FOREWORD

One isekai book series I have heard of is Nidome no Yuusha, the abbreviation of a title localised in English as The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time. It could best be described as what happens when The Rising of the Shield Hero is made even more dark and edgy, with a bit of time-travel and a lot of revenge and torture thrown in. The books were recently localised by Yen Press, and I recently read the first volume. While it wasn't particularly stellar, it was somewhat cathartic, and the main characters, Kaito Ukei and Minnalis, were interesting.

But I had an idea for a oneshot. So here it is: what if, somehow, Minnalis and her mother Maris, were able to escape their plight after being betrayed?

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. First, there will be spoilers, as well as references to dark themes.

Finally, the following is a fan-based work. Nidome no Yuusha and Harry Potter are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Minnalis will use Intoxicating Phantasm on you...

2 DAMAGED SOULS

The nightmare flung Minnalis out of her slumber, her heart hammering. Thankfully, she woke without disturbing her bedmate, which was just as well. They were still getting used to the idea of sharing a bed, him especially, and they weren't going to do more but sleep together in the most literal sense until they were ready. But she drew succour and comfort from his presence regardless. And no doubt he did so too from her.

It still didn't stop the nightmares.

The nightmare was, as it often had been of late, of that awful day, the one where the true colours of the village her family lived at were revealed, at the same time as her and her mother's status as Beastmen were revealed. It didn't matter that they had been living peacefully in the village for many years, their inhuman features (in their case, the rabbit ears and tail of a Lagonid Beastman) concealed by illusion magic. It didn't matter that Minnalis had revealed herself in order to save Lucia, a girl she had thought a good friend.

No, nothing mattered except that they were Beastmen. Those she had thought friends, Lucia and Krile, had turned on her. Her father disowned her and his wife, Maris. The villagers attacked them and intended to sell the pair of them to slavers.

And it would have happened, had a most unlikely salvation not taken place.

Minnalis had another friend of sorts, one she had seen in her dreams. Her mother called him an imaginary friend, and yet, they met in their dreams, talking to each other. She felt freer talking to him, as she revealed what she was, and he had called her cute, despite her Lagonid features. He spoke of a land she hadn't heard of known as Britain, and, as it turned out, he was a wizard, on a world where magic was hidden.

His name was Harry Potter.

Her life in her village was not an unhappy one, but the pressure to conceal her Lagonid features didn't help matters. His presence in some of her dreams and his acceptance of her was a boon she needed. Someone who looked past her being a Beastman, and saw the girl who yearned for acceptance and friends instead.

Soon after her mother was struck by a hurled stone, blue flames had purled around them both. The last thing she saw of her village was of the villagers, her former friends, and her sperm donor watching them in horror, many of them exclaiming that the Demon Lord was reclaiming them. In truth, Minnalis didn't know what was happening, and didn't know if wherever she ended up would be any better than her former home.

Thankfully, it was better. The next thing she knew, she and her mother were in a castle, near a goblet burning with azure flames, with people staring at them both with confusion. A little fear as well, yes, but not the sort of fear or hatred she saw in the eyes of the villagers.

And there he was, rushing to help them. That familiar messy mop of black hair, those emerald eyes, the scar, like a lightning bolt, marring his forehead. The literal boy of her dreams.

Her mother was swiftly tended to with little hesitation, brought to the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts (as that place turned out to be). That surprised Minnalis, especially considering what they just went through at the hands of their old village. She would, of course, later learn that the prejudices that plagued her old world still plagued this one, just to much lesser degrees.

Of course, there were other things to worry about. Harry had apparently been entered (against his will) into the Tri-Wizard Tournament, a competition between three of the magic schools of this world to vie with each other for glory. And the Tournament was meant for older wizards, those who were on the verge of graduating from school. Harry was only in his fourth year, and forced to compete.

What was worse was that much of the school didn't believe Harry when he said he hadn't entered himself. His so-called oldest friend, Ron Weasley, had broken off with him, and aside from Minnalis, Harry's only major ally his age was Hermione Granger. And wasn't that an experience, telling the inquisitive girl about life back home? At least Hermione was appalled by how Minnalis and Maris had been treated.

