AN: I finally got a beta reader! You can all thank the lovely Merlenyn for my chapters being cleaned up significantly. So, do any of you happen to live in New York? Because I have a few fic questions, and I've never actually been there. If you do, and are willing to answer said questions, please pm me. Thanks.

Review Responses:

Merlenyn: Oh boy, that's a lot. Ok, here we go, Mike's patience with the Dumbledore/Voldemort/Occlumency situation wasn't that great from the get go, but he'll grit his teeth and bare with it. So Dumbledore won't have reason to suspect Severus and attempt to control him with the Imperius. That said, Severus is a master of the mind arts, more so than even Dumbledore, at least in my fic. Given that it's the mind the Imperius effects, I feel he could throw Dumbledore's off easily if it came to that. I don't however, think Dumbledore would. Not because he can't, I just don't feel like he would.

I don't have much to say about your second paragraph. I felt it was pretty obvious that Mike would take advantage of his new status and openly do the defence- Sorry, dueling club. His detentions with Umbridge became non-existent pretty much as soon as she found out about his status. She's still a bit suspicious, but she doesn't really have any evidence except that one detention.

The next chapter starts out kinda going over the response to the pensieve (oh I hate that word, my phone keeps forgetting it somehow, causing me to type pensive.) interview. And I probably won't say exactly where she flees to, but it's totally America. So basically the answers to pretty much all of your questions in the Rita/Amelia paragraph are 'You'll see'.

As for how the second half of the SAO arc, anime wise, will play out. Some of Asuna's scenes will remain almost entirely the same, like Asuna taking a break and partying with Hanna and Kirito, and cooking the Ragout Rabbit. However others, like when Heathcliff summoned Asuna and Kirito to talk about Kirito 'stealing' her will be rather different. As for pairings, I've thought about it, but I haven't really come to any sort of decision, the one thing I know for certain is she won't end up with Mike and isn't his soulmate. When it comes to Klein... Well, personally given that he reacted to Asuna before the Gleam Eyes fight the same way he reacts to any other pretty woman, I prefer to think of Klein as 18 when SAO started and 20 when it ended, and a bit slow when it comes to maturing mentally. This may make him sound like a bit of a paedophile, but given that I actually kinda like Klein and that in canon he's actually 22 when the game starts and 24 when the game ended, that means that depending on when his birthday is he was either 23 or 24 when he hit on a 17 year old girl. Ya. Honestly, I debated whether or not I should put in the Klein's reaction the first time he saw what Marzanna really looked like, but Klein goes googly eyed at pretty much any pretty girl. It didn't bother me til I found out how old he was, and honestly, I don't think the actual writer for the series took into account that a 23-24 year old attempting to hit on a 17 year old girl is kinda a no-no. Hence why I prefer to think of Klein as younger and slower to mature mentally.

It did take Kirito and Hanna a bit to figure out, but I didn't forget about it or anything. I knew before I started the arc that it would take a while before realization hit them.

Now as for Asuna being a witch, I'll admit that I honestly hadn't though of it, but I definitely like the idea, and if it's cool with you, I'm totally going to use it.

To everyone- This is just something minor I wanted to inform you guys of, so feel free to skip this if you'd like. During the long period between chapters 18 and 19, I felt bad that it was taking so long to get back to people because of how long the chapter itself took to get out, and I also realized that there were people I'd been meaning to get back to who commented on previous chapters after I'd already moved on. As such, I replied to those people with pms. I rather liked doing it that way, because it let me talk one to one with these people, but I also didn't like that it meant I wasn't posting my responses on the fic so the rest of you get some explanation to things these people bring up. As such, I'm going to start responding to reviews with a pm, but still posting my response on the fics for anyone else with similar questions to read.

June 3rd, 2024- 576 days since SAO launch:

Mike and Hermione were in the Room of Requirement for breakfast, though today they were joined by Fred and George. It was the day after the three newspapers had printed Rita's article, on the front page for all three no less. They both figured Mike would be bombarded with mail today, hence why they weren't in the Great Hall. They'd roped Fred and George into helping, though originally reluctant in going with the two, they'd grown excited when they'd found out about the Room and had it explained to them. Though they were disappointed that they'd only found out about it at the very end of their last year.

Their suspicions were proven correct when over a hundred owls began streaming in through the window the Room had helpfully provided. Mike assumed it was somehow connected outside, though whether it was purely magic, or whether the castle had rearranged itself, which it was known to do occasionally, Mike didn't know.

After a long two hours of Mike, Fred, and George opening letters while Hermione kept track of how many believed him, how many who didn't, and took the few letters they decided to answer, they finally settled down.

George sighed as he stretched, "That took forever."

Fred nodded, "You're telling me. I don't think I've ever read so much in one sitting."

Mike hummed in agreement, "Thanks a lot for your help guys. That would've taken so much longer if it was just me reading them all." He turned to Hermione nervously, "What's the final count? Most of the ones I read seemed to believe me, but…"

Hermione smiled at him excitedly, "Out of 216 replies, only 47 outright didn't believe you, which is about 22 percent. That's honestly a lot better than I thought it'd be, given how stubbornly Fudge and therefore the Ministry is denying your claims. There were also 15 people who couldn't seem to decide if they believed you or not, or about 7 percent. While not everyone gets any of the international papers, you finally speaking out about this will likely get a lot of attention. People will talk about it to their friends, and they might pick up a copy, then they'll talk about it to others, so on and so forth. If the percentages we saw in the letters are true as a whole, 71 percent of the British magical population believing you is fantastic."

Mike sighed, "I certainly hope that's the case, but Fudge has likely been made aware of the article already. The Ministry will undoubtedly release something to counter my memories and interview with Skeeter."

Hermione nodded, "I know, but there's not much we can do about it. The only real things they might be able to say are that you used magic to mess with Rita and Mr Meakin's minds, or that Mr Meakin is unqualified. While a healers checkup and Mr Meakin retesting for his license would counter those arguments, Rita's done a runner and Mr Meakin specifically requested his name be left out of the article. Not that I can really blame either of them, but without them we can't really do anything about whatever the Ministry forces the Prophet to print."

George frowned, "But won't most of the people you guys convinced just be brought back around to the Fudge's side?"

Hermione sighed tiredly, "We're hoping not. Undoubtedly there will be those who change their minds again, but we did the article in that specific way hoping that any counter arguments the Ministry makes using the Prophet will come off as weak. Hopefully the percentage of people who believe us stays in our favor. If it does, Amelia will probably have more freedom to prepare under the 'guise of settling the population's concerns'. Or at least, that's what Fudge will think. She assured us that should such an opportunity present itself, she'll do far more than just pretend to prepare."

George shared a grimace with Fred, then huffed, "This sounds far too much like politics for mine and Fred's liking. Me and Fred will help as much as we can, just please don't ask us to do politics."

