AN: So, I don't know how many of you actually take a peek at my profile, and see my note about broken links and the like, so I decided to just put this here. There are a lot of images, both reference images and characters and the like, on AO3. I can't exactly add them to FF, but if you're interested there are:

Marzanna's weapons on ch4

Marzanna on ch5

Marzanna in SAO on ch7

Another Marzanna in SAO and reference images for inspiration for Revenants, Wraiths, and the Boss for the catacombs on ch11

Mike's Nephilim Blade and Mike before and after blood adoption on ch16

Humanoid appearances of Shuraba and Osiris, as well as weapon forms of Eryx and Aquila on ch35

Humanoid appearances of Aquila and Eryx on ch37

Marzanna back in the real world and back to rights after sorting things out with Kazuto on ch39

Hanna in ALO on ch40

Imagine of the Japanese Dragon the Japanese Jaggedclaw is inspired from after just googling Japanese Dragons on ch42

Sparda family crest, Marzanna's personal crest, and three images of Hanna and Blue Rose|Nero in GGO on ch45

Reference images for Marzanna, Kazuto, and Yui's wands from results of googling Ebony, Cedar, and Pear wands respectively on ch47

an altered ALO Excalibur on ch53

Arbiter's Humanoid appearance on ch55

Nephthys' Humanoid and Weapon appearances on ch56

Vergil after being separated from his Devil blood and an image of what he usually looks like for comparison on ch58

Vergil's Nightmare Demons Griffon and Shadow on ch60

Cavaliere -the bike Devil Arm- in both its bike and weapon forms, as well as before and after images of Dante's Devil Trigger using Rebellion on himself to kick his Devil powers into higher gear on ch62

A gif of the Qliphoth Fruit, before and after eating the Fruit images of Urizen, as well as images of Reboot Eva and Trish for non-DMC fans' reference regarding something I had forgotten to mention previously attached to the note about them on ch64

Review Responses:

Zoran Dawn-Eclipse- This is for ch64 because I didn't see it till after ch65 because of the email notification issues. Like I said in the notes, part of it was that I'd gotten so used to things just being that way in my head that it didn't occur to me to mention it, but also to some extent given that the Reboot design for Eva and the Original design for Trish are obviously different, I think to some degree my brain was kinda just… assuming? That with the mentions of Reboot and it being blended in that it'd be obvious? Anyway, I don't actually have solid plans for what will be done for non-Nephilim Devils. I have some rattling around in my head, and it has occurred to me to use the undiluted Devil blood from Urizen for that, though I haven't really decided in any particular way.

She looks up when her brother comes into the kitchen with Hermione, who's switch was done, since even if she was already a magical she wasn't a Nephilim, and is now undoubtedly ravenously hungry. It was fine though, it was the whole reason so much food had been prepared. She, Kazuto, and even Yui had actually helped with it. She had been helping out and getting lessons since after the discussion she had with Kazuto so long ago about how he technically had more experience making food compared to her even though he'd only ever done simple sandwiches and salads, she'd decided that she should probably actually learn in case she ever needed the skill, something which came in handy here and there during the invasion. Kazuto, after bonding to her and becoming a switch, had happily started getting lessons as well to be able to have a larger variety of food at home without having to rely on Kyrie and Mom making him things to take home, even if they were perfectly happy to do so. And while Yui's AI nature does mean she genuinely likes learning, she's been helping mostly because she just likes being helpful. Hell, practically as soon as she'd gained a real body, she had taken to offering to help Kyrie and Mom so often they had bought her a cute little apron. Yui loved it, of course, and looked utterly adorable in it.

Her face immediately twists with concern when she sees Hermione's red eyes. She's been her friend for a while, and now she was her sister in law, and she looked like she'd been crying. Of course she was concerned. She wasn't the only one either, but as her mom starts to get up to comfort her, Hermione waves her back down, "They were happy tears."

Her mom slowly lowers herself, "If you're certain, sweetheart."

Hermione nods, "Mike summarized the replies he got from the Weasleys and even let me read them to see for myself. While the parents of the lot were a bit torn between being upset that Mike admitted he called his previous bond to Ginerva a mistake, they could also understand where he was coming from. And that was the only remotely negative response. Other than that, the Weasleys were horrified at what she and Ronald tried to do, as well as what the reading revealed was the actions they would have taken if they weren't paired with us and therefore the reason Magic felt it had to pair us like that. Even if I've never been super close to them, since my relationship with Percy was mostly a mutual understanding of being stricter bookish Gryffindors, the twins I only really connected to through Mike, and I really only started cultivating a relationship to Bill and Fleur when I attended their wedding as Mike's plus one, it was still really… nice. They were incredibly understanding and even took our side other than the hiccup their parents were having over the mistake thing. They even had more than a few kind things to say to me directly that they asked Mike to pass on. It just made me happy, especially given how stressful the entire situation was, which given that I just woke up, from my perspective it basically happened a few hours ago."

She nods, "Oh, yeah, I can understand that. It's totally fair to cry happy tears in that situation."

She smiles at her, though it's a little watery, "Mm. It probably didn't help prevent any tears that while I'm not close to them, it was nice to see them be so supportive of mine and Mike's bond in general, as well as the fact I didn't lose my relationships to them. Which, honestly, unless they change their minds, the fact they were so understanding and supportive and nice about the whole thing will undoubtedly end up making me closer to them." She shakes her head, "Heck, they even understand Mike pressing charges, which honestly surprised me given how overprotective the Weasleys tend to be of each other."

Her mom smiles, "That's good. I'm glad they're being understanding and the two of you didn't lose relationships over it, even if it'd be more Mike than you."

Hermione nods, then shifts the subject as Kyrie starts bringing food out, "Thank you. I'm a bit surprised you guys didn't just give me more of those Nephilim tailored energy bars that Mike gave me before we came down though."

Kyrie laughs, "That's because it takes a switch's body a bit to understand just how much nutrients it's taken in and how much more it needs. The energy bar was just to stave off the feeling of your stomach hurting while you came down as it evaluated how much more you needed. That being said, given your magic will help you process food way faster in general as a Nephilim but particularly right after a switch, when combined with the fact it actually takes a little bit to catch up to how much more you need, it's actually better to eat food instead of the bars."

