CHAPTER 10:
THE FIRST DATE
When she looked back on that day, Morgan was mortified that she did such a thing. She was usually good at keeping a lid on her whims and impulses, and yet, to act on one of them embarrassed her considerably. As if she was one of the very Fae she hated in the Lostbelt. And he could have said no, and been well within his rights to.
That he at least tentatively agreed did little to mitigate her later embarrassment. Especially as she made such a proposal in such a macabre setting, next to the corpse of the girl who should have been her daughter, in one of a number of her counterpart's Workshops. Luckily it wasn't one of the others: that would have made things worse. The one that was once part of Lot's castle was actually one of the least atrocious ones, at least in terms of items kept there. But she should have thought better.
Then again, she had wanted to show him the worst she could potentially sink to. The darkness that lay within her. She may not have sunk to the depths of her Standard History counterpart, or her other half, but the potential was still there, and some of her acts could potentially be construed as cruel, and with good reason. His agreement in spite of it heartened her a little, despite the embarrassment in retrospect.
Some part of her railed against her doing this. That part exclaimed vociferously that she was simply replacing Uther in her affections, that she was acting as capriciously as the very Fae she despised. But she also knew Uther would want her to move on. He had asked her to do so prior to that bloody farce of a wedding to Mab, and if she could speak to his spirit, he would do the same, she was sure.
True, reviving him through the Holy Grail was a possibility, assuming that that someone who died in a Lostbelt reached Akasha, and that Akasha in that timeline could be reached by a Grail in another. Yet that may require both Heaven's Feel and Kaleidoscope, and she wasn't sure the Grail could achieve two True Magics at once. And even if it could, she knew enough cautionary tales about wish-granting artifacts to be cautious.
And in the end, she needed to move on. Uther once told her that she wanted to keep things the same, even though intellectually, she knew that change was needed. The Lostbelt was stagnant, the only changes occurring due to the whims of the Fae and whatever transdimensional flotsam and jetsam washed up there. Fae Britain was supposed to end, and she was meant to be its psychopomp, its reaper, the one ringing the bells to signal its end. But she couldn't bring herself to do so.
Well, what was done was done. She had made her choices, and she would have to live with them. And she had a happier life here than she did in her Lostbelt.
Still, how to court him properly? True, most conventions dictated that the man took the woman on dates, not the other way around, but she had never been one to stand on convention of late. And there was the fact that modern methods of courting differed somewhat from either the Lostbelt or Arthurian times. While an outing or meals were still part of the courting process, most of what she knew about modern courting came from Beryl Gut's memories, and that was not a good thing to dig into.
And then, she had an intriguing idea upon seeing an advertisement in the newspaper…
"They are currently rerunning a film known as Life of Brian in a nearby cinema at this moment," Morgan said to Harry one day. "Have you ever watched it?"
"No. I've heard of it, but that's it. I think Dudley watched it during a holiday."
"Hmm. Beryl Gut watched it, but seeing it in admittedly fragmentary memories is different to watching it in the cinema," Morgan said. "We have a VCR and a TV, and obtaining it on VHS should be easy, but I am curious to see what the big attraction is of a cinema. I've already sampled something of this world's popular culture at home, but I thought this could count towards our courting. A shame there aren't more things on DVD yet. And Blu-Ray doesn't exist, assuming it is invented in this timeline."
"…Sorry, is this your way of asking me on a date?"
"I suppose so," Morgan said, puffing out a sigh from an annoyed pout. "Courting is harder than I thought…"
Harry did accept, partly because he did want to experience a proper date, and partly because he was curious about the film. It was the most famous of the Monty Python films, and he'd never gotten to watch it. Then again, Dudley and Vernon preferred violent action flicks and horror films.
He was glad he did accept it. It was a fun and funny romp, raised some very good questions about religion, and as sad as the ending was, the song at the end helped matters. Plus, he identified with Brian somewhat, thrust into the role of a messiah without any say in the matter.
As they had lunch afterwards, Morgan nodded after he mentioned this, having set up a Privacy Charm. "It was one of the reasons I had wanted to see it. One of Beryl Gut's few virtues was his enjoyment of the comedy of this era. Though there are films that may be coming out that intrigue me. The Matrix is one, though I'm not sure if it will come out in this timeline. In any case, while Brian's story was a tragicomedy, I saw our own stories reflected dimly." Morgan then chuckled. "Though I will admit, those jokes were pretty good. My Standard History counterpart grew up at a time when Latin was often required for education, so she would appreciate the 'Romans Go Home' scene. I certainly did, thanks to her memories. One of the few positive things they granted me."
At this, her expression became morose. "But you hate having those memories?" Harry asked.