Fred nodded, "We hate politics. They're boring, tedious, and complicated."

Mike laughed lightly, "I'll tell you what, you guys just help when you can and try to keep people's spirits up with your jokes and pranks, and I'll do my best to keep you out of the politics. Deal?"

George shared a glance with his twin, they nodded at each other, then grinned at him, "You've got yourself a deal!" Then he sighed, "If that bastard Bagman hadn't cheated us, we'd be well on our way to having an actual shop. We could keep people's spirits up, as you put it, a lot better if we did."

Fred scowled, "Yeah well, what's done is done. No point bringing it up now."

George huffed, "I know. It just makes me so angry though."

Fred nodded, "You and me both."

Mike watched them complain a bit more in thought. He still had most of his winnings from last year's tournament. He'd offered to have them added to the family's emergency funds, but his dad had firmly denied it. As he put it, even if he hadn't entered into the tournament himself, nor wanted to complete once he realized how serious it was, he'd still won it fair and square. They weren't hurting for money, so his dad wanted him to enjoy his winnings. He'd barely gotten into them though, only spent about 75 of it over the course of the Hogsmeade visits he and Hermione had gone on. Given the vast size of his sister and families libraries, he hadn't even had reason to spend almost any of it on books that interested them, since even if his family didn't have a specific book, they probably had at least a couple on the topic of interest anyway. There had been two Hermione had really wanted and was going to buy, but he'd gotten them for her.

Mike pulled himself from his wayward thoughts, "How much do you guys need for your shop?"

The two turned to him a bit startled, then Fred tilted his head in thought, "Hmm, we talked it over before we made the bet with Bagman. It came out to about 850. Six hundred for the shop, and 250 for some things we need for development of our projects. Why?"

Mike shrugged, "I still have almost all of my winnings from the tournament left."

The twins straightened and shared a glance, before George began slowly speaking, "And you'd give us the funds?"

Mike nodded, "Sure. You guys are brilliant at what you do, and everyone could use a bit of laughter, especially now that Voldemort is back."

Fred frowned, "What do you want out of it? Your nice Mike, especially since you've pulled your head out of your ass, but…" He trailed off, then shook his head, "We couldn't just take your money without giving you something in return anyway. It just wouldn't feel right."

Mike shrugged, "Then, I don't know, make me a partner, or give me stock in your company, or something."

The twins glanced at each other, then quickly put their heads together and had a quick, low conversation, before nodding firmly to each other. They pulled away from each other, and grinned widely at him, Fred speaking for them now, "Well then, great to have you on board partner."

Mike smiled lightly, "Just do me a favor? I know you guys probably want to leave and get started on your shop as soon as possible, but our OWL and NEWT exams start today, so please stay and do them."

George eyed him with a frown, "Why?"

Mike sighed, "Don't look at me like that, it's not like I don't believe in you or anything. Like I said, you guys are brilliant at what you do, I'd actually be incredibly shocked if you didn't succeed. I just don't want you guys to screw yourselves over in the rare chance it doesn't work out."

They shared glance, and Fred shrugged a bit, "They do start today, and they wouldn't take that long. Two weeks and we'd be done."

George nodded slowly, "That is true…" Then he sighed, "Oh, alright. Fair enough. Can't really be mad if you're just trying to look out for us. And it's not that long to wait anyway."

Mike smiled, "Thank you."

Fred grinned at him, "But in exchange, you get to break the news about our joke shop to mom. She hasn't actually said anything, but I think she's been hoping since we lost our life savings to Bagman that we'd give up and get a 'real job' as she's always called it every time she lectured us. Honestly, coming up with and making our products isn't exactly easy you know."

Mike nodded, "I know, and she probably does to. She's probably just worried about what'll happen if you don't succeed. You guys have put so much effort into this that it's affected your grades. I think it's less that she doesn't believe in you or think you can't make a living off of it, and more that she's worried about you future if you fail."

They both frown thoughtfully, and George slowly spoke, "Huh, we never…. actually thought of it like that. We always just assumed…."

Mike shrugged, "I don't know what's actually going through your mother's head. Maybe it's something else entirely, that's just always what it's seemed like to me since she doesn't seem the type to discourage her children from pursuing a career of their choice purely because it isn't a 'real' job. I could completely see her attempting to discourage a particular job because it's dangerous, but not just because it isn't a proper job."

The twins fell into a thoughtful silence. After a couple minutes, Hermione cleared her throat, "Well, anyway, we need to get going. The exams will start soon."

Draco was leisurely strolling around the halls after the evening practical exams, gleefully taking points from anyone not a Slytherin. With a smirk, he noticed a group of Ravenclaw girls, huddling together rapidly whispering about something.

He strode over with the intention of putting the know-it-all's in their place, "Well, well, what do we have here? Breaking the rules?"

The girls turned to him, but to his shock rather than reluctant submission as he'd come to expect in the months since becoming part of the Inquisitorial Squad, what he received were nasty glares. One of the girls held up an international paper, "We're talking about your father and the other Death Eater scum actually. He's been rather busy lately, hasn't he Malfoy?"

Draco scowled, hiding his confusion, then held out his hand angrily, "Give me that!"

The girl glared at him, roughly shoving it into his chest, he'd barely managed to get a hold on the paper before she yanked her hand away in disgust, "You can have it."

With that, the girls all began leaving, some of them giving him nasty looks, others sticking their noses up at him. He gazed after them in pure confusion, then finally pulled the paper away from his chest to read it. He'd barely glanced at the headline before he screamed in rage. Shaking with fury, he tore off to Umbridge's office. She'd do something about this. She had to.

Mike was eating dinner in the Great Hall, discussing the Transfiguration exam scheduled for the next day when Umbridge stormed over. With a shaking fist, she held up one of the papers that had published Rita's article, "Mr Potter! What is this?!"

Mike raised an eyebrow, "I believe I've told you multiple times that it's Sparda. And it looks to me to be a newspaper."

Umbridge's expression twisted into something even uglier than usual, which rather surprised Mike who didn't think it was possible, "I know what it is, Mr Potter!" She shoved the front page into his face, "I meant these atrocious lies Rita wrote about and your part in them!"

Mike tilted his head, "It's not illegal to speak to a reporter."

Umbridge shook the paper furiously, "It is when you're slandering the good name of upstanding citizens!" Finally she seemed to calm a bit, a triumphant gleam entering eyes, "However, I suppose it is your right to speak to the press. You'd best prepare yourself, I'm sure you'll be dealing with a lawsuit very soon."

Mike tilted his head, "No. I won't. They'd have to be able to prove that I'm lying, and they can't. I'm sure they realize that any attempt to do so would only prove me right and result in them being prosecuted for their criminal actions. In other words, their silence will only give further proof that I'm telling the truth.'

