Matou Shinji and the Price of Victory

A Harry Potter / Fate Stay Night Story

Disclaimer: Though I wish it were otherwise, I do not own or in any way, shape or form hold a legal or moral claim to elements of either the Nasuverse, the Potterverse, or other works I may reference in the course of this story.

Summary: It is a dark time for Matou Shinji. Though his performance at the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship was certainly impressive, his achievement was not without cost, as his actions in publicly using the Killing Curse, acting as a spy for Durmstrang, and otherwise defying British Law have finally caught up with him. On the cusp of being outmaneuvered by the authorities, the lone rebel bargains for a last-minute reprieve, gambling his life and freedom on hope of singlehandedly facing down the forces of an invading army. Yet, in the coming conflict, the boy who calls himself Matou Shinji will soon learn that the line between friend and foe very easily blurs, and that even victory carries a hefty price.


Chapter 12. The Measure of Monsters

Matou Shinji felt somewhat conflicted as he saw Tohsaka emerge from the infirmary, seeming rather disgruntled from the poking and prodding that she'd endured. Still, the Japanese girl seemed no worse for wear from her ordeal the day before…except for the loss of her hair, which some magi had called their lifeline, given that one could store prana in there, but it wasn't as if Tohsaka was someone like Aozaki Touko, whose hair could have purchased the services of a familiar powerful enough to fight Dead Apostles and the like.

"Matou," she said, coming to a halt as her eyes fell on him.

"Tohsaka," the boy greeted.

"Come to gloat?" the Japanese girl questioned.

"No, to apologize," Shinji replied, frowning as he said the words. He didn't really like admitting that he had been wrong, since it rubbed against his pride, but in this case, her injuries had been his fault.

"Apologize?" Rin echoed. "For what? You knew what would happen when you set those beasts on me, didn't you? That eventually I would collapse and…this would happen?"

"…not exactly," the boy answered. "I thought you would be able to endure what I thought a rather mild punishment, but I suppose I…overestimated you." He glanced over her, shaking her head.

"What."

"In the future, I will take into account your merely human limits."

Rin went very still as she heard what in her mind was a half-baked, half-sneering apology, her not inconsiderable intellect quickly drawing the right implications from his choice of words.

"My merely human limits, Matou?" she asked. "Are you saying...you aren't human?"

Shinji paused, surprised that the girl had picked up on this. Perhaps she wasn't completely worthless after all.

"If you must know, every practitioner of witchcraft is somewhat inhuman," he admitted after a moment. "That monstrous blood is the source of our power, after all, however dilute it may have become for most over the ages."

"…for most, but not for you."

"Clever," the boy growled, as skin shifted to scales and grey eyes to gold for a moment, before reverting to his usual appearance. "You are correct. Where I was once like them, my experience on the isle…changed me, allowing me to become something more, something far greater than a mere practitioner of witchcraft."

"…just what are you?" Tohsaka whispered. "You're not…you're not the Matou Shinji I used to know…"

"The Matou Shinji you know died on that island, after a number of assassination attempts from his peers and tortures from the Age of Gods that would have driven most anyone mad." His gaze hardened as he thought back to the Trial of Courage, and the many scenarios he – or his former self, rather – had been subjected to. "You were one of my torturers, you know," he added, almost offhandedly.

"M-me?" the Japanese girl squeaked.

"Yes. In the course of what seemed like a year, you – or someone in your guise – drained my power till I could hardly move, made me tremble and scream to the heavens until I could scream no more, and in the end, tried to make me betray everything I ever believed in, every oath I ever swore," the boy stated coldly. "You – or that vision of you – failed, yet the memories of what happened stay with me. Thinking of it…it fills me with a primal sense of…disgust, of revulsion. Something that lingers when I look at you."

"…you seemed fine with kissing me and touching me just a few days ago," Tohsaka said under her breath. "There was no disgust then. No sense you found me revolting." She sniffed. "Until that maid showed up, and you went chasing after her." She couldn't quite keep the venom from her voice as she thought back to the night he had nearly made her a woman, and how he had abandoned her for a simple maid.

"You surprised me," he admitted, his voice grave. "And I'll be honest, there was a part of me that had long desired you, a part that your…doppelganger used to its advantage in what it did to me. That was the part that reacted to you." He chuckled coldly. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"D-did the bitch of a maid tell you t—"

"Do not speak ill of your betters, little girl!" Shinji snarled, a sudden wave of utter rage seeming to radiate from him as he took a step forward…and Rin took a step back, her heart racing as she perceived herself to be in mortal danger. "You, on your best day, are not worth even the clippings of her nails, or the dust of her feet!"

"I…" Rin tried to begin, but found herself unable to, her body trembling under the pressure exerted by Matou's entirely too palpable wrath. It felt…suffocating, like there were claws around her throat, and if she said another word, he would crush it and end her wretched existence.

"I could strike you down where you stand right now," the boy mused, a twisted little smirk on his lips. "It would be so easy, really, to tear into your mortal flesh and say, devour your still beating heart. To cut you in two or rip out your spine. It's pathetic, really," he spat. "You think yourself worthy of walking by my side when you are so very weak? Worthy of besmirching the names of my precious companions when you have done nothing to show that you deserve to even breathe the same air? Worthy of my affections when you are always the load?" He snorted. "Life isn't some romantic comedy, Tohsaka. People don't want to be with weak little girls who don't know their place!"

He fell silent for a moment as he glanced up, with Tohsaka following his gaze to see a blue bird-shaped familiar perched on the ceiling. Had that…been there all along?

The wave of sheer, corrosive hatred subsided, with Rin looking back at Matou to find that he had his eyes closed, and was forcing himself to take a deep breath, then another, then another, as his body relaxed.

"When you run tonight," he said after about a minute of utter silence. "I will allow you several breaks, during which you may slow or stop without penalty. I will ensure the beasts I create are aware of this."

"I…you're still making me run?! After what happened last night?!" Rin sputtered.

Shinji opened his eyes, raising a puzzled eyebrow at her words.

"…yes? That you were burned was unfortunate, but does not exempt you from your punishment," he noted reasonably. "I have already apologized, what more do you want?"

Rin wanted to snap off a comment about how his words weren't much of an apology, but she bit her tongue, as she remembered what Matou's wrath had felt like, remembered how insignificant she'd felt.

