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

[Faraway-R]

While undoubtedly an interesting twist, having Draco come back as a Ghost will also heavily inconvenience the three. You just know the angry-mad apparition is going to hound them on principle, if not to attack them (lacking means to do so), then to spy on them and to relay any information about them to, hem-hem, proper authorities.

Why, it's a valid way to make their lives miserable without forcing them into direct conflict with Death Eater administration!

It's not like Ghost!Draco will suddenly decide he's a closet fan of Scarlet Seven in denial, after all.

[Kieran]

Now that would be a great way for Shin's plans to fall apart at the last moment. He's like a minute away from convicting Ginny and the Draco shows up and claims that he killed him, as a last fuck you to the person who did him in.

While undoubtedly an interesting twist, having Draco come back as a Ghost will also heavily inconvenience the three. You just know the angry-mad apparition is going to hound them on principle, if not to attack them (lacking means to do so), then to spy on them and to relay any information about them to, hem-hem, proper authorities.

Why, it's a valid way to make their lives miserable without forcing them into direct conflict with Death Eater administration!

It's not like Ghost!Draco will suddenly decide he's a closet fan of Scarlet Seven in denial, after all.

Crap - now I have to honestly consider it!

[Megaolix]

Saved by Draco Malfoy...

No one will ever let them forget about it.

[Mattias]

It's not like Ghost!Draco will suddenly decide he's a closet fan of Scarlet Seven in denial, after all.

No, but screwing over the dude who ganked him, just to be petty, is totally in character. Especially given that he really hates Shin too. What with all the stealing of his family's status and position in the Black Hats.

[Faraway-R]

No, but screwing over the dude who ganked him, just to be petty, is totally in character. Especially given that he really hates Shin too. What with all the stealing of his family's status and position in the Black Hats.

I'm not arguing over that. I'm just pointing out it's a one-off deal.

@ Kieran. Even if you don't make Draco a ghost (let's face it, it's a bit too much of a hassle we'll have to think how to dispose of since we lack convenient methods from canon) it's at least omake-worthy.

[Kieran]

It is - and I haven't done one in a while . . .

Of course, getting rid of Draco's ghost is fairly easy, it's just not convenient in the timing. After all, just ask yourself: what has one portion of the Scarlet Seven recently acquired . . .?

[hatori]

hurrhurr.. all three hallows are now in their possession, even if they arent together atm.

[Faraway-R]

Way to miss the obvious, me!

On the other hand, while Draco's ghost problem can be removed in a simple one-two move (one - order Draco's ghost to disappear, two, order every ghost to claim he's still around but is reclusive) (oh, and make sure to do it where there are only ghosts and Scarlet Seven as witnesses), his awfully convenient one-time appearance will be raising eyebrows at least.

To summarize, it was done masterfully, Kieran. No matter what moves we can make, we're still only capable of at most keeping what we had, there are no true winning moves in this situation. Just like with Hermione's vampirism, now that we can see it this way. No convenient "no negative consequences" routes is exactly what Scarlet Seven ought to expect from the Halloween Curse.

On a third, entirely unrelated hand. Did you read "Forging the Sword" HP fanfic on FFN? Story ID 3557725. In particular, the author's explanations of Curses (like the one on DADA teacher position, not the wand-waving Unforgivables and like). I feel that the Halloween Curse would fit very well within that particular frame.

[Twi]

Well, the Malfoy family is gone.
I can't see Luna reasonably staying out in the open since they know that she was nearby and would question them. Versitium isn't the only Truth Serum around, just the strongest, and once behind closed doors they can just Crucio the answer out of her or until her mental defenses get weak enough that they can rip the info out of them.

[Kieran]

hurrhurr.. all three hallows are now in their possession, even if they arent together atm.

Yup - and with at least one of them, they won't get much out of it without the presence of its master. Sadly, we'll probably never see a "Master of Death" (in this generation, at least), but that's probably for the best.

Way to miss the obvious, me!