Umbridge scowled fiercely, "When did you do the interview?"

Mike raised an eyebrow, "I don't see how that's any of your business Professor, given that it is my personal business that has nothing to do with school and wasn't done on school grounds."

Umbridge started twitching in fury, "When Mr Potter?!"

Mike sighed in exasperation, "It's Sparda. And it was last Hogsmeade visit."

Umbridge drew a sharp breath, "There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you. Fifty points from Gryffindor for abusing the trust this school puts in its students by allowing them to go to Hogsmeade, and another fifty for such deplorable lies!"

Mike simply tilted his head as he watched her storm away muttering furiously. Once she was out of earshot, he idly commented to Hermione in the dead silence of the Hall, "She didn't really think that first one through, did she? There are only a handful of Hogsmeade visits left."

Hermione huffed in amusement, "No, I suppose not."

Mike finally let his gaze drift over his housemates, who were all gaping at him. He sighed, "You can all be as angry at me as you want for losing us one hundred points. Just don't expect me to apologize."

There was a beat of silence, then just as Mike was turning his attention back to his food he noticed Colin straighten up with a determined expression a bit down the table. As soon as Mike was looking at him, Colin smiled, "There are things a lot more important than house points and some stupid cup."

Mike gave him a brief smile, then looked around the Gryffindor table again. There were mostly sceptical looks, a handful of angry looks, some unsure, and a scattered few such as Ginny, Fred, George, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, the Creevey brothers, and even Neville were giving him looks of pride and approval. Ronald, he noticed, looked absolutely furious. The pang of sadness took him quite by surprise, but he supposed it wasn't entirely unfounded. Ron had been his best friend since they were children, and in previous years he'd always stood up for Mike whenever he lost a lot of points. Then again, for all that he'd stayed by Mike's side when he lost so many points, he'd never been very loyal when things actual took a turn for the worse.

A moment later talk slowly picked up again around him. Hermione suddenly grabbed his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, quietly murmuring, "They'll believe you soon enough. Trust me."

Mike nodded, "I know." He hesitated momentarily, "It's just…. Ron's behavior still hurts every now and then. I know it's stupid, he was never a very good friend, or a loyal one, but…"

Hermione squeezed his hand again, "Yes, but he was still your friend for the majority of your life."

Mike nodded, "I know that, I just…." He shook his head, "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Anyway, what were you saying about tomorrow's Transfiguration exam?" Hermione looked like she was about to protest, so he held up his hand, "'Mione I don't really want to talk about it, ok? I shouldn't have brought it up."

Hermione pursed her lips briefly, then nodded, "I was just asking you whether you'd studied up and practiced your Vanishing. With the way Professor McGonagall has been focusing on it, I'm almost certain it'll be in the exam. Though whether it will be in the theoretical or the practical I can't say. What do you think?"

Mike snorted, "Course I did. McGonagall hasn't exactly been subtle. It seems more likely to be in the practical to me. It's much harder to do than it's theory is to understand."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, it is true that Vanishing is the hardest OWL level Transfiguration, but I still think…"

Mike let her words wash over him, drawing comfort from Hermione's consistency. It truly was remarkable the changes life brought as it went on.

June 4th, 2024- 577 days since SAO launch:

Mike scowled up at the wall outside the Great Hall, "Of course she banned the papers…"

Hermione nodded with a smile, "As I expected. She really is far too predictable."

Mike eyed her, "Why are you so happy about this?"

Hermione looked startled at the inquiry, "Oh Mike, don't you see? If there was one thing she could have done to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read Rita's article, it was banning it!"

Hermione of course turned out to be right. By the time dinner rolled around, it seemed everyone had read the article, even though Mike had yet to see even a glimpse of any of the three papers. Students were talking about it everywhere Mike went, they discussed it while queuing up for classes, whispered about it at lunch and during lessons, Hermione even told him that everyone in the bathroom was talking about it when she went in there really quick before the Transfiguration exam started.

Most of them went quiet when they saw him, but a few were brave enough to walk up and question him, or just to tell him that they believed him. By lunchtime, the scepticism from his housemates had vanished, and it seemed like the rest of the school believed him now as well. If the looks he got from the other students was any indication, though the strangest reaction had to be the respectful nods he received from a group of Slytherins, amongst which were Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini, Daphne Greengrass, and her younger sister Astoria Greengrass. He'd thought for sure the four of them were in Malfoy's little group, and would therefore be on his side, but apparently he was wrong.

He wasn't exactly complaining though. He didn't know if that's actually what it meant, but if those nods were some sort of indication that they weren't on Voldemort's side, then he'd accept it without comment.

June 9th, 2024- 582 days since SAO launch:

Sirius barely stopped himself from smiling in pure satisfaction as Tonks tripped. Not because she tripped, but due to the fact that in an attempt to grab onto something, she accidentally smacked the edge of the boiling pot of water Molly had going for dinner in just the right manner to send the water all over Potter.

Though as he and Remus began to check Potter over he couldn't help the minor stab of irritation. He hated having to continue pretending to be Potter's friend. He consoled himself with the fact that while he may have pretend to care about his well-being, Potter's recent string of terrible luck was immensely satisfying, given that it had been Remus, the Sparda's, and himself that were the cause of it. Partially anyway. They'd cursed him. Put simply, as long as Potter thought the Sparda's his enemy, even a single one of them, he'd suffer bad luck. The more of the family he considered his enemy, and the more intense his negative feelings and thoughts were about them, the worse his luck would be and the more frequently said luck would strike.

The curse had only been on him a four days, yet already his house had gotten a sudden infestation of Cornish Pixies, he'd fallen down the staircase in his manor twice breaking five bones total, nearly choked to death while eating on multiple occasions, and gotten badly burnt by a freak malfunction while floo calling Dumbledore. Dante had hesitated to let them leave the curse on him, since it went against his beliefs, but had dropped it faster than Malfoy dropped money into the pockets of politicians, when he was reminded that James wouldn't be suffering like that if he didn't consider the Sparda family his enemies, and more importantly, it was revenge for his years of abusing Marzanna.

Sirius was pulled back to the present when Potter furiously snapped at them all, then stormed off to go apply some burn salve. A moment later they heard the telltale signs of him tripping over the troll leg Umbrella stand, as his mother's portrait began shrieking at Potter, he began cursing violently.

As he and Remus once again began heading towards him, to again continue the charade of being his friends, Remus leaned over and whispered, "You'd think with his recent bad luck, he'd of had the sense not to sit right in front of the stove or go storming of."

Sirius once again had to fight to stop himself from smiling as he nodded. And to think, they weren't done with Potter just yet.

June 12th, 2024- 585 days since SAO launch:

Mike was filling in his star chart for the astronomy practical. As he completed the Orion constellation the front doors of the school far below him opened up spilling light down the steps and let out six people. Even from this distance, he could make out Umbridge leading five Aurors with his heightened eyesight. At least, he was pretty sure they were Aurors by their robes.

