CHAPTER 9:

HALLOWEEN

Time flew by. Harry threw himself into his research whenever he had spare time, but that was becoming lacking in abundance. He'd successfully dropped Divination in favour of Arithmancy, despite, according to McGonagall, Dumbledore expressing disapproval of the change. He'd spent time catching up. He was also trying to keep out of the arguments between Hermione and Ron over their respective pets, glad that Hedwig, for all her regal ways, wasn't as temperamental, and indeed, seemed to accept how her master had changed. And then, Quidditch practise began.

Daniela came to visit him on the weekends while he was in the Chamber of Secrets, at least when he wasn't practising Qudiditch. It was still hard to be with her, and yet…he did feel a bond forming, or rather, reforming. Despite her depleted morals and increased insanity, she still seemed close to the woman he had loved, and he tried to treat her as such. But there was an undeniable distance there.

And then, Halloween, and the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, arrived. Harry wasn't happy about that. Even with the memories of Henric Stan, and even with the knowledge that Sirius Black was roaming about at liberty, that the escapee was nearing Hogwarts according to the news, it still stung. His friends' assurances did little to help him.

Instead of heading into the Chamber of Secrets, at least for now, he decided to head to Professor Lupin's office. The careworn werewolf offered some tea, and Harry accepted, gladly, noting the Grindylow in the tank. Despite his earlier misgivings, he had grown to like Lupin.

As he readied the tea, Lupin asked, "How are you going with your self-study of the Patronus theory?"

"As well as I can, given the lack of time. It's quite fascinating, really. The thing that worries me, though, is how to cast it. You need a happy memory to help trigger it, and…I'm not sure I have one that will suffice."

"Do you? Harry, you are aware of my condition, and my life has been a hard one. My self-esteem is, admittedly, pretty low. But I do have some happy memories that work well for casting a Patronus, or else I wouldn't have been able to repel that Dementor on the train. You have your friends, and from what Professor McGonagall has told me, you enjoy Quidditch."

"I know, it's just…I'm not sure it's enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to give it a damned good shot, but…" There was a knock on the door, interrupting him.

Lupin called for whoever it was to come in, and it turned out to be Snape, bringing in a goblet filled with a smoking substance. They exchanged some small talk, Harry trying very hard not to glare at the greasy-haired bastard, before the man left. Harry looked at it. "Wolfsbane Potion?"

Lupin nodded solemnly. "I'll have to drink it before long. Potions were not my specialty, and this one in particular is rather complex." He drank it down, grimacing at the taste. "And of course, sugar renders it ineffective."

Harry grimaced himself. "You also drank a potion brewed by a man who wants your job, Professor. He seemed to hate you. I wouldn't put it past him to…"

"Poison it? Professor Dumbledore made it very clear what would happen if such a thing were to occur," Lupin said. "I doubt that Professor Snape would be allowed to get away with blatant murder."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was," Harry muttered darkly. "He shows blatant favouritism to Slytherins, and a bias against Gryffindors. He may be brilliant at brewing potions, so I will give him the only respect he is due for that, but he is one of the worst teachers in this school. He only barely tolerates my being alive because apparently my father saved his hide, and he clearly hates it. I have a long list of names and epithets I would call him…but I'm afraid that if I voiced them, you would start taking points off."

A rueful smile touched Lupin's lips. "I daresay I would. Me as a respectable teacher…your parents would be laughing at me…"


Harry made some small talk, but soon headed back to the Chamber of Secrets. The strange thing was, he'd learned earlier that the reason why Moaning Myrtle hadn't disturbed them was due to bribery from the Duke, whom she had known in life. Indeed, he was holding forth with her.

"Honestly, if I had known Tom Riddle was the one behind it, I would have dealt with him myself," the rotund merchant was telling the dour ghost. "And given what, or rather, who, he became, why, he was a most blatant hypocrite. Would you believe he asked me to buy him Cadbury's chocolate bars discreetly? And this was during the Second World War, when rationing was around, and it was hard to come by. A Blood Purist, obsessed with Muggle chocolate? Even though wizards had their own?"

"Ooh, and he just killed me with his pet Basilisk?" Myrtle growled. "For what, having the gall to tell him to leave me alone? A boy shouldn't even be in a girl's bathroom in the first place!" On Harry clearing his throat pointedly, she hurriedly added, "Umm, present company excepted, but only for my bathroom!"

Daniela rolled her eyes. "How boring. Liaisons should have a certain…frisson that comes from the forbidden."

"We're not having a liaison, Dani," Harry said absently.

"Keep telling yourself that," Daniela said with a flirty smirk.

Harry rolled his own eyes. For all of his growing bond with her, it wasn't quite the same as before, partly because she was an amnesiac, not to mention a bloodthirsty vampiric bug swarm masquerading as a woman. It was a touch hard to work through relationship difficulties like that. It wasn't helped by her often flirtatious attitude. Dani, in her original life, did have a flirtatious attitude on rare occasion, but it was gently teasing, not this vampy attitude Daniela often assumed now.

