FIC: Chalice (Harry Potter/Merry Gentry)

[mhalachai]

Some of the things I've been doing: First off, two HP drabbles (Child and Changeling) over at hp100. Second, there's more of those wacky summaries up at from the Title Meme the other day. Now, onto what I wrote this morning over coffee:

Chalice
A Harry Potter/Merry Gentry crossover

Characters: Hermione and Harry from HP-land, and Danu (the Goddess) from Merry-land.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potterites belong to JK Rowling. Merry Gentry belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton. I'm only borrowing and will return them at the end of the fic.
Author's Note: child_labor wanted some Harry/Potter/Meredith Gentry, which at first broke my brain, but then I was inspired! Oh yeah: Ficlette Fiasco III master list found here. This story is set after the end of the HP books, when Harry and Hermione are about 30, and over the beginning of book three, Seduced by Moonlight, in the Merry Gentry universe.
Word count:: 2,052
Summary/Introduction: In SbM, Merry brought Maeve Reed and Frost back into their powers, then she passed out. That night, she dreamed about the Goddess Danu and the Chalice, which had vanished from the Seelie Court centuries before. The Chalice was able to feed the hungry, heal the wounded, and was a source of great power. When Merry woke up, the Chalice was in her bed. No one knows why the Chalice chose that time to appear. What if it, and the Goddess, needed a helping hand?

~*~

"What are you doing?"

Hermione Granger blinked at the voice, her attention pulled away from the ancient writing in front of her. "Huh?" she muttered, looking up. "Oh, Harry. How did you get in here?"

Harry Potter raised his eyebrows as he perched on the only free inch of table, the rest of the surface covered by papers and scrolls and books. "I work here."

Hermione restrained herself from sighing. Even though he was almost thirty, Harry could be so obtuse at times. "I mean, how did you get into this wing? Aurors don't normally have access to the archives." His expression didn't change, but she narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, tell me you didn't sneak in with your invisibility cloak!"

Harry ducked his head and looked bashful. "We hardly ever see you, Hermione, all locked up here in the Department of Mysteries."

Hermione stood up and pushed Harry off the table, making him stagger. "Save the puppy-dog eyes for Molly," she said as she stretched her arms above her head. "Has that ever worked on me?"

"There's always a first time," Harry said, dropping the pretense. "But honestly, you've been locked up down here more than normal. On the edge of solving any mystery?"

She couldn't keep the tiny smile off her face. Harry spotted it at once, and grinned widely.

"You have! I knew it! Tell me?" He snapped his fingers. "Wait, don't tell me. Let's go for tea, up in London. Give yourself a break."

"Harry--"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't make me go get a letter from the Minister."

That made Hermione laugh. "As if Arthur doesn't have enough to do!"

~*~

Harry didn't press for details until they were both seated in the tiny tea shop, across London. They often met here, usually with Ron when Hogwarts was on break. It was far away from the Ministry that they seldom saw any wizards about. Even though Voldemort had been dead for more than twelve years, the attention from the wizarding world that followed the three of them still didn't seem to be letting up.

Harry sat back, an expectant look on his face. "So?"

Hermione picked up her teacup, breathing in the steam. Now that she was out of the archives, she realized exactly how hungry she was. "So?"

"So, what's kept you locked up for so long?" Harry asked. "What fun mystery?"

Hermione waited long enough to swallow a bite of her sandwich, before relenting. "Did you know anything about the Sidhe?"

"As in the Seelie and Unseelie Sidhe?" Harry asked quietly, growing very serious. "The fae?"

"The very same." Hermione scooted her chair closer to Harry. In the loud bustle of the shop, they had a sort of anonymity that made talking easy. "The Department unearthed a scroll, about fifty years ago. No work had been done on it, until I found it in the vaults last month."

"But why not?" Harry asked, then he shook his head. "Of course. Voldemort."

"They needed weapons to fight him then, Harry, they didn't have time for academic searches," Hermione said gently, putting her hand on top of Harry's. He still had broomstick calluses from his weekend Quidditch matches, reassuringly familiar under her fingers. "But that's over now."

Harry managed a smile. "It is. Go on, would you?"

