So, here's the second chapter of the revised version of my Harry/Eto story. I've posted this and the revised version of the first chapter simultaneously, so if you want to go back and check the previous chapter, feel free. There isn't much changed, save for Harry actually being purged of the potion that suppressed his One-Eyed Ghoul nature, as I felt that Harry wouldn't have voluntarily undertaken such a task.

Now, Harry and Eto's behaviour will raise some eyebrows here, but there's a few things to keep in mind. The first is that Harry is rather like Ken at the beginning of Tokyo Ghoul canon. But unlike Ken, who is more passive and wimpy, Harry, particularly as he is reaching Year 5, where his anger issues came to the fore, will react angrily. Plus, there's self-loathing in there. He doesn't want to be a flesh-eating monster and alienate his friends. But he's also conflicted. On the one hand, his mother is a Ghoul. On the other, he has his mother back, something he's wanted all his life.

Eto is resentful because, well, Harry, as far as she is concerned, lived a life of luxury as a normal human, and while this is tempered when she learns of the Dursleys and the cupboard, she also thinks she has more to whine about. It's a bit like how Touka reacts to Ken's own rants when he calls her a monster.

Don't worry, the two will come to terms with each other. Eto will be the one to reach out, and give Harry an opportunity to vent.

I was wondering what the theme should be for this story. Of course, I reckon Unravel, but which version? As much as I love Jonathan Young and NateWantsToBattle's English covers (and I personally think Young's cover is the superior one), I think AmaLee's version works for this story better.

SIC GORGIAMUS ALLOS SUBJECTATOS NUNC (REVISED)

CHAPTER 2:

RAGE AND RESENTMENT

Lily Potter, for she remembered her name and much of her past now, was striding down the corridors of the Aogiri Tree in a foul mood. She then saw a figure ahead of her, both welcome and not. A hulking figure dressed in a high-collared white coat, with pale skin and hair, red eyes, much of his lower face concealed by a crimson mask. A single eyebrow raised asked a question the stoic and laconic Ghoul didn't have to speak out loud. It didn't go well?

"I was doing well enough until Eto decided to drop him in it. Then again, I'm not sure how well he would have taken it anyway. I debated with myself whether to give him the Purging Potion, bring out his true nature…but I felt that if I waited until he gave his consent, I'd be waiting forever. I had to Stun him. He tried attacking us with magic," Lily said.

"A bittersweet reunion. Then again, he has not met you for a decade and a half."

"I know, I know. I used my kakuja to create a decoy, filled it with enough lifeforce and magic to trigger the protection ritual. But even then, the magical backlash nearly killed me. I swear, I'm going to wipe out those bastards in the Department of Mysteries. Both here and in Britain. They were the ones who locked me up, potioned me to block my memories. James is dead, I've been out of the loop for over a decade, and my son thinks I'm an impostor AND a monster. I doubt I'll be able to get him to drink the Purging Potion I suspect he needs. He's probably lived like a human for these past years, without knowing he is a One-Eyed Ghoul like me. If I unleash his true nature…he may not forgive me. Being a Ghoul means being cursed by a monstrous hunger and pursued by the CCG, after all."

"How would his Ghoul hunger be suppressed?" Tatara asked, apparently out of curiosity.

"If they have magic, I think it could theoretically happen with the right potion. Basically, you make the magical core's output suppress his hunger, at least as a Ghoul. But it'd need to be alchemical to linger in the body long enough. But it must have had some sort of side effects. He looks too scrawny and short. He should be nearly sixteen by now, and yet, he looks too short. Or maybe his guardians neglected them, though that would imply Sirius or Remus were unable to." She snarled quietly. "…That's probably what happened. Sirius probably got blamed for that rat's treachery, and Remus, given the anti-werewolf sentiment in Britain, would have been jailed or executed if he went near Harry. But what about Frank and Alice?" She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud."

Tatara nodded almost imperceptibly. "Your son will have to accept his nature soon. He will have to embrace his strength."

"I know. In fact, I know this better than anyone here. Because there's a very real possibility that the man James gave his life to try and stop may still be alive." On Tatara's look, she said, "He was a warlock of immense power and a desire for immortality. Lord Voldemort. If he's used means of keeping himself alive, he may have come back to life. I'll need to speak with my son…if he will talk with me."

