“I finally figured out why Dumbledore went along with your plan!” The next day, Alexis rushed over to Scarlet’s side after Scarlet finished her morning meeting with her assistants. Alexis whispered, “He’s totally not the original version - he’s the fanfic version!”
Noticing the dark circles under Alexis’s blue eyes, Scarlet replied, “...You stayed up all night just to figure that out?”
“This is, like, really important! We need to know if he’s on our side!” Alexis protested.
“And if he’s not?” Scarlet asked, “Is he going to join the dark forces and take over the world?”
“No, but...”
“Then, even if he isn’t with us, he’s still fighting against evil, which suits our needs, doesn’t it?” Scarlet gathered her notes and reports. “The enemy’s enemy is our ally, and I don’t mind he doesn’t completely align with us as long as the villain can be wiped out. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Alexis thought for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right...Just, you know, I’ve got this uneasy feeling.”
“Life’s always uneasy, especially for adults. We’re no longer children, so we make compromises to achieve our goals,” Scarlet said with a gentle smile. “As long as he doesn’t try to kill anyone, I can even handle him expelling me from Hogwarts.”
“...Okay, sensei, I get it. Always have a backup plan, huh?”
“...Shut up.”
Days passed peacefully.
No news worth alerting the students from newspapers, no death threats looming. The Auror substitute teachers were all verified wizards - no imposters had snuck in - meaning Barty Crouch Jr. hasn't escaped from Azkaban. According to Professor Dumbledore, his mother was still in decent health for her age, though she would likely become very ill within a few years, enough to disguise herself as the weak prisoner in Azkaban, if the storyline was still following the original series.
“Professor Dumbledore promised he’d keep an eye on her, so we should be fine for this school year,” Scarlet said, finishing her novel draft.
Alexis, sitting next to her in the training room while working on a character design, chimed in, “But summer break is gonna be a disaster for Harry when Dobby causes havoc at his aunt’s house.”
“Well, he’ll have to manage until I’m done with Kreacher and can talk to the Malfoys,” Scarlet replied. “Maybe I can ask Mr. Black if he’d order Kreacher to guard Harry at Dursleys’ after we handle the locket problem.”
Alexis considered Scarlet’s idea and nodded, “Then it should be fine.”
“By the way, how’s the game going? I haven’t seen those two experimenting in here lately.”
“They’re almost done with the demo.”
Scarlet looked at Alexis in surprise. “That was fast.”
“Yeah, they’re super quick,” Alexis nodded. “They tested it out on paper in their dorm. It’s hilarious to see the ink dots fighting under command. Now all they need is to project the characters in 3D, like a hologram or something. They’re hunting for a suitable table, so they’ll probably start experimenting here soon.”
“Great progress.” Scarlet raised an eyebrow. “And they haven’t asked me for any cash, so they’re still using recycled materials? How are they even finding these things?”
“Through Hogwarts’s House-elves,” Alexis looked equally surprised. “They’ve made friends with a few of them and often ask for materials for free.”
“...So that’s how they got their hands on those greatswords.”
“Probably?” Alexis shrugged. “If they manage to work out the runes for projections, or transfiguration, or anything that works, I might finally get to show you the epic Servant fights I’ve been telling you about.”
“...I keep telling you, there’s no such thing as the Holy Grail War here. My dad never found any city called Fuyuki in Japan.”
“Just in case! You’re, like, our Batman with a backup plan for everything, so I’m just saying, if it really happens, you’d be ready.” Alexis insisted. “I mean, this is a fanfiction world! I still haven’t figured out Snape’s storyline. Who knows if this could be a Harry Potter and Fate crossover, and he might even be one of the Masters?!”
Scarlet sighed, “Fine. I’ll take note of your concern, though I still think you’re overthinking it.”
She had expected it would take a longer time for the Weasley twins to create a charm or runes capable of projecting something hologram-like, but progress was surprisingly fast. The biggest hurdle ended up being applying Alexis’s character design to the game.
In other words, Fred and George were struggling with modelling.
The characters they conjured from Alexis’s drawings turned out as a mess, so horribly done that the twins were so defeated to even prank anyone for a few days.
“Oh my Merlin, I can’t believe this,” Alexis said, half-amused, half-frustrated. “I mean, they’re genius with hands-on stuff. Their senses are great, and their products look amazing, though I don’t really like the colour palettes, but whatever...How is it possible they can’t accurately visualize my character? Or...is it my design too complicated to materialize?”
