FOREWORD
Honkai: Star Rail is a game that has had many ups and down, especially in terms of story quality, much like its predecessors in the HoYoVerse games. Yet the story definitely rose to the next level with the Penacony arc. There, a certain character captured the imagination of the fanbase: Firefly, aka SAM, the power-armoured member of the Stellaron Hunters. Despite working for one of the antagonistic groups, Firefly was a genuinely sweet and decent person, and unequivocally the most moral of the Stellaron Hunters (though between the mind-controlling and literally fearless femme fatale, the psychotic immortal assassin who keeps blaming Dan Heng for sins he also had a major part in, and the solipstic gamer and hacker who got butthurt when she got outwitted by an amoral genius and a gentleman robot, she's not got much competition). She's like what you get if you fuse Samus Aran from Metroid with Mash Kyrielight from Fate/Grand Order and Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion (seriously, she even has pretty much the same plugsuit!).
I was always going to try and write a Potterverse crossover, preferably a lengthy one, pairing Harry with Firefly (though Robin comes a fairly close second: for the pet idol of an evangelistic cult, she's quite sweet and kind), but I'm still struggling coming up with a good one, preferably set in the Star Rail universe. I do have ideas, I'm just trying to knit them together. But as there's a paucity of Potterverse crossovers with Star Rail (only one as of writing this), I thought I'd at least contribute a oneshot, as a sort of pilot episode. If I do do a longer story, it will have a different beginning.
Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. First, there will be spoilers, as well as some violence.
Finally, the following is a fan-based work. Honkai: Star Rail and Harry Potter are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, well, Kafka?
Very well. Listen to me. Go and support the official release...
CARPE DIEM
He didn't know if he could do it. After everything he went through this past year…no, for the past six years, he didn't know whether he could do it. Dumbledore had tried to teach him enough, and yet, it wasn't enough, and he was sure the old goat was still keeping secrets from him. And now, Snape had shown his true colours.
After the funeral, he'd come back to the Room of Requirement. He wasn't sure what he intended. But out of desperation, he began thinking, I need someone who can help me stop Voldemort. Over and over again, he thought those words, until the door opened.
Did that actually work? Tentatively, he entered, wondering what he would find inside. Only to stop and stare. Now, much of the room seemed cleared away, with what looked like a suit of armour in the middle of the room, on a table.
Staring, he approached. As he did so, he realised that this wasn't like some medieval suit of armour. No, it looked like something out of a science fiction film, sleek and deadly-looking, a thing of lethal beauty. Nothing could be seen of the wearer, assuming there was someone still inside it.
As he gingerly approached, the figure began to shift and move. Harry froze, and was standing there, in shock, as the figure eventually got to their feet. The figure's helmeted head turned to look at him. "Human variant, unusual energy signature detected," they spoke in a masculine rasp that reminded him of the Cybermen from Doctor Who, if a Cyberman sounded like they smoked cigarettes every day, and sounded on the verge of violence. Then, the figure looked around the room. "A pocket dimension? I cannot detect any navigation network…"
And then, the helmet snapped to look at him. "Resident of this planet. I require your assistance. Please tell me the name of your planet, as well as the country and locale. IPC-standard galactic coordinates, if possible, along with the date and Amber Era."
"…Sorry, what?" he asked, confused.
"…Where am I?" The voice, despite still having a belligerent rasp, gained a somewhat plaintive note to it.
"Oh, umm…you're in Hogwarts…in Scotland…Great Britain?" Then, remembering their earlier question, he said, "Earth?"
The armoured figure looked away, seemingly thoughtfully. "…I see. Not where I was. Hmm, suit telemetry suggests some novel form of dimensional shift shortly prior to stasis functions being disengaged."
"Dimensional shift?" he asked. "I…think I might have brought you here." As the helmeted head turned to look to him sharply, he held up his hands. "This place is called the Room of Requirement. It brings people what they require as long as they think about it. And…I needed someone to help me."
"…Continue."
