[FF] Trinity VII: The Twilight (Type-Moon/Harry Potter X-over)

[YamiheKazeto]

Well, rewriting an entire series like this, I had to take the long term into account - so of course, they were bound to interact, grow, and change. Not just themselves, but the people around them, and beyond the "smash the evil ones" actions they took as they went, as well.

Which is really refreshing from the usual "I'll change the main character to one from the story I chose, or to my self-insert, and show how awesome they are without changing any scenes" which gets somewhat annoying as soon as the so-called butterfly of doom ought to start changing things due to different outcomes of past scenes. A fun example are people who write "Zero no Tsukaima"/"Familiar of Zero" fan fiction in which their inserted character was capable of helping Louise with her wedding speech, and yet they still go adventuring because the author has no idea how to build on situation in which they wouldn't get the zero fighter and the initial invasion succeeded, even for just some time, due to Louise not being present in the village of Tarbes at the time.

And one of the main reasons I don't want them dimension-jumping again is simple: who do I leave behind? Short of transporting a huge swath of magical London to another world, it just wouldn't work (and even then, that would leave Arc, the Delacours, and possibly others behind). Otherwise, the Scarlet Seven get separated their families - and if the jump is made in a combat situation, Ai, as well. Would you really want Ilya to grieve the loss of her baby? Or Iris and Ciel the loss of theirs?

Well, it's not that hard for me to actually make that choice. But then again, I can be a genuine sadist when it comes to characters in my stories (one of the stories I'm currently writing does end with the main character being utterly broken and going over the morality horizon because of that).

But if you asked me, I'd send the original three, with Ilya, leaving everyone alone. And then do it again and use the problems of Galen becoming concerned due to the supposedly never-ending jumps, Takara becoming concerned with well-being of her family due to less of its counterparts being present in some universes, and Ilya becoming afraid to form a family again and Shirou having to deal with it (and not exactly succeeding at first). But then again, you aren't likely to go into that direction and I already stated I'm a sadist when it comes to that sort of thing so taking my advice is likely a bad thing.

No - better to leave this "as is." If you'd like to see something in the Potterverse twisted again, there's always the Grail Works . . .

Well, that is true...

The brackets, I can handle - but the wall of text was a bit much to wade through. Breaking it up a little would've helped, but I made it anyway.

Sorry about that - it's hard to divide it if it's all just one sentence. But I'll try to be more merciful in the future.

[Kieran]

Which is really refreshing from the usual "I'll change the main character to one from the story I chose, or to my self-insert, and show how awesome they are without changing any scenes" which gets somewhat annoying as soon as the so-called butterfly of doom ought to start changing things due to different outcomes of past scenes.

I ran role-playing game scenarios for years. I admit that it took me a while to get the hang of adapting and not running things off a rote script - but once you've done it often enough and long enough, you're conditioned into examining the consequences of potential paths. And actually, it's a really nice skill to have, as a writer.

A fun example are people who write "Zero no Tsukaima"/"Familiar of Zero" fan fiction in which their inserted character was capable of helping Louise with her wedding speech, and yet they still go adventuring because the author has no idea how to build on situation in which they wouldn't get the zero fighter and the initial invasion succeeded, even for just some time, due to Louise not being present in the village of Tarbes at the time.

Wow - even with just the fanfic versions of the invasion that I've encountered, I could think of lots of interesting ways to handle that. The obvious one, of course, is simply that they lose. That alone has a lot of story potential . . . But we're getting off-topic.

Well, it's not that hard for me to actually make that choice. But then again, I can be a genuine sadist when it comes to characters in my stories (one of the stories I'm currently writing does end with the main character being utterly broken and going over the morality horizon because of that).

But if you asked me, I'd send the original three, with Ilya, leaving everyone alone. And then do it again and use the problems of Galen becoming concerned due to the supposedly never-ending jumps, Takara becoming concerned with well-being of her family due to less of its counterparts being present in some universes, and Ilya becoming afraid to form a family again and Shirou having to deal with it (and not exactly succeeding at first). But then again, you aren't likely to go into that direction and I already stated I'm a sadist when it comes to that sort of thing so taking my advice is likely a bad thing.

