Matou Shinji and the Price of Victory (HP/FSN CYOA)

[Malorius]

Guys, she will die. Or snap. Did you actually think about logistics of it?

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 96:
[X] Albion Training Facility, Vertic Alley
[X] Some other amount of time (Two Hours)
[X] Every single day between now and the mission
[X] Evening - after she's already had a long day
[X] Yes, alternating every fifteen minutes between reinforcement and normal non-reinforced runs.

---

Choice 97: Some time between this incident and the whole incident with the Fujous, Shinji's peaceful life was shaken by a visit from an old acquaintance - Aozaki Touko, the master puppeteer who had taught him so much, given him an example of greatness to aspire to in his early years, before he had linked himself to Sokaris' star.

"Master," Shinji said, greeting the puppeteer at the door with a very respectful bow. "What brings you here?"

"Business," the magus drawled. "Our mutual associate has asked me to...adjust the defenses of the manor, given that some others may be staying here for a prolonged while. Though your new physiology already made that necessary."

Shinji winced.

"...come in," were the words that actually escaped his mouth, as opposed to what he might have wanted to say to his ever cryptic former mentor. "How are you doing now that Tomas is..."

"Now that my former assistant is seeking his own fortune abroad?" the magus inquired, even as she stepped through the door.

"Well, yes..."

"Busier," was the puppeteer's succinct response. "Though I hear the same applies to you." She looked him up and down, as if sizing him up, something that made the boy feel slightly uncomfortable. "Defeating an army singlehandedly. Becoming a squad commander. Oh, and meeting Death face to face." She chuckled throatily. "Matou. Even if magi usually describe what they do as walking as death, few take it so...literally."

"There...actually wasn't much walking involved," the boy quibbled, if only because he figured that there was no harm in poking at that little detail. "From either of us, actually."

"Indeed. I read the report," the puppeteer noted grimly. "Funny. You don't seem to be any more of a monster than I am." She lapsed into silence for a long moment as she looked around. "So. Tohsaka. Have you taken her yet?"

"Taken...?"

Touko raised an eyebrow.

"Slept with. Shagged. Fucked. Engaged in car--"

"N-no. That - none of that happened! Or will happen."

The magus harrumphed.

"How disappointing," she said with a slight smirk. "For her, that is. She seemed so eager to join you, firm in the belief that you would accept her into your bed and by your side, only to discover that life is often not what we wish it is. Tell me...how is my wayward apprentice doing under your...care?"

How would you describe how Rin is doing?

[ ] (write-in)

Choice 98: "As I am in town, I intend to have dinner with a few...associates," the puppeteer noted once Shinji was finished. "Mostly business, admittedly, but it may prove interesting for you to attend, if you so desire. If Tohsaka wishes, I suppose you bring her as well, but I leave that up to you. You will want to dress...formally."

A. Attend the dinner?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

B. If attending, do you bring Tohsaka? If not attending, do you send Tohsaka?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

[Skull Leader]

[X] As well as you would expect Master which is to say not doing well at all. But, I am continuing your work in fixing some of her bad habits, as well as conditioning her.

That should cover that question fairly well. She is a work in process but at the moment she is not doing great.

[X] Yes Attend
[X] No, do not bring Rin

[Daiki]

[x] As well as you would expect, Master, which is to say not doing well at all. But, I am continuing your work in fixing some of her bad habits, as well as conditioning her.Combines decently with the follow up answer I want to go for.

[x] Yes
[x] No

1/ Rin isn't reliable enough now. It's one thing to humiliate Shinji in public, it's another to do the same with Touko - who serves as a liaison agent for Atlas currently.

2/ We're trying to keep Rin alive, yes?

3/ She is still undergoing her punishment (training) - meaning she is not in good standing yet, thus no dinner.

4/ She has to rest.

[skulkidcachi90]

[x] As well as you would expect, Master, which is to say not doing well at all. But, I am continuing your work in fixing some of her bad habits, as well as conditioning her.

[x] Yes
[x] Yes

I am ganbling here, but if there any chance of meet someone ofbthe Goblin army or the artificer i Think it would be worth it.

[Malorius]

[x] As well as you would expect, Master, which is to say not doing well at all. But, I am continuing your work in fixing some of her bad habits, as well as conditioning her.

What a way to sound manipulative and controlling. I approve.

[x] Yes
[x] Yes

I think I am ready to give the girl another chance. Or maybe the memory of her latest stupidity has faded somewhat.

Rin, show your brains already. Please.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 97: [X] As well as you would expect Master which is to say not doing well at all. But, I am continuing your work in fixing some of her bad habits, as well as conditioning her.
Choice 98: A - [X] Yes Attend; B - [X] No, do not bring Rin

---

Choice 99: "I see," Touko noted, somehow seeming like she'd expected such an answer. "So she remains as much of a disappointment as ever, I see. I had hoped that her taking initiative for something for once meant she had changed in some way. I suppose I expected too much. A zero remains a zero, however much it is multiplied by."

Shinji winced.

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh, Master?" he questioned, finding himself frowning at the puppeteer's harsh words.

"No, I don't," was the response, with the magus shaking her head. "Given your background, I can see why you would wish to salvage what you can from her, but there are times when someone useless is best put aside. You have heard of the sunk cost fallacy?"

"...I have."

"I spent half a year training her, and in that time she learned less than you did in a single summer," the puppeter noted simply. "A spoiled girl who has had everything handed to her in life, from her position as heiress and the lands that come with it, to her Crest, to an inheritance that allows her to thoughtlessly destroy a fortune in gems every time she fights - someone like that is simply not capable of becoming a good magus." She paused. "At least, that is what my experience tells me. What do you say, Matou?"

Well, what do you say?

[ ] With due respect, you're wrong - she can do it if she puts her mind to it
[ ] ...you're right, she isn't cut out to be a magus, but maybe she doesn't have to be
[ ] "What do you mean, Master?"
[ ] (write-in)

Choice 100: Ok then, a tie-breaker. Will you bring Rin with you to dinner?

