Harry And The Shipgirls: Prisoner of Shipping (A HP/KanColle Snippet Collection)

[SisterJeanne]

Pack Dynamics V

Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, Kamakura

'Excuse me."

Hachiko Miyata turned at the words from the scowling young lady standing by the gold-colored American car parked illegally just outside the shrine. "Yes, can I help you ma'am?"

"I was wondering if you had seen my imōto Tokunotakai? She teaches Kendo and Kyudo at the shrine and I have not seen her in the last week. Since she was supposed to go out to dinner with me yesterday..." The young lady -- who Hachiko was sure was a yakuza considering her gold-framed sunglasses, expensive haircut, fitted business suit and flashy car -- sounded quite concerned under the hectoring tone.

Hachiko frowned, "I last saw her....ten days ago. She and a blonde foreign woman were planning to take the train to climb Mount Fuji."

A sudden grasp pulled him nose to chest with the yakuza. "This gaijin...what did she look like?!"

Hachiko gulped, "Well she was taller than Toku-sensei or you, slender, hair of a rich gold and blue eyes...oh, and she was carrying two backpacks and had a straight sword at her hip... like in that movie about the Musketeers?"

The yakuza girl released him. "Kuso!! Thank you, I need to make some calls now. She could be anywhere doing anything to poor Toku-chan!"

As he hastily made his escape up the shrine steps he heard the girl behind him yelling into her phone. "What do you mean Honjo is out of the building at an appointment! Get her on the phone, we have a real crisis here! That damn gaijin rapier kidnapped our sister!"

At the top of the stairs, a cough attracted his attention. A young woman with peach-colored light pink hair in a red and blue kimono tilted her conical sugegasa straw hat back to survey him from where she was idly whittling a piece of driftwood. "You have not seen Tokunotakai, have you?" Her voice was high pitched with a Kansai accent.

Spoiler: A Mysterious Wanderer

He blinked, "I'm sorry miss. As I told her sister, she left on vacation to climb Mount Fuji and has not returned to teach kendo."

Two sharp blue eyes surveyed him and the figure nodded once as she tapped a finger on the hilt of the daisho set that she carried. "You said her sister was here?"

"Yes, she is down the street next to a gold... car..." Hachiko trailed off as the mysterious figure sprinted down the stairs, then shrugged. Strange day, but he needed to get Aki and head to the base to meet Moriko for hanami flower viewing.

-------------------------------------

As Hachiko collected his little brother from the substitute kyudo instructor, Fudo Masamune swore into her cell phone as she drummed her fingers on the hood of her car.

The Evil Gaijin Rapier was getting away and Tokunotaki was in trouble. She had to go to the rescue of her little sister!

"Dammit, Kote-chan, pick up!"

Suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed hard enough to cause her to wince. A very familiar voice drawled in her ear. "Fudō-han! Shibaitaro ka?" (Fudo! Do you want me to give you a beating?)

Fudo paled and turned to see the smiling form of her big sister Musashi. Who was carrying a freshly carved bokken and had an ear to ear happy smile at finding a suitable 'sparring partner'. Regardless of what the current victim of Musashi's monomaniacal devotion to The Way Of the Sword wanted.

Spoiler: Musashi Says Long Time No See

Fudo gulped and spoke nervously, "Musashi-sama, this is not a good time..."

Musashi-no-Masamune's grin widened. "It is always a good time to practice The Way. Now get over here!" With a crack of displaced air and a cut-short scream from The Chosen Blade of Fudo My'oo, Musashi Apparated Fudo away.

---------------------------------------

Yokosuka Naval Base, Main Gate

Kiho Mitsue bowed to the street vendor, then took her cup of kakigori flavored shaved ice as she watched the traffic out of the main gate. Dressed in a knee-length skirt and a nice blouse, she was the image of an Office Lady secretary out to enjoy flower viewing. Something that her thick brass-rimmed 'cat eye' glasses and hair up in a severe bun furthered her appearance as yet another of the mass of humanity on the street outside the main gate.

Spoiler: The Glasses

Of course her 'glasses' were actually custom-built low profile Auror's Omnioculars set to record the scene for later analysis. She stepped to one side as a group of destroyers led by one she recognized from the muggle newspapers escorting one taller girl and a gaggle of young children headed to the shaved ice cart that she was standing next to.

She raised a mental eyebrow as her oculars flashed indicators around most of the children showing that they had magical auras disguising their true forms. Before fuzzing out in static as the surveillance spells glitched on the elderly device causing her to sigh and duck her hand inside the purse to rub the control ofuda taped to the liner to try to bring the focus back to non-headache-level clarity. She was lucky that she even had these old models thanks to Auror Yamato selling her her old pair rather than destroying them when the Mark XIV models superseded them before Blood Week.

It didn't make the headache that was forming any less before the display finally cleared up some while the younger girls attached to the lead destroyer asked if they had peanut butter flavored shaved ice.

With that she murmured to the Self-Scribing Quill inside her purse as she discarded the empty cup in a nearby trash bin. "Shipgirls exited Yokosuka with eight apparent Yokai children in tow, possibly acting as parental figures."

Once again she resolved not to try breaking into the base. If they knew about magic, no doubt precautions were taken. Also, she would only bend the law as an absolute last resort, and her plan of observation should render it unnecessary. It was clear both from what she had heard before the job and the attitude of the Miyatas that if she messed up and was caught, she was on her own.

Also, this was just her preliminary round of observations to establish a baseline and highlight areas to look into for further analysis and data collection. Get observations and footage of their interactions and auras for later analysis and refining her plan of data collection.

Field Work is 99% boredom and 1% utter robe-browning terror, as the saying went.

She idly mused that hopefully she had used up her quota of terror for this decade when she had found out that the missing daughter she had been hired to locate last year was the victim of a jorogumo who had a gashadokuro on call. Once again she resolved if she ever met Nagato to prostrate herself at the battleship's feet for getting rid of that menace, which had converted her to a quiet but fervent supporter of shipgirls on the spot when she heard the news through her contacts among the Aurors and the press.

Yamamoto-sensei had impressed on her how tricky and deadly a jorogumo alone could be when he spoke of the one that had eluded him for decades up and down Japan after ripping half his face to ribbons on Hokkaido as she escaped his capture team. One with the kind of unstoppable power that a gashadokuro represented really did not bear thinking about save to burn incense that someone else had put paid to that menace no matter the risks to the Statute of Secrecy.

Better embarrassing explanations to the muggles than slaughtered towns.

Her eyes located a young 'girl' in tan slacks and a baggy off-white sweater escorting a somewhat shaggy headed younger boy toward the gate. "Hachiko Miyata in sight, escorting young boy. Boy has a magical aura, potential Yokai? Potential sibling? Potential wizard? Research later." Her lips curled in a smile as she ordered the oculars to lock on him and start recording.

Her eyes narrowed at a group of three young women, the lead one immediately recognizable from her file as Moriko Ibuki. Behind her, a clear close relative of Miss Ibuki was being pushed in a wheelchair by a near-identical twin of her target.

Time to earn her pay.

With that thought, she reached into her purse to pull out a cell phone. Turning as she began her 'phone conversation' as she walked down the street in their direction, she watched Hachiko drop the boy's arm and run toward the woman in the lead. She then blushed slightly as Moriko gathered him in a hug where his face vanished in her rather substantial chest and swung him around like a rag doll in her excitement.

She could see why the boy had fallen for the girl if this was normal. She certainly acted a lot younger than her 'official age' of 24, and as she zoomed in, she noticed a strong magical aura around Miss Ibuki and the other girls. Matching that of the Yokai children that the destroyers were guiding toward a bus running to the park.

Interesting...

She casually walked to be in earshot of the teenagers as Moriko finally released a red-faced and giddy Hachiko from his daily dose of Marshmallow Hell.