In this case, at least, yes. I'm still aiming for a happy ending, and that wouldn't be. Not after they've set down the roots that they have, at least.

Well, that is true...

And Kurai would handle things somewhat differently than Galen would - for example, he's more likely to beat the living hell out of a wizard, rather than resort to a wand. Or use throwing knives - hard to curse someone with a blade in your trachea. Likewise, the Grail Works' Shirou would be quite different from Trinity's, being more "Shirou" than "Archer." And as for Takara . . .

Well, if you don't read "Extra/Ordinary Legacies," do so - and you'll see.

Sorry about that - it's hard to divide it if it's all just one sentence. But I'll try to be more merciful in the future.

Thank you.

[JxK]

And as for Takara...

Takara is always awesome. Different versions are merely awesome in different ways.

P.S. We're still waiting on that threesome (romantic) lemon.

P.P.S. Will Legacies Takara be jealous of Nero's "endowments"? Compared to most people, Takara has little to be jealous of. But on the other hand, Nero is a few cup sizes larger than most.

[Kieran]

Takara is always awesome. Different versions are merely awesome in different ways.

That's the hope.

P.S. We're still waiting on that threesome (romantic) lemon.

In which series?

Never mind. Short explanation: if it's "Trinity," then I'm waiting for a suitably dramatic (and/or romantic) moment. And if it's "Extra/Ordinary Legacies" - give me a break, I just started!

P.P.S. Will Legacies Takara be jealous of Nero's "endowments"? Compared to most people, Takara has little to be jealous of. But on the other hand, Nero is a few cup sizes larger than most.

I'm not sure - I don't think I've ever actually seen Nero's measurements written down anywhere.

[JxK]

That's the hope.




In which series?

Never mind. Short explanation: if it's "Trinity," then I'm waiting for a suitably dramatic (and/or romantic) moment. And if it's "Extra/Ordinary Legacies" - give me a break, I just started!




I'm not sure - I don't think I've ever actually seen Nero's measurements written down anywhere.

I was referring to the Trinity threesome, but thanks for the explanation.

As for Nero, there is actually a discrepancy in her appearance. There are two designers, Takashi Takeuchi and Arco Wada. One tends to draw Nero as having a relatively small sized (aka realistic) chest, while the other leans more towards a G-cup. Can't remember which does which though.

[YamiheKazeto]

As for Nero, there is actually a discrepancy in her appearance. There are two designers, Takashi Takeuchi and Arco Wada. One tends to draw Nero as having a relatively small sized (aka realistic) chest, while the other leans more towards a G-cup. Can't remember which does which though.

Wada is the one who draws her with two flesh balls in the front. I have no clue why would she be drawn that way outside of either "yay, let's make her different from Arturia" (which I don't think it's what they were aiming for) or "yay, let's make her assets more pronounced because it's a game" (which I don't think makes any sense but could be what they were aiming for).

[Kieran]

DISCLAIMER: Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon, along with anyone who's happened to license them, like Geneon or Funimation. Harry Potter and all related characters and concepts are the creation and property of J.K. Rowling, along with her publishers and Warner Bros., as regards the movie material.

This is a not-for-profit, just-for-fun project.



Writer's Note: Certain dialogue sequences in this story are lifted from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but I trust in the intelligence of my readers (and the availability of the books) to recognise them when they see them.



Chapter 11 – Ambitions, Achieved and Yet to Be



August 2 - 3, 1997






Compared to the majority of wizarding Britain, the Muggle-born Orientation Centres were remarkably open – unlike nearly everything else in the country, they wanted to be found. Of course, the International Statute of Secrecy still applied, so they hardly went trumpeting their nature to every soul that passed by, but the ease with which a comparative novice to the wizarding world could find one made them remarkable.

Dolores Jane Umbridge, onetime Senior Undersecretary to Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, needed no help in finding the Centres, of course. She had designed them, commissioned their construction, overseen their enchantment of each structure – this system was her magnum opus, her own child. She knew them as intimately as she knew herself.