There were still the glimpses of her original self beneath it all, and that made it all the more painful, and yet, this gave him some small slivers of hope that the woman he loved was still there. Hope was a painful emotion when it was unfulfilled…or when you feared it would be. This was an undeniable fact.

"So, what's got your knickers in a twist?" Daniela asked, breaking through his reverie.

"Halloween," Harry said bluntly. "Not allowed to go to Hogsmeade and try to enjoy myself, and honestly, I don't think Fate has finished the quota of Bad Shit Happening to Harry for the day."

"…Uhh, what?"

"Okay, Halloween for me has not been a good day." He began counting on his fingers. "When I was one year old, in this life at least, Voldemort murdered my parents. While at the Dursleys, Halloween basically means being forced to watch my cousin gorge on sweets and, on some years, be subjected to nasty pranks that I have to clean up. In my first year here, a Troll attacked someone whom I now consider a friend. Consider a huge, hulking thing about the size of an Uriaş, but with less hair and less brains. Last year, the Chamber of Secrets was opened, and I was accused of doing so…"

"Don't forget Sir Nicholas' deathday party," Myrtle said. "That was awful, especially what Peeves said, not to mention those ghosts from the Headless Hunt. I mean, I made a scene, but those sods spoiled it for him. And you three didn't have anything to eat, either."

"Thanks, Myrtle," Harry said. "My point is, Halloween seems to be a bad day on Harry Potter's calendar, and given that we have an escaped fugitive running around, to say nothing of the Dementors, I can be excused for being wary on account of pattern recognition."

The Duke cleared his throat. "Ahh, yes, I forgot to mention. Harry, I've been doing some digging into Sirius Black's case of my own accord. Discreetly, through favoured contacts…and I've discovered something interesting."

"Which is what?"

"Sirius Black, as far as I can make out, never had a trial," the Duke said, before holding up his hand. "Before you say anything, let me hasten to point out that this does not mean he is innocent…nor does it mean much in context."

"How so?" Harry asked. He was more confused than shocked that Sirius Black didn't have a trial.

"A number of Death Eaters were given summary sentences and sent to Azkaban without trial at the time. Admittedly, this was because of the fervour of Barty Crouch Senior, a rather hard man who helmed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time. He was known for his ruthlessness, cunning and political savvy. He even authorised the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curses if necessary, which had mixed reactions. It is one thing to, say, kill in the line of duty, whether it be through the Killing Curse or another curse used lethally. But the Cruciatus has little use in law enforcement, and the Imperius can be abused quite readily."

"So, Sirius Black was shipped off to Azkaban without a trial, but that wasn't unusual at the time," Harry mused.

"Wer mit Ungeheurn kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird," Daniela quoted solemnly. Henric's memories recognised Nietzsche's famous admonition in German: Those who fight monsters must take care not to become them. An irony, considering she would be considered a monster herself by many metrics.

"Indeed," the Duke said just as solemnly. "There were a number of trials, true, and many of them important. There was the trial of Igor Karkaroff, who gave up the names of his former comrades in exchange for clemency, and he is now the Headmaster of Durmstrang. Crouch presided over the trial of his own son, who, along with the Lestranges, tortured the parents of your friend, Neville Longbottom. They live, but the Cruciatus exposure left them in a state where they are insane, unable to even recognise their own son."

Harry stared at the Duke in shock and horror. "…I never knew. About Neville, I mean."

"And it may be best to keep claiming ignorance until Neville opens up to you about it," the Duke said. "But Sirius Black, for such a high profile traitor, seems to have had no trial, or if there was any hearing, it was done in secret. In addition, I have found out an interesting little tidbit, something that complicates matters a touch."

"…Lay it on me. I'm not sure if it could get substantially worse than it is already."

"Well, it's more strange than worse. Apparently, Sirius Black was chosen as your godfather."

Harry was already somewhat shocked and horrified by the prior revelations, but this pushed it to even greater levels of sheer astonishment. His mouth worked like a ventriloquist's dummy, but nothing came from his lips at first, as he was trying to work out what to say. Eventually, he said, "How…what…he was my godfather? But…I…"

"I know. This does not preclude his innocence or his guilt, but it adds a complicating factor to his motives for what happened back in 1981. Was it to enhance his cover if he was guilty, or was he innocent, and railroaded into Azkaban? When you look at the story long enough, holes begin to appear. There are even rituals godfathers can undergo, binding vows that would have killed him if he betrayed them, though they are purely voluntary. I have been in discreet correspondence with Lady Amelia Bones of the DMLE about my concerns, but her own inquiries into the matter have been blocked by the Minister, as well as his Senior Undersecretary, a most appalling woman by the name of Dolores Umbridge."

Harry fought down the shock and turmoil with an effort, allowing the more coldly clinical elements of Henric Stan to come forth. "…That's very curious, to say the least," he finally conceded. "Not to mention suspicious. As you say, it does not mean he is innocent, but it certainly throws considerable doubt on his guilt."

