Author's Note: Coming first because I would 100% forget to put it at the end, lads~ So! I'm glad that I've still got some small following with this despite the fact that I havent' touched it in... years. Yikes. Sorry about that, guys! I fell out of love with Harry Potter (and Diablo, let's be honest) for a bit, and then I lost all my Diablo saves and had to redownload, and I haven't actually started playing it again yet. JKR fueled me with spite and I got back into the story after that, but updates after this are still going to be slow, because I have to play through the game as I write to get a handle on the plot of the Diablo world.
Also, sorry for how long some of the paragraphs in this one are; I haven't exactly edited it yet... (I'm probably not going to, let's be honest, no beta we die like men) and it's a little long-winded in places. This one is dialogue-heavy, without any real plot advancements. That's going to be coming in the next chapter, once I've actually caught up with where I left off before I lost my save.
As far as reviews go: I keep forgetting to reply to these as I post new chapters! So that's going to be resolved right now.
Hikari Nova: Yes, I do hope to have this story reach a point where Hari returns to her own world. It won't be for some time yet, though; Hari is stubborn, and she's decided to help the people of this world as much as she can. We'll see how far that takes her!
Comodo50: Thanks! You get your answer to that question in this chapter; it wasn't planned to happen this soon, but it's what wanted to happen, so I'm letting it!
Kyle: Thanks for your reviews, Kyle! They're good suggestions, and I haven't made up my mind yet about anyone from the Diablo world being transported into the Harry Potter world. That being said, this is not a story about romance, and anyone marrying into the Potter/Evans family would be marrying Hari herself, since she's the last true descendant of either! And as far as a possible Percy Jackson crossover goes... I haven't read the Percy Jackson series in a long time. I do have a plan to reread it, at some point... eventually. But it isn't a series that I've ever planned on writing for, and even if I did, I don't think that I would want to focus on Sally Jackson. I liked her plotline well enough on its own, and I feel like changing it would be a disservice to her character. I hope that you keep reading and enjoying; I look forward to your reviews and suggestions!
Chyllus: I know I responded to you in a PM, but I'll reiterate here! You had a really good suggestion that was fairly in line with what I was planning - good eye! Yes, I'll be allowing Hari access to different branches of magic, not just the Sorceress skill tree. And the Phoenix suggestion is a good one that I'll be keeping in mind for the future - because she won't be at that level for some time yet.
Outfitted in her new mail and weapons (with the bow Hari had bought herself two quivers full of arrows), Hari made her way to the edge of camp after depositing her gold in her trunk. She found herself face-to-face with one of the Rogues, a tall girl with a deep tan and brown hair in a high ponytail. "Hiya, I'm Blaise," the Rogue greeted. "Kashya's assigned me to work with you while you make your way through the Fields around us. I've been having a bit of a break recently, so I'm ready to get back in the thick of things."
Hari grinned, offering a hand. "Hari. Nice to meet you, Blaise." She knew of another person named Blaise – he was a Slytherin, so she'd never really spoken to him. "Feel like going to Tristram?"
Blaise had the confidence not to look shocked at the question. "That depends. Do you feel like you're ready?"
Hari grinned. She could already tell that they were going to be friends. "I feel like we're doing it even if I'm not," she admitted. "I'm ready to head out if you are."
"Alright. Are we walking or waypointing?" Blaise was clearly familiar with both methods.
"I've got the Cold Plains waypoint keyed to my magic but nothing further, so we'll have to walk from there." Hari huffed a little, adjusting the quivers on her hip. "I've seen the entrance to the Stony Field, but I haven't gone into it at all."
"Well, I haven't keyed myself to any waypoints past the Plains, either, so that works for me." Blaise smiled at Hari with ease. "You're young, for a sorceress. I've heard Akara speak of how young she was when she was inducted into the priestesshood, but even the youngest of we rangers was fully an adult before we joined," Blaise explained.
"Well, I suppose that I just had to grow up quickly," Hari supposed after a moment, glad that the monsters didn't seem to have repopulated the Cold Plains just yet. It seemed as though she had plenty more time to figure out a game plan when she wasn't preoccupied with fighting her way through the mobs of corrupted rangers and demons.
"Nothing should make a girl grow up so quickly that this seems commonplace," Blaise pointed out. "Kashya was right in that, at least. She's made sure that no one joins the rogues too young."
