
Then the three arrived through a portkey, Remus and even Sirius arriving properly and Harry… well he was in one piece, if you did not count his backpack and glasses being sent away and himself being dizzy on the floor.
"Wotcher, Harry," she said, offering him a hand to pull him up. "I'm Sirius' cousin. You can call me Tonks. Just Tonks."
He was still dizzy when he was able to properly stand up, but… well, she almost stopped breathing.
He was… her height. Which is not tall, but he was also just almost 15, so still had room to grow. Besides that, he was just the same as he seemed from outside – thin, messy hair, dressed in the old-looking baggy clothes that were clearly once his cousin's…
But the big difference was that… now that they were closer she could see the full effect of his eyes. While the glasses hid it a bit, making them seem a bit duller, now she could see that they were not just green, but a deep, mesmerizing green, a mix of emeralds and the frightening but beautiful glow of the Killing Curse.
She could feel herself lost in them, and could stay for years maybe if not for a hand shaking her awake. "Wha?"
"I'm asking if there is something wrong," Sirius asked her a bit worried, while giving Harry his glesses back. "You just froze as soon as you looked into Pronglet's face…"
Then he blinked, confused. "Your eyes are different. I can't tell what it is."
Tonks looked back. Now that the glasses were in place, they were… beautiful, but not that amazing.
Weird.
"Yeah, they feel weird ever since the whole… you know," he shrugged, trying to push the talk away from it. "I think I need a new prescription or something."
"Not what I… You know what, fair enough. We'll look for a magical optometrist or something while there. Maybe some contact lens. Trust me, they are annoying to put on and take off but they feel really freeing."
"Ah right," Remus added. "You needed glasses before, Padfoot."
"Really?"
"We can talk more in Vegas," Sirius interrupted his godson. Not with any malice, he was clearly just resisting the urge to bounce. To be not only leaving Gimmauld Place but even the country and be able to walk around without needing to worry about being arrested… Tonks did not know how it felt, but could see why it was so exciting.
"Ok, everyone hold the hula-hoop and I'll activate the portkey," Remus told them. Tonks did not even hesitate, as did Sirius. Harry held a hand to his glasses first and was a bit hesitant, but held it firmly.
One second they were all standing in her apartment in England. The next they were in Las Vegas… three standing, and Harry once more on the ground.
…weird.
But before she could even comment on it, Sirius was already taking the young man by the arm and dragging him away through the busy streets.
At first she thought it was fine… then noticed Remus running panicked after them.
Ah right. Glorified babysitters.
And here she thought it was just the chance to have a good time.
They followed the duo until a clinic. Seemed like a magic-using eye specialist.
When did Sirius research into this? How much of this trip was planned? Did Remus not know or did Sirius just rush their plans, Harry did mention something wrong with his eyes.
She entered the place—and fell on her face. At least the place had a carpet. A nice, comfortable one that hid her face going red. She may want to stay there so her clumsiness won't make Remus look down even more on her.
Yet, looking up… Great, it happened again.
"Uhm—"
"I'm a Metamorphomagus," she explained. It was annoying, but he was bound find out sooner or later. "I was born being able to shapeshift. But… unless I'm forcing myself to keep a shape minor things like hair and eye color can change with my mood."
There, the basic explanation she gave everyone. It was… cool, she guessed. Useful. But everyone saw the positives and ignored the negatives. Just like her mom did not think through when naming her "Nymphadora".
"So… you can change shape, but in exchange you're an eternal mood ring?" he asked. And… yeah, that was kinda how her hair worked wasn't it. "Sounds… annoying."
It was. Good thing someone noticed that.
Not that she would admit it. "It's not so bad once you get used to it," Tonks shrugged. Like someone being left-handed in a world for right-handed. She was even sure her clumsiness was caused by it, since she never suffered anything when concentrated in a form. "But since it makes things harder among muggles, so I'm using a weaker version of your bracelet. People without magic just ignore that they saw anything in me change."
It wouldn't hide it, but if the person that saw it was muggle they'd just think they were mistaken, or that she was wearing some color-changing hair dye.
At that point Sirius arrived to take Harry to see the doctor, leaving her… basically alone with Remus.
She so wished he had not just seen her fall on her face.
…also that he would stop calling her Nymphadora. She never complained to him, but he should have got the hint that she disliked it already.
