Chapter 1
Notes:
I wanted to take the time to be completely transparent with you, my dear readers. I wanted you all to know exactly what my stance was in regards to Rowling and her work. It is this: I hate everything that she stands for because the mask has come off in the recent years. I will never spend money on anything that might put a little more change in her pockets. She is a TERF and has some very disgusting views. Now, what does that mean for Harry Potter? The more I learn, the more the little details of her books become concerning. I won't get into it here, but what I learn definitely threatens to kill any of the nostalgia I might feel for the books. I don't think I could ever reread those books again and that's unfortunate because it's a core memory of my childhood.
So, let's talk about fanfiction. I love fanfiction. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that fact. And, for all the many faults, the world of Harry Potter has so much potential for the expansion of the world. I like the fact that it is a sort of alternate universe to our own, like to play with that and built upon it. That is what possesses me to write Harry Potter fanfiction, though I divorce myself completely from the origional author. In fact, you might have noticed that some of my characters and themes are ones that the original author would likely very much hate. Good. I've always enjoyed the fanfics more than the original story anyways.
I hate that a statement like this must be made but, given the themes of this story (and especially in later chapters), I thought it important to lay this all out. So, I write fanfiction because Harry Potter fanfics are nostalgic to me and because the original author receives no monetary benefit from my works. If you, dear reader, have made it to the end of my statement, I thank you. I hope you enjoy the story!
Chapter Text
Chapter One
“Vernon!” Aunt Tuney’s voice echoed up the stairs, her voice shrill. Little Harry immediately went still and he barely dared to breathe, as nothing ever good came from that tone of voice. He slowly drew his knees up, careful to not make a sound, and tried not to flinch as Unca Vernon thundered down the stairs. A few spiders were knocked loose from the ceiling about his head, but little Harry had long since stopped being afraid of them. His aunt and uncle stopped in front of his cupboard door, easily overheard as Aunt Tuney made an exaggerated huff. “Arabella Figg just called,” she said the words distastefully, as if it pained her to even say them. “She’s in the hospital with pneumonia of all things, so she can’t take the boy.” Harry thought he felt relieved. Mrs. Figg had way too many cats and he hadn’t been looking forward to days spent at her house.
“What?! That incompetent woman!” Unca Vernon raged loud enough that little Harry could easily imagine his purpled face and bristled mustache. He instinctively curled up tighter and hid his face against his knees. “We are supposed to leave tomorrow! Can’t one of your friends watch him? Like, what’s her name? Patricia? She’s got some brats of her own.” Harry really didn’t want to stay with any of Aunt Tuney’s friends. Maybe he would be left in his cupboard alone? He could probably sneak some food and maybe even have a chance to watch the telly! That’d be really nice.
Aunt Tuney huffed again after some silence. “You know that I can’t do that, Vernon. I would never hear the end of how improper it would be! And what if he does something unnatural again? Pattie isn’t as easily fooled as Mrs. Figg.” She let out an annoyed sigh then. “We’re going to have to bring the boy with us, Vernon. We’ll just have to buy him a ticket at the airport, then we can lock him in the hotel bathroom once we reach Tokyo.” Harry’s eyes widened as he heard that declaration and even dared to raise his head. He was going to go on a trip? He was going on an aeroplane? Even if he would have to spend the entire vacation in a bathroom, he was sure it would be much nicer than his cupboard. Was he really going to get to go? Harry held his breath.
“Useless, boy. Waste of money. Fine! But he’ll have to do extra chores when we get back to pay off that debt!” Vernon growled and huffed before he lumbered off to the kitchen, likely for some before dinner snack. Harry didn’t get dinner that night either as punishment, but he was too excited to care.
So, that was how little Harry found himself on an aeroplane meant for Japan. His uncle had been talking about this trip for months, that he had been selected to broker a deal with some potential high profile client for his company Grunnings. The man had even purchased a new suit just for the occasion and had paraded it around the house to Aunt Tuney’s sickly sweet praise. Unca Vernon had crowed about the raise that he would get and even Dudders had gotten a whole new wardrobe for vacation. Harry didn’t really understand it all, but he knew that Dudders and Aunt Tuney were going with Unca Vernon to stay with him for a whole week afterwards too. And now Harry got to go along also! Even if he didn’t get any new clothes and they didn’t even pack anything for him at all anyways.
The aeroplane was large and very crowded, but Harry didn’t mind. Especially after the hectic morning where Dudders had been screaming, Aunt Tuney’s high voice had been trying to soothe him, and Unca Vernon’s rough yelling pver them to get them all out the door. At the sight of the cab Dudders had luckily stopped screaming, but Harry had to spend the entire trip to Heathrow Airport next to Dudders as his cousin had started to instead yell excitedly the whole way instead. He wasn’t sure if it was any better than the screaming. Harry had spotted the cabbie’s annoyed expression, but he couldn’t do much to stop Dudders and his pinching. Especially when Unca Vernon had laughed and said that boys would be boys. Maybe he was right? And naughty boys like Harry had to stay quiet anyways.
It was a relief to get out of the cramped cab but, by the time they made it to the airport and through the silver archway that the nice lady said was called a metal detector, Dudders had started complaining that he was tired and hungry. And he threw a fit when they wouldn’t let him go through the x-ray machine. Harry thought it looked cool too, but he stayed quiet as Unca Vernon wasn’t looking very happy that Dudders hadn’t stopped screaming even with Aunt Tuney’s attempts to quiet him. Luckily they got on the aeroplane quickly after that and Harry was happy to realize that he didn’t have to sit with his family. He got a whole row to himself near the back! And Dudders had stopped yelling, but that was probably the snacks that Aunt Tuney had given him when he had gotten to his seat.
“You stay there and behave, boy. We’ll get you when the plane lands, so don’t you go wandering off,” Unca Vernon had warned darkly. Little Harry nodded quickly. He knew he’d get a lashing if he dared to disobey Unca Vernon. He tried to be a good boy! He really did! “Good. I don’t want to hear anything different,” the man said before he finally stomped off and up to first class where his seat was. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief, but was quickly distracted by the window. He glanced quickly to make sure that Unca Vernon hadn’t come back, then scrambled up onto his knees so he could peer out the window. Gasping softly, he watched for awhile as other large aeroplanes taxied from their gates and people in bright vests waved about glowing sticks. People in funny little cars drove back and forth like weird little trains.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” a voice interrupted Harry’s inspection of what was outside his window. He turned to see a pretty blonde lady in a uniform. He thought she must work on the aeroplane, so he offered her a shy smile in response to her polite one. “Can you sit down for me and put your seatbelt on? We’ll be taking off soon. Do you need any help?” Harry quickly shook his head and sat down without a word. He did end up needing help though as the seatbelt had been much too big for him. The pretty lady laughed when he timidly asked for assistance, but it wasn’t mean and she was nice enough to adjust the strap for him before she left him alone again.
Once the plane finally started to move and eventually pick up speed, Harry decided, as he placed his hands on his belly, that takeoff felt weird. And his ears felt all stuffy until they suddenly popped when he swallowed. He didn’t really like that either. But it was all quickly forgotten as the nice lady from before came back and told him that he could take his seatbelt off unless the light came on again. He nodded his head eagerly and then clambered up on his knees again to look back out the window. He had never been up so high before! He must be even higher than the birds! Everything looked so tiny down below! Harry giggled, enthralled. It was even better than his dream of flying motorbikes! He didn’t think he’d get bored of flying at all!
The flight from Heathrow to Tokyo was supposed to be around fourteen hours, though Harry didn’t really understand how long that was. He just knew that it was a really long time. Long enough that they even gave him food! He had never been able to eat so much food before and he almost didn’t eat it at first, afraid that it was a trick and Unca Vernon was just a few rows away to steal the food away from him. But the nice lady gave him a smile and gently encouraged him to try it while slipping him an extra cookie when she put the little cup of apple juice on his tray. Harry thought she was the nicest lady ever.
After all of the food though, it made Harry feel real sleepy. When the nice lady came to take his half eaten tray of food away, she smiled softly as Harry rubbed at his eyes and blinked tiredly. She came back with a little pillow and a blanket for him, giving a little wink when he looked up at her in awe. Laying down along the seats with the pillow, and snuggled into the blanket, Harry never saw the sad smile on the flight attendant’s face as she spared the neglected boy another look before she returned to her other duties.
Harry didn’t know how long he had slept, getting some of the best sleep he could ever remember, when suddenly he was woken by being thrown to the floor. He woke to screams as the plane shuddered violently, his heart suddenly in his throat as he was nearly thrown again. Delicate hands found him quickly though as oxygen masks dropped from their compartments in the ceiling. Whimpering in fear, little Harry looked up at the nice lady who had caught him and helped him back into his seat. She gave him a reassuring smile as she buckled them both in and put the mask over his face. “It’ll be okay, hunny,” she told him. Little Harry didn’t hear the quiver in her voice.
Taking Harry’s hand, the nice lady gave him another smile. “Just close your eyes, sweetheart. It will all be over soon. I promise.” Harry quickly screwed his eyes shut tight as he whimpered softly. It would be over soon, just like the nice lady said. It would be okay! “That’s a good boy,” he heard her say as the plane violently shook again, never seeing the smoke that had started to fill the cabin. Even with her attempts at reassurances, all Harry could really hear was the screaming in his ears. All he could hear was the ominous screeching of torn and rendered metal as the aircraft started to come apart at its seams.
Then the plane impacted into the ground. Before everything went dark, the last thing little Harry knew was the nice lady’s hand being ripped from his. Harry didn’t feel as his chair was thrown into the air from the impact and crashed through the jungle trees, one of the ones thrown farthest. Perhaps luck, or even magic, was the only thing to save him from the fiery explosion that followed the downed craft. He would be the only survivor, alone in the deep vegetation of the jungle. Still belted into his seat, and entwined in the thick vines, the little boy hung limply upside down. Though otherwise thoroughly bruised, his only major injury was the long gash that had opened along his temple and into his hairline. It, along with the heavy bruising on the opposite side of his face, was sustained from a violent collision with a piece of the mangled plane as his seat was thrown from the wreckage. He never felt the blood that slowly seeped into his hair and then dripped down onto the jungle floor beneath him.
He didn’t know how long he had been asleep but, when the little boy woke next, he found himself prone on a cot in a place he did not recognize. His movements were restricted and he felt the pull of skin that was the stitched gash on his head. Though he did not move, he could tell that he had been bandaged and he felt the weight of a shackle around his thin ankle. Above him, he could make out the slightly fuzzy roof of a canvas tent. Dully, he blinked once and then closed his eyes again. Part of him thought he should be scared, but much of it was drowned in fog. Panicking wouldn’t get him anything. Right? The young boy didn’t move again until he heard the rustling of activity nearby, though he almost didn’t turn his head to look.
“What’s your name, boy?”
Look when I speak to you, brat, a voice whispered in his head. The little boy blinked slowly and then finally turned his head. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His name? He must have a name. He couldn’t remember. His head pounded with pain and the sound of screams echoed in his mind. He closed his mouth again, his dull green eyes on the man who had stepped up next to his cot. The man was large, tall and built. His bronzed skin, including his bald head, was covered in scars while the most prominent one slashed through his one milky eye. And when the little boy didn’t respond, he gave a smile like a shark. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. No one will look for you anyways. They’re all dead. We’re your new family here, boy.” He leaned in then and only smiled wider as the boy didn’t even give a flinch, almost lifeless. “You’ll call me Capitán.” And then he was gone. The little boy closed his eyes and slept once more.
Early the next morning, before the sun had even fully risen and before his wounds had really any chance to heal, a man the boy didn’t know came in and dropped something onto the foot of his bed. He then removed a key to unlock the shackle on the boy’s ankle. “Get up and report, Number Thirteen,” he said gruffly with an accent that made it hard for the little boy to understand, then left Thirteen alone to dress. Thirteen, for that was his new name, carefully stood and let the thin blanket that had covered his naked body slip away. His movements were stiff, his body aching, as he dressed in the clothes that were provided for him. Though he was five, he was still on the small side and so the clothes were a little big on him. The grey t-shirt hung to midthigh and the camo fatigue pants bunched up about his bare feet. The socks were fine, but the boots that waited for him under the bed were a size too large. Somehow he remembered how to tie them and made sure they were extra tight.
Finally, finally, he trudged out into the dawning morning sunlight. “Get in line, Thirteen! We’re already behind!” Was barked at him as he attempted to blink away the dots that danced in his eyes, to adjust to the flood of bright morning sunlight. When he didn’t move fast enough, he was shoved in the direction of where other kids were already lined up. Some of them were as young as Thirteen thought he might have been. Some were as old as twelve, but all of them were young. It felt wrong. Off. Those who had been there the longest stared ahead impassively as they awaited orders. “Thirteen, get your weak fuckin’ ass in line!”
Not that he could remember, but Thirteen had long ago learned to shut up and follow directions without complaint. His mind was in a fog and time flowed on a lag, but his body was already moving before he even realized it. And, as soon as he fell in line, they were being ordered to run. A couple of the kids were sobbing, but they all took off down the trail as soon as they were encouraged by their instructors firing live bullets at their feet. Thirteen let his body take over, quickly moving to the middle of the group and only behind the older children that had already built up their stamina.
Their run took them over terrain that Thirteen did not recognize, but he barely paid attention to it as he focused on putting his feet one in front of the other without falling. He scrambled over tree roots and through the underbrush. As he placed his hand against the trunk of a tree to catch himself, the bark exploded under the impact of a bullet. Thirteen scrambled away and kept on running, quick to learn to watch his back and surroundings. It was not an unfamiliar feeling, though he couldn’t say why. All he knew was that this fear felt familiar, if considerably heightened.
The children were herded and chased along barely traveled mountainous paths, through streams of water with their jagged rocks and hidden pools, up steep mountain sides. Thirteen was forced to think quickly, even through his cloud of fear, to look for hidden dangers. The terrain was treacherous, but they were not the only perils. One of which Thirteen came face to face with when he tripped on a hidden root and fell onto his belly with a sharp cry. His eyes screwed tightly closed at the impact, but he knew he couldn’t stay. He opened his eyes to scramble to his feet, but froze at the creature coiled barely half a meter from his face. The snake was banded in black and yellow as it raised up and hissed angrily. Thirteen immediately scrambled back and ran, barely able to avoid the strike as the snake lashed out.
“Keep your wits about you, dipshit!” Thirteen’s eyes widened and he swerved to avoid the gun pointed straight at his head. The bullet grazed his cheek as he jerked away, but he didn’t dare scream. He’d learned long ago that crying never got him anything. He didn’t know why, but that was a fact of life he could remember. Instead, he gave a little whimper and sprinted after the others. Sniffling, Thirteen wiped at his bloody cheek and pressed on.
When they finally arrived back at the camp, several of the kids keeled over and vomited no more than bile. Thirteen was nearly one of them as his throat and lungs burned. “Don’t stop moving, you lazy shits!” A man yelled at them and hit one of the children with the butt of the rifle he held. “All of you on your knees and give me fifty pushups!” Though he wasn’t sure what a pushup was, Thirteen fell to his hands and knees to copy one of the older kids next to him. He struggled with the exercise, his bruised arms barely able to hold his weight. He held back a sob as a heavy foot pushed down against the center of his back. “All the way down or you’ll start over,” the man snarled at him. Thirteen forced his body to obey as tears burned in his eyes.
It was only once they had finally completed the exercises that the children were herded off to an open tent, with many of the children shaking with the effort to remain on their feet. Thirteen couldn’t even remember how he got through it all, got into line. Before he even managed to get his brain back online a metal bowl with some sort of porridge was dropped into Thirteen’s trembling arms and he was ordered to a seat. His feet dragged as he brought himself to the wooden table and dropped down onto the bench. He nearly dropped his head into the bowl, though he wasn’t able to stop the quiet whine.
With only his fingers to eat, Thirteen mechanically ate the food out of little more than habit for his body’s needs. “You must be the next Thirteen,” a voice said quietly from across from him at the thin table. Thirteen raised his eyes to see a boy close to his age across from him. The boy, blue eyed and brown haired, didn’t offer a smile. “The other Thirteen drowned a couple of days ago. You’re her replacement, I guess. I’m Number Thirty-four.” Thirteen only nodded and dropped his eyes once more.
They only had fifteen minutes to eat, a time that seemed to pass in a heartbeat before they were being yelled at to get on their feet. Thirteen was prepared to be forced into exercise again, but instead they were ordered into another tent where several marker boards were set up. “They said numbers and letters are important for us to be useful. This is how we’ll spend our mornings after breakfast,” Thirty-four muttered to him as he sat down beside him. The group of children had been divided between the marker boards, not all of them to learn the same things as many had moved on from the basics. And not only English was being taught. Thirteen barely spared Thirty-four a glance as their instructor started their lesson, just as foul-mouthed and mean as the rest of the adults.
Once the lessons were concluded for the day, they were herded off to the mess once more where lunch might have been meatloaf of some description along with an apple and a small fist sized loaf of dry bread. They were allowed to sit where they wanted, but it meant mingling with the adults of the camp. And very few of them were above bullying the small children, stealing their food or pushing them around with cruel laughter. “Gotta toughen you up, kid! Maybe goin’ without food will be good for you!” The small girl hunched her shoulders, her long blonde hair dirty and knotted.
Thirteen found he was good at going unnoticed, finding a quiet spot between two crates to eat his food. He was left alone, but it didn’t last long. Fifteen minutes was the only time they were allowed to eat before they were rounded up, unfinished food knocked from their hands. Thirteen quickly shoved the rest of his meatloaf into his mouth, though he barely tasted it. He didn’t want to be pushed around, so he was quickly on his feet. He found himself forced into one of two lines, a ka-bar blade forced into his tiny hand. He stood opposite of another child, a young girl that was maybe a year or two older than Thirteen.
“I’m Number Twenty-nine,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, Thirteen.”
Thirteen never got to ask what she meant as he found out without words. Twenty-nine suddenly ran at him, her own knife held aloft. Thirteen instinctively brought up his arms as terror tried to paralyze him. Survive. He had to survive!
“Tuck your damn elbows in unless you want to lose a limb, Thirteen!” An instructor yelled at him and Thirteen hurried to comply. Purely on the defensive, he managed to block Twenty-nine’s wrist with his forearm and guide it away from him. Twenty-nine only tried again as instructors yelled out instructions, forcefully correcting their stances before demanding they go again. Thirteen tried not to flinch when a man stopped behind him and knocked his feet further apart. “Keep that up, boy, and you’ll never even get past this part, let alone get a gun in your hands. Again!” Swallowing thickly, Thirteen brought up his arms again. He ached.
Again. And again. Over and over, the drills were forced into their heads with no regard for their safety. They learned because they had to. Thirteen flinched and tightened his grip on the knife that was too large for him when a boy nearby went down with a scream, a knife in his shoulder. Laughter erupted around them, loudest from the men who leaned against trees with weapons held loosely in their hands. The boy was dragged off without care, but Thirteen had to focus on Twenty-nine.
“That’s enough,” was suddenly yelled. “Leave your weapons and get your scrawny asses over to the obstacle course! We know how many knives there were, so no funny business!” Thirteen was glad to hand over the knife, though he almost couldn’t unclench his fingers from around the hilt. He let it drop carelessly into the crate they’d been directed to, then followed after all the other kids. The butt of a rifle slammed into his shoulder and nearly forced him to the ground, though Thirteen couldn’t even begin to know what he had done wrong. Maybe he hadn’t done anything. He held back a glare, feeling a spark of anger deep in his chest. Instead he steadied his feet and marched on.
The obstacle course that had been built was not meant for children. It had barely even been built with their heights in mind. As Thirteen ran towards the first obstacle, a low wall, he realized it came to his shoulders and he despaired. No. He couldn’t fail now when he’d already come this far. He wouldn’t let himself get hurt anymore just because the adults thought he was too weak. Thirteen backed up a few steps and then threw himself at the wall. He grabbed at a split in the wood and dragged himself up with a grunt. The stacked logs were rough and scraped at his hands, but he managed to pull himself over and fall to the other side.
Thirteen forced himself to his feet and over to where short logs had been spaced apart for them to jump from one to the next. He clambered up onto the first and barely managed to jump to the next as he wobbled. “Get moving, Thirteen!” A boy hissed from behind him. Thirteen grit his teeth and forced his way to each log until he reached the other side. He was too small to take the obstacle as intended and instead put both feet on each log, but he made it. Barely able to catch his breath, he moved on to the next.
The series of low walls and barriers were made to be vaulted over and ducked under. Unable to get the height to vault over the logs, Thirteen had to clamber over them. It was easier than the first wall at least, even easier than the stepping stones. With that cleared, the tunnel before him was even easier as he ran through with only just barely needing to duck his head. If he survived, this would get harder as he grew while others would get easier. He needed to survive.
One of the adults stood at the next obstacle, a series of panels made from thin logs used to frame vines that were close together. The man pointed his gun at them to direct them to weave through the panels. He took several shots into the dirt at their feet if they didn’t move fast enough. Thirteen thought the dodging felt familiar, the terror not unfamiliar. He cleared the panels and moved on to the next as his legs burned.
A wall, one that felt like it stretched endlessly into the sky, loomed before him with ropes the only way to get over it. As Thirteen swallowed thickly, he hurried over and grabbed onto one of the ropes. His hands burned already, rubbed raw, but he forced himself up the slight slope and climbed. He barely had climbed a meter before he lost his grip and crashed to the ground with a small cry, the sound forced out of him as he lost his breath. One of the Numbers stepped around him carelessly and climbed up the rope. Thirteen forced himself to his feet once more and tried again, but barely made it as far as the first time. As he opened his eyes from the second fall, he found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle. “Get up, Thirteen. Get your fuckin’ worthless ass over that wall or I’ll put you down like the dog you are.”
Thirteen struggled to his feet and grabbed the rope once more. Fear was a fine motivator as he forced his arms to drag his aching body up the rope, his legs wrapped almost uselessly around it as he tried to find purchase. Only the fear of dying was what got him over the wall and nearly rolling down the slope on the other side. A shot suddenly went off, but Thirteen felt no new pain. He swallowed back bile and scrambled on, only to come up short when he came to a wide trench that could only be meant to be jumped as there were sharpened stakes in the bottom. Thirteen backed up a few steps and took a running leap.
As he landed on the lip of the boards on the other side, Thirteen cried out as he started to fall backwards. One of the other Numbers quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him to safety before he took off without another word. Thirteen didn’t have the time or the air in his lungs to thank him. Almost immediately he had to drop down onto his belly and crawl through the mud under twisted and barbed wire. Thirteen managed to make it to the other side, small enough to move beneath it without much problem. The shots that exploded the mud near his face were much more dangerous.
As Thirteen made his way across the balancing bridge over another trench of sharpened poles, his arms out as he struggled to remain upright, his vision seemed to darken at the very edge and narrow. In the next moment, he lost his concentration and blinked. When he opened his eyes again, Thirteen found himself falling forward. He barely recovered as he took the last few steps and made it to the other side. Bile climbed up his throat once more as he stumbled and continued onward. He had to take the apex ladder on hands and feet, though he barely managed to save himself from slipping through the spaces between the logs. The only thing that kept him moving was that he could see the end.
The end was so close. Just a little more. Thirteen gulped down air as much as he could as he dragged himself up the slope, only to freeze when he finally saw the terrace steps that led to the finish line. “Keep your legs shoulder width apart and bend your knees. Don’t try to catch yourself on your hands,” one of the Numbers whispered hurriedly. “Just follow my lead, Thirteen.” She then jumped and Thirteen tried to follow. He cried out as his ankle twisted on the final land, but he was able to drag himself over to where the rest were waiting. Thirteen wasn’t last only because he hadn’t started last.
Finally allowed a brief rest, Thirteen fell to his hands and knees before he finally lost control of the bile that burned in his throat. Nearly choking on it and the air he struggled to get into his lungs, Thirteen felt tears in his eyes. He curled his fingers in the dirt beneath him and clenched his eyes tightly closed. “Sit up, Thirteen,” a quiet voice said next to him. “Control your breathing and sit up.” It was one of the older Numbers. Thirteen barely glanced at him as he fell down onto his bottom and tried to straighten up. It was hard to control his breathing, but he managed to take measured breaths.
He had barely started to get his body back under his control when he was ordered to his feet with the rest of the Numbers. They were herded towards a tent where they were shown once how to dismantle and reassemble a pistol, only for the benefit of the newest Numbers. They were set to follow the motions again and again. “You will do this until you can do it in your sleep!” This instructor barked at them, a switch in hand as he prowled along the rows of tables. Any mistakes he spotted were swiftly dealt with as Thirteen himself ended up with multiple welts across the backs of his tiny hands. He wasn’t dexterous enough for such work, but he grit his teeth and kept quiet. He was a smart boy and picked up on things quickly, his reflexes sharp if still lacking in fine motorskills. They moved on to the care of rifles and Thirteen earned several more welts.
By the time they were finally released, the sun had started to fall below the horizon. Thirteen limped along as he followed the others to the mess once more, where a bowl of rice and some sort of meat was shoved into his hands. He found his seat and quietly ate, his eyes lidded in exhaustion. Everything ached so much that he could not even begin to point out any specific hurt. He could barely stomach the food, but his instincts screamed that he better eat because who knew when his next meal would be. Just because they had fed them three meals didn’t mean they would continue to do so.
Fifteen minutes later, just as breakfast and lunch had been, the Numbers were ordered to their feet and marched to the edge of camp where they were ordered to strip. Thirteen moved mechanically as he ignored the occasional sob from the other kids around him. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground and kept quiet as he waited to be called. “Thirteen!” It was said sharply, so he limped forward until he was grabbed in a bruising grip that only added to his map of colours.
It was only partially a relief to be forced down onto a stool, his ankle the sharpest pain out of the rest. His chin was grabbed in an unyielding grip in the next moment before an electric razor was brought to his scalp. His head was forced this way and that way until there was little more than dark fuzz left of his unruly curls. He was dragged up and then half thrown towards another adult that dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. “Report to Barrack C,” he was ordered gruffly and released.
With teeth chattering, Thirteen trudged through the rows of half circle canvas tents until he spotted the one with the letter C painted in black above the open flap. Inside, there were two rows of cots and otherwise empty. Thirteen slowly counted out twenty cots in total, each with a small trunk at the foot of them. Each trunk was painted with a number. He found his at the very end. Thirteen didn’t know what he was supposed to do next, so he gingerly sat down on the edge of his cot and wrapped his arms around himself as he continued to shiver.
“You can go to bed, you know. They’re done with us for tonight. Best to get sleep where you can,” someone spoke to him in a whisper as they approached their own cot, head bare and shivering just as violently. “We’re not allowed to talk though, so be careful.” The Number opened his trunk then and pulled out some clothes. Thirteen could see the number seven painted on the trunk before it closed again and Seven dressed. Without another word, he turned into his cot and seemed to go to sleep.
Thirteen carefully stood up and went to look in his own trunk. There wasn’t much there, but he found some small boxers and a shirt, still slightly big on his small frame but helped to chase away some of the chill that had settled into his bones. Thirteen then climbed back onto his own cot and pulled the thin blanket over him. He was asleep before he had even fully settled his head against his lumpy pillow.
Chapter Text
Chapter Two
The days followed the same routine, with their revolving rotation of instructors. Each morning the Numbers were woken before the sun had even fully broken above the horizon. Sometimes there were new Numbers to replace the ones that were lost. Sometimes there were new Numbers even when there were no spaces that were vacant. Thirteen still didn’t know his counting well enough, but he was quick to learn. He knew, though, that Sixty-Nine was their newest Number. He glanced at her as they were forced to run, just as they were every morning. The path they took was never the same, but always as treacherous as the day before. And, once they had finally returned back to camp, each morning they were forced through exercises until the adults were satisfied. Only then were they allowed breakfast, which was usually porridge or sometimes plain rice.
Once their allotted mealtime was over, they were marched over to a tent where they were schooled on maths and languages. It wasn’t always English and every error was punished by lashes or by physical labour. Thirteen didn’t know if this learning was better or worse than the physical training they had to go through. They learned these subjects until midday where they were allowed lunch, usually some sort of meat and some sort of fruit. Sometimes they had bread to go with it, small loaves or flatbread. Their allotted mealtime was always over just as quick as breakfast was, then they would spend hours learning close combat. Sometimes it was with weapons, sometimes it was with their hands. There were always injuries, occasionally deaths. Thirteen never knew what happened to the Numbers that died of their injuries, if they were left for wild animals to scavenge or if they were thrown in an unmarked grave. He didn’t even really understand death. What was death? The Numbers who died were there one day, and then suddenly all trace of them was lost. Erased. He told himself it wouldn’t happen to him.
After close combat training, they were always forced through the obstacle course. Sometimes they were forced through twice if their instructor for the day thought they hadn’t completed it in an adequate amount of time. Thirteen pushed himself harder and harder, enough that the bruises never seemed to fade. He broke a rib on the ropes once, but was forced to continue on as usual. “It’ll toughen you up, brat,” he was told.
After the obstacle course, they were put through firearm drills. Over and over they had to handle pistols, semi-automatics, shotguns, and rifles of all sorts that they could barely hold. It was only once the instructors were satisfied enough with their progress that they could move on to learning how to shoot them, not just how to dismantle and reassemble them. Thirteen still hadn’t been allowed target practice yet, his fingers still clumsy even as he slowly improved.
They were kept at it until the sun started to disappear beneath the horizon and only then were they allowed dinner. This was usually rice along with some sort of meat, sometimes leftover from lunch. Thirteen ate because he had to, because his tired body demanded it. Then, it was after their fifteen minutes of mealtime that their days changed. Some days they did chores, such as dishes in tubs of scalding water or laundry in the frigid waters of a nearby spring. Some days they were allowed a minute long shower in cold water drawn from the spring, their hair sheared off so it was never longer than an inch at its longest. Other days they cleaned weapons, closely monitored and punished for whatever infraction the soldiers could imagine.
It was always late when they were allowed to finally collapse into bed, only for the cycle to continue. It went on like this for days, weeks, months. Thirteen didn’t know how to keep track of the days and they all seemed to blur into one anyhow.
Yet the routine changed one day soon after Thirteen was finally allowed to learn on the shooting range. That morning they were awoken as usual, but then they were immediately marched towards the mess for breakfast. Thirteen almost thought it was some sort of test, only able to eat once others had started on their porridge and nothing happened. As they finished, the Numbers were immediately sent to help break down the camp. Orders were thrown about, and the children were pushed around, as they carried out their tasks. As he dragged crates to the multitude of green trucks, Thirteen overheard the talk of their sudden journey to the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (Which would, in a few years in 1989, become renamed as Myanmar). He had no idea where that was, only knew that they were currently in Bhutan. None of the adults seemed to know why Capitán would choose to move the camp there, only that there were rumors of political upheaval.