"Well... I'm glad that you all have Kashya and Akara looking out for you. Really, they're both so nice. I almost wish that I had grown up here," she admitted with a soft laugh. "I've never really had a strong leader like either of them to look up to before." She didn't really believe that Dumbledore or McGonagall counted. Both of them were leaders, yes, but neither had really done much to set an example for her – or any of the other students at Hogwarts, really, aside from simply being there and holding the titles of "headmaster" and "deputy headmistress". That, of course, was ignoring the point of how incredibly both of them had failed her in... a myriad of ways that she didn't quite care to list.
"Well, you've got them now, too." Blaise's voice was determined, proud, and certain. "And all of us. You're still young, and maybe you're more adult than most girls your age in this world or your own, but you've got role models. It's a little early for all the "big sister" talk, but in time, hopefully that can be an option for you," she posited.
Hari paused, considering, and then nodded, giving Blaise a small smile. "Maybe. I've never had a sister before." It was strange, considering. She'd had Dudley – who was really more of a misfortune that she wouldn't wish on anyone. She'd had Ron, and Hermione, but... Well, they were her friends, but they were her first friends and she wasn't quite sure if that friendship went as deep as she hoped it did. Not after last year, the Triwizard Tournament and everything that came with it, with Ron's hurt and Hermione's refusal to take sides. They teased each other but Hari would stubbornly believe that she would never betray Ron like that if their positions were switched. Admittedly, that had colored her attitude about their lack of contact, and her lack of attempts to do the same, and all the while that had been coloring her view on being here at all –
How long had Hari been here? Did that time contrast at all with her own world? Had time passed at all, there? How would she get back? Was she just supposed to... to live here, the rest of her life? She'd taken everything in stride so far, angry and scared and resentful of her friends and the people she'd thought of as family and their lack of contact, but just now it was hitting her, in the middle of camp, fingers seizing around her belt as she buckled over, suddenly finding it hard to draw in breath. Her ears were ringing, shock hitting her as if she'd just stood next to an explosion. She could, however distantly, hear Blaise calling her name, but she didn't have the strength or the breath to reply. Instead, she focused on dragging in a deep breath, crouching and shoving her head between her knees.
"Hari? Hari, what's wrong?" Blaise's voice was worried, scared, but quiet – she didn't want to be so loud as to draw undue attention to them, as out-of-the-way as they were on the approach to the waypoint.
The smaller girl had stopped mid-step, faltering with her hand clutching her belt in a death-grip. Blaise was certain that the only reason she wasn't doing the same to her new bow was the fact that it was slung over her shoulder. An instant later – one that had felt like an age and a half, really, because of her panic – Hari was crouching, her head between her legs and struggling to breathe. "Hari? What do you need, Hari? A healing potion? An antidote?" Blaise crouched next to her, gingerly placing a hand on her shoulder. Her skin under the armor was pale and clammy, a cold sweat springing up. "Please say something, Hari..."
It seemed like hours, the few moments before Hari even moved to response to her questions. She still breathed raggedly, and she remained crouched down with her head between her knees, but she slowly raised her head enough for Blaise to lock eyes with her. Vivid green was made even more verdant by the tears swimming in her eyes.
"I.. Am I stuck here?" Hari asked eventually, watching Blaise for a reaction. The tan woman was taken aback for a moment, but she sighed and squeezed Hari's shoulder in response. "I... I've been here for... for weeks, and I – " She'd never even stopped to think about her home.
"You were scared and alone," Blaise offered as an out, but Hari knew that it was just an excuse. "It's understandable – when there's too much for someone to process, sometimes we just... don't."
"Yeah, but... But that wasn't it, not really," Hari said, voice hushed to hide the way it would crack. "I was scared and alone but I just... I was angry. They ignored me and I ignored them right back and then I was here and I just went with it! I treated it like some... some sort of game, some sort of test, and I killed things before I even learned anything about this place – " Hari's voice rose in volume as she spoke until it finally cracked, until she finally cracked, breaking down into sobs.
"And you didn't let yourself feel it," Blaise said, far too knowing. How could she know? She'd never been in Hari's shoes. She'd never been displaced like this. She grew up here! How could she possibly know what that felt like? To take the life of something so immediately, so fiercely, and then just keep doing it, even though it was something no one at home would ever forgive her for doing.