*chuckle*

On the other hand, while Draco's ghost problem can be removed in a simple one-two move (one - order Draco's ghost to disappear, two, order every ghost to claim he's still around but is reclusive) (oh, and make sure to do it where there are only ghosts and Scarlet Seven as witnesses), his awfully convenient one-time appearance will be raising eyebrows at least.

To summarize, it was done masterfully, Kieran. No matter what moves we can make, we're still only capable of at most keeping what we had, there are no true winning moves in this situation. Just like with Hermione's vampirism, now that we can see it this way. No convenient "no negative consequences" routes is exactly what Scarlet Seven ought to expect from the Halloween Curse.

Yeah - which is a very good argument not to do it. And thank you for the compliment, by the way.

On a third, entirely unrelated hand. Did you read "Forging the Sword" HP fanfic on FFN? Story ID 3557725. In particular, the author's explanations of Curses (like the one on DADA teacher position, not the wand-waving Unforgivables and like). I feel that the Halloween Curse would fit very well within that particular frame.

I have, though it's been a while since I've gone through the text in its entirety.

Well, the Malfoy family is gone.
I can't see Luna reasonably staying out in the open since they know that she was nearby and would question them. Versitium isn't the only Truth Serum around, just the strongest, and once behind closed doors they can just Crucio the answer out of her or until her mental defenses get weak enough that they can rip the info out of them.

Yeah. So, once again, they're in real trouble, even if it wasn't directly aimed at them, this time.

[Twi]

So were Slytherin all really glad to see Malfoy dead that they would let his killer go? Or are they all afraid of Shin?

[Kieran]

A bit of Column A, a bit of Column B . . .

[Kieran]

This fic illustrates a potential "Trinity Stupidly Easy Ending." Although personally, if I'd decided to do things that way, I'd have used "Lord Voldemort and all who bear the Dark Mark are capable of witchcraft and/or wizardry."

[Faraway-R]

That story is made of win!

[Mattias]

This fic illustrates a potential "Trinity Stupidly Easy Ending." Although personally, if I'd decided to do things that way, I'd have used "Lord Voldemort and all who bear the Dark Mark are capable of witchcraft and/or wizardry."

Eh, if a Fidelus was that easy, everyone would do it. "I'm going to Fidelus my sandwich, so Bert doesn't eat it again, that bastard."

My favourite explanation for why the Fidelus works so well, is that since very few people know how to cast it (We only ever see Dumbledore using one on Grimmauld) very few people know it exists and so no one has actually put in the time to figure out how to break it. Safety through obscurity.

[Kieran]

Oh, I won't argue that - and neither will the author, given his description of the story's intent. And as I recall, I think I've set some level of limitations on what the Fidelius can obscure easily . . . But if it worked that way, my choice on what to hide would've been the above. After all, if you can automatically Squib your enemies (if only psychologically), they become a lot less worrisome.

The next chapter's 70% done, by the way - I've basically got one scene left.

[JustBrowsing]

Honestly, as far as "taking a simple charm and abusing the hell out of it" I prefer Durandal's "Harry Potter and the Trouble With Sorting Hats." Although that might be because I enjoy the idea of watching Snape's head explode as Harry and Dumbledore compete to have the better smug look/eye sparkles.


EDIT: Due to unforseen circumstances (tired and sleepy, most likely), I forgot to mention that I got a laugh from the fidelus charm shennanigan fic. And that I'm also crazy happy that the next chapter is 70% done! Just a note because when I read my post it sounded a lot harsher than I meant it to.

[Kieran]

Honestly, as far as "taking a simple charm and abusing the hell out of it" I prefer Durandal's "Harry Potter and the Trouble With Sorting Hats."

Huh - I've never seen this one before . . . Pity it doesn't seem up to his usual humour standards, but not bad.

Although that might be because I enjoy the idea of watching Snape's head explode as Harry and Dumbledore compete to have the better smug look/eye sparkles.

I didn't spot that in the fic - it might've made it more fun, though.

EDIT: Due to unforseen circumstances (tired and sleepy, most likely), I forgot to mention that I got a laugh from the fidelus charm shennanigan fic. And that I'm also crazy happy that the next chapter is 70% done! Just a note because when I read my post it sounded a lot harsher than I meant it to.