Thirteen knew better than to ask, only ducked his head and moved on until only the trucks remained of what had once been a sprawling camp. The Numbers were herded onto two trucks where they sat nearly on top of each other, guns in their faces as they were ordered to silence. Thirteen felt a strange energy beneath his fingertips as the truck rumbled into life and started for roads unknown. Canvas covered the back of the truck, blocked the exit. They could only sit quietly, huddled together.
At what might have been midday, the Numbers were allowed off the trucks to relieve their bladders on the side of the cobbled road and have a small meal that was left to them to distribute. The apples and flatbreads were barely able to fill their bellies for the small portions they were given, but the soldiers didn’t seem to care as the Numbers were forced once more back onto the trucks. Thirteen pressed himself into the back corner and wrapped his arms around his legs. He could still feel the strange energy, but didn’t dare ask. They drove on.
By the time they arrived for the night, Thirteen had the feeling that they had traveled much farther than they should have been able to do. He wasn’t sure why he felt such a thing, but he kept it to himself as he forced his legs to take him out of the truck. The Numbers were immediately put to work with no thought to their stiff limbs, but Thirteen was able to take a look around. The Union of Burma was much more wide open than Bhutan had been. There were mountains and trees in the distance, riverways that cut through the landscape. There appeared to be a village in the distance, stationed along the waterway. Some of it seemed similar in a way, but it was otherwise so vastly different. All Thirteen could think of was how much more difficult their morning runs would be when they needed to hide from the shots the soldiers took at them. There were trees, but it wasn’t a jungle to hide in.
He wasn’t wrong. The next morning, they lost both Forty-two and Thirty-six. Number Twenty-three had nearly been the next casualty, but Thirteen grabbed his arm and shielded him as something instinctive took over. A shield of shimmering blue enveloped them long enough for the bullet meant for Twenty-three to ricochet off. The soldier lowered his rifle in surprise, though it did not last long. Still, it was long enough for them to run on. When their run was completed, Thirteen was pulled away from the rest of the Numbers to join a smaller group of children. From there, his daily routine changed.
Some instilled part of Thirteen had balked at the idea of magic. Someone… someone? He couldn’t remember, but it seemed a truth of the world that magic was bad. But the soldiers hadn’t been surprised, hadn’t hated him for seemingly having magic. They certainly didn’t seem to like him at all, but the presence of his magic didn’t have any bearing on that equation. In fact, it was soon revealed to him that there were other Numbers that had magic of their own. Some of the soldiers themselves produced wands and did magic.
So, the very next day, Thirteen found himself among a small group of children just after they had finished lunch. Instead of joining the majority of the Numbers in combat training, he joined a handful in a more specialized course. They still learned how to fight the same as the rest of the Numbers, but now they were being trained to channel their magic as well.
“Again, Thirteen! You’re losing your damn focus! You’ll never amount to anything if you don’t fucking concentrate!” The butt of a rifle slammed into the middle of his back, but Thirteen only gritted his teeth and adjusted his stance. His magic was like water, he thought. He could grasp it in his hands for only a moment before it slipped through his fingers. Why couldn’t he get a wand? The soldiers all used magic with ease when they used their wands. But there was no use in complaining. He had to try harder.
When they were released from what the soldiers jokingly called “officer training”, Thirteen realized that they were being taught to be squad leaders. He wasn’t completely blind, physically or mentally, he thought. He had seen the squads that would leave together for whatever plans the camp had for them. There was always a leader, someone more important than the rest of the squad. He and the others like him would be these leaders once the camp was done with them, Thirteen thought. Leaders of the other Numbers. “You’ll get your whole team killed if you keep that up,” had been yelled at them frequently enough to realize this.
But before he could go off to the obstacle course with the others, an iron hand wrapped around his arm and dragged him off towards the medical tent. It was just how he remembered from when he had first woken up at the camp, though he wasn’t shackled to the bed this time. He was forced down onto the cot, however, with enough force to add to his already bruised frame. The medic that came over to him was a woman with short cut black hair and no warmth in her dark eyes. “I’ve been told that they’ve noticed something off with your eyesight,” she said in clipped tones and the hint of an accent.
“Yeah, you should see him, Beiye,” the soldier behind him laughed cruelly. “I’m surprised the brat’s made it this far!”
The woman, Beiye, gave the soldier a dark look and pointed towards the door. “Out. I don’t need your commentary. I’ll get him fixed up and back into your mercies shortly.” As soon as the man stomped out, she rolled her eyes and huffed. “Brutes, all of them.” Her eyes fixed on Thirteen then and she grabbed his chin to force his head back. “Keep your eyes open,” she warned before she pulled out a wand of her own and cast some sort of spell over his face. Thirteen felt the strange power as it washed over him and barely dared to breathe.
Beiye tsked softly and ended the spell. “Myopia,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Normally, you would need glasses, boy. Luckily this is a common ailment that is easily corrected through the use of potions. Especially at a young age. You should be thankful.” She left him a moment before she came back with a glass vial and a dropper. “Head back and eyes open.” She removed her wand again and then spelled Thirteen’s eyelids open, his arms glued against his sides. He could not close them even if he tried. Panic welled up in his chest as his breathing increased, but Beiye didn’t seem to notice. Or just didn’t care was the likely answer. Instead, she uncorked the vial in her hands and used the dropper to collect some of the clear liquid within. “This might sting a bit,” she said uncaringly and then placed a single drop of the clear potion into each eye.
Thirteen thought that acid had been dropped in his eyes. He could hear the sizzle and feel it bubble, but could not close his eyes as much as he tried. He couldn’t even hold back the cry that tore itself from his throat. Beiye rolled her eyes and went to put away her instruments. “Oh, stop acting like a baby,” she tossed over her shoulder as Thirteen curled his tiny hands into fists. “You’ll never get through interrogation resistance training if you’re acting like this. Now hold still to let the potion work.” She then left him alone, Thirteen unable to move anyways.
Thirteen tried to count in his head to give himself something to focus on, but he started to lose track sometime after one hundred. At least his maths were getting better, he thought. He didn’t know just how much time had passed, but then Beiye was suddenly there again. She cast another spell again and Thirteen felt the power rush over his face like it had before. She made some sort of pleased sound, so released all of her spellwork on him. “Well, that should clear that up. Maybe your marksmanship will improve then.” She stepped back then and tucked her wand away. “Get out of here. I have better things to worry about.”
Released from her care, Thirteen slid off of the cot and hurried for the door as fast as he dared. He then took off at a jog towards where they had set up the obstacle course. It wasn’t his fault that he’d be late, but he didn’t think it would stop any punishments if he completely missed the course. When he reached the course, the instructor of the day curled his lips in a sneer and adjusted his grip on his rifle. “If you don’t catch up to Seventy-four, then everyone will have to run the course again,” he was ordered ominously. Thirteen barely hesitated before he took off. Seventy-four was their newest Number from that morning, a small boy that looked like he struggled to get through the obstacles. Thirteen could only feel relief because it meant he’d be able to catch up.
But as he started on the course, Thirteen quickly realized he had a problem. His vision had certainly been fixed. He didn’t think he had ever seen so clearly before that very moment. But the sudden change was difficult to adapt to, his depth perception a little wonky. It made him dizzy and unsteady. He barely caught up to Seventy-four, but their instructor made them run the course again anyways. Thirteen couldn’t help but vomit once he reached the end a second time.
It took a few days for Thirteen’s eyesight to settle, but then he could only feel thankful for it in the end. His improved eyesight helped improve his reflexes. He was already always quick to pick up the details, see things before the other Numbers. With his eyesight fixed, it only improved. Thirteen overheard one instructor suggest to another soldier that he thought it was a partial manifestation of his magic. Whatever that meant.
Things settled once more, though the Numbers continued to grow. Their grey shirts suddenly had their number emblazoned on the backs to help their rotation of instructors tell them apart. The normal Numbers had their digits in black ink while the Numbers with magic were printed in white outlined in black. Then, when they reached one hundred and twelve, things changed once more.
The soldiers had started to complain about being in Burma for nearly half a year, so Thirteen thought that meant that he had been with the camp for nearly a year. Would that make him six years old? Seven? He thought he might be six, though he had no more than a feeling to believe such a thing. He felt like he had been there for what felt like his entire life, but only because he still couldn’t remember what his life had been before. Whatever he had been before… his life now was all about war. He had learned to manifest at will the shield he had used to protect Twenty-three, but only for a few moments. For now it was enough. He would claw his way to the top, he would not be put down again. If he had power, then he would use that power. He wouldn’t be helpless.
The Numbers were woken early that morning like they always were. As they exited their tents, dressed and ready for their routine run, they were separated one by one. Thirteen quickly noticed a pattern. Of the one hundred and twelve kids, some twenty odd of the Numbers were brand new recruits. They were separated from the rest of them and sent off on the usual run. The rest of them, the ones who had been around longer, were separated into three groups.
With roughly twenty-eight Numbers in each group, they were separated further and two soldiers each took one of the three groups to lead them off to different parts of the camp. Thirteen watched with his head slightly lowered, his eyes sharp as one of their instructors dropped a crate in the middle of them all. “Arm yourselves,” the soldier said sharply. Thirteen thought his name was Javi, though soldiers often came and went through camp. Gone for weeks at a time before they reappeared again. They rarely introduced themselves to the Numbers, but Thirteen recognized Javi as one of their more frequent instructors. The other soldier Thirteen thought might have been Akifumi, but only because he had overheard the name weeks ago. Akifumi didn’t speak much at all.
Thirteen grabbed a ka-bar knife from the crate and then fell into line under the hard glares of Javi and Akifumi. The two men held their rifles, which Thirteen had since learned was called the M16A1. It was the most popular rifle for the camp, though Thirteen was still learning to shoot mainly on a German Browning pistol. Not that he really knew what that meant.
“We’re going to let you little fucks play a little game,” Javi said suddenly as he kicked over the now empty crate. He propped his foot up against it and then leaned his elbow on his knee, his teeth bared in a wicked smile. “We’re going to play a little game of capture the flag. Whoever wins, gets to have an extra serving at breakfast. Exciting, right? Winning means you capture another squad’s flag and bring it back to your home base to pair it with your home flag. That means you need both flags to win.” He made a sharp motion with his head. “In a minute, we’re going to bring you brats to the nearby village. It’s empty now so you don’t have to worry about any civilians, but that’s gunna be your playground.” A smirk pulled at his lips then. “There are quite a few buildings in the village, but only three of them are considered bases. We’ll show you to your base. You will have ten minutes to come up with a plan before we give the signal. It will be your mission to find at least one other base and steal their flag. Bring it back to your own base before time is out. Keep your flag protected and use any means necessary. Now get your asses moving!”
As they were ordered into a run, Thirteen slowly fell towards the back so he could look over just who they had gathered for his squad. It didn’t take him long to realize that this would probably be the weakest squad as they didn’t have any of the older Numbers. There were a few that had been there longer than he had, but most of them were newer. Some of them were decent fighters, if it came down to it, but they wouldn’t likely be able to go up against the older Numbers. They would need more than strength to win because there was no way that Thirteen was going to lose. Losing meant dying. Maybe not here, maybe not now. But one day, he’d die if he lost. And if they wanted him to be a leader, then he was damn well gunna be a leader. Thirteen curled his small hands into fists as he made his decision.
The village they arrived at was abandoned, just as Javi had said. The houses were made of wooden panels and the roofs were thatched with long grasses. Some even stood off the ground on short stilts. Pens which might have once held animals were empty and the fences half torn down. They were led to one of the houses on the edge and then were abandoned. Thirteen glanced at the others before he headed into the house to find the flag. It wasn’t hard to find.
A few of the others gathered around him as Thirteen crossed his arms across his thin chest. He chewed on his lower lip before he glanced around him. Finally, he looked up. No one ever thought to check upwards. “Thirty-three,” he said softly. The little boy jumped at being addressed and the others quieted from their whispered arguments. Noone had dared to speak loudly. “Take the flag and climb up into the rafters,” Thirteen continued. Thirty-three was the best climber out of all of them, always making it over the rope wall the fastest. He was nimble, so the best choice for this task. “They never said we couldn’t move the flag,” he explained. Thirty-three hesitated, but then grabbed the flag and stuck the pole down the back of his shirt so he could climb up into the rafters of the house. “Hide,” Thirteen ordered simply before he looked around again.
“Seventy-two. Fifty-seven. Sixty-one,” he called out. “Stay here. You’ll be Thirty-three’s last defense.” Thirteen uncrossed his arms then and walked back outside. There was only one true door, but there were a couple of windows. Of the twenty-three Numbers that remained, Thirteen chose five to be the searchers. He’d go with them. The other eighteen he spread around the perimeter of the house to protect it. Some he told to hide in a fixed position and the others he told to patrol around their base. He turned his attention to one of them then. “Twenty-eight, you’ll be leader,” he decided. “Keep the flag safe and keep everyone safe.” They had to look out for each other too. That was more important than this stupid game. Staying alive.
Thirteen took a deep breath then and crossed his arms over his chest again to hide the way his hands were shaking. He was scared, but he couldn’t let that show. They all knew that showing you were scared only got them in trouble. He looked over the five Numbers he had chosen to search with him. “We’ll go so that the sun’s behind,” he decided. The sunlight might help cover them that way because it hurt to look at the sun and it was still rising. “Eighteen, you’ll go with me. When we find another base, we’ll go in while the others are a disract… distraction,” he stumbled over the word, but got it out in the end. “We’ll get the flag. When we get out, we all uh, scatter. Come back to base.”
The other Numbers traded looks, but then nodded their heads. Thirteen took a deep breath and unsheathed his knife. He adjusted his grip and then waited for the signal. They did not have to wait long before a shot was fired into the air. “Follow me,” Thirteen said as he hunched his shoulders and took off along the edge of the village. He could hear the others following close behind him, Eighteen at his side. Keeping partly crouched, Thirteen carefully surveyed their surroundings before he quickly threw his open palm up into the air. Halt.
The other Numbers stopped without complaint, their young faces white with both fear and anxiety. Eighteen carefully moved close to his side, though she didn’t look at him. Thirteen only spared her a quick glance before he turned away. Her skin was a pretty brown like chocolate, he thought. She was just a bit older than he was, but still close to his age. He really didn’t know her very well, but he had seen how nimble she was. He thought it would be good for his plan.
Thirteen quickly got his brain back on the right track before he got them all discovered. Maybe not killed, but he didn’t want to put that theory to the test. Eighteen held up her hand then and made a motion to ask if he felt anyone. Thirteen blinked before he furrowed his brow as he reached out for his magic. He wasn’t very good at it, but he tried to push out his awareness like they had taught him. He couldn’t reach out very far, but it was enough. He held up his hand and extended two fingers along with his thumb. Three. Eighteen nodded and glanced at him. He quickly realized that she was waiting for him to figure out what to do.
Thirteen glanced behind him and then reached behind him with his arm out straight. He brought his arm up and around in an arch until his arm was straight out, palm down. Forward. He adjusted his grip on his knife, kept his elbows tucked close and led the way forward until they reached the corner where he could still feel the three Numbers. They hadn’t moved and Thirteen couldn’t feel anyone else around. He held his closed fist up to his shoulder and stopped. Freeze. He pointed then to Eighteen and Forty-three and made a quick motion. Both gave a sharp nod before Thirteen counted down with his fingers. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
He quickly slipped around the corner, the three Numbers turned away from them. Thirteen kept crouched and tried to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible as he stepped on the balls of his feet. Once he was close enough to the middle of the two Numbers, he sprung forward and hit the hilt of his knife into the base of Twenty-two’s skull. The Number dropped quickly and the other two dropped as well as Eighteen and Forty-three took care of them. Thirteen immediately tucked his knife away and then grabbed hold of Twenty-two to drag him off into a nearby building. With a bit of scavenged rope, he tied the Number’s hands together. Eighteen and Forty-three followed his lead.
They moved onward. Thirteen was cautious as he led the small group through the quiet streets of the village. He knew they were in a time crunch, but it would be worse to be caught if they rushed in recklessly. Caution had been a lesson he had already known, but further drilled in deep. And it paid off when they came upon one of the bases. Thirteen held up his closed fist once more.
This base was different from the one they had been given. It was close to the river and on stilts. Thirteen wondered if it was to keep the house away from water, but he didn’t dwell on it long. Instead, he did a quick survey of the base. From what he could see, they had done the opposite of what Thirteen had ordered for his squad. There were only a handful of Numbers that watched the base. But considering they were still guarding it, that meant they still had their flag. He quickly ordered the other four to distract the guards, then motioned for Eighteen to follow him.
As they made it around the back of the house without being spotted, Thirteen crouched behind some crates as he waited for the others to make their distraction. As soon as they were in the clear, he jumped up and climbed the supports until he could get in through the open window. Eighteen slipped in behind him, but neither spotted the flag. Thirteen quietly motioned for her to check the other room while he looked around in the current one, just in case the squad had hidden their flag.
“Hey!” Thirteen spun around at the sudden sound, his knife in his hand once more. “Thirteen? How did you even get in?” In the doorway stood Seven, one of the older boys and one of the original ten Numbers. Thirteen swallowed quickly and adjusted his stance. He didn’t want to fight Seven for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because he wouldn’t be able to hold his ground against him. However, he had to protect Eighteen and they were so close to getting the flag.
Seven gave a wane smile and tucked his knife away. When Thirteen hesitated and started to lower his arms, the brown haired boy shook his head and then put up his hands. “No, no… This is all a game, right? But I have an unfair advantage over you, don’t you think? So, let’s even the playing field. Come on, Thirteen. You made it this far and I’m impressed. Show me what else you got!”
Thirteen hesitated, but Seven did have a point. They were taught how to fight unarmed against those who were armed, so Seven would probably be just fine. Thirteen gave a tight nod and adjusted his grip on the knife. Maybe this would give Eighteen enough time to get the flag and get out.
As soon as Thirteen agreed, Seven made the first move. As Seven dashed at him, Thirteen swept out with the knife as he pivoted. Seven grabbed hold of his wrist however and tried to drag him in even further to throw off his momentum while avoiding the knife. He brought up an elbow, obviously intent on putting it in Thirteen’s face. A hit like that would probably drop him, Thirteen thought in the split second as he twisted his arm towards Seven’s thumb to break his grip. He then immediately dropped to avoid the elbow to the face.
Already crouched low, Thirteen swept out his leg in an effort to knock Seven off his feet. The older boy immediately leapt out of the way. Back and forth they traded blows, though Thirteen felt his were much clumsier. Seven was holding back, he was sure of it. Eighteen should have had plenty of time now, right? He had to find a way to break free and make a run for it!
“You’ve lost concentration, Thirteen,” Seven called out to him. “Got too many thoughts in that brain of yours. Learn to not think! React!” The older boy’s shout startled him and Thirteen lashed out without thinking as Seven darted in once more. He could not even recall just what he had done, but Thirteen was surprised to find resistance beneath his blade that soon gave way to a warm burst of blood. It took him a long moment to realize just what he had done, what had happened. Immediately, he dropped his grip on the knife and stumbled back a couple steps.
Thirteen’s hands shook as he stared up at Seven. The older boy looked down at the knife in his chest with some surprise before he dropped down onto his knees. “Oh. Thirteen,” he said urgently as he coughed up some blood. Seven reached up and wrapped a hand around the hilt. “Promise me, Thirteen. We won’t all make it to the end. We never were going to, but promise me you will. Promise me that Legio won’t win.”
Unable to think of words to say, Thirteen choked on the breath he tried to take. This was Seven. Seven had helped him on his first night of training, whose cot was right next to his. Seven who had smuggled him an extra apple when Thirteen had wanted to give up. Seven was… Seven was a friend, a big brother. “No, no, no, no,” Thirteen finally choked out as he dropped down at Seven’s side. “I didn’t mean to, please, I’m sorry!” He whispered the words urgently, his green eyes wide with wild emotion.
“Promise me, Thirteen!” Seven said as he gripped Thirteen’s wrist with a weakening grasp. There was so much blood, too much blood, as Seven’s face turned ashen. He tipped over and collapsed onto his side as his hand slipped from Thirteen’s wrist. “Promise me that you won’t… let Legio win.”
Thirteen let out a choked sob. “I..I promise,” he finally choked out. “I’m sorry, Seven. I didn’t mean to.”
Seven’s smile was resigned. “It wasn’t… fault,” he breathed out, his eyes closing. “Remember me, Thirteen, will…? You’re the only… one…” The words gurgled in his throat before he fell silent with one last exhale and lay too still. The blood continued to pour from his chest even without a beating heart, spread out in a pool around him and soaked into Thirteen’s fatigues.
Eighteen was suddenly there. She spared Seven a pained look, but grabbed hold of Thirteen’s arm. “I got the flag! We have to go, Thirteen!” She dragged the younger boy away from Seven’s body, the older boy’s eyes little more than glass marbles for all the life that was in them. Thirteen’s body moved on autopilot as he allowed himself to be dragged away, the world muted around him and on a lag. He’d never see Seven again, Thirteen realized. Not his Seven, though there would soon be a Seven to replace him.
How they arrived back at their base, Thirteen could not even begin to remember. He didn’t even hear the sound of the gunshot to announce the end of their game when Javi saw them bring back the flag. “What’s Legio?” He whispered as he stared down at his bloody hands. It had started to slowly dry and crack. The others moved around him, but he only really had Eighteen in his awareness.
“The camp,” Eighteen whispered as Thirty-three dropped down from the rafters with their flag still safe in his hands. “The camp is called Legio.”
Neither said anything else as Javi swept into the house to collect both of the flags. Thirteen didn’t respond as the soldier looked him over with an appraising eye. “Might be some hope for you yet,” he drawled and then turned away to march the Numbers back to the camp. Thirteen wanted to stab him, see him on the floor instead of Seven. Mechanically, he returned to camp with the rest. He gave his extra portion to whoever sat across from him. He never even knew how he made it through the rest of the day and into his cot. Seven’s remained empty beside him.
Notes:
Second chapter already? What can I say... this idea is stuck in my brain. It's all a bit dark, but I hope it was at least interesting. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Text
Chapter Three
The Numbers never once stopped training no matter what new land they had traveled. Though the camp, Legio, did eventually stop taking in kids. Legio cycled through their trained mercenary soldiers all the time, but none of them were put through the degree of training that the Numbers had to endure. Most new mercenaries were already highly trained anyways. As for the Numbers, Thirteen had overheard that the camp didn’t want to keep starting over with new recruits for their special unit, so they stopped recruiting Numbers altogether to focus on the ones that they had. One hundred and eighty-seven was the highest of the Numbers, the youngest. Thirteen couldn’t even begin to count just how many Numbers laid cast off in shallow graves or dumped on the sides of roads. He’d seen enough of them die that it almost seemed useless to get close to any of them. Especially after the loss of Seven.
Thirteen had nearly shut down after Seven’s death. Blood was a new feature in his dreams unless he was too exhausted to dream. He’d nearly stopped eating and deep bags had developed into a sunken face with dead eyes. Capitán dropped him into Interrogation Resistance Training, IRT as they called it. Torture and punishment as the Numbers called it. Thirteen could not face water for nearly a week after he was released from the first session. Though if Capitán’s intention was to shock Thirteen out of his disassociated lethargy, it worked. Whether it was the pain or something else, Thirteen grit his teeth and learned to bear it. “Don’t worry about the future. Figure out how to survive the present.”
Then, Thirteen turned eight years old. Or would turn eight that year? At least he assumed he was seven or eight years old, but he did know they were somewhere in southern China and the year had just turned to 1988. They had lost a few of the Numbers along the way, but gained no one to replace them. Thirteen wondered how many more Numbers they would lose before it was over. Would it ever be over?
Capitán came to the Numbers one day and picked out a handful of them, Thirteen included. “It’s time you useless fucks learn to earn your keep,” he told them as they were outfitted in custom military gear and handed rifles. “You four are not the worst shooters of your lot so you’ll be running support with Squad Novem. They’ll be collecting a drop and ya’ll are expected to listen to the squad commander. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir!” The young voices called out as they gripped guns that seemed too large in their hands. Thirteen pulled up his scarf to cover the bottom half of his face.
Something went wrong on the mission. They had been on an open airfield with very little cover, though the Numbers were small enough to hide between crates so they wouldn’t be seen. Thirteen found good sightlines of the drop point, Novem all stationed around the truck they had arrived in.
It was a good half an hour before a plane arrived. None of the Numbers had moved, childhood impatience long ago beaten down into the patience of soldiers. Thirteen watched the plane descend through the scope of his M16A1, watched as crates were unloaded. It was as the crates were loaded into the truck that something went wrong. One of Novem squad went down in a spray of blood and brain matter. Thirteen immediately trained his sights on the shooter as shouting erupted amongst the adults, as Novem scrambled for cover and to return fire.
Their orders had been to protect Novem squad and provide backup if anything happened. Thirteen knew that if they failed it would be the Numbers who were blamed. So, he drew in a breath and took the shot as he breathed out. He did not even stop to watch as the man fell, instead lined up his next mark. Breathe in. Breathe out with the shot.
Two of the unknowns were taken out before they seemed to realize where the shots had come from. Thirteen quickly ducked down behind the crate for cover, but not before one of the bullets grazed his arm. He grit his teeth against the pain and looked over to the side where Six was crouched behind a shipping container. Thirteen raised his hand to shoulder level and then bent his hand to the side with four fingers extended. Nine enemies. Six nodded and then dashed to the other side of the container.
There was a sudden pause, so Thirteen popped back up and took a few more shots before gunfire was trained on him once more. He crouched low again and then he started to move. One of his shots had gotten a man in the shoulder, but Thirteen knew enough by now to know that it would not have taken the man out. He dashed out of his cover and behind another crate, little explosions near his feet as bullets impacted the ground. He looked over to the side to see that Seventy-eight’s eyes were wild with terror from where he was crouched next to a piece of machinery, his hands over his ears.
Thirteen looked away and peeked around the edge of the container. Two of the men went down as he watched, one because of Six and the other because of Novem squad. Seven more enemies to go. “Get up, Seventy-eight. If you don’t, Capitán will shoot you,” Thirteen said without inflection as he took a shot into the chest of the seventh enemy. Six more to go. From across the field from where he was, Thirteen watched as Sixty-two went down. It was almost in slow motion as her head shot back and then she crumpled.
It all ended as suddenly as it had started. Thirteen immediately went to Sixty-two’s side, but she was already gone. On impulse, Thirteen reached out to close her eyes. “Oh, ain’t that a shame,” a voice said from over Thirteen’s shoulder. He had heard the soldier’s approach so he didn’t jump. Instead, he straightened up and waited for any further orders. “Strip her down and leave her. Get moving, we have to report back to Capitán.” The man turned sharply on his heel and walked back over to the truck. The body of the Novem squad member was loaded up into the truck and Thirteen squashed the bitterness that tried to rise up in his throat. He followed orders and left Sixty-two behind, all that was left of her identity stripped away.
When they arrived back at the camp, the Novem squad soldier was given a proper burial and then they were ordered to pack up. Sixty-two was never mentioned except by the other Numbers who asked in whispered where she was. Thirteen could only shake his head and move to follow orders. The camp had what they needed in China, so Capitán ordered them on to whatever was their next destination.
Travel was just as impossibly quick as it always was, but now Thirteen knew that the camp used magical highways to get where they needed faster than if they traveled non-magical roads. When they set up camp again, they learned that they were in Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan. Within days, Legio squads fought in the skirmishes between Armenian backed secessionists against the Republic of Azerbaijan that had support from Turkey. It was in these skirmishes that quite a few of the Numbers had their first taste of real warfare and not just the games they were still forced to play. Thirteen saw them lose ten more of the Numbers before the main Legio camp moved on to join Ba'athist Iraq during the Anfal campaign.
It did not take long for the camp to use the Numbers once more as extra guns in a war that the children did not understand. Thirteen himself was ordered to follow a squad into some village he never learned the name of to help kill defenceless Kurdish civilians that he had been told were Kurdish rebels. When Thirteen refused, the commander of Squad Octo backhanded him and killed the family in front of him anyways. “Refuse again and I’ll shoot three of the Numbers next.” A little more light left Thirteen’s eyes as he learned to follow orders without question, no matter how much something in his brain rebelled against it.
Then, in May, the camp moved to Somalia. There, Legio took part in the Hargeisa-Burao offensive on the side of the Somali National Movement. First they helped capture Burao on the 27th of May before they went on to enter Hargeisa on the 29th. The city was mostly overrun by the 1st of June. Thirteen could only watch as heavy artillery and tanks were used against civilians. Not long after, with barely any time to process, the main camp moved on. Capitán had a policy of moving the whole camp to scope out a conflict before he ordered squads to take part. Sometimes they blended in with the militaries or rebels they aided, sometimes they worked more openly. It made Thirteen wonder just how many squads operated under Legio’s leadership. Hundreds? Thousands? Mercenaries died and new mercenaries were hired. Squads were shipped out and then returned weeks or even months later. Thirteen was never able to grasp the size of the camp.
But then it was in Laos they found a permanent home for Legio. The Numbers needed better training, Capitán had said. So they had come to the depths of Laos, a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. Its geography consisted mainly of thickly forested landscape that covered the rugged mountains of the Annamite and Luang Prabang Ranges with some plains and plateaus. And, from what Thirteen could remember, the Mekong River formed a large part of the country’s western boundary with Thailand. The river was a major lifeline for the country. He only knew this because the camp had started the Numbers on geography along with their other lessons, Laos their most recent lecture.
None of the Numbers were ever privy to whatever made Capitán choose their location, but they built a more permanent camp near the Mekong River in the mountainous forest. The Numbers still lived in their tent barracks, but Legio started to build permanent buildings for the rest of the camp. There were barracks for Legio’s mercenaries. A couple of hangars for the number of helicopters they operated. At least four warehouses that housed their trucks and other equipment. A permanent medical station and a communications tower. It was a sprawling complex surrounded by chain link fence and barbed wire fitted with wards of some sort that Thirteen could feel buzz across his skin. The greatest of these newest buildings Capitán called the Playground. It was a six story monstrosity at the back of the camp that looked, on the outside, like an unfinished and under construction work site. In reality, it was filled with traps and all sorts of scenarios for the camp to train on. Legio’s soldiers ran their drills on the equipment while the Numbers were forced through increasingly difficult war games.
