"Why did it have to be the Shrieking Shack?" Ginny complained, panting at the pace Harry had set.
"You're not scared, are you?" Nasrin replied, glancing back as Mulan loped a few feet ahead, nose raised and ear-sensors vibrating.
"We're waiting for Sirius Black, right?" The Weasley prompted as said Shack came into view, a fifteen-foot-tall Whomper standing guard. "Right? Waiting for the Lord of Sevii?"
"No time." Harry replied firmly.
"We're not letting him escape. Not after everything he's done."
"The Dex says he's still there." Hermione reasoned, glancing towards Nasrin. "I think we can-"
"We go now." The half-Gem replied.
"Okay!" Luna chirped, skipping towards the water before Hermione stopped her. "I thought you meant we should just jump in the lake now and save Whomper the time."
"She has a point." Ginny voiced. "We're going to end up tossed anyway."
"I don't think so." Harry replied, stepping towards the Rock-type that pretended to be a tree. "Let me try Speaking to him."
Nasrin felt the hair all along her arms rise as Harry slid into the Speaker's Realm, and then-
Yanking the boy back before he was crushed by Whomper's green fist, Mulan snarled as Nasrin grabbed the hilt of her sword.
"Wait!" Luna shouted, head tilting. "Don't you feel it?"
The rosette quieted her outrage slowly, that part of her that was Veela slowly unfurling and catching the tendrils of emotion that misted off Whomper.
"He's…lonely." She whispered, shoulders slumping as Luna approached, hand held out.
"He's in pain…So much doubt…"
The half-Veela grinned up at the massive Sudowoodo.
"Hello, handsome!"
Whomper paused, pointing to himself as if to ask 'who, me'.
"You're a good-looking tree, do you know that?" Luna continued, taking another step forward with a charming smile. "People laugh at you, people hate you, but why do they hate you? Because-They-Are-Jealous!"
Whomper seemed surprised, shaking his head, but the tiny blonde pressed on.
"Look at that boyish trunk. Look at that sweet canopy. Do you want to talk about physical strength? Do you want to talk about sheer timber? Do you want to talk about the forest ideal? You are a god."
At this praise, Whomper raised his head proudly as Luna pressed a hand to his 'bark'.
"And listen to me, you are not evil. You-Are-Good!"
Harry, Hermione and Ginny watched in shock as the gargantuan Sudowoodo sat down and began to sob, Nasrin pulling out a handkerchief to blot at her own teary eyes as Luna cooed over him.
"This is a nice sapling. This is a mother's acorn. And I want the world to know, once and for all, and without any shame, that we love him. I'm going to train you."
Whomper sniffled, delight shining in his eyes.
"I'm going to show you how to walk, how to speak, how to move, how to think. Together, you and I are going to make the single greatest contribution to Pokemon training since the discovery of Fire-types!"
"Luna?" Ginny whispered.
"My name-Is-Frankenstein!" Luna bellowed, blinking at the startled reactions this earned. "Sorry, got wrapped up in the moment."
Nasrin waved the sentiment off, carefully wrapping up her Veela senses as the Second Year offered a Poke Ball and Whomper happily caught himself.
"Alright, that's taken care of. What next?"
"I…I…"
Harry gently shook Ginny's shoulder, and the Weasley deflated.
"Never mind. Let's go."
"What's wrong with those two?" Luna wondered, skipping over to Hermione. "Have they never seen Nazz use her Veela powers before?"
"Give them time." Hermione assured as the group continued their trek towards the Shrieking Shack.
Really, the building was more a barn than a shack, three stories tall and a twisting maze of hallways and crumbling rooms that seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Nasrin quietly released her Pokemon in the dark, a signal having all but Snow disappearing into the shadows, and Ginny shuddered as the skitter of unknown Pokemon died in the walls with startled squeaks.
"I swear, if I die tonight, I'm so haunting you!"
"We'll be fine." Harry replied, summoning Ludwig.
