Matou Shinji and the Philosopher's Stone

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: Ladies of Eternity, magi of the past hiding in the present, with ancient, nigh unfathomable crafts at their command. That is the destiny of a Witch in the Moonlit world, with the female child of a witch bearing the destiny of inheriting the blood and history of their line without any exceptions, upon which the mother will expire, her task done. But this is a story of a Witch's son – a boy tossed aside by destiny – a boy determined to become someone special, with blood, sweat, and wand. This is the story of Shinji Matou, and his newfound path in the Wizarding World.

Chapter 24. Thieves in the Night

They moved like cloaked shadows through the night, a score strong. Trained, disciplined, hardened by confrontations with the worst that Wizarding society had to offer, they made their way towards the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, led by two men. The first was a portly little man with rumpled gray hair and an anxious expression, wearing a pinstriped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak, pointed purple boots and a lime green bowler hat. The second was a tall man clad all in black, with pale blond hair and cold grey eyes, carrying a walking stick with a snake head.

But all of them were grim as they approached their designated target – a hut on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, with flames shooting out of a still-lit window.

"We have visual confirmation, Minister. Moving to surround target location."

"Good," the portly man repeated, speaking into one of those two-way mirrors that were all the rage once. "Remember, the subject is known to be dangerous, and his half-giant blood lets him resist Stunners."

"Permission to use deadly force then?"

"Granted, if necessary. Stand by," the Minister grunted, putting away the mirror into one of his pockets. He glanced up into the clear night sky, where the silhouettes of a broom-riding Auror squadron trailed the ground party silently.

Cornelius Fudge mopped his brow with a handkerchief and took a deep breath, turning to his companion.

"Lucius, are you sure about this?"

"Quite sure," the blond man replied a cool, silky tone of voice. "Both my son and the Defense Professor of Hogwarts have reported the presence of a dragon at Hogwarts, a clear threat to the students. And as Minister, you know better than anyone else how dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709. We can't allow it to seem that Dumbledore and his associates are above the law, now can we, Cornelius?"

"Ah, no, you're quite right, Lucius."

The Minister of Magic, the man who held the highest office in Wizarding Britain, was less than entirely confident about this operation, but he realized the political capital it would gain him to have acted against a threat to his nation's youth. Besides which, Rubeus Hagrid was no innocent – after all, the man had been involved in the Monster of Slytherin incident in 1943, where a Muggleborn had died, and had been expelled for it.

Only the intervention of then Headmaster, Armando Dippet, under the sway of Albus Dumbledore, had allowed him to remain at Hogwarts as Keeper of Keys and Grounds, where it seemed his predilection for monstrous things had not gone away.

Still, a dragon of all things.

Every wizard knew that those beasts could not be tamed, and that even those that appeared so would eventually go feral, escaping and being found by Muggles. Hence, for the last two-hundred and eighty-three years, it had been illegal for a wizard to raise dragons – not that whether something was legal or not had any bearing on whether a Dark Wizard would do them.

Being honest, he was nervous to be here, on what was effectively Albus Dumbledore's private domain, but the presence of Lucius Malfoy, the Chairman of Hogwarts' Board of Governors, along with a full squadron of Aurors and Hit Wizards, helped to steady him.

If the reports were accurate, and there was a dragon, then those wands would be needed, as stunning a dragon alone took over a dozen wizards – and it wouldn't just be the dragon they'd need to stun if Hagrid resisted.

As criminals almost always did, really.

But they'd reached the groundkeeper's house now, and as they were the force on the side of the law, it made sense to give the accused a chance to surrender peacefully.

So they knocked.

Seconds later, the door was flung open, with the two men finding themselves face-to-face with a half-giant aiming a crossbow directly at them, his beetle-black eyes flashing over his great bristling beard.

Lucius Malfoy didn't waste time with niceties – not with a weapon pointed at him. He roughly pulled the Minister aside, with the poor man almost falling on his arse, and pressed the release switch on his walking stick, the top – his wand – sliding free of the rest.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, a fierce bolt of crimson light shooting from his wand towards the immense form of the shaggy haired half-giant.