As the Numbers continued to grow as time passed, the animosity the soldiers showed them also grew. What started as bullying and taunting developed into beatings. Thirteen was the first to have enough and fight back, where it came after Capitán had started to allow them more freedom after dinner. Thirteen had discovered a preference for high places, so would slip away after dinner to climb the Playground. There was always at least one squad that he had to avoid, but his reward was the view from the rooftop.
That evening, he miscalculated. He had a black eye that was swollen shut from an earlier incident, but still had not quite learned how to compensate for blindspots. Thirteen reacted too slowly when a hand suddenly reached for him and grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt. Flung to the ground, he grunted as a heavy boot slammed into his stomach. Thirteen wrapped his arms around his stomach and curled up tightly. “What do you think you’re doing? That eager to play with us, dipshit?” There was laughter and Thirteen realized that he was surrounded. Five altogether by his count.
“Hey, Thirteen. You Numbers like games, don’t you?” More laughter followed the question before one of the soldiers crouched down next to him. “Want to play hide-and-seek? Be a good little boy and maybe we won’t kill you when we find you, huh?” Thirteen could just barely see from where he had moved to shelter his head. The soldier pulled a knife from his flak vest and spun it in his finger. Thirteen focused on the knife, a curved karambit. “You Numbers die all the time, don’t ya? What’s another one to throw in the pit?”
A wave of wild anger overtook Thirteen. He took a sharp breath and then suddenly moved. Surprise was the only thing that managed to get him possession of the karambit. In the next moment, the soldier was flat on his back and Thirteen had managed to cut his neck wide open. The soldier’s hands flew to his neck in surprise as he gurgled and spat out blood even as he struggled to draw in air. Thirteen let out an angry yell as he was grabbed by his arms and dragged away from the dying soldier.
“What the fuck! Hold him down!” The adults yelled over his head as Thirteen wrestled one arm free and lashed out with the karambit once more as he used his small size to cut into the leg of the soldier that still held onto him. The man fell back with a yell as another finally darted in and was able to grab onto Thirteen’s collar. He forced Thirteen down onto the ground, the boy’s face pressed into the dirt as a boot nearly stomped down onto his neck. His arms were pinned next and all Thirteen could hear was yelling.
“What is going on here?” That was Capitán’s voice. “Get him on his feet!”
Thirteen was dragged up and he glowered at Capitán with one narrowed eye. Capitán ignored him for a moment as he examined the situation. The man that had his leg sliced open by Thirteen was being treated. The first man was dead and his body was being taken away. “Are you going to answer me, boy?”
“I defended myself,” was all Thirteen spit out. Blood was in his mouth, so he spat it on the ground and continued to glare at Capitán. The three uninjured men started to call for Thirteen’s punishment.
But, remarkably, Capitán started to laugh. “Punish him? Why should I? He took down two fully grown men. I want to see what else he’ll be able to do.” He grinned his shark’s smile and leaned in to roughly grab Thirteen’s chin. “Keep the knife as a trophy. Show me how far you can claw your way up, Thirteen.”
Whatever Capitán saw in him, he started to demand more. Thirteen was pushed farther and harder than the other Numbers. Between his training and what little rest he could grab, he was sent on missions with the various squads. Experience in the field, Capitán had said. Experience? The only thing Thirteen really learned was loneliness and that the terror of mortar bombings followed him into his sleeping moments. Not that he ever slept enough to dream when on mission.
On one such mission, Thirteen reached into a pouch on his flak vest and removed a protein bar. He leaned against the tree and ripped open the packaging with his teeth. One hand was wrapped around his rifle, finger near the trigger. “Creepy fucking kid,” a voice said from nearby, but Thirteen ignored it to take a bite out of his bar. It was gross, but he didn’t really taste it anymore. He was used to getting his nutrients where he could and however he could. Had he ever had good food before? Good food seemed to exist in that the soldiers complained often enough that the food at camp wasn’t “good”. Whatever that meant. “He even have any emotions?”
“You haven’t been around very long, have you?” Another voice snorted. “He’s one of the Numbers. One of Capitán’s special projects. You’ll get used to it, I suppose.”
“The kid is like, what, eight?”
“Nah, pretty sure the healer said he’s nine now.” Huh, so he’d been with the camp for roughly four years then. He had been five when he had been brought in, Thirteen thought absently as he tore another piece off of his protein bar with his teeth. “Ain’t magic great?” The soldier continued. “Capitán wanted to keep track of Thirteen’s physical progress so ordered some full checkup or something. Kid’s a bit on the small side, but they’ve been feedin’ him some potions or some shit. Bit of a waste, personally. Why waste good shit on the brat if it’s not even guaranteed he’ll make it all the way through training?”
Whatever other routes the conversation might have taken, Thirteen never heard. A mortar suddenly went off far too close for comfort. He immediately abandoned the rest of his protein bar and was on his feet. He pulled his scarf up over to protect his shaved head and ran for cover in the nearby ruins of a building. He slid into his foxhole and pressed his back against the wall as another explosion went off, even closer than before. One of the soldiers dropped in next to him and ducked quickly as debris suddenly showered down on top of them as another mortar exploded nearby.
“Goddamn explosive shits,” the soldier muttered as he slid down against the wall of the foxhole. He looked over to Thirteen then and tsked softly as he adjusted his own rifle. “Well, explains why the hole isn’t very deep,” he muttered. Thirteen slid down the wall himself until he was wrapped around his own weapon, his eyes unfocused as he stared down at the packed dirt of the foxhole floor. There wasn’t much they could do, trapped in the hole as the world exploded around them. “You know what comes next, don’t you, kid? They’ll ambush us as we recover from being bombarded like this. You better not get me killed, you little bitch.”
Thirteen looked up slowly and debated if it was worth it to put a bullet through the soldier’s brains. He dropped his eyes again and adjusted his grip on the rifle as he held back a flinch from another explosion. The bombardment lasted around twenty minutes. As soon as it finally ended, Thirteen stood up and readied his rifle. The foxhole was about a meter deep as Thirteen himself stood at just over a meter. The soldier had to stay crouched, but he readied himself as well. Thirteen ignored him, though he kept the man on the edge of his awareness. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the soldiers tried for friendly fire against the Numbers when they thought they could get away with it.
Thirteen’s sharp eyes suddenly spotted movement in the treeline. He adjusted his grip on his rifle and sighted down the scope. Standing orders were to defend their position, to retreat only if necessary. Thirteen knew that defeat was not an option, that Capitán would punish him if he did. So he took a deep breath and steadily lined up his shot. Once their enemy emerged from the treeline, Thirteen did not hesitate to fire. It went through the man’s shoulder, but the next went through his throat. Thirteen did not stop to watch him go down and instead lined up his next shot. There were fourteen enemy combatants, but Thirteen had no idea how many of their original ten man squad was left after the mortar shells. He could hear gunfire that was not his or the soldier next to him, but also not from their enemies before them. Some others had survived, but he didn’t know how many.
A spray of gunfire suddenly kicked up dirt in front of the foxhole. Thirteen immediately ducked down into cover as the soldier next to him cursed rapidly. They had to get out of the hole. With the dirt that was kicked up, and when the bullets stopped, Thirteen threw himself up out of the foxhole and dived for cover behind one of the crumbling cement walls that had been pockmarked by bullets.
Thirteen took a breath and let his head fall back against the wall, the rifle clutched tightly against his chest. He focused on his magic then and reached out his awareness. The Legio soldier that had been in the foxhole with him had also jumped from the pit and was behind a nearby wall. He thought the man’s name was Lopez. Maybe. There was no one else in the immediate vicinity, so he was safe to spread out his awareness even further. He could read up to a one kilometer radius now, though it took some time. It was not very detailed feedback either. He likened it to very basic infrared night vision. He could vaguely tell where there were walls or large structures based off of shades of grey. Living creatures showed up as blobs of light in forms that were somewhat reminiscent of whatever they were. Humans were human shaped blobs, animals were small balls of light. No animals showed up currently though, scared away or killed by the mortar fire. Eight of the original ten man squad remained, which included him. They were littered about the ruins of the building, though Lopez was still closest. Of the fourteen enemies he originally spotted, nine were left.
And two were closing in on his position. Thirteen quickly opened his eyes and let his awareness come back to himself. However it took a moment and, when his eyes focused again, he realized that he stared down the barrel of a gun. He wasn’t fast enough, but the man lowered his weapon abruptly with his expression that of surprise. “ស្អី...វានៅក្មេង!” Thirteen’s Khmer wasn’t good, but he thought it was a comment on his age. “ដាក់អាវុធចុះកូន។” That was an order to put his weapon down. He understood that much. But he wasn’t about to follow orders from anyone but Legio.
Thirteen caught the flash of a muzzle from the corner of his eye and quickly brought his own rifle up. Before the enemy could respond, Thirteen shot one point blank in the face. Next to him, the man’s partner dropped as well. “Well, guess havin’ a kid like you is good for something at least. Probably thought you were an untrained brat with a gun dropped in your hands. Idiots.” Thirteen didn’t react to Lopez’s comments.
“Seven more,” he muttered instead as he straightened up. They didn’t have time to chat. Thirteen took off towards where he had seen a cluster of enemies.
“Get down, idiot!” A voice suddenly yelled and Thirteen dropped without a thought. A grenade soared over his head in the next moment so Thirteen released his gun and protected his head with his arms. The explosion caused debris to rain down on him, but he was otherwise uninjured. Thirteen picked up his gun again and rolled to his feet before he took off again to join three Legio soldiers in the corner of a half fallen room. Lopez wasn’t far behind.
The firefight lasted for nearly an hour as what was left of their enemy returned to the treeline, but they managed to hold their position in the end. They were there in Cambodia for nearly another week before Thirteen found himself returned to base camp. He wasn’t allowed any rest before he was thrown back into his training with the other Numbers.
Tensions between the squads and the Numbers continued to grow. As young and inexperienced children, they had been easily pushed around. But as the years passed, the young children were turned into soldiers with their own personalities that were not mindless drones for Legio. If they wanted to survive, they could not be ground down under the heel of their superiors. It didn’t help that Capitán encouraged their behaviour, their independence. He wanted them loyal to Legio, but able to think for themselves. That was how missions succeeded.
But the Legio squads knew that the Numbers were Capitán’s special project and even as adults some of the mercenaries reacted like spoiled children who didn’t get enough attention. Or maybe they were just cruel. Either way, Capitán didn’t stop the mercenaries from bullying the Numbers and didn’t stop the Numbers from fighting back. Thirteen himself would find his way between soldiers and the Numbers to protect his fellows. If they wanted him to be a leader, then he would be one. And that meant protecting those under his command. It took three more dead mercenaries before the soldiers finally learned to pick fights with Numbers when they knew for sure Thirteen was not around.
Time continued onward in a blur of missions and training. Nightmares occupied his mind at night and sometimes they followed him into his waking moments. The bang of a dropped tray in the mess suddenly would become the sound of gunfire. Men would be yelling around him. It wasn’t safe. When he would come back to himself, he knew he could have hurt the Numbers around him. Sometimes it felt like he couldn't trust his own mind not to betray him. So Thirteen learned to suppress everything, to lock it deeply away in the darkest recesses of his mind. He had a good memory, but these he purposefully refused to remember. He wondered instead what it was like Before. All he remembered was the fight for his life, though sometimes the Numbers talked about things they remembered from their Befores that Thirteen didn't understand. They had a chance to be children once, but he didn't remember such nice things.
When Thirteen was ten years old - probably - the Numbers were ordered to specialize. Infiltration. Assassination. Melee combat. Anything. They were supposed to find what they were good at and become better. The best. Capitán pushed Thirteen to specialize in whatever they threw at him. Capitán forced him through IRT again to remind him what would happen if he failed. Once it was over, Thirteen ground his teeth and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the karambit to remind himself that he wouldn't let Legio win.
As Specialization training began, Thirteen was first handed a Remington 700 SWS M24 rifle to train as a sniper. Numbers Three and Eight were much better than him, better in that they would be Sniper Specialists, but Thirteen took to the rifle like he took to the many things they required of him. After all, he had the most field experience of all the Numbers as Capitán continued to push for more.
Numbers Four, Eleven, and Fourteen were ghosts as Infiltration Specialists, but Thirteen still learned to be a shadow. Just because he wasn’t as good as the other three numbers, disn’t mean that he couldn’t all but disappear when he wanted to. The soldiers quickly learned they didn’t have the upperhand in their version of hide-and-seek anymore.
Numbers Fifteen and Sixteen were siblings. Twins. They had an affinity for explosives, munitions. Thirteen knew his way around a bomb, around the many guns that passed through his hands, but the soldiers called the twins ‘powder monkeys’. Whatever that meant. Everyone learned to keep a wide berth when the twins had access to anything that could explode.
One thing he did better than anyone else was that no one could beat Thirteen in unarmed combat, and especially not when he had a weapon in his hand. He was light on his feet and fast, his sharp eyes quick to pick up on what an opponent was about to do before they have even done it. He was resourceful. Others were good, but few could quite keep up with him. Capitán pitted him against the Legio soldiers instead to keep him on his toes. The soldiers were more than happy to put him in his place, but it only meant Thirteen picked up more tricks. There was no such thing as honour in those fights.
As the Numbers picked up more skills, the Legio mercenaries quickly become wary of the Numbers in ways they never had before. They had started to keep up with the adults in their drills, sometimes even surpass them when they found out how to use their sizes to their advantage, and far fewer of the Numbers died. The Numbers were always survivors and they had been with Legio for long enough now that they were adaptable.
Time still passed and the year Thirteen turned eleven, he was in some sandy half buried ghost village in Egypt when the scar on his forehead flared up. He didn’t know how he had gotten it, but he had had it for as long as he could remember. Could he have gotten it Before? He didn’t know just how in the Before, though that was the likeliest answer. Thirteen’s skin had always been a touch darker than a lot of the children, though not as dark as some, but the sun had seen to a deep tan that he always sported. He could have blended in with the children he had seen as they passed through Middle Eastern countries if it was not for the vibrant green of his eyes.
Thirteen had seen himself in a mirror once, and had had a chance to see the scar on his forehead. It was pale in colour compared to the rest of his skin, went through his brow and down to his cheek without touching the eye itself. The thin spidery lines were like a web or a lightning strike that burst across the right side of his face, centered mainly around his forehead and ended upon the arch of his cheek. Some of the Numbers had said it was a cool scar, better than the other scars they had all started to collect like trophies of survival.
The scar was a scar. But only until one night as Thirteen pressed himself against the side of a sandy wall in some forgotten village in the desert. Twenty-nine and Eighty-three were there with him as well as they rested. Legio squad Quattuor was nearby, but the night was quiet. Eighty-three had the first watch, so Twenty-nine and Thirteen had settled in for some sleep while they could. Normally, Thirteen didn’t dream when on missions. He never slept deeply enough to dream when he had to be prepared to move in an instant. But, impossibly, he had barely closed his eyes when he suddenly stood in a corridor made of stone. There were flashes of strange things. A dog too large to be normal with more than one head. A plant that moved like a hungry creature. Keys that swarmed like bugs. Stone statues that held weapons and moved. A troll like he had seen in one of Legio’s books once. A mirror, but it was not his image that stared back at him.
The agony of white hot fire seared across Thirteen’s brain and anger that was not his own seemed to choke him. Thirteen woke suddenly with a cry that wanted to tear from his throat, but never escaped. Screams meant death. When he opened his eyes, he saw Eighty-three’s eyes on him. None of them were strangers to nightmares, though Eighty-three seemed a little unsettled. “Your scar is bleeding,” the girl whispered in confusion. “You weren’t thrashing, so you didn’t hit your head.” Thirteen reached up and touched his forehead with dirty fingers. He pulled his hand away and found his fingers sticky with blood, just as Eighty-three had said.
After wiping his hand off on his fatigue pants, Thirteen retrieved a bit of gauze from one of the pockets of his flak vest. Their clothes had been custom made to fit the small children, but they were still somewhat ill fitting. Thirteen found the flak vests useful though as he could squirrel away all sorts of things in the many pockets. It did offer some protection too, of course. He kept a small medical kit in one of the pockets, so retrieved some gauze to clean away the blood. “Get sleep. I’ll take watch now,” he muttered to Eighty-three. She hesitated, but then nodded and curled up tighter in her corner.
As Thirteen extended his awareness to keep an eye on things around them, he turned his thoughts to his strange dream. It felt real in a way that dreams rarely were. He had relived memories in dreams before, but this felt real with things he could not remember. Were they memories of Before? Somehow he doubted it as the mirror was an anomaly. Thirteen frowned and shut the dream away in one of the rooms of his mind. With magic, he had learned how to organize his mind in a way that most couldn’t. He had modeled it after the Playground, tall and imposing with many rooms along with its traps. As its architect, he could move things around where he wanted them so that his darkest memories were kept locked and buried. The dream was locked away in the same rooms.
The scar didn’t hurt for a long time after that, so Thirteen put it out of his mind. He had other things that he needed to worry about. Especially once they returned to the camp at the end of their mission and Capitán announced preparations for their final test. Their Baptism. He refused to tell them exactly what they would entail, but only that they needed to train themselves harder if they wanted to survive.
The year Thirteen would turn twelve, it was the year 1992. It was the year that everything changed. Again.
Notes:
Sorry if the pacing a bit weird, but I tried to make it flow well! I wanted to move time along as most of the training likely would have gotten a bit repetitive.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter Text
Chapter Four
Thirteen knew something big was coming, and not just because of Capitán’s announcement. For a week they had not done any learning in the concrete featureless bunker that had been their schoolhouse. Instead, they endlessly ran drills and simulations in the Playground or on the equipment around it. They were woken at earlier hours and not allowed any freedom after dinner as they were forced into more drills until they collapsed into their cots long after midnight.
And then one night they aren’t even allowed to escape to their barracks. They were instead herded off to the hangar where one of the recently acquired Ilyushin Il-76s sat idling there on the short runway as it went through its flight checks. The four-jet, heavy transport had been bought off of the Soviets and was one of two that was new to Legio’s arsenal. It had been designed to deliver heavy vehicles and machinery to remote, poorly-serviced airfields so was perfect for Legio operations. Magic roads were better than normal ones, but there were still some places that were inaccessible by ground vehicles.
Legio also had in operation three Chinook helicopters that were capable of troop transport, each liberated in the various operations Legio participated in across the world, but an aircraft like the Ilyushin Il-76 was faster and had greater capacity. It could carry both troops and other cargo. And, that night, the Numbers were the cargo.
Before they were marched onto the craft, Capitán had them stand at attention in lines in the hangar. They each stood next to a pack that Thirteen could only imagine was a parachute, along with hopefully some supplies. Thirteen was exhausted and had hoped to get some sleep finally, but it looked like they would be practicing night drops. Though it was unusual for Capitán to be the one that send them off.
“One hundred and twenty-three of you left,” Capitán suddenly said as he crossed his arms behind his back. “Out of the hundreds of potential recruits, we are down to you who have made it this far. Perhaps I was right to put my faith in you, that you are not all hopeless.” His eyes lingered on Thirteen, but the boy continued to stare straight ahead. His eyes were dull but they never wavered. Capitán chuckled and continued onward. “Tonight begins your final trial. The bloody gauntlet. Your baptism into a new life.”
Thirteen knew they were all uneasy, but barely any of them moved. The ones that did… well, Thirteen was sure they would not survive whatever it was they were about to be put through. Capitán smirked as he wordlessly looked them over for a moment before he walked over to one of the soldiers and took something from him. “You all will be dropped into an arena specifically created for this purpose,” he told them. “Weapons and some supplies have been hidden about the field.” He didn’t have to say that there wasn’t enough for all of them.
Capitán held up the object that he had taken from the soldier. “There are twenty-four of these scattered about the drop zone,” the large man said with a wicked smile. Thirteen felt dread coil in his stomach though he didn’t allow it to show on his face. He was sure he knew where this was going. “Only twenty-four of you will be allowed to continue on,” Capitán told them with a vicious sort of glee. “Only the best of the best will come out on top. You’ll earn your new designations and be assigned to five man squads as full members of Legio.” One hundred and twenty-three. That meant that ninety-nine of them were about to die. “You will have twenty-four hours to secure a token. We’ll be watching.”
Thirteen forced himself to breathe evenly as he stared at the token in Capitán’s hands. It was large enough to fit in the palm of the hand and was shaped like a shield. Though Thirteen could not quite make out the design from his distance, he knew exactly what it looked like. The insignia of Legio. In the center of the shield would be a skull with two tactical knives crossed beneath it like crossbones, while behind it was a wreath of laurel leaves. Thirteen had seen the insignia often enough on the patches that Legio mercenaries wore.
“Suit up!” The order cracked through the silence like a whip. Thirteen immediately grabbed for the pack at his feet and shouldered it. He clicked it into place, his nimble fingers sure as he adjusted the straps. As they were herded towards the plane, they were handed goggles one by one. Thirteen immediately pulled his on as he found his place. He curled his hand in the strap and waited for takeoff. Twenty-four hours to find a token and then protect it. That would mean a weapon, so his first priority would be to find a weapon and then find somewhere safe to go to ground.
Thirteen ran his eyes over the other Numbers around him. All of them were quiet, but not all of them looked unafraid. Most of them were afraid, but those who could not hide it were likely to be the first to die. They would be preyed upon if they even made it to the ground in one piece. Night drops were dangerous enough even if one knew what they were doing and were prepared for it. Thirteen could not help but wonder how many wouldn’t even make it to the ground.
As soon as he had jumped and the parachute had been deployed, Thirteen reached out with his awareness. It still took a moment to come back to him sometimes, but he felt this was necessary to get him safely to the ground. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it still was easier to see the trees with his magical sight rather than his physical eyes. The ground was coming up quick but, even with a couple of close calls, Thirteen still made it down safely. Immediately, he took a second to examine the jungle around him. There were a few of the Numbers in relatively close vicinity, but nothing to be overly concerned about yet. For now, he had to get himself a weapon and shelter so he could regroup. There had been heavy clouds so it would rain soon.
Thirteen quickly unclipped his harness and gathered up the parachute. It would both cover up his tracks and the materials would be useful. If nothing else, the parachute cord itself could be repurposed as a serviceable garrote. Not his preferred weapon, but he would need something more than just his hands. With that in mind, Thirteen stuffed the roughly folded parachute into his pack and then slung it back onto his back. He had felt a cave or something nearby that could be used for shelter, so he perched his goggles on the top of his head and then took off.
The cave was barely large enough to even be considered a cave, more of a void in the side of the mountain created by tree roots and a large rock. But it was protected from the rain that started to fall and no one would be able to sneak up behind him. So Thirteen pressed himself into the small hole and searched through the pack to see if Legio was nice enough to leave them any gifts. They hadn't been, not except for the small pocket knife he found shoved into one of the many otherwise empty pockets. The little knife would be useful even if he’d rather have a ka-bar or a firearm. So he spent an hour to plan as he fashioned himself a garrote from paracord and two handles made from pieces of the root he carved out with the pocket knife. That was probably the hardest bit.
Once the garrote was carefully wrapped up and stashed in his pocket, Thirteen closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the hard packed wall. He took measured breaths as he prepared himself. He couldn't afford to wait there for long. He knew that he’d fall behind if he waited too long. He didn’t want to kill his fellow Numbers, but he also didn’t want to die. And the only way to survive was to claw to the top. Besides, wouldn’t he be doing the Numbers a favour? Better for them to be dead if they couldn't handle what Legio would put them through. They had all grown up together, trained together. But. The Numbers could not afford attachments if they wanted to survive. Only the strongest survived.
So Thirteen took a deep breath and spread out his awareness once more. It was too bad he could not use this to find weapons or tokens, but it was still useful in other ways. And, right now, it told him that there were no Numbers nearby. Thirteen slid out of the hole with the pocket knife in his hand. He left the pack with the torn apart parachute behind as it would only slow him down. First priority would be to find a better weapon.
Twenty minutes later, Thirteen came across another of the Numbers. The boy had seemingly crash landed in the trees and it was not hard to see that he was badly injured. At first, Thirteen wasn’t even sure if the other boy was alive. Even if he was still alive, he wasn’t going to make it. Thirteen nearly left him there, but the boy moaned and weakly tried to lift his head. Before he really thought about it, Thirteen carefully climbed up into the tree to cut the boy down. The bow was so out of it, possibly delirious, that he didn’t even cry out as he crumpled on the forest floor. It was then that Thirteen could see the boy’s number on his shirt. One hundred and thirty. One of the younger ones.
Thirteen dropped down quietly to the forest floor and went over to One hundred-thirty. He crouched down and carefully moved the boy onto his back. Broken leg and broken arm. Possibly broken ribs and probably concussed. One hundred-thirty was not going to make it, Thirteen was sure of that. He would die of possible internal injuries or from dehydration. A slow death, but Legio would not send anyone to retrieve him and not any of the Numbers would try to save him when they had their own lives to worry about. They had to know when to cut their losses. So, Thirteen made a quick decision and straddled the boy’s torso to pin his arms against his sides. He then pinched One hundred-thirty’s nose shut and tightly pressed his other hand over his mouth. The boy weakly struggled after a moment, but Thirteen held firm until his struggles slowly stopped and he lay still. Thirteen searched for a pulse, but found none so he moved on and left the body behind.
As much as he desperately just wanted to get some sleep, even just an hour or two, Thirteen knew he couldn’t stop moving. Especially now when there were at least three Numbers within distance of him. They all seemed to be descending upon his location, though not with the gait of someone who was on the hunt. They had not spotted him yet, but he did not want to be caught in the middle. There was a tree nearby with vines strong enough for him to climb, so Thirteen quickly got himself up into the higher branches. It offered him a good vantage point and, as he crouched on the sturdy branch, he realized that there was a ka-bar driven into the trunk. Thirteen immediately closed up the pocketknife to have a backup and then pulled the knife from the tree. It was a fortuitous find.
With his new weapon safely clipped to the back of his fatigues, Thirteen spread out his awareness once more to keep track of the three Numbers that were down below. Two of them immediately engaged in combat as they met, though Thirteen could not make out much more than that. When the third joined in, one of the lights slowly flickered out. It did not take long before a second died out as well. Thirteen kept still so he would not give his presence away, but suddenly he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Powerful magic was close by and it was getting closer.
Thirteen immediately looked around before he froze for only a half second. His body moved out of instinct before his mind had even caught up. Forcefield like wards had started to close in on him and Thirteen had no doubt it would mean a very painful death if he touched them. He could not even begin to find himself surprised that Legio would force them to be on the move. They would be forced to fight as they were herded towards each other, unable to just find a token and then hide with it. Thirteen frowned as he dropped down out of the tree. “Run,” he ordered the Number he landed next to with no choice. He immediately jumped back out of the way of a swing, but did not stop there. He continued to run. The other Number would either follow him or would be killed by the ward that closed in behind them.
The Number chose to follow him. Thirteen weaved between trees and over rocks as he climbed the side of the mountain. When he finally felt the ward stop in its movements, he turned on his heel and brought his hands up in defense. The other Number had still followed him. “Twenty-five,” he greeted flatly as the other skidded to a stop as well. Neither one of them were out of breath, already well used to runs longer and harder than that.
“Thirteen,” Twenty-five muttered as he drew a knife. “Do you have a token yet?”
At the question, Thirteen didn’t even move. He was under no obligation to give Twenty-five an answer. Regardless, the other Number was going to attack. He could see it in the way his body coiled and his hands tightened. Why should it matter if he had a token or not? Though it proved that Twenty-five hadn’t found one yet either. What he did have was a knife and it wouldn’t hurt to have another weapon. There were Numbers far more bloodthirsty than Twenty-five after all. Thirteen kept his knife where it was and made the first move.
Thirteen was just a bit shorter than Twenty-five, so he used that to his advantage to get in close and duck beneath the other boy’s attacks. It wasn’t without risk, but Thirteen had long since stopped caring about his own body. It wasn’t anything more than a tool and, as long as he wasn’t grievously harmed, any wounds would heal. He had to survive, but sometimes there were sacrifices that must be made.
When Twenty-five overextended just a fraction too much, Thirteen grabbed the wrist that held the knife and then twisted it. With the momentum he had gained with a turn, he grabbed Twenty-five’s elbow and then forced him to the ground. As they fell, he pushed the knife downward until it buried itself in Twenty-five’s throat. The other boy’s hand slipped away, so Thirteen grabbed it and twisted before he pulled it free. Twenty-five’s hands immediately went to his throat and Thirteen dropped the knife to cover the boy’s mouth instead.
Once Twenty-five stopped moving, Thirteen searched him quickly for any supplies but found none but the sheathe for the knife. So instead he picked up the knife and cleaned it quickly. Thirteen clipped it to his belt and then dragged Twenty-five’s body away from the clearing so it rested against the side of a tree. Thirteen only paused a moment before he took off again.
The next few hours went by quietly as Thirteen stayed close to the ward boundary and tracked how often it moved. He quickly noticed that it moved every half an hour. So he kept near the ward boundaries as the others had already moved on. It let him search more freely along the edges for anything that might have been missed. There had been a couple more knives, both of which Thirteen took. One he attached to his leg near his ankle and the other he kept in his hand. There were still no tokens, but he was biding his time. But not too long. He wouldn’t be surprised if Capitán were to change the parameters of his game.
Then Thirteen had a stroke of fortune. He had been about to head further into the arena when he had spotted something hidden within the branches of a tree above his head. No one ever bothered to look above eye level until it was too late, he thought as he started to climb. As he pulled himself up, Thirteen discovered an M24 along with a cartridge belt that held twenty bullets. That only gave him twenty shots, but it was a good find. Especially with the scope and the sun that was coming up. Thirteen gathered up his bounty and then dropped out of the tree.
Once his feet were planted firmly on the ground, Thirteen skirted the edges of the ward until he had the rising sun at his back. Then, he finally pushed inward. He came across a few bodies as he walked, some who had been killed in a fight against a fellow Number and those who did not make the landing. He moved past all of them with barely a glance. Then, ahead of him, he heard the snap of a branch.
Thirteen immediately pressed his back against the nearest trunk and spread out his awareness. He could feel a few Numbers in the area, but only one was close. And blocking the path. It wasn’t a hard choice to make. Thirteen set the sniper rifle down quietly and unsheathed one of the knives he collected. As he continued to track the Number, Thirteen waited patiently until the Number turned around. With that chance, Thirteen quietly made his move. The ka-bar wasn’t really made to be a throwing knife, but nearly any knife could be thrown if one knew how to compensate. Ninety-six went down with a knife through the back, though Thirteen might have used a bit of magic to guide the weapon deeper.