 

[Harry Leferts]

Juuchi only shook her head before looking at Tsukiakari, but without needing words the other blade sheathed herself. Gently, the Kyu Gunto picked up Harry into a bridal carry before sighing, "Thank goodness."

Humming, the Muramasa nodded before her arm shot up in time to grab her sheath. Placing it to her side, she then sheathed her true self, noting that all the gore on it was gone, burned away in what had happened. She reached down and helped a shaky Sirius to his feet, "Up you go."

A chuckle from the side made her look at Kagotsuruhe who was observing the unconscious Harry. For a moment, Juuchi swore that the soft smile on her sister's face was genuine before shaking it off. Kago then turned to Juuchi and had a broad, though faked, smile on her face, "You have found interesting Masters, have you not, Juuchi-Chan?"

Softly snorting, Juuchi gave her a smug smirk, "Of course. Because I am me and would have no one less than those worthy of me."

Only nodding, the other Muramasa did not say anything. Instead, she turned to where the Aurors were rushing up, with Tonks running to Harry. With a glance at Tsukiakari, she cast a number of spells before sighing, "Good... just exhausted physically and it seems mentally."

Looking at Harry, one of the Aurors had an awed look on his face, "That had to have been... a hundred Dementors or more! And Potter blew them away with a Patronus before using... whatever that was to kill a bunch. Bloody Hell..."

Amelia glanced at him and then at the village where she could see various also awed wizards and witches mumbling to themselves, 'Yes, and no doubt the story is going to be all over Britain by the time the hour is out. And likely growing in the tale.' With a sigh, she shook her head internally, 'As if Potter was not famous enough, with this...' Turning towards Juuchi, she narrowed her eyes some. Especially as she noted the sword that the Japanese woman had at her side, as well as the one that Tsukiakari had, "Excuse me, may I ask who you may be?"

Her eyebrows twitched a bit as the woman in front of her only gave off a smug smile before making a motion with her hands, "We're retainers of the Potter family, Young Master Harry got in contact with us recently."

Eyes narrowing, the tone of Amelia's voice made sure that no one would mistake it for believing them, "I see, interesting."

Clearing her throat, Tsukiakari glanced around, "Um, what about what just happened? With the Dementors attacking?"

With his eyes narrowed, Dumbledore made people back away from the aura that he was giving off. One that stated, in no uncertain terms, that he was utterly livid with what happened, "I am quite wondering that myself, as it turns out."

Knuckles cracking as she clenched her hands hard, the head of the DMLE snarled, "Something that I am going to get to the bottom of. And if I do not like what I am about to find... someone is going to lose their heads."

Smile turning somewhat bloodthirsty, Juuchi internally chuckled, 'Perhaps, I will help.'

Turning towards Dumbledore, Tsukiakari nodded towards Harry and Sirius, "Perhaps we should get them back up to the castle to be looked after? After everything that has happened..."

Dumbledore nodded before they began to make their way towards Hogwarts, only stopping to help Reivana to her feet and bring her along as well. The weary Re-Class noticed that Porta's consciousness retreated, though it left behind a feeling that she was proud of her that made the Abyssal smile.

Meanwhile, many hundreds of miles away, Porta slumped a bit in her throne as distant booms of battle could be heard. Wiping her face with a hankerchief that OLD handed her, she shook her head, "That was..." With a deep breath, she held out her hand was handed a glass of water that she greedily drank from before gasping, "Demon, make a note. As soon as possible I shall need to write a letter to my neice. I was... wrong, to be so dismissive of what she had gone through."

Despite not being visible, one still had the feeling that Ocean Liner was raising an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Slowly, Porta let out a sigh, "Yes." Pulling her hand away from her face, her eyes had an understanding look, "If that was what she had faced, then I cannot blame her in any way for retreating. And, more than that... to keep together what she did of her fleet, I count that as being impressive in the face of what Reivana just faced, especially for a Petty Princess such as her."

Bowing, the other Abyssal hummed, "I see..."

Porta then lifted her face and gave OLD a look, with her expression one full of wrath, "As well, spread this Order from Us to the rest of the Fleet. These... Dementors, offend me. Deeply at that. They stand under the Hand of Death from those belonging to us wherever they may be."

A deep chuckle came from OLD at that as lightning flashed, "It shall be done, my Lady..."
__

Setting Harry down in the bed, Tsukiakari smiled softly at him. Despite what could have happened, he was alright. Gently, she brushed some hair from his brow which made him quietly mumble. Her eyes though caught sight of something glinting and her eyes narrowed, "Senpai?"

With a hum from where she sat in a chair, Juuchi looked up at her, "Yeah, Tsu-Chan? What is it?"

Not saying anything at first, the Kyu Gunto looked at where Pomfrey was fussing over Sirius before she pulled something away from Harry and placed into her pocket, "Watch over Master for a little bit. I need to do something..."

Eyes narrowing, Juuchi only nodded some, "Of course I will." As the other sword turned to leave, she softly whispered, "Be careful."

Looking over her shoulder, Tsukiakari smiled, "I will, Senpai."

It was less than forty minutes that found her flying on Harry's Firebolt, shooting over the Scottish Highlands as her eyes scanned the ground below. The brush and moors passed by at well over two hundred miles an hour as she used a trick that Ian had during WWI to push brooms past their speed limits. In front of her, there was a shimmering cone pushing the air aside. Finally, her eyes caught sight of the Dementors and she slowed down. One hand on the broom, she pulled out her phone with the other and pulled up an app. Using it, she noted her location and continued to follow the Dementors as they travelled below her before grumbling a bit.

They were not even attempting to hide their movements beside moving along fast.

After several more taps on her phone, noting locations which confirmed their direction, she moved away and landed. Pulling the time turner from her shirt, she gave it a flick and watched as time turned back around her. The Sun slowly rose above the horizon and she nodded before flying to a nearby road.

Once she was there, she shrunk the broom and stuck out her sheathed blade. With a bang, the Knight Bus was there and she stepped onboard, "Godric's Hollow, if you would..."

Several hours later, as the Sun was setting, Tsukiakari set down with Catherine behind her on the broom. Getting off it, the French blade looked around with a frown, "Is this where they shall be?"

Tsukiakari grimaced a bit, "I am unsure, but assuming that they do not move too far from their course? Yes, they should be coming this way..." She paused for a moment and continued, "Or close enough..."

Just nodding, Catherine smiled thinly, "Yes, close enough. I shall be irresistible to them, I would assume." Taking a deep breath, she let it out, "Very well, go Tsukiakari and I shall deal with the threats to our Master. They have attempted to prevent him from crossing over when it is his time, and that is unforgivable."

Bowing deeply, Tsukiakari got back onto the broom and took off, "Good luck."

All the French blade did was nod and pull out her sheathed sword before holding it in front of her with the point barely buried in the ground. Leaning forward, she placed her forehead against the pommel and began to softly whisper as she prayed and fortify herself for what would come...
_

The chill, night wind of the Scottish Highlands swept over the ground, blowing the young heather. Above, the Moon broke through the clouds illuminating the Earth beneath, in particular one young woman with blonde hair and the clothes of a peasant from the Hundred Years War. Before her, a sword was sheathed in it's scabbard against whose pommel she rested her forehead against. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked into the distance at the approaching cloud of darkness...

Dementors.

Somehow, despite the darkness of the night, and the distance, she could see them. Or, rather, she could sense them upon the wind. For a few moments, she stayed there in that position before rising and gripping her sword's hilt, her true form. Eyes narrowing, she frowned, which upon a face such as hers was worse then a scowl, "Foul beings... you do not belong on this World under His skies. You who have threatened my Master with preventing him from moving on when his time comes."

Far away, Azkaban blinked and turned her attention to her "Children" with a small frown as the woman's voice was carried upon the wind, the distance not mattering at all. Head tilted to the side, she giggled as the small child she appeared to be, malice glowing in her eyes, "Oh my... looks like we have a new playmate." With a twirl of her fingers, she sent a mental command and her Dementors changed their path slightly more towards the woman. So full of light, of warmth, of love and courage...

