CHAPTER 2:

BARGHEST

"Okay, Dad, I'm sure there's a perfectly rational explanation for you having a swole lady with huge knockers in here, but I can't for the life of me think of why. I'd say this was Aunty Luna's idea of a blind date, except you'd probably send her in a taxi back home or something if she was plastered, and besides, you were with Bazzy on a mission. So, if she was someone you found on that mission, why isn't she at St Mungo's or some Muggle hospital, or even Clock Tower's infirmary?"

Harry sighed to himself. Delphini Hydra Potter, born Delphini Hydra Riddle-Lestrange, was a precocious prodigy from a young age. Even Percy Weasley managing to push through some laws under Shacklebolt's nose to prevent her from going to Hogwarts didn't stop her from being an intelligent and energetic girl, now entering her teens, to his dread. After a disastrous time attending a mundane high school, she was now being tutored in mundane and magical subjects by Waver Velvet, the unconventional Magus sometimes known as 'Little Lord El-Melloi', for his teeth-clenched assistance of his mentor, Kayneth Archibald, also known as Lord El-Melloi. At least Waver didn't care that he was tutoring the child of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange, even if other Magi, despite their apathy to Voldemort's rise, were considerably less sanguine.

They were currently in a guest room at Potter Manor, his guest tucked into a bed for now. The Fae woman was exhausted both physically and magically, he gathered, but other than that, she had no injuries. Bazette, bless her, had offered to do the paperwork as a favour, something she usually passed onto him. Of course, she was going to be sending Zelretch here, but unlike other Magi, Harry didn't dread the infamous Wizard Marshall.

"She can't go to any of those places because she's not human. They'd probably lock her up and vivisect her, especially Clock Tower," Harry said to the silver-haired girl. "She's a Fae from an alternate timeline, called Barghest."

"Barghest? As in the Fae dog?" Delphi asked with a frown. "Okay, not really seeing any dog-like features in her, but whatever. Though seriously, we have one of the Fair Folk in our house? I mean, not counting House-Elves, anyway. Even the sperm-donor wasn't willing to mess with them, at least until he was powerful enough."

"Yeah, well, Barghest here is pretty strong. Even while exhausted, she broke Ramsay Nyder's spine, and with ludicrous precision too. It's as clean as a spinal injury can be, though he won't be walking ever again. Not that I give a damn. We salvaged some records from his Workshop. He was using Codrington's notes to turn kidnapping victims into Black Dogs, and in a much cruder and more unstable way. Becoming a paraplegic's too good for him, we just needed him alive for interrogation. Damned Magi, especially those who are Sealing Designations or similar. Some of them are decent people, even if they delve too far into things humans weren't meant to know, but others…I mean, they keep thinking researching vampires isn't going to bite them in the arse."

"Or the neck," Delphi said. "At least Arc's okay, but she's a True Ancestor, not a Dead Apostle. Not sure I want to meet her sister, though. Still, are you sure, Dad?"

"I…somehow saw part of her memories, Delphi, when she fell on me. That tiara thing touched me, though she considers them to be her horns, A-Ray Antennae, according to her memories. Anyway, she's done some pretty nasty things, but…in the end, she only wanted to protect the people of her timeline. And her queen, who is some alternate version of Morgan le Fay, by the way, didn't let her. Okay, the Fae were pretty vicious and self-centred monsters, and Morgan probably oppressed them for a reason, but I doubt every last Fae deserved it. Barghest wanted to be a great knight, a chivalrous one. But she didn't get that chance."

"Merlin, Dad, you're a softy."

"Of course I am, it's why I adopted you," Harry said, ruffling his daughter's hair.

"Gerroff!" Delphi batted his hands away, before looking to Barghest, who was tossing and turning in her sleep. "Do you reckon she'll be awake soon?"

"Maybe…"

For a moment, she feared her resurrection was but a dream, and she was back in oblivion. But gradually, the darkness receded, and she heard voices, one male and familiar, the other female, and not. Her entire body ached, from fatigue she had not felt in a long time, but at least the pain told her she was alive, and, given what pain she was feeling, she would recover, in time.

She felt a sheet covering her body and her modesty. While proud of her body, she did not like showing too much to strangers, so she was grateful to whoever it was. Indeed, she felt very comfortable, and the smells were of the hearth and home.

So when she opened her eyes, and sat up gently, she was mindful of a number of things. Firstly, to keep the bedsheet covering her upper body, at least to a point. She didn't mind if it showed her shoulders, but her breasts were another matter. Secondly, to show she meant no harm unless it was offered to her, or if she turned out to be a prisoner.

