Shinji Matou and the Philosopher's Stone (HP/FSN CYOA)

[alfheimwanderer]

AlfheimWanderer proudly presents
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A Harry Potter / Fate Stay Night CYOA

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Matou Shinji and the Philosopher's Stone

Act 1. Y'er a Wizard, Shinji!

All of Matou Shinji's life, he had only ever wanted one thing - to become a magus. This was not to be - but no one said he couldn't be a wizard!

A young Matou Shinji stared down at the missive in his hands clutched in his hands, his mind barely able to comprehend the letter that had somehow been addressed to him. A letter delivered by owl - obviously some kind of familiar - from what he only assumed was either in the United States or the United Kingdom, given the language of the letter.



But the fact that it was written in English wasn't the most troubling thing. He'd learned that language some time ago - at least the written form, given that he didn't exactly have much of an opportunity to speak it. It wasn't the fact that somehow, the familiar that had delivered it had traveled so far, or had known exactly where he was (a disconcerting thought, as it meant it was somehow keyed to him, as if he had a spell put on him from his youth and had been unaware of it - a truly dangerous notion).

It was the fact that this letter purported to offer him acceptance from a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Witchcraft he understood well enough, given that it usually involved the curses and shamanistic techniques - potions, medicines, spirit exorcism and curses that uses a material medium - certain practitioners were known to use. He'd heard it was popular in the East, though all he really knew about it were that it had been named after its primary Western practioners - Witches: ladies of eternity bound to destiny before they were body, destined to become perfected magi as if beings of fantasy - beings that would slowly disappear as the world modernized.

Such techniques weren't taught by the Association, who saw it as the province of either Witches or barbarians - neither of which they could really learn from - or had any interest in the Origin, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that an institution might exist to teach what he knew was called Black Magic.

But it was the word Wizardry that was what stopped him cold.

'A school for Wizardry? Impossible.'

As anyone who was at all involved with the world of magecraft, the only ones styled wizard in the moonlit world were those who had attained a true magic, like Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, or those, who through sheer power and competence, had strength bordering on magic, like Barthomeloi Lorelei, who was one of only two Wizard Marshals the Association recognized. The sheer presumptuousness of calling something a School for Wizardry...

...well, it is said that none are so indignant or defensive of their position as one who has next to nothing.

And Matou Shinji was exactly that - someone who had assumed that he would become their heir of the Matou family, that he was special - despite knowing he had no power at all. Someone who clutched at straws for anything that would make him special.

Something like what he held in his hand now.

He swallowed, imagining what it might feel like to be called a Wizard.

Wizardry.

Wizard Marshal Matou Shinji.

...he had to admit that had a pleasant ring to it, even as impossible as he knew it to be. He had seen the room where his adopted sister Sakura had been infested by worms, after all, after which his Father turned away from him, admitting he was a replacement. That his mother, useless woman that she was, had been killed because of him, whatever remained of her laying at the bottom of the worm pit. She died because he been useless, even though her sorcery trait should have guaranteed inheritance.

Useless. Useless. Useless.

He rejected it. His mind rejected it. His existence rejected it, and so he had grown cold, thinking of his replacement as useless, as responsible for all the suffering in his life, thinking of how he could hurt her. Not that he had the chance, not with Grandfather always training her, always spending time with her, giving her the position that had been all he wanted.

If he didn't reject it, he would break. Matou Shinji would break. Matou Shinji would shatter to pieces.

His one chance at salvation was held in his hands now. This School for Witchcraft (he steadfastly decided to ignore the rest of it) had accepted him, told him he was special, when he knew that all others considered him a failure.

...what choice did he have but to take it? Even Witchcraft was something, after all.

As he read it, he saw there were two sheets of paper behind the original letter - one with further instructions for international students, and the other with a supply list.

