So, here's another attempt at doing a Fate/Apocrypha crossover with the Potterverse, and, as you may have guessed by the title, it's another attempt at pairing Harry with the most adorable version of Frankenstein's Monster, whom I have nicknamed Eve since I first used her in Gorgon and Thanatos (the monster in the original book tells Victor Frankenstein that he was meant to be Frankenstein's 'Adam', so what else do you call a female Frankenstein's Monster?), after my original attempt, Dum Vivimus, Vivamus changed into Love and War (and with a different pairing of Tamamo-no-Mae). That story, being a WBWL fic, got some controversy, especially given my admittedly cartoonish depiction of a bashable James Potter. For those who want a different take on Harry ending up embroiled in the Great Holy Grail War, well, here it is.
This was far from the only crossover of its type in the pipeline. I was seriously considering a Harry/Atalanta pairing, and that's still on the cards. But Eve...kind of gets a pretty raw deal in the original series. Hell, she's the first Servant to actually die, unless you count Siegfried committing suicide to save Sieg, and even then, Siegfried lives on in Sieg, in a way. Eve, though...yeah, she deserved better than failing to take out Moedred with a suicide attack. That scene may have been awesome, but it was also one of the more tragic deaths in a series filled with them, and all the more so because it accomplished little...other than saving Sieg's life, but that was accidental.
Anyway, Harry won't be meeting Eve too soon in the fic. She won't get summoned for a few chapters. I'm considering making her character somewhere between her canon self, and the telepathic deadpan snarker from BlueDrakmaVA's Fate/Apocrabridged, because that's too good to pass up...
BRIDEGROOM OF FRANKENSTEIN
CHAPTER 1:
THE MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER
Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the leader of the Yggdmillennia clan of Magi of Romania, was concerned. He had only recently beaten back the so-called disciplinary squad of Enforcers, killing all but one of them with the help of his Lancer Servant, Vlad Tepes. The sole survivor was sent back with his tail between his legs and a lack of bladder control as a messenger back to those fools at Clock Tower, like a sole finger raised in insulting defiance against the organisation that had declared his clan's downfall so many decades before. Darnic knew that he had crossed the Rubicon with this act, as well as his declaration of secession from the Magus Association to set up shop, and the declaration that he possessed the Greater Grail.
A shame those fools had managed to trigger the failsafe those damnable von Einzberns left on the Greater Grail (and it made him wish that he did to them and the Tohsakas what he did to that degenerate bloodline of the Matous). Though perhaps that was for the best. After using the seven Servants to take on the Magus Association and wipe it off the map, he intended to wage a Grail War amongst his followers to prime the Greater Grail in order to access Akasha, the Root of All Things. But this way, while irritating, was fine. He could pit his allies' Servants against those that Clock Tower's pet curs could scrounge up. He had Roche summon Avicebron, the kabbalist and golem-maker also known as Solomon ibn Gabirol, as a Caster, in order to bolster his army with golems, to supplement Gordes' supply of Homunculi (to be used as servants, soldiers, and a supply of mana to the Servants when they were summoned).
The other five Servants were yet to be summoned. Gordes, Celenike, Fiore and Caules would summon their chosen Servants later, while one of their more trusted associates in Japan, Hyouma Sagara, was planning to summon Assassin, Jack the Ripper, before making his way to Romania. Clock Tower, meanwhile, were gathering their own Masters. Darnic even knew a couple of them already: Jean Rum and the Patel twins had been spotted in Romania, and there were rumours that Clock Tower was sending out feelers to the likes of Kiritsugu Emiya and Kairi Sisigou, which only spoke of their desperation, especially as the former retired some time ago.
However, a new problem had eventuated. An intruder had been found. Though to call him an intruder was perhaps a bit of an overstatement. One of the Homunculi found a boy in his mid to late teens sprawled, unconscious, in one of the gardens. In fact, the Homunculus had claimed that the boy had fallen, quite literally, out of the sky, something that would have been a preposterous notion had it not been for the fact that the Homunculi Gordes had created were basically the magical equivalent of biological robots. They were incapable of lying unless they were taught how to.
Darnic was examining the boy's effects while Homunculi medics and Avicebron tended to him. The former were to deal with his injuries and any medical issues, while the latter was examining anything to do with his magic. And Darnic was going over what had been found on the boy.