The poor Litwick nearly had a fit at their dusty surroundings, but Snow was able to soothe and coax him onto her back, the flecks of ice in white fur refracted the light of his flame into a blue halo around them.
"So, what exactly is the plan here?" Ginny wondered. "I mean, this is a man-"
"Or woman." Hermione reminded.
"-That has a horde of Dusknoir at his or her beck and call. No offense, but I doubt all your Pokemon are going to do much good."
"That's why I brought the Beast with me." Harry replied, and Nasrin nodded.
"And Lion can be here in seconds."
"You're actually going to try and battle that maniac?" Hermione squeaked. "You don't even know if Zygarde will obey you!"
"He'll protect me, at the very least. He might not see me as a strong enough trainer, but he won't let me die. He's honor-bound to the Line of Slytherin."
Ludwig hissed out a warning, arm flailing, and Snow stared ahead with perked ears as the group refocused.
"Hear something?" Nasrin wondered, and both Pokemon nodded.
Quiet as possible, the group followed Ludwig and Snow down a hallway and a sharp right, the Vulpix pausing before taking a stairway on the right.
A faint voice finally became detectable, and Mulan's ear-sensors thrummed.
"Who is that?" Hermione whispered. "The Nocturne agent?"
"I don't know…" Nasrin replied quietly.
"But I recognize it."
The pair took those last steps at a run, slamming the door open with a resounding CLAP to enter a room beyond, peeling paint and pilfered furniture standing sentinel in the dark as a familiar face jerked around to meet them.
"You."
"Mister Potter?" Professor Snape replied, startled. "Miss Universe?"
There was no malice there, no unstable rage that Nasrin remembered so well from Le Fay's Landing, but Harry was blinded.
"I knew it! I knew it was you!" He shouted as Hermione, Ginny and Luna caught up. "Ludwig, Flamethrower!"
Ludwig jerked off Snow's back, racing forward-
And hugged the Potions Professor, cooing happily.
"What the-"
"Ludwig?" Harry voiced, surprised that one of his oldest Pokemon was hugging the man. "What are you doing?"
"He wouldn't dare attack Snape." Sirius said as he emerged from a side door with Tonks, Padfoot and Rotom at the ready. "Look at you, Snape. A bunch of children got the drop on you. You've gotten soft in your old age."
"Black…"
And Professor Snape did the one thing none of them expected.
He smiled.
Barely there, a twitch of the lips, but a smile nonetheless.
Nasrin blinked rapidly as Sirius embraced the Head of Slytherin, trying to make sense of the relief and joy now filling the room.
"Well, now I know how everyone else feels when I say something that confuses them." Luna mused.
"How are you alive?" Professor Snape asked, allowing Ludwig to land on his open palm as Snow trotted over, reevaluating this person that was so important to her friend.
"Long story, and I only want to tell it once."
"Then you can tell it now, since we're all here." Remus said from the doorway, Mulan's ears twitching.
"Remus!" Sirius cried out, embracing his friend. "Come on now, give us a kiss!"
"People whisper enough things about us, Sirius, let us not give them more ammunition." Remus retorted, happily falling back into old habits. "We have much to discuss."
"Of course we do, starting with your love life. Now, I've kept a list for myself…"
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Harry exploded, barely restraining himself from flailing when Nasrin squeezed his hand. "Why is my Pokemon hugging Snape? Why did you hug Snape? Why are all of you here? Why is everyone hugging Snape?"
"Because he's huggable." Sirius joked. "Go on, give it a try. He smells like chocolates."
"Please don't." Professor Snape deadpanned.
"Add me to the Really Confused Club." Tonks added, raising a hand.
"And add me as well." Remus admitted, the shock slipping through. "How are you alive?"
"That can wait." Professor Snape stated, waving the question off as everyone migrated a nearby couch and chairs. "I believe an explanation is in order, and Mister Potter did ask his questions first. Then we'll get into Black's mysterious resurrection."
"I suppose I should be an adult and let him go first…" Sirius muttered. "We wouldn't need to cover this if you had just been honest with him from the beginning."