This... did not seem good. Especially as they seemed to be making their way towards Hagrid's hut and it was midnight. Glancing at Hermione, he waited until she finished marking something down and pulled her quill from her chart, then lightly elbowed her. At her irritated look he pointed down at the group making their way across the lawn, quietly whispering, "It's Umbridge. And she's got Aurors with her."

Hermione squinted down at the lawn, then glanced at the teachers and adjusted her telescope to look down at the lawn and took a quick glance before hurriedly re-adjusting her it before the examiners noticed. She scowled fiercely down at the lawn, furiously hissing, "What's she doing?"

Mike scowled as they reached Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door, "Nothing good. I can guarantee it."

The door opened and the six quickly entered the hut, the door closing behind them immediately. Professor Marchbanks came walking behind them at that point, so they reluctantly returned their attention to their star charts. However, a few moments later a furious roar came from Hagrid's hut, loud enough that everyone on the Astronomy Tower heard it. A few people on the side facing the hut, pulled away from their telescopes and peered in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Professor Tofty, who was also supervising the exam, gave a small dry cough, "Try and concentrate, please." Most of the students quickly refocused on their charts. Though he and Hermione shared a worried look. Professor Tofty must have noticed, as he cleared his throat, "Ahem. Twenty minutes to go."

They reluctantly turned back to the exam, but before they could do anything, a loud 'BANG' came from Hagrid's hut. Hagrid was now in front of his hut surrounded by Umbridge and the Aurors, who seemed to be attempting to stun him.

Hermione cried out at the sight, "No!"

Professor Tofty admonished her in a scandalized voice, "My dear, this is an examination!

Nobody was paying attention to him or their star charts anymore though. They were all watching as the Aurors and Umbridge continued to shoot jets of red light at Hagrid, though they seemed to bounce off of him, and he was still upright and fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds, and a man shouted, "Be reasonable Hagrid!"

Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, you won't take me like this, Dawlish!"

Mike could see Fang attempting to defend Hagrid, jumping at the group repeatedly until a stunner hit him. Hagrid howled furiously, lifting the caster bodily from the ground and threw him what looked like ten feet, and the person did not get back up.

Parvati, who was leaning over the parapet, shouted and pointed to the front doors. They had opened again, and Professor McGonagall hurried out. Professor Tofty anxiously called out, "Now really! Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"

He was ignored once again in favour of watching Professor McGonagall running across the lawn, furiously shouting at the group attacking Hagrid, "How dare you! How dare you! Leave him alone! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, absolutely nothing to warrant such-"

Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati all screamed as the group near the hut sent no less than four stunners. Halfway between cabin and castle the spells slammed into her chest, for a moment she looked luminous and glowed an eerie red, then she was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and stopped moving.

Professor Tofty seemed to have forgotten the exam at that, shouting incredulously, "Galloping gargoyles! Not so much as a warning! Completely outrageous behaviour!"

Mike completely agreed. In fact, he'd not just snapped his quill, he'd clutched the parapet so hard the stone had shattered under his hand. As Hagrid started shouting about them being cowards, Mike quickly re-adjusted his telescope, and pointed it towards the hut, making sure to get a good look at the Aurors faces. He was just in the knick of time, as a moment later Hagrid knocked two of them out.

Hagrid suddenly doubled over, as though he'd succumbed to the barrage of spells, but a moment later he straightened with Fang on his back.

Umbridge seemed to realize Hagrid was getting ready to run, as she furiously screamed, "Get him! Get him!"

The final Auror seemed highly reluctant to get within range of Hagrid's firsts though. In fact he backed away so quickly he tripped over one of his unconscious colleges and fell. Hagrid ignored him though, choosing instead to take off towards the gates, quickly disappearing into the night.

There was a long minute of tense silence as everyone stared wide eyed at the grounds. Professor Tofty broke it, feebly informing them all, "Umm… Five minutes left, everyone…."

Mike took a deep breath, got a new quill from the Professor, and forced himself to work on his chart. As soon as the exam was announced to be over, he haphazardly shoved the telescope back into its holder and began making his way towards Gryffindor Tower furiously.

Hermione caught up to him quickly, practically vibrating witty rage, "That evil woman! Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"

Mike growled, "She clearly wanted to avoid what happened with Trelawney. Hagrid's lucky his giant's blood protected him so well."

Hermione nodded, "He is. Poor Professor McGonagall… Four stunners straight to the chest, and she isn't exactly young, is she?"

Mike growled again. Arriving in the common room, he ignored that everyone seemed to have been woken up by the commotion outside and quickly claimed a corner table, then yanked a small piece of parchment, a quill, and a spare potions vial out of his bag. He quickly concentrated, then used his wand to pull the memory of the indecent from his mind and dropped it in the vial. Normally in such an occurrence, if the memory was placed into a pensieve to be viewed, the viewer would appear right next to him. However, he had keen enough eyesight to see enough details, that combined with his complete focus on what had been going on, a viewer of this memory would appear near Hagrid.

After roughly shoving the cork back into the vial, he grabbed his quill and quickly penned a note, 'You need to have a talk with your Aurors about excessive force and the fact Umbridge does not have the authority to evict anyone from Hogwarts. They could've killed McGonagall and Hagrid.'

Hedwig, sensing that he needed her, choose that moment to show up. Mike tensely tied the note off, and held out the vial to her, "Please take this to Madame Bones."

As though she knew the matter was serious, Hedwig didn't bite him or anything for once. She simply took the vial carefully, nodded in acceptance to his request, then teleported away.

Hermione sat down next to him, quietly informing him, "Colin says they saw McGonagall get taken back inside through their window. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey is already taking care of her."

Mike nodded sharply. For a few minutes they sat in silence, then Hedwig came back. Taking the note he quietly read it over, 'Mike, you're lucky I had a late night in the office, else your owl might have missed me.' Mike snorted, Hedwig would've teleported to Madame Bones' home and woke her up if she'd had to. Though perhaps it was better she hadn't needed to, Madame Bones probably wouldn't have appreciated getting woken up in the middle of the night. Shaking his head he read the rest of the note, 'Mr Hagrid should not have attacked the Aurors, but given they were wrongly attempting to force him from his home, I shall overlook his assault on Ministry employees. No matter what Mr Hagrid was doing however, there was no reason whatsoever to attack Professor McGonagall. Rest assured, I shall be having a long conversation with my Aurors on excessive force when they return.'

Mike nodded in satisfaction. Hermione, who had been reading over his shoulder, smiled slightly, "Well, I'm glad they won't get away with this. Even better that Hagrid won't get in trouble."