"I hate them…and yet, they saved my life. Had I not had them, I would have died with the Rain Clan," Morgan said. "I learned much in the way of magic from them. And yet, my counterpart's actions and memories are so odious, so hateful…if she had done things mostly out of duty to the Mystery of Britain, to oppose Arturia because of that, I would understand it better. But no, so many of her actions were out of selfish, petty spite. Because she believed, albeit not without reason, that she was born to rule Britain, and her father and sister robbed her of that. I can understand her hatred of Uther Pendragon and Merlin to some degree, but Arturia, just as I was, assumed an onerous duty. She could have ruled better, but I doubt Morgan le Fay could have done better than her sister. So, I feel ambivalent about having her memories."
"…I suppose that's life, a mixture of the good and bad," Harry said.
Morgan hummed thoughtfully. "True enough," she conceded. "But our lives…we have both been struggling to find more good to outweigh our bad experiences. I suppose that is why I wanted to try courting you, to try and make more good memories. True, we could end up remaining just friends, but I doubt any break-up will be acrimonious enough to give either of us too many bad memories. Still…I think on occasion, we should bring the others on such outings, especially Baobhan Sith. As bad as our lives have been, hers has been worse. A cruel cycle of exploitation and murder, simply because she was altruistic and drank human blood. She is my daughter now, and she deserves some better memories."
Harry nodded. It took him a while to warm to the idea, but he eventually ended up feeding the redhead Fae a little of his blood not that long ago. It helped that she didn't actually need to drink blood, it just boosted her reserves and made her a little more powerful. It also helped that Baobhan Sith was a genuinely decent person. True, she had some of the caprices of a Fae, had a few worrisome moments where she vowed a bloody and prolonged end to someone, and had a tendency to panic at the drop of a hat, and not just due to trauma. But when she was calm, she was gentle and kind, and she liked listening to his stories about his life.
True, both Barghest and Melusine were interested in them too, as was Totorot and Ector (though the gruff Earth Clan Fae wasn't as interested as the others). But Melusine preferred to go off flying (though Morgan had to have her wear a Mystic Code in the form of a ring to shield her from radar and prevent her from running into aircraft). Barghest was considerably warmer than Melusine, acting like a big sister to Harry, but she wasn't as invested in his story as Baobhan Sith was.
In some ways, Baobhan Sith reminded him painfully of Ginny. Like she was starry-eyed fan. But unlike Ginny, Baobhan Sith seemed to accept that Harry was only human, that trouble tended to find him rather than the other way around. True, it wasn't like Ginny was a rabid fangirl, only that she seemed to think Harry was something he was not.
"Maybe we should take her to a theme park or something?" Harry asked. "Blackpool Pleasure Beach? One of the Disney theme parks? Universal Studios? We could go to a lot of the overseas ones through magical travel."
"I'll consider it," Morgan said. "Though don't forget zoos. I'm curious about the one in London at Regent's Park. And there are museums, of course. Educational and yet enjoyable. I just wanted entertainment for our first date, hence the film. And we will go on occasion with company, but that would be a family outing of sorts, not a date."
"…Family outing?"
"Well, our little enclave has become like a family of sorts, albeit of choice rather than by blood," Morgan said. "Baobhan Sith is my daughter in all but blood, after all. I view them as my kin rather than my subjects and soldiers. Of course, if you'd like to invite a few of your friends and loved ones, I'll consider it. I do not intend to exclude them from your life."
Well, the main thing preventing Harry from visiting was simply the isolation of the manor on Orkney, and they had made visits to see the Tonks-Lupin family, and Hermione and Luna had made a trip since then, accompanied by Zelretch. The Weasleys, not so much: after what happened between him and Ron, Harry's only communication with them were letters, though at least Molly seemed to be forgiving, along with Fred. But he wasn't up to visiting yet, not when Ron or Percy could be present.
But a family outing, huh? It was odd of Morgan to put it like that, but it was still quite apt, quite fitting. It just seemed odd. Harry had only known Morgan and her Tam Lin (outside of Totorot and Ector, anyway) for a month. Even the glimpses he had of her memories only did so much to have him know her, let alone reading the books Totorot wrote. And there was no getting away from the fact that she was an alternate timeline counterpart to Morgan le Fay.
Yet he had to admit, he was growing closer to her, as a friend if nothing else. This was more of an experiment, to see if they could take things up a notch. True, that was her idea more than anything, but given his attraction to her, his objections were more due to their relatively short acquaintance.
"Yeah, why not?" he said. "I mean, having family outings, though let's just call them outings, for now. I'm still not sure what place I have with you and the Tam Lin yet."
"Are you still worried about that? Whatever path you choose, as long as it does not hurt me or mine with malice, you always have a place with us." Her pale hand reached across to his own hand, and gently touched it. "Remember that, always."
Harry nodded. "…And the Holy Grail War?"
