"How well did you know her?" Frisk asked.

"who, me?" Sans asked. "never met her. but i saw the tapes, like you did, right?" Sans asked. He turned to Frisk suddenly, "Wait, Frisk? Are you crying?"

Frisk wiped her face, "I'm okay... I was just thinking. I mean, Chara's dead. How can we help that?"

Sans shrugged. "well, you have her body, and you have her soul, right?" he waggled his bony fingers in the approximation of a magical gesture. "i thought maybe you could add a little human magic and, uh, presto?"

"I don't know," Frisk admitted. She looked down at her burger. "I want to, but..."

"you want to focus on asriel," Sans tried to finish for her.

That wasn't quite right, but it wasn't wrong, either. How could she explain this to Sans? "I want to save her," Frisk repeated. "But I don't know if I can." They walked in a near silence, Frisk's boots clacking against the sidewalk. "Where's Flowey?" Frisk asked suddenly. She had just gotten the sudden picture of the golden flower in the dark, in the underground, alone.

"he's still in that small room, under the hole you fell in," Sans reported, munching on another fry. "i go down to talk to him sometimes. he just stares up at the hole, remembering everything."

Frisk felt suddenly guilty. "We should go down there and see him."

"nah," Sans said, shaking his head. "he still remembers what it was like to be asriel, but that memory gets a bit further every day. ah, and toriel would kill me herself if i took you that far from home."

"Oh," Frisk looked crestfallen, "If I write a letter, and get him a gift, could you take them to him for me?"

Sans looked happy.

That evening was one of the few quiet one Frisk had experienced during winter break. Mom hadn't cooked, they were having leftovers. Papyrus and Sans were out somewhere else, and Dad was... giving Toriel some space at the moment.

Frisk knew what she wanted to ask, but finding the proper opening was tough. It was after the dishes were put away that she finally managed to ask, "Mom? What was Asriel like?"

At the name of her lost son, Toriel looked down at her paws. After a few seconds, she looked up at Frisk with those large green eyes expressing nothing but sorrow. "He was the sweetest child. I remember when he came home with Chara. He didn't even know what a human was, he just knew she was hurt, and that she needed help."

Toriel stopped for a second, and her sorrow was mixed with confusion. "Have... have you asked me this before?" The confusion deepened. "No, you couldn't have. How could you have known about Asriel before you even left the ruins?"

Frisk shifted uncomfortably.

"But Asirel," she said, letting the matter drop. "He cared so much about everyone. I wish you had been able to meet him. You would have gotten along so well..." Toriel hadn't started crying yet, but she seemed about to, and Frisk hadn't even gotten to the question she actually wanted to ask. She wasn't sure she should. But her face must have shown uncertainty because Toriel continued. "Go ahead, I can see what you want to ask, my child," Toriel said, trying to smile.

"What was Chara like?" Frisk asked.

"Chara was such a smart child," Toriel said, and now the tears were flowing, dripping down onto her muzzle. "She seemed so happy to be down with us. She wanted to learn everything about the underground. She wanted to see it all. She and Asriel would go exploring everywhere. They were inseparable, and she was so eager to learn." The memory was allowing Toriel to smile through the still falling tears.

"Did they have other friends?" Frisk asked.

"They did, but not many. It is hard to be the friend of the king's son," Toriel told her, "Even when that king was Asgore, and the son was Asriel, people got scared away. In some ways, having Chara come into his life was one of the best things that could have happened to him."

"When Chara got sick," Toriel tried to continue, but her words failed her. She buried her head in her paws and simply sobbed. Frisk stood from her seat, moving to embrace the monster as best she could. Toriel returned the hug, leaning into Frisk's shoulder. "I am sorry, my child. I love you... but I still miss them. I still miss them both so much."

"I'm sorry for making you remember..." Frisk began, but Toriel interrupted her.

"Don't apologize. I do not want to forget. I never want to forget. They will always be part of me. I can say goodbye... but I can't let go of the memories."

"I don't think you should," Frisk said, "but... thank you for sharing them with me."

Toriel sat back up in her chair, wiping her eyes with a napkin. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask, my child?"

There was, but Frisk didn't want to put her mother through anything else tonight. "That's all," she said, allowing Toriel to put her furry paw on Frisk's hand. "Would you like to do something tonight?"

"I... I never really got a chance to be their teacher," Toriel said. "Would you mind if we opened that math book I bought for you, and we looked over it together? I know it's your winter vacation, and I know that they don't teach math at Hogwarts but... or I could read to you."

"I'll go get the math book," Frisk said, and while she thought the math might be a bit advanced from where she left off from traditional British schooling, if it made Mom happy tonight, then Frisk would be happy.

The next day, Toriel had to go do some things with some of the monsters of the underground at the Ministry of Magic, so she would be spending the day with Dad instead. To her surprise, it wasn't the King who she saw first, but Papyrus, coming out of the makeshift greenhouse Dad had built.

"Frisk!" he called, waving excitedly. "How are you today, little human?"

