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

[B.B. Rain]

Heavily inflamed rheumatoid arthritis, plus a bit of accident-incurred nerve damage. I've got days where the meds work okay, and I'm just a little slower as I edit and re-edit, but this is a bad one. The cold weather's a bit soothing, though.

As for responding to your response to my responsive postulations...

Cheering charm therapy could induce difficulty to be as happy after years of the bolstering effect...or produce an inability to get negative emotions going, no matter how valid they are for the situation at hand. Or both. Up to you as to how pronounced, or existant, said effects would actually be, but...Valid objection. And of course, it could just turn him into a gigglingly happy suicider.

Galen, given his genre-savviness. Then again, being at ground zero could obscure the readings...

And it was less admiration of sharp senses, and more the quick, efficient, practical but absolute shut down of a Honey Trap interrogation. Even in otherwise excellent stories, they keep showing up, and playing out, even if the damage is minimal to nonexistant. And fanservice, while appreciable in moderate doses, doesn't automatically make an award winner. It's just nice to see the probable possibility acknowledged, then declined before playing to the hormones of the reader.

[Kieran]

Heavily inflamed rheumatoid arthritis, plus a bit of accident-incurred nerve damage. I've got days where the meds work okay, and I'm just a little slower as I edit and re-edit, but this is a bad one. The cold weather's a bit soothing, though.

Ouch. I tend to find ice packs and lots of lightening the workload help. Carpal tunnel braces and meds - but mostly time. Hope it won't be long for you to recover from this bout.

Cheering charm therapy could induce difficulty to be as happy after years of the bolstering effect...or produce an inability to get negative emotions going, no matter how valid they are for the situation at hand. Or both. Up to you as to how pronounced, or existant, said effects would actually be, but...Valid objection. And of course, it could just turn him into a gigglingly happy suicider.

There has to be a reason we don't see them often used - either explanation works. In any case, he'd be leery.

And it was less admiration of sharp senses, and more the quick, efficient, practical but absolute shut down of a Honey Trap interrogation. Even in otherwise excellent stories, they keep showing up, and playing out, even if the damage is minimal to nonexistant. And fanservice, while appreciable in moderate doses, doesn't automatically make an award winner. It's just nice to see the probable possibility acknowledged, then declined before playing to the hormones of the reader.

While I fully admit that I do fan-servicey things from time to time - sometimes to please a particular reader, sometimes because I enjoy it, and sometimes because I have a tendency for the romantic - I try to avoid doing things just because I can. I slip occasionally, but I try to adhere to the idea that if something doesn't have a purpose, or a genuine use in the story - then it's a nice idea, but shelve it.

In this case, it's even simpler. Galen's sense of his own self-worth (or lack thereof) automatically makes him suspicious of situations like this, so assuming a trap is obvious. He's a fool, but he isn't an idiot, he doesn't like being played - from there, it was easy.

[Elf]

Man, poor Rin. She's obviously going through hell right now.

And goddamn it, now I'm pairing conflicted!

[Kieran]

OK, if I got you, I did really well.

[B.B. Rain]

Ehh. My experience when it hit my knee suggests it'll vascillate between crippling and nearly unnoticable for the next few years it'll take to bludgeon into...remission? Quiescience? Whatever that term was. But the smaller bones in the fingers/hand/wrist should avoid the long-bone problems that really annoyed me, long-term, which is my biggest concern. Pain is...transient enough, and I've spent more years effectively ignoring my original case (and being medically fine to) then I spent suffering from it. What's really tripping me is the physical distortions and contortions that I can't simply concentrate or medicate my way through. I'm just lucky I'm one of the rare totally asymmetrical sufferers, leaving me my good left-hand.

As for the meta-reason explanation....I'm not really a writer myself, but I'd think non-purpose stuff would be hard to effectively resist. You write fanfic because you enjoy it, right? Not because it's purposeful, or genuinely useful, so much as enjoyable. And there's always Jester's words to Shiki, assuming that was more an Author Avatar quote then a Distinct Charactar one.

EDIT: Oooh, yeah. Agree with Elf. Not neccessarily because I'm such an Archer/Rin fan, though I do support and enjoy that pairing, but my familiarity with Shirou and Illya as siblings is shifting and failing to object to romantic development.

[FcS]

:/ I still need some convincing to agree on that pair... Lol, tbh I'm starting to looking forward to more explanation and action instead of interaction...