Hermione nods as she starts to dig in, though despite how hungry she must be, she's still trying hard to hold onto her table manners. She laughs at her friend, "Hermione, no one here is going to bat an eye if you let your table manners slip just this once. We're all either personally aware of how much energy a Nephilim body demands in general, especially after something physically intense combined with not eating for a while, or are a switch ourselves. Just forget about the manners for a minute and eat."

Her mom hums, "Please. I know manners generally dictate you don't basically inhale food, but your stomach will start hurting soon if you eat so slowly just to hold onto your manners."

Hermione flicks a surprised look up at them, but then she nods and starts devouring her food. It may be a bit unlady-like, but she wasn't kidding about no one caring about the lapse in manners. And as her mom pointed out, if anything, they'd all actually prefer if she discarded the manners for a bit, for her own sake and preventing the stomach pain if nothing else.

With Hermione tearing into her food, Kazuto plants his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm, "I'm actually a little jealous. Given that Mike isn't the baby girl of the family, no one ever gave Hermione problems. Not that I wish they had, but it's a little unfair I got so much shit unlike her."

Her mom laughs, "That's fair. Dante and Vergil never gave Hermione the same attitude they did you, even in spite of all of the rest of us disapproving of it. I suppose I'm just glad they're getting over it, though I can understand being a little jealous."

Hermione gives him a bit of a sheepish but understanding smile as best she can without showing the food she's been shoveling into her mouth, which he returns much easier.

Her brother tilts his head towards them as he rubs the back of his neck, "Um. I'm technically older than seventeen now, so I can use my wand all I want, but I don't want to potentially tip off Dumbledore that we aren't there right at the moment, and I don't trust him not to be tracking us. Could someone conjure two mirrors so I can look at my Mark? Or maybe tell me? I was so busy getting Hermione here and then getting everything in order and worrying about her that I… haven't gotten around to looking at it yet."

She gets up, even as her mom sets about doing that. When he's got one held up in front of him, she takes the other and helps position it so he can see his Mark. It's actually rather pretty, a large cat of some sort, she isn't sure what breed other than its clearly not a house cat at all. From the way it's situated in the middle of a messy circle of books, with some even partly under it, she's fairly confident that it's a full circle of books it's plopped right in the center of with its lazy stretched out sprawl, though there's something about its relaxed posture and half open eyes that seem watchful and ready to spring up at a moments notice. Hermione's wand is tucked almost absently behind one of its ears.

Her brother smiles, "That… I'm not sure what kinda cat that is, but a cat in general, particularly a big cat, definitely fits Hermione. I mean, they can be playful when they're in the mood and around people they like, but they're rather vicious when they aren't. And cats, house cats or big cats, do not bow to unworthy authority."

Hermione blushes, then gestures to her own neck causing Marzanna to smile at her, "Did you wanna see yours?"

Hermione nods, so she accepts the second mirror from Mike and moves over to her. She pushes her hair out of the way and over her shoulder then holds the second mirror in front of her new sister in law with another smile, "Since I don't want to interrupt your eating, why don't I hold them both and can just adjust my hand so the one that's not holding your fork isn't entirely occupied? That way you can keep using the knife too without potentially having to start over on getting the mirror into a good position."

Hermione smiles over her shoulder gratefully. Tucking the knife between her last two fingers and palm and reaching up between using the knife to adjust where she's holding the mirror until she seems to have a good view of the Mark. She studies it for a few moments before smiling happily at Mike. As she starts to make her way back to her seat, she pauses as she lays eyes on her brother's Mark again.

Worry flickers through her and she sighs, "You guys realize that even if she's more like mom than Kyrie, Uncle Vergil is going to be harder on Hermione in training to make sure she's prepared for threats like he was with Kyrie?"

Mike turns to her, "What?"

She sighs again, "That… Your soulmate Mark reminds me kinda of his. Not that they're particularly similar, just… Like his, as well as Nero's for Kyrie, it shows very clearly that Hermione isn't a fighter by nature. For the most part."

Mike looks up at her, "What?"

She shakes her head, "You… know what happened to Aunt Iina of course." He nods wearily, so she sighs for a third time, "You can't see it often given the way his hair usually lays, but Uncle Vergil's is a turtle laying on a bed of flowers. I… don't know how close she was to the culture, but he mentioned once that Aunt Iina's name is Native American, and that she used to like to study his Mark, and its relevant because while she thought the turtle was less because of her being a marine biologist than because of the totem meaning of sure and steady. It does also mean protection, but that's not much of a symbol of a fighter in general, at least if it has any such connections in Native American culture she never mentioned it to Uncle Vergil, and it's never given any of us much of an impression of a fighter when we did see it. And even the flowers… I don't know if they have different meanings to Native Americans and maybe Aunt Iina never mentioned them to Uncle Vergil, but…"

She sighs once more, "Carnations, which generally represent pride and beauty, specifically in red, which symbolize love, pride, and admiration, and pink, which symbolizes the love of a woman or a mother. Gerbera Daisy which symbolizes innocence, purity, cheerfulness, as well as loyal love and I will never tell. Gladiolus which symbolizes strength of character, faithfulness, and honor. Iris for eloquence, specifically purple for wisdom and compliments, blue for faith and hope, yellow for passion, and white for purity. And finally Orchid, which symbolizes exotic beauty, refinement, thoughtfulness, mature charm, as well as proud and glorious femininity. Those are the flowers the turtle is in a bed of. All of which… also doesn't generally speak of a fighter."

Her brother's eyes are sad, "It sounds beautiful, and it speaks of an equally beautiful person."

She nods, "Yeah. Yeah it does. But, when Uncle Vergil came back, having been dragged from the deaths of madness by Grandma and Grandpa…" She sighs yet again, "The Mark Symbolizing Grandpa is the Sparda covered in Glyphs and Runes, Grandma's is a modified Caduceus with a war hammer instead of a simple rod." At seeing her brother's confusion she adds, "Which I've been told actually makes sense, when you take into account that a hammer represents an honest hard working person, and a hammer made into a weapon represents an honest hard working person that has something to protect." He nods in understanding, so she continues, "Dad's is Ebony and Ivory crossed in an X in front of Rebellion, Nero's is Red Queen wrapped in vines of glowing blue roses, the light of which makes a halo in the same color as his Devil Bringer."

