Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters; all rights belong to Harry Potter; I do not own any crossover characters in the story; all rights belong to their original creators.

Plot: Harry hasn't always been alone, he had two friends when he was young, he spent a lot of time with them until they disappeared. Once they find him again, not only do they have a lot to explain, but they have to get over their hate of each other. It would seem that fate wants them to stay around for a long night, and a war that was far worse than the one for the Holy Grail.

Challenge Information: DZ2's 'Friend or Foe' Challenge: For as long as they knew, Hogwarts had been forced to put up with a certain redhead calling himself Harry Potter's best friend, but the truth is that he's nowhere near that level. In fact, Harry made his choice of a 'best friends' a long time ago.

Rules: All affinities are welcome Darkish-Grey

Harry's best friend MUST be someone that he somehow meets before Hogwarts or – at the latest – over the summer of his first year. Before

His best friend CANNOT be Ron or Hermione, but they MUST be someone in Harry's year Not in their schooling at all

If Harry met and named his best friend before Hogwarts, he must be smarter (not prodigy-smart, but not-naive)

There must be some reason for BOTH Ron and Hermione to have doubts about the best friend (what happens as a result is up to you)

All pairings are welcome EXCEPT Harems Harry/OFC

Somehow, Harry's best friend MUST take part in any adventures Harry has at Hogwarts (and not just the main end-of-year adventures either)

Guidelines: Harry's best friend is a member of a Dark family Crossover

Harry/best friend Accepted except doing 2 of them

Harry's best friend are best friends (Twins) No

Crossovers Main Characters

Soul Bonds In a way

Sirius gets his name cleared before third year Accepted

Slash No

Somehow, Harry's best friend helps Harry learn/master a new magical skill/power NOT taught by Hogwarts Accepted

Creature-best friend Accepted

Forbidden: Ron or Hermione as Harry's best friend

Naive Harry

Harems Unaccepted – three-way romance

If before Hogwarts: Harry can't be meek/naive/dumb

Other than that, it's up to you...

Chapter 1: Rider and Caster

"Hello, what are you doing here? You're dressed strangely?" a young Harry Potter said looking up at the robed figure with confusion.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm enjoying the flowers, they're quite lovely," the woman replied, leaning down and looking at them.

"You think so? I think they're beautiful as well. Aunt Petunia makes me tend to them for her, she punishes me if they don't grow well enough for her to win the Flower competition," Harry said, as he set about weeding the garden.

The woman looked down and frowned before coming up to the boy, seeing he was only five, maybe six years old. She looked towards the house which she could see through, inside there was a woman sitting around while a large man sat in front of a television along with his large sized son, while this small boy was in the garden, the doors and windows were locked as well.

"Do you hate it here?" she asked him.

"Oh, well… it's the only family I have left. My parents died in a car crash so I have to live with my Aunt and Uncle. I don't really like the way they treat me, but there are a few things I enjoy, I like the garden the most though," he replied.

"What is your name?" the woman asked.

"Oh… I'm Freak, or at least that's what my relatives call me," he said and the woman felt her heart ache, how could such a young innocent boy be treated so poorly that he doesn't even have a name?

"That's not a name, my name is Medea, can you tell me your proper name?" she asked, kneeling and allowing her hood to fall showing her platinum hair and light blue eyes, peering into his emerald green ones.

"Well… the school I just started at told me my name is Harry. So, I suppose it's Harry?" he said unsure.

"Very well Harry, it's nice to meet you," Medea smiled, she used her magic so that she was kept invisible to everyone but the boy the spent the day talking to him.

Medea found that she quite liked Harry, despite the boy's age she felt he was quite bright. She knew she didn't have very long to spend here in this place, she was supposed to be draining mana so that her master wouldn't get angry at her when she was called back for her part in the Holy Grail War. But, she wanted to spend what days she could with Harry before she was forced to return to do her master's bidding. Before she left promising to return the next day, Harry pulled on her robe and held a rose up to her, she smiled and accepted it, putting a spell on it and keeping it tucked close to her heart. Medea cared for Harry, he reminded her of better times.

Harry loved his days with Medea, they would often talk while he worked and sometimes when people weren't looking, Medea would use some magic to help do some of the chores that Harry had.

"Medea?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Are we friends?"

"Would this not be what friends would sometimes do, harry?" Medea responded teasing him slightly.

"Dudley never lets anyone get close to me, so I don't know what friends are."

"Harry."

"Yes?"

"We're friends, I'll be the best friend I can be for as long as I can."

"Thank you."