"There's a warlock, a man called Voldemort…well, his real name is Tom Riddle, but that's neither here nor there. He…wants to rule this country, if not the world, and he wants me dead, along with anyone opposing him, or anyone unfortunate to be born with the 'wrong' blood." He shook his head in disgust. "And one of the few people who could truly fight him was murdered. I just attended his funeral, and I…I…"
As his voice caught in his throat, he looked away, only to be surprised when a heavy, gauntleted hand gently descended onto his shoulder. He looked up into the helmet's visor. "…So, war approaches?" the voice asked, almost softly and sympathetically.
"Unfortunately."
A dark and bitter chuckle emanated from the helmet. "…I thought my war had come to an end. That I was the last of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry. I did not know whether rescue or oblivion awaited me when I put myself into stasis. But…I may be able to help you."
He looked up at the armoured figure. "…You can?"
"Yes. I want to assess the situation myself first, but…I think I can help you."
He felt an absurd surge of hope, and proffered his hand. "Okay, so…if that's the case, I should introduce myself. I'm Harry Potter."
The armoured figure looked down at his hand, and then backed away. At first, Harry thought he had offended them, until fire burst into being around the figure. It swirled around them, like the fire Harry had seen Dumbledore use against the Inferi. But the armour seemed to dissolve in the flames, revealing a smaller form within. And he couldn't help but stare at the figure thus revealed.
It appeared to be a girl about his age or a little older, clad in a figure-hugging bodysuit that left little to the imagination. Silvery hair framed beautiful if melancholy features, with what looked like a headband tied across her forehead. And as the flurry of fire faded, her eyes opened, revealing hues of a twilit sunset, deep blue at the top of the iris, and pink down the bottom, speckled with what looked like stars.
Gingerly, she took his hand, and shook it, somewhat nervously, despite what her voice sounded like before. And indeed, when she spoke, it sounded…well, so normal, like a girl about his age. And her smile was so sad, and her eyes filled with weariness and pain from the past. Yet she still smiled. "Hello, Harry Potter. I am AR26710, a Firefly Type IV Strategic Assault Mech pilot of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry. A pleasure to meet you…"
"Wake up, Potter!"
The Ennervate and the shout jolted him partly out of unconsciousness, but he was still a bit woozy. The jet of cold water shocked him into something approaching full consciousness. His eyes fluttered open, and he peered blearily at the Death Eaters in front of him.
He was tied to some sort of rock, in the middle of a ritual circle. He was trying to figure out where he was, some sort of stone circle, though definitely not Stonehenge. "Can I help you?"
The one who stepped forward was Dolohov. "Yes. You can be the sacrifice for bringing the Dark Lord back," the man said coldly. "You may have restored the Ministry and stymied our ambitions, but I assure you, it will be for the last time."
Harry rolled his eyes. "And what, you think nobody will come for me?"
"We've removed all tracking charms from your person. And by the time they realise what we had done, putting that obnoxious little Muggleborn under the Imperious, the one with the camera…you didn't even know the photograph he handed you was a Portkey until it activated. And our supporters in the Ministry will confuse any response, long enough for us to finish. Once we are done, we will punish the traitors, and the Mudbloods. Your luck has run out, Potter."
"Luck? Okay, I will admit, a lot of what I did, it was luck, and other people setting things up for me. But you made one mistake."
"Mistake? You mean you think you can summon that flying golem to you? The one you used to slaughter fine, upstanding Purebloods and burn their estates to the ground?"
"You mean inbred wizarding Nazis," Harry retorted.
"CRUCIO!"
A strangled noise of agony wormed its way from Harry's lips as he convulsed. It wasn't the first time he'd been subjected to the Cruciatus by a long shot, but he was by no means used to it. As the pain receded after the curse was lifted, Dolohov snarled, "You are in the presence of your betters, boy! And we will prove it! So, do you have any last words before we use your lifeblood to bring the Dark Lord back?"
Harry looked up to the night sky, and fancied he could see one of the stars moving. In fact, it was more like a shooting star, wreathed in flame. And he knew salvation had come. "…Like fireflies to a flame…life begets death."
"…Is that drivel your last words?" Dolohov asked.
Harry chuckled hoarsely, even as the shooting star began arcing their way. "No…but those are yours."
As the roar of some engine reached their ears, the Death Eaters whirled, readying their wands. But a metal figure landed in their midst. Fire incinerated many of them on impact, others were hurled off their feet by the shockwave. The metal figure was quickly amongst them, a lethal dance of death, dodging spells, efficiently killing wizards with punches, kicks, and blasts of energy that broke necks, pierced through vital organs, or obliterated parts of the body.