"…understood, Commander," she said at last.

"Good. I have other duties to attend to, so you are dismissed. Do not be late tonight."

Rin also wanted to know what these "other duties" were, but thought better of it once she saw the sapphire bird drop down to Matou's eye level and waggle its wings, with the boy sighing before falling into step behind it as it flew off.


Over the next couple of weeks both Tohsaka and Matou found themselves training hard in their own ways, with the girl building up her stamina from hours of running each day and Shinji busy with sparring, restoring his ofuda stockpile, and working on sorting out his mind with the help of Mashu, on top of familiarizing himself with how differently things were run in Albion as compared to Magical Britain under the Ministry, and of course, with the movers and shakers of the new state.

As part of this, Matou Shinji had agreed to go to the dinner that his former master had spoken of, and so found himself waiting at the curb in front of his house for transport to that particular affair, dressed to the nines – though not dressed as Nines for once in a long while (which was something of a relief, actually, since one could only assume a persona for so long without adopting some of the traits of that persona…which of course made him wonder about what it must be like for Emilia, whose entire set of abilities revolved around transforming into others, and who rarely spent time in her original form).

What type of conveyance would be sent, he wondered? Something simple or…something more like what he had become accustomed to? The boy wasn't ashamed to admit that he liked the finer things in life, and so was rather pleased to see a Rolls Royce pulling up, with Jeeves exiting from the driver's seat and moving to the rear door.

"Good evening, sir, and may I say it is a pleasure to drive for you again," the chauffeur greeted, bowing slightly.

"The pleasure is mine," Shinji murmured, as the rather tall Nordic-looking man opened the rear door to reveal Mashu already inside, dressed in a rather flattering formal of red and black gown, as he'd only seen once before. It brought back memories of a couple years ago, when he'd taken Illya to the gala at the British Museum.

'…I really hope that whatever and wherever the dinner is, it won't be at the Museum.'

This was for rather obvious reasons, given the current fiction going around the Tower that he was dead. A fiction that kept the Einzbern from sending a kill team after the last Matou, and one that would quite frankly be shredded in an instant if he were to walk into the Museum or any official area under the control of the Tower.

"You're coming to dinner as well?" Shinji asked, after he'd seated himself and the door had closed behind him.

"Yes, as Atlas' representative," came the response, with the boy straightening at her words. This...this was an official function then? Should…should he be worried about this? "You have questions?"

"…I don't even know where to begin," the boy admitted. "If this is a function where representatives from major factions of the Moonlit world will be there, then why am I present?" It seemed odd. Very odd. "Unless…" the boy's mouth went dry as he thought of something. "Don't tell me I'm here to represent the interests of Albion?!"

The lilac-haired alchemist let him stew in his anxiety for a moment before she spoke.

"For the purposes of this dinner, you are simply a guest invited by Aozaki Touko, as she mentioned that her former apprentice had some ties to the other factions involved," Mashu explained. "While you are technically an officer representing the interests of Albion, it may be a good idea not to speak unless spoken to, as you are not in a position to dictate policy, while the First Citizen – who will be there – is."

"Ah, so Lockhart will be there to represent Albion," Shinji murmured, feeling rather relieved that someone had taken that particular cup of suffering from him. He was sure that if it had been up to him, he would have made some kind of blunder that would have gotten half the world arrayed against the new polity. "But…why is Atlas here?"

"We have our interests in this new government," the Agent spoke softly. "That is all I can say for now, as you are not yet cleared for the specifics."

"I…see." The boy was silent for a moment as he digested that little tidbit. "Anything else I should know?"

"That it would be unwise to stir up trouble, so you will want to keep your draconic aspect under control, unless you wish to be in violation of guest-right."

"Guest-right?"

"There are many factions represented tonight, some of which have…tensions with the others. As such, civility is important." Mashu paused. "Should you instigate a conflict or altercation, you will be considered to have forfeited the protections you are afforded as a guest and will be dealt with as a hostile agent."

"Huh." Shinji swallowed, not wanting to imagine what would happen if he did indeed provoke offense. Yet, speaking of tensions… "And if I happen to be attacked by someone? What then?" he asked. If the Einzbern were present…

"In all likelihood you will not, but if you are assaulted at the dinner, limit yourself to defense if at all possible," the Agent cautioned. "Do not counterattack."

"...I see. This dinner must be either very important, or very sensitive to warrant that much," he noted, to which Mashu only nodded. "I don't suppose you can say who else is coming, aside from you, Master, and the First Citizen?"

"Representatives of several factions, including the Americans."

"Anyone I should know about?"

"I believe you have met most of the parties involved at least once," Mashu responded. "The only group you are unlikely to be familiar with are the Edelfelts, who are here at the invitation of the First Citizen, to discuss a possible collaboration."

"...the hyenas of the battlefield? W...no, actually that makes sense, if there's going to be a war," the boy muttered. He paused for a moment. "The ah...Director isn't here, is she?"

"Unfortunately, she cannot be present," the Agent replied, with Shinji feeling a flicker of disappointment at that. "I will represent Atlas in her stead, though our Vice-Director will also be present."

"If the Vice Director will be present, why isn't she the leader of the Atlas delegation?" Shinji questioned. "Just curious," he added, realizing too late that his question might be seen as offensive.

"Because the Director has entrusted that responsibility to me," Mashu answered, which was enough to settle the boy's mind on the matter. "Our Vice Director is certainly a skilled Alchemist, but she has some eccentricities, as you may remember from the time you spent with her two winters ago."

"Two winter…Illya? Well, I suppose eccentric is as good a word as any for her," the boy acknowledged, remembering the time they'd spent together two winters ago. "...I haven't seen her in a long time. I wonder if she remembers me."

"She does," Mashu confirmed. "And you will have the opportunity to spend time with her afterwards, if you wish, though I warn she does not look quite as you remember."

"Well, I'm not quite as she remembers, so that makes two of us," he noted, shaking his head. "Speaking of which...are people going to know my nature at a glance?"

"To a degree," the Agent of Atlas affirmed. "Some more than others. It will not cause complications, however."

"And my name and appearance?" he questioned. "As I recall, I am considered - Matou Shinji is considered to be dead - or hospitalized, depending on the faction. If I appear as myself..."