"We still have time to consider whether we get ourselves involved or not," Morgan said. "Plenty of time. And before you ask, why we, it's because if you do decide to join, so will we. Ector, Totorot, Barghest and Melusine are capable warriors, potentially capable of fighting Servants, and I daresay I can fight them too. Even Baobhan Sith could be, with the right training, though I will only train her to fight if she wishes to learn. And of course, I will be training you, regardless of whether or not you decide to join the Grail War. You may know how to fight, and fairly well, but I want you to be better." She looked down at where her plate had been before the waiter took it away. "I do not wish to lose anyone else if I can help it, at least not to the malice of others."
"You won't, Morgan. I'll do what I can to stay alive, for all of my friends, and make sure they stay alive as well," he said. Unspoken were the words, That means you as well.
True, their power far eclipsed his own. They were Fae, Elementals born from the Inner Sea of this world, and even in a diminished alternate timeline, their power was potent. Yet Morgan and her Tam Lin didn't act like they were better than humans. Well, Barghest proclaimed her strength, and considered Harry weak, but it was more of a fact than an arrogant proclamation, and she didn't really look down at Harry at all for it. She simply wanted him to better himself, as did Morgan.
And he appreciated it, he really did. Because she wasn't invested in the Boy Who Lived like too many people in his life were. She helped him because she knew something of what he went through. That, and, he hoped, because at her core, she was a good person, a heroic person who, even after denouncing being a chosen hero, still strived to do some good for the world.
It's why he went along with this. Because maybe, just maybe, her notion that they could both have some romance had some merit. True, there was a massive age-gap, they were different species entirely, and Morgan had gone through a hell of a lot more than he had. But every relationship had its quirks. And she did say she was only testing the waters, and that was fine by him.
They didn't know it, but soon, developments in more than their relationship would eventuate. A crisis in Japan would lead them on a collision course with two of the Founding Families of the Holy Grail War. And things wouldn't be the same ever again…
CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:
So, a first date, a movie, and Morgan and Harry being somewhat awkward.
Now, choosing the movie was actually a touch difficult. I wanted to choose something that had been released prior to September 1998, which this chapter is set during, something likely to come back into cinemas, thematically appropriate, and that Harry was unlikely to have seen at the Dursleys, even if only through the cupboard door's grill. I decided against the likes of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Robocop for those reasons. Jurassic Park didn't seem quite right, and I'm not sure how either Harry or Morgan would have reacted to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Hence Life of Brian. It was funny, it had themes about messiahship, and it's an iconic film. Plus, I don't see Dudley or Vernon watching it. Petunia, maybe, but I dunno.
Anyway, I've decided to have a timeskip of a few months to December, where a pivotal event in Fate/Zero's backstory takes place. And where the destinies of a certain family are changed forever…
Review-answering time! TheManiacalMadman: True enough. As much as I love Nasuverse Mordred as a character, it'll complicate matters too much, especially as Saber Arturia is going to be reacting somewhat badly to this Morgan's presence. Remember, PHH Morgan raped Arturia. True, Morgan may have been under a glamour, or else hypnotising Arturia, but the very thought of that had traumatised Arturia and prevented her from reconciling with Mordred.
Planar-Walking-Entertainment: You're reading too much into it. I have it as my headcanon in a lot of my Potterverse/Nasuverse crossovers that Harry is indeed a descendent of Arturia, or at least of Morgan or a relation like Uther or Vortigern. But he's not a reincarnation. As for Mordred reacting to her stepfather, it'd take her time to accept Lostbelt Morgan in the first place, but after a long, long time, she'd accept her new parents. Much adorable cuddling would ensue.
WearyCurmudgeon: While I understand some of the reasons, when you look at her character, many of McGonagall's bashable moments are reasonable for a strict teacher, and someone who is too enamoured with Dumbledore's greatness (and she is far from the only one to drink the Dumbledore Kool-Aid). Her worst moments, IMO, were in Year 1 (specifically the bit about the detentions) and Year 5 (where she was scared of Umbridge). So I tend to detest stories that simply bash her rather than try to reconstruct her.
As for what I did to Umbridge, thanks. I try to make her undergo ghastly ends in my fics. She's like Mary Whitehouse as an even more evil bitch. As for Peter Parker not being a journalist, Wikipedia disagrees with you, as he is listed as a reporter as well as a journalist, suggesting he actually does write copy, though I admittedly forgot that detail that he only took photos. I actually thought he ended up doing write-ups for the Bugle.
And you're right, I hate the fanon idea that Harry's blood somehow retains the Basilisk venom and/or Fawkes' tears. How that bloody stupid idea (pun unintended but welcome) came about, I have no idea, but that's not how blood works, let alone venom and antidotes.
Also, regarding Scathach's hair, her hair seems to be more mahogany-coloured as a Lancer. Yes, it has a slight purple tinge, especially as Scathach-Skadi or in Fate/Extella Link. But I wouldn't call it purple.
Guest: They'd returned to an area without the Fidelius, to Dozmary Manor in Orkney, which is on the other side of the UK to Whistable. So no, I did not make a mistake.
No numbered annotations this time.