Whump!

Perhaps it was in shock at the sudden attack, but the crossbow loosed its quarrel, the bolt heading right for the Minister – who could only watch in horror as it sped towards him – before it was blasted from the air by a well-timed spell.

'I have to give those Aurors a raise…'

"Take him down!" the order came from above, and a torrent of azure light erupted, a score and a dozen blue beams tearing apart the night – and the groundkeeper's house, revealing a livid half-giant, his bloodhound – and what he had been trying to hide: a juvenile Norwegian Ridgeback.

Seeing these, the squadron leader shifted targets, with the next spells that came raining down being jets of crimson light – aimed at both Fang and the young dragon.

They poured down en masse, laying the creatures low in a brutally powerful volley.

"Leave them alone!" Hagrid roared in fury, leaping at one of the wizards on the ground who had helped to stun his pets.

Seizing the culprit bodily, he lifted the culprit bodily from the ground and threw him, with man flying what looked like five meters and falling to the ground with a sickening crack. The Hit Wizard didn't move again after that.

"Stand down, Hagrid!" a voice barked out. "You're only making this worse on yourself"

"No and be damned with yeh. Yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" the half-giant cried out, moving to snatch up yet another of the men.

"Impedimenta!" the man screamed, the small jet of turquoise light having negligible effect – until it was joined by an echo of thirty other voices screaming the same, the combined force of the volley slamming into Hagrid and throwing him backwards.

"Now, lads! Stupefy!" the lead Auror called, as blood-red beams blasted the prone half-giant before he could right himself, slamming into him over and over and over.

Hagrid gave a strangled half-cry, futilely trying to rise in spite of the volume of spell fire crashing into him second after second, but crumpled under the sustained assault, his form going motionless at last.

Unnoticed by them, the front doors of the castle had opened, with light spilling out on to the dark lawn and a single long black shadow rippling across it.

"How dare you!" the figure shouted as she ran, wand in hand. "How dare you!"

"Switch target, ground forces only."

"Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" the figure shouted in the darkness – before the form of what was revealed to be Professor McGonagall was lifted bodily in the air by the impact of five Stunners shot from the figures around the ruins of the cabin.

For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.

They waited in case any others would reveal themselves, but there were none.

"Stand down, situation is secure," the lead Auror spoke, with a number of those on the ground moving to take custody of the prisoners.

Hagrid and his boarhound were put into enchanted chains and levitated away by a number of the Aurors and Hit Wizards, who did not take kindly to things such as assassination attempts on the Minister, people raising dangerous creatures like dragons around young children, and least of all, attacks on their fellows. His destination would be Azkaban, pending trial before the Wizengamot.

The Norwegian Ridgeback had been taken by most of the rest, as it was both evidence of Hagrid's crime and an endangered creature that by treaty would need to be shipped off to the Romanian Dragon Preserve – or euthanized if there was no room there.

As for Minerva McGonagall, who had attempted to intervene in the apprehension of the suspect, she would be taken to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to be treated, as several stunning spells to the chest could be quite damaging – even lethal – to an older human, but once stable, would be moved to the Ministry's holding cells for trial for Obstructing the administration of justice.

It had all been very quick – no more than a few minutes, with Fudge himself not casting any spells at all.

"Are you alright, sir?" the lead Auror – Dawlish – asked as he brought his broom down beside the portly Minister and Lucius Malfoy. "Both sirs, that is."

"Merlin's beard. I knew he had a record, but I never expected him to open the door with a weapon and murder in his eyes," Fudge murmured, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd expected the man to be reasonable and bow to authority like any good wizard, instead of attacking Aurors and Hit Wizards.

"Sir, this is why we normally handle apprehension of suspects," Dawlish said with some reproach. "While we of course…respect…your courage, Minister, this is why you have a Department of Magical Law Enforcement – so you don't have to put yourself in danger."

"I'll…keep that in mind. Thank you...Auror."

Yes, Fudge definitely owed them a raise – or two.

