Chapter Text
Well, at least something good came from the N Fiasco, namely, Quidditch.
Two days after N was released from the Hospital Wing, Diggory cornered the trio.
“Look, I’d hate to be Wood right now,” he began. “But we’re facing Ravenclaw this weekend. I just want to know if-”
“Don’t worry, Ced!” N chirped. “We’re ready to hunt, no question!”
“Dont’ speak for all of us, idiot!” J barked. “...but yes, I could use the distraction.”
“To be frank, I desperately need the distraction,” V muttered. “Yeah, I'm in.”
“Great!” Cedric enthused. “Well, we'll have an emergency practice in the evening, hope to see you there!” He wandered off.
“I like him,” N said. “He cares.”
V made a noncommittal noise. “I suppose.” She dropped her head in her hands. “God. Quidditch.”
“Don't worry, we can do it,” N said happily. “...or is it something else that's bugging you?”
“Do you want the list?” V snarked. She looked around. “...Okay, you know what, Room of Requirement, let's go. We need the privacy.”
“I don't recall you being our leader,” J snarked. “...Fine, let's go.”
XD
“...Wow, that sure is a place with plenty of good memories!” N said, looking around the cathedral that the Room had turned into. “Or terrible memories! Actually, mostly terrible memories! V, what the heck?”
“I'm already feeling like ass,” V snapped. “Why not share the mood, huh?”
“...V, what the hell,” J finally said. “What's wrong with you these days?”
V laughed humorlessly, sinking down onto one of the pews. “What isn't wrong? There's the whole continuing reincarnation nonsense, there's the Dementors outside which means that I'm miserable, and I can't even do anything about it! And then there's-”
“You could learn the Dementor-repelling Charm,” N suggested. “I already went and asked Professor Lupin if he could help me, I'm sure he can squeeze you in, too... Maybe even both of you!”
V blinked. J blinked too. “...I'd forgotten what a golden retriever you were,” J muttered.
“...and then there's the fact that I keep getting my friends killed,” V said. “Which is a rather significant event to me, that I still haven't quite recovered from.”
N pulled her into a hug. “Aw, that's okay!” he chirped. “After all, I'm here now!”
“But Ron Weasley is not,” V said solemnly. “Ursa Malfoy is also gone. Neither of them are ever coming back, and it's my fault, both times.”
“...I'm still mostly Ron,” N pointed out.
“...Barely,” V said. “You're N Weasley, and your family has essentially blacklisted me for it. And I deserve it.”
N and J exchanged a concerned glance.
“And then there's Doll, of course,” V continued. “Who isn't Ursa. I liked Ursa. I could even trust Ursa. But I don't trust Doll. I don't trust her not to betray me. And if I hadn't distracted Lizzy at a crucial moment, Ursa wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself.”
“...Are you sure that's what happened?” J asked.
“Ursa was good with the hippogriff,” V murmured. “She earned its trust. And she pushed Lizzy out of the way, and got killed. And now, only Doll is left.”
“...You just said that, V,” N hesitantly pointed out.
“And Doll!” V exclaimed, suddenly rocketing to her feet. “I don't get her. She hates me! I killed her parents - granted, I killed lots of parents, but still! What more does she want from me, though! It's a new life, both her parents are alive, they remember her.... So why the fuck would she kiss me?”
“...wait, what?” J asked. “I thought Lizzy kissed you?”
“Yeah, her too,” V muttered. “Apparently, she's been in love with me? At least that explains the Toga dream, that one said the same thing...”
N blinked several times. “Wait, you remember it too?”
Now it was the girls’ turn to blink. “Remember what?”
“The dream,” N elaborated. “The one where we all met versions of ourselves as My Hero Academia characters? My counterpart was Izuku, he was very nice to me...”
“...what?” J deadpanned.
V blinked several times. Solver? Did that really happen?
- Answer: Yes. The events of that meeting were recontextualized as a dream so as not to overwhelm the participants.
V blinked several more times. “...Apparently, according to the Solver, that wasn't a dream, and we really did meet our anime counterparts. What even is our life?”