[ ] Yes
[ ] No

[Skull Leader]

[X] Rin is too narrow-minded, given her upbringing. She needs to expand her views and horizons before deciding what she truly wants to do. Hence the reason why she is in my squad, so that she can be exposed to new ideas and forced to realize how little she knows. To give her the tools so that she can choice her own path, be it that of a magus or to walk a new path she has not considered before.

Write in expresses some of the thoughts Daiki and I wanted to say. Rin has to choose for herself, but this year is her opening her eyes, and finding herself. If she wastes it, so be it. But it will not be from a lack of trying from our end.

[X] No

For god sake, everytime we take Rin somewhere she says somthing that hurts Shinji relationships that he has crafted. A fancy dinner is NOT the place for her. Not until she gets better. If she can't handle Miuki tour, she can't handle a meal with important people. For once I would like to leave Rin at home. Shinji can't date Rin so why take her with him as his date.

When Rin gets her act together, I might consider letting her go to these events, but not today.

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Rin is too narrow-minded, given her upbringing. She needs to expand her views and horizons before deciding what she truly wants to do. Hence the reason why she is in my squad, so that she can be exposed to new ideas and forced to realize how little she knows. To give her the tools so that she can choice her own path, be it that of a magus or to walk a new path she has not considered before

[ ] Yes

[Daiki]

[x] Rin is too narrow-minded, given her upbringing. She needs to expand her views and horizons before deciding what she truly wants to do. Hence the reason why she is in my squad, so that she can be exposed to new ideas and forced to realize how little she knows. To give her the tools so that she can choose her own path, be it that of a magus or to walk a new path she has not considered before.

The decision should be ultimately Rin, but for now she needs to realize that there is more to the world than the little she assumes. Get more experience and expand your horizons first, then decide where to go from there.

[x] No.

Still a no for me. For the reasons I mentioned.

I know you guys are willing to take a risk, but the odds aren't great.

[Dracueri]

[x]Rin is too narrow-minded, given her upbringing. She needs to expand her views and horizons before deciding what she truly wants to do. Hence the reason why she is in my squad, so that she can be exposed to new ideas and forced to realize how little she knows. To give her the tools so that she can choice her own path, be it that of a magus or to walk a new path she has not considered before
[x]No

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 99: [x] Rin is too narrow-minded, given her upbringing. She needs to expand her views and horizons before deciding what she truly wants to do. Hence the reason why she is in my squad, so that she can be exposed to new ideas and forced to realize how little she knows. To give her the tools so that she can choose her own path, be it that of a magus or to walk a new path she has not considered before.

Choice 100: [x] No.

---

Chapter 8. How the Other Side Lives

As he stood on the ramparts of Hogwarts on a lonely grey morning, looking towards the south, the source of so many strange rumors, fantastic tales, and…that cursed letter from the man who was now calling himself First Citizen of Albion, Harry Potter shivered.

In the wake of the evacuation of the Ministry, with thousands of refugees managing to escape London thanks to the actions of the boy – the criminal – who had once been his best friend, the Boy-Who-Lived hadn’t known what to think. London – the capital of Britain – was supposed to be the stronghold of the Ministry’s power, and yet when the enemy hit them, the only thing that had kept every single member of the Ministry from being slaughtered were the actions of a self-admitted dark wizard and necromancer.

Matou Shinji, the former British Potions Champion.

Savior of the Ministry.

Servant and student of a reborn Dark Lord.

Defender of the Weak.

Betrayer of Friends, Corrupter of Allies.

Master of the Dark Arts.

The Wyrm that Walked.

How…how had he not seen it coming, not seen what his best friend was becoming? Had…had he been blind from the start, drawn into Matou’s web of lies from the moment the Jap had come to his compartment on the train, whispering into ear of how ambition was a worthy thing, of how he had found his own path…?

‘Was he steering me even then?’ the boy wondered. In hindsight, with the clarity of years of distance, it seemed obvious that Matou Shinji had known exactly what he was doing, making exactly the right arguments to let him accept being sorted into Slytherin, even applauding him afterwards. ‘Back then, I thought of him as the only one who supported me, as my only real friend, but what if I was the only one who saw us as friends.’

It seemed absurd to think that Matou’s machinations could have already been in motion from the first time they’d met, but then, it was undeniable that the Japanese boy had quickly risen first to notoriety, then to prominence from his association with the Boy-who-Lived.

‘Especially after we fought the troll…’

A fight which had only been winnable because of the Japanese boy’s strange arts, and…the actions of Peeves.

At the time, he’d just accepted the poltergeist’s timely intervention as a swing of good fortune…but what if it hadn’t been fortune? What if Matou – and Quirrell, or really the spirit of Voldemort - had been in on it from the start, having arranged it all from the start? What if the event that had led to the formation of the Stone Cutters had been staged, and the boys had been used as catspaws by Voldemort to get the Stone the entire time?

‘…yes, I can see it now. Leaving behind Quirrell’s dead body must have just been a ruse, so we wouldn’t suspect anything…’

A ruse which bought Tomas time to be born into the world with the help of other allies, even as Britain focused their attention on praising the Stone Cutters for their actions in ‘helping to stop a Dark Wizard.’ Stone Cutters that oddly enough, had only been injured almost to the point of death…

‘I’ve often wondered by Quirrell – Voldemort – didn’t just kill them. At the time, I thought it was because he didn’t think they were worth the bother. But now, I’m not so sure.’

Knowing what he knew now, that too had been part of a coldly calculated plan to hide Matou’s complicity in this whole affair…

…though, in that case, what about Sokaris, who had died?

‘Matou was…very fixated on her in the years afterwards,’ the boy mused. ‘Was it just because she died, I wonder? Or was it something else?’

Her body had been missing in the aftermath, after all. At the time, everyone had assumed she’d simply been burned up by the black flames, but…what if she hadn’t? Voldemort’s spirit would have needed to go somewhere after leaving Quirrell’s body behind, especially if it wanted to take the Stone with it.