Things that they hungered for deeply, especially after the battle that they were in.

Giggling, madness in her eyes, Azkaban grinned far wider than a human could showing sharpened teeth more like fangs as her eyes glowed malevolently in the darkness, "We're going to have such fun~"

However, Catherine was not bothered at all even though she sensed their intent. Instead, she only nodded, "I see. Very well, perhaps He shall have Mercy upon you, for I can not in the face of such darkness." Light began to shine from where her hilt met the sheath, while her clothes also began to glow and break apart as if on fire.

But as they burned away, embers trailing and being carried off by the night wind, they revealed armour underneath her clothing, breastplate that shone under the Moon and Stars with it's own inner light. Meanwhile, the darkness of the Dementors began to increase as Azkaban focused more of her power. Eyes closed for a moment, she took a deep breath and let it out, "Here I plant my standard... and here I stand."

With those words, they were almost upon her and she drew her blade, which burned brightly with light and swung it at the Dementors as the area lit up.

And far away, Azkaban, who was still connected to the Dementors, widened her eyes and she screamed as her avatar collapsed in agony. As she writhed on the roof of the prison whose spirit she was, smoke rose from her body.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, the light faded to reveal scorched ground with some fluttering pieces of cloak to reveal that no less than forty of the monsters were dead. They were not even disintegrated as not even smoke remained. But even as the first scrap of cloth touched the ground, Catherine was already moving, eyes as steely as her true body. Swinging, she easily cleaved through two of the Dementors which did not even have time to scream as they just broke apart and disappeared into motes of light.

They were not the last either, as Catherine less fought and more danced between them. Moonlight glinted and flowed off her blade as she struck again and again, Dementor after Dementor dying as their bodies were first cut and then burst apart into motes of light.

Out of the corner of her eye, the French blade spotted one of the Dementors flying up into the sky so to escape. Gripping her hilt, she threw it as hard as she could. As it passed above the Dementor, she reappeared and grabbed her true body and brought it down. cleaving the dark creature in half. Pushing off it's dissolving remains, she launched herself to the next flying one. Behind her, the cape she wore seemed to look like to, large white wings which glowed much the same as her armor in the moonlight as gold hair streamed behind her with her shining blade held before her.

Eventually, the Dementors managed to break from her and took off as fast as they could. Rather than pursue, Catherine stood upon the top of a hill and held her true self at arms length, pointed towards the fleeing monsters as her lips moved. Eyes narrowing, her sword began to glow brighter and brighter as did her armor and cape. Said cape spread behind her in the wind as the light shone greater and greater. Until, it seemed, like a star itself had fallen and come to rest upon that hill.

Instead of what one would expect though, Catherine yanked her true self back. And the results... were instantaneous as the distant Dementors screeched. The reason for which was obvious as mere moments later, small blue orbs made of light burst from their backs. First one or two each, and then dozens.

Souls, that they had eaten over their existences.

And it was not just them, as in Azkaban, the Spirit of the Prison screamed once more as her back arched towards the sky. The evil being clawing at her own chest as light after light escaped from it, from the torment that she had it. Souls dating back to when she first built by the Dark Lord Ekrizdis to torture Muggle sailors and others he caught. A practical tornado streaming out of her and into the sky.

The last ones eventually escaped her and Azkaban slumped back onto the roof, blood trailing from her mouth. Not dead, not yet, but weakened. Mouth moving, she whispered, "One day... one day... I will kill you, and feast upon your soul..."

In Scotland, Catherine only stood straighter as the last rescued soul vanished into the Afterlife, which ever one would meet her. Wind blowing her hair, the Sword spirit narrowed her eyes, "You may try, Demon." She then slid her true self back into her sheath as her armour was replaced by the dress she wore, "You may try..."

 

[Savato93]

Millie held her surgical mask to her face as sparks flew all around her, uncaring of the blinding light in front of her. Her mother stood beside her, watching her as she worked. "I'm not going too fast, am I…?" She asked. "Too slow?"

Nuri shook her head. "No, you're doing just fine. You've got the right filler metal, your welds are nice and deep, and you're controlling the heat well enough to prevent destabilizing the weld joint. Of course, we'll need to grind the welds down a bit later, smooth them out, but in the meantime let's prioritize function over form."

"Alright."

The Mi-class looked off to her side, taking in the patchwork of hastily-fastened plates that had kept the Omega from sinking en route to their island. A large chunk of the starboard-side hull was now completely gone, cut away to open up the engineering spaces for restoration; the rest of the hull was being worked on a little bit at a time, all the deteriorated exterior metal and temporary welds slowly being replaced with fresh, sturdy steel. This hull restoration was an ideal live trial for Millie—if she messed up, she could just cut the bad part away and try again. It was really quite relaxing.

{Hey…} Regalia's voice came in through the radio. She had time to spare today, so she'd chosen to lend a hand by hunting any faulty circuits on the interior of the yacht. {I think I'm in the galley, but I can't see anything in here. No windows. Do you guys think you could turn on the power?}

Tilting her head curiously, Millie shifted her focus to one of her other tails… which extended deep into the hull, through the hole beside her. Her gaze seemed to shimmer, the steel in front of her replaced with a vision of countless switches and indicator lights. Her tail was hooked into the power lines extending from the ship's old generator, letting her power parts of the ship herself. She silently counted off the breakers in her head, before eventually instructing her imps to flip a specific switch on. "Okay, did that do it?" She asked.

{...almost. You lit up the hallway behind me.} Millie hung her head sheepishly, before telling her crew to flip the next breaker down. {There we go. Thanks!} There was a few seconds of silence, before Regalia spoke up once more. {You know, Aunt Sonata said this boat was in an overall terrible condition… but on the inside, she doesn't seem any worse than you'd expect from a ship her age. There's deterioration here and there, and the generators are shot, yeah… but the electrical systems are more or less intact, and some touching-up would have everything else looking just fine, to me!}

Nuri shrugged. "Sounds fair enough. You find the bad socket yet?"

{Oh, one moment… yeah, yeah, I think I—}

Millie suddenly felt a literal static spark run down her tail. In her peripheral vision, she saw the galleys breaker abruptly flip off.

When Regalia resumed speaking, she sounded mildly upset. {...oh, great. Tippy got too close to a toaster, and next thing I knew there was a flash and the lights went out again. My butt hurts, too.}

"Are you alright?" Millie asked, worried.

{Yeah, we're fine. Tippy is less than happy about getting shocked though.} Her reply was followed by a disgruntled bark the Mi-class could hear from all the way outside. {...wait, do you taste orange the fruit, or orange the color…?} Another bark. {Yes, the difference matters! One means you're hungry, the other means your brain is fried!}

Millie and Nuri shared a chuckle. "I don't think you need to worry too much about your cousin," Nuri said. "She's got some impressive resilience for her age. She'll probably walk off an electrocution no big deal."

"To be expected of a Re-class." Millie nodded, though she maintained her smile. "I just hope that she doesn't do it too much, else she might accumulate some real nerve damage…"

It happened so quickly, Millie had no time to react. In an instant, the mirthful atmosphere around them died… subsumed in a storm of negative emotion that chilled the fledgling to her core even from a great distance.

Fear… Worry… Rage… And at its heart, the unfamiliar IFF of a Princess-class Abyssal.

"Wh-what… what is that…?" Millie whimpered, unconsciously clinging to her mother for comfort.

"Mother." Nuri maintained her composure better than the Mi-class… but only barely. "Something's happened."

 

[MagisterAurelius]

Ship of Fools 10.75 - The end of the date

It had been a wonderful time for all three girls in the village. Draco even had made extra effort to get to know more about Niobe and Cleopatra. It was when the girls had been sharing their and crews regrets in their ship lives, that Draco opened up. With considerable hesitation, he told all three of his girlfriends about the worry driving his pursuit of wandless magic and arcane power.