Hermione took another sip of tea. "I was interested in the information in the scroll. It was written from long before the Sidhe were banished from Europe, but I don't think it was written by them, I think it was written by one of us, a wizard."

"What was the scroll about?" Harry asked in an undertone.

Hermione couldn't hold back the smile. "Have you ever heard of the Chalice?"

~*~

Three hours later, as Harry walked Hermione home, they were still arguing. "I still say that you have no idea what kind of magic you are dealing with!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know exactly what I am dealing with!" Hermione retorted, staring straight ahead. "Even before this, I spent years researching natural magic! That's what the fae are!"

They waited at the intersection for the light to change, a gaggle of punked-out teenagers lounging on a nearby bench, watching them with bored eyes. "Fine, then I don't think you realize that there are some things you shouldn't be playing with!" Harry said as the light changed. He strode across the intersection, leaving Hermione behind. She had to run to catch up with him.

"I know what I'm doing!" Hermione said, more than a little angry. How many times had Harry gone into situations, not knowing what was happening? She knew the lay of the land, all about the Sidhe and their magic.

Harry didn't say a word until they were across the street and at Hermione's door. "You may know what you're doing, but that's not the question you should be asking yourself," he said in a low, insistent voice. "How would you feel if the Sidhe started to play with Wizarding magic? You shouldn't be toying with their magic. The Ministry has done some stupid things in the past but even they would know better..." Harry's voice trailed off. "You're not working on Ministry approval, are you?" It wasn't a question.

Hermione glared at her friend. "This is a personal project."

With a sigh, Harry pushed his hair off his face. "I love you, you know that, right?" he said after a minute.

"But?"

"No buts. That's it." He squeezed her arm above her elbow, just like he'd done all those times she was in the hospital after the war. "I love you, and I trust you. You're still smarter than me."

"Then what is this all about?" Hermione almost wailed. He could be so confusing sometimes.

"Just... you're smart enough to know things, just be smart enough to be careful about using that knowledge."

Hermione wanted to be angry, but looking at Harry, so somber on her front step, she felt her irritation melting away. "I always do."

"Except that thing in York."

Hermione glared at Harry. "I thought we were never going to discuss that."

Harry just smiled. "Ron made that promise, not me." He pulled her into a hug. "I'll see you soon. Don't work too hard," he said against her hair.

"Same with you," she said, muffled. They never told each other to be careful, that was a given.

Harry let go and with one last smile, walked off into the night. "Let me know how it goes!" he said over his shoulder.

"Give my love to Tonks!" Hermione called after him.

Up in her flat, Hermione turned on the light and sat at the kitchen table, covered in work papers. Crookshanks curled around her ankles, and absently she reached down to scratch his head. Her open notebook teased her with arcane symbols as Harry's words swirled in her head.

Why was she doing this? What did she want? According to the scroll she had been working on, the Chalice had been lost to the Seelie Sidhe for many, many years, like so many of the objects of power that had simply vanished over the centuries.

But nothing magical ever vanishes, it just goes somewhere else, Hermione mused. So all I need to do is figure out where it went.

~*~

The question of what happened to the Sidhe Chalice became an obsession. Hermione read everything she could on the Sidhe, in the Ministry libraries, in muggle libraries, even resorting to the muggle tabloids. The only Sidhe to be born on North American soil, Meredith NicEssus, had recently surfaced in Los Angeles, and the tabloids were buzzing with stories.

Hermione saw a picture of Princess Meredith in one of the European tabloids, a delicate-looking woman, appearing years younger than she was. Not knowing why, Hermione cut the picture out of the magazine and taped it up over the scrolls at work. Sometimes, as she worked on the scroll translation, she would look at the picture, at Meredith's tri-coloured eyes, sensing the answers to her question were hidden there. But no matter how hard she worked, the answer always eluded her.

One night, Hermione fell asleep at her desk, and she dreamed.

A woman stood on the hill beside a dead tree. The land was black and barren. Nothing lived here.

The woman wore a dark cloak, her face hidden, as Hermione approached. "Hello?" Hermione said tentatively. The woman did not answer. "I'm looking for the Chalice."

"Why?" the woman asked, her voice traveling over the land like a breeze.

Hermione was struck dumb. The woman came closer, and Hermione wanted to duck her head, a child at school not knowing her lessons.