Nevertheless, the woman who held the position of Assistant to the Head of the Department of Muggle Affairs (which, until the installation of Amelia Bones, had been seen as a dead-end post) came into the Centre with a look of trepidation on her face.

Sitting at a mahogany desk in the middle of the foyer was a receptionist – specifically, a half-blood witch, Ravenclaw class of 1979. Hardly the ideal choice, but it wouldn’t do to put Muggle-borns in charge of themselves, after all. And there was far more vital work that the purer of blood needed to see to than do the menial tasks of a mere clerk.

“Madam Umbridge,” greeted the receptionist gravely, and Dolores narrowed her eyes, scrutinising the tone for any hint of scorn, dislike or mockery. “What brings you by? You aren’t on the appointments docket today –”

“I hardly think I need an appointment,” Umbridge said in her sickeningly-sweet, you-have-disappointed-grandma voice. “And I suspect that your appointments docket would soon be worth less than the parchment it’s written on. The Ministry is under siege, and I’ve come to make certain that sensitive information housed here remains properly secured in the event that – Merlin forbid! – it falls.”

The receptionist looked appropriately horror-stricken.

Umbridge grimaced, though few people would ever realise it wasn’t her natural expression.

“An Auror will be arriving momentarily to add new security charms to the files – conduct him to the index room. I need some water to settle my stomach.”

Sure enough, bare moments after her supervisor (not her superior, the onetime-Ravenclaw thought resolutely) departed, the Auror did indeed show up as promised, and the receptionist showed him in without delay. Shortly thereafter, Umbridge joined him.

“Nearly done, Madam Umbridge,” said the Auror gruffly. “You’ll need to set a password.”

“Can you add a blood-seal, instead?” she asked suddenly, in a quieted voice – and with good reason. With very few exceptions, blood-based magic was heavily frowned upon. It created vampires, among other Dark creatures, for one thing. On the other hand, a security measure such as she was suggesting – for a Ministry property – was one of the approved uses, so it wasn’t technically a wrong thing to do, merely unusual.

“Aye, if you can find a Blood Quill . . .?”

The Auror’s expression was a tad perturbed over how quickly the receptionist arrived with one, but he said nothing. Instead, he cast the requisite spells, and the Ministry employee signed his name, barely even wincing as the thin writing mirrored itself on her hand.

“That should do for now, Madam,” he announced. “When things have settled a bit, we’ll add a few more people to the seal – until then, only you can open these records.”

“That will do,” she conceded. “Thank you for your prompt and competent help, Auror –?”

“Romulus,” he supplied. “Quirinius Romulus.”

She nodded absently, physically and mentally dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

And as the Auror strode out of the building, he found himself joined, half a block away, by a nondescript woman in a similar cloak – a sharp contrast to the pink wool cardigan she wore under it.

“If I ever have to wear this hideous thing again, I’m setting it on fire afterwards,” Tonks muttered.

“Doesn’t matter – what matters is that it worked,” came Shirou’s muffled voice, from a pocket inside the cloak, where the communication mirror was stashed.

“And the best part is,” he continued, “that even if Umbridge tries to undo the seal, it won’t work because she doesn’t have the Metamorphmagus quality in your blood – but every possible test will prove that she’s the one it’s keyed to. It ought to sow quite a bit of confusion . . . But in the meantime, that’s one centre down, and eleven to go – let’s get this done as quickly as we can, guys. Time’s a-wasting.”

Remus Lupin sighed. “I miss the days when practically all he ever said was, ‘Yes, Professor.’”

“Things are always changing, Remus,” his wife responded, with a definite edge in her voice. “It happens whether you want it to or not.”

“If babysitting is going to be involved in this at all, then it will only relate to Ai,” came an even sharper response from the communications mirror. “That being the case, I will dump you two back at base to look after her, so that Ilya and I can get the job done instead, if I hear one more word out of either of you that doesn’t relate to the mission at hand.”

“Yes, sir,” Tonks said in a clipped but caustic tone, adding sotto voce, “It’s bloody Mad-Eye all over again.”

“Believe it or not, my hearing’s pretty crazy, too,” was the rapid response. “Now, will you two get moving already?!”