"It would cause more trouble if you used a disguise," Mashu said quietly. "You are a known quantity, and one accepted as trustworthy enough. Nines, your alias, is not."

"Anything else I should know?"

The Agent of Atlas paused for a moment, as if considering what was safe to say.

"Should the Aozaki sisters squabble tonight, do not let yourself be drawn into their argument," she said finally.

"Right, that's-Aozaki sisters?!" the boy went cold at the realization of who she was talking about. "You don't mean...Miss Blue...?"

"Correct."

"Why?"

"I believe the First Citizen wished to discuss employing her - she is currently a free agent, after all."

"I…" He supposed it made sense, but…the boy whistled. Lockhart had some serious balls if he was even considering hiring a Magician for his own ends.

'I mean, yes, he's leading a rebellion against a system that has been in place for hundreds of years, seeking to overthrow the Ministry and everything it stands for, so I knew he had guts. He'd have to, as an Assassin, but…'

Getting Miss Blue involved was something on a whole other level.

"As there are no formal seating arrangements, you may sit with myself and the Vice Director if you would like," Mashu offered, her soothing voice interrupting his thoughts. "Unless you would prefer to sit next to your former Master?"

"…I think I'll accept your generous offer," Shinji replied weakly, wincing as he contemplated how miserable it would be if he ended up between Aozaki Touko and Aozaki Aoko instead. "Please."

For the rest of the ride, Shinji was silent as he worried about just what dinner was going to involve, and whether, despite Mashu's insistence he would be a guest – and therefore protected – he was going to finish the night alive and in one piece.

'…well, ok, for a given value of alive anyway.'


Lost in his thoughts, Shinji couldn't have said how long the ride was, though he was surprised to find that instead of a restaurant (as he'd expected), or the Museum (as he'd feared), the journey came to a end in front of a townhouse much like his own, with First Citizen Gilderoy Lockhart and his secretary, Miss Suoirtsulli personally greeting them as they stepped out of the car.

"Commander Matou, a pleasure you could join us tonight," the Assassin greeted. "And you as well, Miss Kyrielight. We look forward to discussing things with you in more detail tonight."

"There are refreshments inside – please help yourself as we await our remaining guests," the Secretary added. "They will be here in a quarter of an hour."

"Your former Master is inside as well, Matou, if you would like to speak with her," Lockhart noted.

"I…thank you," the boy stated, bowing and proceeding inside as bade, where he found the slightly spiced air rather soothing to his senses. Looking around, he noticed the presence of hooded individuals dressed in attire much like the Stonecutters had worn, holding trays laden with hors d'oeuvres and various colored drinks.

Around them were a number of familiar faces, people he had met over the years – some of which he was on good terms with, and some of which…he was rather more uncertain.

Aozaki Aoko, the Master of the Fifth Magic, was one of the latter, though her conversation partner, Rebekah Huygens, the Special Assistant to the President of MACUSA, one of the former, he thought.

Mashu had moved off into the room to greet Mudbutton and the Green Goblin, who apparently were also here representing Albion interests – and perhaps those of the goblins.

Off in the corner was Tomas, dressed in what had to be a formal uniform, speaking with…Ayaka-senpai?!

Wh-what was the Champion of Mahoutokoro doing here? And if she was here, did that mean that—

"Commander Matou will have a Shirley Temple," a rather familiar voice said from behind him, with Shinji turning to see a certain blonde model dressed in a rather stunning gown, with electric blue butterflies woven into her hair.

"…Miss Labelle," he noted, with a deep bow. As he straightened, one of the waiters passed him a deep red drink, with a cherry on top, which he accepted when he saw it was identical to the one the American Champion was holding. "Ordering drinks for me already, are you?"

"Well, since you decided to…drop in, as it were," came the model's smooth reply, with Shinji wincing internally at this, "it's only right that I look out for my old partner, right?"

"…thanks," the boy said grudgingly. "Is your secretary here tonight too?"

"Eugenia is indeed here, though she works directly for Rebekah these days," was Elesa's answer, gesturing to another part of the room, where the boy saw the white-haired young woman in a stunning black dress, speaking in rapid fire German with…another white-haired young lady.

`Chloe Ainsworth?` he thought to himself, as he thought he recognized the woman. She'd been at Kyoto for the New Years festivities, as one of the soloists for Ode to Joy. She was a magus as well, but…what was she doing here?

'Unless she's an Einzbern, in which case I'm pretty much fucked.'

"You're curious about who she's talking to?" Elesa questioned, with Shinji nodding. "That would be the Vice Director of Atlas, Illyasviel von Einzbern."

"What." Huh. An Einzbern, but that…was Illya? But…Illya was…she was…

"You were acquaintances, I presume?"

"…you could say that," Shinji allowed. Still…how…why…

"Then by all means, let's have you say hello to an old friend, as opposed to gazing at her longingly from afar," Elesa teased, taking his arm and leading him over towards the two white-haired young women.

"I…I wasn't…it's not like I was looking over longingly or anything!" he protested. And he hadn't been, to be quite honest. He'd been more gobsmacked to realize that the white-haired girl, the person he'd been so cautious of back in Kyoto, had been Illya, who he'd danced with / held in his arms just a year before.

It was just…she looked so different. So…mature. So…

'Sexy…' a part of his mind supplied before he ruthlessly quashed it.

He didn't have much time to do anything else, however, as Elesa had come to a halt, leaving him in front of two white-haired visions of loveliness.

"Vice Director, I do believe you are familiar with Commander Matou," Elesa was saying, with Shinji stepping forward as if on cue, holding out his hand.

"Vice Director, it is a pleasure to—oof!"

Surprisingly, Illya, rather than shake his hand, decided to step forward and all but glomp him instead, knocking the wind out of him as well as all the thoughts in his head (and nearly knocking the drink out of his hand, for that matter, save that Elesa gently took it from him).

"Hey," he said softly, his voice a bit muffled, as with her being taller now he only came up to her chest. Well, a little taller, but it was a sizable chest nonetheless.

"Hey yourself," Illyasviel replied, her voice somewhat shaky, yet tender all at once. "You've grown a bit."