"That is my way, you know that." Professor Snape replied, before falling into the familiar lecture mode as he looked upon the Gryffindors. "I would think that some of your answers would already be answered. Ludwig holds the key."
"You're the one that gave him to Harry." Nasrin deduced. "That's why you were so angry at Filch when he threatened to hurt him, and why Ludwig likes you."
The Potions Professor retrieved a matching Shadow Flame Ball from his pocket.
"Bach, come forth."
And from inside came a mighty Chandelure, Ludwig floating over to hug the older Ghost.
"Yes, Miss Universe. Bach is Ludwig's father."
"Then…You and my mother…?"
"Let us start at the beginning." Professor Snape decided.
"Do we have time for this?" Tonks wondered.
"He needs to know." Sirius replied. "Go ahead, Snape."
"Your mother was a lonely child." He began, pacing. "Even though she was pretty and smart and spirited, she never had any real friends while living on Little Surrey. Her parents weren't like the Dursleys, but Lily couldn't connect with them. There was something different about her, and even she sensed it. She had only two real friends. The first was a young boy her age, he himself lonely, who came to care for her as if she were his sister. The other was a man, a hardened sea captain who brought supplies from Avalon to Little Surrey. He was as straight and solid as cast iron, and his ways and manners were harsh, some might say cruel. But he only did it because he wished to bring out the best in those he taught. Your mother was never frightened by the captain and he, like the boy, came to care for Lily Evans greatly. The captain's name was Tobias Snape. My father."
Grief and old guilt misted over Nasrin's skin.
"It is our fault your mother left Little Surrey. We are the ones that taught her about Pokemon, and our boat is what she used to make her escape. But we could never fault her for doing it. Who were we to deny her the chance to experience life with Pokemon? She was my sister. In another life…You would have called me uncle."
"Why?" Harry finally forced out, frustration building as he glared from face to face. "Why wasn't I told about this? Why am I hearing about this now? Why didn't you tell me the truth?"
"Because I was ashamed." Professor Snape admitted, pained. "I failed your mother, Harry. I worked with Remus to protect them, and I failed. I got my sister killed. I couldn't save you from the Dursleys…I failed you, too. I have had no right to be a part of your life."
The man went quiet for a moment, considering.
"And honestly, I do not know if I could be a part of your life. Not the way you needed, those early days. I am not a man of hugs and cuddles. I am my father's son. Gestures of affection are not easily given when it comes to us. Perhaps that is wrong, but what is done is done. I was not the type of man you needed, Harry. I could see that the moment you stepped into my classroom. You needed a soft touch, a kind guardian, and that is not me. I am a taskmaster, a drill sergeant. So I settled for seeing you merely as another student, to teach you as I taught others, but I have always hoped that later, when you were ready…I could find a way to be a part of your life."
Remus nodded, subdued.
"I think all of us wanted to tell you, Harry. It's just that it wasn't our secret to tell."
Sirius nodded, disagreeing with the choice but respecting it all the same.
"Alright, we can hash this all out later." Hermione decided as Nasrin leaned into Harry's side, Ariel reaching out to pat his hair as Mulan purr-growled. "Can we get back to the main focus here? The Nocturne agent?"
"What are you two doing here?" Nasrin agreed, gaze flickering between Remus and Snape.
"We are tracking the man the led Voldemort to Harry's parents. Same as you, I assume." The Head of Slytherin answered.
"You knew it wasn't Peter?" Sirius spoke up, surprised.
"For me, it took a while and lot of convincing." Remus admitted, sheepish. "Snape always had doubts."
"Peter Pettigrew was many things, but he was always a true friend to you Marauders."
Nasrin turned at the hint of disgust at that title, brow furrowed.
"Just because we are able to be in the same room now doesn't mean we were all friends. I tended to be a favorite target of Mister Potter's father when it came to his 'pranks'."
"And you and Lily-Flower gave as good as you got!" Sirius reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah, real interesting old people." Tonks butted in. "Facts, details, plot. Condense it down and speed it up."
"You believe it's Sirius." Harry voiced.