"No," Hari agreed despite her tumultuous thoughts, biting harshly at her lip. "I... I learned magic. And I've... I killed a basilisk. But that was self-defense, and I – " Hari paused. "Quirrell died, too. And I never thought about that before. But... Killing is... killing is wrong," she whispered, like she was trying to convince herself. "That's why Dumbledore fought Voldemort, that's why mum and dad died, that's... That can't be all there is. Just.. it's suddenly okay if you're protecting yourself. Because... if... if that's true then why didn't they?"
And suddenly, something that had just been a moment of panic, of self-realization, of self-loathing, had become something entirely more. She hadn't even realized that her mind would go there, when she let herself feel just how badly doing this was hurting her. "If it's okay to kill in self-defense, then why didn't they? I wouldn't have been alone, and Sirius never would have gone to Azkaban, and... and..." Hari trailed off, wiping harshly at her face. "If they'd just defended themselves, I never would've made it here in the first place," she sobbed, half laughing at herself for the realization.
Blaise seemed to be at a loss – and it was understandable, too, seeing as she didn't know who any of those people were. "Do you... want to talk about it before we go? It doesn't need to happen immediately," she offered, brown eyes warm and home and comfort as she locked her gaze with Hari's.
"I..." Hari blinked away the fresh round of tears, teeth digging into her lip again. "Yeah. I... Are you sure?"
Blaise gave Hari a small, confident smile. "Yeah, I'm sure. I may not understand... well, most of that, but the first kill is always the hardest, even for us Rogues, and we grew up here. We always have our mentor go with us the first time. You didn't have anyone to help you, after, and then you got locked into that mindset. We all talk to someone about it and we're supposed to be partners." Those words had Hari's tears flowing anew, but she just nodded this time, and leaned into Blaise's side when she offered. "Is there anything specific that you need to talk about?"
That, at least, seemed to help Hari focus on what she really needed to work through. "I may be stuck here. In... in this world. I don't know how to get back, I don't know any spells powerful enough, and the one that brought me here was an accident I'll never be able to recreate here, because dementors don't exist in this world," Hari explained, sniffling as she pulled back, wiping at her face. "I was so busy pretending that I wasn't affected by... by everything else, before, that I didn't even realize that I'm stuck here. And then you mentioned... well, family, and I... I just thought about everyone for the first time since I got here, and... And that's what set me off." Hari sighed heavily. "I don't have a lot of people. There's Ron and Hermione, and Ron's family, even though we're not as close as they want us to be, I think. I mean. Ron's mom acts like she wants to be my mom, too, but she's too overbearing about it. It's not... not a good feeling. She's not the kind of mom that I'd want," Hari explained.
"And there's my godfather, Sirius. I... I dunno if you have godparents, here. But they're the people... close family friends, or relatives sometimes, that your parents pick to watch over you if they die when you're still little. I didn't even know he existed until I was thirteen, because he'd been framed for a lot of killings. And... and now that I think about it, I get it. Even if he had killed them. It wasn't him, but now I'd understand, even if it was," Hari admitted, voice quiet again. "They stopped talking to me, this summer. Usually we send letters, missives, by owl – like you lot send word by raven or crow. I've seen Kashya doing it when I'm in the village. The end of the last year at school, I saw someone die, and my blood was used in a ritual to bring the man who killed my parents back to life. I needed them now more than ever, and they stopped talking to me... So I stopped talking to them, too. I knew that they had people watching me, watching my aunt and uncle's house, but they didn't talk to me, either. I was angry, and scared, and more alone than I've been since before I met them."
Blaise had to hide her anger as Hari explained what she was thinking, about her family that had all but abandoned her. Of course Hari had shut herself off from her feelings after all of that; Blaise would have, too, experience as a Rogue or not. No one should leave their friends out of the loop like that, especially not so blatantly. If any of the Rogues ever tried that, Kashya would have torn them a new one. "But that's not all of it, is it?" Blaise questioned, looking over Hari again as she considered what the girl was telling her. She was doubtful, now, of Kashya and Akara's decision to let Hari do this on her own up until now. She was young, younger than any of the Rogues had ever been allowed into singular combat, and she was lonely. She'd never had support like this before.