"Speak for yourself," the boy answered, though he couldn't keep a smile from his face at the sight of her and the sound of her voice, different yet…recognizable. "I…you're here."

"You too," Illya responded, looking down and smiling as their gazes met. But then she winced. "I…I hope my family…my former family hasn't—"

"They wiped out my former family, but you know I felt about them, so…no harm done," the boy said with something like a laugh, though there was a hint of pain in it even so. "It's not like being a wanted man is anything new these days."

"Mashu said you would be here, but I…"

"…I wasn't sure what to expect," Shinji filled in, with the girl's red eyes lighting up as he finished her sentence. "I…I guessed we missed other at Christmas?"

"…yeah. I wanted to see you, but…I didn't know what you would think, so I came to Kyoto and…hoped, I guess."

"Ah," Shinji uttered, wincing at how suspicious he'd been of 'Chloe Ainsworth.' "I wish I'd known. I…I'd wondered if that was you or…" He shook his head. "But with the Einzbern hunting me…"

"You couldn't risk it," Illya supplied, looking a bit downcast. "I know. I'm sorry that because of me—"

"Don't be sorry," the boy said, letting his arms come up so he could embrace her, something that surprised the Vice Director. "I made my choice because I wanted you to be happy. Because you deserve to be happy." He paused. "You are…right?"

"…I am," Illya replied, sounding rather choked up as she hugged him tighter. "Thank you. Thank you so much…I…"

"I'm glad, you know," the boy murmured, with the rest of the world having fallen away in that moment, so that all that existed was the woman in his arms. "Not glad I'm a wanted man, but if I had to do it again, I would, in a heartbeat, because your happiness is what matters to me. Not…all that."

"I—"

"It was even…fun at times, for some moments, anyway," the boy reflected with a sigh. "I even got to use that one line."

"That one line?" Illya echoed.

"Oh you know the one. 'Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"

Illya, the Vice Director of Atlas, burst out laughing at that remark, a sound that was unrestrained and utterly free, something utterly unexpected from her, with Shinji joining in even as they embraced one another tightly, as if afraid, if they let go, the other would vanish.

The call for everyone to come to the table came after that, with Illya taking his hand and insisting that he sit with her and Mashu – something he'd intended anyway, with a few knowing looks and whispers from the room at the unsubtle display of affection between the two of them.

Shinji didn't end up having much to contribute to the general conversation at the dinner, except to mention when questioned by the goblins that he found the Americans trustworthy and generous, to reply to a representative from the Edelfelts (the surprise guests Lockhart had been waiting for) that yes, even if Albion was a nation composed primarily of practitioners of witchcraft, there was certainly a place for magi – why one of the people in his squad – Tohsaka Rin – was a magus, to praise the kindness and skill of those who worked with him when Aoko asked how he managed to survive on the island, and to lead a toast in honor of pleasant reunions and the promise of a better tomorrow.

He didn't remember much of it, either, save that afterwards, Kaiduka mentioned that the Fujou family would like to visit him, with the boy mentioning that he would love to host Shiroe and his family for dinner, and setting a day for the meeting.

Well, and that at the end of a post-dinner outing with Illya, when he dropped her off at the airport following a long, leisurely walk around London and some bit of reminiscing, she whispered in his ear that she was looking forward to having him join her at Atlas – perhaps in the summer, before kissing him goodnight.

Kissing him on the cheek, mind you, but one wouldn't know it from the great, goofy smile on his face, as if everything, for once, was right with the world.

'I guess I have something to look forward to this summer,' he thought, his spirits buoyant as he looked ahead to the prospect of more time with Illya – and to dinner with Fujou Shiroe and his family. It had been a while since he'd last seen them – a small eternity, really – and he was very excited to be able to show them his home, as they had welcomed him in theirs. True, there was a sudden stab of worry when he thought of hosting them, given that Tohsaka could sometimes do unexpected things, but…he figured he was worrying too much. Tohsaka was learning – slowly – but learning, and it wasn't as if she would offend the sacred rites of hospitality, right?

…wrong.


Shinji's reunion with Fujou Shiroe and family, the night before his mission was to begin, started off well enough, with the boy (and Mashu, standing beside him) greeting Shiroe, his cousin Kohaku, and his fiancée Tsuji Miyuki as they came through the Vanishing Cabinet linked with Japan.

"This is your study?" Shiroe asked, looking around the room he'd ended up in, finding his eyes drawn to the rather fancy desk.

"It is. It is where I contemplate texts, do my writing, and all sorts of other things," Shinji replied with a rakish grin. "On this desk, made from the timbers of the Golden Hind."

"Sir Francis Drake's ship?" Tsuji Miyuki questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware there were any such pieces of furniture."

"I wasn't either, until the goblins told me of it," he admitted freely. "I owe them much."

"You were a friend of the goblins?" Kohaku questioned, her golden eyes taking in everything, as two tails waved lazily behind her. "Before the rise of Albion, I mean."

"I…" the boy smiled politely. "Is there a reason you're fused, Kohaku-san?"

"My familiar wanted to see Britain, but since she's prone to mischief, I thought it best we come fused, so we didn't break anything. We are guests, after all, Shinji-san," Kohaku noted.

Shinji nodded, accepting the explanation.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Mashu Kyrielight, a close associate of mine, who has been helping me in many ways for…years now."

"Ah, one of your mentors from Atlas," Kohaku noted, with Shinji staring in surprise at her statement. "Sajyou-senpai mentioned her from the dinner you were both at, as did Kaiduka-dono."

"…this is true, though I would thank you not to mention that fact to Tohsaka," Shinji requested solemnly. "Also, ah, you know Lord Kaiduka personally?"

"He mentioned that you asked for help with something – I believe you needed a teacher?" Kohaku questioned, her tails twitching about curiously…wait, and were those cat ears?!

Shinji hastily quashed a sudden urge to pet the cat-eared girl, with his mind fixing on something she'd said.

"A teacher…" he repeated. "You're here to help me with—"

"Fufu, I have some…experience at managing different aspects of a person's nature or personality," the cat-eared girl replied.

"Ah well, yes, that I could use some help with," the boy admitted quietly. "You'll be staying in Britain for a time then?"

"If it is no trouble, Shinji-san," the girl replied, with a deferential nod. "I will also be the unofficial ambassador from Japan to Albion, so it would be convenient."

