I'm gratified at the response this story garnered. So, here's the second one. This, hopefully, will be the beginning of a spate of more Fate/Stay Night fics from me (as opposed to the Fate/Zero ones I've done), and maybe a revival of Perils of Magical Investigative Journalism. Most of them will be Potterverse crossovers, but there may be other ones, depending.

Incidentally, Sakura, as this chapter shows, will be the Master of Medea as Caster, while Hadrian will be the Master of Medusa as Rider. However, the main pairing will remain Hadrian/Sakura. Medea will get a certain dogfather, and Medusa will get a certain werewolf...

HADRIAN KOTOMINE

CHAPTER 2:

THE WIZARD, THE WITCH, AND THE MAGUS

The first moment that they got tangled up with the latest Grail War, though, came not on purpose but by chance. Hadrian and Sakura had been going on a bit of a date, a lovely walk through the woods along Mount Ryuudou. There was something calm and peaceful about these woods, not like the park that had been established after the Fuyuki Fire, the conflagration that marked the end of the previous Holy Grail War. That park had a sickly, even malevolent sense to it, and few lingered within its bounds. But even in the rain, which Hadrian used an umbrella to keep from Sakura's head and his own, this forested area had a beauty all of its own.

It was the day after they explained their story to Shirou. To Taiga Fujimura, they stuck to their story, only with an added and somewhat inaccurate embellishment: they had been abducted by enemies of his guardian. And while Taiga was unaware of magic or magecraft, she was aware that Kiritsugu and Kirei had been involved in shady dealings. She couldn't be said to be unaware of such things: her grandfather was a Yakuza boss, after all, even if he was a more principled one. Hadrian actually liked old Raiga, and he enjoyed trolling Taiga. Indeed, he was probably the only person capable of getting away with calling her 'Tiger', though this was probably because he could kick her arse without magic…as long as he avoided her infamous shinai or kendo practise sword.

Hadrian, when it came to physical combat, used a combination of his own guardian's variation on Bajiquan, as well as a style he had come across by chance. He found out, rather accidentally, that one of the teachers at their school, Souichirou Kuzuki, was a former assassin with an interesting style, dubbed 'Snake' style. Kuzuki, while not aware of magic before he met Hadrian, was nonetheless aware of secretive worlds beneath the surface, and Hadrian had managed to persuade the man to teach some elements of the style when he revealed what entities he had to fight. Although stoic, even empty inside in a way that made Kirei look like he was overflowing by comparison, Hadrian felt that Kuzuki had some satisfaction in knowing his techniques could be used for more than assassination, or at least for something greater than the assassin group he once belonged to.

Hadrian could not even be said to be a master of 'Snake'. If anything, he was an amateur, partly because Kuzuki was ridiculously disciplined, more so than Hadrian or Kirei. But knowing some of the 'Snake' style gave him more of a repertoire. He had surprised more than a few belligerent idiots during his time in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with his techniques.

Kuzuki, oddly enough, resided at Ryuudou Temple. Admittedly, so too did one of their fellow students, Issei Ryuudou, though he was the son of the head monk. Hadrian trusted Kuzuki: the man was simple. Not stupid, but his mindset was simple. He had been raised as a tool, a living weapon, and even retired, he still maintained this mindset, even if he was a teacher first, and an assassin second. If someone asked him to stay quiet about something, he would unless there was a reason not to. Magic surprised him, true, but Kuzuki didn't remain that way.

Hadrian bit back a chuckle at the thought of Kuzuki encountering those idiots back in his birth dimension. Sakura noticed, though. "Harry?" she asked. She was the only person who could call him that and he wouldn't correct her. As much as Shirou and Rin were his friends, Sakura was even more so. He got angry with those morons in the other world who kept calling him 'Harry'. At least the Hermione girl and that weird girl Luna got a clue, as did the werewolf and that lech who claimed to be his godfather. That redhead, while not a bad guy, was a bit clueless, unlike his twin brothers.

"Harry?" she asked again. "Why were you smiling like that?"

"Oh, I was just thinking of what would happen if those idiots in that other world encountered Mr Kuzuki and gave him grief for being a 'mere Muggle'."

Sakura giggled. "There'd be bodies everywhere if he decided to let loose. Not necessarily corpses, but I'm sure they'd wish they were dead." Sakura's patience with the wizards in that world had worn through pretty quickly, and considering how patient she was, that was saying something. Then again, between Snape's insults, the old goat's meddling, and those idiot Blood Purists (they didn't even have a justification for old families having better magic, as some quick research entailed: if anything, inbreeding had caused the opposite), well, they had tried to tear the two of them apart. And nobody took Hadrian away from Sakura Matou.

The wizards may have been less amoral than most Magi, true, but while many Magi were conservative and behind the times, the wizards were stuck in the Victorian era at the latest, a few innovations like a 'Wizarding Wireless' and the Knight Bus notwithstanding. Rin had trouble working a TV or a computer at home, but at least she was aware of what they were.