Still, it was an interesting few months. While Harry didn't have any innate talent for illusions like Minnalis or her mother had, Minnalis and Maris (the latter once she had recovered) had taught him what they could, alongside Hermione. And considering he was facing a dragon for the First Task, it was just as well. Ron had, rather half-heartedly, apologised, and while Harry accepted it, Minnalis, still smarting over the betrayal of her own best friends, thought he was a fool.

And then, the Yule Ball. Oh, to think she would ever attend such a lavish event! But she enjoyed it, dressed like a princess, her ears on full display, without fear. Well, not without some fear, but compared to what happened to her back home, well, it was infinitely preferable.

Not that the village she lived in could be considered home. Not if the villagers could turn on her in an instant, starting with the girl she had thought a good friend. Not if her father could disown his wife and daughter with little hesitation.

But the Yule Ball, she found some acceptance without having to hide. She was told she was beautiful. Boys wanted to dance with her, despite her ears and tail, and looked at Harry with envy for having her as his dance partner. Many girls present also seemed jealous.

The Second Task was a saga. They needed to decipher that godawful screeching from the golden egg first. And then, they had to figure out a way for Harry to breathe underwater. And then, Minnalis was effectively kidnapped and left underwater as bait for Harry. Not that she knew about it until later. Needless to say, she wanted to castrate those bastards Bagman and Crouch for that. And of course, there was that bitch Rita Skeeter.

And then, the Third Task. When Harry vanished with that Cedric boy in tow, Minnalis was distraught, and she couldn't calm down, even when Harry came back, hurt, dishevelled, and Cedric's corpse with him. And then, Moody turned out to be a damned impostor and a traitor. Minnalis took great pleasure in entrapping him in an illusion before hobbling what turned out to be Barty Crouch Junior.

When Harry was sent back to those appalling people, Minnalis argued long and hard with Dumbledore about it. Eventually, she only agreed if she would be allowed to stay with him…and if she didn't harm the Dursleys. It took every ounce of willpower not to entrap them in Intoxicating Phantasm.

Harry's friends only contacted him so much during the summer. Both of them were angry about that, but Harry calmed Minnalis down, especially as they received letters from her mother about how Dumbledore had ordered a communications blackout, to allow Harry time to mourn. Maris had no such compunctions, and while her letters didn't have that much information, she did reveal that the Ministry was denying Voldemort's return, with the warlock lying low.

And after some Dementors attacked them (making her relive that day of betrayal once more), they had been brought here to 12 Grimmauld Place, a most dark and dreary place, livened up by a wizened House Elf and a xenophobic hag of a portrait of Sirius' late and unlamented mother. Minnalis personally thought that, in spite of his anger, Harry had been too forgiving of his friends for keeping him in the dark. Still, their actions weren't like those of Lucia and Krile. They at least looked contrite, and Dumbledore was a man of considerable influence and authority. So Minnalis would give them, or at least Hermione, a chance for now.

It was also a surprise to see her mother getting close to that rather wimpy werewolf, Remus Lupin. The last time her mother chose someone so weak (in Minnalis' mind, anyway), they were betrayed by him. Though Lupin seemed to have no hatred for the Lagonids, just his own werewolf taint. In truth, Minnalis pitied him rather than despised him. Werewolves were treated like the Beastmen were, regardless of their morality.

That harpy Molly Weasley had tried to stop Minnalis from sleeping in the same bed as Harry, but Maris had countered her arguments. Harry and Minnalis were two damaged souls, and, if what Maris herself had discovered with a spell was correct, they had a soul bond too, hence their communication across the divide between worlds. They needed each other for comfort.

That was not a lie. Minnalis had become somewhat dependent on Harry. His very smell comforted her. His touch calmed her. He did not judge her for her Lagonid features, and indeed, considered them endearing. Her hero, the one who saved her.

As if thinking about him triggered his awakening, he stirred next to her. "…Minny?" he asked, using his nickname for her. "Are you all right?"

"Nightmares," she said. "Don't worry, I'm okay now." She looked over to him, smiling as her amber eyes met his emerald ones. "What about you?"