Within less than a minute, the battle…no, the slaughter was over, and the metal figure, after looking around, approached Harry. "All enemy vitals have ceased." With that, said figure began undoing Harry's bonds. "Sorry I'm late."
"Late? You were just in time."
The figure harrumphed through the voice changer. "Aurors were sent in to arrest your friends. I had to deal with them first. Non-lethally, but your friends and allies had to take refuge in 12 Grimmauld Place. The Ministry has decided to hang you all out to dry. Only the Unspeakables and those allied with the Order of the Phoenix are willing to help."
"Big surprise."
"The Goblins are colluding with the Ministry. Our heist bloodied their noses, never mind that we were trying to get rid of one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. However, Croaker told me over comms that we have an unusual guest. Some woman from my universe, claiming to be on orders, has come to make us an offer. She is willing to take you and your friends to my original universe, but she wants us to work with her. She's waiting at 12 Grimmauld Place."
"I'm surprised you took this long to find me."
"They layered this area with all kinds of charms. I found the general area quickly enough, thanks to the tracker you let me implant in your arm while we were hunting the Snatchers, but finding where exactly you were took visual and IR confirmation." The armour disappeared in a flurry of flame, and then, the girl he had met for the first time months ago appeared, now wearing a dress. "I was worried I'd be too late, Harry."
Harry sat up, and hugged her. "Sorry for making you worry, Firefly. I thought we were done after we finished baiting out Snatchers and razed Malfoy Manor. At least Snape helped us get rid of the last Horcruxes, even if I'll never forgive him for what he did. Anyway, thanks for saving my life again."
"…You need not thank me. I…I'm just grateful not to be adrift in stasis, in the rubble of a ruined planet. Anyway, I have a Portkey ready. Let's go…"
As Harry recovered from the Portkey, delivering him and Firefly back to 12 Grimmauld Place, he reflected on his short time with Firefly. The name itself was something of a bad joke: she was considered an 'organic component' (read: genetically-engineered pilot) of the Firefly Type IV SAM armour. But she had decided to take on the name for herself, after he asked her to choose something, well, more normal than a serial code.
She came from another timeline, another world, a genetically-engineered soldier from the world of Glamoth, which had begun a viciously-expansionistic empire. Only, the Swarm, the massive insectoid army of Tayzzyronth, the Aeon (or space-god) of Propagation, invaded the empire. To this end, the Iron Cavalry were created, genetically-engineered beings who were born purely to fight for Glamoth against the Swarm. Born to die, either in battle, or when their lifespan was cut short by a disorder known as Entropy Loss Syndrome, deliberately engineered into the Iron Cavalry to prevent rebellion or reverse-engineering. She couldn't even dream while asleep.
Firefly was the last survivor of one last battle against the Swarm. She was preserved in stasis in her armour, hoping to be picked up, even if she may never wake. In other words, she was the veteran of more battles than Harry would ever count, or wish to go through. She'd lost her few friends amongst the Iron Cavalry long before that final battle.
Yet, when outside of her SAM armour, Firefly seemed to be the young woman she appeared to be. A little socially awkward and melancholy, yes, but surprisingly decent and cheerful for an engineered weapon of war. True, it was partly a mask. And yet, there seemed to be a genuine happiness left within the ex-soldier.
He made friends with her quickly, and they began making plans for the coming war. He found it hard to share said plans with the others. They thought it was a war that could be won with Stunners, even though the other side were quick to resort to the Unforgivables. But Harry, despite his reluctance to kill, realised that many of them would need to be.
Hermione took some time to come around, but her father had been in the military, and so, she accepted Firefly and her plans, albeit reluctantly. Others in the Order were uneasy, to say the least. However, Arthur Weasley and Xenophilus Lovegood happened to have an old contact in the Unspeakables, and Firefly, who wanted to return home, made contact with them. They would assist them, as well as ensure the Horcrux in Harry's scar, the one that could have been the death of him, was safely removed. Something Dumbledore failed to tell him about.