Tatara nodded. He had no comforting words to give. He viewed such things as fripperies. But he also was loyal, powerful, and he was willing to go along with the ideology of Aogiri Tree, if it meant dealing with the CCG, the Dove who killed his family, and the power behind them, the Washuu clan. "If you need me to train your son, when he is ready, I will." And with that, Tatara left.

But will he ever be ready? Lily thought to herself. The body of her child, she had noticed, had clearly been through much. A wound on his arm from some sort of blade, bruises, exhaustion, and a faint quivering that she now recognised as long-term exposure to the Cruciatus. He'd been in a battle for his life. But would he trust them?

Eto looked down at the boy who was, in a way, her step-brother. The biological child of Lily, her mother. And she was struggling with mixed feelings.

Admittedly, she was glad that not only Lily had regained her memories, but that she had regained her family. And she had to admit, Harry was a cutie, easy on the eyes. A bit scrawny, but she didn't mind. Plus, he read her books, which always cheered her up. And his smell…like Lily's comforting smell, and yet, with another edge, more human, pleasant and delicious.

But there was also some resentment there. If Harry's reaction was any indication, he was no different from most of the rest of humanity, believing Ghouls to be monsters. And he certainly starting firing off spells, and Eto ducked down, letting Lily Stun him. Because she knew that if she tried to restrain him, she might break him in her annoyance.

Stupid spoiled brat. Probably lived like a human in the lap of luxury, or at least with normal people, without having the fear of the CCG hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles, let alone other Ghouls, especially those into cannibalising their own kind. Not like she or Lily could talk: they had eaten their own kind to develop kakujas, but still…he didn't know what it was like to grow up a Ghoul. To be hunted just for existing. Even had a better life than Juuzou, she bet.

It was with these thoughts Eto had in mind when Harry stirred, his eyes focusing on her in revulsion, hatred, anger and wariness. "Whatever you're going to say, my dear little stepbrother, I'd suggest stowing it for now. Because whatever you're going to say to me is not going to impress me one jot."

"Why would I need to impress you?" Harry demanded. "My friends are in trouble, I'm in bloody Japan, and even if that is my mother, she's a Ghoul!"

"A One-Eyed Ghoul, to be precise, and we are too," Eto said, activating her kakugan to emphasise the point. He already had his active.

"I'm not a Ghoul, One-Eyed or otherwise!" Harry snapped.

"Yes, and I'm sure denial actually is an Egyptian river," Eto said, rolling her eyes. "What that means is that we don't need to eat human flesh as often as other Ghouls, you idiot. In fact, we can even eat normal food. Oh, what, you're going to wail and gnash your teeth? I'm sure whatever your childhood was, it's nothing compared to mine."

Harry fixed her with a look. "…I was living with my aunt and uncle. Until I was eleven, my bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs. They had me be their servant and beat me if I showed up their precious little Dudley or did anything freakish."

Eto blinked. She…wasn't expecting that. It sounded ridiculously outlandish, like some modern perversion of Cinderella, and yet, she reckoned he was telling the truth. Still, self-righteous anger had her press forward. "…My mother was murdered by my own father, and he left me in the 24th Ward. Do you know what that means? Hell. A sentence of death, even for a Ghoul, let alone a normal human. The 24th Ward of Tokyo is a warzone, literally Ghoul eat Ghoul at times. That I survived there was partly down to luck, and partly down to the fact that our mother, along with my guardian Norio, helped me stay alive until I was strong enough to stand alongside them. We can go on comparing childhood horror stories in some stupid contest like some idiot men comparing dick sizes, but I can guarantee, I'd win every time."

"You kill people to eat," Harry retorted.

Eto scoffed. "While I have, it doesn't mean all Ghouls do so. I know quite a few Ghouls who scavenge from suicide victims. We actually fed you with the corpse of one, actually, just to make sure your hunger wasn't going to flare up, because a hungry Ghoul is little more than a rabid beast. Think of it as an unorthodox form of organ donation. Besides, our policy here is to go more after criminals, yakuza, murderers, rapists and paedophiles. Anyway, do you think our mother abandoned you willingly? I don't think so. When we first met her, she'd clearly escaped from some sort of laboratory, probably CCG. She couldn't remember anything about who she was. It even took her nearly a year to remember her first name. She was probably kidnapped and experimented upon. She is the only reason that I have maintained any vestige of sanity or morality, even hope. Regardless, you're one of us, you have always been one of us, and denying that is only going to end with your death."