‘Possession. Voldemort must have possessed her, using her body to escape…’

Presumably, the Dark Lord had then hopped to another body and killed Sokaris so no one would be able to find him.

…had Matou known that was going to happen, he wondered?

Was that why he had been so fixated on Sokaris in the years after? Because he’d chosen Sokaris as a sacrifice for Voldemort’s revival, and so sought to make sure something of her lived on in him out of guilt?

If he looked at everything from the perspective of Matou being a loyal servant of the Dark, it all made sense.

Matou had taken him to Japan, so that his Master could evaluate just how much of a threat the Boy-Who-Lived really was, with Harry failing to realize that the man who was teaching him Occlumency – and reading his mind in the process – was his sworn enemy.

Matou had been instructed in the dark arts of his forbears, gaining the power to fuse with spirits, to turn his skin to stone, to conjure a weapon that could petrify foes and command the very earth, and of course, he’d shown off these powers to the Stone Cutters to tempt them into coming to Japan with him the very next summer.

…which of course, just by coincidence surely, had left the young “heroes” with a perfect excuse for why they hadn’t been there at the Quidditch World Cup incident. Yes, he remembered now – Matou had advised him to unlock his animagus form, something that had kept him isolated for most of the summer, while he had corrupted the Weasley Twins, exposing them to dark powers that had twisted them into caricatures of themselves.

He hadn’t realized it then, but by the end of that summer, his friends had been long gone. Fred had gone mad with paranoia, eventually resulting in him trying to assassinate the Minister’s son. George…the other Weasley twin had become utterly cold, a monster of logic who had openly disparaged the students of Hogwarts after the tragedy at Durmstrang, who had turned to blood magic and other dark arts, and who had obviously been in a position to win the Tri-Wizard Tournament – only to lose on purpose to spite the nation.

As for Luna, who seemed genuinely devoted to Matou – he could only imagine that he had taken advantage of her vulnerability and loneliness, manipulating things enough so that she’d fallen in love with him, had become devoted to him – willing to do anything for him, like Bellatrix had been to Voldemort himself.

And so, the boy was forced to conclude that Dumbledore had been wrong. Voldemort knew very well how powerful love could be – at least when used as a weapon, or to create one. What he didn’t know was that love, beyond corrupting, could protect.

‘…which is why I wasn’t taken in completely. Because I had Daphne. Because she was there for me, helping me to think, to reason through the lies.’

Frankly, he didn’t know what he would have done without her presence, without her to keep him sane even as the news from London came in drips and drabs.

‘I guess Granger must have been the one Matou set his eyes on first, until something happened. Perhaps the Dark Lord wanted a new Bellatrix, or perhaps…I don’t know.’

He shook his head.

What he knew was this.

An enemy army of wizards, giants, and inferi had rampaged through Diagon Alley, slaughtering everything in their path – one that the Ministry could not have fended off, even if they’d brought the entirety of their forces to London.

In the face of this, the Minster had reluctantly ordered that all Ministry personnel evacuate to Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, where the fortifications that had been erected would be better able to hold off the onslaught – sacrificing the few for the sake of the nation.

After that…

Well, the accounts he’d heard and seen were garbled, sometimes contradictory.

The Minister mentioned how Matou had sworn an Unbreakable Oath to fight against the enemies of Britain so that those in the Ministry could escape, to hold them in the Atrium for half an hour. The destruction of the Ministry building and the successful escape of the vast majority of the Ministry’s personnel seemed to indicate he had done so.

And then there were the goblins, which had apparently marched out of Gringotts to defend London in full battle armor, with some of them seen using wands. How curious that just as the Ministry abandoned London, a new force largely comprised of non-humans oh-so-conveniently happened to be there to come to the defense of the city and those within it.

That they had done so at all was strange enough, since there were lifetimes of bad blood and bad feelings between wizards and goblins. The timing though…that was most suspicious, especially when the Marshal of that army was not a goblin all, but a man the Boy-Who-Lived knew well – a man who called himself ‘Tomas Peverell.’

The force had won, of course, slaughtering the inferi and the giants – though oddly, a number of the dark wizards were unaccounted for, which in Harry's mind, left no doubt that this whole thing – the Quidditch World Cup, the Attack on London, the Goblin Intervention – had been staged.

Especially with Gilderoy Lockhart, the so-called Greatest Adventurer of Britain, declaring in the wake of the battle that the Ministry’s abandonment of its people meant that it had no legitimacy as a government, and that where the Ministry – with its policies on conscription, in tearing Britain from the international community, and how it had imposed martial law – had failed to protect them, the forces of Albion would not. Indeed, with goblins and humans standing side by side as they faced the future – and everything it might bring – together, Albion would usher in a new era of prosperity for wizardkind.

Which was odd enough in itself (aside from spitting in the face of everything the Ministry had tried to do to protect Britain, and all the hard choices it had had to make), until a new scrap of information had come in.

Matou Shinji had survived his encounter at the Ministry, was being hailed as a hero…and had agreed to join Albion’s Home Guard.

‘…it was a set-up from the very beginning,’ Harry thought, his blood running cold. ‘If we’d fought, we would have died for naught, only for the goblins to step in afterwards. With the Ministry evacuating, they simply moved sooner rather than later.’

This…he saw now. He understood.

‘Voldemort…he…he doesn’t just want to win. He wants the world to see him as a hero.’

And Matou Shinji had supported him in his aims from the very beginning.

Yes…it made sense. It made sense now why Shinji had stopped caring about what the Ministry thought of him, about what the British public thought of him, why he had refused to become a British Citizen and swear loyalty to the Ministry – because he knew that his Master would soon make a move against Britain, and that he would have a place of honor at his Master’s side.

‘Maybe he even believes that Voldemort isn’t the enemy of Britain – and that his forces are not, either, meaning his Vow might well have been meaningless. Perhaps what happened is that while the Ministry’s personnel were evacuating, they raided the Department of Mysteries, seizing the prophecies, the Veil…’

…and the Ministry’s research. Especially...

