Okay, so, I'm not sure if this is going to go anywhere. This is one of many, many ideas I am currently considering, which also includes a Honkai Star Rail crossover (leaning more towards a Harry/Firefly fic, especially as I've pulled her on the gacha, though Robin and, oddly enough, Jade are on the cards for pairings), as well as a Baldur's Gate 3 crossover or two, and I'm still trying to write up some of the previous stories I posted story chapters of in the Cauldron. And yet, here I am, taking another stab at a Nasuverse crossover, and one with a Harry/Barghest pairing.

I have to be honest, I burned out somewhat on the Nasuverse years ago, or at least on the Fate part of the franchise. I do still have a lot of stories to tell, but the problem is how to tell them relatively originally. I've done variations of Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night, and Fate/Apocrypha crossovers so many times already, I'm still waiting on Type MOON to get off their arses and release Fate/Extra Record, I know sod-all about Fate/Requiem or Fate/Strange Fake, et cetera. All of which means I need to find a fresh way to do a pairing I want.

However, by comparison, I haven't done that many crossovers with Fate/Grand Order. Indeed, I have only done two, with Primordial Song being not only my sole completed Nasuverse crossover with the Potterverse, but a story I am particularly proud of. But I have never done a story that does Fate/Grand Order from the beginning. With fairly good reason: those fics tend to be unfinished, and while I'm not exactly known for finishing the majority of my longer fics, I also know when I may be outmatched. Of course, I could follow in the footsteps of GhostXavier or Swordomatic with their fics, showing the downtime between Singularities and only occasionally showing the Singularities.

I actually considered doing such a fic for a story pairing a teenaged Harry with Mash, or an older Harry with Olga-Marie or Da Vinci, or with one of the various Servants. But I want to give Barghest a chance to shine. Despite her brutality, she is easily one of the most moral characters in the British Lostbelt. Her brutality is carried out under orders, and when she realises Morgan won't defend the people of the Lostbelt, Barghest takes a moral stand. And while most Fae in the Lostbelt weren't worth defending, there were enough that Barghest wasn't wholly wrong. So this is me throwing the dog a bone, if you'll forgive the quip in poor taste.

I was struggling to figure out how to bring her into a Nasuverse crossover, until I thought...why not somehow have Barghest involved in the beginning of Fate/Grand Order? Most of what she knows about Chaldea is about how they handled the Lostbelts, so most of her future knowledge wouldn't be that useful (though she will be a boon to Ritsuka and Mash...and a bane to Beryl). However, this will still be a fix-it fic to some degree. In light of what has been learned about Marisbury Animusphere during the South American Lostbelt, I will be taking measures in-story to ensure Cosmos in the Lostbelt doesn't happen. Dealing with Goetia and his Singularities is bad enough.

Anyway, as always, there's no guarantee this will become a standalone fic, but I hope to have initial chapters posted in both the Cauldron and Zelretch's Collection of Alternates soon. Watch this space...

We see the final moments of the battle of Mash, Gawain and Tristain against a transformed Barghest, in the burning ruins of Fae Norwich in the British Lostbelt. We cut to black just as the final blow is inflicted with a wet meaty crunch, and a pained roar is heard. We then see Mash gingerly approaching a dying Barghest, the latter still in her canine monster form, tears now streaming from her burning crimson eyes, while tears stream from Mash's own. As this happens, the strains of David Bowie's Life on Mars begins.

BARGHEST (vo): I was the tool of a tyrant. But even after I turned on her, I learned that I defended those who deserved no such protection, and let my hunger consume me, to my eternal shame. I welcomed my end, so that my suffering and dishonour would come to an end.

Barghest closes her eyes, seemingly forever.

BARGHEST (vo): And yet, I did not expect a new beginning, free from my curse.

Barghest, now in her humanoid armoured form (First Ascension), is lying on the grass near the Cow Tower at Norwich. A teenaged girl's hand gently shakes her shoulder.

TEENAGED GIRL (vo): Hey, are you okay, lady?

Barghest's eyes flutter open. A look of bemusement comes over her features as she looks around at a scene both familiar and yet not. We see from her POV a teenaged girl, silver-haired with blue fringes, looking at Barghest concerned. And then, like Johnny Silverhand at the end of the Cyberpunk 2077 E3 2019 trailer, but with none of the menace, we see the girl's father walk into view, and kneel down to peer at Barghest concerned. He's in his early thirties now, a little older if not wiser, but with the familiar messy mop of black hair, the scar, and the emerald eyes.

HARRY POTTER: ...Luna, you and your requests are gonna be the death of me.

We then cut to Barghest, Harry and the teenager, actually Delphi Riddle, walking through the corridors of Clock Tower, Barghest now in casual clothes.

BARGHEST (vo): I am Barghest, scion of the Fang Clan, dubbed as Tam Lin Gawain by my queen...though such names and titles mean little here in Proper Human History. I fought for Morgan le Fay in what you would call a Lostbelt, an alternate history originally pruned away by the World. But my loyalty was never repaid, the loyalty I had to either my queen or my people, and my curse consumed me, turning me into the Bestial Calamity.

Barghest sees a group photo of various Magi from the Department of Biology, and halts, freezing. She focuses on a picture of Beryl Gut, and her face twists into a snarl of hatred. We fade to Hermione meeting Harry, Delphi, and Barghest in their home.

HERMIONE (vo): Harry, Delphi, I need your help. That organisation I was working for, it needs you.

We cut to a familiar logo on a metal wall as the four of them walk through a corridor of metal and glass.

HARRY (vo): The Chaldea Security Organisation?

