The problem with that is that when the host is killed, the coin of the fallen bounces out of the body. So the best tactical decision would have been to kill both of them, pick up the coins and lock the coins up. That way the Fallen would have been (semi)permanently taken out of the war. There would be no need to worry about the next host because there would be no more hosts. Atleast not until the coins managed to escape containment, which could easily take centuries. In any case killing the hosts and taking the coins would have permanently removed two powerfull allies from Vesper, and probably struck fear into the remaining Fallen.

However by simply walking away, Harry has guaranteed that those two Fallen will return to haunt him. Even if the surviving host dies, the coin containing the fallen will simply bounce off. Just like the coin of the host that Harry killed. Both coins are now lying there, waiting for some ministry wizard or Auror to pick em up. Or perhaps Vesper or one of her followers will fetch the coins in which case they can be given to a a willing candidate.

In either case however, those two Fallen still remain viable enemies to Harry. And infact it could be argues that since they have seen him fight and know something of his skills/tactics, they are more dangerous than ever. For Harry to simply leave them there like that was IMHO the height of stupidity on his part.

EDIT:

Sure, I am sure that eventually they would manage to manipulate events and escape. But the time it would take for them to do that would most likely be measured in decades if not centuries. Besides, Harry would not necessarily need to trust the knights with the coins. He could lock them up himself. I am sure Meciel (being in a coin herself) knows all the tricks to escape and consequently how to prevent them from working.

Locking up the coins might not seal those two fallen away forever, but it would certainly take them out from the current struggle against Vesper&Voldemort.

 

Or change loyalties to him.

 

Why would they do that? I mean he has just demonstrated himself to be utterly foolish in leaving enemies behind. A sign of weakness.

More likely they would see it as an act of mercy and believe that Harry&Meciel has been "corrupted" by god and the sword. And given how opposed the Fallen are against god and heaven, you might expect them to actually double their efforts to take him out. Not just a renegade but actually a traitor that went over to the knights and heaven.

Atleast thats what I would expect a truly evil fallen to think when I try to guess their point of view.

 

Because Vesper and Meciel are the only two strong/sane Fallen still free, and Meciel is the stronger of the two, as was just proven so violently to them. Plus there's what other people have said about debts.

 

But surely, if pure raw strength was all that motivated them, they would have approached Harry&Meciel in the first place. Vesper has always been weaker, yet the Fallen still chose to follow her.

I simply cannot see how an act of Mercy (which would be anathema to the Fallen) would suddenly cause them to change their minds in this matter. More likely they would see it as stupidity and weakness like I already said.

As for debts, I seem to remember that it has been said that the fallen generally dont care about promises or debts. And that the conflict between Meciel and the rest was actually caused by the fact that she followed the old rules while the rest of them did not. So the Fallen Harry spared would not be bound by any debt or such.

 

I wasn't just talking of pure magical raw power. Meciel has clearly out-maneuvered Vesper. Previously Vesper was in the better position, with Meciel the Renegade with the whole of the Order of the Blackened Denarius against her. Now Vesper is all that stands in Meciel's way, unless some coins possessed by the Knights get free.

Some debts are not merely words but also magic though. Think Dresden's debt to Mab. She was able to move his body at her command. Also, this is a HP crossover, and in HP debts, it seems, always get paid... Pettigrew strangled himself in the end.

I'm not saying that this will happen, or even that it was Harry's justification. I highly suspect that Harry's justification is exactly as he said: he found them worthy opponents, and thus honoured them by letting them live. However, it's a retrospective justification.

 

That's mainly because Mab has Dresden's full name, and less to do with the debts. Sidhe, inversely to the Denarians, put an unnatural value in debts and promises. They choose to pay/collect, unless they give their word to fulfill it. The whole sidhe being incapable of lying thing, after all.

 

Huh? Has anything actually changed? Vesper still has all the remaining Denarians following her. Harry drove the ones attacking him at Hogwarts off but he did not kill them so they are still with Vesper. The alliance between Vesper and Voldemort is also holding. And Harrys decision to leave those two Fallen behind has made sure that Vesper has not lost even those resources.

So infact Vespers position has not grown any weaker since Nicodemus's death. Infact the fact that Vesper&Voldemort managed to manipulate and control Harry into walking into a trap is actually something that would strengten Vespers position and weaken Harry.

Dresden made a deal with a faery so thats not even remotely similar.

And as for the Pettigrew debt, I suppose thats up to Shezza. Though this kind of debt would open a can of worms. I mean it would mean that Harry has a life debt to Dumbledore for instance for when Dumbledore spared Harry even after Harry attacked him. And could such a magic bind a Fallen Angel anyway? It has been said that they are virtually immune to magic and that the curse on Vesper was a very rare exception.

Sure, Honouring an enemy and leaving him alive, even when that could end in your death in the future, is a honorable thing to do. Worthy of a virtuous and noble knight. Somehow I did not think Harry was one though.

 

Nicodemous is dead, as is the one from the beginning of DR (the one with the hair) Meciel has a strong host who beats Drakons and Outsiders.