Shinji blinked.

"Is Japan recognizing Albion then?" he asked. He remembered from the dinner that Kaiduka had expressed a desire for Japan to remain neutral in the conflict, so…

"Not officially," came the apologetic reply. "Unlike the Americans, our nation thrives from being a neutral trade hub, so it is better for us not to give diplomatic recognition to either side in the conflict."

"Well, understandable. The needs of the many and all," Shinji allowed. "Mashu and I will find you a room after dinner."

"Not Tohsaka-san?" Kohaku questioned delicately. "I thought she lived here as well?"

"Rin is merely a long-term guest," the boy said in long-suffering tones. "It wouldn't be right for a guest to be given the responsibilities of the owner."

"So then, why Mashu?" Shiroe questioned.

"Because I owe her my life – and sanity – several times over, and she as much right to call this place home as I do," Shinji noted, with Shiroe looking surprised and Miyuki raising an eyebrow. "I trust her implicitly."

"I…see," the heir of the Fujou clan noted, blinking. "Well, your household is yours to manage, I suppose, and each of us have our own…preferences." He smiled slightly. "Anyway, you didn't meet Miyuki back at Hogwarts?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"You went to Hogwarts?" he asked.

"I did. You don't remember me, Stone Cutter?" Miyuki asked in a husky contralto.

"I don't, actually, but there are plenty of people I don't recognize, I'm sure," the boy responded diplomatically. "Those I didn't meet for one - people in other houses and other years, for example. After all, had we met, I'm sure I would have remembered a face as lovely as yours."

Shiroe coughed.

"I wonder," she noted. "For your information, I was a Hufflepuff, and I left after your first year, so it isn't surprising that you do not know me."

"Ah, I see. You had things to take care of in Japan, I trust?"

"Yes – the family business, as it were," Miyuki responded. "I've certainly heard stories of the strange happenings in Hogwarts since I left, with the Stone Cutters in the middle of much of that business. The Tri-Wizard and Potions Competitions had some interesting press surrounding them, certainly. As someone who was involved in the thick of it, what do you have to say about it?"

"Honestly, it was a blur. And I'm…I'm still figuring out the fallout of it all," he noted, admitting for once that he didn't have all the answers. "Should we go downstairs? I'm told Tohsaka is familiar with all of you, so it would be good for her to see some friendly faces. She's been working hard as a soldier of Albion, after all."

"Oh? A soldier, at her age?"

"Well…we must all do our part," Shinji replied. "I mean, I'm an officer in Albion's Home Guard, so…" He shrugged. "So it goes, I suppose."

"I gather there is a reason you are doing this?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm working for Albion because I think Magical Britain and its citizens - all of its citizens - deserve better than the tyranny of the Ministry," he stated, his eyes burning as he thought about how it simply abandoned London to burn. "I have a debt to this country, this place which showed me I could be so much more than what my family thought I was, that offered me possibilities when no one else was willing to."

"Duty and desire for justice," Miyuki murmured approvingly. "I can respect those motives." She paused. "I doubt you are completely altruistic, however, so I assume there's something you stand to gain."

"Well…becoming a better leader and learning more about what I'm capable of when push comes to shove," the boy replied.

"We've seen a bit of that, I think," Shiroe interjected. "I remember the reports from the Potions Championship. Something about you somehow destroying a good part of the island and slaying two older Champions?"

"…I did what I had to do," Shinji stated bluntly. "That is all."

The group headed downstairs after that, with the conversation turning to a somewhat lighter note, as Shinji described how he'd had to negotiate for the house through letters, and how Sirius Black had assumed that he was some noble playboy acquiring a property for his mistress, only to be surprised that the actual buyer was a schoolboy when the day came to hand over the deed.

He couldn't understand why Shiroe and Miyuki glanced at each other knowingly at that remark, but supposed it reminded them of something funny from their own experience.

He told them of the story of the various bits of furniture he'd collected, the designs he'd gone over to ensure everything looked good, and…everything, with Shiroe at least seemingly mildly impressed by the lengths his friend had gone through to ensure this was a good place.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you did buy this place for Tohsaka, did you not?" Shiroe questioned, with Shinji snorting.

"I allowed her to live in the house, yes, but I suppose I wanted something I could call home, a place that was mine, and mine alone, not something from my family," Shinji said after a minute. "Shall we continue?"

He led them around, showing them the rooms – even the bathrooms – though somewhere along the way, Mashu and Kohaku had split off to go to the kitchens to check on the food, as it would be a poor dinner without enough in the way of vittles for everyone.

During this time, Rin came back from a long day of training, with Shinji pulling her into the group to talk about herself a bit, as well as asking the Fujous how Tohsaka had been while in Japan. Miyuki, in particular, seemed curious about Rin, and was interested in discussing her situation in more detail, so Shinji offered to leave the two to talk, while he and Shiroe did a bit of sparring for old time's sake.

"I mean, who knows, maybe I can beat you these days," he said impishly.

"Well, I suppose a bit of light sparring couldn't hurt," Shiroe agreed.

With Rin entrusted with entertaining Miyuki, the boy thought it would be fine to go to the basement and spar for a bit, since very little could go wrong within the confines of his house. There was quite an extensive set of defenses within, the alcohol had (mostly) been cleared out, and it wasn't as if Rin could access anything dangerous, like his quarters or the special items within – only he, Luna, and Mashu currently had access to those.

So the two headed down to the basement, which had been set up as a training area that...well, he honestly hadn't gotten a chance to use that much, which was a pity, given how much he'd paid for it.

"Been a while, huh?" Shiroe noted, looking around at the solid stone of their surroundings, his nostrils flaring slightly as he took a whiff. "Some very solid boundaries worked into the stone," he observed. "Aozaki-san's work?"

"Yes, actually," Shinji confirmed with a lopsided smile. "I didn't realize you knew her. You...ah, haven't made any deals with her, have you?"

"None with her," the Fujou heir said quietly. "Though I am of course, familiar with Perverell-san, whose dueling seminars are very widely attended." Shiroe chuckled. "I may have been asked to take part once or twice."

"Who won?" Shinji asked dryly. In his experience, Tomas had been a hell of a fighter, especially for someone who was limited to using wandcraft abilities. "And he is teaching dueling seminars these days?"