Now that she thought about it, he was always avoiding her. Sure, she did not hide her feelings, but… she wasn't being forceful, was she? Wasn't he being a bit unfair?
She sat down near him, but did not say anything. And he… ignored her.
Why did she even like him anyway?
She guessed it wasn't a rational thing, was it. She liked how he was calm and mature yet also had a fun-loving side. How he was loyal to his friends. And even his looks, he looked shabby and tired or sickly but also dignified.
But also hated how he put himself down all the time, even avoiding the son of one of his best friends for years out of a combination of shames, about being a werewolf, about not having been able to help then, and even about avoiding him itself.
She had good parts, he had bad parts. But she wondered if the good parts were good enough for both the bad and to go through this treatment.
She was so lost in thought, she did not notice how that very man was paying attention to her while she wasn't looking at him.
And then both of their attention was called by the voices exiting the doctor's office.
"Clothes of your own," they saw Sirius say. Tonks frowned. "Clothes that fit and look good on you. I may not be able to convince Remus, but as my godson it is my responsibility to make sure you are properly clothed from now on."
The boy tried to argue against it, but Sirius would not listen to him. Which he should not, Harry definitely needed proper clothes.
No problem with hand-me-downs for those who can't afford another way, which is not Harry's case, or if they at least fit the person properly and are good enough it is not that noticeable, which is definitely not his case either.
Then… Sirius walked to her, Harry still being dragged along.
"Cousin, you're the only one of us four who knows anything about proper muggle fashion," he told her. "Do you accept the mission of updating my godson's wardrobe?"
She smiled, but rolled her eyes. Sure, they were two wizards and someone that never chose his own clothes, but did it really need a Mission: Impossible parody?
"If you take this mission, you are free to use this for your own clothing too. If you do not, I will be forced to accept the salespeople's word for it."
Her eyes widened. What Sirius was handing her was a Black Credit Card. A type of credit card only the super rich could get.
Of course, being the proud Blacks, it was the one credit card their family would have. For as much as they acted against muggles, they did make their family mansion in the middle of town, meaning that once at least they saw the benefits of interacting, even if not properly mingling. And they were wealthy enough they probably let it pre-paid for generations.
And true enough, looking into the card it was not Sirius' but the Black Family's credit card. Sirius was not a fan of his family, but he is also not stupid to just throw their money away.
Use it all for clothes for those he does care for and the like, though?
It was kinda sweet. So she just took it, ignoring how she was kinda falling into the jokes about women and clothes shopping.
Harry really needed new clothes, and… it would be stupid to not get some for herself for free when given the chance.
It didn't help that she was having fun. The difference between him before and with good clothes was amazing.
Too bad he disliked clothing that matched his eyes… but she guessed it was understandable, if everyone always tried to put him in dark green it was no surprise he would start disliking the color and want things that didn't make him seem like a green power ranger.
He still laughed when she still bought him a Mighty Morphin Green Ranger costume, though. Everyone loved that green ranger. Everyone.
For herself… while she was not ashamed of her clothes or anything, she decided to buy some more formal ones. Mostly to fit in to where they were. She… wasn't sure if some of it was to tempt Remus or not, would she even be happy if he was more into her when dressed in a way she did not think fit?
The point was moot, though. He did not seem to react any differently.
…well, he was not letting himself react. But it wasn't like she could tell.
They went to eat some burgers after, she was pretty sure Harry never had them. And ice cream, because the ice cream machine was even working this time!
And then… they went to a casino. Sirius made a show of choosing it, but seemed like he even had already made reservations on Camelot.
Seriously, how much of this trip had been planned? The way they sold it to her, it seemed to have been a spur of the moment.
There was even reserved betting chips, plus money for food and drinks. And just the chips could pay for all the clothes she bought earlier, for both of them.
Sirius was seriously going all-out.
Yet, weirdly, Sirius went to "dive" into the people around. And Remus went after.
…wait, was the issue that Sirius was more Remus' type than her? She thought they may have just been like brothers but…
She looked longingly at the direction the two went. She wasn't sure if she thought that possibility as bothersome or as hot.
So she just shook her head. It did not matter how much Sirius had planned. She still had a charge to take care of.
And after a quick look around, she found him… sitting with an unknown woman and just talking and drinking.