She shrugs, "Mine is Shuraba horizontally guarding my wand with bracketing Angelic and Demonic wings, much like yours on Hermione over there. And even Kazuto's is Elucidator and Dark Repulser criss-crossing with a simple Japanese Jaggedclaw kind of dragon circling it like an ouroboros. Mom's is just a wand with shadows swirling out from the tip laying on a book with runes flowing off of it, but in fairness to her, she was in a war. She knows how to handle herself, even if she needed some lessons on Demons specifically. But Kyrie… hers is just belladonna surrounded by musical notes. Belladonna can be deadly under the right circumstances of course, but with what happened on Fortuna and with Sanctus and Agnus and all that… When he saw hers and heard her history, of the way they took her as a hostage and she couldn't fight back… he was rather hard on her, between being reminded of his Mark for Aunt Iina and the fact she was just as little of a fighter as her. He was terrified of history repeating itself, we all knew it, and it's also a good chunk of why Kyrie never complained, well that and she never wanted to be helpless like that again. I'm just saying, he's definitely going to take one look at that and get… twitchy."

She looks over at where Hermione was chewing a bit slower and thoughtfully, "Just… don't take it personally please? He's just scared for you and terrified of something like what happened with Aunt Iina repeating itself."

Hermione looks up, giving her an understanding look and smile. She shakes her head and changes the subject a little, "Still. I know it reacted because it has an… interest in bonded soulmate Sparda babies to cut down on how much non-Nephilim blood is added in, but it's still wild that it just changed your soulmate right then and there. Though, given it handed over that ritual to Grandma to basically petition it to change its decision if you went down an unlikely future and aren't compatible anymore, which I assume is where people who reject their soulmates comes from since it's basically just it's way of saying that this specific person is your best match, I guess it's at least aware that it's not infallible."

Her mate shifts, "I've been thinking about that lately actually. The part about Magic wanting to cut down on non-Nephilim blood that is. You… do realize that unless it can snag other Demons willing to leave behind Hell and it's feud with Heaven, that there's a good chance that… well, that after enough generations have passed between Vergil and Dante's lines that they aren't super related to each other, we're going to start getting internal family soulmates so it can take advantage of the fact both Demonic and Angelic blood tends to rewrite genetics from any other source to be Demonic and Angelic in nature themselves. I'm not sure how many generations need to pass, but it will undoubtedly do it either to curb the climbing amount of other in the Nephilim blood or to make more pure Nephilim other than Dante and Vergil."

She shares a bit of a disturbed look with her mom, especially when Yui adds, "Umm. Considering Magic can help with any genetic issues from having children with someone else in the family, it could start occurring fairly soon down the family tree. It wouldn't even necessarily be sacrificing having multiple lines either on its part, given that the lifespans of Nephilim mean that unless something happens like with Great Uncle Vergil and Great Aunt Iina, both lines will continue to produce children even higher up the branches of the family tree and therefore continue to make more lines."

She shifts a bit uncomfortably, "Given that, depending on how quickly it wants to push it and how much it's willing to help with any possible genetic problems, it could very well already plan on pairing me with Nero and Kyrie's first child. And if not it wouldn't surprise me if it went for mine and a future child of their child. Especially when you take into consideration that the chances of a birth defect in a child even from something as simple as cousins is only three to six percent(1). Now, the fact that Uncle Nero and Mama are cousins from identical twin brothers essentially makes them half siblings from a genetic perspective, so future children Uncle Nero and Aunt Kyrie have would be my cousins genetically. And as I said the risk of birth defects if Magic paired me with a child of theirs would be pretty low, so it's not entirely that wild of an idea that Magic may start that sooner than you're expecting. It would need to take things back out of the family with any potential children from a pairing between any of Mama's kids and Uncle Nero's of course, but given how both Angelic and Demonic blood tends to rewrite any genetics that isn't one of the two to essentially be one or the other as though the parent that contributed them was themselves either one of them or a Nephilim, it should result in eliminating anything else and making the resulting child pure Nephilim like Grandpa and Great Uncle. So Magic would probably be ok with having to take said child's pairing outside of the family since it would be preventing any non-Nephilim blood from building up in the genetics."

Her uneasy look shifts from her mom to Kyrie, both more than a little disturbed at the notion that their own kids could end up matched to each other or maybe even their future grandchildren. She chews on her lip, "Do- Do you think we could curb it until it manages to snag another Demon like Grandpa if he had more kids with Grandma? They'd be pure Nephilim with nothing else added as much as Dad and Uncle Vergil. And Mom unintentionally proved that fertility potions can help even a Nephilim that comes from both an Angelic species that has issues reproducing as well as a Demonic species with the same issues, so if they used one they could probably make another child fairly easily."

Her mom's breath shudders out, "Maybe. It's something to bring up with Eva… as well as maybe having her do a reading on Yui to see if it's too late to nip it in the bud or not."

She nods, then straightens, "Magic is being super cooperative with us since it wants this, right? Do you think maybe we could craft a ritual to push the rewrite of non-Nephilim genetics to be either Demonic or Angelic further? Like, maybe get rid of the little human blood me, Mike, and Nero have? Then we'd be pure Nephilim too."

Her mom shrugs, "Maybe? If we can work out a ritual, we might also want to do it on any soulmates after they shift and any children produced from any pregnancies that occur before any soulmate shifters can undergo the ritual. It can't get upset if all of the Nephilim from the Sparda family are purely Nephilim rather than slowly building up non-Nephilim blood."

She blinks rapidly at her mom, then tilts her head, "Now there's a thought. That could certainly keep it from getting its proverbial knickers in a twist about us essentially slowly breeding the Nephilim out of the family line since there aren't other Nephilim around for us to have children with."

Her mom nods thoughtfully, and her mind is already going through trying to craft the ritual when Kyrie, clearly wanting to shift the topic a bit, speaks up, "So, do you guys know if Trish made a decision yet?"

She shakes her head, "No, last I heard she was still thinking, not about whether she was ok with it in general since she is, but if she's comfortable being the surrogate herself or not."