"And you, Mister Malfoy, are you unhurt as well?" Dawlish asked the other man, summoning the other end of the man's walking stick and handing it to him. "Thank you for your quick action in protecting the Minister."

"It was my pleasure as a loyal citizen of Wizarding Britain," the Malfoy patriarch replied, reassembling his staff. "For without the Minister and the Law, what do we have as a society?"

Dawlish stared hard at Malfoy for a second but said nothing as he turned away.

"Minister, your orders?" the Auror inquired. "We have accomplished our primary objective of apprehending Rubeus Hagrid, but most of the men are needed to transport the prisoners and the wounded. Shall I use the Hit Wizards for that purpose?"

"Ah, yes. That will be fine," Fudge answered, mopping his brow again. What else did he need to do while at Hogwarts? Ah…right. "As for what's next, we need to see Dumbledore. Aurors only for this one. You can send the Hit Wizards off – no need to intimidate the man into doing something rash."

"As you wish, Minister."

Shortly thereafter, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, found himself in his office with several unexpected – and quite unwelcome – guests: Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, Lucius Malfoy, the Chairman of the Board of Governors, and a squadron of Aurors.

He was most, most displeased, his blue eyes full of an unusual fire.

"Cornelius, this was entirely uncalled for!" the Headmaster spoke forcefully, upon being informed of what had transpired only half an hour earlier. His aura seemed to surge, and for a moment, Cornelius Fudge was reminded that this was the man who had defeated Gellert Grindelwald and was the only wizard You-Know-Who had ever feared. "Why was I not informed of this before you brought an army to Hogwarts?"

"Headmaster, be reasonable. Suspects are never given warning before a raid," Lucius Malfoy answered, a thin, tight smile on his face. "Why, the Ministry has never warned me before searching my manor for Dark Objects."

The presence of someone willing to stand up to Dumbledore seemed to stiffen the Minister's spine as he remembered who the leader of Wizarding Britain was, and who was merely a Headmaster, even if Dumbledore had once been the public's first choice for Minister.

"This is all bad business, Albus," the Minister added uncomfortably, unable to meet the Headmaster's eyes as he looked instead at the many instruments and portraits in the Headmaster's office, his lime green bowler under his arm. "Very bad business. The affair with the troll was one thing - Arthur Weasley was quite upset that two of his children were put in mortal danger, you know. And after being tipped off about an illegal dragon breeding operation here at Hogwarts – well, Hagrid's record's against him."

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge. "I would trust the man with my life."

"A trust some would find questionable after he was expelled for his involvement in the death of a student nearly fifty years ago," Lucius cut in, his cold grey eyes not leaving Dumbledore's bright blue. "That incident involved a dangerous beast as well, as I recall."

"I still believe Hagrid was innocent of wrongdoing in that matter, Lucius."

"A curious thing, when a prefect - Tom Riddle, I believe the name was, gave eyewitness testimony as to his actions in protecting a monster – and suffering the half-giant's assault," Malfoy said reproachfully. "And yet you still defend the…man, even now."

Dumbledore had some very choice things he wanted to say about Tom Marvolo Riddle, the orphan who had later become the darkest wizard in the history of Magical Britain, but held his tongue. None of the men here knew of Voldemort's past as a half-blood or an orphan, and mentioning it now would only hurt his cause.

"At any rate, what happened fifty years ago is irrelevant, Albus," Fudge continued, his expression hardening. "Our team of Aurors has taken him into custody, after catching him with a young dragon in his house, a clear violation of our laws."

"Indeed," Lucius Malfoy chimed in, eager to support Fudge's point. "Headmaster, perhaps you should remember that the law applies to everyone. Even you and those under your protection." He paused, staring at the old, powerful wizard. "Or should I say especially? After all, you are responsible for the safety of our children, and their future."

"Lucius, Cornelius, of course I care about the safety of the students—"

"But what, Albus?" the Minister asked, though he had his suspicions. "You turned down the position of Minister – many times – because you said that the students of Hogwarts were your priority. At the time, we accepted that, though you could have done so much for our society." Fudge's pudgy face flushed scarlet, recalling the events that led up to his own election. "Yet here we are, finding that you protect a man whose history suggests he is a threat to the very students you claim are your priority? I have the utmost respect for you, Albus, but Hogwarts is a school – not your personal fiefdom! You and yours answer to the Ministry."