“Maybe they’re just better at bringing life to more human-like figures than your 2D anime characters?” Scarlet suggested.
“Although this is the version we all agreed on, I could change the design.” Alexis sighed. “But they’re so stubborn - they won’t even consider my suggestions to alter it. Hey, they’re very flexible most of the time, why don’t they be flexible this time too?”
“Persistence is a good quality. Let them work through it. They’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah.” Alexis nodded, then perked up. “By the way, do you have time tomorrow?”
Scarlet glanced at her. “Depends. What are you planning?”
“Half an hour here in the training room.” Alexis said, looking excited. “I finally finished that AMV clip! It’s just a short one, but I want to project it here, like a full-on movie theater.”
Scarlet thought for a moment, “How about just before my training session tomorrow night?”
“Perfect!” Alexis beamed. “Just wait - you’re gonna be blown away!”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Alright...”
The next day, Scarlet could tell just how excited Alexis was, as she kept peeking over at Scarlet whenever they passed each other in the Great Hall or in the hallways. Alexis even grinned across the crowded dinner hall at her, catching the attention of Amelia and Maya.
“Is she alright? Why does she keep staring at you?” Maya asked, curious and a bit concerned.
Amelia, on the other hand, was a bit more blunt. “She looks like a nutter.”
“Don’t say that.” Maya scolded slightly. “But, yeah, she does seem...a bit unhinged with that grin. Are you sure no one’s jinxed or pranked her?”
“No, she’s just overexcited about tonight’s activity, which she’s kept a mystery from me,” Scarlet replied.
Maya looking intrigued. “Is it something to do with the game Fred and George are making? I heard the Gryffindors were trying out their games, and it was supposed to be fantastic!”
“It seems a bit poorly designed, if I’m being honest,” Amelia commented, “I saw the game on a piece of enchanted paper, and it was just lines and dots.”
“Yeah, they’re a bit stuck at the moment. But I’m sure they’ll figured it out.” Scarlet couldn’t endure the excited gaze Alexis was fixated on her any longer, so she grabbed a few rice balls and headed to her training room fifteen minutes earlier than her usual dinner time. Guess I’ll have supper tonight with the cookies stored in my dorm desk, Scarlet mused as she trotted toward her room.
Alexis soon followed behind her. “Why so early today? I thought I was going to leave earlier to set up the place.”
“It’s just a short AMV, isn’t it? Keep it simple and save yourself the hassle of peeking at me.”
“Ehehee, sorry for the peeking! I’m just super excited. But hey, I wanna enjoy it and reload it.”
“...Do whatever you want, just don’t disturb my training.”
“Promise I won’t!”
Finally, they settled into the training room on the sofa Alexis had conjured. The lights were dimmed, and a crystal – what she called a projector – and two cones – her makeshift speakers - were placed on the coffee table in front of them.
Making sure everything was perfect, Alexis flicked her wand with a flourish. “Play!”
[“That is, a Faked Holy Grail War.”]
To Scarlet surprise, the video was in Japanese with Mandarin subtitles. She even recognised the watermark of the creator in the top right corner. Even more surprisingly, both the Japanese voiceover and the Mandarin subtitles were spot on!
Since this was a clip that materialised based on Alexis’s memory, meaning she had a very solid memory of this video...how many times did she watch this video clip in her previous life? Scarlet mused.
[A tattooed hand stretched toward a magic circle lit by torchlight. The scene cut to another magic circle surrounded by candles, with men in formal business suits.]
A Japanese vocal started to sing; it was a female singer whose voice sounded epic in this song.
[“The summoned seven heroic spirit--”]
[Fast cuts showed a man studying scrolls and papers, an ill girl lying in bed, flashes of various classes or job titles in black and white, then a small hand with a red tattoo was shown resting on the hospital bed.]
[“--shall descend to this world as Servants,”]
[Another similar magic circle appeared, with another man standing before it. The magic circle glowed.]
[“Slaughtering each other in order to grab the Holy Grail.”]
[An old man and a young man appeared in a forest, and then the scene shifted to a teenage girl in a cave well-lit in torchlight, dressed in a white gown, gazing at a man in golden armor seated on a throne.]
[“Thus, it is named the Holy Grail War.”]
[The scene cut to Big Ben on a sunny day, where a blonde teenage boy shouted, “But I really want to take part in the Holy Grail War set in America, Professor!”]
[Chess pieces fell apart, but they looked different from the usual ones found on a chessboard.]