Things were not quite adding up. The boy had a wand on him, and while those weren't exactly used much these days as foci, some Magi with a bit of nostalgia liked to use wands as Mystic Codes. However, some use of Structural Analysis had Darnic surprised at the fact that a Phoenix feather was inside, a material from a Phantasmal Beast that many would kill over. And yet, the boy's glasses were rather cheap. His clothing was rather normal. But in his pockets, he had cards of famous magic users, many of whom Darnic knew didn't look like that, and others he didn't know at all. And the pictures on the cards moved. There were even shards of a mirror in his pocket, enchanted, though to what end, Darnic didn't know. Communication was his best guess.
It was about that point that Avicebron entered the room. He could have looked vaguely clownish and comical with the form-fitting robes with black and blue stripes, and the blank golden mask concealing his face, but the effect it gave was more unnerving than comical. "I have concluded the examination of the boy," Avicebron said, his calm, collected voice slightly muffled by his mask. "He does not appear to be a Magus, as there is not a single magic circuit within his body."
"And yet, he appears to have a Mystic Code with a Phoenix feather within it, in the shape of a wand," Darnic said, picking up the wand.
"I never said he does not possess magic, only that he does not possess magic circuits, at least not as we know them. Instead, he appears to have the magic core of legend, supposedly possessed by a small, select number of Magi during the Age of the Gods and the Age of Heroes," Avicebron said.
Darnic frowned. "…Impossible."
"That was my own initial thought. I triple-checked. He has massive magic reserves, though it seems that the tradeoff is efficiency. Admittedly, my analyses are still ongoing. On a hunch, I began using other methods to try and discern any magical traces on him, as did the Homunculi. They claim that they have found traces of magic similar to those recorded by Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and anyone else he deigns to transport with his power."
"Kaleidoscope…" Darnic breathed. "The Second True Magic…could Zelretch have sent the boy here?"
"Unlikely. The traces suggest a more chaotic transit, according to the analyses your Homunculus ran. If he used Kaleidoscope, it was either wholly accidental, or he made a mistake while attempting to use it deliberately. However, the traces of the Second True Magic suggest that the boy comes from another world, as does this magic core, unheard of in modern magic users. In any case, it seems unlikely that he was sent by the Magus Association."
"Unless the Wizard Marshall sent him here. I am guessing if he did so, the boy came here unwillingly. However, your hypothesis does still have merit, ridiculous though it may seem. It would explain why he has a rather well-used and somewhat badly-cleaned Mystic Code containing a feather from a Phoenix. A Magus with something like this in his possession would most likely take better care of it, unless he was an utter fool. Then again, we are yet to determine this."
"The medical Homunculi have compiled something of a medical history for the boy. He has been subject to chronic malnutrition between the approximate ages of two and twelve. He seems to have only started using magic in earnest from the latter age. There are also a number of old injuries that speak to both physical abuse as well as combat. The scar on his forehead has remnants of dark magic not unlike a phylactery, while another appears to be from a massive serpent's fang. In addition, the boy had recently heightened stress levels, suggesting that he was in some sort of stressful, even dangerous situation prior to ending up here."
"Which could suggest a recent encounter with the Wizard Marshall. God knows Zelretch causes blood pressure to rise every time he does something, says something, or even sneezes," Darnic muttered. "But the clothing, recent damage suggests a possible combat situation. And in any case, he is rather young to be an Enforcer sent by Clock Tower, unless he is some prodigy they have kept in the cupboard."
"Then what do you suggest?" Avicebron asked.
"I think a gentle approach, for now. If he was in a combat situation and inadvertently ended up here, he may be ignorant. Should he prove belligerent or disruptive, then I will preserve him as a specimen of interest."
"If that is the case, would you consider letting me use him as a reactor core for my Noble Phantasm?" Avicebron asked. "I am struggling to find a Homunculus suitable to use for Golem Keter Melkuth, but if I make adjustments, this interloper could prove an ideal reactor core."
"We shall see. Keep undertaking the testing with Roche, Avicebron. I will go and fetch Fiore and Caules. Younger faces may reassure the boy when he wakes up…and thus help loosen his tongue…"
Darnic had many subordinates in Yggdmillennia. Some in Clock Tower derogatorily called Yggdmillennia a cuckoo clan, one that took in the remnants of decaying Magus bloodlines, or else those who were outcast from Magus society, usually for reasons that didn't involve Sealing Designations. Darnic may have been ruthless, but he also knew the value of flying under the radar until he was ready. It was why he worked hard to conceal his involvement with the Thule Society and the Nazis during the Third Holy Grail War.
In truth, he despised the Nazis and their ideology of racial superiority, and he had to give the von Einzberns some small credit for disdaining them. Darnic used the Nazis and their resources because they were useful. He'd managed to conceal the true value of what he had them steal, and then take from under their noses. He then helped, albeit covertly, the dismantling of the more competent arms of the Thule Society, distracting Clock Tower from the real thief of the Greater Grail. Then again, Darnic believed that it was his. It would be just recompense for what was done to his family and his reputation prior to the Third Holy Grail War.