‘No...no, even he wouldn't...!’

But even as he thought that, he knew he was wrong. Matou Shinji was the sort to take advantage of everything he could get his hands on, using whatever means he could find to achieve victory, no matter how underhanded, no matter how...unusual. And so he knew that what the Unspeakables had left behind, all the things they had not been able to take with them in their rush to get out, might be turned against them, including their research on time.

In the wake of the Quidditch World Cup Incident, where half the country had died, the Department of Mysteries had begun to investigate time travel once more, focusing on methods other than the Hour-Reversal Charm (which had rather deleterious effects on anyone who used it to travel beyond five hours into the past), in the hope that they could send a force back to stop the incident in its tracks, so that what was, would be not be.

They had reported some preliminary successes, but with that research fallen into the hands of their enemy...

‘He’ll take what the Unspeakables created and turn it against us, turn time into a weapon, making it impossible for us to beat him, undoing our every attempt at victory.’

If Voldemort truly had taken possession of everything that was left behind, then it was only a matter of time before the Ministry – before the entire Wizarding World – had already lost, unless…

‘…unless we follow him down that forbidden road, undoing his plans not in the present, but in the past, before he reaches the point where he snatch the future away from all of us.’

Yes, it was forbidden for a reason, as such research could have catastrophic results on the fabric of time, but…they had no choice. In order to win, in order to even have a hope of victory, they too had to use time as a weapon, for the Greater Good.

---

Back in London, Matou Shinji was going about his day without any clue of what his once friend been thinking, though as had become the norm for his trips to Diagon Alley, he was dressed as “Nines”, wearing a black, somewhat military looking jacket and slacks that happened to match, as well as a blindfold that charmed his hair to smoothness and turned it silver, making him look distinctive – but not all like Matou Shinji.

Emilia, of course, his “date” – well, companion, as an officer was not supposed to date his subordinates – for the day, was dressed to match, wearing an elegant black dress that came down to mid-thigh, as part of a set with stockings and thigh-high boots.

Given their unusual mode of dress, the boy had avoided taking public transport, instead arranging for a discreet chauffeur service to take him and his companion to Charing Cross Road, where the Leaky Cauldron was located, with Emilia raising a slim eyebrow as a Rolls Royce Phantom VI pulled up in front of the house.

A car Shinji knew well, as was its driver, a rather tall Nordic-seeming man Shinji remembered from quite a few trips.

"Hello again, Sir," Jeeves greeted them, as he disembarked from the car and proceeded to open the back door for them with a bow – one that Shinji returned, as the tall, rather well-built Chauffeur had done quite a bit for him over the years.

"And to you, Jeeves," Shinji replied, his mood already better after seeing the man. "Jeeves, this is Emilia, a...colleague of mine. Emilia, Jeeves - the best driver I know in London."

"One tries," the Nordic man replied humbly, as he gestured for them to enter. Once they'd done so, he closed the door behind them and made his way back to the driver side seat. "Charing Cross Station, sir?"

"Indeed."

It wasn't a particularly long ride, and perhaps it was indulgent to take a limousine to the Leaky Cauldron instead of using some more magical form of transport. The fact of the matter was, however, that the Floo Network was no longer in operation with the fall of the Ministry (and that even if it was, his house wasn’t connected to it), that he wasn't one for apparition, and that he had no flow ofuda in Diagon Alley, so one might as we well take a car - and if Mashu had a private car service on retainer, well, was it not better to take advantage of it?

After they disembarked, and Jeeves had departed, he and his companion had stepped into the Leaky Cauldron, passing through it once more into what had once been the heart of Magical London, and now was mostly dust and echoes...

‘It almost feels wrong, given how many people lived here, gathered here…’

It was being rebuilt, slowly, with goblins and witches working together to create something new, something that seemed a bit more permanent (or perhaps just had an aesthetic he didn’t see as rustic and outmoded?), working with stone and wood and more.

‘It’s not like some of the buildings of Mahoutokoro, which were grown, rather than built, but we’re seeing change.’

Change wasn’t a quick thing, and it wasn’t easy, but perhaps it was possible after all, even in a system as rigid as Magical Britain’s.

It was odd, the things he noticed.

In his previous visits, the only people on the streets had been self-styled wizards and witches, dressed in robes of different cuts. This time, he saw a more diverse crowd.

Goblins, some in armor, some in business attire, some in even more esoteric outfits.

A few centaurs, moving about uneasily.

Some leprechauns in green.

And…even among the humans, things were different. There were a great many foreigners on the streets – some in clothes similar to his, some in odd hooded robes that reminded him of the Stone Cutters' garb, there were families in rather tattered outfits, and some witches wearing rather revealing garb as they mentioned something about a good time.

All in all, he and Emilia didn’t actually stand out much.

'Busier than I expected, really. I wonder if something is about to happen...with all the people here,' he thought to himself, noting the number of languages he thought he heard. English, but also French, German, and…maybe Arabic? That, and the visitors seemed friendly enough, with people and creatures giving each other small, but respectful nods. 'In the old Britain, people would have been suspicious of a stranger. Right now though...? They don't seem to mind foreigners much.'

Why were they here though? Granted, it had been some time, but…had Lockhart opened the borders of Albion to visitors? Had he chosen to hire mercenaries for defense, or to invite displaced wizards to Britain to replace the portion of the population which had been…ah, slain?

‘Curiouser and curiouser.’

Before they did much else though, like meet the orphans, Emilia asked if they could take a moment to see the performance happening at the fountain in front of Gringotts, arguing that since they would be at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, it would be a good idea to see examples of what they could do that wasn’t propaganda that had been bought and paid for.

“That makes sense,” the boy had agreed, though he wasn’t particularly fond of whatever they might be doing.

The Tale of the Three Brothers, apparently, from the Tales of Beedle the Bard.