 

Dresden's debt to Mab seems to be a result of the unique Faerie-Mortal dynamic, and was the result of a agreement between the two of them rather than a life debt. I would say there's nothing in Dresden canon to indicate that there is any sort of magical backing to life debts, and the only HP example of a life debt is Pettigrew. Even then, there's no real indication that the debt was an enforcable magical bond; Pettigrew just hesitated to kill someone who had spared his life in the past, and Voldemort's enchantment killed him for it.

Also, as has been pointed out repeatedly in Dresden cannon the Denarians have pretty much zero respect for the Old Rules; their entire plan in Small Favor was built on a blatant violation of the Accords.

Now, with that said you do have an interesting point that if Vesper is weakened/removed Meceil might well be the only natural leader among the Denarians, but Shezza's Harry doesn't seem like the type who would want to hold a leadership position among the Denarians. I could certainly see him keeping one or two of them as servants/lackeys, but I doubt he would want to lead all of them.

 

Most doesn't affect the coin [at almost all cases], but a debt [in the HPverse at least] would go to the body, not the fallen.

Very nice action packed chapters. Looking forward to Harry kick Amanda and the gang's asses.

 

Yeh, but the point is that the other Fallen flocked to Vesper AFTER Nicodemus died. So infact by killing Nicodemus, Harry actually made Vespers position stronger by making sure that all of the Fallen who used to work under Nicodemus now work for Vesper instead.

The fallen (including the two here) went to Vesper instead of Meciel even then. And since then Vespers position has only grown stronger, while Harry's position has weakened (Dumbledore kicked out, White Council after him, Ministry against him, Press portraying him as a crazy lunatic, etc).

In which case the point is moot since one of the bodies is already dead and the other likely to die soon. The Fallen could choose new bodies then, bodies which were not affected by any life debts.

EDIT:

Going to bed now but I shall mention one more point that occurred to me

This is a quote from the start of the story:

I think there are other places too, where it is made clear that Meciel completely hates the other Fallen and wants them to suffer. One of her ultimate plans is to gain vengeance on them all. And here she has two of her kin at her mercy. One of their hosts is already dead with the coin ready for the taking and the other coin is but a lethal spell away.

And yet she says nothing when Harry chooses to leave the two Fallen unharmed and free. She says nothing when Harry walks away. She says nothing despite the fact that she just had a perfect opportunity to begin the revenge she has waited thousands of years to achieve.

That makes absolutely no sense at all.

 

I actually think he just left one alive. The male Fallen was dead I think, while the female was close to dead. It wasn't likely that she'd survive, even with the Fallen's help.

 

That might be only because Harry never sought their services. I think he could have acquired a few henchmen had he wished so.

Um... what? I sincerely doubt that Denarians read wizarding papers, and even if they do, they wouldn't care. They are not excatly paragons of sanity either. And what comes to the White Council, Wardens are always after Denarians - it's nothing new. I say that Harry has grown steadily stronger. He become Knight recently and he has learned lots of new spells at Hogwarts.


I think that Harry let the two Denarians keep their lives because he is a Knight of the Cross. We know that Fidelacchius can affect him and so it wouldn't be too far-fetched idea to think that the sword made him to spare them, especially if he was honestly impressed by them.

 

That could be right...The sword affects him.
I can´t wait to read what Shezza has in mind. There must be some reason for Harry´s so "unharryisch" actions and Merciel´s silence.

Maybe Merciel will slap him awake in the next scene and they will go back, collect the coins?

 

I just reread the scene, and I'm pretty sure the Sword had nothing to do with it. It says that he threw Sammerial in the heated sand which killed him. The only one he left alive was Verrine. Why would the sword make him spare one but not the other?

I doubt that Shezza had anything in mind when this scene was wrote. Harry respects power, he always has. So when Verrine gave him a good fight, he decided to spare her, if she lives.

 

The whole thing with her moving her hand indicates she will end up trying to stab/magic blast Harry in the back then be executed.

 

Yeah, you're right. I completely missed that last line.

 

Death Curse...

 

It's been said before that Meciel wants revenge and righteous retribution on her fellow Denarians. It's never been fully explained exactly what is the break that occurred between Meciel and the other Denarians.

Ok, Meciel follows the Old World laws and rules and the others don't. Perhaps Meciel understands that even being fallen angels or demons like they are as Denarians, some order to their chaos, some sense of law is vital to survive and thrive.

Maybe the other Denarians didn't like that and declared Meciel and whatever host she may have as persona non grata, as her ideas were threatening to the chaotic status quo that they liked.

Think about it, there are 3 types of Denarians currently. Meciel and her host in one corner, the batshit-crazy ones who are out for blood or are dumb footsoldiers, and those oppesed to Meciel, such as Vesper, who Meciel said that Harry could take in an all out fight and come out on top.

As far as leaving the Denarian alive at the end, either Harry and Meciel are running a game on her, as Harry delayed a killing blow and if she lives, she lives, if she dies, she dies.

Or Harry could have left the Denarian alive as an insult. She was a challenge, but not enough to take on the great Meciel, pariah of the Denarians, and win. Harry and Meciel are basically treating her as a pleasant diversion, challenging in a way, but not threatening.

There is a difference.