"You have the answers," the woman continued. "More than that, you have something I thought gone forever."

"What's that?" Hermione whispered.

Although she could not see the woman's face, Hermione knew she smiled. "The chance to interfere. Go to your books. You will find the answers there, if only you look at things through different eyes."

Hermione woke suddenly. Blinking furiously, she stared down at her books and papers. "Interfere?" she mumbled, her dream sticking to her like mist. She looked at Meredith's picture. Something about the green-on-green-on-gold eyes...

She let out a groan as the realization hit her. "The bloody thing's in code!"

~*~

No one asked why she wanted the day off work. Harry was in the field on assignment, Ron was in the middle of exams at Hogwarts, and there was no one to ask what she was doing.

A month of frantic preparation, of spells spoken and charms woven into the air, all behind her as Hermione knelt among the abandoned standing stones on the desolate moor. There was no one to see the tiny flame, burning blue and green in the silver cauldron. Hermione held a sprig of rosemary ready, all nervousness leaving her. She closed her eyes, recited the spells she had created, and dropped the rosemary into the flame.

She felt the earth moving underneath her, a slow circling under the blankets of the ocean, the steady assurance that things were. She forgot to want as she felt everything. This was the way it was supposed to be, things lying in and on the earth.

A presence pushed into her mind, a slightly impatient interference, directing her. Hermione-as-earth let her attention slide over the ground. She felt the Chalice lying there, resting, waiting. The earth cradled it in its grasp, keeping it safe. There had been no one worthy of it, Hermione knew now. Not a one of the old Sidhe had been worthy to hold the power of the Chalice.

But things had changed.

The earth convulsed under Hermione, rocks rattling around her as the moor awoke. The Chalice convulsed, warm and hot, and hands that were not her own slowly drew it out of the ground.

The air around her simmered, and Hermione knew it was time for her to leave. She'd helped this far, but her feet were not destined for the remainder of the path. Slowly, reluctantly, she slid back into her body, feeling the imprint of the Chalice on her hands

Across the ocean, magic was stirring.

~*~

Hermione called in sick the following day. She was too exhausted to move, and too euphoric to think properly. A very concerned Harry showed up at her flat with lunch. He watched her devour the meal before saying, "There was an earthquake on Dartmoor yesterday."

Hermione lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't hide the tiny smile on her lips. "Really?"

"Ron tells me that the centaurs near Hogwarts are freaking out."

"That's nice."

"The new Divination teacher is in hysterics."

Hermione rolled onto her side on the couch and stared at Harry. "She's following a fine tradition, then."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione, what did you do?"

She smiled wider. "I didn't do anything." At his dubious look, she shrugged. "I helped someone who wasn't able to do something on her own."

"Helped who do what?"

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's going to be all right now." Hermione hugged the knowledge to herself tight, knowing she would never, ever tell her story to a living soul.

And that was all right.

the end

Comments

[thekams.livejournal.com]

Oh I liked this! I haven't read the Merry books (I really should), but I still liked this. Hermione was love, being all sneaky. I like that Ron ended up teaching, and that Arthur was Minister. You fit the two worlds together so well, too. You're crosses are always so believable! ♥

[firefox1490.livejournal.com]

*squeal* HOLY....I LOVE YOU *faints*

[eavling.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful 'what if'! Thoroughly enjoyable!

[elle-blessing.livejournal.com]

This was great. Unconventional in that none of the characters actually met each other, but it does give an answer to a "what if?" or "maybe this?" question. I like your take on it. Are you still having trouble thinking of a way to bring these two worlds together letimately?

Anyways, great writing as always.

♥

[deathinapinkboa.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is a very good one. I really like it a lot.

Snapps for Mhalachai!

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I liked the idea of having a crossover where no one met each other. It was a new thing for me.

I think that after pulling this one off, I could write HP/MG. The HP world has that level of detachment from reality that would let me write it as the more strange one, in this cross. And I'd do what I always do with crossovers when the parts of the world don't mesh: Ignore them until they go away.

Thanks :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[dvak-64.livejournal.com]

Crookshanks is getting ooooold...

Never read the Merry Gentry series either, but a very nice representation of our three favorite wizards 14 years from where we know them to be. Wonderful, of course.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

*hee hee* I'm glad you liked it.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I find it funny how I needed to explain all the MG stuff at the top, and then hardly touched on the MG stuff at all. Oh, wacky life.