It was night time and the woman with long hair and a visor covering her eyes looked up at the moon. It was beautiful that night, she had been tracking another servant when she found this lovely garden full of flowers and got distracted by it. She heard shivering and frowned, looking to see a small human boy curled up outside under a tree, it was the dead of night so why would anyone do this to a child?

"Are you okay?" the woman found herself asking in a soft voice, the boy's head looked up and he was shocked to see her.

"I'm cold…" he shivered, the woman frowned and took off her jacket, she didn't really need it and placed it around the boy's shoulders.

"Why are you outside at such an hour? Do your parents know you're here?" she asked.

"My parents died in a car accident, my relatives kicked me out of the house because of something I didn't do, yet again," he mumbled.

"Why would your relatives do that?"

"Because they think I'm a freak…" the woman recoiled at that and thought back to her memories, she knew that feeling all too well. She decided to sit next to him and pull him into her lap, he flinched but eventually allowed her to.

"I'll keep you warm, can you tell me your name?"

"It's… Harry," he said.

"You can call me Medusa," she said shyly.

"You're really warm Medusa," Harry mumbled as he lay his head on her lap, he reached out towards the garden and she had to blink a few times as a red rose flew to his hand.

"I can't give you much… but my Aunt wouldn't notice a missing flower," he mumbled sleepily as he placed it in her palm.

Medusa returned every night until she was called back to the Holy Grail War, some-times Harry was outside, other times she would have to use her magic to go to him in his cupboard. She enjoyed the nights she spent with Harry, feeling like he was her first friend in centuries.

"Medusa?"

"Mhm?"

"Are we friends?" Harry asked shyly and Medusa thought before smiling and nodding.

"Can I see your eyes?" Medusa's face fell and she shook her head gently.

"I explained what would happen if you saw my eyes," Medusa said gently.

"I know… I just wish I could see them once," he said feeling guilty for asking.

"I don't want to kill my best friend, Harry, I don't want to kill you even if it means never being able to let you see my eyes."

As the Holy Grail War had called them back to it, Medea had only been able to spend six months with Harry, every day she would be with him whether he knew it or not. If he was at school she would watch from the sides and then help him with any homework that he had. However, when the grail called her back to Japan, she wasn't able to say goodbye. But she did decide one thing, the winner of the Holy Grail War receives one wish, both the Master and the Servant receive a wish from the Grail. And while Medea had once wished to be back home with her family, she knew one boy who needed her more than history does. Harry Potter was alone, and she was going to kill everyone she needed to in order to take the Grail and make it so she could be with Harry, always.

However, as she lay in a pool of her own blood with the Holy grail in the air above her and a manically laughing Gilgamesh in the corner of her vision. Her hand slipped into her robe and touched the Rose that Harry had given her, she let out a blood-stained tear and inhaled its scent as she felt her soul begin to be pulled to the Grail, her single thought on how she had failed to make her wish come true, to protect the young boy she loved. Yes, Medea loved Harry, Medea a grown woman and an experienced Witch, loved a young boy more than she had ever loved before.

She was just glad that she had left Harry with some of her books, explaining magic to him for she knew that he would one day become a powerful Warlock. She was just sad that she wouldn't be by his side like she wanted to be.

Medusa held Harry in her arms the night she was called for the Grail, her body started to disappear and she had to wake Harry up. She felt her heart break at the tears in his eyes as she began to disappear, however she wiped away the tear and held his Rose close to her heart as tears fell from her eyes, trailing down her face. She then made him a promise, she promised that she would come back to him and she would be able to show him her eyes when she did. She would win the Holy Grail War and would become human enough to allow her Harry to see her eyes, but still Monster enough to protect him from anyone who would wish him harm.

Now she lay on the ground of the forest dying with a spear in her gut which was conjured by Caster. She hated how her master was a coward, she hated that she was summoned away from her Harry just to die pathetically. She wished Harry had summoned her, she would have protected him forever, and he would have let her do whatever she needed to do. She looked at the Rose tucked tightly in her breast pocket and inhaled allowing the darkness to consume her, the Grail taking her soul and her wish into it.

Harry Potter had been absolutely miserable since his only two friends had left him all those years ago, he had enjoyed his days spent with Medea and his night's talking to and in the comfort of Medusa. His two friends who he called his best friends, a title that he wouldn't even give Ron or Hermione, the former paraded himself around as if he was Harry's best friend. He thought of what Medea would think of him, lowering his intelligence to Ron's level just because he didn't want to be alone again, she would probably be very angry at him. He knew Medusa would probably also be angry, and wondered if he should have introduced them to the other.