[Kieran]

Well, in theory I could skip right to the dragons - but I think I ought to do a little more with Rin, first. The dragons are going to need some planning to be done right - who's facing what, and what they do, and all. But I'll get there as quick as I reasonably can.

[al103]

but I think I ought to do a little more with Rin, first.

DOOO IT! Even if I don't like Rin, interaction are priceless.

[FlameStrike]

I'm looking forward to seeing her discussion with Galen. It's interesting to see this Rin, who has no meta knowledge try to make sense of the crazy wizard world that makes no sense.

On another note, the Archer and Illya interactions have been really sweet. Illya really deserves more love. She went through so much and gains so little. I like seeing more Illya material in fan works.

[Kieran]

Seems to be an even split - and that includes me! I have no idea who Shirou's going to end up with, and this is so far outside what I planned . . . *shakes head* Ah well - at least this derailment's fun to deal with.

[Kratosirving]

Well, going by that logic, you hadn't determined who he was going to end up with, but than again, you hadn't decided that Rin would worm her way in either.

With her being in, I'd have to say it's down to either Rin or Ginny get's Shirou's manly ass. Galen's probably going to end up being your average H-game protagonist that can't make up his fucking mind and juggling Hermione and Takara...

If Takara can't get Galen though, I'll give her Luna. Why?

Why not?

[RexRox]

I've certainly got no complaints about this derailment. The Rin stuff is interesting - all the more so because it involves Ilya and Shirou. I suspect that no matter how the romantic entanglements end up, I shan't be disappointed.

[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 Goblet of Fire, but I trust in the intelligence of my readers (and the availability of the books) to recognise them when they see them.



Chapter 17 - True Selves



November 7 - 19, 1994






Takara sighed mentally as she listened to Trelawney drone on about astrology. Having covered Western astrology earlier in the year (she, like Neville, was a Leo), Trelawney was now exploring the mysterious astrology of the Orient, land of ancient mysteries. In other words, they’d moved on to the so-called Chinese zodiac, in which she was a Snake - at least, in the world she’d originally come from. Here, like most of her class, she was a Monkey. Offhand, she didn’t feel much different. But in any case, she’d grown up in the area of the world where the beliefs were most prevalent - the refresher course really wasn’t necessary.

Not that Trelawney would be interesting to listen to about anything, the Japanese witch mused. The only reason I’m even in this class is because my parents thought it would help me develop my Sight.

Takara thought back to the Quidditch World Cup. While the warning that had woken her was hazy now, the unrelenting pressure of danger was still a strong impression in her memory. For a brief moment, she had known that something was coming, as certainly as she’d known her heart was beating. Hermione had said her eyes were glowing silver . . .

The same colour as my Mystic Eyes. I do have the Nanaya Sight - whatever it is.

In this world, she knew both more and less about her blood family and their inherited abilities than she had before. In her reality of origin, the Nanaya clan had been natural demon hunters - born with inherent physical and psychic powers for the purpose of eliminating supernatural threats to humanity. Most often, the latter manifested as a type of power commonly known as Mystic Eyes, though there were numerous variations, all seemingly individually tailored - her Eyes had been similar, but markedly different to her father’s. She knew little more than that, however, because the clan had been eliminated by the Tohno clan (the main house and its associated bloodlines) long before she was born - and her father had been only a child, barely at the beginning of his traditional training.

When she’d pressed the boys for any details they knew about her family over one summer, Shirou had reluctantly admitted that the Assassin of the Sixth Grail War had been her grandfather - and that he had perished in an attempt to protect her, because he had become a Servant to wish for the continuation of his family. Takara hadn’t actually encountered the Servant in question during the War, but Galen’s memories of doing battle with the silent warrior had been something to see in the Pensieve. Someone who could hold off her Servant and her mother simultaneously was a warrior to be reckoned with - especially when Galen had shared that Kiri Nanaya lacked the sheer destructive power of her father, or the magical reinforcement she was capable of.

If Father had been able to complete his training in the traditional Nanaya style, how devastating would he have been? If he’d been able to train me, with my abilities . . . Either one of us was a force to be reckoned with without the training!

The records of this world’s Nanaya clan were slightly easier to come by, but less informative. Going on information from Hermione, Takara had discovered the Nanaya to be less noble than originally, as they were less protectors of humanity than a family of magical assassins for hire. It was unclear whether they were wizards who trained as ninja as a cover in the mundane world, or a clan of ninja who’d developed and nurtured magical powers - even with the few records that survived the destruction of the Nanaya, secrecy was second nature to either calling. Regardless, they were renowned as oracles who could “See” the deaths of their targets.

