I had actually completed this chapter some time ago, but it remained unpublished in the Cauldron and Zelretch's Collection of Alternates for a number of reasons. The first was, well, sheer inertia. The second was burnout for this story, which I wasn't sure I was going to continue. The third was that I actually was working on an entry for a writing competition, and I felt stressing over a fanfic that may never get published was counterproductive while I was trying to think something up that might actually get me writing work. Finally, the discontent from some reviewers about me seemingly concentrating on mostly Potterverse/Nasuverse, while valid in some respects, was also disheartening.

But now, with a bit of distance, I was able to come back to this story with fresher eyes, and I realised, I could make it work. The ideas I had put into place were good ones, especially as this story would place greater emphasis on Shirou and Semiramis, giving them some much-needed humanisation that the anime didn't give them. I've now managed to finish five chapters of this story, and it may be published, albeit under another, more appropriate name. Instead of Yearning for Change, it's going to be called Destrudo, a psychological term meaning the urge to destroy. This is especially important, given that Altera will be a main character, and one who is key to some interesting plot changes I intend to make to Fate/Apocrypha's storyline. The name change won't be reflected here, though.

Now, this will probably be the last Potterverse crossover with Fate/Apocrypha that I will be writing and publishing, if only for the time being. While I still have plenty of Potterverse/Nasuverse story ideas, along with other crossovers for both settings, I'm more than a little burned out on Fate/Apocrypha. Go figure, the Fate iteration I was excited by most in terms of fanfic potential, and I end up glutting myself on it. But I still have potential ideas for stories where Harry has the likes of Nero, Ereshkigal, and Quetzlcoatl as Servants, and I've mentioned Tiamat as well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

YEARNING FOR CHANGE

CHAPTER 2:

WEARINESS AND WARINESS

He was so tired. So very fucking tired. He had been for a very long time. Perhaps all his life. He'd been tired of the Dursleys treating him like an indentured servant, at best. He was so tired of the expectations made of him, and the wariness they treated him when rumours started circulating. . The Tri-Wizard Tournament, where he was run ragged and treated as a cheater initially. The graveyard at Little Hangleton. The smear campaign by the Ministry. Being kept in the dark by his so-called friends. The toad woman. The so-called lessons in Occlumency. The Department of Mysteries. His godfather, about to fall through an archway with a veil. He went to intercept, was knocked through instead…

And then, when he woke, he found himself in Romania. Not just Romania, but Romania on another world entirely. Not that he knew this at first. He was questioned, calmly but firmly, by a young man with old eyes calling himself Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia.

But over time, he realised that, despite the seemingly genuine niceness of Caules and Fiore, the rest of Yggdmillennia were cold-hearted and amoral. And too soon, a few months after he arrived, the real Hell began, torture and experiments at the hands of a silver-haired bitch called Celenike.

Through her boasts, he learned about the Holy Grail War. He learned about Yggdmillennia's plans. He felt himself fading away piece by piece as Celenike's experiments continued…each day alternating between sharp pain and oblivion. Then, one day, he couldn't wake up from his dreams. And it was only a few weeks ago that he realised that his body was no longer his own, that Celenike's experiments had somehow and inadvertently transferred his soul to one of the Homunculi that was part of her experiments.

And now, here he was, having made a not-so-great escape. He was now in the presence of one of the Vatican's assassins, and a goddamned Servant, like that Lancer guy, the one who turned out to be Vlad Tepes. Only, this one was an Assassin. One that looked pretty obviously evil-looking, even if she seemed as genuinely pleasant as Shirou was.

Shirou had left for now, apparently intending to contact his superiors, leaving Harry in Assassin's presence. She was beautiful, but it was a cruel beauty, Harry could tell. But still…

"Why do you look like an elf?" Harry voiced out loud, before regretting it.

She raised a delicate eyebrow. "…You mean the popular image of them, with the pointed ears? It's a sign of divine parentage. Let's leave it at that. I don't like discussing my parentage."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Curiosity is a virtue, as long as it does not become a vice. You should count yourself lucky on many counts, Harry Potter. Firstly, you somehow survived soul transference, which would normally entail using some part of the Third True Magic, Heaven's Feel. Secondly, somehow, your body has an extended lifespan. Homunculi are generally engineered to only last for a few years, but you have the lifespan of a normal human now. And finally, I am sure escaping Yggdmillennia was no mean feat, especially as they have at least one Servant."