Kyrie nods, "That's understandable. It's not for everyone, and Trish's usual lifestyle isn't really… all that suitable for a pregnancy. She's a Demon Hunter first and foremost, and that would put any potential pregnancy at risk in the early days before she had to take time off for it."

Hermione, having finished her food, hums before joining the conversation, "That's a good point actually. Honestly, looking at it from that perspective she'll probably-"

She's cut off by a loud 'POP' as a House Elf appears in the kitchen, wringing its hands nervously. Her brother leans forward, blinking rapidly in surprise, "Dobby?"

Hermione glances over at him with a frown, "You know him?" Her expression darkens, "Do you know who his so-called master is?"

He looks over at her with a frown, "First of all Hermione, House Elves have to have a bond to survive. The deal is usually the bond, housing, and food in return for basically live-in housekeeping slash cooking." Seeing her frown deepen, he adds, "Elves like the Hogwarts elves survive because they're bonded to Hogwarts itself rather than a specific family." Her eyes go wide, but before she can say anything, he continues, "Second, technically I'm Dobby's master, have been since I tricked Lucius Malfoy into releasing him back at the end of second year." He shrugs faintly, "Though I told him to go enjoy being free from them for a few years, then come back if he wanted to serve me. Otherwise, I have more than enough magic to support a bond with a single elf and hardly even notice -which was relevant since he bonded to me rather than the Potter family magics-, so if he wanted to remain untied down after the shit the Malfoys put him through, I made it clear he was welcome to."

Hermione leans back, "Oh. I… didn't know all that." Then she turns back to the House Elf, Dobby as Mike had called him, "And you came back? I know Mike isn't the sort of person who would mistreat you, but are you sure?"

Dobby twists his fingers nervously some more, "Yes Missy Grangy. Dobby followed Master Mike's advice and enjoyed being free from Dobby's bad former Masters for a bit. He already be thinking of returning, and … then Dobby saw He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned, Dobby be thinking he should return now too instead of in a few years, to help Master Mike Sparda as best he could. Dobby hasn't shown up before, because Dobby also knew Master Mike Sparda would want Dobby to stay away and safe, so Dobby be thinking about it. Dobby decided he'd never be able to live with himself if he didn't try to help the great Master Mike Sparda defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named once and for all though, so Dobby decided to return and hope Master Mike Sparda would understand. Dobby be thinking that it may be better to come back already knowing what be going on though, so Dobby took some time to look into things so he could know what Master Mike Sparda may need help with. And when he was…"

His twisting starts getting more intense before he suddenly starts to reach for his ears. Right as he touches them though, and as her brother is starting to shift towards him with a concerned expression, Dobby's hands shoot down to his sides as he mutters to himself, "No, no. Dobby not be being with bad, nasty old Masters. Dobby not be needing to hurt himself, and it be being an insult to the great Master Mike Sparda sir to do it after he be going out of his way to sneaky save Dobby from former Masters too."

Mike reaches forward, gently grabbing his shoulders, "I don't know about an insult to me, but I certainly don't want you to hurt yourself, no."

Hermione leans forward, expression equally concerned as Mike's was a moment ago now, "Like Mike said. No one who's a good person would want that." Dobby smiles a bit hesitantly at her, and she returns it before continuing, "But what's got you so nervous Dobby? Or were you just worried about how Mike would take it?"

Dobby shakes his head quickly, his ears flopping about at the motion, "No, no! Dobby be knowing that Master Mike Sparda wouldn't be hurting him like old Masters even if he be disagreeing, and Dobby be thinking he be understanding that it be Dobby's choice and Dobby wouldn't be living with himself right after if he not be helping. It's… As Dobby be saying. Dobby be looking into things before he came back, and Dobby be noticing that thingy Master Mike Sparda's grandma be going around with to find that same nasty magic in that Diary old Master had and be sneaking into Hoggywarts to let big nasty snake free. She be looking into one that be giving her problems and… well, Dobby be noticing it be giving her problems because a House Elf be trying to hide it."

Her brother's eyes blow wide and his jaw drops. He's not the only one, though his reaction is possibly the most pronounced. He leans forward, expression turning rather intensely focused, "You're sure Dobby?"

Dobby nods quickly, "Yes, Master Mike Sparda! Dobby be noticing that when the string of magic attached to Master Mike Sparda's grandma's looking magic go out, it be being shoved away by House Elf magic! So Dobby be trying to pop over to where House Elf magic be coming from to explain to House Elf that they need to stop because it's nasty magic doesn't just feel nasty. He couldn't find it though! He be finding himself on a street called Grimmauld Place, in front of number eleven and thirteen, but there be sneaky magic in the air that be keeping him from getting closer. It be strange too! It be leading right between eleven and thirteen, even though there not be being anything there!"

Her brother straightens in surprise, "Wait, it was leading you to ■■■■■■ Grimmauld Place?"

Hermione leans forward, "Mike, it's under Fidelius. They wouldn't have heard it."

He waves a hand sharply at her, not angrily but quickly dismissive, "Yeah, yeah. Between eleven and thirteen, right?" Dobby nods hesitantly, and he grins widely, "Thank you, Dobby. That's exactly what I needed!"

She leans forward, "Mike?"

He turns to her with a wide grin, "It's Uncle Sirius' house! It's where the Order of the Phoenix is based!"

She blinks rapidly, then barks out a laugh, "You're telling me they're literally sitting on one of the pieces to making their mortal enemy, well, mortal and they don't even realize it?"

He shrugs, "Guess not. But more importantly, there's only one House Elf there, and he's bound to the Black family, which means we can just get in touch with Sirius. Kreacher, that's the House Elf's name, is a rude batty old thing that hates Sirius, but as the Head of the Black Family, he has full authority to order Kreacher to hand it over."

She flicks a look at her mom, who shoots up from the table, calling through the house for Grandma as she goes, likely to get in touch with Sirius, then looks back at her brother, "Maybe he'll be able to explain why he's protecting that of all things too."

Her brother waves a hand, "Considering he's always muttering about Sirius bringing 'filthy mudbloods' into the house and the fact the rest of the Blacks are or were V-Mort supporters? It was probably entrusted to one of them like the Diary was to Malfoy and the Goblet to LeStrange, and now that they're gone and Sirius has been cleaning out the black magic artifacts, even if you've made him understand there's a difference between those and dark magic and he's leaving the latter alone beyond having Kreacher put them in the attic to keep the Order from bitching at him, Kreacher has probably taken its protection onto himself."