“Fucking weird,” J muttered. “Right, not thinking about that one, let's go back to Doll kissing you.”
“Oh come on!” V protested.
“If anything, you owe me gossip to apologize to Ginny for still hanging out with you,” J snarked. “Now come on. Details.”
V huffed, flushing and looking away. “It happened in Dumbledore's office,” she grumbled. “I was taunting her about being a killer too, and the next thing I know, she's kissing me.”
“She probably wanted to shut you up then,” J mused.
“That's what I thought too,” V replied, “but then why would she flirt with me during Quidditch?”
“...True, that part stumps me too,” J agreed.
“...Ron had a crush on you.”
V's head snapped to N. “Excuse me?”
N frowned. “At least I think that was it. I remember an intense feeling of jealousy when he saw Lizzy kiss you, but I haven't quite pinpointed that one yet.”
There was a moment of silence. “...Let's table that discussion,” V muttered, cheeks flaming at the thought.
“Agreed,” J deadpanned.
XD
The evening practice went well. Okay, better than well.
Back when they had been a Hunter-Killer squad, V, J and N had had plenty of friction between their personalities, but as far as their actual job had gone, they had been a well-oiled machine.
...Until Uzi had shown up and thrown a wrench in the gears, of course.
The point was, that despite their current issues, all their gears slotted back into place, the oil flowed, and they could work again.
They'd been a whirlwind that left Diggory cackling in glee and Crawley staring in horror, and they were quite sure that come their game, Ravenclaw would be history.
That evening, however, as all the other girls were setting off into bed, V lingered.
“...I'll go sleep with Mom,” she'd murmured, and then left the Common Room under her Invisibility Cloak, but she wasn't heading for the Chamber of Secrets quite yet.
Don't get her wrong, she definitely did want to talk to her Mama, but she just wanted to... clear her head, she supposed. Or conscience. That had to have been what led her to pulling her Cloak's hood down in front of the gargoyle. “Could I speak with the Headmaster, please?” she asked.
The statue gazed at her with a long look, before stepping aside and letting her pass.
Dumbledore wasn't asleep, evidently, as he was at his desk when V stepped in. “Ah, Miss Potter!” he greeted amiably. “Sometimes it feels like the paperwork train never ends, as you can see. How can I help you tonight?”
V sat into an armchair and curled up, bundling herself in her Cloak. “Have you ever gotten someone killed, Professor?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Dumbledore let out a quiet sigh and put his paperwork aside. “Is this about Mister Weasley?” he asked softly.
V nodded, not trusting her words.
“I have,” the Headmaster said. “I carry these regrets with me even now - but the circumstances were different.”
“So I won't be eventually constantly reminded how I drove my friend into suicide?” V snapped, before shrinking again. “I mean...”
Dumbledore rose from his desk, and V looked up sharply. Was he going to...
Whatever V was expecting, it certainly wasn't for the old man to walk around his desk and crouch in front of V, reaching out to pat her on the head. “We all make mistakes in our youth,” he repeated. “They may be grave mistakes, but they can be amended eventually, with time.”
V huffed, even as she leaned into his palm. “I don't know how to human properly,” she muttered.
“I suppose it would be especially difficult for you,” Dumbledore said, cracking a small smile, “although you might be comforted to know that even those who have always been human still struggle with the concept.”
V shrugged. “I suppose. Does the guilt go away?”
“As they say,” Dumbledore said, smiling, “time heals all wounds.” He gave the window a sharp look. “Although, I must confess that having less of those things around the school would help greatly with the healing.”
“I could get rid of them,” V murmured, feeling sleepy. “Just one big [null] and gone. Poof, and no more.”
“Alas, the Ministry has its own ideas on that front,” Dumbledore sighed. “Miss V, could you promise me something?”
“Sure thing,” V muttered. “What issat?”
Dumbledore's voice held a note of amusement. “Promise that you won't go overthrowing governments until you're at least fifteen?”
“Sure thing,” V murmured and promptly fell asleep, even as Dumbledore's magic lifted her into the air.
And when she awoke later, in the coils of her mama, she only had a very vague recollection of how she got there.