As he divulged what he went through while paralyzed by the basilisk, the three girls all held his hands and passed meaningful glances between themselves.
Draco took a breath and then got his biggest fear off his chest. "I... I know there's a lot of people who think my father would deserve whatever he gets from Voldemort. But I can't stop wanting to not let it happen. I don't want my father and mother to die. He's my dad." The girls said nothing, but all three of them hugged Draco tightly.

-0-

As they walked up to the gates of Hogwarts, Draco to enter and the girls to leave, a bushy haired Gryfindor stomped out of the castle and pointed her wand at Draco.

"Draco Malfoy, just what in Merlin's name are you plotting in seducing MY SISTER!" Hermione hissed at the blond boy. "I will give you to the count of ten to start running, then I will turn you into a fine red mist."

"Hermione Dagworth-Granger! You will do no such thing!" Cleopatra stepped in front of Draco to face off against Hermione.

As the two girls began to argue, Draco sat in stunned thought. Granger is Cleo's sister? Wait wait wait.. Granger is a DAGWORTH-GRANGER! Oh oh shite.

"Ahem," Draco gently laid a hand on Cleo's shoulder and moved into the line of fire. "Is it true. You are a Dagworth-Granger?"

"Yes you piece of sister-seducing slime! My blood opened the wards on the manor and my great grandfather was the younger squib brother of Medea Dagworth-Granger. So what Malfoy?"

"I apologize."

"Wut?" Hermione just stared at Draco slackly.

"Yes. First year where I called you a filthy Mud-blood. I now learn that I was in error. I apologize for slurring against your heritage. It was wrong of me to do so and I beg your forbearance." Draco stopped and considered for a moment. "You know, you could have made my social standing hell? Slurring a family line like I did has caused blood feuds in the past. Thank you. I owe you Hermione."

Hermione sputtered. "Why? Why would you apologize for that ... oh oh my god it's worse than I thought! YOU'VE SLEPT WITH MY SISTER!"

Draco replied confusedly, "Yes, last night I slept with Cleo, Johnston and Niobe. Why is that a problem?"

"DIE!" Hermione screamed.

-0-

Later on in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione flopped into a chair and tried to desperately massage her migraine away. She sighed heavily.

"Problem Hermione?" Ron inquired while he was playing a game of chess with Harry.

"My airheaded sister Cleopatra is dating Draco Fucking Malfoy is the problem Ron."

"I thought he was dating Johnston?" Harry looked up from the game.

"Oh no, he's dating three girls now. Johnston, Cleo and a German girl Niobe."

"Wait, are they all ship-girls?"

"Yes Harry. Draco must be jealous of you or something. He's clearing following your lead."

"Poi?"



----

Okay... that's enough to say that Chapter 10 is now complete.

 

[ijnfleetadmiral]

Can't remember if ol' Lucy knows about Draco's two new girlfriends or not. If he doesn't, I can picture this scene:

Lucius: Draco, I've heard a rather unsettling rumor recently.
Draco: Oh, Father?
Lucius: You are currently romantically involved with not one, but three different shipgirls.
Draco: *Struggles not to blush* Y-yes, that's right, Father. Johnston, Cleopatra, and Niobe. *Pulls out wizarding photo* These are my ladies. This was taken on a recent Hogsmeade date we had together.
Lucius: *While Narcissa squees over the photo of her baby boy and his girls* I see. I trust you know what you are doing. Pray do not hurt them because while they are personifications of Muggle weapons, they could still turn you into strawberry jam and not even the Dark Lord could do anything about it.
Draco: I am not going to be foolish enough to hurt them, Father.
Lucius: Good. Now, on a more personal note...*grins* three beautiful women at once? And they don't mind sharing you? That's my boy!
Narcissa: *Smacks Lucius on the arm* Lucius!
Lucius: My dear, I have to congratulate our son on his achievements...it's only right. *Grins at Draco, who smiles back*
Narcissa: *Scoffs and shakes herhead* Men! Pureblood or Muggle, they're all the same sometimes...

 

[RCNAnon]

Weasley's Warship Workshop 3

"Sorry we didn't get to talk much before things got started Angie. I wanted to ask how you were doing." Ron looked up to the large woman, her coveralls still covered in oil and grease despite the fact he was rather certain she'd not done anything heavy during the procedure. The pair were walking out of the repair baths along with Duke after Summer had finished with the Battleship Princess.

"It is no matter Ron, Summer had something important to give you and repairing a damaged abyssal is very much her territory. I was happy to watch and corroborate some of those American reports they've passed around." Angie shook her dirty brown head cheerfully and patted Ron on the back with a thump that nearly caused him to stumble. "I am doing well though, thanks to you and your friends. Especially since the repair baths have been finished."

Ron smiled and nodded. "I heard they were working better for you than the ones at Portsmouth?"

"A little bit my friend, perhaps 5-10% faster on most things. Not enough to truly exclaim that things are best only done here but not inconsiderable either." Angie nodded to herself. "I believe it is because the pool is ah… "Home" as you might say. So I am more attuned to it."

"That does make sense." Ron nodded along. "I take it you're having no issues with the Royal Navy then?"

"No no no." Angie waved her hand in front of her face. "Not the officers at least. They are quite pleased to see me, even if one or two are upset that I eat so much." Angie grinned at that. "But a woman like me needs lots of fuel to work so they are quiet. What I am having trouble with are those stubborn battleships."

"The battleships?" Ron asked, cocking his head to the side as the two were about to enter the back door.

"Ja like Ms. Duke. She is perhaps not as bad as some but they are all stubborn about their repairs." Angie switched into a falsetto as they made their way to the kitchen. "No Angie, I am fine. Please ignore the GAPING HOLE in my side and take care of the little ones yes?" Angie snorted. "As often as not the little ones are merely rattled and scuffed. They are quick to heal and recover. Battleships, with their silly pride and honor try to hide the fact they are leaking oil or down a boiler if they can. I am your repair ship! I care not about your pride only that you are healthy for the next sortie!" Angie gave her head one last large shake as if she was a queen pronouncing and edict that had just finished.

"I… uhm..." Duke started to speak but then stopped almost immediately.

"You were about to say that you did not think you were that bad ja?" Angie turned to look at Duke.

"Yes, I was." Duke couldn't help but smile wryly. "Until I remembered some of my sisters and even myself in certain situations."

"You are one of the good ones then. You at least recognize you have a problem." Angie was clearly satisfied at that and Ron couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm reminded of Warspite before I fixed her. She was just a little bit stubborn about her injuries."

It was Duke's turn to chuckle.

"That is like saying water is wet Ron but you have a point."

As they entered the kitchen Ron spotted Victoria in a state he'd never seen her in before. She actually looked mildly frazzled, what with several of her hairs out of place and the pinch of her eyebrows set close enough to be visible.

"Victoria, is something wrong?" Ron called out to the maid, causing her to look up immediately.

"Young Master." Victoria turned towards him immediately, the look of worry and the stray hairs somehow disappearing as a mask of calm appeared on her face. "I… there is not a problem per-say but..." There was a pause as Victoria collected her thoughts. "You do not know anyone who would perchance pull a low joke on you involving a harlot?"

"I… what? No." Ron was startled by the question, "Nobody that I can think of. Harry and Hermione don't have that sense of humor and Fred and George would get killed by my mother."

Victoria took a deep breath, clearly having expected an answer like that while desperately wanting it not to be.

"Then I am obliged to report that I believe the French… Guest..." Ron knew immediately that Victoria wanted to put "Harlot" there but was too focused to. "You are expecting is at the front gate. On a motorbike."

Ron wasn't sure which part Victoria disapproved of more, the fact that whatever Jean-Bart looked like did not meet her standards or the fact that she was on a motorcycle.