"Two," Harry said. "I remember some creep in a mask calling himself Caster coming along with that Roche kid to look at me and discuss whether I should be used as a reactor core to his Noble Phantasm. Something called Golem Keter Melkuth."

Assassin frowned in thought, before nodding. "I see. It seems that your naming his Noble Phantasm has allowed me to discern who he is, thanks to the information from the Grail. His true name is Avicebron, also known as Solomon ibn Gabirol. He was a kabbalist, poet and philosopher who lived in Spain in the 11th Century, and who was said to be a master golem-maker. You have my gratitude, Harry Potter."

He nodded himself. While he didn't trust her, if this helped them take down Yggdmillennia, then he was glad to help. Fiore and Caules, he would want them to spare, they didn't seem like bad people. But Darnic, Celenike, and Gordes had thought little of turning him into a lab rat to vivisect, and Roche seemed to be gleefully apathetic to human suffering. "…But what will happen to me?"

"That is up to my Master to decide, Harry," Assassin said. "You said earlier that you do not come from this world. There is a man at Clock Tower who might be able to help you return."

"Yeah, I know. Fiore brought him up. Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. I've been there for over a year now, I think. I looked at a calendar just as I was about to leave, to find out how long I've been there."

"A year being experimented on. So long." A look of sympathy crossed Assassin's features, and the hand she reached out to gently caress his cheek seemed genuinely soothing. "…I'm sorry. I know the lengths many Magi go to for their experiments, but this…I will be the first to admit I am a cruel person in many ways, but this is beyond the pale. And yet, you survived, with your sanity more or less intact. I'm impressed."

"…I don't know how," Harry admitted out loud. "I think at times, they put me into cold storage to wait for me to recover for weeks at a time. Well, in one of those tanks, anyway. Ugh, the liquid in that tasted like dragon piss, and I was breathing that too."

Assassin laughed a musical laugh. "A crude but apt description."

"Besides…what Celenike put me through has nothing on the Cruciatus." On Assassin's look, he explained, "A torture curse back home. Makes me feel like my bones have been set on fire. Anyway, the physical pain wasn't what hurt."

"…It's being stranded in another world, correct?"

Harry nodded. "…When I ended up here, I'd just been in a battle. I…I don't know whether any of my friends are still alive or…or…"

And then, it all came tumbling out of him. The emotions he had kept bottled up. By the time he regained himself, he was sobbing into the shoulder of Assassin, who was gently holding him to herself in a maternal manner.

He didn't realise Shirou had come back until he heard the priest gently clearing his throat. "Forgive the interruption, but I have finished speaking to my superiors in the Vatican, along with Rocco Belfeban, Head of Summoning at Clock Tower. As far as the Vatican is concerned, my orders have not changed. However, the survivor of the disciplinary squad has already reported by phone to Rocco. He has given me a friendly warning, to not advertise your status as a Homunculus with a human soul in it."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because they would probably slap what is known as a Sealing Designation on you," Shirou said. "That basically means that you are the result of research that, while abhorrent in nature, is potentially vital to the advancement of magecraft knowledge. Many Magi are amoral, obsessed with pursuing Akasha, no matter what the cost. And as the experiments performed on you emulate a facet of one of the most famous True Magics…still, Rocco has agreed to put in a word with Zelretch. Once matters in Romania are safer, we can send you to Britain to meet with Zelretch, and he may be able to send you home."

"You can't send me back now?" Harry asked in annoyance.

The young priest seemed unruffled. Harry realised just then how odd he seemed. While Japanese, he had dark tanned skin and a shock of white hair, his eyes a distinctive bronze colour. Despite seemingly in his late teens, Shirou had this vague air of age about him. He seemed to have this vaguely unnerving air of serenity about him. A bit like Dumbledore, he realised with some unease, given his antipathy towards his headmaster for keeping him in the dark, and letting Snape rape his mind in the name of Occlumency 'lessons'. "Yggdmillennia has dominion over all of Romania, even if their influence is relatively small outside of their citadel and Trifas. However, they have people in many positions of the government, and after the Enforcers' little expedition, security is sure to have been tightened."

"Don't you guys have Portkeys?"