She was quite the beauty, with her long white hair. Dressed in a white dress and a black and orange blazer, plus red leggings and black stilettos, a weird combination she somehow made work. Coupled with her hairstyle, a braid on one side and bangs on the other, she seemed like a mix of childish and mature.
She also seemed to be around Tonks' age. Seemed like Harry was into older women. She would need to tease him about it later.
Then she frowned about the drink. The same one of the woman. He was too young to know, and since he was hiding his age no one would tell him, but sweet drinks like those are very deceptive, they usually have more alcohol than the purer ones but the sweetness hides it. He probably did not think it had any more alcohol than butterbeer, which only had a small kick for colder days.
She should stop him. That was kinda the main point of her being made his babysitter…
But screw that. She had learned about sweet drinks and their true evil through a hangover, and so would he. All she really had to do was stop him from doing anything stupid while drunk.
Plans made, she joined the two.
No, she was not being petty and annoyed by how close they seemed while her own romantic gestures and hints were just ignored. It was just boring to just watch them from afar. How dare you suggest otherwise.
Besides, she may have been stiff at first but some time later and some drinks in it was clear she was actually a very sweet girl. And a great kisser, as she first saw from Harry's reaction and later felt by herself.
…what was she supposed to be doing again?
IIIII
Sirius Black resisted the urge to sigh.
This whole plan was not just for him and Harry, but also a way to help his cousin and remaining best friend get together.
He knew Moony liked her back. He was just trying to push her away because of his insecurities.
So he planned to leave them alone while the took Harry to get his eyes checked. Then let her have a shopping spree to look her best. And now he was supposed to be having some fun with card games while the two took care of Harry.
That had been the plan… but then Moony followed him.
Why. He had enough chips – they all had – that losing money would not be an issue. There were bouncers if he did anything. He did not even have a wand.
It was as if Moony just wanted an excuse. Did her new looks make him feel a bit too nervous?
He sighed, discarded his plans, and asked for something to drink. He would treat it like this poker game and just wing it later.
IIIII
Lev Lainur was a broken man. Emotionally and mentally.
Years before, he had awoken himself to something passed forward through his family. It was… something that most would consider terrible. The very fact he did not was a big source of his anguish.
His mind was fractured, split in three. Yet both the others knew the third one should not be allowed to live. Unfortunately, when they finally tried to end it, even if it ended up destroying themselves… it was too late. The third side let the others drive the car most of the time, but it was clear it was just because it was not time yet to fully take over.
The rest of Lev Lainur actually cared for the daughter of his old co-worker, especially as Marie took over with Marisbury's death, and due to not being properly prepared was becoming severely overworked.
She needed a break. Not despite of how close Chaldea was coming to the deadline, but exactly because it was coming close to the deadline.
She would not be able to enjoy a good rest afterwards, after all.
Of course, he knew she would refuse to go on anything she could associate with a was just stubborn and prideful like that. So he… arranged to meet someone in a place known as Las Vegas. Using that as an excuse, he asked him to accompany him, and later 'abandoned' her at a bar.
He was not worried about leaving her alone. He trusted her enough to drink in moderation, and knew she could take care of herself. All he told the bodyguards was to try to stay away discreetly and only intervene if anything bad happened.
Even if she got into a drunken marriage, to only intervene if she was being forced or tricked into it, he joked.
Or maybe not. Let her do those mistakes while she got time, not like it would last.
Even if he had no more choice about his future actions… at least he hoped she would enjoy herself during her time alone without her responsibilities weighting her down.
IIIII
Olga Marie Animusphere has been the director and main owner of Chaldea Security Organization for about four years, not long after the death of her father, Marisbury Animusphere. The man who not only founded it, but spent years dreaming of it while people thought it would not be possible. The man that, according to reports, when threatened to be killed if he did not stop his plans, just killed himself for his dream.
She idolized her father, his drive and focus in his work. Even if that led to him ignoring her as everything but his representative in official capacities, and even choosing someone else as his official heir because he was worthier in his eyes.
She had always been doing her best. The only help she ever got was from Professor Lev. The only one she could trust was Professor Lev. Maybe in a world her father did not get the capital to found Chaldea she would have someone else… no, that was a terrible thought to have.
Then she found out how far the man she looked up to had gone in his research and… well, she may have had problems keeping her food inside for some time. And would not be surprised anymore if she woke up with a knife sinking in her back.