"Well then we should let her in." Ron knew that was what Victoria didn't want to hear but this was a request directed at him by a British ally through formal military channels. Not something he could avoid simply because Victoria didn't think the best of her.

"Yes Master." Victoria bowed her head formally and Ron could feel something happening in the meantime.

"Thank you Victoria. Will you prepare something for us? I think this is going to be a long meeting."

Victoria bowed her head, clearly relieved to be doing something more familiar so she could ignore what was coming up the drive.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the road, fifteen minutes earlier.

Jean-Bart grinned as her hair whipped behind her, the engine on her BMW S1000RR howling beneath her. She couldn't open it up to the full throttle given the road shape and condition but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Say what you wanted about German shipbuilding but they did great motorcycles. At least this way she could reach some proper speeds.

Her mind turned towards her worries for a moment, of what Ronald Weasley might say about her condition. He'd repaired Warspite that was undeniable and he seemed to have an understanding of engineering far beyond his age. Yet she had no knowledge of anything like her particular condition happening elsewhere and if he had no ideas…

She shook herself mentally. That was no way to think at a time like this. Not when the sun was out and she had a free road to work with. Things like worrying about showing her rig could happen later when they were about to occur.

Instead she opened up the throttle more, wondering if she could find a spot flat, long and empty enough to try and hit close to the top speed. Probably not but she could hope.

Ten minutes later she pulled up to a stop, having not found the stretch of road she wanted but still managing to have pushed herself over 120KPH for one last burst of speed before she'd gotten to the manor house.

As she did pull up she had to admit that it was impressive in its own way. An old style to be sure, square even from a distance but the yards were relatively well tended and there appeared to be someone out and working on them from what she could see. However for some reason the gate was closed and she didn't see a button to press for a bell or entrance. Frustrated for a moment she considered simply driving around the thing as there wasn't a fence around the whole manor but she go the feeling that would be a bad idea, for multiple reasons.

Thankfully the thing finally opened after a couple minutes. Perhaps there was a timer on the thing? She shook her head as she pulled up the drive, the engine beneath her barely murmuring while her own boilers were steadily building pressure she had no release for. As she reached the front door she saw it open and several people stepped out.

The first one she noticed was the battleship. Not quite as tall as her and not quite as fast, the KGV class was still a respectable foe. Rather, she would have been if there had ever been a chance of France and Great Britain coming to blows. The blonde's hair was just about at length with hers and that brought a small grin to her face as her fellow ship of the line examined her with respect in turn. Perhaps they could talk about the issues of having quadruple turrets and long hair some time.

The second was the maid. Of moderate height and relatively nondescript build, she looked average. Even her hair was somehow average despite being just slightly more blonde than brown. Yet that wasn't what caught her eye. Instead it was the look she was getting from her. Oh it was perfectly polite enough. Yet she'd had enough people disapprove of the way she dressed and acted that she could tell she would find no friend there.

Finally the one she'd actually come to see. He was… still young. His face at least and his height still spoke of growing through the awkward stages of puberty. Shaggy red hair on top of his head and dressed appropriately for meeting a guest. Yet it was his eyes that changed her immediate opinion of him. For they were much more mature than what a boy his age would normally have and he was not leering at her. Nor was he even apparently shocked by her outfit. That could be both good or bad but she was leaning towards good.

As she stood from her bike and let it settle, she could feel his eyes on her. She thought for a moment he was ogling her while she wasn't paying attention but as she turned and started walking towards them his eyes stayed, watching her walk. That was also strange. Still she forced her face into a more polite arrangement as she got close and opened her mouth.

"Hello. I am Jean-Bart, second ship of the Richelieu class. I am here to meet Ronald Weasley."

Of course she didn't know those words would change the course of her life.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ron's first impression of Jean-Bart was that she was… different.

Standing on the front step to meet their guest along with Duke and Victoria gave him a good view of the French battleship as she arrived on a sleek looking motorcycle and settled herself on the drive.

For one, most of his experience was with British battleships. He'd met a few Japanese ones when he'd gone to see Harry over the summer but Nagato had been just as proud and regal as any of Duke or Warspite's sisters and he'd only seen the others for a brief time. While Jean-Bart certainly had a presence of her own it was subtly different than the rest.

Spoiler: Jean-Bart plus explanation

Alright, so this is default Jean-Bart look. In the HatSG verse she has a bit less cleavage showing and her shorts are Magical Ship-girl Short Shorts. They cover all of her aft to her leg. No more no less and you'll never be able to see a curve there but you might imagine it. Still plenty to get a Victorian maid's dander up over.

It wasn't her outfit. For all that her shorts were nearly as short as the swimsuit bottoms Duke had worn in Japan or that her top showed off plenty of cleavage, he'd seen worse. The piratical them she seemed to be sporting overall was no odder than the maid outfits a few of the British cruisers wore, though the thigh high sock on one leg and the long boot on the other made her look slightly lopsided she wore it well nonetheless.

It wasn't her looks either. While part of Ron was informing him that her legs went up and up and up… it was a small part that he easily suppressed. If he'd not seen a ship-girl before it would have been different of course but between Warspite, Duke and his many times at the naval base he was as thoroughly inoculated against shipgirls looks as a man could realistically be. Her long brown hair was drawn up in a ponytail similar to Duke's, going down behind her aft though not quite to the ground like Duke's could do. That probably had something to do with how tall she was, a couple inches taller than Duke at least. Her eyes were striking, being a reddish pink but they fit her like the rest of her outfit did.

It was only when she started walking towards them that Ron's tickling senses finally clued in and kicked him in the rear. Jean-Bart had a runners grace, one that if he'd seen them in person would have reminded him of the Iowa class of the Americans. At least she was supposed to. If he'd not noticed Duke's injury earlier he might have missed it but Jean-Bart had a hitch in her step. It wasn't anything major, a subtle thing that he could just barely see much less pinpoint.

Yet it was there and because of that or perhaps only in part, Jean-Bart had the appearance of a battleships normal grace but it was a front. A veneer covering up something she'd rather not have anyone else see.

Of course then she was right in front of them and he had no more time to ponder.

"Hello. I am Jean-Bart, second ship of the Richelieu class. I am here to meet Ronald Weasley." Her voice was mild, forward if not rude and she looked him right in the eye as she spoke.

"A pleasure to meet you Jean-Bart. I am Ronald Weasley but please feel free to call me Ron. This is Duke of York of the King George V class and this is Victoria Passell, the head maid. Would you like to come inside? We have some refreshments made up and we can sit comfortably while we talk."

Ron fell back on formality for a moment, his mind still not quite sure how to process Jean-Bart and her attitudes. She didn't seem mean spirited to him at least which meant that he could work with her.

The brunette paused for a moment and nodded.

"Yes, that would be welcome thank you." Jean-Bart seemed perhaps slightly off put by his welcome but he wasn't sure if it was his reaction of if she'd been expecting something different.

Ron lead the way inside, with Victoria taking up the rear. They'd prepared a sitting room again, this time less formally but still with two chairs for Ron and Duke with another for Jean-Bart. There were sandwiches prepared and some lemonade in place of the mornings tea. The three settled down for a moment, items being passed around until everyone was waiting.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you want to meet me?" Ron spoke after setting down his glass. "It's an honor to meet you of course but Admiral Whitcomb didn't say anything else about it other than you wanted to talk."

Jean-Bart paused for a few moments, her eyes focused somewhere on the floor before they rose up to meet Ron's.

"Please understand that this is difficult for me to talk about. I am… private, about my issues since I do not like to… bother people about them if there is nothing they can do."

Ron nodded, settling back in his chair as Jean-Bart spoke.

"I understand. I take it that you think I can do something to help you? Whatever it is?"

Jean-Bart nodded in turn.