It's OK - and with luck, I can have that chapter done sometime tomorrow! Then I can try and finish up "Gods and Monsters" for the actual Sunday update!

. . . And then I'll probably collapse.

[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.




Chapter 35 – Tricks and Treats



October 31, 1997






Neville stared, wordlessly, at the mirror. The image of Shin Tohno, wearing his girlfriend’s form (and that was a thought his imagination cringed away from) stood there for a moment, smirking with malicious triumph – and then the mirror fogged over, just before vanishing altogether.

“. . . Well, fuck,” one of them said into the silence, and it wasn’t until he noticed both girls staring at him that Neville realised it had been him.

Blushing, he elaborated, “With that move, they’ve pretty much destroyed any credibility we have. And, on top of that, they’ve now got an excuse to haul you and Luna into the Ministry – for questioning regarding the death, if nothing else. And once you’re inside . . .”

He trailed off, because they knew what would happen as well as he did, but it didn’t stop the frustration from leaking into his voice as he concluded, “We’ve been more or less neutralised, and all they had to do was sacrifice a minor pawn.”

A corner of Neville’s mind noted that all the years of Occlumency and tactical training were paying off – he wasn’t thinking about a classmate being murdered while he watched, just a “minor pawn” being removed from the board. It bothered him a bit that he could feel so little about Draco’s death. Oh, sure, the boy had never been on his list of favourite people – and seeing it on the mirror, the way he had, had a desensitising effect, to be sure – but still . . .

This was a human life – it was someone I knew, Neville reminded himself. Shouldn’t this bother me more than it apparently is?

Oblivious to his thoughts, Ginny spoke up.

“This is ridiculous – the case would never hold up!”

“It doesn’t have to,” Luna pointed out solemnly. “All they’ve ever needed was a pretext, Ginny – the details are almost inconsequential. With what we just saw, all the Slytherins could testify under Veritaserum that they saw you kill Draco, if they had to, depending on how the question was phrased. Being forced to speak truthfully isn’t the same as being forced to speak the truth, but do you suppose that most people really consider that nuance?”

Her delicate face became downright sombre as she added, “For that matter, they won’t wonder whether the people who are being questioned were really fed Veritaserum, or just water. The two do look identical, particularly at a distance. And that’s assuming that you aren’t simply killed ‘resisting arrest’ – it’s unlikely, given our intelligence value, but if someone decides we’re more trouble than we’re worth . . .”

Neville shivered, but did his best to conceal it when he saw Ginny pale, as the full implications of what had just happened began to finally hit her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t clever, or was particularly foolish, but she was passionate, impulsive, and occasionally unheeding of consequences. The use of her face to commit murder had likely engaged her temper, and she’d just seethed along until now, when Luna’s comments finally snapped her out of it strongly enough to really consider what it all meant.

“. . . What do we do?” she asked at last.

“I’m not sure,” Neville admitted with a sigh. He began thinking aloud, hoping that doing so would spark something for either him or one of the girls. “If you run, you’re as good as admitting you’re guilty – but if you stay, you’re as good as dead. Luna’s got the same problem, to an extent, as well; they’ll want her for questioning regarding your whereabouts, if nothing else. We could pull out to Headquarters and try to contact Shirou’s group, in case they’d like a hand – but if we leave Hogwarts, we’re not getting back in easily. Not to mention that falling back will leave the students here practically defenceless.

“On the other hand, while we’re as close to absolutely safe at it gets here, there’s not a lot we can do,” he mused. “Not immediately, anyway – we’ll probably have to wait at least a month or more before the heat dies down enough to consider taking any actions. And I doubt that either of you really want to be inactive for that long.”

Ginny scowled at that, but then her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. After a beat, she asked, “But hadn’t we already decided that we needed to be?”

Neville blinked, nonplussed. “Huh?”

“We need time for things to get bad, right?” Ginny said. “Time for the need for a resistance to build momentum – and now they’ve handed it to us.” She grinned. “Unless they figure out a way to break a Fidelius Charm, and the fact that they need to in the first place, they’re not going to find us. Meanwhile – yeah, we’re stuck here, but from here . . .” She spread her arms. “What can’t we do?”