After Thirteen collected his equipment once more, he approached Ninety-six and examined her body. She did not have anything of value, so all Thirteen did then was retrieve his knife and move on. As he walked, Thirteen eventually came upon a waterfall. A quick check ensured that he was alone, so he took a quick break to drink some of the water. His stomach demanded food, but water would do for now. It was as he drank then that Thirteen noticed something that glimmered behind the waterfall. Curiously, he carefully crept closer and reached out to grasp the object. As he pulled his hand back, he was quick to realize that it was a token. The shield hung on a chain, so he slung it about his neck and tucked it under his shirt. Now all he had to do was defend his life, his possession of the token.
Though now that he had the token, Thirteen allowed himself a brief rest. He found himself a high place in one of the trees and relaxed against the trunk. He could not, would not, sleep, but he was able to rest until he felt the static of the wards move across his skin. He had to get moving once more as they continued to press further inward.
A couple hours later, Thirteen released the handles of his makeshift garrote and let the body of the Number who had tried to sneak up on him fall to the ground. It was just in time for a loud blast that echoed through the jungle suddenly, which startled birds into flight and was met with the cries of other creatures as they made known their alarm. Thirteen pressed himself against a tree and looked up with barely a frown. What was the significance of the blast? It was far from their twenty-four hour time limit, unless Capitán had decided to change the terms of the engagement. Thirteen did not think that was the case, however. So, that meant that there was another reason for the alert.
Then, Thirteen felt the power of the wards again as they started to move. It hadn’t even been the half hour yet. Thirteen pushed away from the tree and quickly moved again. If he had to take a guess, he would say that the blast was likely meant to tell them that all of the tokens had been found. The wards were getting smaller to force together anyone who was left. He had to get to higher ground, get ahead of the rest.
He felt the attack before it happened. Thirteen spun on his heel and dropped the rifle as he ducked beneath the knife thrown his way. As he came back up, Thirteen palmed his own knife in his hand. Suddenly, another Number was in his face. She had blood smeared across her cheek, her eyes wide and wild. “Give me your token! You must have a token, Thirteen!” As she made a swipe at him, too wide, Thirteen guided it away harmlessly. As he fell back again, he twisted his hand and caught her side with his own blade. She cried out, but Thirteen only stared at her flatly. If this was how she acted, then he was surprised she had made it this far. But, he had to end it quickly before she drew too much attention.
Ninety-nine lunged at him again, her steps too hasty and unrestrained. She would never make it with what Legio had made them to do. She was better off dead, where she would not have to suffer any longer. Thirteen leaned back away from her swipe and then swung around to plant his foot in the middle of her chest. She immediately flew back in surprise where she impacted against a tree trunk. Thirteen was upon her before she could recover. He drove the knife into her chest and used the palm of his hand to force it deeper. He knew enough about the body that one strike was all it took. Ninety-nine dropped quickly.
The hair stood up on the back of his neck and Thirteen immediately threw himself back. It was not a moment too soon as the bark at the level of his head suddenly exploded. Thirteen took cover as he searched for his assailant. Another shot clipped deeply into his shoulder, but Thirteen barely felt it with the adrenaline that pounded through his veins. He had his rifle, but it lay abandoned on the ground and wasn’t a quick option. Especially since the other Number was so close.
Thirteen heard another bang and then more bark exploded from the trunk above his head. It gave him the approximate trajectory and distance however, so he ducked down further and darted for the next tree. If the other Number was smart, they would save his ammo. It would draw less attention as well, but Thirteen had to weave through several more shots taken at him. The other Number hadn’t moved much either.
Then, Thirteen heard the click of an empty clip. The idiot. With the chance he was given, Thirteen dashed forward. The other Number had the wherewithal to drop his pistol and instead draw a knife. He barely stopped Thirteen as he crossed blades with him and then guided the knife away from him. Thirteen had already switched directions and so cut through both of Eighty-two’s thighs. The other Number lashed out blindly in pain, just fast enough to slice through Thirteen’s cheek in a shallow cut. Thirteen ignored it and pressed Eighty-two back further. He opened three more deep cuts.
Finally, Eighty-two collapsed backwards and laid in the mud with unfocused eyes. He took breaths that were shallow and stuttering. Thirteen sank down next to him and pressed the tip of his knife in the space between two of Eighty-two’s ribs. “Please,” he whispered out and closed his eyes. Thirteen did not hesitate as he slid the knife between Eighty-two’s ribs and into his heart. “Thank… you.” And then he was gone.
Thirteen retrieved his knife and cleaned it before he stood up again. Without a backward glance, he went to collect his equipment and marched on. He might have retrieved the pistol, but it was useless without ammunition for it so he left it behind. The gunshots were bound to attract attention, so he continued on as fast he could allow himself. Only once he was safe enough did he stop and tear a strip off of the bottom of his shirt. He would have to properly take care of his shoulder once everything was over, but it worked as a makeshift bandage for the moment.
Eventually, Thirteen came upon a large boulder structure that was perched at the peak of the mountainous hill that their arena had narrowed down onto. He quickly clambered up onto the rocks and set up his rifle as he laid down on his stomach. He had twenty shots available to him, so he best make them count. He slid a cartridge into place and pulled on the bolt to ready his shot. He was not likely to be the only one who had the thought to get to high ground, but he had been lucky enough to get to this particular spot first. He was not alone for long though.
Thirteen raised his head briefly before he sighted down through the scope again. Based on the slight wind, he adjusted his bearing before he took the shot straight through Forty-one’s forehead. He had never liked the other Number. Thirteen ejected the empty casing and prepared the next shot with a slide of the bolt. He took down fifteen more Numbers this way before the rifle jammed. He was not willing to take the time to correct it, so he abandoned the weapon. The rifle had been useful until then, but he had to move on. He did decide to take the scope, however, as it might still prove helpful.
Everything seemed to blur after a time. He knew each of the Number’s faces. He didn't fight against all of them. But the ones he did, it was either because they noticed him first or they didn’t have what it took to survive Legio. It was better to be dead, wasn't it? He would have wished it for himself if he hadn’t promised Seven to not let Legio win. He promised he would claw his way to the top and he won’t let Legio kill him. He moved forward and remembered every Number. He’d survive where they could not.
Time seemed to blend together until Thirteen could almost believe that he had lost track of how long it had been, but he couldn't lie to himself. It was almost time, the sun having gone back down again hours ago. He stared down at the cooling body of Ninety as a loud blast echoed over their jungle stadium again. Thirteen wiped his knife off on his already bloody fatigues and then sheathed the weapon. He felt exhausted, hadn’t slept for nearly forty-eight hours and hadn’t eaten anything in just over twenty-four. All he wanted was to wash off the dirt and blood. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to sleep, though. As much as his body dragged down, he didn’t want to possibly dream. Though, he was likely too exhausted for that.
Suddenly, Thirteen could hear the beat of a helicopter’s blades as it approached. He watched as the bird flew over his head and then seemed to descend someplace close by. Thirteen thought he could assume that it was their ride. Still, he was cautious as he picked his way through the trees and to where the bird waited. As he crouched down near a tree away from the treeline of the clearing, Thirteen pulled out the scope and used it to assess the situation. He could see Capitán as Numbers approached the helicopter. Each one appeared to show off their token to Capitán before they were allowed to board the transport.
Thirteen watched for several minutes before he deemed it was safe enough to approach. So he tucked the scope away once more before he stood and made his way closer to the helicopter. Capitán smirked when he saw him and uncrossed his arms. “Well done, soldier,” he drawled. “Your token?” Thirteen pulled on the chain and showed off the shield to Capitán. The man chuckled and made a sharp motion with his head. Thirteen said nothing and boarded the bird. Most of the surviving Numbers already waited there, slumped into the seats that had been pulled down from where they were attached to the sides of the interior. Thirteen slowly eased himself into one, careful of his injuries. He said nothing to the other Numbers, but they did not have much else to say either.
Still, each and every one of them snapped to attention as soon as Capitán boarded the helicopter himself. “At ease, soldiers,” he told them as he took a seat towards the cockpit. “You deserve the rest.” It was the first time anyone, especially Capitán, had told them that they deserved something good. None of them showed the unease they felt at the praise, though Thirteen caught the eyes of the Number across from him. There were twenty-four of them left. Ninety-nine had died over the course of twenty-four hours. Was that worthy of praise?
“When we return to camp, you will be debriefed and be given your new designations,” Capitán told them as the bird took off. “You will then be escorted to your new barracks. Tomorrow you have earned yourself a day of rest.” Not one of them said anything in response, but Thirteen figured they all felt the same disbelief as he did. They had never been given a day of rest before. The closest they had ever had would have been the times years ago when they had moved camp, but those could not be considered restful. And new barracks? Things were about to be very different.
As they were marched off the helicopter once they reached base, the Numbers quickly made lines and stood at attention as they had been taught. Capitán walked through them and picked out five of them to stand at the front with him. Thirteen was quick to notice that, of the five, only four of them had magic and that was including him. Capitán turned his back on the other Numbers and crossed his arms behind his back. Thirteen took his spot at the end of the line and stepped to attention once more.
“The five of you are the strongest of my Numbers,” Capitán said finally. “You each will take leadership of a permanent squad to run missions for Legio.” He looked over to a blonde girl a few years older than Thirteen. “You are now Epsilon,” he informed her. “Your squad will be Chi, Psi, and Omega.” They had no idea yet who those three were, but Thirteen calculated that they would be the smallest squad. Epsilon was also the only leader without magic at her disposal. Both factors would make hers the weakest of the squads, though far from actually weak.
Capitán moved on to a boy of Chinese descent. “You are now Delta,” he told the boy. “Your squad is Sigma, Tau, Upsilon, and Phi.” Gamma was a dark skinned boy who became the leader to Xi, Omikron, Pi, and Rho. Beta was a girl of Spanish descent who was now leader to Kappa, lambda, Mu, and Nu.
Once he named off these squads, Capitán moved to stand in front of Thirteen. “You, my Number Thirteen. You are now designated Alpha, the greatest of my Letters.” Thirteen continued to stare straight ahead. Alpha, not Thirteen. It would take some getting used to, but they had been trained to respond to aliases naturally. He donned each one easily, so Alpha would be no different. “Alpha, you shall lead my strongest team. Zeta, Eta, Theta, and Iota.” Capitán patted his shoulder and then went through the rest of the Numbers to give them their new designations as Letters. He then dismissed them where they were led to a new building they had never been in before.
The Letter Barracks was a two storey building. As they walked through the main door, it was into a rec room that only contained a couple of couches and a metal staircase. Along the back wall was a door that led out to a short hallway. Down the hallway, with two doors on each side, were the bunkrooms for the Letters. They were small, with just enough room for two bunk beds, a cot, and a single desk. At the end of the hallway was a door that led into a shower room with four shower stalls and amenities meant to be shared with nineteen Letters. Though small, it was far better than what they have had before.
Alpha and his team were directed up the stairs to a small hallway with two doors. They were left to their own devices, so Alpha opened first the door to the left. It was a large shower room with five shower stalls along with two bathroom stalls that contained each a toilet and sink. Against one wall were five lockers with their designations painted on the doors. Rather than share with the four other teams, they got to have their own. It’s more than they had ever had before, perks of being Capitán’s star squad. They would fight to keep these luxuries Alpha knew with the same certainty that the sun would rise.
Almost eager to see what was in the other room, Alpha went to the other door and discovered five beds with five desks. Their trunks were already at the foot of their beds. If he hadn’t thought the ability had been beaten out of him, Alpha thought he might have cried. They could have a shower and sleep. He wondered if the water would be warm.
With that thought in mind, Alpha turned to his team. “Shower. Sleep. We’ll talk in the morning,” he ordered and then took his own advice. The water was warm and Alpha might have spent an extra minute to enjoy the spray. Once he dried off, he found a medical kit in his locker and so took care of his multiple injuries. The wound on his shoulder required stitches that he sewed himself. Once it was bandaged, he finally slipped into his new bed and slept deeply for once in a very long time. If only as a result of his exhaustion.
Though they had been given the day off, their internal clocks are too ingrained to allow them to sleep in. They woke again after just a few hours, before the sun even fully rose. They all dressed on autopilot and headed down to the mess in silence where things had changed. The newly named Letters no longer were segregated from the rest of the camp. Still, Alpha squad found a table in the corner and ate in silence as they were used to. Perhaps they’d learn to relax as time passed, but Alpha could see the looks from the mercenary soldiers. There would always be a barrier between them and not just because the Letters were young.
Once they had eaten their breakfasts, Alpha squad reassembled in their room. The Letters sat on their neatly made beds and looked to Alpha. In turn, Alpha looked each one of them over. He had worked with Zeta before, a girl of thirteen with mocha skin and tight curls that are just as short as the rest of their hair. Her eyes are blue and as cold as a winter sky. She was the strongest of the Letters that excluded the leaders and was their combat specialist.
Eta was a boy of sixteen, the oldest of them. He had been recruited during Legio’s time in Myanmar. He was their demolition specialist, with hair as dark as Alpha’s and eyes as dark as coal. Theta was a boy of twelve, the same age as Alpha. He was the shortest of all of them, but already wide in the shoulders even if he had yet to fully grow into his body. His eyes were the colour of chocolate, though just as frozen as the rest of them. Alpha knew Theta was a sniper specialist, even better than him with a gun. The last was Iota, a boy of thirteen. He had been recruited when Legio had gone through Romania, all dark hair and hazel eyes. He was a good allrounder, but was also very quick on his feet and a good climber.
This was his team. And, though they had been given the day off, none of them even knew what a hobby was or what they should do with themselves otherwise. So, Alpha ordered them down to the Playground. They might as well learn to operate as the team they now were. It was a bit rocky to start, but they quickly fell into place as if this was how it was always meant to be.
Notes:
Thanks for reading! Give me some love?
Oh, and I forgot to mention: As much as I would love to know multiple other languages, I am sadly only (mostly) fluent in English. Any other languages are written through the help of Google Translate. If there are mistakes, I apologize but I wouldn't know any better!
Chapter Text
Chapter Five
Alpha squad was given their first mission the very next day. It would be their first mission without the supervision of Legio’s mercenaries as a high level client had contracted Legio to take out a business opponent. Luitpold Altenbach was a German businessman that had wanted to get into the tech business, but his ideas had ruffled a lot of feathers. Alpha hadn’t been given a lot of the information, only knew that Altenbach was scheduled to do some sort of presentation of humanitarianism in hospitals between Jiwani and Panwan, Pakistan. These cities were on the southernmost tip of Pakistan along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. Altenbach and his escort were scheduled to travel Gwadar Road from the village of Panwan to the port town of Jiwani on the last full day of their presentation. Intercepted satellite imagery revealed various buildings scattered across the barren landscape, though intelligence suggested they were civilian homesteads. A couple of which were seemingly unoccupied.
According to their reports, Altenbach’s escort was to include a caravan of five vehicles. At most that would be twenty men, which would include the businessman himself and the drivers for each vehicle. Alpha was told Altenbach would have thirteen guards with him, which tracked with the vehicle capacities.Their primary mission was to take out Altenbach and make it seem like a terrorist attack, casualties acceptable and even encouraged. Their secondary objective was to bring back at least one of the Humvees that the businessman’s escort would be using. Alpha wondered if it was a test of their abilities to go in so blind.
After their short debrief, the squad was allowed into the guarded armoury to choose their weapons. Alpha had never before had the chance to choose what weapons he wanted, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. So he first selected a number of small blades to hide about his person. A Browning went into a holster on his thigh. “Eta,” he said as he selected and then clipped a ka-bar to his belt at his back. “Grab enough C-4 for two explosives.” Humvees were especially susceptible to IEDs and it would prove to be a good way to create chaos, bring the convoy to a halt.
“Yes, sir,” Eta called back and disappeared into the specially warded containment room. A guard was posted outside the door, but let the boy through with barely any acknowledgment. Alpha turned then and grabbed some extra clips of ammo which he added to his flak vest pockets. As he removed a rifle from its locker, he spotted Theta as the teen went through final checks of the Remington rifle he had grabbed. Zeta and Iota had their own selections well in hand as well, so it did not take long for them all to be prepared. “Grab your rigs on your way out,” Alpha ordered flatly as he led the way out of the armoury. They would be dropped into their rendezvous point.
As they left the armoury, Alpha led the way towards the hangar where the Ilyushin transport waited for them along with three other squads. The Ilyushin had been painted a matte black, Alpha noticed. Inside the transport, the seats that lined the inside walls had been dropped down and the squads were seated together in their groups. Alpha settled down into an open seat and Zeta took the seat next to him. She settled her rifle against her leg and glanced at Alpha wordlessly. Eta sat down next to her, a pack strapped to his chest and his parachute rig on his back. Iota sat next to him and Theta took the last seat. They quietly settled in as the Letters did not speak to each other, silence still ingrained into them.
Only a few minutes later, one last squad made their way onto the plane as they threw jokes about. They quickly quieted as they saw the Letters, but then found empty seats near the other mercenaries. While two of the other squads were Letters, the rest were Legio mercenaries. Though, Alpha mused that the Letters were mercenaries now too. If they survived this final test to prove that they could work as a team. As the plane ran through its final checks, the rear ramp closed. They were soon in the air, the Letters still quiet even as the adults continued their loud conversations. Alpha kept his eyes trained on the floor, but listened in on the mercenaries as he always did. There wasn’t much that was interesting.
Over the next several hours, the other squads were dropped over their locations and they stopped for a refuel once. Finally, it was time for their drop. Alpha unclipped his seat harness and secured his parachute. As the rear door slowly lowered, Alpha ordered the others into position. He was the last to clip his cord to the line, and would be the last one out the door. “Thirty seconds until in position,” the pilot announced over the coms. Alpha did one last final check and then the light by the door turned green with a loud buzz. They jumped. At least there was no jungle below to ensnare them.
It was nighttime and the moon was hidden behind clouds, so the dark helped to hide their descent. Alpha pressed his legs tightly together and lifted them as the ground came up fast. As soon as he made contact with the sand, he made sure to keep his legs straight and drop into a roll. Feet. Calf. Thigh. Butt. Roll. It was instinctual by this point and he was soon on his feet once more. He quickly gathered up his chute and stuffed it into its pack before he rounded up the rest of his squad. They had to get to their rendezvous point. The shifting sands would cover their tracks, so Alpha pulled up the scarf around his neck so that it covered his mouth.
Once they reached the crumbling homestead, Alpha dropped his parachute rig just inside the door and then made several sharp motions with his hands. The squad immediately spread out over the small complex to search for any signs of life, crouched and quiet. When they found nothing, they immediately regrouped and Eta started to build his explosives at a rickety table that looked barely strong enough to support the weight of his supplies. As he worked, he had a small camp light to illuminate his workspace.
Alpha spread his feet apart to be at rest and relaxed his shoulders. His finger remained near the trigger of his weapon, but he was otherwise relaxed. “Altenbach is set to leave the hospital in Panwan at 1100 hours local time,” he reminded them and glanced down at the digital watch wrapped around his slender wrist. “That gives us approximately nine hours. According to intel, his destination is a hospital in Jiwani at 1130. The route he is scheduled to take is along the Gwadar Road and the convoy will pass our location at an estimated ten minutes past his initial departure time.” He looked over to Theta. “I want you up top, provide backup.” Theta saluted. “Eta, make sure those bombs have separate remote detonators.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy called over his shoulder.
They had a long time to wait, but still no time for proper reconnaissance. All the intel had been prepared for them, it was the only thing they had to work with. It was rather short notice, but Alpha couldn’t complain. Instead, he looked down at his watch again. “Eta, have those explosives done before 0500. That gives you three hours. We’ll place them then before there is too much activity on the road. Theta. Iota. Eyes up top.” As the two boys made their way up onto the top of the main building, Alpha made his way over to the complex entrance to keep an eye out. Zeta joined him. Now, all they could do now was wait.
“We got incoming,” Theta’s voice crackled over their radios. Alpha adjusted his grip on his rifle in response and sighted down his own scope. It wasn’t as powerful as Theta’s, but he was still able to pick up the rapidly approaching vehicles as they kicked up dust behind them. He carefully shifted in preparation from where he was knelt down on one knee behind a boulder. The landscape around them was sandy, but dotted with the occasional boulder and scraggly bush. They had taken cover half an hour ago as they prepared for their ambush, the IEDs buried hours ago.
The world around them was quiet, though the constant engine hum and crunch of gravel from the approaching vehicles grew steadily louder. From beside him, Alpha heard the click of a button. There was a pause and it felt like the world held its breath. Alpha breathed out slowly as the first Humvee suddenly exploded into a fireball and brought the entire convoy to a screeching halt. As shrapnel started to rain down around what was left of the military vehicle, they could hear shouts as soldiers jumped out to assess the situation. Alpha gave a sharp nod, both hands still on his rifle. Eta set off the second bomb.
The second explosion had barely settled when Alpha gave the signal to move in. Though he made sure to keep low, Alpha straightened up from his position and took point as he fired on the soldiers that had scrambled to react. He took down one of them before they realized what was going on. Eta quickly came up by his side while Iota and Zeta were on the other side of the road. Vehicles one and three had gone up in blasts, so that left the other three more or less intact. Vehicle two had taken the brunt of the shrapnel damage, the driver slumped in his seat as smoke from the other two vehicles started to engulf it. Theta had put a bullet through his brain. The soldier Alpha had shot had come from this vehicle. The other two soldiers had exited from the other side of the Humvee, but were quickly taken down by Zeta and Iota.
“Scharfschütze! Beschütze Altenbach!” The businessman’s bodyguards had realized that there was a sniper. The second vehicle suddenly burst into flames as its engine caught, so Alpha quickly backed away to avoid the flames as he headed towards the last two vehicles. Altenbach should have been in the fourth vehicle, according to the intel they had been given. Theta took out the driver of the humvee with another well placed shot, so Alpha wrenched open the back door and took out the soldier in the back seat before he had time to react. As he fell from the seat, Alpha sidestepped him and ducked beneath the gunfire from the front seat passenger.
Zeta came up on the other side of the humvee in the next moment and took care of that threat before she moved on to the last vehicle, Iota behind her. The sight of their small forms seemed to throw the soldiers for a loop as there was hesitation before they opened fire on them. Just because they were smaller than adults did not stop the German soldiers from realizing they were dangerous with weapons in their hands. Zeta took advantage of their initial hesitation to get to cover. Eta ran up from behind Alpha to help cover the other side of the vehicle while Iota stopped next to Alpha to cover him.
With his team in position, Alpha stood up and trained his rifle on the cowering man in the back of the humvee. The positions of the vehicles meant that Alpha was hidden from the last truck, so he didn’t have to worry just yet. He trusted Zeta and Iota to take care of that problem. The business let out a whimper and raised his hand. “Warte! Ich kann... ich kann dich bezahlen! Bitte! Verschone mich einfach!” The man started to beg for his life, jumping at the sound of gunfire. He seemed to realize in the next moment that Alpha was just a boy. He slowly lowered his hands, his eyes wide. “Du bist nur ein Kind? Komm schon, Junge! Ich gebe dir, was immer du willst!” Altenback spoke hesitantly as he commented on Alpha being just a kid, promised to give him anything. Alpha didn’t waste another moment as he put a bullet between the man’s eyes.
“Iota, handle cleanup. We’re taking the truck with us,” Alpha instructed. He pulled out a small disposable camera and snapped a couple of pictures as proof of a job done. He tucked it back into his flak vest.
Zeta reappeared in the next moment. “Clear,” she told him as she flicked the safety on her weapon.
Alpha gave a sharp nod. “Zeta, handle cleanup for the second truck. Have Eta help you out, then one of you drive. We’ll swing back and pick up Theta,” he ordered. They had to make it to their extraction point. “Let’s move.”
Everything was over in a matter of a few minutes. The bodies were dragged unceremoniously out of the vehicles and left on the sides of the road. Alpha took the wheel of one of the humvees as Eta climbed in next to him. He had to sit on the very edge of his seat to reach the pedals, but he managed. In the mirrors, he could see Zeta take the wheel of the other as Iota rode with her. They were quickly on their way then, their drive back to the abandoned compound only a couple of minutes. As they approached, Theta waited for them with their rigs around him. As they came to a stop, Theta threw their rigs into the back of Zeta’s humvee and then climbed into the back seat. They were then off the road and into the desert.
When they approached their extraction point, the Ilyushin waited for them with its rear ramp down while a couple of soldiers guarded the plane. When weapons were pointed at them, Alpha flashed the lights of the vehicle and they were let through without issue. The soldiers boarded the plane at a run behind them and one raised the ramp once they were all on. They threw down blocks on the wheels as the humvees were parked and Alpha quickly jumped down from the vehicle to help throw straps over it to tie it down. He could hear the engines as they powered up, but only once the vehicles were tied down completely did the squad strap into their seats. They were in the air not minutes later.
When they touched down back as base, Alpha led the way off the Ilyushin to find that Capitán waited for them. “Welcome back, Alpha Squad,” the man greeted them with a pleased smirk as they came to stand in front of him. He snapped his fingers then and one of the technicians came forward. “Alpha, you have the camera?” At the question, the boy immediately reached into his flak vest and pulled out the aforementioned item. “Good, good. We’ll get those developed then. Debrief will be at 1700 hours. Get your gear checked in and get yourselves cleaned up.”
“Yes, sir,” Alpha said simply. As soon as they were dismissed, he led his team back to the armoury to turn their equipment in. They took care of it quickly and returned to the Letter Barracks to shower. Though he didn’t show it, Alpha was quite glad to wash away all the sand. He had it in places he didn’t even want to think about. He dumped his dirty clothes into his hamper once he was done and then went to go change.
The Letters had all received new clothing along with their new barracks, they had been quick to find. For clothing to wear around camp, they had been given black t-shirts instead of the grey shirts with their former numbers printed on the backs. They had also received new black fatigues. For their missions they had an assortment of colours based upon the terrain they would be in, like the desert camo that he had just put in to wash.
With time to spare, Alpha went to sit on his bed until it was time for their debrief. He watched as his squad went about their own things as he kept to his thoughts. They were good soldiers and they’d make a good team, he decided. So once the time came for their debrief, he led his squad down to Capitán’s War room where the man already waited for them.
After the excitement of the day, their debrief seemed rather anti-climatic. Once given the order, Alpha gave his report and Capitán congratulated them for a job well done. If any of them were uncomfortable, they did not show it. Besides, they were Legio’s weapons and they had no other purpose but this. They did not even get a cut of the profit that Legio earned off of the contracts because Legio owned them. Capitán did give them credit for the base’s store, however. There they’d be able to purchase toiletries and other small things like snacks. But Capitán did not need them for anything else for now, so he dismissed them and they finally went off to the mess for dinner. It was the first real meal they’d had in roughly twenty-four hours.
Life at the camp moved on. The Letters were nothing if not adaptable. Though they now had to run missions while they continued their training, they were also now allowed options in things they never had before. The major scheduled meals still happened like clockwork three times a day, but the mess otherwise always had some sort of food in it for squads that came and went at odd hours. The Letters had constant training when they weren’t on missions, but they got to choose how they spent their days. Their bunker of a classroom had been turned into a pseudo library, full of books on geography, maths, and language. They could continue their previous lessons by self study, if they wanted.
Every morning that they weren’t away on a mission, Alpha was the first one awake. He would silently slide out of their room before the sun was even up and head down to the warehouse building that had been designated for a weight room. Occasionally there would be mercenaries that would filter through, but generally Alpha was alone that early. He was faster and stronger than a normal child, but he still had a wiry build. He was determined to build up his strength as his body had started to finally build muscle mass.
His body had definitely started to go through changes that the healer had called puberty. His body ached more than usual and he swore he was a little taller. His early morning workout helped to ease some of the pain he felt as his body started to develop. As soon as he finished with his routine, he would meet up with his squad to run laps around the compound. Other squads often joined them as well if they were not away on a mission, their morning run too ingrained as a habit after years of the same routine. So they ran together and then went off to the mess together for breakfast afterwards, just as they always had done.
Once breakfast was over, Alpha would lead his squad to the Playground to run drills that would build their teamwork. Then they would retreat to the firing range where Theta would put them all to shame even as other soldiers would look on their squad with jealousy. Each one of them were well aware of the looks, but chose to ignore them. They would then break for lunch. After lunch, Alpha would have them run the obstacle course at the base of the Playground or run more drills in the building itself until he was satisfied. Occasionally the other Letter Squads would join in for added competition.
If there was still time after their drills, Alpha would allow them the freedom to go where they wanted. He would go to the Classroom, as they called it, to work on whatever subjects caught his eye for the day. Languages were a particular favourite, with world cultures a close second. Sometimes the others of his team would join him, but not always. Still, they would always meet up with him at dinner. After dinner, Alpha always ended his days at the camp compound with another run and then a shower.
The missions they ran were varied, everything from escorts to assassinations to everything in between. They even had a rescue mission under their belts when a mercenary squad was captured with critical intel about a drug cartel in South America. Alpha occasionally was sent on missions with other squads, just as he had been as a Number, and sometimes he was sent on solo ones. These ones were mostly assassinations that had to be as covert as possible. Alpha lost track of just how many people had died beneath his hand.
Months after the turn of the new year, Alpha had another of his vibrant dreams. There was a giant snake, an ancient basilisk like he had only seen in the magical tomes he’d been allowed to study. There was a young redheaded girl, nearly lifeless. A flash of fire and everlasting flame. Alpha woke to soul deep anger and pain that manifested in his scar as it cracked open once more. Alpha wordlessly took care of the mess in the bathroom and the others later had the sense to not ask why the old scar looked inflamed.
As the weeks and months continued to pass, the Letters slowly learned to be people. Without their instructors breathing down their necks, they learned what it was like to have a personality and be their own persons. It was still tightly restrained, but they didn’t feel so much like robots anymore. Alpha had the pressure of leadership on his shoulders, but he found himself able to relax somewhat when around the other members of his squad.
They learned that Zeta’s tongue was sharp and sarcastic, but she also had quick wit. With her strengths, and her quick mind, she took the position as Alpha’s second without question. He appreciated her insight with his decisions, that he could trust her to keep watch over the rest of the squad when he wasn’t there himself.
Eta, through no surprise to anyone, became a bit of a pyro in that he enjoyed his explosions perhaps a little too much. He had patience beaten into him like all the others, and he liked to say he had a long fuse, but once it reached the powderkeg at the end, his temper was as bright as an arsonist’s flame.
Iota was quiet and rarely talked even around the rest of them, but in their downtime he could always be found with a book or at his desk. He knew the most practical knowledge of them all, something that Alpha looked to when they needed to understand the cultures of a country they had a mission in.
Theta was a trickster. A fox, he liked to say. He liked to play pranks on their former instructors, sometimes malicious little things that couldn’t be traced back to any of the Letters. It certainly didn’t help that he had a sniper’s patience, able to wait long and still for entire days at a time. They had all been trained to be perfect. Any faults, they hid them. But, it was their faults that bonded them together.