"Precisely. Now, Fudge refusing to accept such a thing is little surprise. When he makes his mind up about something, nothing will change it. That in itself is not suspicious: he believes Sirius Black to be guilty, and he is a consummate politician who believes he needs to be seen doing something, especially as Black pulled off the impossible by escaping Azkaban. But Umbridge is another matter entirely. To my knowledge, she never was a Death Eater, but she embodies many of their dubious virtues, including contempt towards those with, in her eyes, impure blood. She has known links to many Blood Purists, including Lucius Malfoy, whose wife, Narcissa, was born Narcissa Black. It may be possible that Malfoy may be quietly encouraging the 'Kiss on Sight' order simply because Sirius' inheritance, such as it is, may devolve to Narcissa. Again, there are multiple factors in play, and we don't know all the answers."

"No…we don't…" Harry murmured. "But Duke…thanks for that…"


He spent a few hours down there, before emerging in time for the lucky sods who went to Hogsmeade to return. He still kept Daniela at arm's length, figuratively, as he still felt ambivalent about her. Torn between the love he had felt for her, and the knowledge that she had happily tortured and killed so many people. It seemed so unlike her as she was, and yet, her new form was too much like her to deny that they were the same person.

Thankfully, he was able to play off any melancholy to his friends in this life as simply being depressed about not being able to go to Hogsmeade. And he appreciated them bringing back some sweets. Hermione seemed disappointed that he didn't get any school work done, but he said he was doing some quiet reading and research of his own in private, which was half-true at least.

However, the evening soon went from bad to worse. He'd regretted any form of optimism when it was reported that Sirius Black had tried to enter Gryffindor Tower, and attacked the Fat Lady…

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

Oh dear. The plot thickens.

Nothing else that needs to be said…except…well, you know how I asked how people would feel about me doing a Nier: Automata fic? Well, yesterday, I started playing a certain game from a certain franchise for the first time, and I also want to know how you guys feel about me doing a fic based on said game instead.

I'm speaking of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Blame Jaenera Targaryen for getting me interested enough to get the game in the first place.

Review-answering time! I'm glad to see some people think well of my possibly doing a Nier: Automata fic. I only recently started playing that game, though, so you'll have to wait until I finish the game before you see a fic. Ditto anyone interested in a Shin Megami Tensei crossover.

And as for the Dio VS Alucard episode of Death Battle, I'm glad to see I'm not the only salty one. About the only undeniable thing Dio has over Alucard is speed. I think the strength scaling for that was BS, and honestly, if Dio was powerful enough to beat Alucard, then by that logic, Jotaro Kujo should have been able to prevail against Kenshiro. And who's to say Alucard can't sense a Stand? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the episode in general. I just hated the outcome.

Itharax: I just had to include a mention of him given that the Duke is canonically stated to know the Merchant, and I have a notion about him which may or may not play out. And there's a webcomic about them, one I saw a dub of on Youtube, called Lords of War, where the Duke and the Merchant meet up a short while after the end of Resident Evil: Village. Go look it up if you want.

edboy4926: I honestly don't know what would happen if Harry/Henric gained Progenitor, or indeed any other virus from the series.

Hellraptor: Agreed. Resident Evil: Village actually inspired me with the villains that are more human, or at least more complex, than the norm, and I am reminded of the Doctor Who stories of Malcolm Hulke, who went out of his way to portray his characters as having more than a black and white morality. I wanted to showcase that, particularly with the Dimitrescus. For all that she turned them into homicidal monsters, Alcina's one undeniable virtue is that she is a good mother towards her daughters, in her own twisted way.

Daniela, I found, was the most intriguing of the Dimitrescu daughters on reflection. I know you yourself focus on Bela and Cassandra in your own stories, and that's by no means a bad thing, as your stories are quite excellent, but I felt that there was something potentially interesting to develop in her, and the payoff will come in the next chapter.

As for Harry being concerned about Hermione, one thing I can't stand in fanfic is Hermione-bashing. She has her moments in canon, but honestly, Hermione-bashing is almost invariably a deal-breaker for me when I look at a fic. Henric cares for her, like a brother, and he also thinks her intellect is worth nurturing. Showing concern for her, even as he does to a degree distance himself a little from his friends in this life, is what he'd do.

And you're welcome. I do occasionally give shoutouts to fics I enjoy, but given that I read your fics quite a lot during the genesis of this story, you deserved a shoutout. For a relative newcomer to fanfic, your fics are excellent.

WhiteElfElder: That might make him too OP. I wanted him to be powerful, not ridiculously OP. Also, I keep having visions of Wamuu using Divine Sandstorm from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency when thinking about how Harry would use his powers, amongst other things: Obscurial tornados coming from his hands.

Skull Flame: His last name, specifically. There's quite a few embarrassing last names in the Potterverse, of course. He has one of them…

No numbered annotations this time.