Neville blinked, still surprised, but he actually began thinking about the question. And the answer was, “Less than you might think.” After all, the Room had just proven that they could monitor the castle, if they made their desires plain enough and strong enough. They effectively had one hell of a surveillance system here, and no one would know about it. When they chose to move, finally, they’d know where and who to strike – and with someone to stay behind and maintain the Room and its passage, they could pull hit and fade attacks that could do some real damage.

And who knew what else the Room could come up with? They’d all experimented with it to a degree, but between one thing and another, there’d never really been enough time to undertake a thorough examination of its capabilities. And as of now, they had nothing but time.

“It’ll been fun finding out,” Luna mused, in answer to Ginny’s question Whether or not she recognised that it had been meant rhetorically, Neville wasn’t sure – and he didn’t get the chance to ask, because she continued speaking.

“We really ought to try and get in touch with Mister Black, too. After all, he didn’t have any trouble sneaking around Hogwarts in our second year – your third, Neville.”

Neville blinked again, realising that Luna was right. While the trinity had determined that Sirius had probably used the Room of Requirement (unwittingly) to leave the castle, he’d still managed to get in, and wander all the way through it, unseen. At least, right up until he’d caused the ruckus by attacking the Fat Lady . . .

“We need to know how he did it,” Neville said. “Whether it’s something as simple as the fact that the portraits don’t react to Animagi, or something else . . .” He shook his head. “If we can duplicate it, just imagine the trouble we could cause.”

“Yeah,” Ginny said dreamily, an impish grin on her face. She shook herself out of whatever daydream she was in, and turned to Luna. “Do you have any ideas on how to get a letter off to him? I’m betting our mirrors can’t handle international calls.”

“His family House Elf can find him,” the blonde witch said with certainty. “And Galen did tell him to do as we ask – but I don’t think even House Elf magic can penetrate a Fidelius Charm.”

“So we’ll have to call him from somewhere else,” Neville said, grinning. “Luckily, I’ve reached an understanding with the barman at the Hog’s Head – and we know the Room can get us there.”

The young wizard felt better than he had a few minutes ago. Sure, things were still not good, but they had a plan. They had options. And they had every intention of raining hell down on their enemies, when the opportunity presented itself – this stunt of Tohno’s had just added more fuel to the fire.

I hope the others are making out as well as we are, tonight . . .






“My gift is limited,” said the witch with the strawberry-brunette hair, as she finished reciting her entire history. “In that, it is not at all what was hoped for when it manifested – but it does work as was intended when it was bred into me. And that includes the strength of it, as well. Despite its limits, it is virtually absolute within those limits.”

Her eyes, which had seemed grey until Sirius realised that they were actually a light jade in hue, turned from whatever far-off vista she’d been viewing to gaze at them sharply. “I See Shiki-sama, always and in all ways – and unless something is done to prevent it, he will die within the next lunar month.”

Sirius blinked, not sure what to say. Some of what he’d heard about her childhood home sounded like standard blood-purist practices, and some of it was just flat-out Dark – he felt that he could justifiably apply the capitalisation without fear of being accused of overreacting. And hearing of her all-but-confirmed suspicions about her sister . . .

Well, if it’s true, then it’s no wonder the witch went mad, he mused. Still, this could be a ploy to gain our sympathy, and lure us into a trap. With that thought, he resolved to stay on guard.

Aoko, on the other hand, was a bit blunter and more practical, even if she displayed no obvious doubt about the veracity of the other witch’s prophetic ability. “You can’t be any more specific than that?”

Hisui shook her head, and the vehemence of it, more than anything else, told Sirius that she was frustrated by it – it halfway convinced him than she was telling the truth, all by itself.

“I can’t,” she said in an edged voice. “I don’t know if it’s my inexperience with the ability – the future-focussed sight only began a little over a week ago – or because there are just so many ways it could happen.” Her voice dropped in volume, even as it took on a hint of despair. “ . . . I’ve seen so many . . .”