After the Ministry was taken over by Voldemort and his allies, Firefly and Harry put their plans into place. At first, Firefly used Harry (with his permission) to bait out Snatchers, and then killed them. Eventually, though, the Snatchers cottoned onto this, and after enough Horcruxes were tracked down and destroyed, it was eventually decided to take the fight to the enemy. Malfoy Manor would burn, and the survivors could be counted on two hands, and have enough fingers left over for rude gestures on both. Voldemort was not one of them, nor was Bellatrix, though a newborn girl, their daughter as it turned out, was one of them. She was with her aunt Andromeda for now.
With Voldemort and so many senior Death Eaters dead, their grip on the Ministry slipped. But clearly not enough if tonight's events were any indication. And someone managed to put Colin Creevey under the Imperius, enough to slip him a Portkey that snatched him out of Hogwarts during dinner, wards be damned.
And now, thanks to the Goblins, to the Ministry, he was a fugitive again. The gratitude he got for saving their hides. A child soldier, now to be disposed of because he was of no further use, he reckoned.
He had that much alike with Firefly, he reckoned. She was a genuinely sweet and decent person, despite being a soldier from the moment she was 'born', or rather, decanted from an incubation tank. He had bonded with her in a way he never quite could with Ginny, and certainly not with Cho. He considered her a very good friend, on a par with his best friends. And recently, they'd started to become something more, a few furtive kisses, testing the waters.
True, their relationship probably wouldn't last, if only by dint of Firefly's truncated lifespan. The Unspeakables had treated her, and she might live for another decade or two. But sooner or later, the Entropy Loss Syndrome would consume her. Firefly had made her peace with it, even if Harry was struggling to.
And yet, the ephemeral nature of it added something to their relationship. Maybe, like Hermione mused, it was because beautiful things didn't last. Or maybe it was because Harry half-expected not to reach this point in his life, and would certainly be facing danger in years to come. In any case, they were growing closer. And Harry hoped to grow closer still. They just needed to seize the day. Carpe diem, wasn't it?
He was brought out of his musings by the sound of music coming from the library. Vivaldi's Winter, if he wasn't mistaken. And in the library as they entered, under the amused gaze of Croaker, was a woman, waving her hands in the air as if conducting the orchestra. After a few seconds, she stopped, and then looked at them, and smiled.
It was a soft, gentle thing, and yet, there was something slightly dissonant behind it. The woman was beautiful, yes, and her smile was beautiful, but there was something off-kilter about her. She wore an outfit that did little to hide her buxom figure, a white shirt with leather shorts, topped off with pince-nez sunglasses perched on her wine-coloured hair. Over her shoulders, draped like a cape, was a leather coat with a spider-like emblem on it.
Maybe the most unnerving thing about her were her eyes. Pale pink, their pupils seemed to disappear once they focused on Harry and Firefly. They were the eyes of a predator. Yet there was something soft and maternal in her gaze too, which only served to further unnerve Harry.
"Good evening," the woman said, her voice a sultry purr. "So, you're the ones Elio sent me here for. A package deal to boot. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and Firefly, Last of Glamoth's Iron Cavalry. Well, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kafka, and we have much to discuss…"
THE END
ANNOTATIONS:
So, Harry and Firefly have vanquished most of the Death Eaters, and now, they seem set to have adventures in the universe of Honkai: Star Rail. Okay, it's going to be a tough sell for Kafka to bring them into the Stellaron Hunters, or at least Harry, but still…
And yes, I know Firefly is naked after her final battle against the Swarm while in stasis, if both her Character Story and the animated short The Embers of Glamoth are any indication. For this story, her armour kept her in stasis. Honestly, it makes more sense that way, even in a science fantasy setting. I mean, she is naked in one promo video outside of her powered armour, and yet is wearing a glorified plugsuit in another. Make up your minds, HoYoVerse!
I know this oneshot also took a few riffs off my Baldur's Gate 3 crossover Whoops! Or, How to Stuff Up a Summoning, but why not reuse them?
Also, why not introduce Kafka with Vivaldi's Winter, part of the music used for her trailer, remixed as part of A Dramatic Irony? I love Kafka as a character. She's sexy, morally complex and ambiguous in an interesting way, and she seems ever so slightly insane.
No numbered annotations this time.