Another obscurity - did they actually foresee those deaths, or predict them and then work with magic and shinobi techniques to make them come to pass? I’ve never been able to convince Father to tell me what his Sight shows him, but he’s said that he does have it. If this follows the same pattern as originally, mine will be similar, but distinctly different. Father saw death, whereas I saw “life” - or whatever passed for it - in my targets. And unlike my father, those lines I saw revealed the real nature of my targets, regardless of illusions - whether they were human, demon, hybrid, undead, or a creature of magic. Galen used to say that if Father’s Eyes saw “fate,” mine saw “truth.” But here . . .

I knew there was danger . . . Does that mean any danger, or only circumstances where I might die?

If the latter, it might be useful for facing the dragon - which was barely more than two weeks away, now. Takara was not looking forward to it, but at least she had a plan.

Harry managed to outfly his dragon . . . It’s a good enough plan, and in all honesty, I think I’m a better flyer than he is, or at least as good. The problem is, that still leaves Neville . . .

The First Task was Takara’s biggest worry. In the Second and Third Tasks, the champions were released as a group, and she could help Neville get through them. It was only in the First Task that they were released on their own. There was nothing she could do to help him survive whatever dragon he found himself up against.

I hope Galen can find something . . .

Frankly, Takara thought the real difficulty would be restraining Galen from protecting Neville from the dragon himself. By now, she believed she had a handle on the lycanthropic wizard’s personality and beliefs - and asking him to watch as his friends faced dangerous predators without him was like asking a devout Shinto priest to drink human blood with his tea - an event so unlikely, why bother thinking about it?

But he has to. Competing in the Tournament might cost Neville his life - but being disqualified for cheating, or outside interference at the very least, will. Not to mention he’ll be none too thrilled at Ilya competing, either - or me, probably.

I’m going to have to tell Shirou, Ginny and Luna to sit on him - literally! And steal his wand while they’re at it, just in case.

Takara sighed to herself. On the one hand, there was a certain comfort in Galen’s “mother hen” tendencies, no matter how quickly they could get annoying. On the other hand, though, they could get annoying very quickly. And in this case, they might prove their undoing.

And then, if we survive, there’s the Yule Ball . . .

Last year, she had tried to date Shirou, but a string of bad luck had plagued every attempt. Among the potential hazards had been Ilya, who hadn’t actually done anything, but had nonetheless implied in her behaviour that she was a big sister with an overprotective streak to rival Galen’s.

Still, I’d have asked him despite Ilya - but with Tohsaka-san in the mix, I don’t dare. Even I won’t go up against an overprotective big sister and a jealous ex-girlfriend simultaneously . . . But that doesn’t leave me with a lot of options.

Galen would have been her instinctive second choice - but Hermione had managed to overcome her natural reserve, and his natural stubbornness to get him to take her out. Even if Hermione hadn’t been her friend, Takara felt the accomplishment would’ve merited a pass. She’d banged her own head on that brick wall often enough. That Hermione had succeeded in getting through to him, by any means, meant that she deserved that date.

Lucky girl, muttered a corner of her mind that she refused to listen to, while trying simultaneously to not remember their date last New Year’s Eve in vivid detal. Takara knew that at least some of his behaviour had been “company manners” - trying to make the best possible impression - but Galen had still been very gentlemanly and pleasant company, whatever his motives. She had enjoyed herself, and she had no doubt that Hermione would, too.

Even more than you, probably - because even if she’s never entirely sure how to articulate it, she’s also never tried to deny that she wants him to anyone, least of all herself.

Takara ignored that. Practice was making it easier than it had been, once upon a time.

Still, of her immediate circle of friends, that left Neville, and she wasn’t certain whether or not he had plans already.

If not, Ginny might badger him into taking her, since it’s the only way she can go - and it is what happened last time . . .

Takara shook her head, deciding, I’ll worry about it later - we still have to survive the dragons first . . . Maybe I ought to see if Madam Pomfrey has a headache cure, while I’m at it. I certainly need one with all the thoughts crowding my skull lately.






Fleur had been sent off with assurances of peace and the safety of Rin’s virtue. Once they were safely ensconced in the Room of Requirement, the Japanese magus-turned-witch told her story, which matched the plot of the Fate/Stay night anime. However, her tale went beyond the final episode, with her giving up on a lovelorn Shirou to pursue her magical studies in England, and apprenticing to the Wizard Marshall, Zelretch - master of the True Magic, Kaleidoscope. And as her studies progressed . . .