‘…maybe I was wrong about this not being bought and paid for then, given who the “Wizard-Marshal” of Albion is…’

“I suppose we can spare a moment,” Shinji allowed, noting that there were still some empty spots on the benches in front of the fountain – as well as some vendors about. “I don’t suppose you’d want some ice cream?” he asked, more out of politeness than anything else.

“I would, actually,” Emilia responded with a slight smile. “Hokey Pokey flavor, if you don’t mind.”

“Hokey Pokey…?” Shinji repeated, wondering if he’d heard correctly. “What kind of—”

“Vanilla with chunks of honeycomb,” came the explanation, with the boy’s face showing that he understood. “But if they don’t have that, I can go with blueberry earl grey.”

“…you some kind of ice cream connoisseur?” Shinji inquired. “These all sound fancy, and I’m not at all sure they’d have them here.”

“…they do in the muggle world,” the tanuki grumbled, seeming just a bit petulant at the thought of the cart not having her favorite favors.

“Given the Statute of Secrecy and all. They're more likely to have pumpkin-flavored ice cream than something like Hokey Pokey.”

Emilia crinkled her nose at the very mention of pumpkin-flavored ice cream.

“How disgusting,” she said. “Pumpkins should be made into pies, or used with spices for shakes, not…put into ice cream.” She sighed. “Well, if they don’t have either of those, then something with marshmallows and chocolate. Perhaps some cinnamon cracker crumble.”

Shinji’s mind screeched to a halt as he processed what those ingredients could make.

‘…a s’more?’

“…like a s’more?” he asked cautiously, remembering how the very first time he’d encountered a tanuki was when one had nearly killed him over such a thing.

“Is that what they’re called?” Emilia asked. “I only know it’s a good combination.”

“Well, I’ll see what they have,” Shinji replied, shaking his head.

As it turned out, there was vanilla and honeycomb, so the tanuki was happy enough – as was he, since the flavor was actually quite good.

The play wasn’t terrible either. None of the actors were quite up to Granger’s level, but they did a credible job and the costume design was just to die for…even if the costume for Death looked far more mechanical and menacing than the actual conceptual being had been.

‘…I wonder if I can hire whoever is in charge of costuming for LeShin,’ he mused, before tabling the thought, since it probably wasn’t an immediate priority.

“Legend has it that even today, the gifts of Death remain in this world, passing from hand to hand, from wielder to wielder with the passing of the ages. The wand seeking one who like the First Brother values – and embodies – Power, the cloak passing to those who are Wise – who like the third Brother, understand their limits and yet what they can accomplish within them, the Stone to one who like the Second Brother – is brave – who has the Courage to face the truth of this world. Perhaps…perhaps one day, the three will be united by a destined hero, their powers joining as one to prevent the coming of demise, but that…is a tale that has yet to be written.”

The performance ended with a smattering of applause, with Shinji politely clapping, as he had actually enjoyed the rendition of the tale. Truly, some things were better experienced than merely read about.

‘Though I don’t really want to encounter Death again. I’m not sure it would end quite as well as the last time…’

“Well,” he said, turning to Emilia, who had a look of almost childlike joy on her face. “That was something.”

“It was,” she agreed. “Onwards then, my lord?”

“Onwards indeed.”

Their business at Gringotts didn’t take too long, really, with Shinji’s personal banker mostly asking about his term of service with Albion and how he wanted to be paid – whether it was in wizarding currency, British pounds, gems or…something longer term.

“Longer term?” he asked, only to be informed that Gringotts had its fingers in a number of different investment ventures, from real estate to bonds, from muggle stocks to magical ones. “Wait, magical Britain has stocks?”

It did indeed, apparently, with preferred customers of Gringotts being offered a chance of investing in Gobcorp, a new goblin-led corporation chartered under the law of Albion, in partnership with a number of governments.

“…Gobcorp?” the boy echoed dubiously, thinking it wasn’t the most creative name he’d heard, but then, maybe the name wasn’t so important compared to the potential returns. As such, he’d agreed to be paid in Gobcorp equity, instead of simple money, as he figured he didn’t have that much in the way of expenses anyway, and if he needed, he could simply move money from Tohsaka’s paycheck.

By chance, the boy asked about the Albion alliance and how long that had been on the works, but the only response was "long enough" – an answer that told him very little. The title they gave the First Citizen – Oathkeeper – was suggestive of more, but of what, he couldn’t say for sure.

As he left the office the office of his banker, heading back to the lobby, he ran into Emilia, finding that they had finished their business around the same time.

"Shall we continue?" the tanuki asked, with Shinji nodding, as there was more to see, no doubt.


So they proceeded to Horizont Alley, with the boy noting the presence of many goblin guards, a fairly sizable number of construction crews working away, and oddly enough, no one that seemed poor or out of luck.

"They're working hard I see," he noted.

"Yes, but it always is more difficult to build - or rebuild, than to destroy," the tanuki pointed out. "Far too many people like to destroy. Not enough will do what it takes to rebuild."

"Are you sure you're not one of the destroyers?" Shinji quipped. "I remember the last time we met."

"I hurt – I even kill, sometimes, but not for the fun of it," Emilia grumbled. "I mean, that's one of the few things that annoys me, when people just kill and ruin things because it’s interesting. Making things is harder. Restraint is harder. Otherwise...you saw Diagon Alley."

He had, and the scars on it, the missing families - all of those haunted him - because it made him wonder if there had been more he could do – or could have done.

"Yes, I did. A lot of people died there," the boy responded, subdued.

"It could have been worse. Would have, without the Goblins and our Mentor."

"You think highly of him - of Lockhart."

"He'd done a lot for me," Emilia admitted. "Helping me find a place in this country, giving me a chance when others wouldn't. I appreciate people like him who want to make the world a better place."

"You mean though Albion."

"Among other things." The tanuki smiled slightly. "This country has a long way to go, with how it treats non-humans." Her smile slipped as she shook her head. "I've seen so many terrible things here in Britain, but the most terrible was watching shopkeepers try to run, while leaving the elves behind. No, making sure they had orders to stay at their post, while their human masters tried – and failed – to get to safety. I want change that, to make a better future for those that aren't human, but are living, thinking creatures."