As a rule, Sirius had never had much use for Divination – save as the source of a joke, of course. The deaths of the Potter family had, in fact, very much soured him on the whole concept. But the genuineness behind the reddish-haired witch’s words and expressions was oddly convincing. More, it drove home to him why few genuine Seers would ever advertise their abilities – who needed the extra stress, when the abilities themselves were capable of causing that kind of anguish?

“Are there any common elements?” Aoko asked.

“Usually, it’s a member of the Tohno family,” Hisui said grimly. “With – with things as they are, there have been . . .” She paused, as though trying to think of a polite phrasing for her statement – or working a way around a magical binding. “There have been conflicts regarding the future of the clan. Shiki-sama has been one of the points of dissension.”

Her face could’ve been carved from marble as she finished, “Therefore, it should be unsurprising for you to learn that his death is one of the primary objectives, if the agitators have their way.”

Almost against his will, Sirius responded, “Not really – not compared to finding out that one of the clan wanted us to save Shiki.”

The witch flinched, just slightly, but she said nothing.

Aoko shot him a quelling glance, but her tone was cool, if mild, as she remarked, “Rude and impetuous he may be – but he has a point. For all that the Tohno have, or may have, done to you and your sister, they are still your clan, your blood, and they’re the only family you’ve ever really known. What could compel so, to betray them so thoroughly?”

Those pale, gemlike eyes hardened. “Why did you, Aozaki-san?”

Aoko paled herself, save for two spots of red on her cheeks – and Sirius knew from experience that she wasn’t embarrassed. Quickly interposing himself between the two witches (an act of Gryffindor bravery if there ever was one, given that every instinct was screaming at him to run for the nearest border), he spoke to try and defuse the tension.

“I’m sorry I brought it up – now, how can you help us rescue Shiki?”

“. . . There’s very little I can do,” Hisui confessed. “I’ve been able to speak of as much as I have because it was never sealed, and it was never considered that anyone involved would speak willingly of it. But as to the defences of the house, its layout, even its location – all that is protected information. I can neither speak of it without my mistress’ permission, nor can it be taken from me, because trying to take it by force will be the death of me – literally.”

Aoko’s eyes narrowed, and Sirius knew that brilliantly twisted (or was it the other way around?) mind was hard at work on the problem.

“There are ways around that,” Aoko said thoughtfully. “What can you tell us?”

“Only that the compound is guarded by the most ferocious warrior of the Tohno clan, save perhaps Akiha-sama herself,” Hisui answered, shivering. “Tsumi.”

Sirius didn’t recognise the word, and so, not being able to tell if it was an actual name or an unrelated statement altogether, he glanced at Aoko.

“'Sin,’” Aoko translated. “I assume the name is descriptive.”

“He was the last traitor to the Tohno clan,” Hisui said dully. “And Akiha-sama decreed that he would bear the weight of that crime for all eternity,”

“Huh,” Sirius said, surprised. “From what I’ve learned of the Japanese, I’m surprised she didn’t execute him – or at least, order him to commit suicide.”

The Japanese witch turned pale, and uneasiness began to roil in Sirius’ stomach.

“She did,” Hisui whispered. “It didn’t last, any longer than it had the first and second times he was killed. That is why Tsumi is so feared, you see – because he cannot die.”

Aoko’s blue eyes blazed at that statement, with a malicious, Marauder-worthy smile stretching itself across her face.

“Lucky me – I love a challenge.”






Takara awoke to a pair of blazing eyes whose slitted pupils looked like abyssal cracks within an inferno.

Fortunately, she’d long since become accustomed to her familiar, and wasn’t startled by Mirai’s being close enough to kiss if she tilted her head. Instead, she took in the cat’s posture – which, were she on her stomach, would be “crouched, and ready to spring.” Instead, with her paws tucked against her body while lying on her back, and her chin tilted upwards, Mirai radiated an entirely different vibe to those who knew her. She only assumed this posture when she was either feeling particularly affectionate, or particularly in need of affection.