She frowns, but doesn't get a chance to reply before they all hear the floo flaring up in the living room. They pretty much all head out to find out what it was, hearing a second flare before they arrive to find Sirius and Remus in the living room. Her mom was standing nearby a bit impatiently with Grandma. Hedwig, more serious than her usual disgruntled reaction to running errands for her family, since while she's always willing to help she doesn't really enjoy being messenger for anyone but her, she is incredibly smart so she probably picked up on her mom's urgency in her tone of voice if nothing else.

Uncle Sirius looks to her mom, "What's up Lily? Your note just said it was important. And I sincerely hope it is since we had to tell the Order we had an emergency mid-meeting."

Her mom gives him a deadpan look, "A House Elf bonded to Mike just told us another House Elf was blocking Eva's Horcrux detector, which is why she's been having issues with the one she's focused on." Both her Uncles look more than a bit alarmed, and maybe a touch disturbed, by the news, but she continues without even giving them a chance to ask, "He tried to track it down and was led to Grimmauld Place, and reported the signal was coming from between eleven and thirteen, under sneaky magic. Mike said it was your place that the Order is using."

Uncle Sirius, and Uncle Remus for that matter, both look floored, but Uncle Sirius' expression quickly twists with rage, "Kreacher!"

With a 'POP' an old hunched over House Elf appears, muttering all the while, "Bad Master be leaving his little blood traitor mudblood meeting saying he be having emergency, but he just be with blood traitor's runaway mudblood wife? And he be calling Kreacher? Not be being honest even to his other blood traitor friends."

Uncle Sirius scowls down at Kreacher, "Kreacher, another House Elf has informed me that you have an item we've been looking for. That you've been hiding it from our attempts to find it."

Kreacher looks up with wide eyes, but before the back and forth between the two can go any further, her grandma steps forward, holding out the detector to show him, "The item this detector is looking for. It's magical signature should match the item at the core."

Uncle Sirius nods, "If you don't have it on you, you will go and retrieve it when I send you off, and you will come straight back with it, and you will be silent while you collect it, as I will not have you potentially tipping off Dumbledore with your muttering, this is an order. Do I make myself clear?"

Kreacher gains a mutinous expression, "The bad Master be perfectly clear."

Uncle Sirius studies him intently, then nods again, "Then go and carry out the order."

Kreacher snaps his fingers and disappears with another pop, but he's back in seconds, a locket in his hand. Grandma steps forward looking at the detector before glancing back at Uncle Sirius, who scowls a bit, "Kreacher, I hereby order you to stop hiding it from the detector with your magic."

Kreacher's expression turns even more sour, but with another snap of his fingers, the detector's attached compass needle suddenly stops wavering and locks onto the locket, the crystal face under the needle glowing and swirling with things that only really make sense to grandma, who nods firmly, "That's one of his Horcruxes alright."

Uncle Sirius gives Kreacher a look, "Where did you even get that thing? Was it entrusted to dear old Mother and you've been guarding it since your death?" Kreacher's lips thin, not having been ordered to answer, and Uncle Sirius continues, "Or was it entrusted to Regulus?"

Kreacher seems to utterly lose it at that, "It not be being entrusted to Master Regulus! Master Regulus be dying to get it!"

Uncle Sirius rears back as though he's been slapped, and honestly she can't blame him. At all. Uncle Sirius asks in disbelief, "Died to get it? What the hell do you mean Regulus died to get it? Tell me! That's an order!"

Kreacher is practically howling at this point, tears streaming down his face, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named be asking for a House Elf! So Master Regulus be offering Kreacher to help him! He be ordering Kreacher to come straight back to him when Kreacher be done! He be taking Kreacher to a cave! It be having a lake! And- And He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named be making Kreacher drink a potion on a small island in the middle of the lake! The potion be giving Kreacher terrifying visions, and be making his stomach hurt like it be being on fire, and make him thirsty. He be placing the locket in the basin of potion then be leaving! The terrifying potion be refilling, Kreacher saw, but Kreacher not caring because Kreacher being so thirsty! But he not be being able to make water! It be disappearing as fast as he be making it! Kreacher be trying to get water from the lake! He drank, but hands, dead hands, be coming up out of the water and dragging Kreacher under! But- But Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to return! So Kreacher be doing so! But- But after Master Regulus be done nursing Kreacher back to health, he be making Kreacher take him there! And-" Sobs join his howling, "And he be drinking the potion! And when he be done, he ordered Kreacher to take the locket and be replacing it with a fake Master Regulus be having! And he be ordering Kreacher to take it home and destroy it, and never be telling what happened, and the last thing Kreacher be seeing is the dead dragging Master Regulus into the lake! And Kreacher tried! Kreacher tried everything he be thinking of to destroy it! But Kreacher not being able to! Kreacher be failing Master Regulus!"

A stunned silence washes over the rest of them as Kreacher descends into howling wails. Uncle Sirius stumbles, and Grandma quickly catches him and guides him over to a couch. He flops down in numb shock, sitting in silence for a few moments before his face suddenly loses the numb shock and morphs into pain, as he leans forward to bury his face in his hands, elbows braced on his knees, "Oh, Regulus. You idiot. Why didn't you ask for help?"

Her mom sits by his side gingerly, "Would he have even had any indication he could've? You two didn't exactly have a good relationship in Hogwarts, and given your parents kicked you out before we even graduated, that was the last time you saw him."

He lets out a shuddering breath, "He was my little brother." She sucks in a sharp breath at the information, and she isn't the only one, but Uncle Sirius isn't done, "As much as we butted heads over all sorts of things, ranging in severity from pure blood power to whether chocolate frogs or sugar quills were better, I always made it clear he could come to me if he needed help. Do you have any idea how many times in school I snuck away from Potter to help my baby brother? I never stopped, I never fully cut ties with him. Fuck, on graduation I snuck away from all of you guys to hug him and let him know my house was always open to him if he ever finally got the courage to walk away from our parents and the Death Eaters and all that nonsense we'd practically had shoved down our throats since we were born."