Kitsune leaped out of her father’s arms as soon as they landed, taking details in as she hit the ground, and darting for the nearest available cover (in this case, a shadowed corner of a house) to process things properly. Unlike her dad, she wasn’t Disillusioned – but she was also small enough, and fast enough, to avoid notice if she was careful.

The remnants of the Potter cottage lay largely undisturbed, at least to her vulpine senses. She had a vague sense of magic surrounding it – having spent time around powerful witches and wizards, and in magic-dead areas, had given her that much of a refinement in determining the presence of magic, but not much more. Still, given that Godric’s Hollow was a mixed magical/mundane village, it might simply have been from the ambience of the other wizarding families in residence – or, most likely, what the Ministry termed a “Muggle-repelling ward.”

After all, they wouldn’t want them crawling through the ruins, and discovering who-knows-what – and it’s so much simpler than actually expending the effort to sanitise the site themselves.

The thought was sardonic, though Kitsune acknowledged that there were safety benefits to doing things this way – if nothing else, no children were get hurt exploring the wreck, as they’d be likely to do, otherwise. Well, no mundane children, at least – the magical ones were another matter, but given the inherent resilience of witches and wizards, it was more likely they’d survive any falls or damage they incurred. So she supposed that laziness paid its dividends, in this case.

The fox Animagus shook herself out of her thoughts – there was work to be done!

Like Hogsmeade, Godric’s Hollow was a village, and thus by definition, was not very large. Had all of the Weasleys descended on the place, they would’ve attracted attention (although to be honest, they tended to do that anywhere), but a single Disillusioned man and a quick-moving fox passed without notice. And that was even after you considered the fact that Arthur Weasley had no real stealth training whatsoever.

So the turmoil at the Ministry hasn’t reached here, yet, Kitsune noted. And no one’s on alert – which means there’s still time to – what was the phrase? “Toss the place?” But it’s better to be quick than sorry.

The cottage before her wasn’t the half-destroyed wreck shown in that movie – but that made perfect sense. Riddle hadn’t been defeated here, and there’d been no backlash of a reflected Killing Curse causing half the structure to be blown up. No, Riddle’s defeat had come weeks later, at the Longbottoms' – here, he’d been completely successful in his goal of killing young Harry Potter . . . And according to her friends, completely successful in his goal of creating his final Horcrux in the process.

Kitsune didn’t think they’d find the Horcrux in the house. While the Potter home wasn’t the national monument the trinity said it could have been (or was that, “would have been?” She hated time travel. It got all her tenses mixed up), it had been thoroughly searched by the DMLE. Riddle wouldn’t have left one of his precious soul containers anywhere it could’ve been easily found, nor wholly undefended – and even the Aurors would’ve been able to figure out something was up if they kept running into Dark curses and such at a crime scene. No, the Horcrux had obviously been moved, whatever it was. It would’ve had to be.

Which made its being Nagini all the easier to believe, the fox Animagus reflected. After all, she could’ve just slithered away to somewhere.

And instead, her friends were left trying to track down what it was, and where it was – questions which, to judge by Riddle’s past decisions, wouldn’t be easily answered.

I wonder why he didn’t put a Horcrux in the Chamber of Secrets – I mean, if he had time to go to the seventh floor and summon up the Room of Requirement, surely he could’ve slipped into Myrtle’s bathroom just as quickly.

As she considered it, the only mark against the idea was that he might’ve run into Myrtle herself while doing it, and she definitely would’ve talked. But really, it was no less risky than wandering up seven flights of stairs, in full view of the portraits and passing students or ghosts, to go into a little-used corner of the castle and summon up a room that no one else had supposedly ever seen. Anyone who had come across the door would’ve tried to investigate, after all, because there had never been a door there before. And then he would’ve had to make his way back, either to Dumbledore’s office for his “interview,” or out of the castle – and somebody could’ve noted him, then . . .

Really, to her way of thinking, the Chamber would’ve been an even more secure hiding place. For starters, no one had found it in a thousand years of searching, and Tom Riddle was arguably the only person capable of opening it – which was a great deal more secure than a room that no one had allegedly found, even though it was filled with junk.