Galen had likened it to her being “Less of a princess demanding her royal due, and more shouting, ‘Look, it’s your favourite cuddle toy – play with me!’” And for her own part, Takara couldn’t say she disagreed . . .

But in this case, she merely smiled, and murmured, “You know it was a rough night last night, don’t you? You’re such a clever girl.” She reached out to scratch under Mirai’s chin, as her statement was rewarded with an increase in the volume of Mirai’s purring.

Given the amount of time that Mirai spent in Galen’s lap – or around him, in general - it was easy to forget that she was Takara’s familiar, first and foremost. Or, perhaps more accurately, that Mirai regarded Takara as her witch. But she was a loyal little creature, inasmuch as a cat ever was. Mirai loved her witch, and if the cat was remarkably affectionate to her witch’s wizard – well, in her more thoughtful moments, Takara regarded it as her familiar’s showing him the love that she herself was often afraid to.

Couple that with a cat’s inherently hedonistic nature, such as Hermione had often demonstrated over the years and Mirai’s behaviour wasn’t too hard to comprehend. At the core of it all, however, the two females loved one another, and were loyal to one another – so finding Mirai at her bedside after an especially trying night wasn’t all that surprising.

Takara spent several minutes stroking her cat and murmuring endearments, even as she took in her surroundings. Hermione’s back and left shoulder rose behind Mirai, causing hazy memories to surface. She’d woken like this earlier – and panicked, because Galen wasn’t there, as he should’ve been. Sleep had been a bit hard to come by for a while afterwards, Takara thought, but she wasn’t sure; she might not have been asleep, but she hadn’t been fully awake, either.

Finally, she asked Mirai, “So, had he already calmed down by the time you woke up, or did you have to help?”

As a feline, Mirai wasn’t really capable of rolling her eyes, but the sound that emerged from her throat gave the impression that she would if she could.

Takara nodded. Leaving aside the matter of their argument last night, which would’ve wound him up all by itself, it wasn’t much of a stretch to assume that Galen would be angry, if not outright furious, when he woke up. After a fight that bad, Galen’s reaction was totally predictable: he’d be afraid, and go into overprotective overdrive – which she completely understood. No matter that they’d been caught by surprise, that fight had been a lot closer than any of them would’ve liked. She’d spent some time herself going over what had gone wrong, and what they could’ve done differently, as she tried to fall asleep That he’d do the same was only to be expected, and prudent.

However, Galen would also be angry; mostly at what he’d perceive as his failure to do more, to know more, to be more – whatever it would’ve taken to avoid that situation last night. And while she intellectually understood why he felt that way, and found his chivalric impulses sweet, to a point, Takara did not approve of her boyfriend beating himself up over this. No one could’ve foreseen everything they’d run into, and there was no point in Galen’s punishing himself by thinking otherwise.

With a last loving scratch under Mirai’s chin, the Japanese witch rose from her bed and threw on her bathrobe. That done, she proceeded to storm out of her room – and stopped as though she’d suddenly, and unexpectedly, hit a wall. Which was close enough to the truth, really, but in this case, what Takara had hit was the smell of fresh baking wafting through the air.

“Brownies . . .?” Takara asked hopefully, pitching her voice to carry across the tent.

“They should be ready in another ten minutes,” called Galen from the kitchen. “The icing’s done, if you wanted to lick the mixing spoon.”

Takara didn’t quite run, but it was close. It had been some time since she’d had fresh, Galen-baked brownies – wait a minute . . .

“You made these on purpose!” she accused.

“Well, yeah,” Galen said innocently. “I packed the ingredients for a special occasion – and I figured that after last night, we could use a good pick-me-up.” He grinned. “The fact that it gets me out of a lecture is just a bonus, of course.”

Translation: I know how you think by now, too, sweetheart.

Takara could only nod in acknowledgement of the hit – she’d been outmanoeuvred this time, and wasn’t entirely displeased to have been so. Even aside from the fact that she’d be getting brownies out of the deal, it meant that Galen was learning to keep his angst to a proverbial dull roar.