Instructions

Greetings,

As you are an international student whose known magical relatives are deceased, a Portkey will be provided for you at the end of summer for you to come to Britain and acquire your school supplies, should you decide to accept a position at Hogwarts. Should you have no one willing or able to accompany you, or should you require orientation to Magical Britain, please do not hesitate to request a chaperone from our teaching staff when you send your owl.

Professor Filius Flitwick

That was well and good enough, but then came the supply list, which made him wonder if all practitioners of Witchcraft were stuck in the past, even more so than normal magi.

Supply List

First-year students will require:

• Uniform
  
  • Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)
  • One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear
  • One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)
  • One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)
  • Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.
  
  
• Books
  
  • The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
  • A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
  • Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
  • A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
  • One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
  • Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
  • The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
  
  
• Other Equipment
  
  • 1 Wand
  • 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
  • 1 set of glass or crystal phials
  • 1 telescope
  • 1 set of brass scales
  • Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.
  
  

The equipment was understandable enough, as much of it seemed like ingredients for potions. He smiled at the mention of a Wand being required though - an amplification type mystic code was commonly given as a coming of age present among magi, but somehow he didn't think Grandfather would let him have one. It would be something he'd have to purchase then. For a moment, he wondered why it wasn't an Azoth Sword (the most common amplification-type Mystic Code), but then he remembered that this was a school of Witchcraft - wands and staves were more likely to be accepted. Plus giving teenagers knives might be dangerous, he supposed.

A wand...

He could see how some might see it as a proof of having magic. After all, who else would have a use for one?

Then he frowned, as a line caught his eye...

...when you send your owl...

...but he didn't have an owl. Or any familiar capable of making a long distance trip. Or a familiar at all. And somehow, he didn't think he could just send a reply through the post.

This meant he had to ask someone about sending a message to wherever this Hogwarts was. But who? His father, last proper Matou with any ounce of magical ability, who treated him as nothing more than a nuisance after learning about Sakura's role as the adopted heiress? His grandfather, the man who had always been distant to him, and who he knew little about? Or would he have to swallow his pride and ask the Second Owner of the land for a favor, something be found distasteful, as it would be an admission of weakness?

Then again, the Matou family had done the Tohsaka a favor by adopting Sakura, so perhaps it would work.

He didn't quite know, staring down at the parchments, which he should pick.

Should he...

1. Ask his Father
2. Ask his Grandfather
3. Ask Tohsaka Rin

---

A/N: Welcome to Shinji Matou and the Philosopher's Stone, an AU CYOA blending the Nasuverse with Harry Potter. Yes, Harry Potter exists in this world, as does the Potterverse style of witchcraft - something of a derivative of Nasuverse style Witchcraft, though the Association doesn't care much for them, as their craft does not lead to the Root. That, and they clean up after themselves, so as long as magecraft is not revealed to the common people, they don't really care about the backwards group, a group that can do seemingly impossible things, but are limited to what is possible in their Magical Foundation, nonetheless.

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A Convenient Index of Story Posts to date:

Chapter 2: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1776205
Chapter 3: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1778684
Chapter 4: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1780611
Chapter 5: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1782040
Chapter 6: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1783312
Chapter 7: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1784594
Chapter 8: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1786151
Chapter 9: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1787856
Chapter 10: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1789535
Chapter 11: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1791148
Chapter 12: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1792115
Chapter 13: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1793198
Chapter 14: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1795934
Chapter 15: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1799728
Chapter 16: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1805081
Chapter 17: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1806135
Chapter 18: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1807860
Chapter 19: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1808962
Chapter 20: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1809957
Chapter 21: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1810811
Chapter 22: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1813074
Chapter 23: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1814146
Chapter 24: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1815190
Chapter 25: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1815581
Chapter 26: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1815919
Chapter 27: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1816187
Chapter 28: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1816651
Epilogue: http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread...=1#post1817157

[EnigmaticFellow]

Seeing as Shinji's relationship with his father is shaky and asking a favor from Rin can be rather demeaning for Shinji, it would probably be a good idea to ask for Zouken's input on the matter. The worse that could probably happen is Zouken refusing to help. Perhaps he can provide some much needed insight?