And secondly, he could’ve laid any number of lethal traps, and they would’ve been put down to being set by Salazar Slytherin in his era – no one would’ve had any particular reason to think that Lord Voldemort was hiding something vital down there at all. In fact, anything found down there had a good chance of being preserved as a historical artefact, Dark magic aside. In which case, Riddle’s own enemies would’ve secured his soul anchor for him . . .

You’d think he would’ve appreciated the irony in that, she mused. It’s probably what Hermione or the trinity would’ve done, if they were going to go the same route . . . So I wonder why he didn’t?

Offhand, Kitsune supposed that it didn’t really matter – they’d already searched the Chamber of Secrets thoroughly, to make certain that it was safe to lock Galen into over the full moon. But one drawback to bonding with her fox form was that she was even more curious than she’d been when she was simply just the girl known as Ginny Weasley. So the questions nagged at her, with no clear answers . . . She resolved to discuss it with the others, whenever she saw them again – if she ever saw them again.

The fox Animagus’ body moved on autopilot as she had these thoughts, trailing her Disillusioned father. The Disillusionment Charm wasn’t true invisibility, after all – simply a more effective version of the camouflage used by those scary alien hunters with the glowing blood. And while it was usually sufficient against the indifferent senses of humans, she was far more perceptive. And with those senses, and the tactical training of Ginny Weasley, she was able to reconstruct events from the internal ruin of the cottage.

Because ruined it was. Unlike the movie, which had simply had him cast aside by the invader, James Potter had obviously fought as a capable prankster whose wand was suited for Transfiguration could. Half-formed shapes and shattered wrecks of objects littered the halls – but whatever the facts of the Potters’ three earlier encounters, this time he was intent on killing them, specifically, and they bore the full impact of his power and attention. And Lord Voldemort wasn’t considered the most powerful Dark Lord in a millennium because he’d gotten the title out of a cereal box. Nothing James had done had accomplishing much more than to slow him down, not when he was absolutely committed to achieving his goal.

The problem, as Kitsune saw it, was that the Potters hadn’t done anything more than hide behind the Fidelius Charm. They’d made no attempt, so far as she could tell, to erect the standard defensive enchantments on the cottage, or place any kind of traps or alert systems beyond the walls. It might’ve helped them stay inconspicuous, but it made for a lousy set of protections – and by the time they were aware of Voldemort’s presence, he’d already been inside the effective range of any of those, anyway.

All he had to do was hold them there once he found them. The standard Anti-Apparition Jinx and making sure the Floo network was down at the time was enough, even assuming that they were connected to it, and he certainly had the influence to pull it off. They, on the other hand, never had a Plan B, or an escape route beyond “Take Harry and run, I’ll hold him off” – which Mrs. Potter didn’t do, anyway. Potter even gave up his Invisibility Cloak, which would’ve at least helped if they did end up having to run. But neither of them ever considered what to do if that first protection failed, and they ended up under attack. They just took it as “problem solved,” and never looked further than that.

They trusted in one of their closest friends, when they apparently already had reason to doubt another friend, who was equally close to them, did nothing else – and they died for it.

The fox shivered. To have survived Riddle so often, even by accident, the Potters had to have been among the best available for what was popularly considered the “Light” side. And for them to have been so monumentally stupid in protecting themselves made her wonder how that Light side would have fared without the trinity coming to Hogwarts, all those years ago.

Intellectually, of course, Ginny knew she was being somewhat unfair. She was looking at events from an outside perspective – and from the perspective of someone who’d actually trained for this conflict, since she was eleven years old. Unlike most witches and wizards, she’d been taught how to fight, and more importantly, how to think – which made all the difference – but it still didn’t make the obvious flaws any easier to take.

To think that I used to get mad when Hermione talked about great wizards not having an ounce of logic . . .

“Where do you suppose we should start, Gin?” her father whispered. “You’ve proven remarkably clever and capable, over the years – where would you keep notes on the Fidelius Charm, if you had them?”

