"Oh, right—I still haven't congratulated you on being reunited with your mother," Arthur said casually after sinking the eight ball into the pocket, glancing over at Harry.
"That's all thanks to you," Harry replied sincerely. "You gave me the chance to summon her. Thank you, Arthur."
Arthur waved it off, signaling that it was no big deal.
As he'd explained before, summoning-type runes only called forth beings that were compatible with the caster. Even Arthur himself hadn't expected Harry to summon his own mother.
"Potter," Snape asked from the side, his expression serious, "once you return to Hogwarts, how do you plan to explain Lily's existence?"
Compared to Harry's optimism, Snape was thinking far ahead. Lily's return—while not true resurrection—was close enough to shake the entire wizarding world. If the news leaked, it would inevitably draw the attention of those with ulterior motives.
Arthur wasn't the issue. In Snape's mind, Arthur had long since been placed on the same level as a god.
What truly worried him was the safety of Harry and Lily.
"That won't be a problem," Harry replied. "Arthur told me that ghost companions can freely change their appearance. As long as my mother alters her looks, she can openly appear at Hogwarts."
"Minor correction," Arthur added. "She can change into any form. Technically, even if you wanted to roll your mother into a ball and keep her in your pocket, that's possible too."
Harry fell silent.
Who in their right mind would turn their own mother into a ball?!
He quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Arthur—my godfather wants to take back custody of me. Do you think I should agree?"
If this were the Harry from the original story, he would've jumped at the chance to move in with his godfather.
But things were different now.
Life at his aunt's house wasn't bad. The Dursleys were cold, but there was no abuse. And Harry still remembered what Arthur had once told him—the protective magic his mother left behind only worked as long as he lived with a blood relative.
That protection was very real. Every year at Hogwarts, Harry suffered injuries of all kinds, but during the holidays at his aunt's house, nothing ever happened to him.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Arthur said frankly. "Twelve years in prison, constantly having positive emotions and memories drained by Dementors—that kind of experience leaves deep psychological scars. Sirius has suffered serious mental trauma."
"Don't be fooled by how normal he seems in front of you."
Harry froze. He hadn't realized his godfather's condition was that severe.
If Arthur hadn't mentioned it, Harry might never have noticed. He committed the matter to memory, deciding to discuss it with his mother later—and to figure out how to persuade Sirius to see a mind healer. Given his godfather's temperament, that wouldn't be easy.
"Oh, right," Arthur said suddenly, as if recalling something. "I'm curious—before you summoned your mother, where was she? The underworld? Did she mention anything?"
Harry nodded. "She did, but she isn't sure either. After dying, she entered a strange space—a vast sea of souls, like a sky filled with stars. Then she fell into a deep sleep until I summoned her, and only then did she regain consciousness."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, slightly disappointed. He'd hoped to learn more about the afterlife. He was genuinely interested in the Death of this world.
He didn't believe Death here was merely a myth.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard recorded the Three Brothers as real historical figures. And the three Deathly Hallows they obtained still existed: Dumbledore's Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone—now turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort—and the Invisibility Cloak in Harry's possession.
Arthur had borrowed Harry's cloak before. It truly did contain a power that isolated perception. The legend that it could evade Death's notice didn't seem unfounded.
As for why Harry and Ron had still been detected while using it in second year? Simple—Harry had never activated the cloak's true power. To him, it had always just been an ordinary invisibility cloak.
...
Before anyone realized it, the Christmas holiday ended, and the young witches and wizards returned to Hogwarts.
Harry's friends quickly noticed the female ghost at his side. Thanks to precedent—Arthur's "brother-in-law," Radahn—no one made a big deal out of it.
Malfoy, however, immediately connected the dots to Arthur's runes. He'd studied the rune compendium before.
Even so, he didn't take Harry seriously.
In Draco's eyes, his Hydra was far stronger than Harry's ghost.