[X] Ask his Grandfather

[Soldat der Trauer]

I feel like crying, b/c this is either sad, hilarious, or utterly amazing...

Well, Shinji here would have no way of knowing it, but Byakuya's scorning of him in canon was supposed to be part of a cover, I think? Zouken leaves such an indelible impression on the family, after all. Byakuya is probably the "safer" option, but one significant hurdle is that as family patriarch and control freak extraordinaire, there's really no way to avoid Zouken getting involved either way. Maybe by picking Byakuya, daddy dearest can act as a meat shield middleman buffer?

The very idea of involving Rin, and her choosing to tag along in order to get away from her dismal family situation (and Kirei), whereby she becomes like a bastardized Hermione, is terrifying. And awesome. And terrifying. Plus, she'd own us, literally. Sooooo w/ that said...


[X] Ask his Father

[Kuroyuki]

1. Ask his Father

Otou-sama would help us right?

[Kotonoha]

Well, Shinji here would have no way of knowing it, but Byakuya's scorning of him in canon was supposed to be part of a cover, I think?

Actually the opposite, he pretended to give a shit until Shinji learned the truth and then was like "cool I don't have to pay attention to you anymore"

[alfheimwanderer]

Actually the opposite, he pretended to give a shit until Shinji learned the truth and then was like "cool I don't have to pay attention to you anymore"

Pretty much this, yes.

[RR121]

I'm with EF, go with

#2 -- Ask Grandfather. Because I want to see exactly the reaction Matou Zouken has to this.

[Rafflesiac]

1. Ask his Father

[Nanao-kun]

Hmmmmm.

[X] Ask Tohsaka Rin

Perhaps Rin's "guardian" will be there!

[Blackdeath6031]

[X] Ask Tosaka Rin

​Because I feel instead of owl's we'll get worms

[Black Sword]

#2 -- Ask Grandfather.

[Megas]

2 - Ask Grandfather

Cause I wanna hear about Zouken's romance stories about how he was top of his class.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

#2

We should grace Pappy with our presence.

[UnlimitedBladeWorks]

#3 Ask Tohsaka Rin.

[Daiki]

[x] Ask his father.

[Mattias]

#2 Ask Gramps. He actually has familiars of his own, right? Dad would be useless, and Rin an outsider.

[mAc Chaos]

This is amazing. The writing feels Shinji-like.

Probably best to ask gramps.

Hmm, why would he ask Rin though... she might suspect some sort of trap. I'll have to wait a bit more before giving my vote.

[alfheimwanderer]

By popular demand, Shinji must ask Zouken for aid. So without further ado, I present...

Act 2. Close Encounters of the Wormish Kind

---

After a night of fitful sleep interrupted with nightmares of being torn apart by worms, the young master of the Matou (or so he liked to believe himself) had come to a conclusion about the previous day’s dilemma. While there was little he knew about the man he called Grandfather, perhaps the man would have a familiar he could post a letter with.

…a familiar that wasn’t a worm, or worm shaped.

Because now that he thought about it, didn’t owls eat worms? He supposed a normal owl wouldn’t dare, but these were magical owls.

…magical owls that had somehow tracked him across half the world, no less. That still bothered him, since it meant he had somehow been marked when he was born and that his family either didn’t have the skill at magecraft to sense it or just didn’t care enough about him to check.

He didn’t know which one bothered him more, but there it was: the fact that to his family, he had always been useless.

Well, the letter he held in his hands would change that. Hopefully.

Still, he knew that what he was asking wasn’t as simple as borrowing a familiar to post a letter. And that was the rub.

That was why he had ultimately decided against asking the Second Owner for assistance: even if she had agreed to do him a favor, he was sure that that consulting an outsider about a family’s magecraft – even if witchcraft wasn’t it per se – constituted a taboo. Which would mean that he would probably be removed from the family without any guarantee of continuing financial support.