"You think he's the traitor."
"We believe no such thing." Professor Snape huffed. "Black, able to pull something like that off? The man doesn't have the brain cells to do such a thing."
"And I love you too, Snape."
"Actually, we didn't realize Sirius was alive until he walked through the door tonight." Remus added. "But we should have assumed, knowing what we know."
Harry and Nasrin turned to him then, confused and with growing dread.
"If you didn't think it was Sirius, then who were you referring to when you said you wanted to kill Black?"
"He was referring to me."
A scream ripped from Luna's throat as Neville's limp body landed at their feet, Nasrin scrambling up to heal him as the adults moved to protect them, hands already staining red as Ariel and Mulan bared their teeth.
"I wouldn't do any of that if I were you." The perpetrator warned, stepping into the room with a knife at Ron's throat. "Wouldn't want any more blood spilt, would we?"
"I'm sorry, guys." The Weasley hiccuped, face bruised. "I wanted to find Scabbers…"
"And you found him, didn't you?" The agent laughed, suddenly visible.
He was beautiful, in a way Harry normally associated with Gems, with a sculpted face and silken hair and bright eyes, but when the eyes lingered, cracks formed in his flawless façade.
The smile too tight, a glint of insanity in the eyes, cheeks too gaunt, skin pulled too tight…
He became a grinning skull, like Death, come to devour all those in his path.
When Nasrin looked at him, all she felt was madness.
"How kind of you all to gather here and save me the time of tracking you down."
Sirius pitched backwards as if struck, recognizing that face.
"Regulus?"
And the man smiled.
"Hello, brother."
His left hand rose to grasp Ron's throat, knife wagging in threat.
"Now, now, now. Let's not do anything hasty."
"What trick is this?" Sirius managed to force out, each word an effort. "How dare you wear my brother's face! Who are you? Who are you?"
"You know who I am, brother. Though I'm not shocked that you don't address me as such. How much of your life was spent forgetting about me?"
"I never forgot about Regulus!" Sirius snarled, his rage like a furnace against Nasrin's skin. "And you're not him!"
"Please keep denying the truth." Regulus laughed, stepping forward as his knife caressed Ron's cheek. "I find it oh so humorous."
Gaze locked on the traitor, Nasrin pressed a kiss to Neville's hand and slowly stood, leaving him in Luna's care to face this threat.
"You faked your death." Remus stated calmly, a hand on his friend's shoulder as Professor Snape moved to better defend the students with his Seviper.
"Oh, Remus, the intelligent one. I suppose it's easy to look gifted to your moronic friends when you stammer out the obvious. Of course I did, you imbecile. Lord Voldemort needed one willing to do his bidding, one who could be quiet and cunning. I volunteered, and was rewarded with the DNA Splicer."
A shift revealed the device hanging from his neck, and Nasrin felt sick.
"That's how you were able to take on a Raticate form." Professor Snape reasoned. "Clever, if foolish. The Splicer degrades the body and the mind."
"Only if overused." Regulus retorted. "That's why I kept the Raticate form and hid with the Weasleys all this time. It allowed me to avoid the madness and the damage the Splicer can cause."
Nasrin very much disagreed with that assessment.
"Why?" Sirius finally asked, furious and devastated.
"I know what you're asking, brother. You don't want to know why I worked with Voldemort. You don't give a second thought to the torment I put you through. Admit it, a part of you is willing to forgive me for putting you in Sevii to rot away. No, the only thing you want to know is…why did I kill your precious James?"
The Lord of Sevii lunged, only Remus and Tonks holding him back.
"You bastard! How could you do that to me?"
"To you? To you?" Regulus shot back, mood shifted like quicksilver to wrath. "That wasn't about you! Nothing with the Potters was about you! It was between them and Lord Voldemort!"
"They were my friends!"
"And I'm your brother!" The madman roared back. "Or have you forgotten that? I wouldn't be surprised. You were always so ready to push me aside in favor of your precious Marauders. My blood is your blood, but time and time again, you refused to stand by my side."