I’d hide them, Kitsune thought immediately, and then realised that she would. Hide them, rather than destroy them, in case others in the Order needed to use the Charm for their own protection – it was supposedly incredibly complex magic to perform, they’d need the help. And since the notes had to remain intact, they had to be hidden, to keep such a powerful protection from falling into the hands of the enemy. Which meant that if it was up to her, that she would hide them – there?

Following the scent of leather and parchment, the fox Animagus dashed towards where she determined the cottage library would be. Her father followed – and Ginny was waiting when he caught up to her.

“There’s an old mundane saying,” she said quietly. “It goes, ‘the best place to hide a leaf is in a forest.’ So if you were looking to hide a few sheaves of parchment, or a grimoire –”

“You put it in a library, of course,” Dad said in a hushed tone. “Brilliant!”

“I’m not done yet,” she murmured. “You’ll want it to not stand out – and if the opposition is looking for spells, where’s the first place they’ll check?”

He nodded, because the answer was obvious.

“And enchanting the book might make it stand out, unless you put it with similarly-warded books,” Ginny continued, scanning the shelves. “Of course, with a toddler who‘s prone to accidental magic in the house, warding your entire library as a safety precaution won’t seem too strange – but you still have to hide the book, or pages, themselves . . .”

There: a shelf full of hardback novels, written by mundane authors. Obviously for the enjoyment of the lady of the house, and the last thing any pure-blood supremacist would do anything with, other than to destroy them. The red-haired witch grabbed one, and began flipping through them – until she found one that had been hollowed out to serve as a box, and filled with folded sheets of parchment.

“Bingo,” the redhead said smugly, unfolding the sheets and scanning them. “This is it, Dad – one how-to manual on the Fidelius Charm, as we’d hoped.”

“That’s good, Gin,” her father said, relaxing in obvious relief. “You’ve been a remarkable help – though I suppose it’s no surprise, seeing as you’ve become a remarkable young girl.”

Ginny resisted the urge to sigh – she was sixteen, you’d have thought she was beyond blushing at compliments by now! “Thanks, Daddy.”

“It’s only the truth,” he said firmly. “Come on now, change back, and let’s go; the sooner we’re out of here, the sooner we’re safe.”

Just for a little while, Kitsune thought as she shifted. Eventually, she’d have to go back to Hogwarts – but for now, they were still safe. Her family would all be safe, so long as they were careful.

It was a small victory, perhaps . . . But it was a start.





Shin Tohno was many things – but at this time, happy could not be said to be one of them.

Mere months ago, he’d been at the brink of achieving several lifelong dreams. Foremost among them, vengeance against the Betrayer and what remained of his clan, through many different methods – including using the Nanaya heir to breed a new generation of Tohnos, something he had personally been looking forward to. The fact that his would-be bride’s friends had come to rescue her had been icing on the cake, as they said; the opportunity to destroy them in front of her, as an example to any who doubted his power, was too good to resist – and then it had all gone wrong. He had been defeated by a mere whim of chance; his chosen mate had been taken back . . .

. . . And his godmother, the woman he loved most in the entire world, had been found to have been systematically destroyed on a neurological level.

Nor was that the last blow. No, that was yet to come, when he’d heard his mother’s announcement, some weeks ago. When she’d informed the entire clan that there would be a new generation of the main Tohno family, containing the long-sought-after Nanaya bloodline, and all its gifts – but it would be born from her efforts, not his.

The conclusion was inescapable. He was being replaced . . . And that was not something which he was prepared to accept.

Whatever she might think of his suitability, Shin was his mother’s son, with a suitable dose of pride, and stubbornness. Moreover, he was very much Kohaku’s child, cunning in unexpected ways. He was not prepared to split the clan in civil war – or to face his mother in open combat. She might not be the most combat-oriented of the clan, but she was undeniably powerful, nevertheless. And with Tsumi standing as her champion . . .

The Japanese youth shuddered. No, a direct challenge was out – but there was another way, one which would cement his ascension beyond all doubt. He only needed to do what his mother had failed to – eliminate those who had made themselves his enemies. With the death of the mongrel, the Nanaya child and her sibling, the foreign whore, and any whom they counted as allies, his strength would be unquestionable. And if he added the so-called “Lord Voldemort” to his tally, earning the gratitude of the British nation and the ICW for eliminating the threat . . .