HERMIONE (vo): I was working for Marisbury Animusphere. Only...I discovered just how evil he was. He had a plan in place that was utterly insane.

We cut to Hermione and Daybit Sem Void confronting Marisbury in his office, only for Marisbury to put a gun to his head. We cut to black with a gunshot. We then have Olga and Hermione angrily confronting each other.

OLGA: You killed my father!

HERMIONE: Your father was a monster who was willing to paint a huge target on our backs! That is NOT protecting the Human Order!

Then, Harry, Delphi, and Barghest are with Dr Roman, looking at a certain lilac-haired girl sitting on a bed. Barghest recognises her.

BARGHEST: ...Mash?

We then cut to Harry and Barghest having a meal together.

BARGHEST (vo): Chaldea worked to undo the Lostbelt I came from. I came to know Mash very well. But...maybe Hermione managed to stop the formation of the Lostbelts this time.

HARRY (vo): Maybe, but it doesn't mean things won't go wrong.

We then cut to the day when Chaldea is damaged by Lev's bombs. An injured Delphi, Harry, and Barghest are accompanied by Ritsuka as they search in the rubble, even finding a badly-injured Mash. Then, the swirling vortex of a Rayshift. We see Mash in Demi-Servant form, standing firm with her shield, with Harry, Delphi, and Ritsuka standing ready. The opening notes of Grand Battle (the 5th anniversary version) begins as Barghest, in full armour, stands by Mash's side. She points her version of Galatine at the oncoming skeleton warriors.

BARGHEST: Let's go, Mash!

MASH: Right!

We then cut to the quintet as they overlook a burning Fuyuki.

DELPHI (vo): Welp, time to go save human history from the dumpster fire it was thrown into.

We then cut to Harry and Barghest in bed together.

HARRY (vo): I don't understand...if you only fall in love with the strong, why me?

BARGHEST (vo): Because your strength of heart matches or even outclasses my own, one that allowed you to adopt the child of your enemies.

We then cut to Ritsuka helping strengthen Mash's Lord Chaldeas in the Fuyuki Singularity against Arturia Alter's Excalibur Morgan.

BARGHEST (vo): That is the true strength of humanity, something few Fae could ever match.

We cut to Ritsuka sitting in a bed after Fuyuki, with Harry, Delphi, Barghest, Mash, and Hermione looking on.

RITSUKA: I'm...just an ordinary guy, barely a Magus. How could I be as strong as you said I was in the Lostbelt?

BARGHEST: Because unlike many other Magi, you have a strong heart. Too many are monsters.

We then see Barghest chokeslamming Beryl Gut against a wall in Chaldea, snarling at him, while he chuckles weakly.

BERYL: Okay, what did I do to piss you off, Baggie?

BARGHEST: It's a long list. You get one chance, just one. Harm anyone I give a damn about ever again, and you will live just long enough to regret it.

We cut to various battles throughout the Singularities, at least up to London, while we hear...

GOETIA (vo): Why? Why would you, who are not even human, fight on their behalf?

BARGHEST (vo): Humanity is something that not only humans can possess, monster! The strong may conquer the weak, but there are many kinds of strength!

We see Barghest tear one of her horns from her head, growing to enormous size, in front of the Demon Pillar Flauros, who seems to get a wonderfully scared look on his many eyes. Barghest slams down her sword on Flauros, causing him to be enveloped by dark blue flames.

BARGHEST: BLACK DOG GALATINE!

Interchanged with more battles, we see intercut shots of Harry, Delphi, Ritsuka, and Barghest summoning Servants.

RITSUKA: Heed my words. My will creates your bodies, and your swords my destiny.

HARRY: Together, we forge the future of humanity! When all is naught, we shall be the guiding light!

DELPHI: I hereby swear, I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all the evil in the world!

BARGHEST: SEVENTH HEAVEN CLAD IN THE GREAT WORDS OF POWER, GRANT ME THE POWER TO LEAD THE GUARDIANS OF THE SCALES!

A flare of light from the summoning circle during Barghest's summoning blinds her, but when she blinks away the dazzling light, her eyes widen, before narrowing in anger.

BARGHEST: You...

Icy blue eyes open.

'UNKNOWN' WOMAN'S VOICE: Hoh? What a surprise to find you here, Tam Lin Gawain, claiming to be my Master...

As the song cuts out, we cut to black.

COMING SOON, A POTTERVERSE/NASUVERSE EPIC...

We then cut to Barghest, Harry, and Saber Arturia in the Chaldea cafeteria.

ARTURIA: So, you had met a version of me in your timeline?

BARGHEST: Indeed, Your Majesty. She was...enthusiastic, shall we say?

Then, Delphi bounces up, dragging Caster Arturia with her.

DELPHI: Hey Dad, Mum, you'll never guess who popped out of the summoning circle today. Arturia, meet Arturia!

A silence falls in which you can hear a pin drop...

TEASER ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Not everything will be as it is in the fic I write, or at least there's no guarantee of that.

The summoning chant at the end, I should point out, comes from GhostXavier's Fragments of Chaldea. I gained permission from them to use it for Primordial Song, so I'm hoping they're fine with me reusing it.

Delphi in this fic will be a bit like a hybrid of a more moral version of Gudako from Fate/Grand Carnival, as well as Kana from Swordomatic's Fate: Sunny Order. She may be a good guy thanks to her adoptive father's influence, but she has enough of her parents' capacity for evil and madness to not be a major force of Chaotic Good, emphasis on Chaotic.

Anyway, I hope this teaser whetted your appetite. Hopefully, you'll get more.

No numbered annotations this time.