The Tri-Wizard Tournament, Harry had read about it in one of Medea's books. It was their version of the 'Holy Grail War' that the wizarding society in Japan held. Only it was very different, selecting only 3 competitors primarily while it had the option to choose up to 9 champions, 3 teams of three, to compete against one another. Of course, only a Ruler Class servant would be summoned by the Goblet of Fire if nine suitable participants were chosen, which is most likely why it was never recorded as Medea's scripts dated back to before time was recorded on parchment.

The blue flames lit up for a fourth time and Harry filled with dread, he had wanted a quiet year and now he was probably going to be entered into this death tournament. The piece of parchment flew out of the goblet and Dumbledore caught it in his hand before turning it over and reading the name "Harry Potter!"

Medea awoke in a pink room, with violet flames dancing around her and a shadowed figure sitting upon a throne looked down at her with piercing red eyes. She couldn't see their face nor any part of their body.

"Medea," the low voice spoke and Medea felt her knees shake as she dropped to the ground.

"Who are you?" she gritted her teeth.

"I am the one who transcends time, the one who rules over all of the deceased, I am the one who controls the grail. I am Death," the being answered, its demonic voice echoed throughout the place.

"So, am I to receive eternal damnation?" Medea ground out, if this was Death she would face him like she had faced all her enemies, with a fierce fight, she didn't even know if her powers could work in this place but she would try.

The being let out a haughty chuckle and seemed amused by her thoughts, he stood up and waved his hand, immediately the violet flames formed some kind of projection screen and in the screen her Harry appeared.

"You will not be receiving eternal damnation… yet, you still have a purpose, one which I am granting based on your wish for the Grail. You wished to protect my Master, the last Peverell, Harry Potter."

"How do you know about…" Medea was cut off by his next words.

"Silence! My Master has a connection with you, one so deep that his will alone is what saved your soul from being absorbed by my Grail. However, such an action requires a significant cost, when you go to him after we are done here, you will be bound to him for all of eternity, even after death you will be bound together. Do you understand the weight of your actions Medea?" Death demanded.

"I don't care if I am bound to him for eternity, I would gladly accept it, he needs me and I need him," Medea declared boldly, holding her head up and glaring at the entity on the throne.

"Good, then I would consider you watch the screen. It's going to detail every moment of my Master's life since you left. Once it is finished you will be transported to him."

The large figure then disappeared from his throne and everything around her disappeared except for the screen. Medea watched with rapt attention as she watched how her Harry was treated by his relatives and then treated by the wizarding world, she scowled at the boy who paraded around as Harry's 'Best friend' that title was hers, he had told her so once.

Medusa awoke in a dark room with blue flames surrounding her, there was a shadowy figure peering down on top of her. First, she realised she didn't have her visor, and then she realised this figure wasn't turning to stone like they usually did…

"Good, you're awake and seem to be unharmed," the demonic voice spoke, Medusa slowly picked herself up and looked at the being who seemed to smirk at her.

"And you are?" Medusa asked.

"I am the one who transcends time, the one who rules over all of the deceased, I am the one who controls the grail. I am Death," the being answered, its demonic voice echoed throughout the place.

"I see, so I take it this is the beginning of my punishment for offending the gods?"

"No Medusa, this is the beginning of your eternal life beside my Master. I watched you throughout your time, Medusa, and the time you spent taking care of my Master was special to him and to you."

"Who is your master?" Medusa was confused, the only person she had ever cared about was Harry.

"Correct Medusa, the young Master is Harry Potter, the last of the Peverell family. You protected him when you weren't obligated to, and you loved him when no one else would. I superseded the innate laws of my Grail, and brought you here for the purpose of serving my Master the way you wanted to. You will protect him, you will kill for him if you need to, you will help him become the Warlock he was destined to be."

"Warlock? I thought Harry was going to be a wizard?"

"My master is destined for a calling far higher than that of a superficial wizard, he is destined for the role and responsibilities of a Warlock. You will be by his side, never ageing as he becomes the greatest immortal Warlock to have walked the earth. Such is the role of the Peverell family."

"The problem with my eyes though?" Medusa asked shyly, she wanted her Harry to be able to see her eyes.

"Won't be a problem, I will grant you your eyes as well as your abilities you held during the Holy Grail War. Harry is impervious to your gaze that your true form holds as he is to the gaze of a basilisk. You will only turn your enemies to stone once you've shown your true form."

"Then I will stay by his side, forever."

"I knew you would, now, you must watch his life up until this point. When the record finishes, you will be taken to him. You must assume everyone save one other and my master is hostile."