"So, what Servant do you think we'll get?" Hadrian asked. "I'd probably be of the type to suit a Caster or an Assassin. Then again, Kirei was Master of Assassin in the previous Grail War, so maybe I shouldn't get one."

"I don't really care which Servant we get, as long as our Servants help protect us and Shirou," Sakura mused. "I wouldn't mind a Saber, though. Especially one like Arturia."

"Hey, you've already got one knight in shining armour, do you really want another one?" Hadrian teased. "And as much as I don't subscribe to chivalry, I'd love to meet Arturia."

He actually felt something of a kinship, of sorts, with the famous Saber who was known to history as King Arthur. He had met with Waver Velvet a few times, who had inherited the title of Lord El-Melloi from his teacher, Kayneth Archibald. Okay, that wasn't by choice, more to avoid any disputes with the Archibalds after Waver stole Kayneth's summoning catalyst, and Kayneth, along with his fiancée, died during the Grail War, but still, he was curious. He had learned that Gilgamesh used to be Tokiomi's Servant, though given the man's alleged murder at the hands of Kariya Matou, Kirei probably took up the reins. Assuming the Gilgamesh Hadrian knew was a Servant (and frankly, Hadrian didn't know how that was possible outside of the Grail War), anyway.

Waver had spoken of his Servant, Iskandar, better known as Alexander the Great of Macedonia. A Rider in the previous Grail War, and a personal inspiration to Waver. Though Waver did agree with Hadrian in at least one regard that his Rider Servant had a flaw: Iskandar disputing Arturia's wish on the Grail.

Arturia wished to relive her rule. Iskandar disdained both that, and her self-martyring and alienating form of kingship, though Hadrian disagreed to a degree. True, Arturia could have ruled better, but wasn't that the point of her wanting a second chance? To learn from her mistakes and correct them?

In the unlikely event that she was ever summoned as a Saber for this Grail War, Hadrian wanted to give her a hug. As much of a twisted and massive troll he was, he'd also been in her shoes to a degree. Born to a destiny forced upon them? Fame stage-managed by a meddling old wizard (Hadrian only learned of Dumbledore's manipulations when he first met the man) who wanted a martyring leader? Shaped by circumstances into something set apart from the norm of humanity? Check, check, and check.

His thoughts on the matter were interrupted when he heard Sakura gasp in horror. His gaze was brought sharply to what she saw. They had emerged near the stairs leading up to Ryuudou Temple, to find a figure collapsed on the sodden ground. A robed figure, apparently that of a woman, her breath rasping with effort. She sounded like she was dying.

Hadrian took a moment to check carefully. While the robes weren't like those he had seen in that other universe, he knew that the wizards wanted him back. However, his senses, while screaming danger, didn't seem to indicate that this was a trap. The robed woman, while dangerous, was only dangerous in the way a dagger was: dangerous if mishandled.

After he indicated to Sakura that it should be safe, the pair of them scampered over and knelt down next to the woman. "Hey, are you okay?" Hadrian asked as he pulled back the hood covering the woman's face…and stared.

The woman was utterly beautiful, inhumanly so. While the hood would have given a more sinister set to her features, in truth, her beauty was a sorrowful one, framed by lavender locks, and streaked with tear marks. Her ears, oddly enough, were pointed, giving her the air of an elf from fantasy fiction.

Her eyes flickered open, and stared at them both blearily, glistening with tears. "Are you all right?" Hadrian repeated, as Sakura began getting to work, checking her body, ready to heal it.

"I've been better," the woman said, a sardonic smile touching her lips.

"Harry…" Sakura said quietly. "Despite appearances…she's not human. Ears notwithstanding." She looked the woman in the eye. "Are you a Servant?"

The woman's sardonic smile grew slightly. "Servant Caster, at your service."

"Then where's your Master?" Hadrian asked.

"Dead," Caster said. "So I am about to deplete my mana reserves, and with it, my existence. You two are Magi?"

"I am a Magus, and Hadrian here is…well, he's Magus-trained," Sakura said.

Hadrian, after some debate, took a vial from his jacket pocket, and handed it to Caster. On her suspicious look, Hadrian said, "It helps replenish mana. I don't know whether it'll help a Servant, but…"

Caster took it and downed it after a brief hesitation. She grimaced, but seemed to straighten. "Hmm. Not bad, boy. Hadrian, was it? And you, girl?"

"Sakura Matou."

After some debate, Hadrian and Sakura decided to take Caster to Ryuudou Temple for now. While Hadrian could Apparate home (well, that's what the wizards of that other Earth called his teleportation ability), he also knew the monks would be amenable to allowing a stranger to stay for a time. In addition, just as they began helping Caster up the stairs, Kuzuki showed up, and helped them.

Soon, they were in Kuzuki's room, Caster sitting, contemplating a cup of tea that Kuzuki had made. For all the man's stoicism and lack of emotion, he was a considerate host, even if that was done to camouflage his nature rather than out of true goodwill. Hadrian and Sakura had explained, albeit in brief, what Caster's appearance meant.