Mike glanced at her, "Even if Madame Bones wasn't willing to overlook it entirely, he wouldn't have gotten into too much trouble. He wasn't really doing anything to them until they attacked Professor McGonagall." He sighed, "Anyway, with that out of the way, I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Hermione."

She nodded, "Right, we still have exams to take, even if there's nothing tomorrow morning. Goodnight, Mike."

June 13th, 2024- 586 days since SAO launch:

He was walking down the corridor towards the Department of Mysteries, and was utterly determined to reach his destination this time. The door swung open for him, and he found himself in a circular room with many doors. Ignoring the rest, he strode straight across and through the next door. There were flecks of dancing light on the walls and floor, and a strange mechanical clicking, but he ignored that as well. There was no time, he need to hurry.

He jogged to the last door, which swung open for him as well. Now he was in a cathedral sized room full of shelves and glass spheres. His heart was hammering in his chest as anticipation filled him. Walking down the ends of the rows he carefully read the labels, until he reached 97. Turning left, he hurried along the aisle between two rows of shelves.

At the very end there was someone slumped on the ground, moving slowly like a wounded animal. His mouth opened, and a high cold voice that was not his own spoke, "Take it for me… Lift it down, now... I cannot touch it…. But you can…"

The person shifted a bit, and Mike saw a long fingered unnaturally pale hand clutching a wand rise at the end of his own arm, and the high, cold voice spoke again, "Crucio!"

The man on the floor screamed in pain, attempted to stand then fell back down, writhing in pain. High cold laughter was coming from Mike's mouth. He lifted his wand, and the curse lifted. The person groaned, then went motionless. And Mike's mouth moved on its own again, the high cold voice telling the person, "Lord Voldemort is waiting…"

The person slowly lifted himself up a bit on trembling arms, then lifted his head, revealing none other than James Potter. His face was bloodstained and twisted in pain, but there was a defiant look in his eyes, "You'll have to kill me."

Mike felt his lips twist into a cruel smile, "Undoubtedly, I shall in the end. But you will fetch it for me first Potter. You think you have felt pain thus far? Think again. We have hours ahead of us, and no one to hear you scream."

Mike jolted awake. Looking around in confusion for a moment, he remembered he'd been in the middle of his History exam. He frowned. That vision… He didn't think it had been real. Not only did it feel… off, it also didn't make much sense to him. If Voldemort had only just gotten there, as the vision suggested, why was Potter already on the ground in pain? Because of a follower? Then where were they? Better yet, why bother with Potter when his follower could just retrieve it for him if Voldemort couldn't touch it. The fact he'd been dreaming of the Department of Mysteries ever since he'd had to employ Severus defence technique only made him more sceptical.

Shaking it off for now, he calmly returned to his exam. He'd tell Severus after the exam was over, but he wasn't overly worried about it. Potter was one of those few humans he would not go out of his way to save.

Bellatrix Lestrange shifted impatiently. Where in Merlin's name was the filthy Potter brat? He should've been here hours ago! Her Master had assured her he'd show up much sooner to 'rescue' his blood traitor father! Could he not get away because of Umbridge? If so, her Master would be furious, and he'd likely take it out on Lucius, seeing as he had Fudge's ear and was on the board of governors. He probably could've gotten rid of her if he'd wanted. That would be entertaining, as long as her Master didn't turn his wrath on her.

She was pulled from her thoughts as members of the Order of the Phoenix began showing up. Scowling furiously, she threw herself into the fight, though she kept to light spells like the stunner. They couldn't afford the glass ball the prophecy was recorded in breaking after all. She shouted orders telling the others as such just to be safe.

As they fought, she soon realized they were losing. She'd be no good to her Master if she got caught. With a final stunner towards her traitorous cousin, she quickly fled. She only made it to the Ministry entrance before a spell slammed into her from behind, stopping her mid-run.

A moment later Albus bloody Dumbledore came around to her front. He gave her a grave look, "What have you done with Mike? I haven't seen him anywhere."

Feeling her mouth, and only her mouth, unfreeze, she scowled at him, "What are you talking about. The disgusting little half breed never showed up!"

Dumbledore frowned, but before he could say anything, her Master showed up, immediately sending a killing curse at the old bastard. As Dumbledore apparated out of the way, her Master tilted his head towards her, "Potter truly didn't show?"

She swallowed thickly, "No, my Lord. He didn't."

Her Master frowned, "I see…."

At that point Dumbledore attacked him, and the two began to battle. Halfway through she unfroze as her Master began pushing Dumbledore enough that he couldn't concentrate enough to hold the spell on her. She quickly retreated to one of the fire places, and hid next to it, not willing to floo back to their headquarters until she was sure her Master wouldn't need her for anything.

However, before long, Ministry employees began to floo in, amongst them the idiot Minister himself. There was a beat of silence as everyone stared at Dumbledore and her Master in disbelief. Bellatrix glanced at her Master and knew he was preparing to call it a loss and apparate away, so she decided to take advantage of everyone being distracted to floo back before anyone noticed her. Just as she slipped into the fireplace, she heard the first screams and the telltale pop of her Master apparating away. She grimaced, she really hoped Lucius got away, otherwise, it might very well be her that her Master takes his anger out over the disaster this had turned into.

June 14th, 2024- 587 days since SAO launch:

At breakfast the next day, everyone's routine was once again shaken up, this time by the delivery of the Daily Prophet announcing Voldemort's return and the Ministry's official statement on the matter. The students weren't very surprised, but Umbridge shot to her feet with a cry of disbelief.

She shook like a leaf for a few minutes, then turned her furious gaze to Mike, marching around the head table and towards him, "You! You did this somehow! You filthy little liar! I'll- I'll-"

What exactly she was going to do was cut off by the Great Hall's doors banging open, letting in Madame Bones herself along with fifteen Aurors. Without waiting a moment, Madame Bones loudly announced to the Hall, "Dolores Umbridge you are hereby under arrest for possession of an illegal artifact, illegal use of an artifact, and abuse of minors in your care."

Umbridge froze in shock, "Wh- What?" An Auror grabbed her arm, but she yanked it away, "Get your filthy hands off of me! You can't do this! I'm the Undersecretary to the Minister! Minister Fudge-"

Madame Bones cut across her, "Former Undersecretary. You were fired two hours ago pending the investigation into your crimes. As for the Minister, he's in enough hot water as is considering his stubborn denial this past year. He's not about to stick his neck out any further when he's already on the chopping block."

The Auror grabbed her again and began dragging her out, and she began to struggle, shouting furiously the entire time. Mike smiled in satisfaction. Madame Bones promptly ignored Umbridge, turning her attention to the rest of the Hall's occupants, "Would those of you who have served detentions with Dolores Umbridge please remain in the Great Hall for questioning, the rest of you need clear out."

Dumbledore stood and smiled at the students, though Mike could see the carefully concealed anger in his eyes, "Well, in the interest of keeping out of the Aurors' ways, those of you who weren't asked to stay return to your common rooms until further notice."