"I never did anything to hurt you." Sirius argued. "You were the one that pulled away from me."
"Liar."
The man's grip tightened on Ron's throat, bloodlust high, and Nasrin knew if anyone made a move or not, he would not hesitate to slit their friend's throat.
"We are Blacks. We're supposed to stand together! Voldemort offered us greatness, and you spat on his hand when he offered it to you in friendship."
His glare turned to Harry, then Nasrin.
"The same was true of your parents. My Lord offered them friendship, and just as Sirius did to me, they chose others over their own."
"Voldemort didn't offer friendship, he offered servitude." Sirius growled. "Blacks stand together, right? Well, you forgot that Blacks never kneel. And I never turned my back on you. I offered you time and again to join with us, not just when you joined that cult, but when we were kids. I offered to show your around Hogwarts, or help you with your homework, and you refused! You chose to abandon me, not the other way around."
"You expected me to associate with a filthy Gryffindor?" Regulus spat in disgust.
"Do you even hear yourself, you little prat?" Professor Snape snapped, turning that well-trained withering look on the younger Black. "You claim that he wasn't there for you, but you made no attempts to bridge the gap. Furthermore, you actually put up your own arbitrary obstacles to keep the two of you apart! My sister was a Gryffindor, and no one said a word about the two of us spending time together."
"It-It's all him!" Regulus raged, trembling with the force of it. "We were supposed to be together, the princes of Slytherin, ruling the House of Salazar together! But no! Not my brother! Not Sirius! He had to side with that fool James Potter and go to the House of Salazar's sworn enemy! He betrayed me, his own brother! Abandoned me for his new brothers!"
Nasrin's gaze flickered, and Harry tipped his head in the slightest of nods, quietly panicking for Ron.
"But I took care of your brothers, didn't I?" Regulus purred, shifting back to chilling calm. "I took care of the ones that stole you from me. James Potter, the golden boy of Gryffindor…Little Peter, the suck-up…I even managed to keep you and Remus apart."
His gaze turned back to Harry, expression twisting with disgust.
"But even then, you still side with others. That Potter brat is nothing, Sirius, and you know it."
Nasrin's hackles rose then, quietly simmering, as Mulan bared her fangs and Ariel hummed low enough to rattle bones.
"Oh, come on now, don't give me that blank look. You see it as well as I do. You tried to grow close to him, tried to love him as you loved James, but it's now plain to you that he's a pale shadow of your friend. He has the hair and the glasses, but he isn't your beloved James, and every moment you look at him, all you can think is 'why did you live instead of him?' Come now, deny it! Tell me how wrong I am, how I speak falsehoods. But you can't, because in your heart, you know I'm right. Look at those around you, brother. Truly look at them. How can you stand being near them? Remus, who so easily abandoned you and never once tried to find you. Severus, the callous man that represents everything you hate. Those pathetic children, who muddle their way through life, constantly getting in the way. Your whore of a niece, who can't even walk two steps without tripping over her own feet."
Harry could hardly breathe, close as he was to Nasrin, as her rage became a tightly-coiled cyclone.
"They are chains and shackles that keep you tight to the ground, unable to be free! I can see it in your eyes, brother. I can see the longing, the desire to be free. You hate what they all represent. Duty, responsibility. You don't think they're just as disgusted by you as you are of them? Remus fears you, Sirius. He fears your influence of precious Harry. The children look upon you and see only a madman and a rebel, fearful of what you've done in your long absence and what you may do again. And Snape…Snape hates you just as much as he hated James. He may pretend well, but I see it in his eyes. I see the truth. He'll be the end of you, brother, you mark my words!"
A sneer formed when Regulus spotted the indignation on the Third and Second Years' faces, blind to the growing storm behind dark eyes.
"Oh, don't look so surprised, children! This is just one of those hard truths that needs to be learned. You think these friendships will remain forever? Please, stop being so naïve. I've watched each of you for three years, and I've seen your true colors."
Regulus squeezed Ron's cheeks together, earning a protesting squeak.