I had to fit those little things of a strange HP universe in there. The only thing that I don't think came across was that in the strange world, Harry and Tonks are actually Harry/Tonks. I had to do it.

Glad you liked it. It was fun to write :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

It's a nice accessible crossover, as it is mostly the HP characters. I had to make Ron a teacher, it was one of those odd things that popped into my head and demanded to be written.

Glad you liked it :)

[arwen-0926.livejournal.com]

I think that totally came across! I spent the next couple paragraphs thinking "Give my love to Tonks!" so then I had to back up and reread because I wasn't really paying attention after that. :)

I love the little details of what the characters are doing twelve years from now. And Hermione retained her characteristic exasperation: "Even though he was almost thirty, Harry could be so obtuse at times."

Good times. Lovely job!

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

He watched her devour the meal before saying, "There was an earthquake on Dartmouth Moor yesterday."

Hermione lay back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't hide the tiny smile on her lips. "Really?"

"Ron tells me that the centaurs near Hogwarts are freaking out."

"That's nice."

"The new Divination teacher is in hysterics."

Hermione rolled onto her side on the couch and stared at Harry. "She's following a fine tradition, then."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione, what did you do?"


This little exchange here is just completely perfect, and made me giggle. Because, of course, disturbances in the space-time continuum probably mean Hermione has concluded her research. Snerk. You have this knack for writing about utterly unreal things, and making them sound like things I'd expect *my* friends to get into. It's really neat.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

disturbances in the space-time continuum probably mean Hermione has concluded her research

Harry knows her too well :) I had fun coming up with this one. The more outlandish the crossover, the more I'll do to make it plausible. It's fun :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I always enjoy making crazy pairings and slipping little things in like that.

Hermione retained her characteristic exasperation

They'll be in the wizarding nursing home, and Hermione will still be exasperated with Harry and Ron. They have that special skill :)

Glad you liked it.

[mischiefcat.livejournal.com]

Kewl. I love the Merry Gentry series. I look all the time to see if there are any fics on it, but I never seem to find any. Interesting take.

[askani.livejournal.com]

this was great. you should think about writing a longer hp/mg crossover, i think it would be great. :)

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

I know just what you mean - with crossovers (or even far-flung AU's or unconventional pairings, I think) the process is sort of . . excavating, more than it is sculpting. If you're going to be true to canon on both sides (or to the characters, in the cases of AUs and weird pairings), you have to *find* the story more than you have to make it up, locate the pieces that'll fit together.

(I'm reading 'The Beekeeper's Apprentice', btw, so if I sound sort of ostentatious in an absurdly Victorian way in the next little while, that's why. I pick up accents, spoken or written. Always have, can't help it.)

And PS - did I tell you I changed my mind about my UW/AB crossover plot? Same general idea, only it makes more sense now.

[child-labor.livejournal.com]

[lishel_fracrium.livejournal.com]

ooh very nice. to be honest I haven't read an MG book in soo long. but I loved this. well done.

[catherinecookmn.livejournal.com]

Harry knows her too well :)

This is why so many folks were tempted towards HP/BtVS crossovers: Not only is Remus a dead ringer for Rupert Giles, Hermione and Willow could be sisters.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I learned my lesson early on in BtVS/AB crossovers -- trying to explain it just makes it sound wrong, so what you really need to do is just ignore what doens't make sense. Also, never put the vamps from both universes on stage at once, makes daytime confusing.

Yay for BeeKeeper's Apprentice! I love that series. Mary Russell is a rather interesting (read: flawed and arrogant and very very human) protagonist. Plus, Sherlock Holmes.

No, you didn't tell me. I'll be on IM tomorrow if you want to chat (tonight I have to leave in like 5 minutes or else I turn into a pumpkin)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Well, that, and that BtVS and HP are the two most mainstream fandoms. It's to the point where I'm surprised if someone in fandom *isn't* familiar with those.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I'm slowly starting to write more MG fic. I'm anxious for the next book to come out for more info. It's easier to write AB fic; there's more canon to pull from.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) And I think if I take on any more big projects before I finish writing Inevitable, people will lay the smack down on me :P

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Well, it *is* mostly HP. So you're safe :) I haven't written a crossover this one-sided in a while. Sort of fun, and gets around those pesky canon conflicts.