"In part," the redhead replied. "He also has a project in Britain he is working on. Something about training Albion's army?"

Shinji twitched.

"Yes, he calls himself the Wizard-Marshal," the boy who was part of the Albion Home Guard noted sourly. "Or maybe someone else came up with the name and he liked it."

Shiroe frowned.

"You mentioned the army yourself before, but something confuses me. You represented the government of Britain in an international championship, and now you have joined a faction in rebelling against it? That...sounds a little disloyal, Matou."

Shinji winced.

"I...I wouldn't put it that way," he said delicately. "They betrayed me first, honestly."

"They did?"

Was Shinji hearing things, or was Shiroe somewhat skeptical?

"They...they didn't like foreigners. Still don't. They used me for what I could do, and afterwards, demanded that I swear allegiance to them for the support they'd given me, or else they would execute me for treason."

"W...Matou, you're not even a British citizen. How can they charge you with treason?!"

"That's what I said!" Shinji echoed indignantly. He took a breath, shaking his head. "Look, long story short, while they had me making this choice, London was attacked. And I...I volunteered to hold the line and buy time for them to escape if they would pardon me of any so-called crimes they'd charged me with."

"Hold the line...?" Shiroe repeated thoughtfully. "You mean...alone?"

"I mean, who else could they ask to do something that stupid?" the dark-haired boy questioned with a hollow laugh. "Their army was at Hogwarts, and would have been ripped to pieces against the foes I faced. Their aurors – there were a handful. What could they have done?"

"You say that, and yet you fought an army. Alone."

"...ok, look, maybe that wasn't the smartest idea," Shinji admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Still, being an ally of justice means doing what is right, not what is easy. Or what is smart." He sighed. "I swore a vow that I'd hold that army off or die trying."

"Well, you're alive, so..." Shinji's response was to raise his arm and shift his skin to scales, then to solid stone, a demonstration which quickly shut the Fujou boy up. "...Matou. What did you do?"

"It's a funny thing, Shiroe," the boy grunted, letting his arm fall as his stone became flesh, and scales reverted to skin once more. "To no longer be the person you were. To have everything burned away."

Fujou Shiroe flinched at those words, taking a step back.

"Matou...you..."

"Yeah," the boy said with a brittle smile. "I'm like you, I guess. Only I didn't forget who I was completely."

"...just in part?"

"Yeah, though I don't remember what parts, because...yeah. Just that I'm not who I was," Shinji remarked. "The old Matou wasn't exactly part reptile."

"Part reptile, huh?"

"Well, part-dragon," Shinji admitted, his features taking on a grim mask. "Which changes my personality too. Makes me more prone to anger. More greedy. More...well, like a dragon, I guess."

"An eastern dragon or a western?" Shiroe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Western. More fire and blood than water and compassion."

"Heh. Being fair, that always described your shiroi koibito more than you," the Fujou heir joked, smiling for a moment before his expression went neutral once more. "...does she know?" he asked quietly.

"She?"

"You know who I mean," Shiroe said, more seriously. "Did you tell her?"

"That I'm different than I was, yes. That I'm pretty much a different person...no," Shinji admitted, looking down. "I'm...I'm afraid. She...she walked away from me after I told her some of it. If she knew all of it...I..." He seemed uncertain, almost...lost. "I'm worried she'll throw me away, like everyone else who knows how flawed I am has."

"...I haven't, Matou."

"No, but you don't know half the terrible things I've done, either," the boy who called himself Matou Shinji stated. "I'm not the person you think I am. The good person. The noble person. I'm..." He smiled wanly. "I'm kind of a monster, honestly."

"Well, you're not the first person I know who thinks of themselves that way," Shiroe said after a moment. "And I don't think less of any of the others for how they see themselves."

"I'm not?" Shinji uttered, blinking. "Really? You? The vaunted heir of the Fujou family? You're surrounded by those kinds of people?"

"Heh...I guess I always have been," Shiroe observed with something of a lopsided smile. "But then, they say the higher up you rise, the odder your company becomes, after all."

"They?" Shinji repeated, trying to place where that expression came from, but not coming up with anything. "You just made that up!"

"I did," Shiroe admitted freely. "But is it any less true, if I'm saying it and not some centuries old philosopher?"

"...no. No, it isn't," the boy who called himself Matou Shinji conceded. "...I guess I should tell her then, shouldn't I?"

"Yes. I think she'll understand," the Fujou heir said, with Shinji taking a deep breath, inhaling, exhaling, and finally nodding.

"Well, I'll trust you on that one."

"I trusted you some years ago, and you gave me my life back - only fair that I return the favor, right?"

"Right."

The two boys nodded to one another, and were about to square off for a friendly spar when the door opened, with the elegant figure of Tsuji Miyuki making her way gracefully down the stairs, her deliberate pace seeming almost like of a very dangerous predator.

A somewhat flustered Rin trailed after her, trying to say one thing or another, only to be ignored as Shiroe's fiancée made her way down to the basement where the two were.

"Shiroe. Matou-kun."

"Tsuji-san," Shinji replied with a slight bow. "I thought Tohsaka would be entertaining you. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Matou-kun, you invited Shiroe to join you for a spar, did you not?"

"I...did, but what's this about?"

"Would it trouble you to make the spar 2 against 2?"

Shinji couldn't help but notice Fujou Shiroe wince and glance at Rin, even as he wondered just what Tohsaka had done wrong to offend the older girl, as it seemed that Tsuji-san wanted an excuse to face Tohsaka in battle without the complications of a formal duel.

'...clever.'

"Could I have a moment of privacy, please?" Shinji requested, with Tsuji Miyuki agreeing to it. The boy took the time to cast muffliato, as he pulled Rin to him, so that the others wouldn't overhear them.

"What happened?"

"I-I don't know," Tohsaka said, rather flustered. "We were talking about my time with the Fujous, and how Fujou Kohaku-san cut my curses out of the air without even using reinforcement. I said it was unnatural, like a monster out of legend - and then Tsuji-san excused herself for a word with you and came here. I-I tried to call after her, but she just kept walking. What-what did I do?"

"...did you call Fujou Kohaku a monster?"