She looked at those present, in some sort of bedroom, familiar and yet not. The man she recognised, with the messy mop of black hair and emerald eyes, as well as a faded scar, like a lightning bolt, adorning his forehead. He was there when she was summoned back into existence, amongst her kindred, imprisoned Black Dogs. The girl was in her early to mid-teens, with silvery hair with a blue fringe, and an impish demeanour that reminded her too much of Baobhan Sith or Oberon…no, Vortigern for her liking. Then again, that impishness didn't hold anywhere near the malice of Vortigern, let alone her former comrade in the Tam Lin Fairy Knights, so she would let it go for now.

"Good morning," the man said.

Barghest nodded in affirmation. "Good morning. May I ask who you are, and where am I?"

"I am Harry Potter, and this is my daughter, Delphini Potter," the man said, indicating the girl, who didn't look like a blood relation. "You're in my main residence, Potter Manor, on the outskirts of Oxford."

Oxford…what a coincidence, for her to be back at her birthplace, even if this was, if she guessed correctly, Proper Human History, not the Lostbelt she was born in. "Main residence? Are you a lord?"

"Officially? Yes, but honestly, I hate titles, and the Potters, while respected to some degree, are fairly low down Magical Britain's pecking order compared to some. And before you ask, I know who you are, Barghest. While I caught you when you were falling unconscious, my magic seemed to interact with your horns. I saw fragments of your life. I already know you were a knight working under that timeline's Morgan le Fay, and that you did some…pretty bad things." As Barghest's heart sank, he added, a little hurriedly, "But I felt what you felt during those times and others, so…I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, Barghest. As long as you don't do anything bad, you're welcome to stay here if you need to."

Barghest digested that. His tone suggested caution and wariness, but not hatred or disgust. The fact that he had seen her memories were bad enough. "…How much did you see?" she asked.

"Enough to know about your curse, and how it hurt you, and how you hated it," Harry said solemnly. "I'm sorry about what happened to Adonis, and to your previous lovers. I felt your pain, Barghest, enough to know that you deserve a second chance. Though I hope you won't be a danger to me and mine."

Barghest took a moment to consider his words. Eventually, she said, "Before I was summoned to this timeline, a voice spoke to me, claiming to be Cernunnos. Have you ever heard of this deity in Proper Human History?"

"It rings a bell. I think he's a horned Celtic deity," Harry said.

"Cernunnos claimed he removed my curse from me. While I cannot prove this, nor am I willing to accept its absence yet, if only to avoid disappointment, if true, the danger I pose to you and your daughter is considerably lessened. I am no longer the Bestial Calamity, that is my most fervent hope."

The words seemed too easy to say, she was sure, in their eyes. In truth, Barghest was using every ounce of stoicism she had in reserve, every bit of training she had in etiquette and diplomacy, to reassure them. It didn't help that Harry had already seen some of her life, including Adonis' death, given the way he spoke. At least his wariness was justifiable, and mixed in with sympathy.

After a moment, Harry nodded. "I hope that really was Cernunnos, and he's telling the truth. A friend of mine claimed to be a priestess of Cernunnos. If she wasn't making it up, well, maybe she could confirm that."

Delphini rolled her eyes. "Aunty Luna's probably part-Fae herself, the way she acts. I've wondered about that for years. George wanted to start a betting pool, but Luna started placing bets on some really, really weird things herself."

Barghest wasn't sure what she meant by that, but while they were talking, she was subtly testing her magic, to see whether she could retrieve her magical armour and her habitual dress for formal occasions. To her delight, she could. "Forgive me, but would you mind turning around? I realised that I may be able to don at least one set of my clothing from the Lostbelt," she asked, a little self-consciously. True, Harry had seen her naked already, but she could forgive that, given the circumstances.

After a moment, Harry nodded, turning his back. Delphini only did so after a hissed admonition from her father, and Barghest gingerly clambered out of bed, before activating the clothing change. She noticed a mirror on the wall, and looked in it proudly, adjusting the black silky dress. "I am done," she said.

The pair of them spun to look at her, with Delphini whistling. "Nice dress. I wasn't sure what you could pull off, but damn."

"Delphi, don't be rude," Harry hissed, though Barghest could tell he was attracted to her, despite knowing about her curse. He at least tried to stop his eyes from wandering. He then met her gaze. "Probably just as well. If you're well enough to come down to the living room, we've got guests coming along soon, and while you're probably a little overdressed for them, well, they shouldn't mind…"

Ten minutes later, Barghest was wondering whether it was wise to come down to the living room. Their guests were an odd pair, to say the least. But more than that, they set her instincts screaming.

The old, powerfully-built man with a beard and impish eyes, not so much. True, he smelled human, but despite his advanced years, she could tell he was a Magus of considerable strength, mostly magically, but she had the feeling that he might give her a run for her money in an arm-wrestling contest. He was introduced as Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.