Frisk grinned and walked over to Papyrus. "I didn't know you were learning to garden, Papyrus."

"Well. While I was the last new member of the Royal Guard, right before it disbanded, King Asgore offered me the opportunity to be the first member of the Royal Gardeners! So I am here."

"That's great, Papyrus," Frisk said. "Where is Dad?"

"King Asgore is out getting food for your repast this evening," the skeleton told her.

"Oh. Well, in that case, would you like help?"

"I would be most honored to accept your assistance, friend Frisk," Papyrus declared. "Come on in!"

The greenhouse wasn't quite as large as the ones that Professor Sprout ran at Hogwarts, but it was just as well organized. Also unlike Hogwarts, the majority of the plants were nonmagical. He had daffodils, poppies, and tulips, to go along with the golden flowers and echo flowers. "Uh, Papyrus, is someone snoring?" Frisk asked.

"It is my watchbook!" Papyrus said happily, and he led Frisk to a corner of the greenhouse, where the monster book of monsters he'd been given lay with its eyes closed in a sunbeam. "It keeps the greenhouse clear of some of the larger pests. But perhaps we should leave it alone. It doesn't like being woken up suddenly."

This sounded just fine to Frisk. Instead, she retrieved a watering can, and listened happily to Papyrus tell her all about the plants he was taking care of for Asgore, the bugs he had to watch out for, and how Sans was too lazy to help him with any of it.

After about fifteen minutes, she heard the sound of flapping in the corner. The book had woken up, and Papyrus was taking time out from taking care of the plants to hold it his hands, gently stroking the book's spine like it was some sort of pet. Which, she supposed, it was.

"You know," Frisk began.

"Not usually! But I am sure you will tell me."

"How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped, even if he needs to be?" Frisk asked. Papyrus's cocked head and silence suggested he didn't understand the question. So Frisk explained about Mr. Filch, how he continued to work in a place that it seemed he couldn't stand.

"Obviously! He is in need of spaghetti! We could make him some!"

"I tried that, more or less," Frisk said, sighing. "It'd be hard to bring spaghetti to Hogwarts, and Mom had just given me some cookies, and we had bought cat treats, remember? He just accused me of trying to poison his cat, and to bribe him."

"Why?"

"...that's the question. He seems so alone. I want to do to something to help him, but I don't know what." Frisk stared at the large pots of bridge seeds, wondering what Dad was planning to use them for.

Papyrus was silent for an uncharacteristically long time. "I am sorry, Frisk. I do not know. While I am sure that if you found yourself in a situation where you could help, you would, that does not answer your question. You wish to proactively help people," and he gave Frisk a warm smile, "And I wish to help you! But I cannot think of how, either."

"So you think I should try, though?" Frisk asked.

"Do you think he can be helped?" Papyrus asked. Frisk nodded. "Then I think you will be unhappy if you do not continue to try. To know someone is always there for you, even if you don't think you need it, that is what friendship is, right?"

"I think so, thanks Papyrus."

"I am glad to have you as my friend."

Frisk blushed. "Thank you, Papyrus."

After a few more minutes, they were done. "Let us go inside. Alphys suggested her gift was full of puzzles, perhaps worthy conundrums for such master puzzle solvers as you and I. We should find out!" Papyrus exclaimed. Frisk couldn't help but grin, and follow along.

When Asgore finally returned, he found Frisk and Papyrus sitting together on his couch, discussing the puzzles they'd found so far in the game. But when Asgore offered to let Papyrus stay for dinner, he declined.

"I appreciate the very kind offer, King Dreemurr! But I feel I should go home and make sure my brother awoke and took care of his chores. But if you need the assistance of a hard working skeleton..."

"I know how to reach him. Thank you, Papyrus," Asgore said with a regal bow. Papyrus headed out, with a promise not to get too far in their shared gaming experience. Asgore started to put away groceries, ending with a dubious look at a box of frozen pizza. He extracted the pizza, put it in the oven, and lit it with fire magic. Finally, he sat down at the table with a heavy thump.

Frisk moved to join him, smiling up at the monster. "How goes the resettlement on the surface?" she asked.

"It goes. Some monsters, like Gryftrot, have stayed below. He says he likes the quiet. I never knew there was this whole culture of Wizards that was also in hiding." he sighed. "I didn't think coming to the surface would be this complicated. Is magic so scary that they need to hide it away?"

"I don't know," Frisk said. "I keep thinking how many lives they could save if magic was available to everyone. Or if scientists and wizards worked together, how much they could achieve. But they hide."

"And we hide with them," Asgore agreed. "It's easier for those who are somewhat human shaped, but that's not all of us. Trying to settle some of those have been a nightmare. But how have you been, Frisk? When you fell down that hole, did you have any idea you were going to come up with monsters, and then develop magic of your own?"

"Never," Frisk said, smiling.

"I didn't think so. After we eat, is there anything you would like to do tonight? Play a game or something? The wizards at the ministry have been teaching me a human game called 'Chess'. Have you ever played it?"