"And to the Board of Governors, who are most concerned about the recent happenings at Hogwarts," Lucius added smoothly, his voice like ice to Fudge's fire. "Certainly, they will be quite interested to hear why you did not contact the Ministry yourself about the dragon, or why Rubeus Hagrid was not simply allowed to stay at Hogwarts – on your advice – for these many years, but put in charge of its beasts and its grounds, given free rein to go wherever he wished. Why, it was even reported that he – this menace to society – was the very person you sent to escort Harry Potter, the hero who defeated the Dark Lord and liberated those of us who were under the Imperius Curse, to Diagon Alley for school supplies. Did you run out of competent teachers, perhaps?"

"Now see here, Lucius—"

"He has a point, Albus."

And it was true.

For in his private moments, Dumbledore would admit to himself that power was his one true weakness and temptation. That was why he had chosen to stay a professor at Hogwarts – not because he greatly loved dealing with students, though he thought he was a fair teacher, but because it was safer for him to be at Hogwarts. Deep down, he knew he was no different from Gindelwald. The same desire for conquest and authority plagued him…and he feared that if he allowed himself to claim the title of Minister, it wouldn't be enough for him.

No. It was better for him to remain at Hogwarts, where he wouldn't invoke the wrath of the Association and the other groups with reason to oppose him. This was the penance he paid for his sins, for Ariana's death, for the many people he'd failed because of his fears.

The hat had judged him a Gryffindor while he was at Hogwarts. Had it judged him too soon? Should he have instead ended up in Slytherin like the other ambitious ones – the ones he still came down harder on to this day because they reminded him of himself and the sins he'd committed?

"What else happened?" he asked, more subdued. The damage had already been done – the Ministry's operatives had come like thieves in the night, without warning. And it was clear that Fudge and Malfoy were in accord, so belligerence wouldn't help, not with a fait accompli under their belts.

"Your Deputy Headmistress has been taken to St. Mungo's for injuries sustained while attempting to interfere with an official Ministry operation," Malfoy said blandly. "For future reference, let her know that it does not pay to run in with a wand when Ministry personnel are at work."

"Cornelius, please," Albus said quietly, for once looking every one of his hundred odd years. "I know Hagrid might be a bit thoughtless sometimes, but he'd never hurt a student willingly. And Minerva cares more than anyone else about the students here."

Even him, he had to admit.

"Look at it from my point of view, Albus," the Minister of Magic replied, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. I have a duty to the public, you know."

Silence reigned.

"Perhaps this conversation would be better had at your office Minister?" asked the dulcet tones of Lucius Malfoy. "If the good Headmaster would be willing to accompany us to the Ministry?"

"…so be it then."

So it was that, one month after Valentine's Day, Rubeus Hagrid and Minerva McGonagall were taken into custody by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, escorted to the Ministry of Magic by Lucius Malfoy and the Minister himself to work out some kind of bargain that would see them free.

Dumbledore knew it would cost him dearly then, even if he couldn't be sure just how dear the cost would be. After all, even he could not cover up the presence of a dragon at Hogwarts, not when an entire Ministry strike team could testify otherwise. The Governors would be – quite rightfully – upset that this had happened, and as Headmaster, he would be forced to take responsibility.

Fortunately, given that dawn was yet to come, few bore witness to his departure – except two figures who had been watching and waiting for such an occurrence – one a student who purportedly sought to protect the Stone from unworthy hands, and the other who sought it for his own gain. Indeed, the second was rather proud that his efforts to secure a dragon egg over the winter holidays had borne fruit, as it had been exactly what he needed to coax the secret of how to get past the Cerberus from Hagrid.

And even better, the half-giant's enthusiasm had made him quite the convenient patsy…

In his office, Quirinus Quirrell smiled.

Soon it would all be over, and one way or another, the Stone would be his.