“Alpha. Capitán’s looking for you.”
The voice came from behind Zeta when they were at lunch. Alpha lifted his eyes to meet the girl’s and gave a small shake of his head. “Where is he?” He asked flatly as Zeta slowly released her grip on her fork. None of them enjoyed being snuck up on, especially from behind. Alpha slowly looked over to the mercenary that had been temporarily demoted to messenger.
The mercenary scowled and made a sharp motion with his head. “Said something about Warehouse Six. Hell if I know.” He turned sharply on his heel and stalked away.
Capitán would not be patient. Alpha stood up, his eyes back on Zeta again. “Go run the obstacle course, Ze,” he said quietly. “I’ll come find you all once Capitán is done with me.” He didn’t smile, but his eyes softened a moment before it was gone as if it was never there. He was then gone.
Zeta did not say anything for a moment before she finished off the last of her food. “Well, you heard him. Let’s go.”
“I like that,” Theta said suddenly. “Ze.”
“No,” Zeta shot back. “You’re not allowed to call me that.”
Eta and Iota shared a look before Eta snickered softly. Iota only gave a small smile as he stood up as well. “Can I call you Ze?” He asked quietly.
“Of course, Io,” Zeta responded. She led the others out of the mess as Theta took up the rear, a frown on his lips that was closer to a pout than anything else.
Alpha stepped into Warehouse Six to find that only the other squad leaders were there. Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Beta all looked over to him as he opened the door. The warehouse was currently empty of anything but a few crates and the Letters. Gamma crossed his arms over his chest, the oldest of all of them at eighteen. He was also the tallest of all of them, already now a young man. He had grown out his hair, likely with the help of his magic, and braided it into many tiny braids. It was gathered into a bun, all something they never could have gotten away with before. Another one of the choices they could now make for themselves.
Epsilon had no magic of her own to help her grow out her blonde hair, but she had started to let it grow. She was the next oldest of them at the age of sixteen, almost a woman in body but with a face that was still young. She stood next to Gamma and had been in conversation with him as Alpha entered the warehouse.
Delta had decided to keep his straight black hair short, though Alpha spotted tattoos that wrapped around the fifteen year old’s neck like a collar. He wondered when he had gotten them, but didn’t ask. Delta was perched on one of the crates, deceptively relaxed. None of them were ever fully relaxed.
Beta was the only one to verbally greet him. She too had grown out her brown hair with magic, though she had it tightly braided into two plaits. The tips were dyed a scarlet red. At fourteen, she was older than Alpha but still the strongest after him. She gave him a smile then did not reach her eyes. “Hola, Alpha,” she said quietly. “Capitán has not arrived yet.”
“Probably a good thing,” Delta cut in lazily. “Wouldn’t want to arrive after Capitán. But anyone know why we’ve been brought here?”
“I don’t know about that, but I think we’re about to find out,” Gamma interrupted. “Look alive, Capitán’s coming.” The others straightened up and quieted as they also became aware of the man’s approach.
“Ah, my Letters,” Capitán greeted them as he stepped through the door. The five leaders fell into a line at attention, though Capitán immediately waved a hand. “At ease, soldiers. I have prepared a gift for you.” He motioned towards a man dressed in strange robes that had entered the warehouse. “This is Alvar Nilsson, a wandmaker aligned with Durmstrang Institute. I thought it was high time that you all received your first wands.” His eyes slid over to Epsilon. “With an exception, of course. With me, soldier.” Capitán led Epsilon away so that the other four Letters were left alone with the wandmaker.
Nilsson cleared his throat and pulled out a wand before he conjured up an ornate wooden table. Alpha thought it was gaudy and impractical. Why spend the energy on such theatrics if a plain table would have sufficed? Delta, Beta, and Gamma also looked unimpressed. Alpha didn’t know if Nilsson had been told what to expect with the Letters or not, but he looked uncomfortable as he avoided their gazes and opened up a case with an impossible number of drawers. “Right, we shall start with the girl, yes?”
As Beta stepped forward fluidly, she stepped towards the wandmaker with all the grace of a dancer. A very lethal dancer that would put the man on his back with a knife through his eye if he even so much as hinted at hostility. Nilsson seemed to recognize this as he went bone pale and swiftly rounded the table so it was between them. As if it would protect him. Alpha spotted Delta’s smirk from the corner of his eyes.
“Yes, right. We shall be doing this quite differently from the usual methods,” the wandmaker said finally. “In each of the drawers there are blocks of wood and wand cores. All you need to do is select the ones that call to your magic. I shall do the rest.” Alpha watched as Beta skimmed her fingers over the various samples. Eventually, she plucked out a long block of wood and a vial that contained something fleshy, but glowed dimly. “Ah, yes. Ash,” Nilsson muttered as he took them from Beta. “Dragon heartstring. Eleven inches. It will be powerful, yes. It is said that owners of ash wands are stubborn, courageous, but never arrogant.” He set them aside and then had Gamma select his materials.
Gamma chose an twelve inch fir block and dragon heartstring as Nilsson rambled that these wands favoured owners who were strong-minded and focused, even intimidating. On his turn, Delta chose a block of eleven inch aspen and phoenix feather as he was told that aspen favoured the strong-minded and determined. A wand for revolutionaries. The Letters exchanged looks of subtle amusement, but Delta only rolled his eyes as he stepped away from the table.
Then Nilsson summoned Alpha to the table. The boy looked over the blocks in their magical drawers before he reached out to touch them individually. He did not understand why this was necessary. The Letters who could wield magic had been taught to not be reliant on wands. They had been taught about theory and will, but very little about anything structured like verbal spells. If they wanted something, they could will it into existence as long as it conformed to the rules of magic. They did not need wands. Alpha supposed it would be another leash held in Capitán’s hand.
There were several woods that called out to him as he slowly examined each sample. He nearly selected aspen as Delta had, but then paused when another caught his senses. Alpha picked up a twelve inch block of wood that had a pleasant scent and a rather reddish hue. “Ah, red cedar,” Nilsson mumbled, his face pale once more as Alpha lifted his eyes to look at the man. “It is said that one who is well-matched has the potential to be a rather frightening adversary. And often one that comes as a shock to anyone who thoughtlessly challenges them.” Alpha could feel the amusement on the other Letters, but he only gave Nilsson a blank stare. The wandmaker swallowed thickly. “Yes, of course. The core?”
Alpha plucked a vial up and held it out to the wandmaker. Inside was a feather that burned like fire. “Phoenix feather. Powerful, though temperamental.” He took the vial and then quickly set it down with the wood. “Yes, very good. That was all I needed. I shall have your new wands sent to you as soon as they’re ready.”
Dismissed, the Letters turned to leave. As they left the warehouse they were completely alone, so Gamma snorted finally. “None of those choices were very surprising at all. Potential to be a frightening adversary? Alpha, my man, you’ve lived up to that potential long ago. I’ve seen what you do to people who underestimate you.” Alpha could only smirk.
“All of us are here,” Beta said suddenly. “No one is out on mission.” She gave a small grin and propped one hand against her hip. “Why not have some fun?”
Delta hummed in approval at the idea. “If your idea of fun is anything like mine, then I think I have an idea. Why don’t we pit ourselves against our squads in the Playground? See if they can take us down when they gang up against us.” He cracked his knuckles with a smirk.
“After dinner,” Gamma suggested. “It’ll be dark and the Playground will be clear.” The others agreed. So, they told their squads the plan during dinner and let them strategize while they ate their dinner together. The only rule they gave was that no one could die or receive permanent injury. The squads told the leaders that they couldn’t use their magic.
Once dinner finished, Alpha and the other leaders went to the Playground first. They decided to split up throughout the building and then settled in to wait. Alpha took the top floors and took up a position on the roof where he could keep an eye on the entrances. The squads looked like they had decided to enter in groups of mostly threes and one group of four. A few of the groups took to the stairs on the outside of the concrete building first, so Alpha prepared himself. They apparently had the idea to clear the building from the top down while others worked from the ground up.
From his position, Alpha could hear the light footsteps of the Letters that had reached the roof. They were quiet and might have been hidden from anyone else, but Alpha knew what to listen for. He knew where each of them were. He knocked out Mu and Xi before they had a chance to respond. Chi was able to fight back, though Alpha quickly incapacitated him as well. With the three out cold, he used a length of rope he had found to tie them up and then moved down to the next floor.
It was all over just about an hour later. In the aftermath, they all decided to regroup on the top of the building. Alpha took a seat on a crate there as he watched the other Letters stretch out with soft groans. The leaders had practically wiped the floor with the other Letters, though they had almost managed to take Delta down when two groups combined forces to fight him. Epsilon stepped in to assist before that could happen, however. No one really seemed put out about it though, some were just pleased they had held up so well against the best of them. It helped them see too where they could improve without the mercenaries jeering at them about their failures.
“You still overextend a little too far,” Gamma explained to Rho as he held his hands up in demonstration and punched at the air. “You overbalance at a critical moment.”
The other leaders also went through the assembled group and handed out pointers where they saw them, but eventually it turned to more casual conversation. Eventually though, the squads started to filter out. A few had missions that they had to prepare for the next day, so wanted to get some sleep. Eventually, it was just Alpha and his squad left.
“You going to go on your run, A?”
Alpha looked over to Theta. “A?”
“Well, yeah. A,” the boy said with a small smirk and a little shrug. “You going on your run? I’ll go with.” The others also didn’t want to be left out and chimed in as well. As they followed after him, Alpha wondered what the warm feeling in his chest was. It felt nice.
Notes:
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Chapter Text
Chapter Six
“Happy birthday, A,” Zeta said quietly as she dropped down next to him on the rooftop of the Playground. “I… remember giving gifts on birthdays. Long ago.” She held out a little box to Alpha. “So, we all pitched in with our credits to get you that from the camp store. They elected me to give it to you because we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Alpha took the box curiously, though he glanced at Zeta from the corner of his eye. “Theta is likely to badger me about it once I go back to the barracks.” He looked back down at the box again. “You shouldn’t have.” He didn’t remember when his birthday was, only really knew that a birthday signified how many years one had lived. It had never been something to celebrate, though he could remember the soldiers ribbing each other about birthdays. It was never something the Numbers could celebrate. Not all of them could remember their birthdays anyways.
But now that they could make choices, Alpha had decided to choose a birthday for himself. January 1st, because it was the turn of the new year and that was about as much significance as a birthday meant for him. The year was now 1994 and he would turn fourteen that year, so he might as well get it over with as soon as possible. He had decided it last year, but this was the first time that anyone else had decided to recognize it.
When he opened the simple box, Alpha was surprised to see a karambit nestled inside. “We know you favour them,” Zeta said quietly with a little shrug. “It seemed like a suitable gift.”
Alpha picked up the karambit knife and wrapped his hand around the curled handle. It was a sturdy weight in his hand, the handle black and grey. It was a beautiful knife, he thought. He removed it from the plastic holster to examine the wickedly sharp blade. “Thank you, Ze,” he said finally before he sheathed it and clipped it to the belt of his fatigues. “Are you ready for the mission tomorrow?”
“It’s the first long mission we’ve had in awhile,” Zeta responded without inflection. “The first mission that we’ll have as part of a larger operation. Did Capitán tell you how many squads there will be?”
Alpha looked out over the camp again. There was more activity than usual, even for how late it was in the evening. “Six squads. Thirty soldiers,” he responded. “Capitán has put me in charge. We’ll be the only Letters.” The other squad leaders had not been happy to have a Letter be given the power that Capitán had handed over so easily. They would know better than to do anything that would put the mission in jeopardy, but it also didn’t mean that they would roll over like submissive dogs. They would try to make him pay for it on the grounds of the camp.
“Ever at your command, Alpha,” Zeta said softly, though her voice was strong. Alpha almost smiled as he looked up towards the night sky. “Where are we headed?”
When Alpha didn’t respond right away, he felt Zeta’s eyes on him again. Finally, Alpha gave a little shake of his head and then stood up. “Let’s head back to the barracks,” he said instead. “I’ll tell you all then.” Zeta only nodded and followed him back to the building. The other members of his squad already waited for them, though Theta immediately sprang up from his bed.
“How’d you like your present, A?” He asked with a grin that had too many teeth to be a proper smile.
Alpha allowed a small and stiff smirk when he heard Zeta’s quiet snort from behind him. He knew his squad too well. “Thank you all for the gift,” he said evenly as he stopped at rest, his hands behind his back. Zeta stepped past him and stood next to her bed where she waited for him to tell them about their mission. “Capitán already told us that we had a long mission starting tomorrow,” he told them. “We are headed to Bosnia and Herzegovina at 0800 hours.”
“Bosnia and Herzegovina? Are we getting in on the war there?” Eta asked from his spot on his bed where he sat cross legged.
Alpha shook his head. “No. That is not the objective,” he said. “Legio already has mercenary squads stationed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we personally will not be there to take sides. We’ll be headed to Sarajevo.”
Iota made a soft sound and frowned. “Isn’t Sarajevo currently under siege? The UN Security Council passed their Resolution 824 back in May to make Sarajevo a supposed safe zone, but there are still blockades and heavy artillery in the area.”
“It’s a concern, yeah, though it should not directly affect us. Rather, strange military activity will have them on edge, so we’ll have to be covert,” Alpha said evenly before he looked over his squad. “West of the city is Ilida, a suburb of Sarajevo. There is some open land there, so it is where we will be making camp. One of the squads that will be with us is Tomislav Vidović’s, so we will be hidden under wards. From our position, we should be able to infiltrate the city.” Wards were necessary to go undetected when they had such a large force with them.
The teens exchanged looks before Zeta turned his attention back to Alpha. “What’s the objective? Why such a large force?”
“It’s an extraction,” Alpha said, though he knows that only raised more questions. “A team extraction.” He paused then and allowed himself to frown. “We’ll be taking point, so I want you all to be prepared. We might have a large force with us, but we are expected to be in and out of the city without being seen. The team in question that we will be extracting is a magical archaeological team. They were in the Sarajevo area investigating trace magics in a neolithic excavation site in Ilida.”
When Alpha paused, Theta crossed his arms over his chest. “A magical team? Shouldn’t they be able to get themselves out?” He asked as he voiced what the rest of them thought.
Alpha’s gaze slid over to Theta and he inclined his head only a fraction. “Legio was contacted for this mission by an outside group. The European Branch of Gringotts Bank, a magicial institution. All I was told was that they had lost contact with their team of archaeologists, but there were concerns given the current political climate in the area. Instead of sending another one of their teams, they reached out to Legio.”
“Let someone else die in their stead, if it comes down to it,” Theta muttered. That was the world they were used to anyways.
Alpha glanced at Theta and then turned his attention to the rest of his squad. “Sleep. We’ll forgo the usual morning run and instead grab something from the mess before we prepare to leave.” They could probably have time to get a run in, but they deserved a break before this mission.
“Yes, sir,” they echoed each other as they went through familiar habits to get ready for bed. It wasn’t long before the main lights were off and they were all in bed. Alpha reached over and turned off the dim light of his desk lamp. There were soft clicks as the other Letters followed his lead. Alpha rolled over and was soon asleep.
The next day, the M809 series trucks were swiftly packed with equipment. Capitán saw them off before Alpha jumped into the lead truck with the rest of his squad, Zeta at the wheel. As the rumble of the motor started, one of the camp’s wizards opened up access to the system of wizarding highways. The portal shimmered slightly, but they made it through without any problems. Magic and mundane technology did not always mix well, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t ways around such problems. The magical highways were important to get them to their destination quickly.
The trip itself went without incident. They passed by the occasional traveler on the road, but they got little more than curious looks. There were wizards who also used mundane vehicles, so they barely stood out as more than a passing curiosity. Even the various magical governments and their militaries used similar vehicles as Legio.
Even as the evening eased into night, the road remained clearly lit by faerie lights that lined either side of the roadway. Alpha absently twirled his new karambit by its ring as he kept a watchful eye out the window. “Two clicks past the next Nexus,” he informed Zeta. “We’ll exit on the left.”
“Understood, A,” she responded.
As they slipped through the shimmering wall of the magical road, they appeared in the barely moonlit forest on the outskirts of Sarajevo. Alpha jumped off the back of the truck with his squad close behind him. “Vidović,” he called out sharply as the mercenaries also disembarked from their vehicles. “Get those wards up!”
“Yes, sir,” the words were said in an irreverent tone, but the man got his team of wizards to get the wards established so their camp would be out of sight.
As the wards were erected, Alpha called out more orders for the trucks to be unpacked and the tents set up. At least once the wards were in place they didn’t have to worry about keeping quiet and they could put up lights to make it easier for them to see. When all was said and done, it had only taken a couple of hours for camp to be established. They had set up three barrack tents and a mess. Micah Burns and his team were the cooks for the operation, there only to make sure they remained well fed for however long their mission ran.
Alpha stood in front of the comms tent as he looked out over the assembled group of mercenaries. “D'Aguesseau,” he called out to one of the other leaders. “You and your squad will have the first patrol.” He ignored the laughter that the mercenaries didn’t try to hide when his voice cracked. His voice had started to deepen lately and there wasn’t anything he could do about the occasional cracks when he spoke. “Vidović, Aliberti, Myeong. Follow me. The rest of you can settle in.” He turned his head towards Zeta, who had stood by his side the entire time. “Report in to Capitán.”
“Yes, sir,” she said and ducked into the tent behind them.
Next to the medical tent that had been erected, and staffed by Aliberti’s team when they weren’t on the radios, was a large tent that would be their base of operations for the foreseeable future. It had a large table and the canvas walls supported various maps of the surrounding area. In the back was a small cot and a desk. As leader of the camp, Alpha would sleep here. The rest of his squad was in the barracks with the rest of the soldiers, but Alpha had a feeling they would camp out on the floor near his cot. It would probably be for the best anyways.
Minutes later, the other leaders stood opposite of him at the table in his tent. There was a map that was spread out over it, but Alpha’s eyes were on the men that were more than twice his age. They didn’t look happy, but they were quiet and that was enough. “Myeong. I want your squad to be on first recon. Take one of Vidović’s men with you to be on the eye out for anything magical.” He looked down at the map then and tapped a red dot. “This is the Gringotts’ team’s last known location.” There were files next to him that he picked up and then tossed to the other side of the table. “There are seven members in the archaeological team, headed by a Dr. Élodie Micheaux.”
Myeong Dae picked up one of the folders and flipped it open. “When do we leave?” He asked in a clipped tone, a hint of an accent in his voice. “Who you sending with me, Vidović?”
“You can have Barnes,” Vidović said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Alpha watched as Myeong only nodded before he lifted his dark eyes to stare down at him. “Well, sir?”
“You have an hour,” Alpha ordered evenly. “Be back before first light and report in as soon as you return. Pack lightly, but not unarmed. Scouting only but, Aliberti, be prepared for their return. Take those files with you. I want all of the soldiers to know who to look for, but they do not leave this camp. You’re all dismissed.” They didn’t have to be told twice.
The camp remained subdued as each squad kept to their own thing. Myeong left with his squad for their reconnaissance along with Sara Barnes from Vidović’s squad. Aliberti and his team prepared the medical tent while one manned the radios. Burns and his team started on breakfast. Vidović and what was left of his squad kept an eye on the wards as they played card games. D'Aguesseau and her squad joined them when Alpha had his own squad relieve them from their patrol. Alpha waited in his tent for Myeong’s team to return.
When they did return, their expressions were grim. Alpha stood at rest, his hands behind his back as the team assembled in front of him. “They were last seen at the original neolithic site, right?” Myeong said with a little shrug. “Barnes found traces, but they were probably well over a week old. Barnes?”
The witch glanced over to Myeong and gave a nod before she looked down at Alpha, a small twist to her lips. “According to Gringotts, they last had contact a few days ago. However, my scans tell me that they moved on from the site at least a week ago. So either Gringotts is lying to Legio, or they didn’t know.” Either was likely to be true, but it was possible that Gringotts just hadn’t known. If they did know something, what were they trying to hide? Alpha was going to need to let Capitán know.
“Anything else?” Alpha asked.
“No. Sir.” The last word was tacked on like an afterthought, but Alpha ignored it.
With a nod, Alpha looked at each one of them. “You’re dismissed. The mess is open if you want something to eat. You’ll be added into the patrol rotation, but get some rest until then.”
As soon as they were gone, Alpha walked over to one of the maps and crossed his arms across his chest. Vidović would have to go with the next team as he was the strongest magical tracker. If there were traces of the missing team, then maybe they’d be able to pick up their trail.
“Where do you think they could have gone?” Zeta asked softly from where she had laid down on his cot. D'Aguesseau’s squad was back on patrol for the rotation, so his team was tucked into the corners of the tent. He didn’t think that any of the mercenary crew had noticed that they were there.
After a moment of thought, Alpha looked up from the old map. “There has been civilization here for a very long time. The trace magics that they found amongst the neolithic artifacts were an important find for the magical community. However, they are likely not the only ones to have had magic here. There’s a magical community within the city even now.” He walked away from the table then and approached his squad. “I will have Vidović try to track the trace signatures of the missing team, but we might also have to look into the rumors of ancient Roman catacombs beneath the city, hidden away from mundane view.”
“Catacombs? I haven’t heard anything about that,” Iota said softly from where he had sat against Alpha’s small desk. He knew the most about the city of Sarajevo out of all of them.
Alpha sat down on the edge of his cot. “In the information that Capitán gave me, it was briefly mentioned as a rumor amongst the magical communities. Part of what the missing team was chasing in their studies of the area. Gringotts relayed that there had been no mention of anything about this rumor, so they assumed that it was unexplored.”
“But if the team disappeared days after their last contact, then it’s a possibility they found it but were unable to report back,” Zeta mused in realization.
With a nod of approval, Alpha looked over to her. “Yes, exactly. We’ll try to have Vidović track them first, but then go from there.”
It did not pan out. There wasn’t enough magical signature for him to track as too much time had passed and there was interference from either a magical in the area or the natural magics of the earth. Instead, Alpha had Vidović and the rest of his squad look for the entrance to the supposed catacombs. If they truly existed and the missing team had disappeared inside, they would have disturbed the entrance. This turned up a promising lead.
On the third day, Vidović and his squad uncovered an abandoned ancient well. It was circular and lined with stones that formed steps in three rings. The hole itself was plugged by a large boulder as some long ago attempt to cover the opening. There were the shimmering remains of a weakening spell that had been meant to hide it, Roman writing etched into the stone. When the large boulder was carefully removed, it revealed an opening large enough for a man to fit through. With the find, the area around the well had been warded so citizens were none the wiser that they were there and the ancient well had been opened up.
When Logan, one of Vidović’s men, was lowered down into the well, he revealed that there was a tunnel much too large to be natural. A small stream of water did trickle along the bottom of the tunnel and off into the dark, but Logan reported there were long dark lanterns that clung to the chiseled walls. The tunnel was meant for travel. So, Alpha decided that Vidović’s team, along with his own, would go down into the tunnel. The other teams continued their patrol rotation, but Alpha ordered the expedition squads to rest. They would enter the tunnel early the next morning.
Though he ordered them to rest, Alpha still found himself outside his tent with his team seated on either side of him as they watched the night sky.
“Do you ever think what it would be like to leave all of this behind?”
The quiet voice surprised Alpha, especially since it came from Iota. He could feel the gazes from the others as they listened to them, but none of them said anything. So, Alpha looked over to Iota. “Those are dangerous thoughts,” he responded just as quietly. “The only thing I have is Legio. The Letters. I’ve never known anything else.” He must have, but those memories had been stolen from him in some sort of accident. Did it matter? Whatever family he had must have died in the accident. “The Letters are my family now.”
“I had another family once,” Iota spoke again as he looked back up at the night sky. “But they didn’t want me. Sold me. So Legio took me.”
Zeta shifted from her spot next to Alpha. “I remember a family once. Barely. There was a fire… I don’t remember much after that until Legio took me.” Her voice was a little stiff. “This is family now.”
Theta wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his cheek against his knees. “I remember a circus. I dunno what happened to my parents, but I had a brother. The owners weren’t very nice to us, but he protected me where he could. We ran away, got separated. Legio picked me up. I don’t know what happened to my brother, if he’s still alive. But it’s okay. This is family here.”
Eta shrugged his shoulders. “Always was an orphan. Legio recruited me along with a few others, but I’m the only one who survived to become a Letter. Whatever happens, we do it together.”
Alpha almost smiled. Instead, he looked over at his squad. “Together. Which means you all should get some sleep.”
“Only if you do so as well, A,” Theta said quietly as none of them moved. They only finally went into the tent when Alpha relented. Used to catching sleep in whatever short moments they had, the squad fell asleep quickly.
The next morning, before the sun had even risen, the two squads were awake and fully suited up. Alpha squad stood behind him, fully armed and young faces grim. No one knew what waited for them in the ancient tunnel. Was it truly a Roman catacomb? It certainly was Roman in design, but so far they only had a small piece of the puzzle.
“Vidović,” Alpha spoke once they were all assembled. “Your team will take point.” Alpha was the only one of his squad to know magic, but only on an instinctual level. He had iron control over his magic, but he did not know spell mechanics. Vidović and his squad were fully trained wizards so would know what to look for. “Aliberti. Keep your team on standby. Myeong, I leave you in charge of base camp. Let’s move out.”
The trip to the ancient well was done in silence. They were then lowered down to the bottom one by one until Alpha was the last to descend. As his boots hit the packed dirt and stone of the bottom of the well, he looked up at the circle of pale light above his head. They had magical radios built by Legio’s Magic and Technology Division - or MTD - to check in every hour, but they needed to get moving. Alpha reached up and turned on the light that was mounted to his tactical helmet. “Move out,” he ordered.
Vidović and the rest of his team took point, just as Alpha had ordered. Two of them had their wands out as the tips glowed faintly in the dim light that their flashlights provided. Alpha’s own wand felt like a warm weight against his thigh in its holster, though he logically knew that it weighed barely anything. He wondered if it was reacting to the faint magic around them as it felt like a low buzz against his skin. It set him on edge, though he would not allow himself to show it.
The tunnel they followed eventually broke off into other tunnels. As soon as Alpha realized they were in a labyrinth, he used his magic to drop a virtual breadcrumb trail so they would be able to find their way back. It imprinted the tunnels and their path on a blank piece of paper tucked into his flak vest. It was a good thing as the tunnels seemed to multiply and branch off into carved out rooms that they could only guess at their purpose. An hour later, Alpha sent a quick radio burst in communication with the team topside and they continued on. The buzz of magic seemed to grow stronger.
After three hours, they stopped to take a quick break. Alpha munched on a protein bar as he studied the map that his magic had created. After everything, he would hand this map over to Capitán. He was sure that the man would be very interested in it, to sell it off to the highest bidder.
They moved on again, but everything was quiet. As they hit the fifth hour, Alpha was ready to call for another break when Vidović quickly brought up his closed fist to shoulder level. They all halted immediately as Alpha could feel the magic around them as it suddenly sang across his skin. He gritted his teeth and waited for Vidović to report. “Alpha,” the man growls out. “You’ll want to take a look at this.”
Alpha immediately strode forward, one hand curled tightly around his rifle grip and the other close to the handle of his wand. They stood at the threshold of a doorway and Alpha could see now the way that the Roman letters etched into the stones of the arch glowed with flickering power. Inside was an incredible feat of ancient magics. Alpha would have called it a Roman amphitheatre except for the fact that it was entirely underground, not open air. Though it seemed impossible, it was a large and circular theatre with raised seating carved from the very underground. It was truly massive and they could only see because of the magical flames that burned perpetually within large braziers around the amphitheatre. Alpha thought that if the magics failed, the city above would come crashing down on them.
What most concerned him, however, was the sight that greeted them from the center of the theatre. Even from this distance he could see the blood that flowed like rivers from the seven bodies that laid littered about the sandy floor. Was it old blood? Fresh blood? Did any of them still live? What had done this to them? Whatever it was had to still be in there with them. Alpha glanced at the writing etched into the doorway. “Is whatever is in there contained?” Was all he asked.
“I believe so,” Vidović grunted as he pulled out his wand and tapped at the stone. He paused then before he gave Alpha a sharp look. “Minotaurus. What are your orders? Sir?” He tacked on the honorific roughly, his knuckles white around his wand.
Alpha looked through the doorway again as he wondered what shadow the creature hid in. Though classical myth only ever named one Minotaur, they had actually lived as a species within the magical communities of Greece and then later Rome. They were supernaturally strong with a body built of a bull and a man, but they were slower than a normal man and not as intelligent. As long as they had their sights on the creature, they might be able to outwit it. And they would need to.
“Our mission objective is to return with the Gringotts’ team, whether they are dead or alive,” Alpha said evenly and without inflection as he lifted dark eyes to meet Vidović’s. “We will neutralize the minotaur and retrieve the bodies of the team.” He paused briefly. “Zeta. Report to our team above ground. Relay that we have found Dr. Micheaux’s team, but we have run into a threat. Tell Aliberti to be prepared to be escorted down here.” His eyes never left Vidović’s. Alpha reached into a pouch and removed the map before he held it out to Barnes. “We will need Aliberti’s team. Go.”
Barnes hesitated before she took the map as her eyes darted over to Vidović, because she looked for his permission. When he finally nodded, she snatched the map from Alpha’s fingers. “Iota, go with her,” Alpha ordered, so Iota gave a sharp nod and followed after Barnes. With the map, they’d be able to find a shorter path back to the surface. With them gone, Alpha paired off the rest of the two teams. “We will all stick close, but no one is to go off alone.” They moved into the amphitheatre.
They scoured the entirety of the ancient complex slowly so they would not be surprised and they would not miss anything. It was as they approached the sandy arena at its heart that a loud roar broke through the silence. A creature out of myth dropped into their path from the seats above, large and monstrous. Alpha did not even flinch as he was the first to open fire from his already raised weapon. From either side of him, as the teams spread out as much as they were able, there was the rapid flash of gunfire. Minotaur were monsters and impossibly strong. They were resistant to magic, but they were still mortal creatures. It took several lumbering steps forward, but even it could not withstand the firepower of eight mundane weapons. It was almost anti-climatic as the creature slumped forward and lay still.
Alpha was the one to step forward and ensure that the creature was dead. “We’ll take it with us, give it to MTD for analysis. Get it packed up.” Though he was cautious, Alpha then made his way down to the arena. Before he jumped down into the pit, Alpha removed his new MCU-2/P protective mask from his pack and secured it over his face. The bodies below him had started to rot and, while he was no stranger to the smell of death, he did not want to breathe in whatever particles were in the air. The bodies had been here for at least a few days, though he’d leave it to the experts to calculate the true time of death. Only once the mask was secured did he drop down into the arena.