As usual, Draco went out of his way to provoke Harry, determined to prove that even with runes, Harry was no match for him.
Unfortunately, Draco had a poor grasp of the situation.
Harry wasn't alone—he had backup. Draco wasn't so lucky. Because his Hydra couldn't reveal its true form, it couldn't fight at full strength.
In other words, it was a one-versus-two fight.
The result was predictable.
Draco was beaten senseless—courtesy of Harry's Mom Possession Mode.
Harry deliberately targeted Draco's face, following Ron's advice. Ron had told him Draco was vain—if his face was ruined, he wouldn't have the nerve to harass Harry again anytime soon.
What Ron didn't know was that in the East, there was an old saying:
"Hit the person, not the face."
Arthur had overheard Ron's suggestion—and when Draco later came looking for trouble, Arthur had casually "leaked" that information to him.
The semester had been far too peaceful. Arthur decided to create some entertainment of his own.
As for why Draco later sought Arthur out—it was because he wanted training. He wanted Arthur to help him grow stronger.
Arthur couldn't be bothered. He dumped Draco straight onto Snape.
Conveniently, after seeing Professor McGonagall personally guide Hermione, Snape had developed an interest in teaching as well.
And thus, he remembered—he did have a godson.
Whether Draco could survive Snape's methods… well, that remained to be seen.
After all, Slytherin-style instruction was never gentle.
...
One day, the mark Arthur had left on D's broken sword finally activated.
That meant only one thing.
Hunter of the Dead, D, had finally been consumed by death.
Arthur returned to the Roundtable Hold. In a room near Smithing Master Hewg, he found D's corpse—and standing beside it, the Deathbed Companion.
When Fia saw Arthur arrive, she spoke softly, "You've come. The obstacle has been removed. It's time for me to depart and fulfill the duty of a Deathbed Companion."
She had remained here solely to wait for Arthur. For the Tarnished who had chosen to aid Those Who Live in Death, she felt he deserved to know of her departure.
Arthur waved his hand. "A temporary farewell, then. I believe we'll meet again before long."
...
Arthur knew exactly where Fia was headed.
Deeproot Depths—where the soulless body of the Prince of Death lay.
He would have to go there himself eventually. After all, he still held half of the Cursemark of Death. Without it, Fia couldn't restore the Prince of Death's Great Rune.
As for why he didn't travel with her—it was simple. He hadn't explored Deeproot Depths yet.
When he played games, he always cleared the map first before pushing the main quest.
Besides, even if Arthur wanted to go with her, he had no idea where she'd gone. After saying goodbye, Fia vanished on the spot.
The scene was all too familiar.
Wasn't that exactly what it looked like when he fast-traveled from a Site of Grace?
Arthur hadn't expected Fia to be a Tarnished who still retained Grace—but on second thought, it made perfect sense. The Roundtable Hold was, after all, a gathering place for Tarnished.
He wasn't worried about Fia's safety in the slightest. Anyone who became Tarnished had their own strengths. And even if she died—she could always revive at a Site of Grace. What was there to worry about?
After "handling" D's body—by which he meant stripping it clean of equipment—Arthur made some preparations and set off for Deeproot Depths himself.
Before long, he reached the underground of the Siofra River. Deep within the Ancestral Woods, Arthur discovered a hidden passage that led to the Aqueduct of the Eternal City.
At the waterfall at the aqueduct's end, there was a stone coffin capable of flowing upstream. By using it, one could reach Deeproot Depths.
Alternatively, deep within Leyndell's sewers, near the side of the Frenzied Flame sealing door, there was another hidden route that also led to Deeproot Depths.
Arthur chose this path for a simple reason.
If there was a proper road to walk, why crawl through a sewer?
He'd never thoroughly explored Leyndell's sewers—not only because of their labyrinthine layout, but more importantly because the environment was filthy. The air was thick with decay and a pungent, corrosive stench.
And that alone was reason enough to stay far away.
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