"…Portkeys?" Shirou asked, confused.

"…You know, teleportation between countries?"

"I'm afraid not. Few Magi have such an ability. The same goes for your teleportation here. Magi generally travel the same way most normal people do, though I am given to believe that a few do use broomsticks for flight. However, I discussed a possibility with Rocco. Well, he was the one who brought it up. I am loath to ask this of you, as you have just escaped Yggdmillennia's headquarters, but he insisted that I ask on his behalf. Rocco wants me to ask you to summon a Servant of your own."

Harry stared at Shirou. "…What?"

"Allow me to explain. When the Enforcers came here to try and assassinate Darnic, they had a secondary mission, to activate an auxiliary function of the Greater Grail. Darnic was hoping to stack the odds in his favour by summoning as many Servants as his followers could, but the function allows for two sides to be formed of seven Servants apiece. That's fourteen Servants in total. I have already summoned Assassin, meaning that there are six Servants to be summoned on the Magus Association's side. Yggdmillennia have Lancer…"

"And Caster," Assassin said. "True name: Avicebron. Harry managed to overhear the name of his Noble Phantasm, and the Grail filled me in."

"Ah. Useful to know." Shirou returned his attention back to Harry. "A number of Magi have been either contacted or considered for positions on our side. However, as you have magical ability, Rocco asked me to ask you to join us. Of course, unless you desire revenge, I doubt that this is a fight you have any investment in, and given your ordeal, I wouldn't be surprised if you wished to stay out of this. If you do so, you are welcome to stay under my aegis, until the Grail War is concluded. While I cannot guarantee your full safety, I can protect you to the best of my abilities. If you do decide to summon a Servant, we will be allies and comrades against Yggdmillennia, but it will also be a considerably more risky venture. Servants are superhuman entities, after all, and what's more, an easy way to hobble a Servant is to kill the Master. In addition, I am sure Yggdmillennia would be eager to retrieve you, even if they don't know who you really are, and if you are an active participant in the Grail War, they will have more opportunities to discover your existence and reclaim you."

Harry digested this. Unlike Dumbledore, Shirou had, at least, been upfront with his information, even warning of the risks. He'd laid his cards on the table. But he also pointed out how dangerous it was to participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Can I think about it?" Harry asked.

"Of course. This is not a decision I make lightly. That being said, once Yggdmillennia are dealt with, the surviving Servants of our side will have to fight in order to determine a winner. While I will try to avoid targeting enemy Masters, other Magi will not be so merciful. So consider that before you decide one way or the other…"

They left their new guest to consider it, while Shirou and Semiramis convened in another room, the latter putting up a Bounded Field to deter any eavesdroppers, or at least their guest. "Did you mean what you said?" Semiramis asked.

"He has suffered much. I can see it in his eyes," Shirou said. "Our plan to suborn any other Masters of Red via your potions will not apply to him. We just keep it from him. We only suborn him if necessary."

"Hmm. He is suspicious of me, though I believe that is partly the way I look and partly because, given that he's been through so much fighting already, he is understandably paranoid," Semiramis mused. "Still…I actually do feel sorry for him. I am a cruel woman, I will freely admit that, but to subject him to months of experimentation…and he is rather young by this age's standard to get caught up in battle. He seems so weary."

"Indeed. But…I have a feeling that he may be one of our best allies. I just felt that I should reveal the risks to him before he made a decision. Also, we should keep our plan to deal with any possible Ruler secret."

Semiramis nodded. "Still…to have survived with his sanity intact…I think there's more to it than mere mental fortitude…"

It took ages for him to acknowledge the decision he had made, even if he made up his mind a few minutes after Shirou and Assassin had left. While he didn't want to get involved in a war like this, leaving the Greater Grail in the hands of Darnic and his cronies was a mistake. He did still believe that Fiore and Caules were decent people, just kept under Darnic's thumb, but the rest of Yggdmillennia?

No. Harry still had his saving people thing, even if he didn't have his original body. He wasn't going to let Darnic have something that powerful.

It was dawn when he finally got up, and walked out to find Shirou and Assassin having a meal. "So, you've come to a decision?" Shirou asked.

"Yeah. I'll summon a Servant."

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry has been made an offer by Shirou, one which he has accepted. But will he regret it?

No numbered annotations this time.