…unfortunately, he had grown accustomed to the creature comforts the Matou wealth was able to secure, so that wasn’t an option. And he strongly suspected that, as with the Association – or really, any alternative educational facility, there would be an enrollment fee. A fee probably payable in precious metals or gemstones, given their universal value. Which meant he had to go to someone who knew about money and magecraft.

And since his father was a worthless, depressed drunk who cared nothing for his own flesh and blood, blaming Shinji for his own failures…his grandfather was the only real choice.

Shinji grimaced.

He knew next to nothing about his grandfather, except that the man presumably was a magus and in control of the Matou estate – and had probably been the one to throw his mother into the worm pit.

By troubling the man, was he to share his mother’s fate?

After all, the practice of Witchcraft – though not true Witches - was something looked down upon by the Association. Would his Grandfather think that his acceptance to a school for Witchcraft was just proved that not only was he a drain on the family resources, he had a penchant for attracting attention from unwanted eyes?

He hoped not.

Matou Shinji did not want to die.

---

He stood outside the forbidden door, hand on the handle, swallowing once as he tried to damp down the racing of his traitorous heart. This was it – the room where everything had changed. The room where he had discovered that that girl was his replacement, that he was beneath consideration, that his father had never loved him.

The room where his world had ended, leaving him wishing he had died.

Yet here he was again, of his own volition. Here he was, about to face down the Final Boss – or so he told himself in an attempt to quell his rising panic.

A more courageous man would have just opened the door and stepped through it, heedless of the danger, but he was not a courageous man.

He remembered the last time he had opened the door, as the assault on his senses was burned into is mind.

The putrid honey sweet stench of death and decay; a sound that was a cross between the worst wailing in the world and a half-eaten corpse being dragged across a stone floor; a darkness that seemed foul beyond measure, stained by death.

And the sight of everything half-melted. The stone, the meat the worms feasted on, everything. Everything except a young girl.

That…Tohsaka girl.

He remembered what he wished – that the person in that place where time itself was rotten and meaningless as the grave was him. That amidst the stone walls fragile like rotten trees, amidst the roiling pit of worms, there he would be, the true heir of the Matou.

He bit down, tasting blood as he dispelled those memories, those wishes. Sakura would not be down there, for she had gone out with his father.

Besides, reminiscing about the past was not why he was here.

So he opened the forbidden door, and was met with...nothing.

No harsh rebuke.

No sounds other than the slithering, squelching, wailing of the worms.

No patriarch of the Matou family.

‘But how can this be?’

Nothing but the sea of death.

Matou Shinji almost wanted to laugh - had he come this far for naught? No. It couldn’t be. His grandfather was probably down there. Somewhere.

He had to be.

So Shinji grit his teeth and took a slow, hesitant step down into the room, the echo of his foot echoing like a gunshot in that chamber.

Still…nothing.

Swallowing, he continued down, down, down into the forbidden chamber, down onto the platform from which stairs descended to the pit itself.

“Grandfather?” he called out, not fully expecting a response. Yet… something answered.

A laugh. A grating, hollow laugh arising from the center of the decay – a misshapen lump in the middle of the writhing mass of worms.

Matou Shinji felt his skin crawling in revulsion as he bore witness to the sight before him

A great rotten living mass of worms, taking shape as a man. Worms crawling up misshapen feet, skin, ankles, burrowing into their host.

Not hundreds – thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. So many that if a human were swarmed by the black carpet, they would not last even a minute.

A human like his mother, with all her bones and meat taken by the worms and crumbled into a boneless skin.

But this…this thing did not crumble. No. The more worms entered the mass, the more complete it became.

He understood in a flash – whatever was before him wasn’t being consumed by the worms; the worms swarming the room are the ones being eaten as the thing laughed.

This thing that took the flesh and shape of Matou Zouken, the master of the basement.

The patriarch of the Matou family.