Yes, that would work. He would need to be swift, however, and stealthy – should his mother learn of his plans, she would act to stop him; worse, if he was too incautious, he might draw the ire of the Emperor, which would make her right to stop him.

“That won’t happen,” he promised himself. “Vengeance will be mine.”

And with that, Shin set to work – there was much planning to be done, to say nothing of actual work, and time was not on his side. He had been given to understand that multiple births tended to be early . . .






With a barely-audible click, the grinding of stone against metal ceased, and release was granted him. Consciousness surged through his limbs, awakening his senses, and stirring the currents of memory once more . . .

It had been a long wait – long enough that, for a time, he was overwhelmed with the memories of what had passed since he was laid to rest. Still, his was the greatest mind of the age, and he had nothing if not time. Soon enough, a century and a half of living had been tamed, and while he had yet to assimilate it all, he’d acquired all that he needed to know immediately – and the fact drew from him a veritable storm of howling laughter.

After all, there was a delicious irony in Lord Voldemort finding himself in possession of the body of Albus Dumbledore, of all wizards . . .

Still, that was only the barest hint of the wondrous gift Fate had handed him. He was now in possession of the identity of the most respected Light wizard of the age – less so now, perhaps, but rebuilding that reputation would be a worthwhile effort. And true, the body was effectively an Inferius, but there were ways to disguise that, and the powers of an Inferius were nothing to trifle with. Moreover, he was a superior Inferius – capable of thought, and greater speed than any of the fodder usually raised by Dark wizards.

More importantly, however, Lord Voldemort had that wizard’s memories, as well. It would take some study, but all that Albus Dumbledore had known, he would know, as well, and that included the knowledge that, unknowingly, he had gifted himself with true immortality. The stone of the ring he wore would allow him to possess any corpse it wore – and the curse on the ring would ensure that people would wear it. Combined with the near-indestructible body of an Inferius, and the protections of the Horcrux itself, Lord Voldemort was now an eternal being!

But there was more knowledge, equally vital and precious – knowledge of how to gain absolute power in addition to his absolute immortality. Knowledge that only Dumbledore and one other had known . . .

Lord Voldemort’s smile stretched itself across Albus Dumbledore’s dead face. It was time for him to complete his old foe’s quest – to become the Master of the Deathly Hallows . . .

And he knew precisely how to do it.

[JxK]

Hah! We guessed right, and it looks like there's now a second Voldemort. Only he is even tougher physically than the original, possessed of all the magical power and knowledge of Dumbledore (and the man was a powerful wizard, despite being a fool), and has his own personal Horcrux besides. Ouch. Oh yeah, he also has the Deathstick. The predicted Voldemort vs Voldemort fight is looking to turn into a complete beatdown of the original.

Also Ginny was impressive this chapter. And the Tohnos are plotting, but scheming for them probably comes as easily as breathing. Saving the world is becoming progressively more dangerous for our heroes, it seems.

[Kieran]

Hah! We guessed right, and it looks like there's now a second Voldemort. Only he is even tougher physically than the original, possessed of all the magical power and knowledge of Dumbledore (and the man was a powerful wizard, despite being a fool), and has his own personal Horcrux besides. Ouch. Oh yeah, he also has the Deathstick. The predicted Voldemort vs Voldemort fight is looking to turn into a complete beatdown of the original.

Well, to be fair, a lot of that toughness comes from having the Horcrux. The core Voldemort, being a homunculus as well as a weresnake, is probably an even match for an Inferius Voldemort if it came to a physical fight - maybe even superior. It's just that "being immune to all but the darkest and most destructive magic" angle that gives the younger Voldemort the edge.

And he might possess the Elder Wand, but he's (presumably) not its master - which means, as we know, a drop in effectiveness.

Also Ginny was impressive this chapter.

She is related to Fred and George. She can be sneaky when she needs to be.

And the Tohnos are plotting, but scheming for them probably comes as easily as breathing. Saving the world is becoming progressively more dangerous for our heroes, it seems.