In any case, Darnic preferred competent subordinates whose usefulness exceeded any…quirks they may have had. Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, for example, was a sadistic bitch, though she could restrain herself (with a Herculean effort) and had proven to be useful. Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia was a pompous arse, but he was excellent when it came to Homunculi, with the Musik family being one of the more prominent ones after the von Einzberns, even if their star was on the wane. Roche Frain Yggdmillennia was a cheerful little misanthropic child genius, though this was partly because he had been raised by golems rather than parents (and Darnic thought it apt that the little brat would be the one to be the Master of Avicebron: the two were birds of a feather).
And then, there were the Forvedge siblings. He had to admit, of his subordinates, despite their age and their hidden empathy, a weakness to any Magus, they were perhaps his most competent people. Fiore, despite a plethora of magic circuits in her legs confining her to a wheelchair, was a prodigy when it came to magecraft, even being able to use a Bronze Link Manipulator to manipulate a quartet of magecraft-animated robotic limbs. In the unlikely event that he perished, he had nominated her as his successor, and few dared to dispute that. And while Caules was nowhere near as talented as his sister in magecraft, his use of technology and his research skills certainly impressed Darnic. The boy knew his limits and worked within them, while his sister constantly strove to surpass them. They were also the more calmer, more normal members of his more trusted subordinates. That, plus the relative similarity in age, was why Darnic summoned them to be with him when he spoke to the interloper. He had opted not to bring any Servants, for now. The boy might get the wrong idea if Vlad III showed up, as the former voivode of Wallachia detested the infamy he had as a vampire thanks to Bram Stoker, and Avicebron would be unnerving.
As they waited for the medical Homunculus to wake the boy up, Darnic studied him. A messy shock of black hair framed his features. A lightning bolt-shaped scar marred his forehead, part-hidden by his fringe. He seemed a touch scrawny, and remembered Avicebron's report of chronic malnutrition. While Darnic was a cruel man in many regards, he would never deliberately starve a child unless it served his ends.
Eventually, the boy awoke, his eyes opening to reveal emerald orbs. He grimaced in pain. "…My glasses…where are my glasses?" He spoke in English, with a British accent. That wasn't assuring if he wasn't a Clock Tower agent.
The Homunculus tending to him handed them over to him, and he put them on, before peering at them. "Where am I?" he asked, before looking at Darnic. "Who are you?"
"Given that you have trespassed on my property, young man, I believe I should be asking the questions. However, as you seem to have appeared on my property out of thin air, and have been under stress lately, I will give you some leeway," Darnic said imperiously, but courteously. "I am Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, and these are fellow members of my clan, Fiore and Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia. You are currently within my family citadel in Trifas, Romania."
"Romania?!" the boy yelped in clear surprise. "Not London?! Not the Ministry of…" He caught himself about to say something.
"You are on the other side of Europe to London, young man," Darnic said. "And we are aware that you are a Magus, a magic user, albeit of an unusual type."
"…So you know of the Ministry of Magic? The Statute of Secrecy?" the boy asked suspiciously. "Wait…Romania…do you know of Voldemort?"
"Those names are meaningless to me," Darnic said. "There is no Ministry of Magic in Britain or indeed anywhere in the world. Only the Magus Association, more popularly known as Clock Tower. I suppose Atlas would count if you considered alchemists. Statute of Secrecy? Well, magecraft is to be kept hidden from the world at large. Does the name Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg mean anything to you?"
The boy shook his head. "Should it?"
Interesting. The boy appeared to be telling the truth. He also seemed worried, not about any secrets concealed, but something else. "Perhaps not. Tell me…did you happen to be working with some sort of means of magical travel? Or came across some sort of portal?"
The boy frowned, and he eventually nodded. "I was…I was in a fight, and my godfather, he was about to fall through some sort of archway. I grabbed him, we fell through…and then I was here. There was nobody else with me?"
"I'm afraid not. You were found alone. However, I have considerable influence within Romania, and I can have the Magi under my aegis search for him. Forgive the interrogation, but you have come at a precipitous time for Yggdmillennia. That being said, may I have your name?"
"…It's Harry. Harry Potter." And for a moment, he seemed expectant, as if he was famous.
But the name didn't ring a bell with Darnic…
CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry's ended up in the clutches of Yggdmillennia. How long before he finds out what is really going on?
No numbered annotations this time.