"Is that why you work for me now?"

"Do you ask because you think you're human? Or because you know you're not?"

"Both," was Shinji's answer.

"Well, if I have to answer, it's because if I have to work with someone, it might as well be someone who is stubborn about doing what is right. Even if that someone can sometimes be a fool."

There were only two more stops for them that day.

First was the new government building, a structure that was far more modest and unassuming than the old Ministry had been. In the main entrance hall, there was a painting there, a mural depicting the run siding rising in the mountains, and a witch, a goblin, a house elf, and many others watching it together.

There he learned that Albion was run by a Council, and that the tables in the conference tables were round, so that even symbolically there would be no head to dominate everything, with all who sat at the table being nominally equal as defenders of the realm and guardians of its future.

"Except for the First Citizen?”

“Well, every government needs someone to give it direction, even if it is merely someone who is first among equals.”

“Equals, huh?” Shinji echoed. “I can see how people would like to believe that.”

"Yes, it is quite a potent thing, the notion of having a voice," Emilia noted. “Especially when you are part of a group that been left out of power for a very long time. Like the goblins.”

The tanuki’s words left Matou Shinji quite thoughtful as they left the government building, heading to their final stop of the day - one of the shelters set up for those who had nowhere else to call home. This one in particular was meant for children who had lost their parents – the orphans of Diagon Alley – with Emilia mentioning that this might be a good opportunity to meet the children they might be working with.

The lead caretaker welcomed them in, greeting Emilia enthusiastically by name – by her current name, that was – suggesting they'd met before, and fussing over Shinji, or “Nines”, as he called himself, wondering if they were a couple.

“Oh, no – we’re—”

“Associates,” Emilia supplied smoothly.

“Yes, that,” the boy agreed.

“Well, if she vouches for you, you must be a decent enough bloke,” the caretaker noted. “Come in, I’ll introduce you to the children.”

There was twelve of them in total – all of whom had survived the attack on London, while their parents or guardians had not. Apparently, there had been a few more who had been placed with more distant relatives since the attack, but these were the ones who were left.

Half of them were muggleborns who had been dropped into a new world at the tender age of 11, just old enough to have received an acceptance letter. They had been going around Diagon Alley, escorted by their parents and a Professor, but all of the adults had been killed, either by giants or inferi.

A third were purebloods, who had only ever known of the magical world, and would be helplessly lost if place with muggle relatives.
The youngest of these was a nine year old by the name of Grim Fawley (of the pureblood Fawley family), while the oldest was thirteen year old Penelope Padgett, a former Slytherin whose parents (who had lived in Diagon Alley, running one of the stores there) had withdrawn her from Hogwarts after Quidditch World Cup incident, electing to home-school her rather than have their child sent to Durmstrang for the Tri-Wizard Tournament, as everyone knew that school was a haven for practitioners of the Dark Arts.

Grindelwald had studied there, after all!

Among the rest, people who had connections to both worlds, the most notable was Mafalda Prewett, a 12 year old cousin of the Weasleys whose parents (a Squib and a Muggle) had chosen to defer her attendance at Hogwarts for a year (as their closest wizarding relatives - the Weasleys - had suffered grievously in the wake of the Cup), instead sending her to Charm School in Diagon Alley was a way to get her used to the expectations and customs of the Wizarding World (as well as learning a few basic charms, so she wouldn’t be completely helpless by pureblood standards).

In his guise as Nines, Shinji talked a bit about the lands he had seen and the adventures he had been on, though he was amused by how the young ones looked up to Emilia almost as a big sister. They asked him about the East, about what he thought of the goblins, what he knew of the North…even if he’d ever fought a dragon (as if a dragon was somehow the most dangerous thing in the world.)

He told them of Japan and its wilds, of the frozen arctic lands, infested with trolls and serpents, of Russia, where people used transfigured bears for defense and drank vodka like it was water, of exotic isles where creatures like nuckelavee and spirits of smokeless flame existed to this day.

Emilia for her part, spoke of the Frozen Queen of the North, the Wyrm that Walked, and the Old Man of the Mountain, and the encounters she’d had with these beings, almost out of a tale. One wielded a blade that could chill the very stars, devour the sun and the hope of the future; one was a dragon who wore a human’s shape and a thousand different faces, a being of fire and blood; and one was but a man, with his true name like ember and ash lost to the wind, through whom the Lords of the Dead laid claim to the souls of the living.

Shinji rather thought he knew who she meant, though he hadn’t expected the children to be so enraptured by their stories, by something from the world outside. And…he hadn’t expected her to be so good with children.

‘That…was not how I pictured her. At all. Not as Maeve, who took advantage of many students’ lust, and not as Emilia…who is cold and professional.’

What was the tanuki’s real face, he wondered? Did she even know herself? Or were they all real in some way?

After their stories, they made their way to the kitchen, where the two soldiers of Albion helped to make dinner for the kids, with the older ones helping out here and there.

The result was something pretty simple – a dish of linguini with sautéed mushrooms, onions and bacon, tossed with olive oil – as well as a hearty chicken soup, thick with vegetables and dumplings – something that was about at the upper limit of what Shinji felt comfortable with making, since he wasn't much good in the kitchen. Perhaps it was odd for a Master Brewer to admit so, but he liked to be honest about his faults, and well, compared to those who had taught him, he wasn’t exactly a great cook.

Hell, even Tohsaka was a better cook than he was, something he intended to remedy one of these days.

Still, however good he was – or wasn’t – the children seemed to find his efforts acceptable, which he found heartening, especially since the greatest compliment to a chef was a clean plate.

As they ate, Emilia and Shinji answered a few more questions for the children, some of who were curious about WADA, some of who were wondering why Big Sis Emilia had brought a boy with her, and some wanting to touch his soft white-hair, wondering if it was natural.