Uncle Remus sits on his other side and immediately starts rubbing at his back in comfort, "Courage? But you just said you used to argue about-"

Uncle Sirius huffs, "About pure blood power. He didn't believe in supremacy anymore than I did, though pressure from both our parents and peers often had him pretending to agree just to keep their attention off him. We were arguing about whether they had a 'rightful' place in the government under the notion that their long term experience with the magical world made them wiser and better qualified. Unlike me, he was always too scared of our parents to deny their pure blood supremacy beliefs, and his peers in Slytherin after he got sorted there only made things worse. Honestly, most of the time I was sneaking away to help him, it was to get him away from them for a while without arousing suspicion. He should've damn well known I would've helped him! Even if Lily was already pregnant by then! I still-!"

Her mom places her hands on his leg near his knee in comfort, "Maybe… Maybe he thought since it'd been so long since you saw each other, that you would've turned him away? Or… Or he didn't want to risk you dying to save him…"

Uncle Sirius huffs out a broken laugh, "Merlin, I hope it was the former. At least then he'd just be an idiot. If it was the latter, if that idiot died trying to protect me-!"

Uncle Sirius breaks down completely by that point, taking over Kreacher's sobs, which have trailed off into sniffles as he rocks back and forth. She leans into her mate, drawing comfort from his presence after learning something so heart wrenching. He wraps an arm around her waist, but from the way his hand is shaking against her side, some absent part of her brain distantly thinks she isn't the only one drawing comfort from the embrace.

Her grandma takes a shuddering breath, eyes teary, then looks at Kreacher, "We've been looking for the set of objects both the detector and that locket belong to explicitly to destroy them. I know you didn't know any better about blocking the detector, but if you hand it over, I'll destroy it right now, and Regulus' sacrifice won't be in vain."

Kreacher looks up at her with wide watery eyes, then slowly holds the locket out. Her grandma tucks the detector away and accepts the locket, pressing it between her palms. Immediately Angelic power flares and a golden glow emanates from between her hands as she starts using her power to purge the black magic within it. Black smoke swirls out for a few moments before a shit ton of smoke explodes out, briefly forming into a head that shrieks, whether in anger or pain, she couldn't say, but it dissipates harmlessly into the air within seconds.

Her grandma opens her hands to look at the locket, blinking rapidly at it for a moment before shaking her head, "That psycho really was trying to go for a full set."

Kreacher, voice calmer and significantly more respectful towards her grandma, if a bit stunned, presumably at his long task finally reaching its conclusion, pipes up, "The whole set Miss?"

She glances over at him, "This locket has the Crest of Slytherin House on it. Given that V-Mort made other items with Hufflepuff's Cup and Ravenclaw's Diadem, the only thing missing at this point is an item from Gryffindor."

Kreacher's face, surprisingly given the way he'd been muttering about blood traitors and mudbloods earlier, twists in disgust as he eyes the locket, "Slytherin house be pushing Master Regulus into joining the nasty He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They be directly leading him to his death." He looks back up at her grandma, "Be doing with it whatever you want Miss, but please not be having it go back to House Black home. It be being an object related to the people who be leading to Master Regulus' death, and the thing that killed Master Regulus. It be being a disgrace to have it there."

She glances over at Uncle Sirius, who while he was still crying, had been comforted enough by her mom and Uncle Remus that he wasn't sobbing and burying his face in his hands, looking around with an expression between pained and numb. He blinks a bit slowly at her, before shaking his head, "I don't care how much that thing is worth or its historical significance. I don't want anything to do with it if that's what you're asking."

Her grandma nods in understanding, then flicks a look at mom and Uncle Remus, "Why don't you two take him up to one of the guest rooms? I don't think it'd be wise to have him return in his current mood, and given I'm sure he wants at least some privacy even if he's fine with you two, it may not be the best idea to have him in the living room, given it's a pretty active hub of activity for the family."

Her mom nods, and she and Uncle Remus coax him up and help his stumbling steps out. She turns to her grandma, "Was that the last?"

She eyes the detector, then shakes her head, "No. There's still at least one more. I'm going to head out to try and hone in on it."

She nods, and her grandma heads out, but goes down the stairs, undoubtedly making for the basement doors. Mike, Hermione, and Kyrie drift out but turn back towards the kitchen, but when Kazuto starts to turn to go, he's drawn to a halt by her unmoving form, which Yui notices, "Mama?"

She shakes her head slowly, dropping her gaze down to the Resurrection Stone ring. Flicking her wand out, she absently casts a silencing spell, then tucks her wand back and twists the ring around her finger three times as she thinks of Regulus. Her mate's head pulls back a bit as Regulus' ghost appears in front of them, "...I guess that answers if Mike and I can see them via our bond with you."

Regulus blinks rapidly at them, looking a lot like Sirius but around her age, then turns his gaze to her, "You're… the holder of the Resurrection Stone."

She nods, "Yes. We've never met before Regulus. I was born after you died. I just wanted to let you know that the locket was destroyed today. Kreacher had been trying for years, but he couldn't do it, but he did hold onto it, and my family dealt with it today. I just thought you had a right to know that the task you died for had been completed."

Regulus' eyes widen, "He's still around? He's been running rampant, for, what, seventeen years based on your age?"

She shakes her head, "No. About a year and a half after mine and my brother's birth, he was killed, resulting in his becoming an incorporeal wraith for thirteen years as none of his followers realized he wasn't dead. He only recently came back about three years ago."

He relaxes a bit, but he still looks troubled, "That's good at least. Four years in total is better than running unchecked for seventeen. Especially if he's mortal now that his Horcrux is destroyed."

She winces slightly, "Almost."

His brow furrows, "Almost?"

She sighs, "The psycho made more than one Horcrux. The locket is the fourth we've destroyed, since we already got the Diary left to Malfoy, the Goblet left to LeStrange, and the Diadem hidden in Hogwarts. There's a fifth in a device my grandma made to track down the rest, and she's registering at least one more with it."

Regulus' eyes blow wide, "Multiple?! Making one is bad enough, but to go so far as to make-"

He chokes on his own words staring in horror. She nods tiredly, "Mm. Like I said, he's psycho." She shakes her head, "I just thought you had a right to know." She hesitates momentarily, "And… Your brother Sirius is sort of a pseudo Uncle to me. He was here for it, if only because Kreacher is so stubborn that a direct order from him was the only way to get him to hand it over for destruction. Kreacher broke down and told us the summarized version of how you died. Sirius heard it all, and he's… rather torn up about it and the fact you didn't go to him for help even though he told you at his graduation that you always could. I wanted to know why you didn't."