Either way, she was aware people consider incredibly stiff, and a bore, and avoid her, and… just not a good person to be around and she should learn to relax. And she usually ignored them.
But if even Professor Lev thought she needed to take a break, to the point he brought her to Las Vegas of all places and then left her behind in a bar with a poor excuse…
Well, part of her taking a drink was to follow his expectations, part was to try and relax, and part was to drive out of her head the pure annoyance she was feeling. Would that be a betrayal of her trust? Or maybe it was out of concern and she was doing something wrong?
She tried to focus herself on her drinks, fruity because she likes fruits but with plenty of alcohol. Some sleezy guys kept trying to hit on her from time to time, but she could tell they just wanted to get under her skirt, which only made her more annoyed and ask for another drink.
She let out a sigh. She was not having a good time, and if she kept drinking she could become drunk and be a danger… better just finish this last one and be on her way, maybe betting a bit at a casino would help.
That was when she felt someone else approach her. Turning around to look at whoever it was though, she lost her breath. His eyes were a deep, mesmerizing green, almost like an emerald and some inner energy being released from them, so deep and breathtaking to the point she actually stopped breathing for a second. She almost wondered if it was an active Mystic Eye, but for all her lack of interactions with others she was a properly-trained Magus and would be able to tell if they were.
But most important, magi also dealt a lot with subterfuge with their internal politics, so she knew that the genuine concern for her in those eyes was genuine. Or she was better at tricking people than she was at detecting, and if so he deserved to trick her, in her mind.
"Uhm, sorry," the young man said. She could not say for sure who he was, but she could tell that it was just a very common mystic code to hide his identity, very used for famous people. "You seem like you're having a bad time, I just thought you could use a friendly face?" he gave an awkward smile.
She could feel the corners of her lips twitch. "Are you always just offering 'a friendly face' to girls you meet while drinking?"
"Not… really, I usually don't even talk with anyone I don't already know," he admitted awkwardly. "But… I was having a bad time until recently with no one to get me out of it until my godfather just… kidnapped me to here, I guess," he shrugged. "You reminded me of how I was feeling, so…"
She smiled. He did seem like it was all the truth. And again, if he was lying at least he was convincing enough she would not feel that stupid falling for it.
The fact some people she recognized as part of Chaldea security were around and did nothing made her feel a bit better too.
She motioned to the bartender for two more of her fruity drink, pointing to both of them. The young man joined her, and they started talking. Just… talking.
If anything, this Harry was proving himself just the company she needed.
At some point a third person joined them. A woman. She was an acquaintance of Harry but not a close one yet, it seemed.
She was… comfortable with them. She may even be having fun.
Made her think that she did not really want to be apart from them from then on.
IIIII
The night moved on. Alcohol was drunk by everyone. A bit past where it should.
And everything past that was a blur with just a few flashes of memory.
The three got along. Became friends. Played some games in the casino. Went out in town. Met an Elvis inside what looked like a chapel, weird but ok.
The hotel staff was very polite. They even changed their rooms. Alwayss congratulating them for something.
Things were hot though, and there was only one bed. So they climbed it on their underwear and passed out. Which, considering it was way past midnight and Vegas was 8 hours earlier than in the UK, meant all three of them were awake for over a whole day.
IIIII
"There must be something we can do!" Olga Marie yelled, more to herself than to anyone else. She had started pacing around, this was not helping her stress levels.
"Not for a year," Tonks, or rather Nymphadora now, replied. "It was why Las Vegas became popular even among wizards popular in the first place, with how isolated most of us keep ourselves. Couples wanting to avoid their family's arranged marriages eloped and were legally married here, the contract meant no one could legally separate them or force them into another marriage as long as it stands. To avoid abuses it has to be agreed to willingly, and the year is in case there are any regrets in the future."
"I don't remember agreeing to anything, Nymphadora," was the angry reply. "Especially being part of a harem."
Gritting her teeth, as she did not even have a better name to ask to be called by anymore (she hated Vulpecula more, and the Potter option was… not at the moment).
"You don't remember anything around that time," she shot back fiercely. "And I don't think two girls make a harem."
"Not the point."
"Maybe this isn't legally binding?" Harry asked. "I mean, I'm a minor, right?"
"Triwizard Tournament," was Nymphadora's quick reply.
"I was drunk?"