Mike gave Hermione a reassuring look as she reluctantly began to stand while he remained seated. After she left, he watched the Aurors begin to spread out to talk to the students idly until he met Madame Bones' eyes. He couldn't quite keep the satisfied grin off of his face, though thankfully Madame Bones didn't take it the wrong way, instead flashing him a viciously victorious grin in return.

June 25th, 2024- 598 days since SAO launch:

Kirito entered the shop anxiously. He and Hanna had come to the conclusion that he needed a second sword that was at least equal to his beloved Elucidator for his Dual Wielding, and he needed it rather badly. He really couldn't afford to keep putting it off. The problem was, Argo had requested their assistance. She'd sworn that they were the only ones she could trust. He'd nearly put off getting his sword, but Argo upon Hanna asking, assured them that she only needed one of them.

So, Hanna had made him go to the shop Asuna had recommended to them when she overheard them talking about him needing a sword. As she had put it, she doubted he could get into too much trouble just going to a shop, even if he was on his own. However, it had been so long since he and Hanna had been out of each other's line of sight that being separated from her for so long was filling him with anxiety.

He didn't know what was worse, the fact that he'd developed separation anxiety towards his wife, or the fact that it clearly impaired his judgement. That was honestly the only reason he could think of for why he'd decided to test the blade Lizbeth had handed him against his Elucidator. He'd been worried she'd kick him out, but after just a little bit of goading, she was telling him about a dragon that supposedly dropped a rare material. He wasn't expecting her to turn it around on him and force him to take her with though.

He sighed as they left. Hanna apparently underestimated his ability to get himself into trouble.

Hanna sighed as she made her way back to the house. It was nearly midnight, and given that she'd grabbed something to eat on her way back, she really just wanted to curl up in bed with her mate and go to sleep. She paused as it came into view. All of the lights were off, indicating that Kirito was either asleep or hadn't gotten home yet. She sincerely doubted he would've gone to bed without her, and now that she thought about it, given how nervous he'd seemed about separating, it was strange she hadn't gotten any messages from Kirito when she ended up taking longer than they anticipated.

She frowned as she wondered what he'd managed to do that had apparently turned what was supposed to be a simple errand into something much more troublesome. She shook it off as she entered the house. She'd know if anything had happened to him. They may not be bonded, but now that she was aware of their bond itself, she'd know immediately if anything happened to him from it fading. Not to mention, she'd get a notification from the system that her spouse had died.

Making herself comfortable on the couch in the living room, she opened her menu to message him. Those plans were derailed when she saw his name greyed out. He wasn't dead, she'd know, and there wasn't a cross next to his name anyway. So then…. He was in a dungeon? That was really the only explanation. She sighed as she closed her menu, then settled down more comfortably to wait for him. She may know if something happened to him, and he may be able to take care of himself, but that didn't mean she wasn't worried about him.

June 26th, 2024- 599 days since SAO launch:

At some point, she must've dozed off, as her alarm woke her up. Sitting up, she looked around for a bit, quickly coming to the conclusion Kirito hadn't been home yet. She bit her lip in worry, before focusing on her growing bond with Kirito. It didn't tell her anything more than her vague awareness of it had, just that he wasn't dead.

The sun wasn't even quite up yet, but she shook the sleepiness off and opened her menu again. Nope, still greyed out. He'd stayed in a dungeon overnight? She frowned in worry. Had he gotten stuck somehow? It wasn't unheard of. Damn it! This is why you told someone where you were going!

With an aggravated sigh, she got up. Maybe the shop owner could tell her where he'd gone. And if not… Well, her best option at that point would be to wait for him there anyway.

Hanna straightened up when she saw Kirito approaching the shop with a pink haired girl. The knot of anxiety in her stomach slowly released. He hurried over when he saw her, and uncaring that the girl was watching, she quickly pulled him into a kiss.

After a minute, she slowly pulled away, "Honestly, I left you alone for a day, you were supposed to just be going to a shop. What were you doing in a dungeon? Do you have any idea how worried I was you'd gotten stuck or something when you didn't come home last night? You could've at least told me where you were going."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just, Lizbeth-" he paused and flushed lightly as he realized they'd kissed in front of the wide eyed girl, then pushed on, "She, ah… I kinda broke her best weapon, and she said that she could make me a fantastic weapon if she just had the materials. So I said I'd get them, and she told me about this dragon on the 55th floor, but she said you needed a Master Smith with you to get it to drop, which was a total lie by the way, it-"

Hanna was utterly amused. It was rare for her mate to ramble, and he usually did it because he was passionate about the subject, not because he was flustered. Lizbeth, however, choose that moment to break into his rambling, "Hey, I didn't lie! I told you, an npc in the village at the base of the mountain mentioned the drop, but no one had gotten it, so the running theory was that you needed a Master Smith!"

Kirito shook his head, "Ya, but you only told me that after we left!"

Lizbeth opened and closed her mouth, looking like she wanted to argue further but didn't know what to say. It was then that Hanna noticed the carefully concealed pain in her eyes directed at Kirito, the girl honestly looked like she wanted nothing more than to be alone at the moment.

Glancing between them, she quickly got an idea of what it might be, "Well! Did you get the materials?" Kirito turned back to her, and nodded, so she smiled at Lizbeth, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but do you think you could go inside and get started? I'd like to have a… talk with Kirito about destroying a shopkeeper's merchandise and running off on an impromptu adventure without telling me."

Kirito's blush deepened, but had the decency to look apologetic. Lizbeth gave her a startled look, and her eyes widened. She was an observant one, she'd apparently realized what Hanna was doing if the mixture of embarrassment and gratitude in her eyes was any indication. Moving over to the door, she opened it, then hesitated as she glanced back at them. She apparently decided to take pity on Kirito, "Umm… The forge and the shop are separated… You could talk in the shop, so no one overhears."

Hanna nodded lightly, then followed her inside. Kirito quickly gave her a solid blue crystal… thingy, that Lizbeth seemed reluctant to handle. She took it anyway though, then retreated to the back room, where Hanna assumed the forge was. She waited until the door between the forge and shop was closed before turning to Kirito. He was staring at his feet, with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Seeing his downtrodden expression, she huffed a laugh, "Oh, don't look so much like a kicked puppy. I'm not going to chew you out. I'm pretty sure you understand perfectly well that breaking people's stuff, especially when that stuff is their merchandise, isn't acceptable behaviour. Honestly, I'm actually mostly just shocked you'd do that."

He lifted his gaze cautiously, as though unsure if she meant it, then sighed, 'Yeah well….. I- That is, I've apparently…. developed separation anxiety torwards you…. To the point it negatively impacts my judgement…. At least that's the only reason I can think of that I did that, even though I knew I shouldn't."