He looks away sadly as he sighs, "I never meant to hurt him… And I didn't go to him because after everything I'd done while being forced to serve that psycho, I thought that maybe I wouldn't be welcome anymore, nor could I bear to face him even if I was."

She nods, a little relieved, "My mom suggested it may be that, or that maybe you didn't want to risk him dying. He said he'd prefer the first actually, since the thought you'd just been an idiot, his words not mine, was preferable since he couldn't bear the thought you'd died trying to protect him."

Regulus cracks a weak smile, "Oh certainly not. Sirius was tougher than dragon hide, especially after his Auror training. Honestly, one of the last thoughts I had was that if I had taken him with me, since I would've insisted on being the one to drink the potion, he likely would've been able to keep the Inferi away."

She nods, "Why didn't you just have Kreacher take you with him?"

He shakes his head, "I didn't want to risk tipping off that psycho before the Horcrux was destroyed about what I'd done, and Kreacher wouldn't have been able to nurse me back to health on his own in secret, if what I had to do for him was any indication."

She looks down at her feet thoughtfully, then nods reluctantly, "That's… kinda fair, even if I don't really agree." Then she shakes her head as she lifts her gaze back to him, "Do you have anything only the two of you knew I could tell him to prove I spoke to you? My family knows in general that I have the Resurrection Stone, but given his emotional state, he may struggle to accept it otherwise."

Regulus pauses briefly, "Remind him of that hidden contraband compartment we found in his closet as kids, and that it was large enough that I could fit in it all the way up until I was twelve. He used to hide me inside it when our parents decided they wanted to try to beat us to ensure we were becoming proper pureblood boys, even if them not being able to find me always made his beating worse. And… please tell him this for me." He smiles somewhat pained, "Siri, please don't blame yourself. Your little brother was just being the idiot you always accused him of being when he bit off more than he could chew and knew it. That… and I knew if Vol- that psycho did find out what I'd done early, not only would it have jeopardized the chances of destroying the Horcrux, but… if he'd gotten his hands on me, he would've made my death drawn out and torturous. And I was too much of a coward to face that. Given the magic over the cave that reanimated anyone who died there as more Inferi, I knew they wouldn't tear me apart, just drag me into the water to drown, and I preferred the significantly quicker and less painful death that offered, even if it meant the cost of it was my body becoming an Inferi."

She nods slowly, "I will. Do you happen to know anything else that may be helpful?"

He pauses, his expression turning thoughtful, before shaking his head, "Sorry, but no. I knew vaguely about the Goblet since Bellatrix gleefully bragged about being entrusted to her. I'm not surprised it was one, and would've suggested it myself if you hadn't mentioned already destroying it earlier. Everything else I know was about upcoming attacks and other such information that would be outdated by now."

She nods again, "Ok. Thank you anyway. I'll make sure your message reaches Sirius."

He nods, "Thank you. And thank you for letting me know about the locket's destruction. It's nice to-" He suddenly pauses and straightens sharply, "That's the fifth you've come across so far you said?"

She tilts her head at him, a bit confused at his sudden outburst, but hums in agreement, "Yeah? Is it relevant?"

He shrugs, "I suppose if you're using one to find the others you would've realized it soon, but that psycho put a lot of weight on magical numbers. If he skipped three, he would've gone for seven. Whether his intention is to make seven Horcruxes or have there be seven parts of his soul, including his non-Horcrux self, I couldn't say. But I'm confident you're only one or two away. It just occurred to me, and again I suppose it's not incredibly helpful since you would've figured it out soon yourselves with your detection device, but…"

She smiles at him, "It's still nice to know we're close. Thank you."

He smiles back, "You're welcome. Anyway, it's nice to know my death's part in it was worth it, even if it was only securing one of many. I wish you luck."

She nods, "Thank you. Rest in peace Regulus."

With that, she lets her hold on his ghost through the Stone go, and he disappears immediately. She looks thoughtful, then shakes her head and scoops up the pensieve her mom had forgotten in the living room days before when Mike showed up with Hermione and still hadn't gotten around to putting away before turning to her mate and child with a small smile, "Go ahead and go back to the kitchen without me. I'm going to head up to Uncle Sirius and let him know."

Her mate nods, scooping up Yui as he head out, not because she's protesting separating from her or anything, just because she looks a bit shaken, though given she wouldn't have been able hear more than her side of the conversation, since she could probably make educated guesses from it, it was likely to be more related to the reveal of what happened to Regulus, especially since while she may not know him really well, she does know Sirius from him and Remus' occasional visits.

She sighs, hoping that Yui will be ok, or at least that Kazuto and the rest can help her, before heading up the stairs. She finds the room the three of them had retreated to fairly easily. When she enters, her mom turns to her with pinched brows, "Is there something urgent?"

She hums, "Not exactly." She turns her gaze to where Uncle Sirius was slumped against the pillows, "There was a hidden contraband compartment in your closet. You used to hide Regulus there whenever your parents got violent, even if it meant you got it worse."

Uncle Sirius' spine goes rigid, "How do you-?!" Then he sucks in a breath, as his eyes go wide, "The Resurrection Stone."

She nods, setting the pensieve down and tugging out the memory of Regulus' entire visit before dumping it inside and tapping the projection Rune.

As the memory plays out, Sirius watches it hungrily, having not seen his brother in eighteen years if he died the year before her and Mike's birth. He's crying again by the end, but he also looks more… settled. Probably at having the questions of why he didn't go to him or with Kreacher answered.

She tilts her head at her Uncle, "I don't know what I would've done if he really had done it the way he did to protect you, since I wouldn't have wanted to hurt you, but I figured you had the right to know."

He nods slowly, and his voice is a bit hoarse, "Thank you pup."

She nods, "Your welcome Uncle Sirius. And…" She glances down at the pensieve, "You can keep the copy of the memory. It's not exactly a happy memory of course, but it does have his last words to you, so…"

He smiles weakly, "Thank you. I appreciate it."