"We were all drunk," she sighed, before throwing herself on the bed. "Just great. I'm not only married to someone not even fifteen, it is the Boy-Who-Lived meaning I officially cradle-robbed a public figure and now have to face the crazy Witch Weekly gossip, and can't just use my new family name instead of my name. No offense Harry."
"None taken," he shrugged. To him at least those were pretty valid complaints.
"'Boy-Who-Lived'?" Olga Marie asked, confused.
"A terrorist attacked my family at the Halloween when I was a year old," Harry grumbled. "My mother did something and the spell he threw at me, which never failed to kill someone before, seems to have rebound or something. So now Halloween is for every wizard or witch in Great Britain the day the 'Boy-Who-Lived' saved everyone, while for me it is the day I was orphaned and sent to live hidden away with relatives who hate magic."
"But… 'Boy-Who-Lived'?"
He shrugged.
"No, no, keep going," the other wife joked. "Tell us how you really feel."
Harry frowned at that. Should he?
Well…
"I… I know you girls will be angry, but I'm kinda glad?" he flinched and looked away, to not look at them. "I mean, I barely met Tonks or however you want to be called now before we all got drunk, all I knew is that you're Sirius' cousin. And almost all I know of Olga Marie was while we were drunk…" he took a deep breath. "But in that time we forgot, we did get along well enough we got married. So…"
Since he was looking away, he could not see how Tonks blinked and went pensive at that thought, or how Olga Marie blushed and tried (poorly) to hide a smile.
"I'm hoping we can build up to it again while sober? Or at least be good friends?" he shrugged. "I never dated anyone before, so that's the best I can think of."
Then with some more thought he added, "oh, but I hope I can live with one of you from now on. I hate living with my relatives."
He did not turn back to face them. He kinda already knew this was supposed to be a bad thing… but since he could not deny this was one the best thing he could remember happening to him, he thought best to just wait for their reply.
With a sigh, Tonks took over. "I didn't really think you would take it literally and tell us how you feel, you know," she scratched her head. "Yeah, I guess that when I forgot about the age difference or your fame we got along, didn't we? Or… I guess," she shrugged. "Consequences say so."
Harry looked at her, and seeing her calm expression he relaxed a bit. "So you're… not angry?"
"Not at you. I mean, I'm the adult and I'm just as guilty as you are in this," she pointed out with a shrug. "I'm just a bit annoyed about the name. I mean, when people say 'Potter' they thing of you. Even 'Mrs. Potter' is one of two now."
If she was being honest she was also a bit hurt that her initial plan was to hit a bit on Lupin and he ended up a witness to her marrying someone else… but she guessed she had to trust "drunk her" to have a better sense of what she really wanted.
"Uhm, we could shorten it?" Harry tried, "Like Nym, or Dora? Or just keep 'Tonks' as a nickname?"
Tonks(?) laughed at that. "Like the kids tv show?" she pointed out. "I think my father used to call me that, though. I don't think keeping my maiden name as a nickname would be a nice idea. Nym… hmm… doesn't sound right, but I can't think of anything better." The then turned to Olga Marie. "What do you think?"
Put on the spot, the other woman stumbled. "I, uhm… I like Nymphadora myself... But but I'm used to people named something like that, my father was named Marisbury and his apprentice Kirshtaria…"
"I get it," Nymphadora interrupted.
"But… I think Dora is better? I mean, Nym sounds… I mean… Dora is… cuter?" she finaly admitted, with a flinch.
The other girl looked at her a bit, before sighing. "I guess. Dora it is, then," she nodded, before jumping out of the bed…
Then reality remembered she was clumsy, and she tripped on landing and fell down on the floor.
"I'm fine, used to it" she said, before anyone could make a fuss about it. "And what about you?" she asked the other. "I mean, 'Olga Marie' is… kind of a mouthful, you know. Must get annoying to be called the full thing all the time."
Said woman did not reply right away, looking at her a bit annoyed… but then looked away. "It does feel… a bit impersonal. Even if when my father says my name it is always 'Olga Marie', it always feels like he is talking to a stranger…"
She sighed. "Some people shorten it to Olga, but Professor Lev calls me Marie."
"Professor Lev?" Harry asked.