“I thought about Archer,” she said quietly. “About a man who died for me, to buy myself and my allies time to escape with our lives, when he could just as easily have taken me alone and run. A man who might have survived, if he’d remembered who he really was, and what he was capable of - if I hadn’t botched his summoning. I didn’t want to be Shirou - I didn’t want to spend my life obsessing over Archer, or over an ideal as a way to get close to him - but I thought I owed to him, for what he’d done, to understand who and what he’d really been . . . To know what I’d cost him. And Kaleidoscope could help me do just that.”

It had take painstaking work to recreate the glyph that had represented her Command Mantras, and break down the overall symbol’s meaning. Decrypting it into a form that Jewel Magic could interpret was even more work, but she was Rin Tohsaka, genius heir to her family’s style of magecraft - and she was nothing if not motivated. Finally, after months of painstaking calculation, she thought she had the correct formula to bring her to whatever time and place Archer had come from. She’d set up the circle, cast the spell - there was a brilliant flash of prismatic light . . .

“And when I woke up, everyone expected me to be this ‘Rin Delacour,’” the raven-haired witch finished. “And I had no idea who ‘Rin Delacour’ was supposed to be. Thank God I learned French as a precursor to English - it has a similar sentence structure to Japanese - or I’d have been totally lost.”

“Is that still the case?” Galen asked.

“I get bits and pieces,” Rin admitted. “Flashes of memory about things that were important to her - that would be important to me, like her sisters. She really loves them, even if she is jealous of how easily Fleur attracts boys occasionally, and Gabrielle can be a clingy little pest at times.” She smiled wanly. “I actually think Gabrielle likes her non-Veela-blooded sister better, because she isn’t. No competition or expectations - not the same ones, anyway.” She sighed. “Neither of them is Sakura - but they’ve tried so hard to make me feel at home since the ‘accident.’”

“Accident?” Galen queried.

“Apparently, Rin Delacour is something of an amateur spell crafter - really good at tweaking things, at least. Considering I woke up in a roomful of debris, I’d say one tweak went really wrong.” She shook her head. “At least it served to explain why I didn’t recognise anyone or anything - they think I have amnesia. And I might as well - I’d call this possession, but I don’t have a sense of my ‘other’ being here. There’s just the odd flicker.”

Galen went still. When he spoke, he did so slowly, and very carefully.

“I think ‘possession’ is exactly what it is, Rin - or ‘repossessing,’ in this case.”

Rin was many things, but never stupid. She got the implication immediately. “You think - ?”

“Purely visceral memory flashes, instinctive reactions, probably some muscle memory . . . ” Galen listed off. “I went through a similar experience some years back, with Shinji Matou,”

“But - I’m breathing! I have a heartbeat!”

“And people have been revived on the operating table,” he pointed out. “It’s the only explanation for why you have some of Rin’s memories, but no sense of her - the chemical portion is still in your brain, but the electrical - dare I say, etheric - portion is gone. Gone on.”

Rin turned green, and lurched for a suddenly-appeared toilet. When her lunch had vacated her stomach, she trembled violently for several minutes, wracked with dry heaves. Finally, she turned a pale face and much duller eyes to regard him.

“So I’m dead - or the girl who was in here before me is,” she murmured. “Is it my fault? Did I push her out?”

“I doubt it, if the room was as badly damaged as you say. You just slipped in as she slipped out.”

“Doesn’t matter - the person her family wants back is gone, and I’m here. For Shirou, as it turns out.” Her face twisted. “Damn the bastard to hell - what did he think he was playing at?!”

That seemed as good an opening as any, so Galen told her - all of it. What he knew about the events that turned Emiya Shirou into a Counter Guardian, and then later Archer, the Heaven’s Feel route, the Sixth War, Illyria . . .

“And so we wound up here,” he finished.

“And where, exactly, is ‘here?’” Rin inquired, in a tone that as much as said, “This had better be good.”

“Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?” he tried tentatively.

“Ayako dragged me to the first movie, back when we were in junior high - she thought the kid playing Harry was adorable. It really wasn’t my kind of thing . . . “ She grimaced, adding ruefully, “And now I wish I’d paid more attention.”

“The long version would take more time than we have today. The short version is, Harry’s long dead but events are otherwise still on course. We’re trying to change that.”

“By entering a tournament?” She paused. “Sorry - after that blowup on Hallowe’en, I should know you didn’t enter.”

“Takara, yes - as a secret last resort. But Neville, no.” Galen scowled. “Now I have to figure out how to get him past the dragons - ”

“DRAGONS?!” Rin burst out.