But the girl, seemingly in her late teens or early twenties, with the neck length golden hair, crimson eyes with a slitted pupil, dressed in a white jumper with a dark skirt, and having a cheerful demeanour? She knew what she was already, a fellow A-Ray, a powerful Elemental, but of considerably greater power than any Fae. A True Ancestor, if she was right. Vampire royalty, who didn't need to drink blood. True, more than a few A-Rays drank blood, her fellow Tam Lin Fairy Knight, Tristain, aka Baobhan Sith, was effectively a Fae vampire, but this girl sitting in front of her didn't need to.

Of course, her name only confirmed it: Arcueid Brunestud. Morgan had discussed the True Ancestors and the Dead Apostles, as well as their origins. The True Ancestors were descended from Type MOON himself, Crimson Moon Brunestud, the Ultimate One of the Moon, and the progenitor of all vampires. Only True Ancestors had a right to his name. According to Morgan, who had gained this knowledge from her consort Beryl Gut, Arcueid Brunestud was the closest thing to the Ultimate One of Earth itself, an extension of Gaia's will.

Yet the blonde girl was cheerful, casual, and friendly, and Barghest, if not quite relaxing, felt she wasn't a threat, at least yet. Harry and Delphini certainly seemed at ease around these two. So she tried to enjoy the tea and biscuits while Harry explained matters to Zelretch.

"…A rum tale, and no mistake," the ancient wizard said in a deep, tenebrous voice afterwards. "Indeed, the term 'Lostbelt' was one I coined myself, as a means to describe a theoretical form of alternate history, formerly pruned by the World, but forcibly grafted back onto the Texture of the World. I recently discussed it with Marisbury Animusphere, who seemed interested in such phenomena for some reason. It should not normally be possible. Only if part or all of the Texture of the World was somehow made a palimpsest should such a thing be possible. And yet Lady Barghest here is living proof that such things are possible."

"You seem at ease speaking of me and to me," Barghest noted.

"My dear young lady, when you get as old as I have, and have seen the things I have seen and done the things I have done, a Fae even of your origin, strength and ability is, while relatively novel, not a concern to me. And you may rest at ease, Harry. I can detect no traces left of a curse, just the vestiges left behind by their removal and traces of a magic not unlike those I have detected before with rituals involving Cernunnos. While I cannot guarantee it is gone completely, I have three millennia's worth of experience, enough to tell."

Before Barghest could open her mouth, Arcueid chose that moment to speak. "Yeah, I don't think the curse is there anymore either. Though I can't say anything about the trauma though. But still, seriously, to think you're a refugee from a pruned timeline, and a knight of an alternate version of Morgan le Fay! I'm eight hundred years old, and believe me, I've never seen stuff like that!"

Her enthusiasm was a bit off-putting. However, Barghest was raised in polite society, and while the Fang Clan under Lord Woodwose made pretences to etiquette and politeness, Barghest strove to emulate it off the battlefield, to be a proper lady. "Thank you, Lady Brunestud," she said, inclining her head and body as a sort of sitting bow.

The True Ancestor pouted. Actually pouted, like Baobhan Sith was wont to do when she didn't get her way, though on Arcueid, it was considerably more endearing. "Just call me Arc, none of that 'Lady Brunestud' business, okay? Every time I hear that, I think it's some Dead Apostle fanboy or fangirl talking to me." She shuddered. "At least one wanted my autograph, and when I offered to write it in his own blood, as I had had a bad day, he agreed way too eagerly."

"…What," Barghest said flatly. But then, she remembered some of the fans for Morgan and the Tam Lin. Baobhan Sith had been all too enthusiastic to deal with the ones who wanted her, Morgan, or Barghest to 'stomp on me, mommy', for some reason (Melusine was dubbed too small for that, and her relationship with Lady Aurora was already well-known anyway). Given Baobhan Sith's thing for shoes with high heels, and especially stilettoes that could double as lethal weapons, well…the fans soon regretted their avid demands.

Zelretch cleared his throat gently. "In any case, if you believe her character to be sound, then I believe she should be no danger to you, unless of course you make her one. The Fae are not to be trifled with, but Lady Barghest has shown herself to be atypical. True, I have only known her for a few scant minutes, and that is not long enough to truly judge someone's character. But I'd like to think I have a grasp on the essentials, and I have encountered many Fae before. And I know you, Harry. If you wish to give her a chance, despite your own history, well, who am I to disagree?"

"How is Clock Tower going to handle this situation, though?" Harry asked. "I don't want some idiot Magi with more pride and greed than brains trying to abduct her. Barghest could probably handle them easily, but…"

"You have little to worry about. Bazette has been most discreet in whom she told. In addition, my influence does count for some things. If I say Lady Barghest is under my protection, and hint to the truth, then the vast majority of Magi will back off, albeit with some sullen grumbling. I can't stop the true idiots from being idiots, but I am sure Lady Barghest will ensure they regret their folly."