[thekams.livejournal.com]

The MG stuff at the top was usefull, though *nods* especially for people like me who have no idea about the plot of the books!

I think I picked up on the Harry/Tonks thing, cause I remember thinking something along the lines of "Harry/Tonks? Really? Maybe? Innnnteresting...".

[lishel_fracrium.livejournal.com]

lol yep it sure does. *bg*

[uk-lemming.livejournal.com]

I think that instead of saying "There was an earthquake on Dartmouth Moor yesterday." that Harry would use "Dartmoor", which is the name of the place, that is if it's the Moor in Devon.

[mischiefcat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the thing that intrigues me about MG is that there seems to be so many background stories to things. Like Doyle, and all the other men. They all seem to have complex backgrounds and it makes you wonder what their life was like before they became servants to the queen.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I just picked a moor at random, thanks for the tip! I'll hcange that right away. My google skills failed miserably yesterday :)

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

if it's an consolation, you returned the favor with the Harry/Tonks.
It came out of nowhere for me. I thought it would be fun. Plus, I love Tonks and she needs some play even if the story isn't about her at all.

The whole first section before they go out to tea is perfect. It was a delightful opening.
Thanks. I wanted to set the thing very firmly in th HP world before I went flying all over yonder with Danu.

And after spending so much time in the Inevitable universe, (which I swear one of these days I'm going to get off my butt and write the longest, best review ever for because I've been slacking off tons for the past several chapters) it was really cool to see an older Harry.
Oh, much older!Harry love. But not like that. Anyway, I figure that if he survives Voldemort (which I think he will) he'll be all wicked smart and into being dangerous and a dusty white hat. And damnit, I'm having him grow up and look a little less like James. In that many-Inevitable-sequel stuff. Promise. (Also all reviews are squeed over on my end)

I really loved his not wanting her to mess around with Sidhe magic but realizing that she's a smart cookie and not going all capslock on her.
He gets her, you know? She's always been rather careful of magic, but she still does majorly dangerous stuff. Polyjuice? That wasn't just her wanting to help Harry and Ron. She's got a bit of the wild in her.

Glad you liked it! Going outside the box for this one was a good exercise, and I mean that in a good way.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

makes you wonder what their life was like before they became servants to the queen.

Or even why they chose that life in the first place, Doyle especially. I think of all the men, Doyle's my favourite.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Tonks is 7 years older than the trio, which may be a bit much, but it's not that bad. Not as bad as, say, Snape/Harry or Snape/Hermione. Plus Tonks rocks it oldskool.

[askani.livejournal.com]

yeah, you dont want to make everyone angry, which is why i said you should think about writing one and then do it after you finish inevitable. :)

[mischiefcat.livejournal.com]

I like Doyle and Frost. I hope that if Merry is the first to get pregnant that the child is fathered by one of them. Cause really if the child's father is to become King, he's gotta be strong

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Unless the father is someone else entierly, who dies rather soon leaving Merry with the baby, the throne and her pick of the men. That's my current favourite theory. Why? I have no idea. Or evidence ;)

[mischiefcat.livejournal.com]

Good theory. Yeah she's been really vague about who the father might be. Other than the fact that Merry mentions that the father would become king and would have to have enough power to rule, there has been no indication (to me)of who the father might be.
Heck AB has been more explicit regarding the identity of Anita's possible baby.

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

Lovely as always. Impressive tie-in. Great seeing the characters in their 30s.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you :) Have we ever talked about MG and those books?

[sabriel-0405.livejournal.com]

No, you and I haven't talked much about the Merry Gentry series. We could...

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

Very interesting and unique way to connect the two worlds. And very Hermione. I like that the Goddess needed the right kind of help, and Hermione is all about being helpful. Enjoyable ficlet.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

it's the old adage of connecting two dissimilar things. In this case, I thought less was more, and went from there. Even in the MG books, the Goddess cannot act alone, must do so through an intermediary. I just took the next step :) (Plus, I got to sneak in a dig for Harry/Tonks, which I'm now using as my OTP to annoy people :P)