A-yup.

[YamiheKazeto]

I'll just say "thank you for the chapter; it was delicious", and now I'm going off to sleep.

And he might possess the Elder Wand, but he's (presumably) not its master - which means, as we know, a drop in effectiveness.

The last I kept track of it, Shirou was its master. But it might've had changed masters in the meantime, I hadn't been keeping track of that.

[hatori]

Ooh Kieran, you utter bastard...

I knew my gut instinct on having two Voldemorts was spot on...

*rubs hands in glee*

Brofist man!

[Kieran]

I'll just say "thank you for the chapter; it was delicious", and now I'm going off to sleep.

Pleasant dreams.

The last I kept track of it, Shirou was its master. But it might've had changed masters in the meantime, I hadn't been keeping track of that.

Assuming it hasn't, Shirou still is - which means, of course, that Voldemort will need to kill him. And Galen, too, of course, since he'd never surrender the Deathcloak without a fight. Which means, naturally, that he'll have to find them . . .

Ooh Kieran, you utter bastard...

I knew my gut instinct on having two Voldemorts was spot on...

*rubs hands in glee*

Brofist man!

*brofists*

*chuckle* I just about had a stroke when my entire plan got laid out as a guess - but I wasn't going to change it at this point.

[Mattias]

The core Voldemort, being a homunculus as well as a weresnake, is probably an even match for an Inferius Voldemort if it came to a physical fight - maybe even superior.

Now this is what stands out to me. I can't wait for Voldie to have a MC at his mercy, only for another Voldie to show up and claim that he's the one who must kill them. Leading to an epic Evil vs. Evil fight, where the winner gets ganked at the last minute by the hostage they forgot about.

[Elf]

Two Voldermorts for the price of one.

One in Dumbledore's body none the less, which is a nice bit of creepy.

Also, Ginny continues to impress.

[JxK]

All this talk of Ginny has only made me realize we have yet to see Luna. And if Ginny can impress this much, one wonders what the ever mysterious Luna can accomplish. I'm quite curious, myself . We don't need a POV - indeed, it would only take away from the mystery - but I'm looking forward to her surpassing even Fred and George in style and creativity.

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

It's more along the lines of Luna coming out of nowhere with an idea that is absolutely insane, but absurdly brilliant and relevant. She may operate on a different wavelength, but reality still follows the same rules...

Developments are everywhere, but this one takes the cake. All of Dumb-as-a-door thoughts and perception with the soul of Voldemort... I'm imagining just a deluded Voldemort in this case. The soul is only held to the body by magic, without it, it would reject. Have a soul and given a body and all that. The accumulated experience just doesn't compare much less being compatible. I'm sensing even with such a development, Voldemort is going to have a lot of problems here.

[MWkillkenny84]

It's more along the lines of Luna coming out of nowhere with an idea that is absolutely insane, but absurdly brilliant and relevant. She may operate on a different wavelength, but reality still follows the same rules...

Developments are everywhere, but this one takes the cake. All of Dumb-as-a-door thoughts and perception with the soul of Voldemort... I'm imagining just a deluded Voldemort in this case. The soul is only held to the body by magic, without it, it would reject. Have a soul and given a body and all that. The accumulated experience just doesn't compare much less being compatible. I'm sensing even with such a development, Voldemort is going to have a lot of problems here.

Seconded.

[Kieran]

Such as when the original discovers there's another him walking around - and dispatches his greater resources to eliminate him?

Seriously, though - glad you all liked it. I've been planning that since before surgery, so it was nice to finally get to the big reveal.

[Techlet]

This is going to be such a clusterfuck.

Can't wait.

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

So how does sharing horcruxes work? Since it's the same soul, only split into pieces, how does the real body not fragment and destroy itself from having an incomplete soul? If the 'horcrux' Voldemort died, would he not die because he had other horcruxes around? The theory of horcruxes didn't include having two bodies with different pieces of soul I would imagine...

GAH! FUCK HPverse MAGIC!

Edit: Though it would be hilarious if the real Voldemort dies and the Stoned one still sticks around. Albus Evil Manipulative Bastard Dumbledore for the win!