"Who is the one that isn't hostile?"

"You will see, eventually," Death chuckled and Medusa didn't want to trust that chuckle.

"Can I have my visor back?"

"You won't need it; your eyes will be fine."

"It's not about my eyes now… I feel more comfortable with it."

"Very well."

Death disappeared and behind him a screen formed showing the moments from when she left Harry, his entrance into the wizarding world and how he was treated by everyone. Her fist clenched to the point of where it hurt, she didn't like any of them treating her Harry the way they did. Once the record finished, she was surrounded by blue flames.

Harry Potter entered the chamber with his name on a piece of parchment in his hand. He felt numb and he thought back to how Medea and Medusa would react to him getting trouble again, he thought about how they would react to his life in general.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Cedric Diggory asked confused.

"I'm so sorry Cedric, I swear I didn't mean it to happen," Harry said straight away.

"What? Do they 'ant us back in zee hall?" the blonde girl from Beauxbaton's asked.

Shouting could be heard coming from the hallway before the Professor's barged into the room, Dumbledore calmly approached Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder, looked him in the eye and spoke.

"Harry, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" he asked calmly.

"No sir," Harry replied.

"But of-course he is lying!" the half-giantess shouted.

"Potter's always been one to break the rules," Snape sneered.

"Fuck you Snape, you've been picking on me just because you hated my father!" Harry snapped back.

"Stupefy," Snape's wand shot out before Harry spoke.

However, two large flames shut up directly in front of Harry, one blue and one violet flame. And as the spell reached the flames it was caught, and hovered in the air before the violet flame dissipated and Medea looked up with a sneer on her face. The other flame died down and Medusa looked up, her visor obscuring her face. She darted forward with chain and her battle spikes, throwing them forward and they wrapped around Snape pulling him forward before she grabbed it and pulled him back to her, throwing him on the ground at her feet.

"What the…" he said alarmed before a heeled boot slammed into his head, Medusa looked up at the others in the room, her chains appearing back in her hands as she surveyed the others in the room.

"You!" Medusa snarled, showing emotion as she saw Medea who still held the red spell in front of her.

Medusa attacked Medea straight away, the two clashed as Medea brought out her Noble Phantasm; Rule Breaker. Medea backed off and threw the spell she had caught at Medusa, who threw it away with the spikes on the ends of her chain. This was close quarters so Medusa had the advantage, she moved out of the way, the spell hitting one of the others in the room and then went soaring off of the wall at Medea when Harry appeared between the two, she had to throw her battle spike to the right and pull on the chain to stop herself from hurting him.

"Harry move," Medusa growled.

"Medusa?" he asked, his voice was deeper and he was slightly taller but he was still skinny and malnourished.

"Harry, how do you know that woman?" Medea growled out, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him behind her, the two glared at each other, Medusa had been killed by Medea during the Holy Grail War, and now they were both here and apparently both of them knew Harry.

"During the time when you were with me, at night Medusa would keep me warm when my relatives kicked me out for the night, and sometimes she would appear in my room," Harry said.

"The cupboard under the stairs?" Medea frowned and everyone in the room gasped at that.

"Let go of my Harry," Medusa snarled, taking her battle spike and launched herself through the air, Medea took the tackle to protect Harry and rolled them both to the side, Medea wasn't as physically strong so Medusa ended up on top, she lifted the battle spear and thrust it down towards Medea's heart.

A barrier appeared right in front of Medea's heart and a shockwave shot throughout the chamber throwing everyone three feet into the air and throwing Medusa off of Medea. But not only that, Harry's magic lashed out at the shockwave and Medea and Medusa let out a scream as something was burnt onto their skin.

Medea ripped a patch of her robe off to the point where her breasts were almost exposed, and there in the valley just above her breasts was a black rose burnt into her skin, similarly Medusa tore off the fabric that covered her shoulder to find the same black robe burnt into her skin, the magical signature clearly belonging to Harry. Who had fallen unconscious from the shockwave.

"It would seem that we are unable to kill each other…" Medusa snapped.

"It would appear that way… shall we call a truce until we find out more information?" Medea offered, not really liking the idea of calling a truce with the ex-Rider class servant.

"Fine, but I need to take care of Harry first," Medusa said, Medea's glare returned.

"No, I'm taking care of Harry," Medea snapped.

The temperature in the room dropped, and time seemed to freeze around the two servants as a demonic chuckle resonated through the room. Their eyes went wide as a throne made of rotting flesh and bones seemed to seep into existence around them, and then they felt bone-like fingers on their shoulders.

"I see you've met each other before."