The now-nicknamed Marie loved to the ground, clearly to avoid looking at them. "Professor Lev was my father's coworker, and is the one that helps me the most now that I had to take his position. And… he is the closest thing I ever had to a friend…"
"Well… you have us now?" Harry painted out. "I mean…"
"Will you?" she asked back, a bit of begging in her voice. "Will you really be my friends? Not just because of the marriage? I… I never really had any…"
"Hey, you just don't remember having one," the newly-dubbed Dora pointed out. "Didn't Harry say it? We may have forgotten, but we did get along well enough when drunk. Else we would never have got married, especially with those two as witnesses."
Marie did not say anything, did not even move for a while…
Then lunged at Dora, giving her a hug while crying.
The other hugged back by instinct, her eyes wide in confusion.
Shrugging, Harry walked to them and made it a group hug.
It took a minute or two for Marie to calm down, and even then she did not raise her head from Dora's chest. "I want a proper marriage ceremony," she said.
"Uh?" Harry replied, loquaciously.
"I don't want to remember my marriage just from pictures where we were married by a fat guy in a cheap Elvis costume," she complained. "He didn't even bother painting the blond hair under the wig! You can see it clearly in the pics!"
Harry could not help it. He started laughing. Loudly.
"I'm serious, mister," she said angrily, turning to face Harry… with a cute pout, which made him laugh even more. "Don't you even think of co-c-consummating it before then!" she finished with a blush, and making Harry blush back and go silent.
"We… didn't already, did we?"
"I… think I would have noticed?" Marie shot back, rubbing her legs as if to try and remember.
"Nah. We still had our underwear where it should, remember?" Dora pointed out. "It wasn't even stretched as if pushed to the side. We would not have been able to put them back like that with how drunk we must have been."
"You… may have a point," Marie 'admitted', making Dora roll her eyes.
"Merlin, you sound like aunt Narcissa when she is trying to pretend she doesn't like hanging out with my mom."
Harry laughed at that. He only saw her once, but he could totally see Malfoy's mom acting all formal to hide the fact she was happy to hang out with her sister's family.
And himself? It was… a weird surprise, but yeah. He was happy.
IIIII
"Hey Moony?" Sirius Black asked from his cell.
"Yes Padfood?" Remus Lupin asked from his.
"Do you also remember being a witness to marrying the pup, Tonks, and a white-haired beauty?"
"It's Vegas magic," Lupin explained. "They don't undo the blender, but witnesses can never forget what happened. Well, unless the marriage is undone, and it will still be fixed in there for another year. Not even obliviation can get rid of it."
"Oh," Sirius said. Before groaning. "Oh Merlin, forget killing, Andy is gonna fix me for this."
"You?" Lupin countered. "She specifically threatened my balls if me or her daughter came back married."
"You and her daughter, Moony," was the laughing reply. "Did you really not notice her crush on you?"
There was no reply, Lupin just turning around in the cot.
"Moony, don't resent Harry for this."
That got the other's attention. "Why would I? I was there, Sirius!"
At his friend's raised eyebrow, he elaborated. "Sirius, I admit that I knew she had a crush on me. And… maybe we would have had a future together if I gave her the chance. Who knows, we barely even knew each other."
"Harry barely knew her too, Moony," Sirius pointed out. "Hell, they only met on the way to Vegas."
"But that's the thing, Padfoot! I didn't give her a chance. I didn't. Harry did," Lupin finished, standing from the cot and going to the bars. "Call it cowardice to open up, or being too worried about the age difference. I pushed her away. I wanted to let herself get closer, but always went back on it when she tried too. Harry and her opened up to the other while drunk, and got along much better from what I recall."
He sighed. "I would never resent either of them for being happy together when I refused to take the risk. I just… wish I did take it."
Sirius sighed. Moony was moping now. But as much as he wanted to make his old friend feel better… this time he was right. It was his own fault, and neither Harry nor Tonks were to blame.
…
"Hey Moony!"
"Yeah, Padfoot?"
"…what are we in jail for?"
Remus did not answer at first. "…well, besides the wedding my memory is not perfect… But I do remember a list of things we could be here for. All done while here in Vegas."
"Well gentlemen," came a voice coming closer through the corridor, "I heavily suggest keeping that list for yourselves. They could take it as a confession."
IIIII
"Beg your pardon?" Harry asked.
But what he was really begging for was to having heard him wrong.
"This is your hotel and casino now," the manager confirmed. "You three are now the majority holders of this place."
That explained why they were sharing such a big room, instead of their supposed individual ones.