"Ron, the stupid and jealous git that only stands by you all because it makes him look better. He hates you, Harry. He hates your fame and how everyone flocks to you. He wants that for himself, and he'll never truly be satisfied until you're dead and he's the one with power. And Hermione, the annoying bookworm. Always inserting yourself in things, always having to try and take command! You've never realized that you don't help bring people forward, you just hold them back. Like Harry…Harry the weakling, Harry the pathetic. I hated your mother and father with a passion, but at least they could fight! You can't do anything. You're supposed to be a leader, a commander of people! But instead, you act as a yoke, turning Rose Quartz from a feared commander and warrior into a giggling, airheaded little girl."
Mulan pulsed with some sort of blue energy, red eyes blazing as if funneling her trainer's power.
"Brother, how can you stand being around these people? Why keep this game up? Isn't it time to end this farce? Why stand against your family with those that at most tolerate you? Join with me. Stand at my side once more! The House of Black has crumbled, and it's up to us, the last sons of our Ancient and Noble Family, to repair it. Break free of them. Slit Lupin's throat, break Snape's neck, and let us take these children as offerings to our Lord Voldemort when he finally returns!"
Regulus offered a hand to his brother, pleading.
"Perhaps…" Sirius whispered after a moment, head rising with a piercing stare and set jaw. "Perhaps you're as full of shit as I always thought! Of course he isn't James, and I wouldn't want him to be! That would dishonor my friend! Harry isn't James reborn, he's James' son, and I love him as I would love my own son! Just as I love Remus and Tonks and these kids and hell, even Severus! That's something you can't understand, Regulus, something you've never been able to comprehend. Your twisted little mind can't fathom that love isn't a limited thing. It has no boundaries or set mass. Love grows and expands every day! Love isn't a bit of sugar that's to be parceled out in little doses, there's enough for all. You claim that I abandoned you, but I did no such thing! It's you that continues to press the issue, who makes wild demands and expects the world to bend while you remain firm and rigid! You're so quick to judge them, to focus on faults and failings, but you don't see that your whiny, pathetic little insults are nothing more than your own preconceived notions. Each and every one of them is honorable and special in their own way. It's not their fault that you're too angry to look past your own misguided views and see that the faults you perceive in them don't exist! And even if they did exist, Regulus, even then, who are you to say they aren't worthy? That's Team Nocturne's failure. You're all so busy blaming others and judging them that you miss all the potential they have. Maybe if you got your head out of your arse, you'd see that!"
Sirius took a step forward, fire blazing in his eyes, and Regulus was once more the young boy that looked upon his elder brother with love and fear.
"Join you? Has your time pretending to be a Raticate dulled your mind? Did you think I'd forget what you did to me, to my friends…to my family? You murdered people I cared for and locked me away! Oh, Sirius, I want you to stand beside me! Ha! I spent six years rotting in Sevii because of you! You talk of abandonment? You left me in hell!"
Remus and Tonks restrained him just in time, the man's inferno changing to ice.
"Stand by you, Regulus? No. I'll stand over your damn body as the life leaks from you. The last thing you feel will be my boot on your throat. Let the House of Black burn, and you burn with it."
"Could-Could we not egg the man on?" Ron hiccuped, throat squeezing.
"So, you've made your choice." Regulus stated coolly. "So be it. Maybe the blood of your 'friends' will cool your temper and-"
A leaf-quill lodged into his knife-hand, and Regulus threw Ron down as he screamed, stumbling back moments before a fist struck him hard and sent him flying back into a wall.
Winded and bleeding, he could only stare at the figure looming over him, dark eyes seeming to glow pink in the dark.
"You seem frightened, Regulus." Nasrin voiced, expression blank even as her fury filled the room. "I thought I was just a giggling, airheaded little girl?"
"I'm not afraid of you." He spat out. "What could you possibly do to me?"
"Well, that's a wonderful question." She purred, head tilting like a Pidgeot eyeing up it's prey. "You see, I've learned so much about human anatomy. Where all the bones are, where the arteries and veins lie…"
The man went pale as a deathly-sweet smile filled her face.