One also asked how he could see through the blindfold, to which his reply was merely to say "magic"

All in all, it was a fun time, and by the time things wrapped up and the two said their goodbyes to the children, the sun had set, with the moon floating high above in the starry sky, bathing the Alley in which they walked with soft, pale light.

“I’ve never seen Diagon Alley like this before,” the boy noted. He’d only come during the day, when the colors were distinct, and people were around. At night, when the stores were closed and the carts were gone, when the people had all gone home, it was far quieter.

A ghost town.

Or maybe a town of ghosts, after all the bloodshed that had occurred here.

This was a place of washed out colors and long shadows, of odd shapes and odd outlines that seemed almost alien to his sensibilities.

‘Then again, they do call the hidden side of things the Moonlit World for a reason…’

"No…I expect you haven't," Emilia responded quietly as they walked together slowly, though he didn’t think she meant that it was just the moonlight. "Bit of a shock, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I'd show you the Ministry but..."

"But...?"

"It's not safe. The Veil still isn't quite stable down there."

The boy shivered, perhaps due to the cold, perhaps due to remembering his encounter with Death, and how there was no place for “Matou Shinji” in the afterlife. If he was…destroyed, he supposed, would he have somewhere to go? Would he be reincarnated, as most humans were? Or would he merely…dissipate, as if he’d never existed to begin with?

‘I’m not a natural being, after all…I’m a construct. Not unlike those golems that fought with me in the Ministry.’

A construct that thought of itself as Matou Shinji, and tried to act like what he remembered of the boy, though how well he succeeded…

He said none of this though, as he didn’t feel like sharing his thoughts on the matter.

"Bit nippy," he observed instead, turning to the time-honored tactic of commenting on the weather.

"It is," Emilia agreed.

"You think casting a spell to keep myself warm would bring the Trace down on me?" he joked. "Well, if they knew what wand I use anyway."

"Even if they did, what would they do about it now? Send you a strongly worded letter?" the tanuki shot back, making the boy laugh.

"Still...bit rude to be casting spells on myself."

"Well, if it's just a bit of warmth, you don't need a spell for that," Emilia murmured.

"Oh, what do you mean by that?" he asked, tilting his head.

She demonstrated by taking his arm.

"This, of course," Emilia noted playfully, with Shinji just shaking his head.

“Didn’t you say something like this was against the Military Code?” the boy asked wryly.

“If we were doing anything intimate or improper, then yes, it would be, but I am merely lending my commander some warmth, so there is nothing inappropriate about this at all.”

“…if you say so.”

It takes some time as they walk in silence together, but eventually they reach the Leaky Cauldron, with Emilia letting go before they reach the brick facade.

"Thank you for coming with me today,” she said formally. “It was…enjoyable enough.”

"I didn't hate it myself, I guess," the boy replied. “Why the distance though? It’s like you’re not coming back to the manor tonight?”

“I’m not,” was the answer. “I have a bit more to do tonight, as it happens. Stories to weave and fears to soothe, as well as a report to write.”

Shinji raised an eyebrow at this.

"...back to the kids, then?"

"Someone has to look after them, and they're used to me being around," she noted simply. “I think it’s because I was the one who first found them shelter after what happened.”

Shinji blinked.

"What's someone like you doing taking care of children?"

"What needs doing, of course," came the response. "What, was it terrible, spending time with me, sharing some of my responsibilities? Spending time with the children?"

"I...no," Shinji denied. "Actually, I admit, it was more pleasant than I thought it would be."

"What, because the last time we spent time together before all of…this Albion business, you nearly died?"

"...well. Yes. The thought had crossed my mind," the boy admitted.

"Well, that was then. This is now," the tanuki said with a slight smile. "I'm willing to let the past be the past if you will."

"Only if the past doesn't become the present."

"No fear of that," she answered, chuckling. "After all, it was Maeve who did those terrible things, and am not her. For a time I was Hilde, but I answer to Emilia now.”

"Mm, but what's in a name?" the boy asked. " A rose by any other name..."

He trailed off, frowning as he remembered what the next words in that line were.

"...would smell as sweet, was it?" she supplied impishly. "Why yes, I do believe that is the case. Goodnight, Nines. I will see you soon enough."

He bid her goodnight as he stepped through into the Leaky Cauldron, and out onto the street where was picked up and returned to his home. When he got back, he noted Rin was at the door.

"H-how was the day?" she asked, nervously. A moment later she added. "Where's Miss Emilia?"

“She’s back in Diagon Alley, handling some business,” the boy responded. “As for the day, it was pleasant enough. I enjoyed having the chance to see a different side of her and to ah, bury the hatchet with her, after some of the things that happened between us in the past.”

"...I'm sure you enjoyed burying something in her," Rin muttered, almost – but not quite – too quietly for him to hear.

"What was that?" the boy asked, his voice almost – but not quite – threatening, as a part of him bridled at her defiance of his authority.

"N-nothing," the girl denied, looking away with a flush, only to find herself forced against the wall a moment later as the boy trapped her against it with his body and his arms. The closeness of him...the intensity of his gaze - it made her heart throb and made her feel weak in the knees. "M-matou, I..."

"Yes?" he whispered, his voice husky, almost...dangerous.

"I..."

"Mhm?" he asked, his voice almost a growl, sending a thrill down her spine. "What is it?"

"I..." She began, though her voice faltered as she looked at him. "Matou..."

"I won't know unless you tell me properly…"

"I...take me," she begged. "N-not her." She kicked her lips. "Not just her," she amended. "Take...take me..." she whimpered.

The boy's lips curved up into a cruel smirk.

"Alright," he murmured, leaning towards her as if to kiss her, only to pull away, leaving her almost desperate, wanting more, as he stepped back and looked her over. "I'll take you...just like I took her. To Diagon Alley. On the morrow, as we already agreed."

And with that he walked off, with Rin sinking to her knees as she watched him go.