"…how?" was all Harry could say.
He was the only one. Not the only one surprised and confused, but the only one able to say something.
Dora's mind seemed to be in time out. Marie was looking around as if expecting this to be a trap.
"From what reports said," the manager handed him a clipboard, "after the alcohol from your drinks finally hit, you three welt through… basically everything in the casino. And won almost every time as soon as you understood the rules. Enough that it was impossible to pay you everything back."
Harry went to ask—"And yes, we are sure no magic was used. We have equipment to make sure." He closed his mouth.
The manager tapped in his own wrist. "We were hoping to use your bracelet to bargain about lowering the exchange rate, as we knew you were a minor… but then found out you three went and got married, making that point moot."
Harry nodded. They could only claim the money belonged to his wives, who are adults.
…man, was that a weird thought.
"The solution we got to was converting our debt to you into stock instead of money," the manager continued. "So, in the end… you three now own just barely over half the total stocks of the place."
Silence.
"I'll leave you three to it," the manager said. "The clipboard has all relevant info you three probably need for now, and I have more work to take care of. If you would excuse me."
He then bowed politely, before leaving like he said. Understandable, it was probably a hard work without a drunk trio changing how everything was.
As soon as he left their sight, Dora sighed. "I was gonna say 'I need a drink,' but…"
Harry nodded. "Just my luck…"
Marie looked at him, surprised… then pensive.
"H-Harry," she struggled, still getting used to… everything that happened that day, "do you mind meeting some people from Chaldea?"
"Uhm, what's Chaldea again?"
"My job. I'm the director," she replied. The lack of details made it clear not much more would be explained.
He shrugged then replied, a bit confused. "I think it's just proper I do sooner or later, since I'm married to one of the bosses there now and everything. Why?"
"This… isn't normal, yet you act as if something would happen sooner or later" she said.
"Yeah, that's what we jokingly call the 'Potter Luck'," he explained. "For good or bad, I seem to be a target for both sides of Murphy's Law or something. Especially on Halloween. We could talk about examples later, if you want."
"I do, thank you," she nodded. "If what you are saying is right… Well, if we can understand why, if we can control or reproduce it…"
"Wait, what?" his eyes widened. "You want to use me as… a magic guinea pig or something?"
"Magi are kinda known for that," Dora said. "It's another reason wizards have as much beef with them."
"True, and… sometimes it is justified," Marie agreed. "But we can't be judge just by the ones that take it too far. You have your Dark Wizards, we have our Sealing Designations."
She looked deep into Harry's eyes. "I swear, I will do all I can so no harm will come to you. Chaldea is in my hands now, and I refuse to let them hurt anyone just for research."
Harry himself put his hand on the top of her head. "Sounds important to you, huh?" He smiled at her. "Sure, I trust you."
"We just met yester—are you headpating me?" she noticed with a blush.
"Uhm, sorry?" he said back, blushing himself now that he noticed what he was doing. "Uhm, do you want me to stop?"
Marie did not reply, looking away, blush darkening, but did not move.
"I'll take your silence as 'no'."
Still no words.
He then looked at Dora, who was just staring at the two.
Staring.
Star—
"Want headpats too?"
"No," she answered quickly, looking away.
"Your hair is green," he shot back. "I don't speak mood ring hair yet, but that speaks 'I want headpats' to me."
The hair immediately turned pink.
"Just saying, if you want headpats too you can just come closer. I won't judge."
Tonks said no word. Did not turn away.
Just awkwardly shuffled around, just getting closer.
Thus how Harry ended up headpatting his two new tsundere-y wives in the middle of a corridor.
…and you know what? He liked this. And hoped they could do it again in the future.
Hopefully they would open up about it.
IIIII
Fausto de Bragança was a first generation magus.
Unlike wizards and their blood purity, there is a reason first generation magi are considered inferior.
Magi research magic, and each family not only has a specialty but transfer their research down the family line through a Family Magic Crest. Meaning they have all the magical knowledge and their improvements from the generations before, while first gens only have their own creativity and research.
While there were first gens that proved themserlves regardless, like Lorl El-Melloi II, that requires extreme talent. Those are the exception, and not the rule.
Fausto had dreams of becoming one such exception. And the ways he went through for that were through research that most magi also looked down on.
Wizards. How did they work. How did their magic skip being countered by Gaia. Could it be reproduced through Magecraft.