"Not...exactly," Rin temporized. "Just that what she could do was...monstrous and unnatural. Just like the abilities of the person training her - Asa Drake."

Now it was Shinji's turn to wince.

"Did she say anything else to you?" he demanded, his voice perhaps a bit harsh. These...the Fujous were his guests and his long-time friends. If Tohsaka had offended them...

Rin cringed, stepping back from seeing even a whisper of Shinji's wrath directed at her.

"I...she said...she said something terrible."

"Out with it!" he snapped.

"'That you were so easily beaten does not mean your opponents were monsters,'" Rin recited, her voice and body trembling. "It..." she swallowed, her shaking growing even more intense. "'It means that you are weak. By claiming that your opponent was a monster, you are merely absolving yourself of responsibility for your defeat. A person like that...no matter how strong you may be, or what potential you hold, if you cling to that mindset, you will surely die.'" Tohsaka Rin swallowed. "That's all."

"...and then what happened?"

"...I uh...I might have pointed my finger at her. With my crest...um...glowing."

At that moment, the boy who called himself Matou Shinji wanted nothing more than to bury his head in his hands. Tohsaka...he'd trusted her not to do anything foolish, and in the span of what, fifteen minutes, she'd nearly attacked a member of a noble house that he was guesting?

"...did you use a spell?" the boy hissed at her, as Tohsaka Rin flinched from the sheer depths of rage rising in his eyes.

"N-no, I...I wouldn't-"

"That's...something," the boy groused. "Not a hell of a lot, but something. Which I guess brings us to now, unless there's anything else you're leaving out?"

"N-no. There's nothing."

"If I find out there is..."

"T-there isn't. Matou, I-"

But the boy who called himself Matou Shinji turned away, as he waved a hand and dismissed the muffliato. He took a moment to calm himself, breathing in, counting to twenty, pushing back his impulse to just spank Tohsaka until she screamed or begged for forgiveness, or to have Lockhart come up with a special scenario for her, because he wasn't alone. He had guests, including one who was something of a brother to him, and one that Tohsaka had gravely offended - even threatened, something that would have been grounds for justifiable homicide among magi.

"Have you come to a decision?" Tsuji Miyuki inquired mildly. Or at least, her expression seemed mild - except for her odd amber eyes, the same color as Kohaku's, sharp and intelligent and piercing.

"Given the circumstances, I will have to decline the proposal," Shinji stated tersely, locking eyes with Tsuji Miyuki, his eyes no longer grey, but golden and slitted, like that of a great wyrm. "After all, as enjoyable as I'm sure it would be to test my skills against you, this is about something else, isn't it?" he asked, rather clinically. "Tohsaka did something terrible, and there are reparations to be made. This is what it this offer is really about, isn't it?"

The older girl looked at the boy evenly, holding his gaze in a way he found most disconcerting.

"Then you are formally acknowledging that your representative and ally has committed an offense against not just myself as a person, but the Fujous as a whole, and you are now seeking to make restitution?" she inquired, to which Shinji blinked.

"Wait. What?" he asked, his expression freezing as the words sank in. "I am now seeking to make restitution?" How...and why would it come to that when Tohsaka had been the one who had committed the offense. "Shiroe, help me understand this," Shinji said, turning to his old friend, who looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "Why me, not her?"

"Because you requested that we should treat her as if she were you, with all the implications thereof," Shiroe responded gravely.

"I..." Wait. He had said that, hadn't he? "But...that..."

"Perhaps that is not what you meant, but it is what you said," Shiroe added, not seeming very happy about this. "In addition, you never stated that this status should be rescinded. Thus, what Tohsaka has done is something you are responsible for."

"And if I were to rescind it now?"

"Such empty protests would do no good, when the evidence speaks for itself," Tsuji Miyuki interjected coldly. "Tohsaka Rin lives in your house, is trusted to serve as your representative, is being sheltered from harm by you. Words now, mean nothing."

"...what do you want then?" the boy asked.

"It is not what I want, not anymore - but what you want to give up so that honor will be satisfied," Tsuji Miyuki stated.

"Honor? But...this – it's a private matter, not one where honor comes into play. Can't we handle this quietly?"

"No. You already refused to."

"What? What do you—" And then it hit him. That there had been a reason that Tsuji Miyuki had originally requested nothing more than expanding the spar, with no talk of honor or reparations on the table, and that had he simply accepted her offer, things wouldn't have come to this. At the time, he'd simply thought it had been a clever way to get around the complications of a formal duel, without realizing there was far more at stake than merely the offense of a single girl.

"You understand, I see."

He did - at least a bit. Granted, the full implications had been too subtle for him, but then Matou Shinji had all the subtlety of a raging bull. Or raging dragon, if one preferred, for where a dragon could be wise indeed, a dragon caught in the grip of rage was seldom given to wisdom and deliberation.

"How can I convince you that Tohsaka acted on her own, that she does not represent me, and that if anyone should be punished, it is her?"

"By making it clear through your actions that this is the case?"

What does Shinji do next?

Matou Shinji never really liked having to choose between two options someone provided him. In his view, such a thing was essentially agreeing to a loss of agency, as his "choice" would merely be which of the two alternatives that had been laid out he disliked less. In his thinking, there was another way - there *had* to be another way. Anything less was accepting that he was stuck in a no-win scenario.

'Hillard never accepted that,' he recalled, remembering the bravery and valor of the older boy, and he had refused to simply let someone else dictate what the outcome would be. 'So I won't either. In his memory.'

In the memory of one of his few true friends - a friend who had remained faithful to his ideals to the end, who had died as a hero and saved hundreds - perhaps thousands of lives - in his last action. And who had done so while being close to human, with only the benefit of a wand and the abilities that had lent him.

'If he had been stronger...if I had shared the arts I knew with him...would he be alive today?' he sometimes wondered. 'At the very least, it would have been a better use of my time than wasting it on that filthy coward and traitor named Potter, who turned his back on his oldest friend.' The wretch had even dared to blacken his name with that Cornerstones trash - even signing off on the changes that made his look like a coward and Dark Lord in training.

And for what? Because Potter wanted praise and adulation? Because he enjoyed Greengrass' tender embraces, and so placed her interests above those of his allies?

Foolish.