---

Choice 101: By now, Matou Shinji was not particularly surprised by fancy transportation, and was on fairly good terms with his usual driver, though it was still a shock for him to see Mashu already seated inside the car, dressed to the nines. He'd only seen her dressed so formally once - before the Gala at the British Museum, and he really hoped that whatever the dinner was, it wouldn't be at the Museum for obvious reasons.

"You're coming to dinner as well?" Shinji asked.

"Yes, as Atlas' representative," came the response, with the boy straightening at her words. This...this was an official function then? "You have questions?"

What questions do you have for Mashu?

[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] What role is role should he play? (Guest only, Observer, Mashu assistenent, etc), Who will be at this event? Any special etiquette rules he needs to follow besides the normal high class ones?

The first question is the most important one to me, as it sets the tone to Shinji. What is he expected to do? If he is a simply someone's guest that makes his role far different then if he acted like someone's undercover bodyguard. Unlikely that he has to be a bodyguard when the likes of Touko, and Mashu are at the event.

[Dracueri]

[x]What role is role should he play? (Guest only, Observer, Mashu assistenent, etc), Who will be at this event? Any special etiquette rules he needs to follow besides the normal high class ones?
[x]How much of his changed nature will be apparent to the casual observer on the event? Should he try to suppress it to evade complications?
[x]What are the consequences of, say, starting, - ahem, being engaged - in a fight in the middle of the event? Especially for a non-human with a decidedly lacking identity and status protections?

[Daiki]

[x] SL's write-in

[x] How much of his changed nature will be apparent to the casual observer on the event? Should he try to suppress it to evade complications?

[x] What are the consequences of, say, starting, - ahem, being engaged - in a fight in the middle of the event? Especially for a non-human with a decidedly lacking identity and status protections?

Too much better than not enough, I mean.

[Malorius]

[x] SL's All the Questions Extravaganza

[x] How much of his changed nature will be apparent to the casual observer on the event? Should he try to suppress it to evade complications?

[x] What are the consequences of, say, starting, - ahem, being engaged - in a fight in the middle of the event? Especially for a non-human with a decidedly lacking identity and status protections?

Relevant questions are relevant. Better not rely on the idea of Atlas aegis.

[skulkidcachi90]

[x] SL's All the Questions Extravaganza

[x] How much of his changed nature will be apparent to the casual observer on the event? Should he try to suppress it to evade complications?

[x] What are the consequences of, say, starting, - ahem, being engaged - in a fight in the middle of the event? Especially for a non-human with a decidedly lacking identity and status protections?

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 101: [x] What role is role should he play? (Guest only, Observer, Mashu assistenent, etc), Who will be at this event? Any special etiquette rules he needs to follow besides the normal high class ones?

[x] How much of his changed nature will be apparent to the casual observer on the event? Should he try to suppress it to evade complications?

[x] What are the consequences of, say, starting, - ahem, being engaged - in a fight in the middle of the event? Especially for a non-human with a decidedly lacking identity and status protections?

---

"For the purposes of this dinner, you are a guest," Mashu explained. "While you are also technically an officer representing the interests of Albion, it may be a good idea not to speak unless spoken to, as you are not in a position to dictate policy, while the First Citizen is."

"Ah, so Lockhart will be there," Shinji murmured. "So...who's guest am I, then? Yours, or Master's? Or maybe the First Citizen's?"

"Atlas', technically, due to our interests in this new government," the Agent spoke softly. "Though guest-right will not protect you should you break it."

"Break it?"

"Should you instigate a conflict or altercation, you will be considered to have forfeited the protections you are afforded as a guest."

"Huh." Shinji stiffened slightly. "And if I happen to be attacked?"

"In all likelihood you will not, but if you are assaulted by another guest or party at the dinner, limit yourself to defense. Do not counterattack."

"...I take it something...not so wonderful will happen to those forfeiting guest right?"

"Yes."

Shinji blinked.

"This dinner must be either very important, or very sensitive to warrant that much," he noted, to which Mashu only nodded. "I don't suppose you can say who else is coming, aside from you, Master, and the First Citizen?"

"Representatives of several factions, including the Americans."

"Anyone I should know about?"

"I believe you have met all parties involved at least once," Mashu responded. "The only group you are unlikely to be familiar with are the Edelfelts, who are here at the invitation of the First Citizen, to discuss a possible collaboration."

"...the hyenas of the battlefield? W...no, actually that makes sense, if there's going to be a war," the boy muttered. He paused for a moment. "The ah...Director isn't here, is she?"

"Unfortunately, she cannot be present," the Agent replied, with Shinji feeling a flicker of disappointment at that. "The Vice-Director will be present in her stead."

"The Vice...you mean, Illya?"

"Yes."

"Huh...I haven't seen her in a long time," he murmured. "I wonder if she remembers me."

"She does," Mashu confirmed. "You will have the opportunity to spend time with her afterwards, if you wish, though I warn she does not look quite as you remember."

"Well, I'm not quite as she remembers, so that makes two of us," he noted, shaking his head. "Speaking of which...are people going to know my nature at a glance? Should I try to suppress it or...?"

"To a degree," the Agent of Atlas affirmed. "Some more than others. I would advise against letting your draconic self take over fully, though your nature itself will not cause complications. You will not be the only non-human guest tonight."
"And my name and appearance?" he questioned. "As I recall, I am considered - Matou Shinji is considered to be dead - or hospitalized, depending on the faction. If I appear as myself..."

"It would cause more trouble if you used a disguise," Mashu said quietly. "You are a known quantity, and one accepted as trustworthy enough. Nines, your alias, is not."

"Anything else I should know."

"Should the Aozaki sisters squabble tonight, do not let yourself be drawn into their argument."

"Right, that's--Aozaki sisters?!" the boy went cold at the realization of who she was talking about. "You don't mean...Miss Blue...?"

"Correct."

"Why?"

"I believe the First Citizen wished to discuss employing her - she is currently a free agent, after all."

Choice 102: Who will Shinji sit next to?

[ ] Touko
[ ] Mashu
[ ] Lockhart
[ ] (write-in)

[skulkidcachi90]

Touko

[Malgos]

Touko.