And the previous day he saw a rarity even among them. Being a magic user, the bracelet she was using did not affect him.
He found a metamorphomagi. A young female specimen to boot, meaning she could be used to produce further ones in the future too.
Next step, to capture and take her away.
Whatever knowledge is hidden in that body, it would become his.
IIIII
If you are trying to understand the difference, I am basically making wizards more like DnD sorcerers and magi more like DnD wizards.
"More like" means that while wizards get magic from their blood they can learn spells instead of just awaken them, but their magic is more natural and instinctive, and while magi are magical researchers they do not use the Vancian system of preparing their magic beforehand (well, kinda. They can, like the Tohsaka Jevelcraft, they just are not limited to it) and their magic is more limited and unnatural so less lasting (nature itself needing to be fought for it to happen).
Fausto de Bragança is an original character, yes. But I at least think it is realistic in this particular world I made, where wizards can go against the main limitations of magi it would be expected someone would try and research them to be able to rise socially.
As a native Portuguese speaker, I named him after our version of Faust, and gave him one of the family names of the old Royal Family. He is not related to them though, just wanted to give him a posh name.
Yes, Harry won so much while drunk, he won a whole casino (kinda). And not just any casino, but the Camelot, Fate Grand Order's version of the Excalibur Hotel and Casino.
No, I have no idea if it is possible in real life. But this exaggeration is not just funnier, I can think of many ways this could be used when we get to the actual event.
And of course, Amazoness is Amazon.
Why use those versions when in canon they only appear in either a singularity or are from the Servantverse, thus neither is a part of normal reality?
In a series that is basically "public domain the verse" (as a counter to Jojo's "Japanese copyright is not limited by other countries' but localization has to make leaps for changes the verse") it just… fits in my head to make those versions also related to the "real human history".
And yes, if you interpreted the… very obvious hints, I am giving him a Mystic Eye. And, as many mentions there make it seem, a Jewel Mystic Eye.
But don't worry, this is just mentioning it is there. It won't be relevant to the story for a while.
For those not too deep into Nasuverse (and I have to admit I myself need to check wikis as I wasn't able to play all visual novels or read all novels yet) Jewel is the second highest grade of Mystic Eyes, only inferior to Rainbow. There are only two known kinds of Rainbow Eyes, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception – the ones from Tsukihime and Garden of Sinners – and the unnamed one from Crimson Moon Brunestud.
Harry is getting the eyes because I at least always saw it as he was predestined to join the Deathly Hallows – as the name of the fic implies, he is the Master of Death with or without them. As thus, his powers in that field will be shown in his eyes, first awakened by seeing Cedric's death like a certain horse creature.
And no, they won't be the Eyes of Death Perception. Those are a mix of Pure Eyes and Mystic Eyes. Harry, as a wizard, is part magical being, even if distantly, and thus cannot have a Pure Eye.
Speaking of Death.
For those curious, I consider Death (not First Hassan, or a death-related deity, an actual incarnation of Death) as either a Foreigner or a Ruler.
Foreigners are not really just Lovecraftian beings, but beings outside human boundaries/comprehension. According to the text on Abigail Williams Summer Version, Foreigners are outsiders to the Holy Grail War. That counts not only people being used as vessels for interdimensional beings (think lovecraftian beings for most of them), but also people from the future (at least from the Servantverse, but we do go there and have some from the relative present in our party at the same time, it was even a joke when Mysterious Heroine XX was hiding who she was from her past self) and even a humanization of the Voyager probe.
To me at least, Death certainly is in that range.
Ruler is just as valid an option to me, though. Besides their lore reasoning of being the ones to maintain order, and Death is the ultimate arbiter of everything (in Tsukihime, Mystic Eyes of Death Perception just… see the end of things. Even supposedly undestructible things are just harder to see, Arcueid's lines at full power just really thin, or are limited by the wielder's understanding of them). It even fits mechanically almost perfectly.
Ruler resists all six non-Berserker base classes, is only weak to the "too angry to die" classes (Berserker and Avenger, with Avenger also having resistance), is neutral to the more philosophical classes of AlterEgo, Pretender and Foreigner (and Shielder, but everything is neutral to Shielder)… The only wrinkle are Moon Cancers being weak to Rulers… unless you count it as consequence to not being connected as directly to the Moon Cell System in FGO.