"No," Hari confirmed, shaking her head. The braid that Charsi had done for her was good – tight, solid, not a single strand coming loose even after her panicked, abrupt stop. "There's... different leadership where I'm from. Magic has to stay hidden from the people who don't have magic. Our leaders are called 'ministers', and they're elected... kind of like Kings, I suppose, but without the lineage and the crown and all that. The Minister of Magic didn't want to believe that Voldemort – the man who killed my parents – had come back. He had spent the summer discrediting me, and everything that I'd said, to the entirety of the country. And I think... I think someone in the government, someone that worked for him, sent the dementors after me. I don't know who, because... well, I've never really been interested in government. I never bothered to learn. Dementors are... they're worse than anything I've met, so far. They don't do physical damage to you, aside from frostburn, maybe. What they do is worse – they rip your soul out of your body. They leave behind a husk," Hari told Blaise.
"And they sent two of them after me. I know the magic to repel them, it's a simple spell, but I didn't have my wand on me. And until I came here, I couldn't do any magic without it," Hari added. "The person who was supposed to be guarding me wasn't there, or showed up late. I was trying to run away, and one of his spells hit the dementor behind me. It opened up a portal, and it sucked me in. And I fell here. At first, I just... I just wanted to find a place to sleep. I was tired. I think... I thought it was some kind of dream. Some weird effect of the spell. And then I killed my first Fallen, and I just... shut down any thoughts of home. I was too scared to think about it, and then I was too guilty. So now I just... How will I get home? Do they even know I'm gone? When I get back – " and the when was important, because if she said if then that would be the end of it, really, "-how much time will have passed? Will it be the same amount of time as I've been here? Or will it be shorter? I don't... I've never had to think about magic like this before," Hari admitted. "And I don't think this is the kind of magic that Akara will be able to explain to me. I just... I know I'll do what I have to do. I care about the people here, and I want to help. I can help – I'm strong enough here, and I can learn as I go, and we're all helping each other."
"And that's more than you have at home," Blaise said, understanding now that Hari had explained some. "But you don't want to let them down, because this is more ruthless, more bloody, than anything you've ever done before."
Hari nodded in response to Blaise's words. "Yeah. Especially Ron and Hermione. I... They wouldn't get it. Not without being here themselves. Hermione is great, she's my best friend, but she's... she's too stubborn. I'm stubborn, too, but when it comes to things like this I'm a little more... flexible? I think she'd try to find a way to do this without killing. Without hurting people in a permanent way. She's vicious, but she's not... she's not ruthless. And Ron is... he makes snap judgements. And once he's made up his mind, he takes his time changing it. And I feel like, if I told them about this, Ron would make a snap judgement that I had done the wrong thing, that this was evil, and Hermione would agree that I should find another way, and there'd be no convincing them otherwise." Hari couldn't help but laugh at the irony of it all.
"That's what makes all of this so hard, really," she added after a moment. "I never... I never even considered this before. And it's easier with... with the fiends, and the Fallen, and the Gargantuans. With the... the Hunters, I know that they used to be – " Hari faltered. "I know that they used to be alive. That they used to be Human. Blood Raven was a tipping point, I think. She used to be close with you all. And I... I killed her. I did that. And Akara and Kashya thanked me for it. So... I know I'm doing the right thing, even though it's hard, and I have to shut away a little part of myself when I do it." The longer she and Blaise talked about this (it had only been minutes, it felt like, but the day had dragged on while they spoke, and what had been an early morning mist had burned away into a cool, if humid, midmorning) the better she felt, feeling more confident in herself. "I just... I don't know what to do. If I keep thinking about home, I'm not going to be able to focus enough to help. And if I focus on here, then I'm not even thinking about possible ways to get home."
Blaise hummed as she considered Hari's words. "Well, we're supposed to be rescuing Deckard Cain from the ruins of Tristram, right? He's... he's old, Hari. One of the Horadrim – the last of them, if Akara remembers right. They studied magic that no one has touched for an age. Maybe he'll be able to help," she suggested. "So we can kill two birds with one stone, here. We rescue Cain, and help everyone here. And maybe Cain will be able to help you, too."
Hari paused, nodding along with Blaise's words. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face sticky with dried tear-tracks, but she felt better. Like she wasn't a step away from snapping anymore. She hadn't even realized that she'd been so tense until she let everything out, talking with Blaise about her worries. A bit like not realizing you were holding your breath until you let it out, she supposed as she stood once more, running one hand over her braid. "Right. Okay. Let's... Let's go get Cain. Our start is a little later than we planned, but... That's okay. Because we're badass, and we're gonna get this." She grinned at Blaise, a little more frazzled than she hoped, but lightyears better than she'd been.