"Yes. You are the best… no, the only person that I have found that may be able to do so. Understand I've been looking since I've come back, nearly three years now, for a fix and have found nothing. The repair baths do nothing and even the repair ship I consulted could not. At least she did not think so since the baths would be required for her help."

Ron's mind rapidly put together the pieces of what she was saying into a mostly coherent picture.

"You have an engineering problem you want me to help with? Something to do with your engines?"

Jean-Bart's eyes widened in surprised.

"Yes, how did you…?" She frowned for a moment. "Somebody told you."

Ron shook his head.

"No, you have… a hitch in your step. Or perhaps I should say you have a missing stroke in your engine where you're expecting power to be but it isn't."

Jean-Bart met Ron's eyes as the chair creaked in her hand.

"Truly you did not know this beforehand? Were not told anything?"

Ron nodded.

"I just noticed it in the way you walked, I swear. I don't know what exactly it is but between that and me only being good at one thing..." Ron shrugged.

Duke looked over at Ron and snorted, a clear sign of disapproval at his statement.

"If I may ask… how can you be so certain?" Jean-Bart clearly wanted to believe Ron but she was having trouble doing so. "You are not wrong but it could simply be a wise guess even if what you say about not being told beforehand is true."

Ron looked back to Duke and smiled slightly.

"Do you mind Duke or should I do Warspite instead?"

Duke blushed and shook her head in the negative, even as Jean-Bart looked between the two in mild confusion.

"No, you can show her Ron. I don't mind." Her voice was somewhat soft but there was definitely a note of pride in it.

"Victoria." Ron called out, the maid stepping from the corner she'd been in to hand him a pen and paper she'd gotten from somewhere.

"Thank you." Ron pulled the nearby table closer to him and grabbed the straight edge he'd taken to sticking in his pocket. "This will take a couple minutes." He looked to Jean-Bart for a moment before he began to draw.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jean-Bart watched first in confusion, then in comprehension and finally in amazement as the teenager in front of her worked.

At first she didn't understand what he was doing, the lines and markings he was drawing meaning nothing to her. It wasn't until she saw the multiple notations he was making as he went that she started to understand. Finally when she did understand and saw him complete what he was working on she was amazed.

It was a yard quality diagram of a boiler room, with top and side views included on it. Judging by the blush on Duke of York's face, it was hers and Ronald, Ron, had done it without looking at anything. Without speaking to anyone about it. Just off the top of his head.

He finished the diagram, looked at it and then offered it to the British battleship.

"What do you think Duke, pretty good?" He spoke as if he'd simply drawn her a picture instead of a detailed work on her interior.

"Yes." Duke of York smiled as she held it for a moment and her hand touched the boys, affection clear. "Here." She handed it over to Jean-Bart.

Jean-Bart looked at the drawing closely as she held it in hand. She tried to find anything at all wrong with the drawing. Even if she didn't know her British counterparts exact dimensions she could tell if it was more or less right simply by the way it was setup.

It was as far as she could tell, perfect down to the last marking. Perhaps even better than a builders print if such a thing were possible.

She handed the print back to Duke, who carefully took the item and set it on the table next to her.

"You can do that from memory." It was a statement from her and not a question. "For her."

"I did an entire book for Warspite. Stem to stern and keel to aerials." A return statement from the boy. Not a boast, just an assertion. "I needed to know that so I could fix her. I can do more for Duke but not quite everything yet. Her turrets are my main concern but it wouldn't be fair if I didn't do the same."

Jean-Bart felt part of her warm at the thought of somebody knowing her that well, even as she watched the long haired blonde in front of her clasp the boy… no he was too mature for that, the hand of the young man in front of her.

"I believe you." She said, feeling a ball of tension somewhere in her boilers release. "I do." She felt the barest of smiles come onto her face. "Which means I think you can actually help."

Ron nodded, leaning forward. "Then what exactly is it I need to do?"

Jean-Bart paused, her mind racing as she thought of all the things wrong with her.

"I think perhaps I should show instead of simply tell."

"The repair pool then? You should be able to rig up there."

Jean-Bart nodded, even as she was surprised at the casual mention of a repair pool on the property. "Yes, I think that's appropriate."

Ron nodded again and stood up. "Lets go then."

As she stood, Jean-Bart matched eyes with Duke of York for a moment. They didn't say anything but Jean-Bart thought that the British ship understood where she was coming from. Perhaps she did know what was wrong with her. If she did she hadn't said anything… and she clearly believed in him.

That was enough for her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AN: Wew another long one. There should be one more part with all of this before I go onto other things but I hope you are all still enjoying. Questions, comments, concerns welcome as always.

 

[Harry Leferts]

Have an omake:
_______________________________________

Cooler swinging from his hand, the now twenty five year old Harry whistled a bit before walking into the area of the base given over to repairing allied Abyssals. Walking in, he could see Regina laid out as Hoppou bustled around. At seeing him, Regina brightened some, "Harry? What are you doing here?"

Reaching her, Harry gently kissed her before stroking her hair, "Partially coming by to check up on you." Even as the blushing Re-Class looked up at him, he continued, "Shinano-Chan said that you got somewhat banged up during the last battle."

From where she was gathering tools, Hoppou smiled a bit, "Yes, Big Brother. Some bangs and dings for the most part, easy fix for Hoppou! But.... one part will be a bit harder for Hoppou."

With a hum, Harry looked over at Regina's arm... or what was left of it since a heavy shell had blown it apart at the elbow. Seeing the Abyssal look down a bit, he had a twinkle in his eye as he shook his head, "I suppose that you were... disarmed then."

Giggles escaped the Re-Class even as the small Princess shook her head. As she got herself under control, Regina gave him a look, "Harry, that's not funny."

At his raised eyebrow, she looked away with a blush. If anything, that made his eyebrow raise still further, "You giggled at it."

Chewing her lip, Regina was silent before looking at him, "Um, well, I guess it was kind of funny..."

In reply, Harry gave her another kiss, this one she leaned into. Pulling back, he chuckled, "I'm glad to hear your giggles, Regina. Almost as beautiful as you."

While the Abyssal blushed and giggled again, Hoppou rolled her eyes, 'Big Brother is silly.' It was then that she remembered something and gave him an odd look, "Wait..." Turning, she gave him an odd look, "Big Brother stated he came down only partially to check on Regina. What other reason is Big Brother here for?"

Slowly, Harry raises the cooler, "Iku-Chan and the other Submarines were in the area and found Regina's arm and brought it back. So I figured on bringing it here." Glancing at the stub, he frowned, 'I wonder if it is bad that this doesn't bother me like it doesn't bother them when they get hurt like this.'

Just sighing, Hoppou smiled, "Thank you, Big Brother. If Hoppou has old arm, easier to fix for Hoppou." As he set down the cooler and opened it to reveal the recovered arm, she tilted her head to the side, "Though Big Brother could have sent someone else to deliver it."

Right then, a familiar twinkle entered his eyes as he lifted the lower arm of the Re-Class from the cooler. Grinning, Harry held it up, "I just figured that I should come by and... give you a hand with this."

Utter silence met him before Regina began madly giggling enough that she fell back. Meanwhile, Hoppou gave him an unamused look before bringing out her squirt bottle and spraying him, "Big Brother too silly."

All Harry did was grin between sputters.

 

[Harry Leferts]

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Dumbledore spared a look at the parchment, a copy of one that was within the Ministry itself, "Please tell me that this is some sick joke, Amelia. That what is in front of me does not exist."

A grimace in her face, Amelia shook her head, "I am afraid not, Albus." The Grimace rapidly became a scowl, "But I wish that it was. Especially after how long a night this has been."

Just about to say something, the Headmaster froze as he felt something come down on top of him. A massive weight pressing down. Swallowing, Dumbledore glanced towards the door, "It would seem, Amelia, that things are about to become much longer."