For his part, Galen held his grin for another few seconds before turning sombre. “All kidding aside, we did get lucky last night, Takara. It could’ve gone so much worse than it did – and likely should have.”

“We got caught by surprise,” she pointed out.

“We did,” he acknowledged, “but we still should’ve done better. We’re capable of better.”

Now it was her turn to acknowledge the point. “So what can we do?”

“For starters, ignore the idea of waiting until we’ve collected all the Horcruxes before destroying them,” Galen said, handing her a large spoon coated in chocolate icing. “We’ve already had to trash one, so if Riddle can feel their destruction even at this distance, he already has – there’s no point in holding off on destroying Alexander’s diadem.”

Takara paused, struggling with the choice of what to do next, and then asked the question she wanted to before popping the spoon in her mouth. “And if Riddle moves Hufflepuff’s Cup before we can get to it?”

Galen shrugged. “Then he moves it – and we’ll kill his ass now before spending the rest of our lives tracking it down, if we have to. Heck, he’d probably be doing us a favour by moving it – we won’t need to worry about starting a war with the goblins while we’re trying to retrieve it.”

It was a valid point, the Japanese witch reflected, once she was over the initial bliss of chocolate. The problems with breaking into Gringotts were almost more related to the political implications than the difficulties in getting past all their protections in the first place. If the Cup wasn’t there anymore, then at least half their problems would be solved, no matter how many new ones it created.

Assuming, of course, that Riddle doesn’t put it on a spaceflight launch – or at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, or something like that. It’s not like magic couldn’t fix the damage of the pressure, so the Horcrux would be safe, even if no human could get down there even with magic . . .

Takara blinked, as that thought reminded her of something. She’d woken in the middle of the night to find Galen gone – and when she’d confronted him on his return, he’d said –

“I just remembered – why didn’t you want me to touch the Resurrection Stone, again?” At his look, she shrugged. “I was half-asleep when you explained it the first time.”

With a shrug of his own, Galen went through his experiences with the Elder Wand, and his theories as to why it had been so awful for him. After finishing, he added, “You might be the Stone’s master, now – I can’t think of any other way to qualify, compared to what you did – but I figure that it was set into a ring in the first place for a good reason. After all, it’d be a lot easier to use it as a free stone, wouldn’t it?”

Takara frowned, not liking the implications, but the logic was sound, as far as she could tell.

“Why would you set it into a ring?” she asked.

“Because the Stone’s first owner was driven to suicide,” Galen said grimly. “Because it was given the power it was as an insult to its maker, and if I’d made it, I’d have levelled a curse that had the dead call its wielders to me, even as its wielders called the dead to me.” He smiled, but there was no warmth in it as he quoted, “’A door, once opened, swings both ways, after all.’”

Takara shivered.

“Just don’t touch it bare-skinned,” Galen advised. “Use dragonhide gloves, or just levitate it; treat it the same way you would a basilisk fang full of venom, until we can get a ring made for it – silver and iron, I think. Those metals have good protective qualities, particularly against magic. Hermione can work out the runes, and I’ll charge them – it’ll be as safe as it can be, then. And unfortunately, if I’m right, then it’s too dangerous to just leave lying around.”

She acknowledged that with a weary sigh. He was right – and he’d been right about one other thing, too.

“And after that conversation, I need a brownie,” Takara said bluntly. “Can I help you ice them when they’re ready?”

[TheAbsolutistsCreed]

Well, I'll be damned, I wouldn't be surprised if the top of the 7th floor of the castle is the best defended and most structurally independent for just that reason. Why bother with simple open vigilance when you had a magical castle's control room to observe everything and fall back to when all else failed. It would be smart to have the wards to the castle based in that room if so. If not, then they should figure out where so they know how to best manipulate it. I imagine that Slytherin had a bit of say in the creation of the room of requirement, or at least had his influence even if he didn't know about it. How do you want to play it? I'm very interested in where you go with this, though the rest of us giving you ideas... I'm almost salivating at what everyone comes up with.

Aoko... look out Tsumi!

I wonder how much chocolate Galen has in the undetectable extended bags they are using.