"I would crush every bone in your body, one by one. You wouldn't die, of course. I'd never allow it. Once every last one was ground into your muscles, I'd heal you and start all over. Again and again and again. Until you were begging for mercy, for death."
Nasrin leaned in, pupil flickering into a sharp-edged shape.
"A death I won't grant you until you've felt all the misery and suffering you've caused, paid back the blood and pain you've caused to my family. Only then will I allow you to die, long and slow and bloody. And I'll do it happily."
"You killed Neville."
The whole room seemed to freeze at Luna's soft voice, and Nasrin's menace crumbled as she turned to see Neville's motionless body, stunned.
He…
"What's this?" Regulus sneered, managing to gather his tattered façade. "Are you going to say something silly now? That's what you do, isn't it? Make a joke or a strange comment that makes others wonder what's wrong with you? That's what you're known for. Go on, say something funny for us."
"You…You killed Neville." Luna repeated, like a lone breeze over a bleak landscape, and Nasrin sobbed as the sadness cracked open her bones. "You killed…my Neville."
The half-Veela's head snapped up, eyes gone utterly black and blonde hair floating in an ethereal aura, the very air pulsing as she let out a piercing wail.
Nasrin was nearly buffeted off her feet, crashing against a wall as the heartbreakragedespair crashed against her very soul, amplifying her own grief and fury and guilt-
Harry would believe for nearly a year that his eyes were playing tricks, that the effects of Luna's cry had confused him, when he saw those familiar eyes turn a bright, iridescent pink.
A second wail knocked Regulus through a wall moments before Luna's died, the blonde collapsing with a rattling sigh, the entire Shack quaking down to its foundation now at Nasrin's sorrow and all-consuming rage.
"NAZZ!" Harry tried to scream, but his voice was lost as the storm faded into a hiccupping cry that tore at his heart.
Stumbling up, Regulus released his Manectric, forcing out an order.
"Fl-Flash!"
The light was blinding, and there was a startled shout and matching snarls before anyone's vision returned, finding the traitor gone and Pongo with blood on his fangs, fur singed and eyes red with fury.
"Stay here!" Sirius ordered as Harry rushed to Nasrin's side, patting her cheek when half-lidded eyes failed to focus on him. "Severus, Remus!"
With a nod, the professors followed him out the door at a run.
"Protect the children!"
Tonks released all her Pokemon to follow that order, clearly frantic, as Ginny leaped to her brother's side.
"Ron! He's hurt!"
Blood seeped from a short, shallow cut in his throat, and she pressed a hand to the wound as Nasrin stumbled to her feet, leaning on Harry for support.
"Nazz!"
Nodding dizzily, she managed to reach their fallen friends and offer healing kisses, watching with a heavy heart as Ron slipped into unconsciousness and Luna's heart continued to slow.
"Harry…"
"Tonks, we need to get to the castle." He voiced as her Pokemon circled, whining softly.
"Sirius said to stay here. Regulus could still be around-"
"And he'll kill us here just as easily as he will heading back to the castle!" Harry snapped, temper flaring as Nasrin crumbled, unable to calm him. "The only difference is Ron and Luna will die if we don't get them to Nurse Poppy! Dobby!"
The Alakazam appeared in a flash of red light, drooping as he took in the scene.
Great Harry Potter?
"Dobby, can you teleport our friends to the infirmary?"
After a moment, Dobby shook his head.
No, Great Harry Potter.
"Harry, the anti-teleport shielding." Hermione reminded them, shoulders slumping at the newest security feature that had been added since the dorm break-in.
"We'll have to take them ourselves." He decided, pressing a hand to Nasrin's shoulder. "Can you walk?"
Taking in a shaky breath, she nodded and scooped up both Ron and Luna, laying them against each shoulder so Ariel could fuss over them, while Tonks took Neville.
Hermione moved to support Ginny as their shattered group marched out of the Shrieking Shack, Pokemon following like a silent vigil as they hurried towards the lights of Hogwarts in the dark.
"WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS ON YOUR HEADS!"
"Regulus!" Hermione gasped at the unexpected shout as they drew near, pointing up towards the astronomy tower, the highest point of the castle. "What in the-"
"It's a Control Ball." Tonks recognized once spotting the object in his hand. "Sirius uses one to control-"
A blast of red light, and the tower ruptured, masonry flying everywhere and striking Nasrin's bubble with rippling force, tearing through Hogwarts like missiles as Dusknoir rose from the destruction to feast.
Screams shattered the night air, as if Hogwarts itself was wailing in agony, and Nasrin fell to her knees as it struck like a tsunami, yanking her under in a riptide of terror and pain.
The reality of their situation crushed her into despair, her worst fear made terrifyingly manifest, alone and responsible for all this death-
A sharp sting yanked Nasrin from her spiral, and Hermione glared back even as tears fell.
"Nazz, we can fix this, but you have to save Harry."
It took a long moment to realize what she meant, and the rosette nodded, fiercely yanking herself back together under the torrent of horror.
They would fix this.
Pressing a hand to Ariel's head, Nasrin handed her burden to Tonks and called her Pokemon close before charging into Hogwarts, Hermione releasing Kirlia as the others followed on her heels.
There was a tingle of madness on the edge of her mind, of lost hope, and she burst onto the second floor to find Harry staring at the fallen form of Zygarde, Dusknoir crushed in his wake.
"HARRY!"
Kirlia and Snow yanked the boy away from the swarm before he could charge in, and Ginny took over command of Ludwig and Dobby as Nasrin grabbed her boy by the shoulders, meeting his insanity and bloodlust with all the love and grief she felt in that moment.
"Harry, stop."
Snapping back into reality, Harry went ashen as they retreated to a nearby classroom, Hermione calling out Whomper to reinforce the door while Kirlia and Dobby barricaded the windows.
"Oh god…" He whispered. "Remus…Remus…"
"I know." She whispered back, Mulan releasing a low cry. "We have a plan."
"What plan could…could bring them-?"
"All back?" Hermione finished, holding up a Poke Ball. "This one."
Celebi appeared in a flash, zipping over once she sensed their pain to comfort Harry and Nasrin in turns.
"The Time Turner Ability!" He realized, hope blossoming.
"Exactly. We go back one hour, and we get this right. We save everyone-"
"And we kick Regulus Black's ass!" Ginny completely fiercely.
"Can Celebi handle sending all of us?" Nasrin wondered now, concerned.
Celebi trilled in confidence, willing to test her limits.
"It's a risk. When I first began training her, just sending me back would drain her. We do this, and she might not be able to use her Ability again for quite some time…But it's a risk we're willing to take."
"Alright then." Harry agreed. "For Remus."
"For Sirius." Tonks added, holding out her hand.
"For Ron." Ginny stated, placing her own hand on Tonks'.
"For Luna." Hermione voiced, mimicking them.
"For Neville." Nasrin whispered, finishing the circle with Harry's hand on hers.
"For everyone."
Whomper cheered, adding himself just before Celebi activated her Ability with a cry.
The world went completely white, like being sucked into an ocean of sound and sight and taste-
"Harry? You okay, mate?"
Harry and Nasrin blinked, once more finding themselves cuddled up together on am armchair in the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Neville watching them in confusion.
"Mate, you alright?"
"Harry? You-"
They pounced, joining Ginny in hugging the pair as Hermione spun Luna around in joy, beyond relieved that their plan had worked.
"You're doing things I don't understand." Luna voiced, brow furrowing. "Is this what it's like for you guys all the time? I don't like it."
Harry and Nasrin laughed, every muscle uncoiling, and she smiled at their befuddled friends.
"Alright, this is where things get complex, kids."
"And now you're doing references!"
One of the nearby windows shattered, earning quick yelps from nearby students, as a grinning Whomper reached through to gently touch one of Luna's Poke Balls and capture himself once again.
"…And that just raises further questions!"