True enough. Barghest was one of the strongest Fae in her Britain. Aside from Morgan and Melusine, she doubted there was any other Fae who actually outmatched her, even though there were those who could give her trouble. The Servants she fought against thanks to Chaldea were better opponents, but the magic users of this world were another matter entirely. Once her magical reserves had replenished, she would be capable of handling most of them at least.

Still, to think that this wizard, this Harry Potter, would be giving her a chance, a roof over her head and the means to educate herself about Proper Human History. And with those, an opportunity to begin again with her life. True, she was in a whole new world, one that her Lostbelt was but a shallow echo of, given what Fujimaru, Mash and Da Vinci spoke of. But she would adapt. She was strong, and without the curse plaguing her, she felt she had a fresh start, even if it was undeserved.

Time would tell if things would go well, though…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Barghest has awoken, and has learned a few things.

Now, just so you know, Harry gaining some of Barghest's memories was a bit piecemeal. He only saw Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Rider Da Vinci briefly. This is partly due to Oberon-Vortigern placing a block on her memories of eating Adonis, and he only got a small proportion of her memories. Gaining a human lifetime's worth of memories would be bad for the brain even by Potterverse magic rules, but Barghest is canonically 417 years old by the time she is slain in the British Lostbelt. He got a few edited highlights, so he didn't see anything mention Chaldea specifically, and he only knows about Chaldea in broad terms from Hermione, who is working there.

Now, writing Delphi. I basically made her a more moral hybrid between Gudako from both Fate/Grand Carnival and Learning with Manga! FGO, and Kana Tohsaka from Swordomatic's fanfic Fate: Sunny Order. She's a gremlin of a teenager. Oddly enough, she gets along well with this timeline's Reines Archisorte, as both are gremlins and trolls, even if Delphi, despite her Pureblood heritage, acts a bit more like the late and lamented Tonks.

And then, bringing in Zelretch and Arcueid. The former was because I like writing him, and as a gadfly and troll, but also the ultimate Big Good of the Nasuverse. While he does have an official dub voice in Fate/Strange Fake in Brook Chalmers (though I'm buggered if I know who voices him in the dub of the third Heaven's Feel movie, as I believe another actor did so), to me, he always has the voice of the late, great Christopher Lee. And for this story, he's not a vampire, just near-immortal. I only recently learned Zelretch was not a vampire in Fate continuities, so this and potential future fics will reflect this.

Of course, having Zelretch not be a vampire does make things tricky where Arcueid comes in. With Tsukihime finally getting an official English release, I wanted to include her, and not just as a gratuitous cameo. In many ways, Barghest and Arc are the same type of being, an Elemental. While Barghest is not actually listed as an A-Ray on the Type MOON wiki, her horns are explicitly referred to as 'A-Ray Antennae' in the original Japanese, or 'A-Ray Halteres' in the localisation (after looking up Halteres on Wikipedia, I went for the former). So for this fic, she is basically an A-Ray, or at least akin to one. And Barghest has just met someone that towers over her. She knows who's higher on the pecking order, and would dwarf Morgan.

This story will be about Barghest's character development, helped along by Harry, Delphi, and (later) Hermione. In some ways, Barghest is a bit like Shirou Emiya or Arturia, someone who wished to be a hero to save people. I think her Servant version takes one step forward, but two steps back, in that she becomes loyal to Morgan again, especially her swimsuit version. I feel that someone who would betray Morgan after learning Morgan had no intention of helping the populace of Lostbelt Britain would want to try and forge her own path, or else swear fealty to another liege lord, albeit one chosen carefully. Barghest may be musclebound, but she is far from stupid.

But she will grow as a character, eventually becoming a mentor figure to Mash and Ritsuka, helped, of course, by Harry. And maybe, just maybe, she'll get that happy ending.

Incidentally, after writing this and posting the original version of this chapter to the Cauldron and Zelretch's Collection of Alternates, I decided that Barghest's dub voice, in my mind anyway, is Colleen Clinkenbeard. Yeah, I know, she's based more in Texas than in LA, where most of the Nasuverse dub voice talent works, but deal with it. While you may think this is because of her playing Gargaran (another hulking, muscled blonde female warrior) from Overlord, I thought of her 'warrior' voice as being like Lilith from the Borderlands games, with a British accent, and her 'noble woman' voice being closer to Momo Yaoyorozu from My Hero Academia. Interestingly, Barghest and Momo share the same Japanese voice actress, Marina Inoue.

No numbered annotations this time.