The archaeological team must have been surprised, he decided as he surveyed the carnage. There were the remains of equipment, shredded alongside the torn bodies of Dr. Micheaux’s team. Two were slumped against the wall of the arena, though not next to each other. One was missing a leg and another was missing both of its arms. Both had a lake of blood around them, too much for even the sand to fully soak up. He found Dr. Micheaux’s head separated from the rest of her body, her face frozen in terror. All of them were dead.
“We need body bags,” Alpha called up to Aliberti as the medic had appeared at the high wall of the arena wall above him. The medic only stared down at him for a long moment before he started to call out orders to get his team down into the pit to retrieve what was left of the archaeological team. Alpha oversaw the removal and was the last to leave the amphitheatre, the last to leave the labyrinth. They sealed the entrance and hid it once more before they left for base camp, no one any the wiser. They’d leave for the main camp in the early morning, so the teams submitted to health evaluations in the medical tent before they had a proper meal and then rested. Alpha didn't sleep much that night, was one of the first to have breakfast the next morning. Less than two hours later, they were back on the road after camp had been broken down. Capitán waited for them when they arrived back at the main camp.
Notes:
This had a slow start because I had a bit of writer's block, but then it turned rather fun once I figured out where I wanted this to go. Hope you all enjoyed!
Chapter Text
Chapter Seven
Alpha was fifteen when, on the 24th of June in 1995, he had a seizure. He was used to the usual odd dream that felt too real to be a figment of his sleeping mind, but this was something on a whole other level. He and his squad were on a mission in the jungles of Colombia, but there was unrest in the area. A new Constitution had been formally put into effect a few years back in 1991, but there were still conflicts among the drug cartels that had risen up within the country. There was still violence in the deeper parts of the countryside. Legio had been hired to protect a small remote village, one that was precious to their client. With rumors of a possible attack, Alpha squad had been sent along with a couple of others to protect the village.
They were in some old building that had been converted into temporary living quarters for the duration of their stay when Alpha’s vision suddenly whited out and he felt like he was transported far away. There was an alien feeling of overwhelming triumph that overtook the senses that weren’t lit up with fiery pain. He saw a graveyard in the dim light of evening, a stark contrast to the late morning of the day he had just left behind. There were masked and robed figures that stood amongst the tombstones, a boy in a uniform of yellow and black sprawled at his feet. Dead.
Alpha didn’t scream. He’d learned not to scream. He’d learned to analyze even through the pain. One never knew what sort of things one’s captors might give away if they thought their prisoner was in too much pain to process their surroundings. But, this vision was strange and he felt like he was out of his body. There was no good information to be learned there, such as it was filled with malice and sickly triumph. Alpha quickly slammed shut the doors of his mind and retreated.
As the pain finally started to fade and Alpha became aware of himself once more, he realized that he was on the floor of the hut as the rest of his squad hovered close. “Alpha!” Theta called out, though kept his voice low. “What happened? You just suddenly collapsed.” There was worry in the depths of his eyes. “You looked like you were having a seizure or something. Might have hit your head too. Half your face is covered in blood.”
Zeta helped Alpha sit up, worldless as she handed him a rag. All of them were trained in basic first aid, so she checked his head over. “I don’t see anything wrong,” she said finally. “Well, besides that you have reopened that old scar of yours.” She gave him a stern look and then held out a canteen to him as well. “Do you need me to contact Legio? Have you seen by a proper healer?”
“Forget it,” Alpha dismissed the idea quickly. He poured a bit of water on the rag that Zeta had handed him and used it to clean away the blood. Iota and Eta had both retreated to corners of the small room, but he could feel their eyes on him still. The weather was too cool to have given him heatstroke as it was a rather nice twenty degrees Celsius. Though a heatstroke would not account for the strange vision he had seen anyways. But, he had more important things to worry about.
As Alpha took a drink from the canteen, Theta stood up and went over to their packs. He rummaged around before he came back with a brown MRE packet. “You should eat something,” he said as he held it out. “It’s the beef stew menu that Legio intercepted from the American military.”
Vaguely annoyed, and yet his chest still felt somewhat warm, Alpha reached out and took the pack. He said nothing as he ripped it open and then dumped out the contents. “Everyone else eats too,” he ordered finally as he grabbed the packet of beef stew and slid it into the heat pouch. Once he added a bit of water to it, he folded over the top and then set it aside to let it heat up. The orange beverage base and instant coffee packet - along with the dairy substitute and sugar for it - went into a pouch on his flak vest to be saved for later. The matches went into another pocket, not needed for now, while he discarded the gum.
As Alpha used the towelette to wipe off his hands of any remaining blood, the other Letters went about ripping into their own MREs. Sometimes they made do with basic protein bars, but it was nice to have a full meal every so often when out in the field. So Alpha sat back against the wall and opened up the packet of crackers. His MRE came with peanut butter rather than a spreadable cheese like many of the others, but the peanut butter was honestly more appetizing right then. He squeezed a bit of the peanut butter on a cracker and then took a bite of it. Adequate.
Once his beef stew was heated enough, and his crackers were gone, Alpha carefully opened up the packet and used the spoon to mix it up. The vegetables were all a bit mushy, but it was filling and warm. That was all that really mattered, so he ate it. Though, he traded his cherry nut cake for Eta’s chocolate brownie in the end. Because they had choices.
“Alpha,” Iota’s soft voice caught his attention as he opened up the packaging of the treat. When he looked up, he followed Iota’s pointing and spotted a young child with curious eyes in the open doorway of the hut. When the small boy realized that their eyes were on him, he gave a little yelp and ducked around the doorway. Alpha climbed to his feet and quietly approached the door where the little boy still hid. He crouched down then and broke off a piece of his brownie and offered it to the boy.
When the boy hesitated, Alpha waved it a little. “Tómalo,” he said as he encouraged the boy to take it. There was no hesitation then as the boy grabbed it and ran off with his prize. Alpha wondered if he had ever been so innocent.
When he ducked back into the hut, Theta gave him a little smirk. “Made a new friend?” Alpha ignored him and dropped down to sit against the wall again. They had another patrol in a couple of hours, so he wanted a bit of rest until then. So he finished off the rest of his brownie and then closed his eyes to catch a bit of rest. The others quieted around him to give him some peace.
Once they were on patrol once more, Zeta and he had taken position in the eastern quadrant of the village. It was this border of the village that was most vulnerable, so they took stationary positions while the other three Letters wandered the border of the rest of the village. They were behind a wall that they could just barely see over, hidden in the shadows of the overhang above them.
“I think you’ve gotten taller again,” Zeta said suddenly from their positions.
Alpha looked over to her and then absently tugged on the scarf around his neck. “I have,” he admitted after a moment. “Enough so that I might have to speak with the quartermaster once we’ve made it back to base.” If he had to guess, he was starting to near six feet in height. It definitely put him above average for height for his age, but allowed him to pose as a man if he covered his face. He still had a somewhat lithe build, but he figured the muscles would come with time and age. The downside was he sometimes felt like he didn’t know his own body anymore. There had been more than once when he had overcompensated and it could have been disastrous if he wasn’t so quick on his feet. But it only took one bit of bad fortune for it all to be over. So he pushed himself farther, relearned his body.
“You’re growing into a man,” Zeta interrupted his thoughts again.
At her words, Alpha could not hold back a small snort. He felt relaxed with only Zeta close by, though his eyes never left their alert watch of the jungle around them. “I don’t even know what that means. I remember the talks the healers gave about puberty, but I never really understood it at the time. Still don’t really, if the way the mercenaries talk is any example.” For them, puberty meant the physical changes their bodies would go through. The new strength it would give them. At least that was true for the boys. The girls had gotten a different talk, but none of them had really spoken about it. He wondered if adulthood meant something different for Zeta.
Whatever else they might have said was interrupted as Alpha caught a flash of movement. “There’s something out there,” he said sharply as he sighted down his rifle and swept for the movement again.
Zeta unclipped the radio from her flak vest and flicked it on. “Control, this is east quadrant,” she said quietly into the blocky device. “Be advised, we have movement within the treeline.”
“Thirty,” Alpha interrupted.
With a quick nod, Zeta held down the button again. “I repeat. This is east quadrant. Be advised we have thirty hostiles.”
The radio crackled before there was a response. “Copy, east quadrant. Reinforcements have been dispatched. ETA: five minutes. Do not engage unless the line is breached.” It crackled again and went quiet.
“Copy, Control,” Zeta said into the radio and then hurriedly clipped it back to her vest. She adjusted her grip on her rifle and watched the group of men as they made their way along the treeline. “They’re not very stealthy, are they? Do you think they know that we know they’re there?”
“Doubt it,” Alpha said mildly, his voice low. “They don’t appear to be well-trained.”
In the next moment, a man stepped from the trees with his rifle raised somewhat but held only about waist level. Alpha trained his sights on him, but the unknown man went down in a spray of blood before Alpha had even pulled his trigger. “Theta is in position,” he observed as confused yelling rose up from the advancing crew from the forest. He took down two more in rapid succession before gunfire erupted from the evading force. Alpha immediately ducked for cover.
“Think we could just stand out in the open and they wouldn’t be able to hit us?” Zeta said from where she had crouched down next to Alpha.
Alpha smirked a bit and shifted. “I wouldn’t take any bets on that, but it’s best not to tempt fate,” he said as there was a lull in the gunfire. He quickly straightened again and took out three more in quick succession before he was forced to take cover once more.
Reinforcements were not far away, Theta already in position. When the other soldiers did arrive, it was all over as quickly as it had begun. The dead were dealt with and the handful of prisoners who had surrendered were handed over to their client. Though the men on the attack were no stranger to violence, they were not prepared for the level of organization and training they had gone up against. The Letters continued with their mission and stopped two more attacks before their client’s enemy finally took the hint. Alpha squad was recalled to base camp a couple of weeks later.
Almost immediately, they were sent out on another mission. Sometimes it felt like they never stopped, never had a break. Whether it was missions or new training that had been concocted for them, they rarely had the chance to rest. But they knew no other life by now, so there was no use in complaining.
It was August then when Capitán called Alpha into his office and handed over a new mission to him. “You’ll be headed to Hong Kong,” the man told them as Alpha picked up the file and flipped it open. The leader of Legio kicked his booted feet up onto his desk and leaned back in his chair. “Bái Liánhuā Industries want to permanently push out one of their board members. They’re paying us top dollar to take care of the problem. Your target is Zhào Zixuan.”
“Understood,” Alpha said as he flipped through the papers. “When do we ship out, sir?”
“You have an hour to debrief your team and suit up. You understand, soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” Alpha responded evenly, without hesitation.
Capitán snorted and picked up another file. “Good. Then get out of my sight and get to it, Alpha. You’ll take one of the trucks.”
Alpha saluted and quickly left the office, the file still clutched in his hand. Capitán barely ever gave them proper time to prepare for a mission, usually always throwing them into the fire instead. So as he took quick strides towards the barracks, Alpha flipped the file back open to go over the papers quickly. Within an hour, they are packed up and on the roads in one of the trucks. Alpha sat with Zeta in the front while the other three were in the back.
They rode in silence, but there was an itch that Alpha couldn’t scratch. Something felt wrong and he couldn’t put his finger on why. He didn’t let his discomfort show, however, and merely watched the road. “This is the first time we’ll be poised as buyers to get in close to a target,” Zeta remarked from next to him. Alpha almost smiled. “Probably because we can actually look the part now, as long as we keep our faces covered.” There was amusement hidden in Zeta’s voice, but Alpha still can’t help but remember the first time he had seen a drop. It was just similar enough to their current mission for him to see the similarities.
When they entered Hong Kong, it was night. Their target already should have already been waiting for them in the abandoned warehouse selected for this mission. Alpha hopped out of the cab, his mask already pulled up over his nose and mouth. He hated missions like this, sent in to retrieve something or kill someone when they aren’t even given any time to properly scope out their surroundings. But he supposed it would make their target antsy if they had snooped around first. Not that they would have been caught doing such a thing.
There was a man that waited for them just outside the door so Alpha did not even have the chance to spread out his awareness and get a feel for what was inside of the warehouse. He had made progress on the ability, but he still had to be stationary to do it and it still took time that he currently didn’t have. So instead, he made a motion with his hand and followed after their escort with his team on his heels.
When they entered the old warehouse, the scent of salt was thick in his nose even through his mask from the nearby ocean. His rifle was lowered, but he was on alert. There were old crates littered haphazardly everywhere and there was something about the shadows that put Alpha even further on edge. The warehouse was abandoned. It should have been empty. What other shoddy recon had been done for that mission? Could he get away with it if he decided to abort?
“Ah, you must be Micah Silvers,” an accented voice called out his alias like a shot through the dark. Alpha nearly responded with a shot of his own, but instead he sought out the owner of the voice. It was a thin man, his black hair slicked back and oily. Alpha did not have a good feeling about him as something deep in his gut roiled. It was too late to back out now, though he would be sure to give a very detailed report once they returned to camp.
“And you must be Zhào Zixuan,” he responded after only a moment, his voice pitched low. It had continued to deepen over the last few months, a good thing if he didn’t want to be mistaken for the teenager that he actually was. “Did you bring what was agreed?” Their target had started to deal under the table, so Legio had taken the opportunity to be paid in both money and weapons for this hit. The client had agreed to it so that it would sell the narrative that Zhào had been betrayed by the weapons dealers he had tried to deal with.
“Only if you have the money for it,” the business man drawled back. There were two crates behind him, along with his security team. Five men, armed. It seemed almost like a cliche that the men were dressed in black suits. He could only imagine them each wearing sunglasses as well except that it was too dark out for them. They looked like mindless muscle, but Alpha knew better than to dismiss them.
Without taking his eyes from Zhào, Alpha took one hand off his rifle and raised it before making a small beckoning motion. Iota stepped forward, a case in hand. He unclipped the snaps and raised the lid, though only showed off the bills inside for a moment. They were fake, forgeries done by the wizards of Legio. “One-hundred thousand in American dollars.”
Zhào smirked then and there was something about his expression that had Alpha moving before he could think. He grabbed Iota and dragged him down, the other three of his squad not far behind. They dropped just in time for gunfire to burst over their heads, but it didn’t come from any of the men that stood behind Zhào. Instead, it came from either side of them. “Retreat!” He snapped out as he lifted his rifle and returned fire. They were too out in the open. They had to find cover!
The only way to go is back the way they came, but that exit was quickly closed off. Alpha swung about and took out two men, Zeta immediately at his side and quick to dispatch two more. In the opening they created, Alpha squad dived for cover as gunfire rained down on them once more. Several of the bullets grazed Alpha, but he pressed his back against a steel beam and managed to avoid any worse injury. Either Zhào had always planned to ambush them with no intention to hand over his product after he had taken the money, or he had known exactly what they were there to do. Either way, they were in trouble. They were in a confined space and there were so many more men than they had been prepared for.
Alpha’s thoughts blanked out and all he heard was white noise when he suddenly became aware of a gurgling from next to him. It was a familiar sound, but never before had it created such pain to suddenly stab through his chest. Alpha felt his eyes widen as he whipped his head around. Iota has dropped to the ground next to him and he had one hand around his throat as blood leaked through his fingers. There was too much blood and panic in Iota’s eyes that Alpha had never seen before. But they were soldiers above all else. Iota looked to him and then suddenly there was a pistol in his free hand, even as his eyes continued to burn with fear. “Go,” he mouthed the word, but Alpha didn’t want to leave him. Still, he knew that Iota was already dead, that his body just hadn’t quite caught up to it yet. He’d be dead before they could get him to safety, could get him any sort of first aid magical or mundane.
Though reluctant to leave Iota behind, Alpha’s training took over. Iota was dead, but he’d take a few of their assailants down with him. So, in that small opening that Iota has given them, they would try to make their escape. Eta pulled free a grenade from his belt and shot Iota a look. He quickly crouched down and placed it into Iota’s hand, slick with blood. He helped him squeeze the handle down and then pulled the pin. “We’ll see you on the other side one day, brother,” he whispered before he shot to his feet. Before they become too tempted to stay behind with Iota, they took off further into the warehouse. This time they headed for the open doors that faced the sea. If they could get to the water, they might be able to escape.
There was an explosion behind them then and it sent a shock of pain through Alpha’s chest. Sharp enough that he almost looked down to see if it was a bullet. He could smell smoke and felt the heat of fire as it quickly spread. Panicked yells behind them spurred them on, though their escape was cut off once more as Zhào’s bodyguards stepped in front of them with guns raised. Alpha barely aimed as his took a shot between the eyes of one of the men, but then took a bullet through his own shoulder.
Alpha could only grit his teeth and ducked behind some more crates for cover as there was another explosion. He could see the flames now as they licked hungrily at the dry wood around them and the very flammable old warehouse. Steel creaked ominously as it weakened under the heat. If they weren’t shot first, they might become trapped beneath the roof instead when it caved in.
This was not the first time they had been ambushed, but all it took was one strike of bad fortune. From where he was crouched behind a crate, Alpha grimaced and tried not to jostle his shoulder too badly. He had fought in worse conditions, but it didn’t stop the pain. He wouldn’t let it distract him and instead cast his eyes about for any ideas. He quickly spotted a pair of fuel tanks in the corner of the room, not far from where they were. He could shield them, especially if they could get to the water. It would drain him, but there were not a lot of options. “Eta,” he whispered sharply and motioned in the direction of the tanks. He didn’t have to explain his plan as the young man nodded quickly, another grenade already in hand.
As Eta prepared his throw, Alpha snapped out a couple of more orders with his hands. Theta and Zeta nodded grimly, their bodies coiled for action. Alpha drew in a slow breath and then gave a sharp nod. As Eta threw the grenade, the other three of them stood up and opened fire to gun down the five men that had started to advance on their position. As soon as the last one started to fall, they made a run for it. It seemed like freedom was in sight, but what happened next all went down in a matter of seconds.
They were so close, but more gunman had approached from another angle. Several gunshots from behind them went wild over Alpha’s shoulder, but Eta took three through the chest and went down. As much as Alpha wanted to stop and grab him, they were out of time. Eta was likely dead before he had even hit the floor. Even if he wasn’t, he would bleed out too. Alpha had seen where the blood had blossomed from Eta’s chest.
In the next second, even as he watched Eta fall from the corner of his eye, Alpha felt the grenade detonate. They were too close. He didn’t pause to think as he dropped his weapon and snapped out his hands to catch the arms of Zeta and Theta on either side of him. As the shockwave from the gas fueled explosion hit them, he wrapped his shield around them and held on as they were blown violently into the waters of the harbour.
The explosion knocked Theta unconscious as they hit the water, but Alpha held tightly to him and dragged him to the surface. He kept his arm around the teenager’s chest and started to swim for shore as burning debris rained down around them. Saltwater burned the open cuts that littered his body through his ruined tactical gear, but Alpha paid it no mind. Zeta was the first one up on the pier, her left arm curled close to her body at an unnatural angle. Still, she reached down and helped drag Theta’s still unconsious body up onto dry land. Alpha dragged his own aching body up the ladder.
“We have to go,” he said tightly, some unknown emotion tight in his chest. He grabbed hold of Theta and got him into a fireman’s carry across his shoulders, though his injured shoulder did not thank him for it. Still, he was their leader. He had to push on and get what was left of his squad to safety. Police and fire personnel would be on the scene soon and he didn’t know how many of Zhào’s men had survived. So, they disappeared into the night and Alpha did not stop until he had found an empty construction site.
Once he had Theta laid out on the floor, Alpha pulled his wand from the holster on his thigh. Before he could use it though, he hesitated and shoved it back. Something told him he shouldn’t use magic that could be so easily tracked. So instead, he gently took Zeta’s broken arm and gathered up what was left of his magic to realign her bones before he knit them back together. Once he was done, he allowed her to inspect the hole in his shoulder. The only fortunate thing of the night was that it hadn’t hit anything vital.
“We can’t stay here,” Zeta’s voice was dull as she opened a small first aid kit from one of her vest pouches. It had been sealed, so was not waterlogged.
As Zeta cleaned the hole in his shoulder, Alpha clenched his jaw and gave a small shake of his head. It was true that they could not stay where they were, but he was angry. He could not bare the thought of returning to Legio without Eta and Iota. “We have to run,” he said finally, his voice low.
There was a pause as surprise registered in Zeta’s eyes, but she quickly resumed her task. “We have to go back to Legio, A,” she argued, but her words were weak.
He wanted to argue with her, but Alpha looked away from her. “We should wait for Theta to wake,” Alpha said instead with a glance over to the other teen. All three of them should vote on what they should do, he thought.
Theta, already awake, whispered, “Iota and Eta are gone.” The tightness in Alpha’s chest nearly choked him and he felt his eyes burn. Iota, quiet and as sweet as a Letter could be. Only sixteen and he was gone. Eta, fiery and oldest of them at nineteen, was gone. Stolen from them.
When he could speak again, Alpha frowned and looked at the last two members of his squad. “We cannot trust Legio,” he told them tightly. “They have failed us. Their incompentence has stolen Eta and Iota from us. We cannot get them back. So, let Legio think that we are gone too, burned in the fire.” He couldn’t go back. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t let Legio win.
Theta slowly sat up and cradled his head in his hands. “We can’t go back,” he agreed. “I won’t go back.” He unknowningly echoed Alpha’s thoughts.
It took Zeta only a moment to give a grim nod. She spread some ointment over Alpha’s bullet wound and then bandaged it with steady fingers. “We can’t go back,” she whispered with as much certainty as the two boys. In the next moment, she shut her kit and stuffed it pack into her pouch. “So, what do we do now then? We’re ghosts.”
Alpha pulled out his wand once more and looked it over. It was simply carved, but the hue of the red cedar made it seem like it had soaked up blood. Fitting, he supposed. He hesitated only a moment before he snapped it in half and let it burn to ash. He had strong command over his magic, could perform wandless magic as needed. The wand was only a way for Legio to track him, so he got rid of it. Zeta and Theta watched him quietly.
“We have to split up,” Alpha told them as he let the ash of his wand fall from his fingers. “We’ll draw too much attention if we travel together.” Theta and Zeta knew better than to protest, though he could tell they weren’t happy. He wasn’t happy, but they learned to play with the hand they had been dealt. “Once a year, we’ll meet,” he said. “On this day.”
“Where?” Zeta asked quietly.
“Here, in Hong Kong. But on Lamma Island,” Alpha said just as quietly. Zeta and Theta only nodded. It was then, with heavy hearts, that they parted ways and what was left of Alpha squad slipped away silently into the night.
Notes:
My poor babies
Chapter Text
Chapter Eight
As soon as he left Hong Kong, Alpha made his way towards South America. It placed him the farthest away from Legio’s main camp and provided him a place to build himself a new life. At first, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He was on his own now for the first time ever, without guidance and without supplies. That was the most important part, the fact that he didn’t have any supplies. He could go where he wanted, but there wasn’t much he could do without money. He was a ghost. Whatever his real name was, he didn’t remember. If he had any family, he had no way to contact them. Did he even want to contact them if they were still alive? Honestly, Alpha wasn’t even sure he wanted a civilian life. So, he had no money and he had no identity. He’d learned to live off the land and he had a few weapons that survived the explosion, but they’d only last him so far. Besides, it wasn't like Legio had a monopoly on mercenary contracts. Perhaps he could start there.
Still, Alpha knew that he had no contacts, he had no reputation. He’d have to start from scratch. Even so, he had the ability to choose his own missions, who he worked for. He’d actually receive the money he put in the work for. And being a ghost gave him the benefit of being able to slip in and out of countries more easily. He wouldn’t be tracked so easily. There were downsides, of course, but nothing a bit of legwork wouldn’t fix. He could take small jobs to start out with, build up his reputation and his savings. There were plenty of places around the world where he could get fake identities to create a network of bank accounts.
Alpha landed first in Colombia, but it was in Mexico that he recreated himself. He had kept his hair short while in Legio, even after the choice to grow it out how he wanted. Now, he used magic to grow out the top. Though he kept the sides and back short, he let the top curl how it wanted. He liked to leave it loose when he could, but it was long enough to pull back into a bun and hide beneath a black baseball cap. The rest of his outfit he put together in pieces, usually in black as it was easier to hide the blood. A lot of it was stolen, if only because he still didn’t have the money to build up his necessities.
The hardest thing to gather were weapons. He had been fortunate to still have the karambit that his squad had gifted him as it was his most precious possession. He had a number of other knives that had survived the explosion as well, though he had lost his rifle in the warehouse. He had needed to take apart the Browning pistol he always carried on his thigh during missions, but it had survived once it had been properly cleaned out and dried from the dip in the ocean. He had needed to replace his ammo, however.
Alpha never stayed long in one spot, always on the move so he would remain off of Legio’s radar. He realized too that he could not go as Alpha once he debuted on the world’s stage. Legio had its fingers in too many pies and would be quick to be suspicious of a new merc that went by Alpha. So he had discarded that name, as disposable as Thirteen had been. Instead, he settled on Hex as a nod to his magical abilities. It was surprisingly nice to choose a name for himself.
Three months after the death of Alpha squad, Hex took his first job in Germany. While clients sought out Legio, Hex had to search out his own. He scoured world newspapers, scouted seedy bars that fronted darker businesses. For a nearly sixteen year old boy, it was hard to be taken seriously. He had been laughed out of a number of places until he learned how to use his magic to make his face look older. It helped too that he had slowly started to build muscles as he continued to grow.
A rough older man had taken a liking to him in Germany. He had allowed him to sit at his bar, though refused to serve him any alcohol. “I doubt you’ve had liquor, boy, and I don’t think you’ll appreciate the lack of control,” he had told him as he slid over a can of soda instead, his accent thick. Hex had wondered if the man, large and muscular but white haired, was magical since it seemed he could see through his minor disguise. He didn’t ask, but there was a knowing smirk on the man’s scarred and bearded face.
The older man, Thorgeirr, had seemed to realize he was not an ordinary teenager. Perhaps he recognized the look in his eyes, just as Hex recognized Thorgeirr’s eyes. It was the eyes of a man who had seen death by his own hand, but not for the sake of pleasure. A soldier’s eyes, hardened by the sight of war. Whatever it was, Thorgeirr slid a folder over to Hex and returned to wiping down the bar in front of him. “I take fifteen percent as a finder’s fee.”
The bar around them was empty as it was still early in the evening and the dim little bar was tucked away, hard to miss if someone didn’t know it was there. But because it was empty, Hex opened up the folder and looked it over. It was almost funny, really. As Alpha he had been on a number of high profile missions, but this seemed like baby’s play. “I’ll take it,” he said as he closed the folder again.
“Good. The client’s deadline is a month,” Thorgeirr told him, as if it wouldn’t take Hex more than a week. Thorgeirr’s eyes flicked up then as the bar door opened. “Go on then. Get out of here, kid.” So Hex left without another word.
It was a few days later that found him on top of a building with a pair of binoculars in his hand. He had stolen some civilian clothes and had since changed into them. Actually looking like a teenager while in the city would give him a better edge. Still, Hex found the outfit to be rather uncomfortable after becoming so used to wearing military fatigues since he could remember. The loose jeans were not a comfortable material and the simple blue t-shirt was too bright. He even had a loose plaid button up over it, though he had left it open like he had seen other teens do. The clothes were much too loose to be comfortable, though they provided plenty of room to hide a few weapons. His mission was burglary, but one always needed to be prepared for any problem that arose.
Through a couple day’s worth of close inspection, Hex could spot at least three weak spots in the building’s security. Especially when there was a guard change. If they had acted so sloppy at Legio, then Capitán would have had them punished. Severely. Hex had camped out on top of the building, eaten protein bars for his meals. He was tired, but had long ago become used to days without rest. He had not taken his eyes off of the building for barely a moment. And it had paid off.
Hex retreated and slipped into the alley between two buildings, an old backpack over one shoulder. He stepped out into the street next, his hands stuffed into his pockets and his shoulders slouched. His eyes were sharp beneath the loose veil of his dark curls, but no one seemed to pay him any mind except for a couple of girls that looked at him and then shared giggles. Their threat level was low, so Hex ducked his head and disappeared within a crowd that moved down the street.
There was a public park that Hex had hidden the rest of his things high in a tree. So, he retrieved it and then went to get himself some proper food. McDonalds was cheap and fast, though not really to Hex’s taste after food he was used to. It was rather salty and probably not very healthy. Not that living off of protein bars while on mission was very healthy either. Still, he opted for a cheeseburger and some fries, which he then ate on a bench in the park. It was late in the evening so there wasn’t very many people around.
Once he had tossed his trash, Hex went looking for a spot to bunker down for the night. He ended up finding an abandoned building that didn’t have any other squatters that had taken up residence, so he set up his sleeping bag on the highest floor and then set up a proximity alarm with his magic. He needed a good, deep sleep to reset. The sun hadn’t gone down yet, but he still made his mind relax. He was asleep within minutes, just as he had been trained to do.
Hex spent the next day in the abandoned building where he allowed himself to rest, and used what little money he had to purchase some healthier food from a small grocery. He went to sleep early again with the plan to be up early to set his plan into motion. It was a simple one, but sometimes simple was best.
So, it was very early in the morning and the sky had barely lightened when Hex made his way to the old money mansion. The guard on the old house was at its lightest and those who did stand guard were eagerly looking forward to the shift change. Hex had dressed in his black fatigues once more, so it was easy enough to slip into the darkness. In the back garden, part of the fence had broken away and the gap was just large enough for Hex to slip through. He needed to get to the third floor, but he’d have to enter through the second because there was an unguarded window there. The ivy was thick enough to climb and the window was just wide enough for him to shimmy through. He had five minutes before the next patrol came around the corner.
With a last check to make sure his surroundings were clear, Hex darted across the manicured lawn and lept up onto the ivy. He carefully clambered up the makeshift ladder and then quickly surveyed around the window. There was an alarm, as he had suspected there might be, but it was easy enough to use a bit of his magic to sever the sensor from the window so it wouldn’t trip as he eased the window open. He then quickly slipped inside just as the patrol rounded the corner below him.
Hex looked about the guest bedroom he had entered before he silently slipped over to the open doorway and peered around the corner. From what he had seen, guards remained outside the home at night. So, the only ones who might wander about were the family themselves, though Hex’s research had told him that the old man was never up before nine and his wife took sleeping pills so she wouldn’t wake for anything. He wasn’t likely to be disturbed, but he was careful to keep to the shadows as he hurried down the hallway and towards the staircase to the third floor.
Once in the old man’s office, Hex went over to the painting that hung over the desk and carefully pulled it down. Behind it was a safe, of which he had already been provided the code. The door swung open with a soft beep and Hex retrieved the papers inside. He rifled through them quickly to make sure that he had the right documents, then quickly closed the safe again and replaced the painting. He was out as quickly as he had entered.