"Better. But are you really all right?"

Minnalis opened her mouth to affirm this, before she realised she couldn't lie to him. "…I'm sorry, it's…I'm still getting used to this. Even if I have to hide my features from the Muggles, I'm still surprised at how…accepted I am amongst the wizards. A lot of them still sneer at me, but…so many don't look at me with fear or loathing. And those nightmares…I'm afraid it'll happen again here. And you…you're too forgiving at times, you know that?"

"If you mean with Ron and Hermione…"

"I don't mean just that. That crap with the Basilisk, that mess last year with the Tri-Wizard Tournament…and the Ministry's engaged in a smear campaign against you. You've got that hearing soon, with…what did Hermione call it? A kangaroo court? So…why bother helping these people?"

"…I ask myself that a lot. And I guess the answer is…I can't live with myself if I left them to their fate. Not the ones who are actively against me, but…there are innocents in Magical Britain. Besides, if I don't stop Voldemort, he probably won't stop until I'm dead, Minny."

And there it was, the crux, the rub of the matter. It was a fair point. Voldemort would never stop until Harry was dead, or until he was. Minnalis would have to make sure it was the latter.

There was a darkness inside Minnalis, she knew. It wasn't born of her being a Lagonid Beastman, no matter what those treacherous bastards back home…no, that wasn't home. Britain was home, better than that shithole. It was born when Lucia betrayed her, when Krile, her father, the villagers attacked her and her mother.

But Harry kept the darkness from growing too much. It was there, true, it would always be there. But Harry kept her from taking too many steps into the darkness.

But by the same token, she wouldn't let him wander naively into danger. She wouldn't let him get betrayed by those he called friends or family, not in the way she was. What happened this summer was bad, but they'd been ordered to by Dumbledore, so she would forgive them this once, and Hermione was all right to talk to. The bushy-haired girl was righteously outraged by Minnalis and Maris' plight. But her indulgence had limits.

"I won't let him kill you, Harry," she vowed solemnly, reaffirming the bond she had with the one who helped save her soul. "I won't let him."

"…Thanks, Minny."

The two sat there, on the bed, taking comfort in each other's presences. Two damaged souls from two different worlds, with an unbreakable bond. And perhaps one day, they would prevail…

THE END

ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it.

Now, anyone who has actually read the first volume of the light novels will know that canon Minnalis is considerably nastier and thirstier, basically being what happens when Raphtalia from Rising of the Shield Hero gains something of the personality of Albedo from Overlord. But allow me to elucidate why Minnalis is different. Not that different, she still has the same darkness, but it's not as much.

In canon, Minnalis was betrayed at 15 (this is for the localised light novels: TV Tropes indicates that she was seven when she was betrayed, though this may be for either the Japanese version of the light novels, or the web novel) and spent a year as a slave, being abused, watching her mother get raped and basically lose hope. In this story, Minnalis not only had Harry as an imaginary friend/literal soulmate, but she and her mother were rescued by the Goblet of Fire before they could be enslaved. Spending the best part of a year in a world where she has some form of acceptance has helped her psyche somewhat.

Incidentally, given how difficult and dangerous cross-world teleportation is in Nidome no Yuusha canon (it requires a mass sacrifice of a lot of people on both ends), how did Minnalis and Maris make it through? The Goblet of Fire and the Goddess of Earth helped matters, so no side effects happened. Also, this is an AU where Keito wasn't summoned.

Anyway, don't get me wrong, Minnalis is dangerous to Harry's enemies, and to his allies, albeit to a lesser degree. But her yandere tendencies are far less than canon, she's a little more forgiving, and she won't attack any of Harry's friends without his leave…well, nothing serious, anyway. She might prank them with illusions, though.

I wrote this because there aren't any Nidome no Yuusha stories here, and I thought I might change that by bringing up a series that, while extremely dark and offputting to many, could have quite a bit of potential for fanfic. This is just a day in the life of Harry and Minnalis, with the latter having a better life, and her mother's still alive. And I hope you enjoyed.

No numbered annotations this time.