Wincing even as he mentally blessed his foresight for requesting a soundproofed room (no one could have missed that otherwise), Galen gave her a quick explanation of the First Task.

Rin frowned. “This is going to take planning . . .”

Galen grunted in acknowledgement of the obvious.

“. . . Especially since I’m having to relearn magic from the ground up,” Rin said bitterly. “I hope this new wand does something to help, because I still maintain there’s no viability to this system at all.”

“What did you end up with?” Galen asked in curiosity. She pulled it from a pocket in her uniform cloak to display.

“Rowan, thirteen inches,” Rin said. “He said it had a phoenix feather core - and he was so blasé about the fact . . . Are such mythical creatures really that common around here?”

“I don’t know,” Galen said, “but Shirou’s wand has the same type of core.”

Rin levelled a glare at him. “Don’t. Whatever his reasons, he lied to me - and those lies caused me a lot of guilt. I’ll help you out, because I need your help in return, and you’ve been fairly decent so far - although Fleur may not forgive you as easily . . . But she’ll do it a hell of a lot easier, and sooner, than I’ll ever forgive him.”

She rose, and stormed out of the Room. Galen stared after her.

“Well,” he said lightly, to no one in particular, “that went well.”






The days passed in intense studying - not simply because of the subject matter, or the urgency of their need to know, but the clash of personalities. Ilyasviel was unhappy about Rin’s suddenly inviting herself to join them, though Fleur’s presence kept her to a forced civility around the Japanese witch. When asked, the half-Veela sighed and said, “Why punish Fleur for her sister? Besides, she’s a big fan of Mama - so she can’t be all bad.”

For his part, Shirou was no more happy about the new arrival - though that might have more to do with the fact that she’d deliberately put Galen or Takara between them, and beyond the occasional glare, steadily ignore his presence. The rest of the group, however, she was more than happy to meet.

Hermione, for her part, was both thrilled and intimidated. Thrilled, because despite her lack of a formal magical education (such as she would recognise), Rin had a first-rate mind, on par with Luna’s at least - and she learned as quickly as Hermione herself. At the rate she was devouring books on magical theory, potions, and spells, Rin would be at least ready to take her O.W.L.s in a number of months - something Hermione admitted she could probably do now, but she’d rather wait and have more time to study and learn. Regardless, Rin was someone she could discuss things with as an equal, and unlike Luna, the Japanese witch was a serious student, disinclined to veer off topic at odd moments.

On the other hand, Hermione was intimidated because dealing with Rin was like dealing with a girl who blended the best elements of herself and Takara. She was undeniably brilliant, exotically beautiful, athletic - and projected the same bossy, know-it-all attitude that she once had (and occasionally, still did). Hermione had gotten the attitude knocked out of her by troll encounters, and having real friends who taught her how to relax and enjoy the other aspects of life besides books and grades. Rin, clearly, never had - although Hermione suspected it was at least partially a facade.

Nonetheless, Rin clearly intended to work with them for the duration of the Tournament - logical, given that the others were already working together. She’d needed no convincing to sign the Quibbler contract, either, practically ripping it out of Luna’s hand when it was presented to her.

“I should be paying you for this,” Rin muttered through clenched teeth. “Miserable, talentless harpy working at a second-rate newspaper - I spelled my name for her twice, damn it! Don’t they have editors there?”

Rin’s personality was a tad more abrasive and volatile than Hermione would have really liked, but she suspected that she’d become used to that, eventually. It was her hope that by the end of the year, they would become friends. To that end, she’d thrown herself into helping Rin study up on magic, often late into the night - especially as the First Task drew nearer. As she was one of the few who could keep up with the Japanese witch, it was only logical, and Rin among others had thanked her for doing so. Nonetheless, Hermione admitted that she was looking forward to the Hogsmeade outing today - she could use the break.

And as the weather is awfully chilly and damp today - as it ought to be in November, I suppose - a mug of hot Butterbeer wouldn’t go amiss, either.

Hermione dressed appropriately for the day, and headed down to the Entrance Hall, which seemed fuller than she remembered from last year. Of course, last year she’d been a newly-minted third-year, full of excitement over her first sanctioned trip to Hogsmeade - this year, she had to watch that same group, and it was exhausting trying to keep up with them all.

Did I have that much energy? she wondered. How on earth do the prefects keep track of them?