Kuzuki opted to leave them alone for now. And they were alone with a Servant. "Before either of us agree to make a contract with you," Hadrian said, "I want to know who you are and why your Master died."

"And what makes you think that I would tell you anything, boy?" Caster asked.

"Well, you're an honest and forthright soul, I would imagine," Hadrian joked. "And in any case, while I'm not a priest, I do work for the Church. Maybe this could be a confessional? A bit big for one, really, but still…"

"Oh? And if I say anything objectionable, how would you stop me? I may be low on mana, boy, but I am still a Servant."

"And?" Hadrian said. "Like I said, I work for the Church. I'm an exorcise machine. And a Heroic Spirit can be exorcised. If you're a threat to my friends, then I will deal with you, or die trying."

That was a bit of a bluff. True, the Executors of the Burial Agency could exorcise spirits, possibly even Heroic Spirits, but Hadrian didn't know how. But his magic was powerful enough to be mistaken for magic from the Age of the Gods.

Caster seemed to debate with herself, before she sighed. "I'll answer your questions in reverse order. I killed my Master myself, a foolish Magus by the name of Atrum Galliasta."

Hadrian knew that name. "That smug hack of an alchemist? I heard he was involved in kidnapping people for his experiments, and only got away with it because of his connections. Not to mention not getting caught. How did he get chosen as a Master?"

"So you seem not upset by my killing him?"

"Just elucidate, please. Why did you kill him?"

"Well, the method he used to harvest mana offended me, for one thing. Indeed, I set free his prisoners after I killed him," Caster said. "In addition, he took offence to my claim that my abilities were far superior to his own, and that I could obtain mana more efficiently. Not to mention that he considered me worthless when he thought I could use an ability that I did not possess, not in this form. He had used his Command Seal to prevent me from attacking him, as my legend has something of a reputation, but I had a means around that. My Noble Phantasm. It can sever contracts and negate magecraft. I was able to break our contract."

"Is Atrum Galliasta that bad, Harry?" Sakura asked.

"Not as bad as your grandfather, but that's not saying much. He was still heavily involved in human trafficking, even if nobody could prove it. Why Bazett tolerates him as a colleague is beyond me," Hadrian said. "Okay, so your Master wasn't the best. So, who are you? Well, were you, I mean."

Again, Caster seemed to debate with herself, before she admitted, "Medea of Colchis."

After a moment, Hadrian looked at Sakura, before remarking, "Well, Jason was definitely a fucking idiot. Then again, the Ancient Greeks were known for their misogyny, weren't they? Well, except for the Spartans, and even then, there was the whole Helot thing, and throwing babies off a cliff if they looked sickly. So, what do you reckon, Sakura?"

The two of them read up on history and myth, partly to know something about possible Heroic Spirits. And while Medea's tale painted her as the villain, she pretty much helped Jason get the damned Golden Fleece, betrayed her family for him…and she got screwed over. So while Hadrian would be cautious of her, he also knew better than to think of her as a pure villain.

Sakura, after a moment, made the decision. "I had better make the contract. Better not let your eyes stray, after all." Her tone was jesting, though. Although Sakura was wholly devoted to Hadrian, she was open to another relationship with the right girl or woman. Then again, they were too young to have a relationship with Medea. She was at least a decade their senior if not more.

"You are fine with being my Master?" Medea asked, curious. "Despite knowing who I am?"

"I know what it is like to be betrayed by those who should love me," Sakura said softly. "Or for a hero to fail me. Though Uncle Kariya at least tried. I have two heroes to look after me: Hadrian and Shirou. We will fight together until the final stages of the Grail War."

After a moment, Medea nodded. "You are a fool for believing in heroes, but I like your boyfriend already." She tittered. "I've never heard a single person say that Jason was a 'fucking idiot', and vulgar though that was, it was both amusing and gratifying."

"Sakura's the only person, apart from Shirou, who thinks I'm a hero," Hadrian said. "I'm just a half-baked trash collector who deals with rogue Magi and Dead Apostles. But I also try to consider both sides of the argument. That's why I'm giving you a chance, Medea. Even if I have another Servant, we can be allies until the final stages, and even then, I refuse to hurt Sakura."

"Hmm. Well, that's interesting. Your bonds aside, it's not unusual for Masters to target other Masters. But you have principles?"

"Let's just put it this way. I like pissing people off, but killing them? I only kill those who deserve it…or who need a merciful end. Though some I prolong the end of. If there's any other Masters like your former Master, I'd happily deal with them."

"You should see what he did to the man responsible for kidnapping us recently," Sakura said, before smiling. It was a somewhat dark smile. "He got…creative."

Medea raised an eyebrow, and smirked. "Did he? You know, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship, you two…"

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Sakura's got Medea, which means no 'gas leaks'. But who'll get the other Servants? More to the point, which one will Hadrian get?

No numbered annotations this time.