She can't help having a bemused smile, "Really? Because to me it sounds less like it impacting your judgement, and more like you decided on a subconscious level, if you proved me wrong by getting in as much trouble as you could while we were separated, I'd be less likely to leave you alone. Then just convinced yourself it impaired your judgement."

Kirito flushed again, "I did not!"

Hanna's smile widened, "If you say so." Then she turned more serious, "Why didn't you tell me where you were going? What if you'd gotten stuck or something and needed help? While not common, it's not exactly unheard of."

Kirito's flush deepened, "W-Well…. Actually…."

Hanna pinched the bridge of her nose, "You were stuck. That's why you didn't come home, isn't it." It was more of a statement than a question, but Kirito nodded reluctantly anyway. Hanna sighed, "This is why you should've told me where you were going. What if you hadn't found a way out? How was I supposed to find you, much less help you."

He looked away, "I know…. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. Honestly, they hadn't even been separated for a day, yet she'd missed him so much. She didn't even want to think about how they were supposed to cope when they got out. Sure they'd likely see each other everyday, but that was completely different. There was a huge difference between seeing each other everyday, and living together and rarely being out of one another's sight.

She sighed again, though she didn't verbalize what she was thinking. Her worrywart was undoubtedly already fretting over that, she wasn't going to add to it. Even if it really seemed like they were kinda screwed when they returned.

A few minutes later they pulled away from each other when Lizbeth came back. She seemed to have pulled herself together, and happily held out a blue sword to Kirito, "Your custom sword, just as strong if not stronger than your current sword."

Kirito smiled lightly, "What's it called?"

Lizbeth grinned at him, "Dark Repulser."

Kirito accepted the sword, then turned away from Lizbeth to give it a few experimental swings, "It's heavy."

Which of course, meant Kirito was happy with it, something Lizbeth seemed to understand if the way she beamed was any indication, "You better like it after all the trouble we went through to get it!" Then she seemed to remember something, "Oh yeah! I came to a decision regarding you breaking the best sword I'd ever made before that one!"

Kirito gave her a nervous look, "Y-Yeah?"

She smiled widely, "Yes! In return for breaking my sword, from now on you two have to come to me for your Weapon needs, given that I can't help you with your armor. You got that? I'm you two's Smith from now on!"

Kirito breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded in agreement, and Lizbeth smiled at them. Then Lizbeth tilted her head at him in curiosity, "If I can ask though… Why do you need a new sword? Yours seems perfectly fine to me."

Kirito shifted nervously, and Hanna elbowed him with a grin, "Hey now, we agreed to keep it a secret until we got a Smith. Well, guess what? We've got a Smith."

He sighed, "Oh, alright."

With that he quickly manipulated his menu, changing his active sword skill to Dual Wielding, and equipping Dark Repulser. Closing his menu he maneuvered a bit until he had an acceptable amount of space, then he charged up a skill and immediately released it. After showing Lizbeth, he turned to her unsurely, "... That's how it is."

Lizbeth stared wide eyed for a moment, then tilted her head again, "Unique?" Kirito nodded and she stared again, "...I see. I suppose I can't blame you for being secretive about it."

Kirito nodded, but before he could say anything Asuna came running in, "Lizbeth! You're alright! Your name was greyed out almost all day yesterday! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Where were you?"

Lizbeth smiled at her, "In a dungeon, getting the materials for his sword."

She gestured to Kirito, and Asuna turned to him, "Kirito? What are you doing here?"

He tilted his head, "I should think it was obvious seeing as you're the one who recommended me. I was getting a sword."

She glanced down at his new sword, "Oh….." Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she turned back to Lizbeth, "He took care of you, right? He didn't make any inappropriate advances, did he?"

Kirito sputtered, and Lizbeth laughed a bit, "The jerk broke the best sword I'd ever made!"

Asuna glared at Kirito for a minute, then without looking away bluntly asked Lizbeth, "Do you want me to beat him up for you?"

Kirito backed away with his hands up, and Asuna advanced on him, cracking her knuckles, though it was purely for effect. Lizbeth laughed, and Hanna figured if they were joking, she might as well join in, "Now, now, Asuna. I already have to save Kirito enough as is, if I have to save him from a dragon lady like you, people will start thinking he's a damsel in distress."

Kirito gave her a betrayed look, while Asuna and Lizbeth cracked up.

Asuna grinned at her, "I suppose that would make you the valiant knight, hmm?"

Hanna snorted, "Of course."

Lizbeth grinned, "Do you hear that Kirito? You fail as a valiant knight, so badly that you've been demoted to damsel status."

Kirito huffed, "I don't suck at being a 'valiant knight', as you put it, my damsel just doesn't need saving. I would save her in a heartbeat if she did, but she doesn't."

Hanna just smiled lightly at him at him.

July 10th, 2024- 613 days since SAO launch:

Mike was eating dinner with his family when two owls came in through the window. He'd been expecting this since this morning when Hedwig teleported next to him with a letter from Hermione excitedly telling him about her exam scores. He'd figured his were taking a bit longer due to the distance, but knowing that his scores were on their way and having all day to think about that had made him nervous.

Yes, with his family's tutoring, he now felt that Hogwarts' education was sub-par and the exams had seemed kinda easy, but the waiting had really gotten to him. He wasn't even sure why he was so anxious, given that he had no idea what he wanted to do once his education was finished and Voldemort had been dealt with. He wasn't even entirely certain if he wanted to be a Demon Hunter, but he didn't think he did. Yes, he'd get to help people and keep them safe, but after the revaluation of his life he'd gone through after the first task, he'd become tired of fighting. He had a suspicion that after the war with Voldemort was over, he'd be completely over it.

If he didn't end up an actual Hunter, perhaps he'd help his family in a manner similar to aunt Kat, investigating demonic activity and the like. Though given that demons were incredibly good at sniffing out his family, he didn't think that would work. His family had assured him that he didn't have to have any part in their business if he didn't want to, but he felt like that would be letting them down, even if his mother told him that wasn't true at all.

He was yanked from his thoughts by Nero nudging him in the ribs, "Are you just gonna stare at it, or are gonna open it and tell us what it says?"

Mike shook his head to clear the last of his wayward thoughts, "Right, sorry, just thinking." He nervously opened it, then read the letter aloud:

'Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Passing Grades

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Failing Grades

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

Mike Sparda has achieved:

Astronomy A
Care of Magical Creatures O
Charms O
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Divination A
Herbology O
History of Magic A
Potions O
Transfiguration O'

Mike sighed in relief. He wasn't surprised at the three A's at all, he was terrible at those subjects, though his grandmother had made sure he was good enough to pass. He hadn't been sure about the Astronomy Exam, since it had been interrupted, but he supposed they took that into account when they were grading.