His…

“…grandfather.”

And just like that, Shinji was paralyzed, frozen to the spot.

When he had last entered the room, he had just seen Zouken supervising Sakura being covered and infused with worms.

…he had not expected this.

Not expected that his grandfather was a monster. As he approached the door, he had told himself that this was like approaching the dungeon of a game, the lair of some final boss – he hadn’t expected to be right.

He was going to die. He was going to be eaten. He was going to be torn to pieces.

He was going to…

“What do you want, boy?” a voice asked, as Matou Zouken finished taking form in the tainted darkness.

“I…”

“You have come to this place in spite of your powerlessness, in spite of a being a disgrace to the name of Makiri,” the voice pressed, the presence of something rotten almost overwhelming. “You have nerve, boy.”

Shinji wanted to retch, to run, to move, to cry out – but he could not.

He had been foolish.

He had been wrong.

Any moment now he would be devoured. Any moment he would eaten. Any moment…

“How unlike your good-for-nothing father,” his grandfather spoke, the sheer disdain in his voice palpable. Shinji would have quaked if he could, but he could not, paralyzed like prey hypnotized by the gaze of a supreme predator – until all of a sudden he wasn’t, the sudden relief as something lifted from him nearly bringing him to his knees. “Speak quickly, or leave this place.”

“…a message…” was what Shinji managed to get out.

“What?”

“I received a message, Grandfather,” the boy continued, his words coming out in such a rush that they nearly stumbled over themselves. “A message from a school. For Witchcraft.”

Wordlessly, the monster compelled him to continue.

“I’ve been accepted. To the school.”

…

…

…

For close to a minute, the seething mass of worms grew still, the familiar, almost comforting rotten squelching, wails, rasps and slithers ceasing entirely, replaced with an uneasy, oppressive silence that was not just the absence of sound – but its opposite – anti-sound. Nothing could move. Nothing could speak. Nothing could breathe.

Nothing could think.

Not even Matou Zouken.

…

…

…

As a centuries old Archmagus, the great patriarch had borne witness – and participated – in the creation of wonders. He had created the Command Seal system to bind Heroic Spirits and their Noble Phantasms to the will of man. He had orchestrated the rise of corporate empires, learned magecrafts far beyond any except the Magicians themselves, gone further than any mortal in his quest for immortality as he had seen his bloodline diminish to nothingness.

He had thought he was beyond surprises.

“…what.”

Evidently, he had been wrong.

“I-its true, Grandfather,” the boy spoke, pro-offering the letter to the twisted mass of worms and flesh, who took it, the slightest sign of a frown on his weathered face. “An owl delivered it last night. To my room.”

Now that he’d gotten the message out, Shinji felt a little stronger. Surely, his grandfather would believe him now that he…oh no. Had he actually handed over the letter? What if the magus just shredded it? What if….

But his thoughts were not the more troubled of the two individuals in the room, for Matou Zouken had been surprised.

And no magus – especially ancient archmagi - liked surprises.

The letter itself was a simple thing. A form letter of some kind, which suggested that the school in question routinely sent out notifications to applicants in this fashion. That it had been delivered to Shinji’s room on the other hand – that was more troubling.

It meant that someone knew of his grandson – that someone was likely keeping track of his well-being, that a Witch had managed to set up a spell which had gone unnoticed in his house, under his very nose.

But the only person who might have been capable of such a thing, who had ever come into contact with Shinji was.

‘…his mother.’

The useless woman, that scion of a third-rate magus, who he had thrown to the worms after she had failed to produce a magus child. After all, he had arranged for his worthless son to marry her due to her inheritor trait, so that was left of the Makiri bloodline might be preserved, but she had failed even to breed an heir.

Perhaps she had not been as talentless as he imagined.

This…was unexpected. Though what was even more so was that this missive had come from a school in Britain, instead of one of somewhere closer. One of the small institutes had become familiar with through his dealings which trained students in Black Magic, like the Koldovstoretz School in Russia, or Mahoutokoro in Japan.