Unable to stop the shivers, Amelia glanced at him even as sweat began to bead on her brow and her instincts screamed at her, "Albus, do you know what that is...?"

For a few moments, the older wizard was silent. However, he finally sighed, "Unless I miss my guess, that would be young Hoppou..." Albus cleared his throat some, "And it would also seem that she is quite... upset."

Under his breath, Kingsley grumbled a little even as he tried not to shake, "That is putting it mildly..."

The Auror didn't notice the look his boss shot him.

It was all rendered moot about ten minutes later as the doors to the Hospital Wing opened to reveal Hoppou standing there with her mother behind her as well as Aeroprin. The little being had an aura of nearly pitch darkness around her as she glared, both red eyes alight with wrath. In her bed where she was nursing another of innumerable mugs of hot chocolate, Reivana froze. Moments later, she scooted as far back into her bed as possible. This was due to how Hoppou was reminding her of Porta when said Princess was enraged beyond anything possible.

Eyes scanning the room, Hoppou spotted the sleeping Harry in a bed. Briefly, her gaze softened before it hardened again and she gestured towards the bed he laid in, "Blackie Smokie? Hoppou wants you to guard Big Brother."

Her own eyes alight in rage, Aeroprin nodded, "Don't worry, Mommy. I will watch over Uncle Harry, watch over Uncle Harry."

Nagato glanced at the Abyssal who only paused to tilt her head at Juuchi, who was eating a blood orange, before sitting on Harry's other side from the sword. More important to the Battleship was Hoppou, who looked moments away from brutally murdering something. Not that she did not understand the feeling. The Kami know that she felt much the same.

Shaking that off though, she took a deep breath before turning to Dumbledore with her eyes narrowed to near slits as she she softly hissed like a sword drawn from it's sheath, "What. Happened."

A frown on his face, Dumbledore's own expression darkened, "Mister Potter was out in Hogsmeade spending the day with his Godfather." Both Nagato and Hoppou glanced at said wizard who was also sleeping, though uneasily, "The Sun was just setting when a large group of Dementors swept in. From what we can tell, Sirius was the true target with Mister Potter and Madam Reivana as... targets of opportunity at best."

Teeth grinding, the Battleship let out a hiss, "And how many... were involved?"

When Dumbledore glanced at her, Amelia let out a hiss of her own, "We are still taking numbers, which might well be hard as a number of bodies are... no longer around. But from what we can tell, the lowest number was that was there when we arrived was at least a hundred. That said..." She let out a sigh and pinched her nose, "We are assuming that perhaps the number was higher, perhaps as many as two hundred."

Utter silence met that statement before Hoppou looked up at him, her eyes glowing in wrath, "Hoppou sees... And how many are left?"

Thinly smiling, Dumbledore chuckled, "Far fewer than two hundred. Mister Potter managed to account for at least half that number, perhaps. Both from his ofuda and a... rather supercharged one that finally broke the Dementors as well as a corporeal Patronus. he created. After that, they fled, though to where, we do not know."'

Suddenly, another voice spoke up, this one soft and yet underlain with steel, "They are heading back to Azkaban though with far fewer of their number than they started with when they left the village." Everyone looked at the woman in peasant clothing right out of the Hundred Years War with Tsukiakari behind her, "Many of their number no longer darken His Earth."

Eyebrow raised, Dumbledore stroked his beard, "I see, Miss..."

The young woman bowed a little, "Call me Catherine."

Only giving Amelia a look, Albus smiled slightly, "I see, and thank you for that. Do you know how many escaped?"

Humming for a few moments, Catherine gave a slight nod, "About two dozen."

Eyebrow raised, Amelia leaned forward and ran the numbers in her head, "That means, with the total that has remained at Azkaban, there are perhaps, at most, a hundred Dementors if our numbers are correct and assuming there are not more there in the depths... which I am not about to do so."

Just nodding, the Headmaster frowned, "Yes, that does seem to be correct."

With a glance at him, Nagato sat down in a chair and leaned forward, "Why?" At the looks, she gave them one of her own, "Why did they attack Sirius? He is innocent and the Kiss order has been long since rescinded."

No one said anything for a moment before Amelia sighed and handed her a piece of parchment, "Here." When Nagato took it, she continued, "This is the original agreement between the Ministry and the Dementors... and what they are using as their excuse, as it were."

Frowning, the Battleship took the parchment and looked it over. As she did so, her eyebrows furrowed more and more before she looked up, "What, exactly, am I reading here?"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the side of his head, "Azkaban was made into a prison by a Minister of Magic called Damocles Rowle. He was... I believe the term would be, a real piece of work. Besides being Authoritarian, he was also a sadist of the highest order. To him, the Dementors driving the prisoners insane and suicidal was not an issue... it was a benefit. Thus, he made an agreement with the Dementors of the prison, whereupon they would be supplied with a steady supply of prisoners to feed upon to their non-existent heart's content."

It was then that Amelia took over, "One of the aspects of the agreement was... that any prisoner placed into the Maximum Security Wing would be in Azkaban until they died and were buried in the graveyard. There was never anything in the agreement about a prisoner found innocent and released." Now looking Nagato in the eye, she grimaced, "Hence, according to them, it does not matter that he was found innocent because by treaty, he is still to be returned to Azkaban or Kissed."

Rubbing her face, Nagato let out a groan, "Please tell me that this is some sort of sick joke. That they are not actually trying to use legalities to explain themselves..."

With a small shrug, the old wizard grimaced and shook his head, "I am afraid that I cannot do so, Miss Nagato. As much as I wish otherwise, it is right there in the treaty. And being as Dementors have a... different... type of mind than almost anything else? Most would accept that they might have... believed such, I am afraid."

Arms of the chair creaking under her mittened hands, Hoppou growled, "Hoppou sees, but is not happy." Looking up at Dumbledore, she continued, "And Hoppou is going to show them what she thinks of them trying to take Big Brother from Hoppou in how they did, and do so in such a way they will not get chance again."

Despite the sweat on his brow, which was odd with how freezing the room had become, Dumbledore nodded, "And I would agree and allow for it. I despise the Dementors personally to be quite honest and would like to see nothing else. But there is a..." For a moment, he searched for a word and finally shrugged, "A few complications, let us say."

Pinching her nose, Madam Bones shook her head, "Albus has explained a muggle term that applies in this case... do you know what MAD is?"

Now looking between them, Nagato frowned, "Mutually Assured Destruction." At their nods, she stood, "You cannot be serious!? Are you stating that destroying the Dementors could cause MAD!?"

A soft mutter of, "No, Sirius is in the bed" made them look at a pink haired Auror who blushed, "Sorry, heard that joke so long that, well..."

Only shaking ehr head, Amelia's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, "I think those of us who know Black were saying it in our heads." Becoming serious again, she turned towards Nagato and Hoppou, "First, you need to hear the story of Azkaban to understand why we say such a thing..."

Looking over his shoulder, Dumbledore conjured a comfy and squishy looking chair with a hole in the back before gesturing at it, "Please, come and have a seat as you will need to report this back to Princess Porta, Miss Reivana." With a look at Hoppou, the Re-Class did so, Stab easily slipping through the hole, "Now, the story starts in the Fifteenth Century with a little known Sorcerer Ekrizdis. Unlike Dark Lords such as Voldemort, Ekrizdis was, thankfully not too concerned with ruling over people. Rather, he was more interested in his studies and experiments, thus built Azkaban for such a purpose from the ground up. A place where he could perform the darkest of magics without being interrupted..."

While he continued to tell the story, the Headmaster was not surprised to see the looks of dismay and disbelief grow on his audience's face. When he was done though, there was silence before Stab spoke up, "Huh... if he was not human, I would have said that both this Ekrizdis and Damocles Rowle would have been perfect matches for Central Atlantic from everything that her Highness has stated. Sadistic and cruel... also stupid."