"…Then I'd rather die than become a monster. Not like Voldemort, and not like you."

Eto scowled, before slapping him, his face snapping to the side. "And not like our mother?"

"…She's not my mother. Not if she's a Ghoul."

God, it's like talking to a brick wall, Eto thought exasperatedly. The door then opened, and Lily stepped through. "Good timing," Eto said. "I've had enough with him at the moment. I'm gonna go and work on my next book…"

Harry watched the thing that claimed to be his stepsister storm out. And the thing that wore his mother's form sigh. "Sorry about Eto. She's a bit like a saner Bellatrix Lestrange…not that you'd know who that is."

Harry remained silent, watching her warily. Eventually, she sighed quietly, and asked, "Harry…I know this is hard…but I need to know. Who raised you? Remus? Sirius? The Longbottoms?"

"…No. No, I was left with the Dursleys."

"…No…no, this wasn't in our will, we explicitly said you were not to be made their ward," she said, looking angry and horrified. "Petunia…she never knew what I was. I managed to keep it from her. But she hated magic, well, she was jealous. She wanted to have magic, but never did, and…what did she did to you?"

She reached out with her hand to touch his cheek. His first instinct was to bat it away…except it wasn't just repulsion within him, but a desire, to know that his mother lived, that she was here, Ghoul or not. So he let her touch his cheek. Quietly, he said, "I was their House Elf. My bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs. That's where my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to, The Cupboard Under the Stairs."

She suddenly grasped his head, staring into his eyes with horror and anger. "…She didn't," she murmured. "I knew Tuney was a spiteful cow, but…she knew I would look after Dudley if anything happened to her, and…oh, God, Harry!" She hugged him tight. He stiffened under the embrace, unsure whether he wanted to break free or just enjoy the embrace.

Then, after a moment, she broke it off, her eyes glistening with tears. "…What happened to you? You ended up appearing in our kitchen during breakfast, and you had the corpse of an older boy there. And before you ask, we've put him into cold storage, we're not going to eat him. You were clutching onto some trophy, and you look like you've been through the wringer. You've even been subjected to the Cruciatus, haven't you?"

Harry nodded, before he said, "…He's back. Voldemort's back. I need to warn them…"

"…Voldemort? So that bastard is still alive…" She looked at Harry. "…Harry, I know you must be going through a lot. I know you are angry and fearful about what you just learned. But I promise you this: I am your mother. You may think you can't trust a Ghoul, but…"

"Just go," Harry said bleakly. "I just…I can't process this. You're a Ghoul. If you really are my mother, you're still a monster. And you've turned me into one. You fed me flesh while I was asleep."

"…I'm sorry. I really am."

"…No. No, you're not. I'd rather die than become a monster like you."

Harry told himself he imagined her tears, imagined her affection. Because she was a Ghoul. Because he needed to deny that he too was a monster…

Later that night, Lily took out her phone, a burner phone, and dialled a certain number. After it was picked up, she heard, "Commission for Countering Ghouls, London Branch, Special Operative Hotline. Please state name and ID number."

"This is the Mongoose, SO-8-LE. Password: Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc."

"Just a moment," the voice said, bored…until suddenly, it came back, surprised. "…Wait, what? Uhh…seriously? You were declared dead back in '91."

"I got better. Long story short, Unspeakables happened. Was made into their guinea pig and transferred to Japan. Escaped there. Only recovered memories hours ago, and even then, they're still spotty."

"…Seriously? Those guys caught the Mongoose? I heard tales of the shit you got up to against the Death Eaters. I was in the Aurors, but I got kicked out because of clumsiness, supposedly….wait…don't tell me…is that you, Lily? It's Tonks!"

"Tonks? What, Andy?"

"No, her daughter. Just call me Tonks, okay? Shit, Lily…you're still alive?"

"Yes. It's a long story. Tonks, I need to know…what happened to my son?"

"…It's a long story, and you're probably paying international charges. I'm gonna go rouse my boss and see if he can help…"

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Harry and Eto have had a rocky start to their relationship, and Harry's in denial. Keep in mind, if you think he's being cruel to Lily and Eto, he's basically like Ken at the beginning of Tokyo Ghoul. Also, Tonks is at the London CCG…and they know and have allied with Lily before…okay, what?

No numbered annotations this time.