Frisk had heard of it, but she'd never played it. Asgore got out a chess set, and was describing how the pieces moved when his timer went off. The pizza was... slightly overcooked, but not actually burnt. "I''m sorry. I'm just not a very good cook."

"It's alright, Dad. It tastes fine," and that was more or less true. After dinner had been cleaned up, they returned to the chess set. Once they'd actually started a game, conversation drifted to other things, though he still refused to say where he'd been on Christmas Eve. "Dad," Frisk said, once the game was over and they were putting the pieces away, "what was Asriel like?"

Asgore tried to look stoic, but Frisk could tell the question... or at least the thoughts the question had risen, stung. "I would give my own life to see him again," Asgore said, like it was that simple. "He was the best son anyone could ask for. He was returned to the Earth far too quickly."

"and what was Chara like?"

Asgore visibly flinched and shivered. "Chara... Chara was a good child," Asgore said, finally. "She was so smart, such a friend to Asriel." He grew silent, and it was clear he was trying not to cry. He probably thought that it wouldn't be very regal if he cried.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Frisk prompted. Asgore only nodded, and didn't say anything. After a few moments, Frisk tried again, "Did Chara ever talk about humans? About her parents?"

Asgore got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment, and he shivered again. "No," he said finally. "She never did. All she said was that she was glad she was with us. Now I understand why."

"Why?" Frisk pressed. This wasn't making any sense to her.

"When you're older," Asgore said, then added, "when I've had time to process it myself." He grew quiet again, and a couple of tears were growing heavier, threatening to finally drop from his eyes before he wiped them away. "I think, now anyway, that it was my fault she got sick. I put so much pressure on her. I thought she was going to be the future of humans and monsters, like you turned out to be. And she never wanted that. I'm not sure I blame her."

"What does that mean, Dad?"

"It means that everyone in the underground is lucky you turned out the way you did," Asgore said. "And that's all I can say about it tonight. Frisk, I'm sorry. I think I've already said too much." A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed. "Look, maybe you can explain quidditch to me. It's all some of the ministry wizards talk about."

"I'll do my best," Frisk said, still wondering what Dad could have actually meant.

The days of winter break were beginning to run short, and Frisk crammed in as much time with her various underground friends as she could before school started again. Mettaton, Napstablook, and for some unknown reason, Burgerpants, were working on some sort of radio drama series for Wizarding Radio. It was some sort of horror story, involving a series of ghosts exposing themselves to muggles, and the wizards who had to contain them. It was a plot that Frisk wasn't sure was going to go over well, but they were enjoying themselves. The audio track (SpookViews), courtesy of Naps, was probably the best part of it.

Another day was spent with Alphys and Undyne. Undyne had discovered a human show called "Ninja Warrior UK" over the term, and was showing off the obstacles that Alphys had built, and Undyne trying to do them herself. Frisk was not surprised to see Undyne had gotten pretty good at them. Frisk's attempts, done at Undyne's assistance, didn't go so well. Then it was time for training with spears, which went better, somewhat. At least she wasn't made to try to lift Undyne's new two handed sword. Alphys, on the other hand, was still trying to figure out how to get them to Romania. Frisk departed with a promise to get them in touch with Ginny's brother.

All too soon, though, it was time to repack her trunk, and be dropped off at King's Cross station.

She managed to get a private box with her friends again, and there was happy discussion of the break. There were gifts, mostly food stuffs, to be shared. Luna provided a confection she called 'Sunshine Bars' (Lemon bars topped with powdered sugar). Both Opal and Frisk had cookies, Frisk had her now traditional cinnamon with butterscotch chips, while Opal provided the Chocolate Chip variant. Ginny had homemade fudge to pass around. All these things meant that there was no need for the lunch trolley when it came by.

"So how did it go, Frisk?" Ginny asked. "Do you have a plan to save Asriel?

Frisk detailed what Sans had told her, and mentally crossed her fingers. "You said you would be willing to help, if you could. You can back out if you want, I won't hold it against you."

"But what do you need?" Opal asked.

"I need people willing to risk their soul, voluntarily, to give Asriel an anchor for his own," Frisk said. They looked astonished, and initially, worried. She was expecting, maybe one of them to say yes.

The sight of all three willing and nodding faces filled Frisk with determination.

[A/N: There's a couple of things that need to be mentioned. One, if you've not read CourierNew's perfect Undertale Pacifist extension, "One By One" go do that now. Please. I've got nothing on that author. There's one or two things from my fiction that probably (will) have their origins there, because I simply cannot think of things differently. It's not on FF.N, but searching for that title and Undertale will bring it up. Two: I know how this story ends. I know it is the right ending because I had an emotional reaction to telling it to myself. Don't worry about people 'swaying' me. Won't happen. (Not saying I can't be, well, reminded of things, though!) I can only hope other people also have emotional reactions. Third: As always, thanks for reading. Over 500 favorites (as of 6/17/18's edit)? That's a record for me. On to 600? :)]