...he would have to look into this, contact some old associates.

“This…is pathetic,” the master of worms spoke at last, looking at the missive as if it personally offended him. “You. Flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, reduced to attending a school of Witchcraft. Not the Association. Not Atlas. Not an institution of Sea of Estray. But a school for Witchcraft.”

He laughed, a low grating sound reminiscent of bone scraping against bone.

Shinji paled even more than before, as the monster’s presence grew and grew, that terrible laugh echoing from the walls. Yet…had his grandfather said attending? A small grain of hope rose in his chest. Perhaps…this was not the end? Perhaps…

“Still…this was more than what I have come to expect of you – and more than anything your disgrace of a father managed,” the Archmagus continued, what passed for lips on that sunken face curling up into a twisted semblance of a smile. “And you have some sense of pride coming here, unlike your worthless uncle who tossed away his gift, only to come begging for power to save your…sister. Tell me this, do you wish to attend this…school?”

“Yes, grandfather,” Shinji managed, hoping against hope that this meant Matou Zouken approved, even if in some small, twisted way. “If you will allow it,” he added, knowing that here, in the heart of the worm master’s sanctum, he was completely at the other being’s mercy.

The Archmagus allowed the boy’s words to hang in the air for a long, lingering moment. Long enough that most would lose their nerve and recant their words – but the boy did not, unflinchingly meeting his gaze.

In spite of himself, Matou Zouken was…impressed.

“I will do more than that, boy,” Zouken answered at last, noting that the last of his grandson’s strength almost left him as he answered in the affirmative. “I will arrange for your missive to be delivered, yes – but I will also grant you a boon.”

“…what.”

This time it was Shinji’s turn to be surprised. This…monster, his grandfather was actually doing something for him?

“You are a disappointment. An embarrassment to any magus,” the mass of worms noted coldly. “But you are no longer a disgrace, as was your father. And as the last child of Makiri, some small help is not…unwarranted.”

Shinji swallowed, not knowing what to expect.

“I believe it is traditional for those who have come of age to be given a mystic code, yes?” Zouken continued, glancing to the supply list. “And you require a wand, do you not?”

Shinji nodded wordlessly.

“Then I will make arrangements for one to be crafted for you,” the Archmagus noted, drawing forth an altered Crest Worm that he reverted to inactivity. “Something you may hold with pride as the last of the Makiri, should you desire.”

“I…thank you, grandfather. That is more than I dared to ask,” was all that Shinji could really say to that, as the master of worms returned to the center of the pit, his form beginning to melt away, shedding dozens of worms at a time.

“And more than one should expect,” the worms rumbled and rasped and whispered. “But should you wish to accept my gift, I will make arrangements for a chaperone of sorts as well. Should you not, well, I will know when you send your reply to the missive.”

“I…understand,” the boy answered, controlling his voice with all the shreds of will he had.

“Good,” the mass almost hissed. “Now get out.”

Shinji all but bolted from the room.

---

Later that night, Shinji sat in his room, thinking about the encounter he'd had, and the choice before him. Something you may hold with pride as the last of the Makiri, should you desire. To be acknowledged by his family, to be accepted was all that had wanted, and here his grandfather was offering to have a wand crafted for him and to provide him with a chaperone for his travels. At the same time, acknowledgement came with obligation, and if accomplished great things, achieved success, it would be as a Makiri, and he did want to make a name for himself. So he could instead request a chaperone from the School and stand on his own, rejecting the family that had rejected him and cost him so much.

It was difficult, but he knew the right path lay in...

1. Accepting the Wand (and the implicit obligations to the family); or,
2. Requesting a chaperone from Hogwarts and refusing the Wand (with the implication of no more support from the family)

[Rafflesiac]

Well that went better than I expected.

[Nanao-kun]

[X] Accepting the Wand (and the implicit obligations to the family)