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, she gravitated to the island of calm that was Luna Lovegood. Anyone who knew her could read her anticipation in the glow of her silvery blue eyes, or the shy smile tugging at the corners of her mouth - but she stood with perfect poise, waiting for Mr. Filch to get to her and check her name off the list before she could board a carriage. Ginny, next to her, was bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement - as always, an irrepressible bundle of energy.

“Hi Hermione!” she chirped. “Won’t this be fun? I’ve been hearing about Hogsmeade for years - and now I finally get to go see it for myself!”

“And we can share a carriage,” Luna offered calmly. “Just us girls - we’ll need to get Takara, of course.”

Ginny shot her a look, and Hermione saw the redhead’s eyebrows lift in sudden realisation, but couldn’t puzzle out why.

“Yeah, that’ll be fun,” Ginny said firmly, though not quite as convincingly as before. “I’ll just go get Takara, then.”

She dashed off, leaving Hermione to regard her blonde house-mate with a raised eyebrow.

“We don’t get enough girl talk in the dorms, or at meals?” she inquired.

Luna’s expression was serious. “This needs to be a private discussion, I think.”

It was serious - Luna’s voice had that lost its usual dreamy quality, and her eyes were remarkably clear, though opaque. It was like looking into a pair of polished silver mirrors.

Almost like Takara’s, that one night, Hermione realised. Like whatever she can see is so much more than I ever will.

Hermione felt uneasy when Takara came back, and even more when she saw the puzzled expression on the Japanese witch’s face - Takara was rarely surprised, and it was even more rarely good when she was. Her blue-eyed friend cast quizzical glances at the three of them.

“I’d have ridden back with you, you know - ” she started.

“Better that we do this now, I think,” Luna said, and there was a tone of finality to her voice that startled both older girls into silence. The silence held until all four of them were in a carriage, and on their way to the village. It was broken when Luna pulled out her wand.

“Muffliato,” she said briskly. “There - now we can talk in peace.”

“About what?” Takara asked. “I still don’t really get what this is about.”

“It’s quite simple, really,” Luna said serenely. “We’ve been wondering about Death Eaters and Polyjuice - and the simplest way to spot someone under Polyjuice is to notice when they wrong, or ‘acting out-of-character,’ as Galen says.” Luna held her wand sharply. “And we have.”

Hermione blinked, and Ginny’s wand had abruptly joined Luna’s in pointing at her. Seeing that, Takara drew her own.

“Me?” Hermione said in disbelief. “You think I’m a Death Eater in disguise? That’s preposterous!”

“Unlikely, but hardly impossible,” Luna said coolly. “Hermione is mundane-born, and thus uniquely vulnerable during the holidays. She’s also prone to staying in the library later than any of us. Getting a hold of her wouldn’t have been too difficult.”

“But I’d need to be taking Polyjuice Potion every hour!” Hermione protested. “How many times have you needed to remind me to eat over the last year?”

Luna’s eyes clouded as she admitted quietly. “There is that. However, the flaw in your act was quite plain to see - and quite glaring, as flaws go. And if Polyjuice isn’t the answer, then something like the Imperius Curse must be at work.”

“Luna, you’re not making any sense!” Hermione cried in exasperation. “I’m quite plainly myself, and I can assure you that I haven’t been near anyone capable of casting the Imperius Curse while unsupervised - or any other Unforgivable, for that matter!”

“No,” Luna agreed, “you haven’t. And that was the flaw, you see. That was the clue which told us something was not at all right with you, Hermione.”

Takara sighed. “Luna, could you just explain without the drama? I’m not getting it, either.”

It was Ginny who answered. “She’s been actively avoiding Galen for weeks - something Hermione wouldn’t ever do.” The redhead’s coppery eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.

“Care to explain why?”

[Mechatrill]

Ah... Right... The "boyfriend kiss" thing...

[Elf]

Ohohoho.

And . . . you know Rin and Shirou are going to need to collide at some point.

[SeiKeo]

Huh. That was unexpected.

[Kieran]

Knew I should've laid more hints . . .

[Elf]

Knew I should've laid more hints . . .

I got them. <3

[RexRox]

Put me firmly into the camp of "Did not see that coming." Then again, I have a nasty habit of forgetting important plot points...

[ringlhach]

Huh. So it appears we have three constants in the multiverse: Kitsurugu/Iri, Shiki/Ciel/(Arc?), and Rin will fuck up rituals. ^_^

Yeah, I know that there're more- there have to be- but it kinda figures that Local!Rin would blow herself to smithereens or have the magical equivalent of a stroke just as Fate!Rin tries to hijack her.