[“I ask of you...”]
[“I ask of you...”]
[“I ask of you...”]
[“Are you--”]
[“Are you--”]
[“Are you--”]
[“--the insolent Mage seeking to latch onto the radiance of the king before you?”]
[The scene jumped between various individuals posing the question - some young, some mature, some sounding maniac, others stern - before finally fixing on the man in golden armour. The teenage girl in white gown knelt before him in utmost respect. As the camera zoomed in, the back of her hand glowed, revealing a similar tattoo.]
Scarlet found herself overwhelmed the moment this clip played. Dense information bombarded her relentlessly, not giving her a moment to breathe. The music was intense and sounded approaching chorus, but she focused on the dialogue and the characters.
[“Is it you?” The man in golden armour realized something.]
[“Is that you?” An androgynous figure with long green hair turned their head in surprise.]
[The man in golden armour amused. “Well, well, seems like this wasn’t as boring as I thought.”]
[A golden orb glowed, an object resembling locks and gears turning, and a hand reached out to grasp something within it.]
[“Zabaniyah.” The cut scene shifted to a veiled woman, who spoke sternly as she lowered herself to the floor. A man in office suit attacked her from behind but crashed and exploded under some eerie summoned limb.]
Cruel, yet the visuals and music were so beautiful that every scene easily be framed as a computer wallpaper.
Epic.
The music reached its chorus, featuring flame throwers, magic blasts, pentacles, and many other elements that Scarlet couldn’t fully comprehend in just a glimpse. The fight between the individuals intensified.
[The man in golden armour grinned menacingly while the green-haired person smiled knowingly, hinting at their recognition of each other.]
[“EA, sing as you wish!”]
[“I’m happy.” The scene shifted to the back of the green-haired figure, “So happy that I get to test my abilities against yours like this once again.”]
[Drizzles fell upon flowers in the desert. The pure white flower bloomed. Thick clouds with a hole in the middle swirled above, as if punctured by something mystical and magical.]
[“I’m going full throttle on you, Gil,” the green-haired figure said sternly, their eyes shining with determination. A pure white flower bloomed in their hand, glowing with intensity. Interspersed frames showed the man in golden armour.]
[“I will awaken the breath of the planet...”]
[“The vortex that turns the stars, this heavenly hell--”]
[“For I walk with humanity.”]
[“--is the eve of creation's celebration.”]
[“Therefore...”]
[“Enuma Elish!”] [“Enuma Elish!”]
Alexis had even set up the audio channel so that one voice chanted from the left and the other from the right, building tension between the two characters - one glowing with a warm greenish light, the other haloed in menacing golden and red hues.
[The view zoomed out, revealing the sky scattered with numerous golden dots. It then zoomed in on the green-haired figure, showing the land beneath with similar golden dots. As the view pulled back, something shot out from the dots – they’re summoned portals, blasting missile-like projectiles toward the sky, clashing with every sword the summoned portals launched from the above, aimed at the land below.]
[Clangs and clinks echoed as swords clashed together. Each glowing shot blasted from both sides targeting their opponents. Explosions resonated, and many golden dots shattered into pieces. Some of the sky swords managed to slip past the land missiles, piercing the desert and creating numerous massive pit holes. The green-haired figure stood there, listening to the maniacal laughter of the man in golden armour, who floated high above in the sky.]
Scarlet’s mouth fell opened in awe at this epic battle scene, her eyes overwhelmed by the high intensity and vibrant colours.
[A few more characters flashed by, and the song began to slow down.]
[“This shall be my last blow for tonight.” The man in golden armour held a peculiar sword, as the scene suddenly faded into white and grey lines, leaving his red eyes and the greenish eyes of the other figure shining brightly. “Take this blow as the substitute for our promise of reunion.”]
[A few more characters flashed by, then the blonde teenage boy appeared to be in a toilet, staring into the basin with an expression of disbelief. A car passed by the battlefield, with a man inside looking up at the punctured sky in shock.]
[“So, this is--” the teenage girl in the white gown said in a frightened tone,]
[“--the Holy Grail War.”]
The clip came to an end, transitioning to a black screen with the title Fate Strange Fake displayed in white.
An awkward silence enveloped the two girls still seated on the sofa.
“So...?” Alexis asked tentatively.
“Interesting,” Scarlet replied, taking a long moment to process the intense information she had just absorbed. “Mind explaining who they were?”
“Sure!” Alexis beamed, eager to share her insights.