Kyrie beamed, "See? I told you all that nervousness was unfounded. There's no way you wouldn't have done well with how hard you've been studying."

Mike smiled at her, "Ya, thanks Kyrie."

His mom leaned over, "What's the second one? It's got a Hogwarts crest, but normally they wait a bit before sending out the course selection sheet and the supply list for the classes you're eligible for."

Mike shrugged, then opened the second letter. Inside was a thick packet of folded parchment. He knew from his mom that unless they'd changed how they did things drastically, it should be about a packet giving details on the courses he was eligible for, what he'd need for them, and of course, the course selection sheet he needed to send back. However, there was also a separate note inside.

Opening it he read it over quickly, 'Dear Mr Sparda,

Normally we wait a few days before sending this packet out to allow students time to process and think over their OWL scores, and how it will affect their future. However, given the distance between your current residence and Hogwarts, I'm sending it to you now to ensure you have enough time to think over what courses you will select and send the corresponding selection sheet back.

Your course selections must arrive by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress'

Mike turned back to his mom, "McGonagall said she sent it early to make sure I had enough time to send it back."

His mom nodded, "I see. That makes sense. Have you decided what classes you're taking yet, or do you still need to think it over?"

Mike nodded, "I'm gonna drop Astronomy, Divination, and History of Magic, but other than that, I think I'm going to keep the same classes. I'm not very good at the other three, and I don't have much use for them anyway."

His mom tilted her head in thought, then nodded, "Alright. You need to fill out your class selection form and send it back then. We'll pick up the things you need later." Then she smiled slyly, "Plus, I'm sure if you don't write Hermione back telling her your scores she'll go crazy."

Mike flushed lightly, but ignored his mother's teasing and Nero's snickering as best he could.

August 15th, 2024- 649 days since SAO launch:

Hanna tensely listened to Schmidt go over the various members to watch out for in Laughing Coffin. They had finally gotten dangerous enough for the front liners to act, though Hanna mourned how many had died simply because they couldn't be convinced to act sooner.

As she looked over the pictures, she noted the three that had been hired by Grimlock to murder Yoruko and the others. Apparently it had been PoH himself, along with Johnny Black, and someone named Red-Eyed XaXa.

When the other person leading the meeting with Schmidt, likely the DDA's assault leader given Schmidt's position, cracked a cocky joke to end off the meeting, and almost everyone laughed, she looked away with a scowl, grumbling to Kirito, "They're so stupidly overconfident. It's disgusting. If this is going to be so easy, why couldn't we have acted sooner and saved all those people."

Kirito sighed tiredly, "I don't know Hanna. I really don't"

"That's because you hardly interact with the front liners outside of Boss fights." They turned to find Asuna frowning at the overconfident floor clearers. Asuna turned her attention to them unhappily, "After all of the bosses we've faced, they're beginning to get this idea that we front liners are some sort of unstoppable force."

Hanna scowled, "This is a disaster waiting to happen."

As they made their way to Laughing Coffin's base, Schmidt and what she assumed was the DDA's assault leader stopped in front of them, and Schmidt announced, "We're almost to the Laughing Coffin HQ that was in the report. I'll go over this once more before we attack. They are red players! Once the battle starts, they will think nothing of killing us. So we can't hesitate either. If we do, they'll kill us."

The DDA assault leader took over with a cocky grin, "But we, in the lead group, have more people and higher levels than they do. They may actually surrender without fighting."

There were chuckles all around, and Hanna scowled again. Next to her Kirito sighed, and she could see both Asuna and Klein frowning. Schmidt also seemed uncomfortable, probably because of his run in with them almost three months ago.

It was, of course, at that moment that they were ambushed by their targets. Immediately chaos broke out, and Hanna ended up having to try and defend herself from two PKers at once. She tried to stay close to Kirito, but they were soon separated. A few frenzied minutes later, and one of her opponents was pulled away from her by Klein. Briefly giving him a grateful smile, she quickly subdued her remaining opponent, and he was almost immediately snatched up to be restrained. They'd made sure to bring more people than Laughing Coffin had specifically so there would be people to keep the beaten PKers from fleeing. With no opponent, she glanced around and was relieved to see that the front liners had regrouped.

Her attention was caught by screaming, and she turned to see three front liners shatter, a nearly dead PKer standing over them. There was another scream off to her left. A moment later, the PKer that had killed the three front liners took off running. Glancing towards where he was staring with the intensity of a madman, her heart lodged itself in her throat. He was charging Kirito, who was staring in almost the opposite direction in horror.

Before she even had a chance to move, Kirito whirled towards the PKer, just barely blocking his wild attack. They struggled for a minute, then Kirito managed to shove his attacker off. With a desperate cry halfway between a scream and a shout, Kirito cleaved his opponent in two from shoulder to hip.

Sorrow filled Hanna at the sight. It hadn't been likely, but she had hoped… She had hoped they could get through Aincrad without Kirito having to kill anyone. He already had such a terrible self image, to have to deal with taking someone's life on top of that….

She didn't have anymore time to think about it. Another PKer was attacking her. The battle quickly descended into absolute madness. When it was finally over, ten people on their side were dead, and more than 25 of the Laughing Coffin members had chosen to fight until death. Five of the dead PKers had been killed by her. For once in her life, Hanna cursed how thorough her training had been, and the natural fighting skill a Devil possessed.

August 23rd, 2024- 657 days since SAO launch:

Hanna sighed. She and Kirito were in bed, getting some sleep before they went to grind in the labyrinth tonight. Well, they were supposed to be sleeping, and Kirito had done exactly that rather easily. She couldn't though. She'd been having nightmares all week, ever since… Laughing Coffin.

She propped herself up on her elbow, resting her face against her hand as she silently watched her sleeping mate. She was worried about him. He didn't seem that affected by what had happened that day, she knew him though, there was no way he was ok with it. Which meant he'd pushed it away, that he wasn't dealing with it, and that was so much worse. Whether he thought of it consciously or not, it would eat at him the longer he he ignored it.

While she didn't want him suffer because of what he'd had to do, she really wished he wouldn't lock it up and pretend it didn't bother him. It would only make it worse it caught up to him. She couldn't, wouldn't force it though, that would make it worse too. She wasn't even pushing. She'd made sure he knew she was there for him though, a sentiment he'd fully returned. To be honest, she'd needed his help to fall asleep every night since, but he'd been losing so much sleep taking care of her that he was utterly exhausted. To the point it seemed to slip his mind that she hadn't been able to fall asleep without his help lately, but she didn't the heart to remind him when he'd been so tired.

He hadn't complained even once about her new reliance on him though, and for that she was grateful. She already felt so guilty for keeping him up, she was grateful he never mentioned it. Though that, of course, only made her feel even more guilty.

With a sigh she laid back down and curled up with her mate. She doubted she'd be able to fall asleep, but she could try.