With the file carefully placed in his bag for safekeeping, Hex returned to the abandoned building to change into the civilian clothes he had stolen. He then made his way across the city to a bus depot. He found the locker mentioned in the mission dossier and input the code. Inside was a bag that he pulled out and replaced with the bookbag that simply contained the stolen file and the dossier. He closed it and locked it once more as he slung the new bag over his shoulder. With his hands stuffed into his pockets, he walked away sedately as no one gave him a second glance.
After a few laps around the city to be sure he hadn't been followed, Hex eventually made his way to Thorgeirr’s bar. It was early evening by now and only a couple of men graced the dingy interior. Thorgeirr was behind his bar, a glass and rag in hand. “Back already?” He said with a raised eyebrow, but he slid a soda over to the teenager.
“Wasn’t hard,” was all Hex said with a shrug.
Thorgeirr snorted softly and shook his head, though he gave the teen a once over. “Almost look like a normal kid like that,” he said, a twinkle of mischief in his golden eyes.
Hex lifted his soda and took a sip. “I’m not a kid,” he responded.
“Aye, I’d believe it,” he muttered with a shake of his head. “Got a place to stay, brat?” At the question, Hex gave a non committal hum and took another sip of his soda. Thorgeirr rolled his eyes and gave a sharp motion with his head towards a dark staircase nearly hidden next to the bar. “Go on. You could at least have a proper shower, a proper meal.”
At the offer of charity, Hex lifted his eyes sharply. They burned with a green fire in his face as he stared down the much larger man. Thorgeirr’s expression never changed, but he could not quite hide the slight flutter in his hands. Hex glanced at them and then raised his eyes once more to meet Thorgeirr’s. “Why?”
“It was adults that made you this way, I reckon,” Thorgeirr said gruffly, his voice low. “I don’t blame you if you can’t trust me. But, the flat is warded heavily. You’d be safe up there. It’s the least I can do. I like you, kid.”
“You barely even know me,” Hex said lowly, with no inflection.
Thorgeirr shook his head. “I know enough. I recognize myself in you, understand the feeling of going to war when you’re too young to really understand. Too young to understand, yet death becomes an old friend. This is the least I can do, what I wish someone had done for me when I was a brat.”
Hex said nothing as he studied Thorgeirr. Finally, he slid off the stool and silently made his way up the stairs. By the time Thorgeirr made his way up to the living quarters in the early hours of the morning, Hex was gone again. Moisture still clung to the shower and there was food that was missing from the kitchen, but the teenager was nowhere to be found. The only thing he left behind was a stack of Deutschemark banknotes on the kitchen table with a note that simply read ‘finder’s fee’.
It was nearly a week before Hex showed up again, this time with forged papers that gave him the identity of Jamie Spectre who was aged eighteen. Thorgeirr raised an eyebrow at him, but accepted it. He still wouldn’t serve him alcohol, but Hex didn’t really push for it anyways. Thorgeirr offered him use of his apartment again and Hex was gone again before the man had closed the bar down for the night.
It continued like this for several months and into the new year. Hex told Thorgeirr that he was now sixteen and Thorgeirr gave him new assignments to help him build his reputation in the underworld. The older man might have preferred that Hex be a normal child, but he understood that Hex never would be. So, he gave him assignments that he thought he could handle and let him find a safe place in his apartment.
It was an early March morning when Thorgeirr returned to his apartment, after he had closed up his bar, to find Hex passed out on his couch. He hadn’t even seen the teen come through the bar, so he figured he had broken in another way. Thorgeirr didn’t mind, though he noticed the bandages that were wrapped around Hex’s chest. He looked like he had showered and hadn’t bothered to put a shirt back on, but he had already started to bleed through what looked like fresh bandages.
Thorgeirr made sure to make noise as he collected a large medical kit. The older man hoped it was enough to wake Hex without startling him too badly, so he wouldn’t lash out. Hex still woke abruptly, his fist curled tightly around the handle of his karambit. “It’s just me, boy,” Thorgeirr said in an even tone as he set the kit down on the coffee table. “Sit up and let me take a proper look at that. What happened? You look like you haven’t slept since I last saw you.”
When Hex sat up finally, Thorgeirr sat down next to him and then opened up his kit. “Well? You going to answer me, boy?” His voice was rough, but there was a gentleness there that Hex had never heard directed towards him by an adult. He still didn’t say anything until Thorgeirr started to cut away his bandages.
“I took on a mission from another source,” Hex said finally before he hissed as the bloody bandages were pulled away from his side. “Was just supposed to be in and out. Had it all planned out.” He glanced down at the long gash that ran along his side. It was still oozing and probably needed stitches. He hadn’t had the energy to do more than clean it and hope it would stop bleeding when wrapped up. “Well, you know how it goes. The best laid plans don’t always go as you want them to. I don’t even really remember how I got this. The pain didn’t register until later when it was all over. Mission done.” He didn’t really want to talk about it and he wasn’t required to tell Thorgeirr either. The man seemed to understand as he didn’t push him any further for it.
“Well, at least you cleaned it,” Thorgeirr said roughly as he inspected it. “And when was the last time you slept?”
“Was what you woke me from not sleep?” Hex sassed back, though his voice was just as monotone as ever.
Thorgeirr gave him a look. “A proper sleep, brat.”
“A week,” Hex admitted finally. “I caught rest here and there, but only for an hour at a time. If that.”
As he pulled out a few supplies, Thorgeirr hummed beneath his breath. “You know, my flat has two bedrooms. You can use the bed instead of this couch,” he said lightly and pulled out a pot of herbal cream. He scooped some up and started to smear it over the open wound. “This is my grandmother’s recipe,” he told Hex. “It’ll keep you from needing stitches, have you all healed up in a matter of days rather than weeks.” He spread a generous amount over the wound before he covered it with gauze. “You’ll need a bit more, but that’ll do for now.”
Once he was finished, Thorgeirr sent Hex off to the guest bedroom before he cleaned up the used supplies and bloody bandages. He went off to bed once he was finished and Hex’s door was still closed late the next morning. Figuring that the teen wasn’t likely to sleep any longer, if he had indeed slept that long, Thorgeirr started on a late breakfast for the two of them. He made them potato pancakes along with eggs and bacon, which he finished just as Hex joined him. The boy was still somewhat pale, but looked leagues better than he had before.
“Eat up,” Thorgeirr told him. “Then I will take a look at your side again.” Hex said nothing as he took his plate over to the table. Thorgeirr rolled his eyes, but took a seat as well. They ate in comfortable silence.
As they ate, a cat suddenly launched herself onto the table and primly padded her way over to Hex. She plonked herself down behind his plate and wrapped her tail around herself. Hex blinked and raised his head slowly to stare at the beautiful feline. She blinked her bright blue eyes and just stared back. Thorgeirr snorted softly and stuffed a bit of bacon into his mouth. “She likes you,” he commented. “Have you seen her about the flat before now? Her name is Elritze.”
Hex didn’t even look away from the cat. “No. Though I noticed the signs of an animal around.”
“Takes awhile for a cat to trust strangers, but she seems to like you well enough,” Thorgeirr said as he leaned back in his chair. “The eggs are safe for her to eat if you want to give her some.” He hid a smirk as the teen immediately picked up a piece of his egg and held it out to Elritze.
“Why minnow for her name?” Hex asked as he gave Elritze another piece of egg. Thorgeirr only shrugged and finished off his meal. He stood then to start on the dishes. Once he finished, he made Hex sit on the couch to check over his wound. Elritze immediately hopped up into his lap and curled up. Thorgeirr allowed her to stay as she distracted Hex somewhat and he couldn’t really deny her attention, the spoiled little diva that she was.
Once he was finished, Thorgeirr stood up to put the kit away again. “No strenuous activity until you have a chance to heal,” he said sternly. He regarded the teen out of the corner of his eye then before he ran a hand through his long hair. “Come down to the bar with me,” he decided on impulse. “You can help me with the inventory.” It would hopefully keep Hex out of trouble for the time being. If Hex ended up staying with him for a week and helped out at the bar the entire time, Thorgeirr never commented a word. After the week was over, Hex left as quietly as he had arrived.
The months continued to pass like this, where Hex would disappear for days or weeks at a time. He would take jobs all over the world and he slowly started to build his reputation, though was careful to avoid Legio at all costs. When he was injured, or just needed a rest, he would appear back in Thorgeirr’s apartment and steal the guest bedroom for a week before he would disappear yet again.
When August rolled around again, Hex almost couldn’t believe that it had already been a whole year. He was dressed in civvies once more, though he had bought these ones this time. On one of the beaches of Lamma Island in Hong Kong, Hex stood as he watched the water lap against the sandy shore. He stood beneath the shade of a tree and had his shoes in one hand, his toes dug into the sand. Distantly, he was aware of the approach of two individuals from opposite sides.
“Don’t even think about it, Theta,” he said after a moment as he continued to stare out at the water. “I will gut you.”
The teen stepped out next to him with a pout a moment later. “I thought I was getting stealthier, but I guess I still can’t beat you, A,” he said with a huff before he leaned forward and grinned past Hex. “Hey, Ze!” The smiles still didn’t quite reach Theta’s eyes, but Hex thought there was something lighter about the other teen. Zeta hadn’t changed a bit, though she offered a small smile to the two of them.
Hex nodded at Zeta and then invited the two over to where he had some food set out on a large boulder. “It is good to see the both of you,” he said bluntly as he placed his shoes safely aside and then found himself a seat. “What have you been up to?”
Theta immediately grabbed a spring roll and took a bite out of it. “Mm! I’ve been around here or there. Picked up some work, but mostly just exploring. I like seeing the world where it isn’t warzones.” He snorted then and stuffed the rest of the spring roll in his mouth. “Though civilians are weird.” Hex actually gave a little smile. He had to agree with that. Civilians were weird. “They’re so loud and so unaware of their surroundings. It’s crazy.” Hex had noticed that and had walked off with more than one wallet because of it.
When Theta went quiet, Hex told them about Thorgeirr and their arrangement. “If you ever need a safe place, go to him,” he told them. “Just tell him that you know Jamie. He’ll help.”
“Jamie? Did you remember your real name?” Theta asked eagerly. “My real name is Francis. Which… gross. Perfectly fine name, but do I look like a Francis to you? I’ll stick with Theta, thank you very much. At least I earned that name,” he said the last part proudly.
Hex shook his head as Zeta watched on quietly, but with interest. “No,” Hex said firmly. “It’s just an alias. One of them, at least. Jamie Spectre. I also go by Hex.”
“You’re Hex? Well, no shit,” Theta breathed out and looked over to Zeta with wide eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve kept up with the scene, but do you know who Hex is?”
“Alpha is,” Zeta replied with a curl of her lips that was languid and sly. Theta squinted at her before he scoffed. She gave a little laugh that seemed to surprise the younger teen, but luckily he didn’t comment on it. “Hex is quickly gaining a reputation in the underworld,” she said as she picked up a dumpling. “Even I have heard whispers of the young merc that has exploded onto the scene, always finishing a job without concern for his own body.”
“So, nothing unusual for our Alpha,” Theta grumbled even as Hex tugged up his shirt to show off the new scar that ran along his side. It had fully healed by now, but still ever so slightly pink with its newness. It stood out against his olive skin tone. “Well, shit. Well, someone sure hasn’t changed one bit,” Theta tsked and then looked over to Zeta. “How about you? Besides being a super badass, what has the great Zeta been up to?”
“Don’t stab him,” Hex said blandly when he spotted Zeta’s subtle movement from the corner of his eye. “Theta, don’t antagonize her.”
“Ooh, big words,” Theta said with a grin, too wide to be entirely natural.
There was a pause before Hex leaned over to grab a steamed pork bao bun. “Don’t stab anything vital,” he amended.
Theta immediately threw his hands up. “Wait, wait, wait! Sorry, sorry! I’ll behave!” He eyed the knife that Zeta suddenly had in her hand. “But I really am curious what you’ve been up to, Zeta. A and I both shared our stories.”
“Fighting rings mostly,” Zeta said finally as she tucked the knife away again and plucked up a bao bun for herself. “Men certainly find too much pleasure in the idea that they’ll go up against a young woman. I enjoy… dissuading them of their notions.” Theta immediately howled with laughter at the sly smile that curled Zeta’s lips once more. Even Hex smiled along with them. This moment felt light, lighter than anything he had ever felt before, but there was still a feeling of what he might call melancholy. Iota and Eta should have been there with them.
It was after a moment that Hex suddenly realized that it was quiet. He turned his attention back to see that the other two were watching him. “I don’t know if I believe that there is really an afterlife. Though, if magic exists, then it’s not a stretch to believe that there is something after death,” Theta said quietly. “But whether or not there is, I think Eta and Iota are both in a better place now. And if there is… we’ll see them again one day.” Zeta nodded her agreement.
“I have to believe that,” Hex said softly and then returned to their meal. Once they finished, Hex used his magic to destroy any garbage they had left behind. They then spent the day on the various hiking paths of the island, and even took a dip in the ocean at the beach. It wasn’t so bad when they weren’t swimming for their lives.
By the time that the day came to a close, the three were reluctant to leave each other again. They lingered as long as they could, but eventually said their goodbyes. Theta hesitated and then drew the other two in for a hug. The movements were stiff, all of them unused to gentle touch like this. Still, Hex found himself relaxing into the hold as he tightened his grip on Theta and Zeta. “Stay safe,” he whispered to them. When they finally released each other, the three teens went their separate ways.
Chapter Text
Chapter Nine
The sky was blue. The kind of blue that was sung about in songs, that poems were written about. It was vibrant and beautiful, with little wisps of clouds that moved slowly across it like delicate lacework. The autumn sun had been surprisingly warm, Hex knew, but he didn’t feel its rays. All he felt was the cold, the air that he couldn’t quite get into his lungs. He wondered if this was what Iota had felt at the end.
Hex knew something hadn’t been right with the mission, but he had taken it anyway for the contacts he could gain from it. It had been a retrieval, a rescue. Some businessman’s son had been kidnapped and he had quickly assembled a crew to save him because he trusted the experience of soldiers over that of the police. Soldiers didn’t have their hands tied and would do anything as long as the money paid well enough. And the money was good, though Hex had jumped at the opportunity to be in the favour of the businessman. Good contacts meant better opportunities in the future.
But one of his temporary teammates hadn’t been on their side. Money couldn’t soothe whatever feud the soldier had with the businessman and so had tagged along to make sure that the businessman’s son didn’t make it out alive. He had been standoffish, but nothing had set off any major alarm bells. The man had followed orders and had rushed the rundown compound with the rest of their crew. As they moved from room to room, the man stood beside Hex and gunned down the hired thugs that had taken the boy. But then they had gotten separated.
Hex had walked in on the man as he held a gun on the boy. As soon as he registered the man’s intentions, he had taken aim. But the other man was faster, had already started to move in the moment that it had taken Hex to realize that his companion was not really an ally. The man opened fire and forced Hex to dive for cover behind an overturned metal desk. Hex was fast, as his instincts screamed at him, but one of the bullets still hit as he attempted to get away. One was all it took.
Even as he started to bleed out, Hex still managed to take the man down as the soldier’s magazine clicked on empty and gave Hex the opportunity he needed. Hex rose against the pain in his chest and raised his rifle to put a clean shot straight through the man’s forehead. The boy on the filthy and threadbare mattress gave a whimper as his would be assassin slumped back, but Hex immediately ordered him to close his eyes and then dragged himself over to cut the boy’s bonds loose. Though the strength in his limbs was quickly draining out, Hex picked the boy up and trudged towards the door where the rest of the crew had started to gather as they had been summoned by the gunfire.
Hex handed the young boy off to another soldier, the rest of the compound already cleared. He tried to follow the way back to the copter that waited for them, but Hex barely made it out of the rundown complex before he found himself on his back. The sky was so beautiful, but everything was fading on the edges. All he could hear was a rush like the ocean, but even that was fading. Hex closed his eyes and went still.
It was both in the next moment and an eternity later that Hex found himself standing upon the Playground. The fact that he had no idea how he had gotten there should have made him feel panicked, but he felt only a sense of peace. It was quiet and so very still.
“This place is different for everyone. Some call it the Crossroads. Some call it Limbo. It has many names and many appearances,” a soft, familiar, voice spoke from behind Hex. He should have startled as he hadn’t felt the presence of the person or their approach, but he only smiled and looked up at the blue sky with its lacy clouds. “For us, we saw this place too. This place was never peaceful like it is now, but it was the one place where we were all together. A family. It’s as close to peace as we ever knew.”
Hex turned to see both Iota and Eta. Eta had a bundle wrapped up in his arms, but they stood side by side as they watched him. Hex strode up towards them and realized that he had grown taller again. “I died,” he stated, unsurprised. He had always known the work was dangerous, though it sucked that he had died before the new year and his seventeenth birthday.
“You did,” Eta spoke before he looked down at the strange bundle in his arms. “However, you have a second chance that not many are afforded.” He showed the bundle to Hex and revealed what might have been a baby, but was ugly and deformed. It was snakelike and so very unnatural. Something in Hex physically wanted to reject the thing held within Eta’s arms. “It is a soul shard,” Eta told him. “A parasite that was upon your soul. If you wish to return to life, then we will take this parasite with us to the other side instead.”
Iota gave Hex a smile and tilted his head a little. “You look good, A. Go back. It isn’t your time yet. Not for a long while.”
Though he was hesitant to go back, because he was so very tired, Hex turned and looked up at the sky again. He didn’t want to leave Zeta and Theta behind. They would wonder what had happened to him. He didn’t want to leave Thorgeirr behind, the first man he had learned to trust. He was finally free of Legio and had a whole life ahead of him. As much as he wanted to rest, there were people and things that still waited for him. “I’ll go back,” he agreed as he looked back to the two. His family.
“We’ll see you again some day, A. Long into the future,” Iota said softly. “You know, I never got to say that it was an honour to fight under your leadership.”
“It was an honour for me, too, A. Don’t blame yourself for what happened,” Eta spoke as he looked over to the door to the Playground’s rooftop. “It’s time to go back now.”
Hex only hesitated a moment more before he strode to the door with purpose. He had to look forward. So, as he opened the door, he didn’t even look back. He was afraid he would linger too long if he looked back. Instead, he didn’t hesitate as he took a step forward into the darkness beyond the door.
There were alarms that blared around him, a drone in his ears that matched the frantic beating of his heart. He couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t swallow properly. He wanted to gag, while he wondered what new torture this was. His body was lethargic, didn’t respond properly as if connections between his muscles and his brain had been severed. His weak body was the only reason he didn’t lash out when hands suddenly tried to hold him down as he flailed. Light burned his eyes as he tried to open them.
Suddenly the tube in his throat was being pulled free and he only had half a brain to realize that he was doing it himself even as hands tried to stop him. Choking, he pulled it free and gagged. But there was nothing in his stomach so there was nothing to cough up. There was alarm in the voices that he could distantly hear, as if they were yelling from far down a tunnel. Hex spasmed and tried to fight his way free, but suddenly there was a prick of pain against his shoulder. Within moments he couldn’t fight the sleepiness that washed over him. He closed his eyes and fell back into darkness.
When Hex woke again, the light was dimmer and it was quieter but for a calmer beeping. He felt lethargic and not panicked as he had before. Though he did find himself restrained as he tried to move his arms. The steady beeping in the room picked up tempo, but then there was suddenly a woman next to him. She wore a light blue dress and her dark hair was pinned up beneath a white hat of some sort. “「大丈夫です。安全ですよ。」” Japanese. But Hex’s brain felt sluggish.
“E..English,” he rasped out, his throat sore and his mouth dry. He didn’t have the brain capacity to try to translate.
The woman, a nurse, gave him a relieved smile. “Sorry, sorry. You’re safe here,” she said in mostly fluent English. “I wasn’t sure how aware you were.” She carefully slipped an ice chip into his mouth. “Slowly. Let it melt on your tongue.” She fed him another piece after a moment.
Hex felt vaguely humiliated, but took the ice gratefully. “Where am I?” His throat was still sore, but his mouth felt less like a desert. Though there was a bad taste that he could not chase away no matter how much he swallowed.
“You are in a private hospital owned by Fujita Hideaki in Tokyo, Japan,” the nurse told him gently. “Do you remember what happened?”
The memories were sluggish, slow to return. “I was shot,” he said suddenly and jerked in his restraints as he automatically tried to get at his bandages. He had come to Japan and had picked up a job here for the businessman Fujita Hideaki. To rescue his son, Fujita Ren.
“You nearly died,” a new voice said. When Hex turned his head towards the door, the businessman himself stood there. He nodded at the nurse, who bowed respectfully and exited the room. Fujita approached the bed then and started to unbuckle the restraints that wrapped around Hex’s right wrist and ankle. “I hear you are responsible for the life of my son. Nearly traded your own life for it.” The man walked around the bed to release the other restraints. “And I say nearly died, but you did die for several minutes. The field medic wasn’t sure they could revive you until you miraculously drew breath again.”
Fujita then stood at the foot of Hex’s bed. “You have been in a coma for three weeks. Nearly died two more times on the operating table. Once you were stable enough, you were transported here to this facility so my people could oversee your care.” It explained the weakness in his limbs, Hex thought.
There was silence in the room for a moment except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. “I owe you a great debt,” Fujita said finally. “You saved my only son and brought him back to me. Without you, they would have brought me back a body.” He leaned forward then in a bow. “You seem quite young yourself, but you are competent. I do not suppose that I could hire you as a bodyguard for Ren?” He asked as he straightened from his bow, a wry smile on his lips.
Hex gave a slow shake of his head. “No. I am not fit for work like that.” He couldn’t hang around in one place that long anyhow. Not yet.
“I thought as much,” Fujita said with a small smile. “I know you go by the moniker Hex, Edward Holmes-san. I have deposited two million yen in the account you provided me with at the start of your temporary employment. If you are ever in the area again, I hope that you will come see me.”
With an absent nod of acknowledgment, Hex mulled the number over in his head. Two million yen was more than the original contract, but he wasn’t about to complain. It would more than cover his expenses as he recovered while he couldn’t take jobs. The memories of his death were slightly faded, fuzzy at the edges, but this had otherwise worked out quite well in the end. There was even a sort of lightness that he felt, as if somehow a hurt he hadn’t realized was there was suddenly gone. “Am I being released?” He asked finally.
Fujita shook his head. “No, not yet. Not until the doctors have a chance to clear you, so you will be here for a few more days yet at least.” He gave a slight smile then. “I believe Ren wanted to come thank you himself. Perhaps he can keep the boredom away.”
Hex had been reluctant, not used to kids that weren’t being trained as soldiers. However, Ren had come around just as Fujita had said he would. The young boy barely knew English yet, but Hex did not mind helping him with it. It was the easiest thing to connect with the boy about, though he was able to put his own lessons of Japanese to the test. By the time he was finally released a week later, Ren was disappointed to see him go. He made Hex promise him that he would come visit again.
As soon as he could escape the facility, Hex disappeared and made his way back to Thorgeirr’s bar. It was certainly the longest he had been away from the older man since he had first met him. He wondered if Thorgeirr thought he was dead, if he would be relieved to see him again.
It was late by the time that Hex found himself standing in front of Thorgeirr’s bar, tucked away in the darkness of the alley the bar was hidden down. Thorgeirr would likely be closing down the place soon, so Hex made his way up to the roof and then into Thorgeirr’s apartment through a window. He was immediately assaulted by a rather indignant cat. “Oh, I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t mean to be gone so long,” he said with a fleck of amusement in his voice as he sat down on the couch and let Elritze curl up on his lap.
Still not quite recovered from his experience, Hex started to drop off into sleep as Elritze purred happily upon his lap. He was awoken some time later when there was soft clatter on the stairs up to the apartment. Thorgeirr appeared only moments later. The older man froze though when he noticed Hex’s presence on his couch, the teen’s green eyes trained steadily on him. “Shit, boy,” Thorgeirr breathed out and set a crate down on the kitchen table before he took quick strides over to the living room. “You’ve lost weight.” He said the observation quietly. “When was the last time you ate properly?”
Hex gave a little shrug. “At the hospital.”
“Hospital?” Thorgeirr stressed the word as he dragged his hand through his hair. “What the hell have you been up to, kid? It’s been two months! Have you spent that entire time in the hospital? What happened?”
“Got shot,” Hex admitted easily. He knew Thorgeirr well enough now that he trusted him. The man was a wealth of information and had a network of contacts that were irreplaceable. At the same time, Thorgeirr actually gave a damn and he didn’t treat him like he was a breakable little kid. Hex knew he was young, especially for this line of work, but Thorgeirr didn’t treat him like he was innocent and naive.
Thorgeirr dropped down onto the couch next to Hex. “Let me see,” he said the words tightly. Hex hesitated before he started to unbutton the shirt he wore. He had done a majority of his healing while in the coma, but the wound was still tender. He still had a long way to go to fully heal and build his strength back up again. Another reason why he had come here, as he knew that Thorgeirr would be able to help him get back on his feet quickly.
Once Hex had the shirt unbuttoned, he slid it down his shoulders and carefully hung it over the arm of the couch. He turned then to let Thorgeirr get a proper look at the newly pink - and still scabbed in places - scar that was just to the right of his heart. The stitches had been removed at least. Thorgeirr stood abruptly and went to retrieve his medical kit. “May I?” When Hex nodded, Thorgeirr opened up an herbal cream and carefully spread it over the scar to promote faster healing. “How close were you to dying, boy?” The words were tight, Thorgeirr’s face lined with new wrinkles.
For the first time, Hex had the impulse to lie. Part of him wanted to spare Thorgeirr the truth. But, he quickly dismissed it and threaded his fingers through Elritze’s soft fur. “I did die once, for a few minutes, on the way to the facility,” he admitted evenly, as if he was merely discussing the details of a job. “They brought me back, but I was told I almost died two more times while on the operating table. There was damage to my heart.”
At that announcement, Thorgeirr gave Hex a sharp look and then pressed a small vial into his hand. “Drink that,” he ordered firmly. “Another of my grandmother’s recipes.” Hex had long ago learned that Thorgeirr was a halfblood wizard, though he was a nearly a squib as he had named it. Thorgeirr had enough magic to create his potions, and to build certain wards, but wasn’t a fully fledged wizard. Still, it had granted him the long life of a wizard and a few other extra benefits. Hex wondered if he could get the older man to teach him. Instead of putting a voice to the thoughts, Hex downed the concoction without complaint and handed the empty vial back over to Thorgeirr.
It was mid December when Hex had made his way back to Thorgeirr’s bar and apartment. Unable to do much more than heal, he spent both Christmas and the New Year with Thorgeirr. Under a disguise to hide his face, he helped the older man with the bar as these were often Thorgeirr’s busiest days for purely the business the bar brought in. It also allowed Thorgeirr to keep an eye on him, but Hex didn’t mention that he knew the man’s intentions. The labour allowed him to move about without it being too hard on him. Thorgeirr’s potions and natural medicines had helped.
On New Year’s Day, it was the early hours of the morning when the bar finally closed its doors as the last of the revelors had left. Hex had his arms deep in the sudsy water of the sink as he washed cups when Thorgeirr suddenly placed a gift on the counter next to him. “Happy birthday, kid,” he said and then wandered off to wipe down tables.
Hex hesitated and then dried off his hands with a towel. He slowly dragged the present closer to him and then untied the sloppy bow that tied the box together. As the ribbon slid off of the box, Hex lifted off the lid cautiously. Inside, he found a beautiful set of six throwing knives in a holster that could be attached to his belt and secured around his thigh. They were all black and perfectly symmetrical from their sharpened tips to the single rings mounted on their hilts. Practical, but beautiful. “Thank you,” Hex murmured, though he didn’t know if Thorgeirr was close enough to hear. He carefully replaced the lid on the box and set it aside so it wouldn’t get wet as he finished with the dishes.
It took several weeks after that for Thorgeirr to finally give Hex the clear to start training again. “No missions,” the man had ordered sternly, but would join Hex in his training on most days. “Figured I should get myself back in shape,” he had said with a shrug when asked, though Hex was positive it wasn’t the only reason. He ignored it though as it really was nice to have someone there to train with him. Especially since Thorgeirr had quite a few tricks up his sleeve that more than made up for the difference between their speed and flexibility. It had been awhile since Hex had been able to have the opportunity to learn something new.
Nearly a month later, Thorgeirr slid a file over to hex during breakfast. “A mission?” Hex questioned as he flipped it open.
“For both of us,” Thorgeirr said firmly. When Hex looked up at him with a flash of confusion in his eyes, the older man gave a little smirk. “I’m usually just the information broker, and it’s been awhile since I’ve been in the game properly myself. A little extra money wouldn’t hurt and I don’t want to miss the opportunity to actually see you in action after the little taste I got with your training. Shouldn’t be a hard mission at any rate.”
A small part of Hex immediately worried about having a teammate that he knew, that he was close to. He couldn’t help but think of Iota, of Eta. But, he dismissed the thought. Though it had been awhile since Thorgeirr had been on this side of the mercenary work, the man still had plenty of experience. It was not a thing that was easily forgotten. So, Hex only gave a small nod and took a bite of his toast as he started to read the file. “What about the bar?”
“I can close down for a few days. It won’t hurt anyone,” Thorgeirr said with a little shrug. “Any longer than that, I have a friend that knows what to do.”
Hex had to get new clothes again before they left on the mission they’d taken. His shoulders were broader and he was taller again. Thorgeirr liked to tease him that he looked very much like a man from the back, but he couldn’t hide the youthfulness in his face. Hex had tried to hide it somewhat with the patchy facial hair that had slowly started to fill out into something that resembled an actual proper beard, but Thorgeirr had told him he was ridiculous and showed him how to properly shave. “You can grow out that beard once you’re an actual adult, kid. Right now, let your enemy underestimate you because they think you’re still green.” Hex wondered if this was what it was like to have a father or an uncle.
A week after Thorgeirr had given Hex the file, the two found themselves in Constanța, Romania. It was the fourth largest city in Romania and its principal port on the Black Sea coast. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, it was also the oldest inhabited city of the area as it was founded around 600 BCE. But the reason they were there was for something far older. The area had long ago been home to what was named the Hamangia culture, which had existed from around 5250 BCE to around 4500 BCE. A long, long time ago. Hex hadn’t expected the history lesson when they’d accepted the job.