Eyebrow twitching, Reivana glared at him, "STAB!" Turning back to Dumbledore, she frowned in thought, "So the reason that you are concerned with attacking Azkaban is... because there is things down there that you are frightened of, which you do not know what they are or how powerful they are, and that the Dementors might release if they are attacked?"

Slowly, Dumbledore sighed some, "Yes, that is the fear... One of the things that we have is magical sensors that can measure the levels of dark magic in a place and how many sources as well as general power. They take time to set up... but there has been several times that they have been set up on boats passing by to see what they could get from Azkaban." His expression darkened, "Deeper in than the prison, there are a number of signatures that move around every once in a while. Each one is, at a minimum, equal to a normal Abyssal Princess from the readings taken. What they are, we do not know, but they are some of the darkest, and most powerful readings ever taken. And they have been fed by the misery and other dark emotions produced by the prisoners above. At least one is under the cemetery on the island as well."

Internally cursing, Nagato glanced at the Re-Class who looked stunned. After a moment, Reivana became thoughtful, "That... would be a reason to be worried, I suppose. If such things wake up..."

Leaning forward, the Headmaster was quiet for a few moments, "Which is not to say that there are not... plans in the works." He glanced at the Aurors who also glanced at their boss. Amelia nodded and they left. Once they were outside the door, Dumbledore cast several privacy spells before turning back to them, "We understand that Mister Potter has used Ofuda on several occasions to kill dark creatures, including Dementors. And that, somehow, you are able to use them to enhance your own weapons as shown when you killed a Gashadokuro."

Confused, Stab looked at them in confusion, "A what now?"

A frown on her face, Nagato glanced at him, "A Gashadokuro is what results when hundreds of humans are killed in brutal manner, usually starvation, and leave behind massive grudges. When there is enough bodies in one place from such deaths, they can... consolidate into a massive skeletal being up to eighty feet tall, formed by those grudges and the originating skeletons merged together. Invisible and hungry for blood." Eyes narrowing, she grimaced, "Both myself, Hoppou, and a few others were fighting it and barely managed to kill it. And that was with myself using Purification Ofuda similar to what Harry used to kill the Dementors which boosted my own shells and made them operate in much the same way."

For several moments, Reivana was staring at Nagato and then at Hoppou. Back and forth she went before she paused and her eyes widened some, "Could... something like that be at Azkaban? Or multiple ones?"

When they turned to the Headmaster, he had a pensive look on his face, "I wish that I could say that it would not be possible. Yet... I, cannot. The fact that no one who entered the depths of Azkaban and returned would willingly state what they saw down there besides that the Dementors are the least horrific thing... it is a source of worry."

Eyes closed, Reivana considered what she was being told before opening her eyes and glancing at Nagato, "Would it be possible to get a video of this... Gashadokuro battle? In case Her Highness needs an example?" In return, Nagato gave a small nod and confirmation before the Re-Class turned back to Dumbledore, "You stated that you were working on something though to kill such things?"

Internally sighing in relief, Dumbledore smiled thinly, "Currently, we are working on methods of creating similar effects to what Miss Nagato used with local methods. It is slow going, but... we have worked out some ways of doing so. But in any case, doing so would take time and both us and the RN have agreed that the only way to prevent major issues would be to come with, what is the muggle term? Maximum overkill, I believe." He spread his hands some, "For example, the Saint Class with their Eighteen Inch Guns among others, Monitors, Carriers outfitted with bombs... Not just British shipgirls, but also ones from across Europe." With a glance at Nagato, he gave a slight nod, "And help from the Canadians."

Puzzled, the Battleship frowned before realization came over her face, "Habakkuk. She is able to field normally land based Bombers such as B-17s. Lancasters are another with possible modifications to carry Grand Slam bombs. From my understanding, the Canadians can also offer Halifax who can also launch such aircraft. It should be enough to put down any issues that may be there. But... it will take time to do so."

As Reivana nodded, Dumbledore gave a small smile, "However, as it may be, reparations will be paid due to the attack, I do not think that would be a huge issue. I have some that... may be useful."

Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a box and handed it to her. Confused, Reivana glanced at him before opening it and her eyes widened as her jaw dropped. Hand shaking, she reached in and pulled out a ruby the size of a chicken's egg, "I, uh... there's nine. T-three of these, three sapphires, an-and three emeralds..."

Dumbledore merely nodded, "Yes, that is just one part, but consider this yours no matter what." Getting a nod, he stood and smiled, "I am afraid that there is some business to attend to, you must understand. But I see no issue if you wish to stay and recover further, I will have the house elves bring you any food that you wish."

The Re-Class nodded and just kept boggling at the gemstones in the box, not noticing the odd look on Amelia's face. Seeing the glance, the head of the DMLE followed Dumbledore out as well as Nagato who gave a slight nod to Hoppou. Once they were a distance from any of the other Aurors though, Amelia gave him a frown, "Albus, where did those come from?"

Placing his hands into his sleeves, the Headmaster chuckled, "Mister Potter found a collection of them in a place here in the Castle. However, they all belonged to the goblins thus it does not harm us in the slightest to give her them. And, hopefully, it will calm Princess Porta some when she sees them as I am certain she can find some use."

On one side of him, Nagato hummed even as Amelia shook her head in disbelief. After a few moments, the Battleship frowned, "The... way that they are going to destroy Azkaban, that was not all of what there is, is there?"

Almost a minute went by before Dumbledore sighed and shook his head, "No, I am afraid not. But I felt it best not to mention to Miss Reivana knowing that it could get back to her ruler." Glancing at Nagato, he took a deep breath, "What do you know of HMS Plym?"

It took only seconds for the shipgirl to answer, "HMS Plym? I know of her, she died in a nuclear test much like myself. Though in her case, she died because the warhead was... was..." Coming to a stop, she turned and looked at Dumbledore in disbelief, "Please do not tell me that..."

Grimacing, Dumbledore shook his head, "She came back with the bomb still inside of her. They have disarmed it, thankfully. But the RN is still in possession. If needed... it is to be enhanced with purification capabilities and used against Azkaban. But that decision has not been made quite yet."

Nagato cursed at that and shook her head with a scowl on her face, "Let us hope that it does not."

All she got from Dumbledore was a nod even as Amelia gave a shudder, "Let us hope."

 

[Interested Party]

no underage lewding please

It frightens us all. Kami help them if Taiyang and Tamamo team up and discover certain...websites.

"Time to play 'Break the Harry', Mikon~!"
"Yes, I think Natsumi would look quite fetching in this. *Confused* Though a maid is a maid...I don't see it being French having anything to do with it. *Shrugs* Ah, well...a mystery for another time, perhaps. Oh, look at this one, Taiyang...interesting...a stocking that goes over one's entire body. Think we should order one for Natsumi?"
"Yes, Master...I think she would like the 'Santa's Helper' outfit as well. I know she's looking for a nice outfit to wear for Harry this Christmas."

#BreakTheHarry #KitsuneBrainShort

Click to shrink...

Activities of a sexual nature that involve minors violate Rule 6: Acceptable Content On SV. We do recognize that teenagers have sex and we do permit fade-to-blacks and implications of events offscreen for teenage characters, but when the characters involved are both 14 they remain much too young for that, especially when it is being handled as a titillating joke rather than a mature manner. 16 might be more appropriate for offscreen implications, but until that point it would be strongly suggested that this sort of thing ceases.

Thank you for your time, and please have a pleasant day~

 

[Interested Party]

we don't actually have politics bans here SV does not ban discussion of politics per se. Nor do we require all politics to go to a specific place in the forum. We might infract such things for people breaking other rules during such discussion, but that is not the same as banning political discussion outright.

that being said Please remember to keep the posting at least generally related to the story overall, and that the making of reports should not be used as a threat. Nothing and no one has really approached that line yet, but I'd rather put a warning out ahead of time than not.

Thank you for your time, and please have a pleasant day~