As for Matou Shinji, the poor hard-working boy had just managed to drift off to sleep a few hours before, only to be shaken awake by a House Elf. Such was not a pleasant experience, as it meant he opened his eyes to see a little creature looming over him with large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls.

Tensing, he froze as the figure backed off, thrusting a pouch roughly into his hands.

"Wha…?"

"Matou Shinji," the house elf squeaked out. "Sokaris waits for you."

With that, the creature disappeared – returning to the kitchens no doubt.

Sokaris?

Why was she asking something to wake him up now? It must still be the middle of the night – why was she even up? Uncharitable thoughts aside about her lack of humanity though, Shinji figured that if she was going so far as to send a house-elf to wake him up, it had to be important

…at least, it had better be important.

Deciding that he should trust his gut, he rolled out of bed and grabbed his ofuda and wand before checking the pouch.

A set of potions and a bezoar.

He couldn't think of any reason why she might be giving him this, except one: the time had come for the great Stone Heist.

…but it was too soon. As far as he knew, the Stone Cutters weren't ready for such an endeavor. They had projected that the first opportunity to do so would be during the Spring Holidays, and their training schedules had been designed with that in mind. There was more he wanted to practice, more the group as a whole needed to practice to even feel ready for what they were about to attempt.

Unfortunately, reality had a habit of following its own whims, as opposed to anyone else's desires.

That was the unpleasant truth that Matou Shinji had been forced to face what seemed like a lifetime ago, when he found out he wasn't the heir to the Matou craft. And such was the unpleasant truth that he was facing now, when as he was about to embark on possibly the most serious thing he'd ever done.

The decision to fight the troll had been on made on the spur of the moment. There was no time to consider the risks, the consequences, the pros and cons – merely enough time to act. With this though, he had a choice and he knew it.

…even as he knew he'd already made his choice.

He'd promised to help Sokaris. He'd promised to be Harry's friend. He'd promised to support the other Stone Cutters, and that wasn't something he could just go back on. Not now. Not without throwing away everything that made Matou Shinji who he was today and not the miserable boy who had discovered he was worthless.

He refused to become that boy, the boy who ran from reality until he could run no longer.

He'd made his choices – now he'd have to live with them.

And so, once he'd dressed, he stepped out into the corridor, where Sokaris was indeed waiting, her eyes closed as she leaned against the wall, her face grim and set.

"It's time, isn't it?" he asked.

"Indeed. Dumbledore is gone," the alchemist replied, opening her eyes as she noted his arrival. "He left the Castle escorted by the Minister of Magic. I do not think he will be back for some time."

"…you saw this, I presume?"

"Indeed, Matou Shinji," the girl said softly. "I do not require much sleep, as you are aware."

"I am, yes. And you had the house-elves wake each of us up?"

"It was more efficient than the alternative," Sokaris noted, which was true enough. "Though the message was different for each."

"I see. You are coming with us, though?"

"Naturally."

"Then did you have any plans for how to distract Quirrell?"

"The probability of success of any method is not high," Sokaris answered, much as Shinji was afraid of. "It is quite likely that Quirrell possesses some skill with Legilimency, so sending someone to distract him is ill-advices. Using Peeves requires finding him, which is more trouble than it is worth at the moment. And it too early to go with other measures."

"So, what you're saying is, our best chance is just go to in, get the Stone, and get out."

She nodded.

"Alright then. So what are the Potions you've given us?"

"A number of useful brews. You would be advised to sip one of the grey ones now - it is an invisibility potion."

"An invisibility potion? Does that do what I think it will?"

"It will allow one to be invisible for a time, much as a strong Disillusionment Charm or an Invisibility Cloak might," she confirmed, taking up a grey and bubbly vial and downing the contents, vanished from sight. "Let us go. The rendezvous point will be at the entrance to the Forbidden Corridor."

"Right then," Shinji said, taking a deep breath to steady himself one final time before he did the same. "Let's move out."

And so it was that two - no - three invisible forms crept out of Ravenclaw Tower to meet their destiny and face their final test.