If Potter had truly been a hero, the Boy-Who-Lived would have fought by his side at the Battle of the Ministry, instead of holing up in Hogsmeade with his army, while he had done what was necessary to preserve thousands of British lives, had stood alone against an entire army - and won.

'The Ministry would have been fine with my death, as long as I bought them some time. Potter would have been fine with my death, so long as it spared him his.'

Matou Shinji found that he could not respect such a coward, finding himself disgusted that he ever had.

'If it comes to it, I will kill him with my own hands for the insult he has offered me - for so slighting my honor, and for throwing away our friendship for the sake of such empty honors!'

...but, it was not Harry Potter who stood before him now, and so he had to focus on the present. Specifically on the mess precipitated by the betrayal Tohsaka Rin had visited on him by threatening Tsuji Miyuki - the fiancée of Fujou Shiroe - one of his closest allies, and the reparations that Tsuji was now demanding.

Or at least, the choice she was offering him, a choice which boiled down to whether he would step aside and let Tohsaka be punished, or whether he would take responsibility for her actions.

Frankly, there was a part of him that just wanted to wash his hands of Tohsaka Rin, given she had repaid his gifts with ungratefulness, his restraint with poor self-control, and his attempts to help her with...dishonor. That part - that very persuasive part, in light of all this, was very much in favor of tossing her out of his house, stripping her of everything she owned, and leaving her entirely to the (not-so) tender mercies of the Fujous.

Yet another part of him argued that since she belonged to him, that he effectively owned her, it would only be right for him to take responsibility for the girl, since who else could he blame for the actions of the little fool? If an item in someone's house caused a guest injury, one would not blame the item, but the owner. Likewise, if something one had grown, like a vegetable, was beginning to rot, it was one's responsibility to toss it out or dump it into the compost bin, not someone else's.

Still, just going with one wasn't completely satisfactory - and he had the thought that it wouldn't please Tsuji Miyuki either.

'Perhaps I should just act as her Champion and eviscerate Tohsaka, or at least show her the full Wrath of a Dragon?'

...no, that wouldn't work. Such a thing would be too quick, too unsatisfying. It wouldn't cause the little fool nearly enough pain to make up for the offense she had committed against him, wouldn't give him much of an opportunity to enjoy punishing her, as he suspected she would either die in seconds or simply surrender without a fight, her mind broken from having face him in all his glory.

No, that wouldn't be fun at all.

"Have you decided what you will do?" Miyuki interjected, with the boy considering her evenly. He recognized a fellow monster when he saw one, and knew that for all that she was human, she would not break nearly so easily as Rin. 'Hm. Well, she would be good breeding stock, I suppose. I approve of her marrying Shiroe. She has nerve standing up to a dragon.'

"I have," Shinji stated, turning his hellish gaze upon Tohsaka, who found herself taking a step back at the sheer fury in his eyes. "With the Fujous as my witnesses, I am stripping you of the privileges that I so generously gave you because I considered you a friend. You are no longer welcome in my home unconditionally, nor will you partake of the bounty of my table without permission, or without cost. From today forward, you are a tenant and no more. If you wish to eat, you may buy your own food, cook your own meals, wash your own dishes - or pay a suitable price. You will pay rent, either in service, or in the funds I have so graciously spared you from spending."

"I...that..." Rin could only stare at horror as his...monster wearing Shinji's face dictated such terms to her. "I..."

"I do not permit you the freedom of simply departing, however - as you are my subordinate, and I am thus responsible for you. But know this Tohsaka, you owe me a debt. One that will be repaid in full measure before we are through, lest there be blood."

"I..."

"And before you think that perhaps I will forget, that you can charm me into overlooking your many, many sins, I will bind you to obedience via a self-geas scroll. The very one you gave me, that I might enforce something of you."

Rin's eyes were wide with terror as the dragon advanced on her, coming to a halt just in front of her, his claws touching her cheek and making her shudder.

"Accio self-geas scroll," he intoned, and after some seconds, in which there was bit of banging and whirring, the scroll came flying to his hand. "Ah, there we are. Now, to write down the terms..."

Lacking a pen, he simply used his claws to draw blood from the girl - just a little bit, using that as the ink he needed to scrawl out what he had said, even as Tohsaka whimpered.

"Now...sign!" he ordered her, placing the scroll on the floor before her.

"I - I can't reach..."

"Get on your knees then, foolish girl."

She did, shaking all the while, only to realize something important.

"I...I don't have a pen...?"

The boy sighed, reaching out his hand as a pen came flying into it.

"You have much to learn before you can even dream of fighting by my side, Tohsaka Rin," he uttered, as he handed her the implement. "Now sign."

And so, she did.

"Excellent," he intoned, retrieving the scroll with a wordless Accio. "As you have shown...wisdom, this one time, I suppose I can take whatever punishment is meant for you this one time." He smiled slightly. "Oh, just so you know, I will be giving your old room to Fujou Kohaku, who you will be assisting. I am certain she can find ways to keep you out of trouble."

With that though, it was his turn to make amends, as he turned back to Miyuki, handing her the self-geas scroll that Tohsaka Rin had filled out.

"You have witnessed my demonstration. Is there anything further I must pay?"

"Nothing lasting or damaging to body or soul," Miyuki stated simply. "The price I would have demanded of Tohsaka Rin is for you to remove every hair from her body."

"A woman's hair being her life."

"Yes. But as you have chosen the punishment instead, I suppose she will have to remove every hair on yours. With a razor, not with the arcane arts."

Shinji frowned, as he could already picture this in his mind's eye. He pictured the outcome in his mind, the nicks and scratches that would result from her unskilled ministrations, though, worse than the pain...

"...I will accept that," he resolved, gritting his teeth. "On one condition."

"Yes?"

"Would it be fair if I were to simply cast a hair-loss charm on myself to deal with the hair ah...down there? Tohsaka may shave my torso, limbs, and head, but given her poor self-control, I don't want her anywhere near my most sensitive organs."

"Fair," Miyuki conceded. "That is acceptable."

"Well, as much as of a delight as this has been," Shiroe interjected. "Perhaps this shaving business could wait until after dinner? Every man deserves a last supper, after all."

"...very funny, Shiroe," Shinji drawled, though one corner of his mouth did tug upwards ever so slightly.

"One tries."