She nods, then ducks out of the room to head back down to the kitchen, though she doesn't get that far since she finds they've migrated back to the living room and Nero, Grandpa, and Dad have joined them, probably having trickled down there to find out what the sobbing had been about but not wanting people who may or may not be strangers to the person crying showing up. From their expressions, she's fairly confident that they've not only been filled in on the revelation from Kreacher, but also that Kazuto had filled them in on her conversation with Regulus.

She moves into the quiet grim room and quickly settles into her mate's side on the couch.

The heavy silence hovers undisturbed for a while, her mom coming down after a while and making her way over to Dad to settle in beside him. Seeing the looks everyone is giving her, she shakes her head, "Sirius wanted to be alone with Remus for now."

There are murmurs of understanding and the silence returns for a while longer before her grandma wanders in. She's looking down in confusion at the Horcrux detector. Her grandpa looks over at her in concern, "Everything alright sweetheart?"

She shakes her head, "I'm… not entirely certain? After we got the locket from Sirius, the only other real result I was getting led me to what looked to be Voldemort's base. I got in touch with him, and Severus agreed to take it inside since we obviously can't take him out without knowing we've gotten all of his Horcruxes, so I had Vergil put that same spell to block even soul connections on it that he put on Marzanna, just in case V-Mort can sense his Horcruxes when they get near and he took it with him. Turns out, his familiar Nagini is one. The Horcrux detector of course picked up V-Mort himself since he obviously has a fragment of his soul too. Anyway, we didn't wanna risk Severus going for Nagini just yet though, but just to see if there are any more after he reported, I told it to ignore Nagini and V-Mort himself for now. And I'm… kinda getting a reading for another? It keeps flickering weakly. Even stranger, it led right back here?"

Her grandpa straightens with alarm, "Here?! What?!"

She nods distractedly, then starts slowly going around the room. Eventually, Grandma stops in front of the longer couch where Mike was sitting on her other side from Kazuto, Yui in her mate's lap, and Hermione on Mike's other side. She turns slowly towards Mike before looking up. When her eyes land on him she promptly blanches, giving a ghost a run for its money, "Mike?!" Her gaze drops back to the detector, "What… In him?"

Mike also turns white, he isn't the only one, and clenches at the seat of the couch, "Me? I'm… a Horcrux? How?"

Grandma shakes her head, equally as alarmed and baffled, "I- I don't know…"

His grip on the couch tightens, "...So I have to die to kill him?"

Immediately her family cries out protests, and her grandma shakes her head firmly, "No. We'll find some other way. I will not allow anyone to sacrifice my grandson to clean up the mess that was created before he was even conceived."

Around her, the family immediately starts throwing around ideas. She's never really used it on her family before, barring the first time she met her uncle and grandparents, not because it does anything to them but because she's never had a need, but she turns on her ocular ability and turns her gaze back to her brother. She immediately spots it, clinging like tar to his scar, though it's… broken up, like it was one pool but it's been separated by something into hundreds of smaller puddles, and, well, it's not exactly an accurate description, but since it looks like tar which is a liquid, the best description she has for it is dried out. She looks over at the detector, or rather the ring inside it, just for comparison. She immediately draws back, as just looking at it makes her nauseous, but she can tell that it's very much soaked into the ring as a whole, and it's… bubbling, as best she can put it. It's all one pool, and it certainly isn't dried out in any way.

She looks back towards Mike, eying it's stillness and the way it's basically just clinging to the scar, little more than skin deep, though it is somewhat inside, then she tilts her head vaguely in the direction of the rest of the room, "I don't think it's properly anchored."

Despite the fact she hadn't raised her voice to be heard over the cacophony of sound, everything goes silent in an instant. Her grandma stares in confusion, "What-?" Then she cuts herself off and sucks in a sharp breath, "Your eyes are glowing. That means-." She immediately crouches down and places her empty hand on her knee, "What do you see sweetheart?"

Her brow furrows, "It's hard to describe, but I looked at the ring inside the detector just for comparison." She shudders, "I can't really describe that part, since just looking at it… it makes me nauseous. But, beyond that the best way I can describe it… it's kinda like tar? The one in the ring is whole, or as whole as a sliced off fragment of soul can be, and bubbling and frothing, and seeped into the entirety of the ring. But the one on Mike's scar… Like I said, it's difficult to describe, but as best I can, it's like the pool has been separated into hundreds of smaller puddles that are dried out? They're all still and they aren't much more than skin deep. Very worst case scenario, Mike gets a mild surgery with one of you present to draw out the treadles going deeper and gets a bit of skin removed from his forehead."

Her grandma hums and rocks back on her heel, "That's interesting… I don't know why it's so different, but that may explain why the reading I'm getting on it is so faint and keeps flickering, and didn't even register until there weren't any other Horcruxes left. Or why we never sensed it. I don't think we can do much about it until we know why it's different though. Depending on what it is, trying to remove it or destroy it without killing Mike may end up hurting him."

She finally pulls her gaze from staring at it as she tries to work it out, "Which brings us right back to how it was made. Because given that V-Mort intended to kill us, and has repeatedly attempted to kill him since, it makes zero sense for Mike to be a Horcrux, so as insane as the idea is, it has to be accidental. Maybe it has something to do with the night he tried to kill us? It's really the only time he's interacted with Mike barring his appearance in his first year and his resurrection, right? Neither of which should have resulted in an accidental Horcrux."

Her mom suddenly slaps her hands on her knees and pushes herself up, "An excellent point. The best way to get to the bottom of it would be to take a peek at the baby memories. Given they tend to be shoved off and buried, even for an Occlumans it's something of an advanced technique, so I don't think Mike can do it. That being said, I'm fairly certain I'm advanced enough in legilimency to get to them if you don't mind honey?"

Mike shakes his head, not as pale now, but wide eyed and confused. Her mom steps forward, and their eyes both get distant and glassy after they make eye contact. It isn't long before her mom snaps out of it, shaking her head.

She starts looking between her and Mike quickly, "What the hell?"

She shares a look with her brother. Equally confused as he is by her mom's sudden outburst.

They turn back to where she's started pacing, waiting for answers.

(1): For the record, this statistic is entirely from googling. So I do not know how accurate that is.