He’d also learned that the Hamangia had produced some very extraordinary examples of neolithic art in pottery and other such figurines. There was a black market niche for such artifacts, but a wealthy philanthropist type had gotten ahold of the shipping manifest for a general cargo ship named the Elise Morel. Among its normal shipments were Hamangian artifacts that were being smuggled out of the port in Constanța. The philanthropist was paying them a pretty penny to intercept the shipment and hand it over to her so she could see that the artifacts ended up in the proper hands. Thorgeirr had been more than happy to accept the job. Hex just found it surprisingly nice to think that they’d be the good guys for once. He’d been on the other side once or twice on Legio’s orders.
It’s twilight when Thorgeirr leaned against the side of a warehouse, his arms crossed over his chest. He was a picture of nonchalance and ease, but Hex could read the tension in his shoulders. “The Morel is a Tweendecker. Between the main deck and the hold space below, there’s a space called the tweendeck,” Thorgeirr told him. “Typically they’ll pile bales, drums, or loose bags there. What we’re looking for is in a drum marked for Julian Enterprises.”
“I read the same files as you did,” Hex said dryly as his eyes tracked the movements of a port guard. Currently, they were just there to scope out the area around where the cargo ship had made berth. They would make their actual approach from the sea, but it was good to have options and to know their surroundings.
Thorgeirr snorted and pushed away from his position. “Just keeping the details fresh,” he said. “Come on then. Let’s get back to our hotel room.” Hex found himself actually tempted to roll his eyes.
Back in their hotel room, Thorgeirr dropped down to sit on the edge of his bed. He then started to unlace his boots. They had stopped by a local restaurant to purchase dinner, which Hex set on the small table in their room. Thorgeirr had selected an assortment of traditional Romanian foods. This included Sarmale, which was pork and rice wrapped with cabbage. There was also Mici, a dish that was made up of spiced small rolled meat. To go along with them there was Mămăligă, which was a buttery and rich polenta dish. Hex had never heard of any of it, but it smelled amazing. “Better to try the local dishes,” Thorgeirr had told him. And he was right. It was delicious.
The next day, Hex was up early. He wanted to go for a run, but decided it was better to keep close to the hotel. Luckily, it had a little exercise room in it. It wasn’t the most spectacular, but it was enough for him to put in a variation of his usual workout. And it was relatively private as no one disturbed him. By the time he made it back to the room, Thorgeirr was awake and had gotten them some breakfast.
“Good morning,” the man said gruffly around the rim of his coffee. He’d never been much of a morning person, too used to sleeping in after the late hours of the bar. Hex nodded at Thorgeirr and stole a pastry off of the table as he grabbed a change of clothes. He then locked himself in the bathroom to take a shower after he stuffed the pastry in his mouth. He’d eat more of the food once he was cleaned up.
Once breakfast was cleared and Thorgeirr had his own chance at the shower, they went over a few last details. Hex had taken apart his Browning and had the pieces carefully arranged on the bed next to him as he cleaned it. “I have a contact in the area,” Thorgeirr said as he stretched out over his own bed. “Owed me a favour, no questions asked. He’s procured a boat for us and has hidden it for us further along the coast.”
Hex carefully slotted cleaned pieces of the pistol back into their places. “Leave here at 0100 hours?”
Thorgeirr nodded his agreement, so Hex returned to the care of his equipment while Thorgeirr eventually took care of his own. They would be packing light as they hoped to get through without any confrontation. Hex planned to carry mostly just his Browning, extra ammo, and an assortment of knives that included the throwing knives Thorgeirr had given him. He also had a bag that he’d use to transport the artifacts once they found them.
Once Hex was satisfied with his preparations for the night, he went back down to the workout room to get some more exercise in. And, after another shower and some food, Hex decided on a nap before their long night. He woke up well before they had to leave when Thorgeirr brought food for them to share.
It seemed like no time at all when they were swiftly walking down to the water’s edge, each with a bag over their shoulders. Thorgeirr led them to a small protected area along the shoreline with an old boathouse that looked like it had been long abandoned. As they stepped into the building, Hex looked over the craft they would be using with some surprise. He had expected a small dinghy at best. “You got your hands on a SURC?” The SURC, or small unit riverine craft, was a rigid-hull and armored patrol boat that was used primarily by the U.S. militaries. It provided good maneuverability and would provide some protection if things went south.
Thorgeirr smirked as he jumped down onto the boat and dropped his pack. “Figured something that was a step up from a civilian vessel would be best,” he said as Hex dropped down as well. The teen set down his own pack and immediately checked the vessel out. The motors were topped off and there were two extra gas canisters of extra fuel, so it should get them there and out without issue. They were quickly on their way as they ran with no lights while Hex stood at the bow to keep an eye out for any obstacles.
As they neared the entrance to the port, Thorgeirr backed off on the gas. It slowed them so they were quieter and did not leave much of a wake in their trail. Hex kept on the lookout as Thorgeirr carefully navigated through the darkest parts of the waters as they made their way towards the Morel as she sat quietly against the quay.
When they slid in next to the much larger vessel, Thorgeirr turned off the motors completely while Hex anchored them. “I forget how big these damn things are,” Thorgeirr hissed softly as he looked up at the ship that loomed over them. Luckily, there was a ladder that rested against the hull of the ship. Hex thought it was called the pilot ladder, though it was usually stored away when not in use. Whether it was by design or by luck that the ladder was there, it gave them the perfect way onto the ship. Hex quickly scaled the ladder once he had slung his bag over his shoulder once more, Thorgeirr close behind. Once on the main deck, Thorgeirr made a sharp motion with his hand. Hex silently followed him down to the tweendeck.
The ship was silent but for the lapping of water against the hull. Only a few lights were on, mostly there in case of emergencies. There were no dark corners of the ship, but it was very dim. As they stepped out onto the tweendeck, Hex pulled out a flashlight from his flak vest and clicked it on. He then settled it between his teeth so he could use both hands as he shifted through the stacked containers. He carefully examined each barrel and bag as he looked out for the name Julian Industries. A front for some other company or individual, he was sure. Not that it mattered.
Eventually, Hex heard a soft whistle that was barely loud enough to be heard. He looked up to see Thorgeirr make a motion to beckon him closer. He had found the drum they wanted. As Hex approached, he pulled a tool from his vest and handed it over to Thorgeirr. The man immediately used it to wedge the lid open. Inside the barrel they found it filled with grain. “There should be five pieces,” Thorgeirr whispered to him and then started to dig through the grain for the artifacts. Eventually, he emerged with the first one. It was wrapped in padding so Hex couldn’t see it, but Hex didn’t dare try to take a peek. Instead he called upon his magic to give the clay pot extra protection as he safely put it into his pack. He did the same for the others.
It was as they were leaving that there was the soft murmur of voices. Thorgeirr was ahead of him and quickly threw up a hand before they both pressed themselves against the metal wall of the ship’s corridor. Hex quietly palmed one of his throwing knives as he loosened it in its holster.
Luck was with them, however, as the voices seemed to turn a corner and drew distant once more. Thorgeirr held his hand up again and waited a few long seconds before he made another motion. They quickly hurried along the corridor once more as they quietly made their way back to the pilot ladder. Their descent was just as quick, and thankfully uninterrupted, until they reached their boat. As Thorgeirr went to the helm, there was a shout from above them. Hex quickly pulled up the anchor.
Hex braced himself then and kept a tight hand on his pack so he wouldn’t lose it. Now that they had been spotted, and they had their prize, Thorgeirr didn’t waste time in trying to slowly pull away from the Morel. They hadn’t been able to just let the motors idle, so it took him a moment to get them started up. But as soon as they were running, he whipped the boat around and gunned it. They were up to 25 knots in roughly fifteen seconds as Thorgeirr maneuvered them through the port. As soon as they hit open water, he opened the engines up to their full 39 knots. When Hex glanced back, there was a wild grin on Thorgeirr’s face. And, honestly, he couldn’t remember ever having such fun on a job before.
Notes:
Hopefully that was okay. I've been accused of being way too wordy or long-winded in the past, so I tried to dial it back. But sometimes I wonder if I've gone too far in the other direction. Leave me some love? As always, thanks to everyone who has made it this far!
Chapter 10
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Ten
Khan El-Khalili Bazaar in Cairo, Egypt was loud and vibrant. It was filled past bursting with trinkets and curiosities. A veritable dragon’s hoard of treasure. It was full of life with all sorts of sounds, smells, and sights to delight the senses. Even after years of living in the area, Bill Weasley never became tired of it. Even the muggle side of it. Though the wizarding branch of the Bazaar was just as wonderfully chaotic as its mundane counterpart even with it being filled with curiosities that were more magical in nature. He was there to make use of the postal services to send off a letter to his mother, who had been worried. The Egyptian magical communities used falcons instead of owls, but luckily his mother was used to it. She’d be looking for his response as, with the state of the war in the United Kingdom, she had been unsure if she wanted him close to home or far away where he was safer. Bill himself had tossed around the idea of going home, though he wanted to finish the dig he was on before their season was up very soon.
Bill gave a soft groan and ran his fingers through his loose hair. It had escaped from the tie he had used, but he didn’t bother to pull it back again yet. He stopped in a line for a street vendor that was selling hawawshi as his stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten anything since morning. The food might help him put his head back on right, at any rate. Bill gave another little groan and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his linen pants. In front of him in the line, a young man looked over his shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow.
At the look, Bill gave an apologetic grin. “Sorry. Family problems,” he said before he stuck out his hand. “The name’s Bill.” The young man was dressed in sandy coloured fatigue pants and a cream long sleeved linen shirt. Around his neck was wrapped a tan shemagh scarf while a sandy coloured baseball cap shielded his eyes from the sun. The young man certainly seemed better prepared for the heat and sun than some tourists he had seen, though he could have been somewhat local.
The young man turned slightly and took Bill’s hand after a moment, his grip surprisingly strong. “John,” he offered his name. Well, he certainly wasn’t local, Bill thought absently as he shook the young man’s hand. John wasn’t a native name.
“John, then. Have you had hawawshi before?” Might as well strike up a conversation while they waited in line. When John admitted that he hadn’t, Bill gave him a grin. “Well, you’re in for a treat then. It’s basically a pita stuffed with a meat and onion mixture. There are spices that I couldn’t even begin to tell you what they are, but it’s absolutely amazing. I highly recommend.” He chuckled and then stuffed his hand back into his pocket. “What brings you to Cairo? I’m a cursebreaker working on a dig site,” he said in excitement. He wanted to talk about the details as he always loved to discuss his work, but they were trying to keep the project quiet. He's speak in vague terms at least.
The Bahariya Oasis discovery was promising to be a major archaeological find by Doctor Zahi Hawass and his team. They were trying to keep the whole thing quiet for now because they didn’t want thieves to get wind of the tomb. However, there were ancient magical spells on the surrounding area by multitudes of long dead priests to prevent graverobbers, so Bill and his team had been brought in to dismantle the ancient spells to make it safe for mundane archaeologists to excavate. Some of the ancient wards had fallen in places, but the amount of wards that covered the area promised many more discoveries that were waiting to be found. Of course, the layers upon layers of wards were so interconnected that it was going to take time to dismantle them all. Especially when they didn’t have direct access to them beside the one tomb where excavations had already begun.
There were those who were already aware of the tomb, however, so they had been told that the Bahariya Inspectorate of Antiquities did not have sufficient funding, nor did they have enough qualified excavators and conservators to properly be able to preserve the mummies that had already been discovered. It was a cover for those who were not aware of the wizarding side of the world and it would likely be a few years before the site was safe enough for a muggle team to be brought in. There were times that Dr. Zahi Hawass himself would visit the site to check on their progress and oversee an important moment in the excavation, but they had not seen the renowned archaeologist in a few weeks.
Bill shook off his thoughts as the young man next to him gave a little shrug. “Just decided to see the world,” John said flippantly in an accent that Bill could not place.
“Good time to see the world when you’re young,” Bill said with a laugh. John gave him a smile, but Bill thought it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Bill cleared his throat then and gave a little shrug. “Well, it’s a bit of a trek if you go by muggle means, but you should check out the Valley of the Kings. But definitely take the wizarding tour because there are tombs that not even the muggles know about.” He grinned then as they moved up in the line. “If you want something closer, the pyramids and the sphinx are always good. But I would definitely recommend the Saqqara necropolis. And always take the wizarding tours.”
John gave a little nod. “Yes, I’ve been to the Egyptian Museum here,” he said. “It was quite interesting. The hidden wizarding section especially.”
“Did you? Oh, good. It’s definitely a must see, too,” Bill said with a grin. They were almost to the front of the line then. “Well, it was nice meeting you, John. I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.” John only nodded at him before he stepped forward to order his food in what sounded like fluent Arabic. Perhaps one of his parents was Middle Eastern? Bill shrugged off the thoughts as John walked off with his food and disappeared. He stepped up to the vendor and ordered his own meal, though in English. His own Arabic was very stilted as how much he did know had been picked up in pieces from just being around the locals. He’d spent more time learning ancient hieroglyphs.
Bill put the young man out of his mind as he received his food and moved on. He spent the rest of the day in Cairo before he eventually made his way back to the dig in the Bahariya Oasis under its layers of wards, thankful for wizarding modes of transportation. It was pretty late, so he quietly made his way over to the circle of tents that made up their lodging. He could hear laughter from somewhere, but decided to just head to his own tent. Lights flickered on when he pushed the flap aside.
Inside the tent, just a basic wizarding tent, Bill stepped up to the large table that was set up in the middle. It was covered in parchments and a few artifacts that had been pulled out of the tomb. With a yawn, he made his way over to the table and then picked up one of the parchments. He had hieroglyphs scribbled all over it, notes in English added in the margins. It was one of the puzzles his team was stuck on, one they were trying to solve before the season was over and they’d have to put a pin in it until the next season started. But that was a problem for tomorrow.
Bill sighed and tossed the parchment back onto the table before he wandered over to his little kitchenette to grab a bottle of cold butterbeer from the icebox. He switched on the small wizarding wireless, thankful that he didn’t get the English channels. He didn’t want to hear about the war, even if he knew that anything that went over the radio was watered down crap. Still, he didn’t want to hear it. Instead, he let himself relax to the dulcet tones of the Weird Sisters. It was a good way to wind down for the night before he headed to bed. Helped him clear his head.
Once his butterbeer was finished, Bill switched off the wireless and then made his way over to the only other door in the tent. He let himself into his bedroom and took care of his usual habits for bedtime for he finally slipped beneath the covers of his bed for sleep.
Two days passed and were spent normally. After breakfast, Bill would spend time down in the tomb with his wand out and a parchment in hand as he copied down the layers of the enchantments until lunchtime came. The enchantments in the tomb they were in had fallen not long ago, decayed enough to finally collapse. But, it allowed them a glimpse of how the spells had been constructed. He often had one or two colleagues with him as they discussed solutions. Then, over lunch, these discussions would continue. After they would break from their meal, Bill would spend the afternoon in the tomb as they carefully excavated further. Archaeologists couldn’t go further until the enchantments had been carefully documented and then dismantled, but there were parts of the chamber they were in that still lay buried but were otherwise accessible.
They used muggle means to clear the sand as it was pulled from the tomb in woven baskets. These would be emptied over a sifter so the debris from the tomb could fall through, but it would catch the particles larger than the grains of sand. With what was left behind, they would spend hours sorting out any bits of artifacts from pieces of rubble that were unimportant. It was slow work, but they had already found fragments of beads and gold that had been very exciting. Another important clue was that there had been fragments of pottery that had been found. One of Bill’s coworkers, Mayra, was painstakingly piecing them back together like a complex puzzle. It helped date the site, as it was important to know the time period to give them a starting point for the wards. Protective spells had evolved over the many dynasties of ancient Egypt after all.
Once dinnertime came, they would all eat together and then relax as they watched the sun go down. Sometimes they would drink together, sometimes they would play games. Sometimes they went off to their own tents for privacy as they wound down from the stresses of the day. That particular night, Bill found himself back in his tent after dinner so he could look over his parchments again. They had barely a week left before they were expected to wrap up for the season, so he spent nearly every waking moment on the wards. There were still so many layers, but he was sure that they were close to cracking the first of them.
Bill could hear laughter as it filtered in through the canvas walls, but he ignored it as he picked up a quill and dipped it into ink so he could make a new notation. He worked long into the night. Eventually the sound of laughter died down and the camp became quiet. The sun had fully set a long while ago, but Bill had lamps around him to provide him with light. He would likely head to bed soon as he knew he wasn’t going to suddenly have a burst of inspiration when he could barely keep his eyes open.
It was sometime after midnight when the canvas door was brushed aside. Eyes heavy and dry with sleepiness, Bill didn’t even turn to look right away. He could hear the soft crunch of footsteps, though it took his tired brain a long moment to register that it was more than one person who had entered his tent. “Is everything alright?” He asked in concern as he finally lifted his head and turned, only to find himself staring down the muzzle of a muggle weapon.
“Don’t even think about it,” a heavily accented voice said, the man’s face covered by a green shemagh scarf to hide his identity. “Keep your hands up where I can see them. One move towards your wand and I’ll put a bullet through that brain of yours.”
Bill slowly raised his hands, pale beneath his tan and his splattering of freckles. These were muggles. Muggles who obviously had knowledge of magic, but still muggles. How had they gotten behind the wards that had been erected around the dig site? They hadn’t even tripped the alarm! What was their motive? He stumbled as he was forced to walk from his warm tent into the cold of the desert night. Bill shivered, but kept his hands up.
In the centre of the camp, the rest of his colleagues had been rounded up. A couple of them were hogtied and unconscious, though no one appeared to be gravely injured from what Bill could tell. As he was forced to kneel next to one of his colleagues, a spell hit him in the back. Bill found his arms forced behind him as magical restraints took hold. The woman next to him, Rebecca Hastings, shot him a worried look but did not dare to say anything. Bill was the last of the cursebreaker crew to be rounded up.
Around them five of the armed muggles stood guard, but Bill spotted a curious holster on one of the soldier’s thighs that looked like it contained a wand. So not all of them were muggles. It still didn’t answer what was going on and only brought up more questions. He could just pick up on hushed arguing from a couple of more soldiers a few metres away, but they were far enough away that he couldn’t pick up more than a few random words here and there. They also appeared to be arguing in Arabic, which Bill’s basic command of the language wouldn’t really help him decipher the entirety of the conversation anyways.
They huddled together for what could have been minutes, but felt like hours. Bill trembled in the cold of the desert night, but some of it might have been fear as well. He could feel the impatience of their captors, but they all mostly stood around as they waited for something that Bill had no idea what it could be. He had counted about twenty armed men, some of them wizards and some of them not. There might have been more on the boundaries of their camp, but he couldn’t see enough to be able to count them.
After awhile there was a shout from where two of the soldiers stood side by side, one of them apparently the leader. Bill dimly recognized it to be a name that was shouted and wondered if something had shifted, if something was about to happen. His team had all been magically bound, but they still hadn’t been told what was going on. Would they finally get answers? Bill wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know.
There was silence around them before the leader barked out the name again, but there was no response. The leader turned to a man nearby and snapped out an order to him, though Bill could only guess at the contents. Probably to find out what had happened to whoever wasn’t responding to the summons. But time stretched and no one appeared, while the soldier never reappeared. It made the men around them nervous, enough that even Bill could notice their unease. He tried to shift, to relieve the pain in his knees, without bringing attention to himself. It only earned him another weapon in his face, so Bill froze and did not try again.
A burst of gunfire suddenly shattered the quiet. There was chaos and confusion as the unknown soldiers tried to figure out what was going on. The cursebreakers could only cower low to the ground, unable to protect themselves while they were out in the open. They were dangerously exposed as both spellfire and gunfire erupted over their heads. Bill could hear more than one of his colleagues sob out in terror, but he could do little more than try to concentrate on breaking his bonds. The magical restraints seemed to dampen his magic though, so there wasn’t much he could do. It didn’t help that his concentration was hard to hold on to with the terror in his heart.
Bill had no idea how much time had passed, the sound of battle a cacophony in his ears. When it went suddenly silent, he barely dared to raise his head. It still took him nearly a minute before he finally felt brave enough to look around him. So much for being a Gryffindor, he thought hysterically as his eyes landed on the body of a soldier in front of him. There was a perfect hole in the middle of his forehead, his eyes wide and lifeless. Thankful that he had very little in his stomach, Bill quickly dropped his gaze again and struggled harder at his restraints.
The bindings that held them suddenly disappeared or fell away. Bill hesitantly pulled his arms in front of him again and rubbed his wrists to try to encourage proper blood flow in his tingling fingers. He hesitantly raised his head again, though he pointedly ignored the cooling body not far in front of him still. When he cast his gaze about, Bill spotted a lone figure between two of the tents as they slowly picked their way through the fallen bodies. The unknown man had a muggle weapon in his hands, similar to the ones that laid in the slack hands of the fallen soldiers. However, he was dressed all in black, unlike the soldiers that had rounded them up.
"من أنت؟ لماذا ساعدتنا؟" One of Bill’s colleagues spoke up. The woman was their liaison with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. He was pretty sure she had asked who their saviour was, had asked why he had helped them. And Bill was pretty sure it was a guy based on their stature, though the man’s face was obscured by shadows and the black baseball cap that he wore.
The man’s head turned then and his gaze, though hidden in shadow, seemed to sweep over them. “You can speak in English,” the man said, seemingly having picked up that they weren’t native to the area. Wasn’t hard to guess they all spoke English in some capacity when there was a freckled redhead amongst the group. Several of the others were obviously foreign as well. English was just the most likely spoken language for such a diverse group. Bill thought his thoughts were running away from him, but what struck him as odd was that he didn’t recognize the man’s accent. And that was what caught his attention.
“John,” he gasped out the name in a whisper before he shakily climbed to his feet. “John!” He called out louder. The young man was closer now and Bill knew he was right, the spark of familiarity growing into a vibrant flame when he was finally able to make out the vibrant green of John’s eyes. They almost seemed to glow in the dark from beneath the brim of his cap as they caught the firelight of the various torches that dotted the camp. If Bill hadn’t met the young man at the Bazaar, and seen him clearly in the light of the Egyptian sun, he never would have believed that their saviour was so young. And he certainly was young, at least younger than Bill himself was. If he had to guess, Bill thought John was the same age as his youngest brother.
When John’s heavy gaze suddenly fell upon him, Bill’s jaw clicked shut and he swallowed thickly. This John was nothing like the young man he had met in the Bazaar. Though his face was covered by a black shemagh scarf, there was no emotion to be had in his eyes. Bill was sure that this was not the first time that John had killed a man. The weight of the young man’s gaze was enough to keep Bill frozen where he was until John finally turned away and walked over to where the leader of their kidnappers had fallen.
“It was a coincidence that I saved you,” John said in a flat tone as he crouched down and pushed the body over. He spoke loud enough for them all to hear. “My target was him. Youssef Zaki. International black market artifacts dealer. I’ve been tracking him for awhile.” John pulled out a small disposable camera then and took several pictures of the body, the flash sun bright in the dimly lit camp. None of them dared ask who the young man worked for. Bill had to turn away as John pulled a knife from his boot and sliced off the dead man’s hand, yet again thankful that he didn’t have anything in his stomach as he fought not to gag.
When John made to leave suddenly, something spurred Bill forward. “John, wait!” He should have just let the young man go, shouldn’t get himself tied up in whatever John was a part of. But something told him that if he let John go now, he would never see him again. That should have been a good thing, but some part of him said it was a Bad Idea. With capitals and everything. So Bill forced himself forwards and he called out the young man’s name again. If that was actually his name. It was so forgettable as a name that it couldn’t actually be his real name. Not that John was a bad name, but John was literally a John Doe.
Bill shook himself and quickly caught up to John, who had miraculously stopped and had turned to him again. “John,” he said again as he tried to gather his thoughts, figure out what to say. Somehow, he had to convince John to stay. Well, not stay here in Egypt, but stay with him. For when he returned to England.
“You said you were looking for him. For Zaki. Now that you’ve found him, you’ve finished the job, right?” When John only raised an eyebrow, Bill cleared his throat. “Let me hire you. To protect the camp.” He had to start small and figure out a way to get John to follow him back home. He didn’t think he had enough money to hire John as a soldier in a war, but he could probably scrounge together the funds for a guard for a week. After the scare they had with the would be kidnappers, he could probably convince the others to chip in as well. He could probably figure it out from there. Hopefully.
John didn’t seem convinced however and he had started to turn away again. “We’re doing really important work here!” Bill said desperately. “For both the muggle and the wizarding world, this dig site promises to be something really special! Practically undisturbed! The season is over in a week, so it’ll just be until then, I promise. John, please!”
As Bill trailed off, unable to think of what else he could say to get John to stay, he watched as John’s shoulders dropped the tiniest amount. Bill never had to know that the young man finally gave in because he thought of an older man who owned a bar in Germany, who had a soft spot for making sure artifacts stayed in the hands they were supposed to be in. “I’ll be back in an hour,” the young man said roughly, but then he was gone.
Bill stared at the spot for a long time before he finally forced himself to turn and head back into their small camp. The bodies had already disappeared, but he couldn't find it in him to be surprised. No one would have wanted to stare at them for long, be reminded of what had just happened. Bill wanted to ask what had been done with the bodies, but then decided he was better off not knowing. Instead, he approached Yasmin. She was their liaison and the site supervisor. “I asked him to protect the camp,” he said quietly. “He said he’d be back in an hour.”
“Good,” was all Yasmin said in response. Bill, though exhausted, found himself a seat just outside the camp to wait for John to return.
The young man returned exactly an hour later, a pack over his shoulder and his rifle held loosely in one hand. Bill thought he looked relaxed, but then decided he would be an idiot to underestimate the young man who had taken down twenty some armed soldiers. He quickly cleared his throat and stood up then. “I’m glad you’re back. Did you need a place to sleep for the night? I can conjure you up a bed in my tent, if you like.” He knew he was babbling, but couldn’t stop. “Oh, and did you want to be paid in galleons? Or a muggle currency?”
John gave him a look then and came to a stop. “I have my own tent,” he said shortly before he took a look around the camp. Everyone else had disappeared into their tents, some alone and some in another’s tent for the comfort of not being alone. “Perhaps we can discuss the particulars in the morning over breakfast.”
It wasn’t really a question, so Bill nodded his head quickly. “Yes, of course. Um, how about seven? My tent is the red and gold striped one.” He had to show off Gryffindor pride, after all.
“I’ll see you then,” John said dismissively and walked away. Bill thought he was trying to find the most strategic place to set up his tent as the young man walked the perimeter of their camp. Lost in his thoughts, Bill eventually saw John start to put up a small pup tent in a sandy sort of colouring that would probably blend into the sands of the desert. It was simple and small in design, especially in comparison to the often gaudy and bright wizarding tents that made up the rest of the camp. Bill shook his head and finally went to bed, too exhausted from the long hours and the earlier commotion to keep himself awake any longer. At least it meant that he didn’t dream.
Still, Bill was up earlier than he wanted to be a few hours later. Exhausted still, he found himself a Pepperup potion and downed it as he started on breakfast. Normally he would eat with the others, but he thought it was better to have a more private conversation with John. Yasmin was sure to tell the others about John’s presence, so he wasn’t too concerned. Instead, Bill focused on making food for them two men and then cleared his table somewhat so they would have a place to eat. John himself turned up at exactly seven, perfectly punctual.
“Ah, you can gather your plate,” Bill said with a little wave and then offered an empty plate to the young man. John didn’t move for a moment, but then stepped over to the kitchenette and grabbed the plate from Bill. “I don’t know what you like, but I went pretty English basic. Not a full English, unfortunately, but I don’t have all the ingredients for that,” Bill rambled. “There’s eggs, toast, bacon, sausage. A jar of jelly if you want to put it on your toast.” He cleared his throat then and awkwardly took a step back. “You can dish up first.”
Once they are finally both seated, John reached up and finally pulled down the shemagh scarf that had still been obscuring his face. Bill has seen John’s face before when they had met by chance in Cairo, so he didn’t let his eyes linger. John still seemed so young, even for how little emotion he allowed to show. “Thank you for staying,” Bill said as he picked up his fork. “It means alot. And it’ll only be for a week. After that, there will be a guard to watch over the site until the new archaeological season starts up again. Though, after what happened, they might send a guard then too.” He paused then. “How did Zaki even know where to find us? You said he was a black market dealer?”
John glanced up at Bill as he picked up his own fork. “He was, yes.” He went silent then for a moment and Bill wondered if he was debating what to say. Finally, John bit the end off of a sausage. Once he swallowed, he spoke again. “The locals know there is something beneath the sands,” he said. “Perhaps they do not know to what extent, but they have taken things from the ground before in an effort to earn money they need. Zaki received a tip from one of them and investigated.”
“Oh. Makes sense,” Bill said finally and quickly stuffed a bit of egg in his mouth to stop him from saying anything more until he had gathered his thoughts a bit. After he had finished a portion of his meal, he sat back in his seat some. “Did you, ah, have a preference to how you’re paid? We should probably discuss it.”
The young man across from him lifted his eyes and then gave a little shrug, a careless little thing that made John look startlingly human. And much like the man he had originally met barely a few days ago in Cairo. “The currency doesn’t matter. It can be converted.”
Bill nodded and tried to do some math in his head as he absently poked at his toast. “I can offer a hundred and fifty galleons,” he said finally with a small wince. That was a huge chunk of his savings right now, though he was expecting a paycheck from Gringotts’ soon enough. And, if he talked to the others, he might be able to scrounge up a bit more.
“It is only for a week,” John said then. “And I don’t think you expect to have much trouble. I’ll take a hundred for my services.” Bill could only stare at him in shock, but John only watched him back for a moment before he dropped his eyes back down to his meal without care. “It’ll be a vacation.” Bill blinked at the sentence that came out of nowhere. Was that a joke? Had John made a joke? He thought the young man’s lips had lifted a little bit, but that might have been just his imagination because it was gone a moment later.
“Right. One hundred galleons,” Bill said finally, his voice a little strangled. He quickly cleared his throat again and then shook his head. “I’m glad that’s taken care of. I really need to get to work soon.” He shoveled some more food into his mouth and cleared off his plate before he stood up, wand in hand to clear the dishes.
John appeared next to him and nearly made Bill jump out of his skin for how silently the man moved. It was in that moment that Bill realized that John was actually taller than him. He himself was about 185cm, but John had to have been closer to 193cm. His stature and physique were such a strange contrast to his still young face. Not a babyish face by any means, but still young. Definitely a teenager. Though John’s eyes were definitely that of a man. A man who had seen things that Bill didn’t even want to know about.
“Ah, thanks,” Bill said as his heart rate slowly returned to normal and he took the plate that John offered him.
“Thanks for the meal,” John said as he took a step away. “Mind if I tag along with you? I’m curious about just what it is that you do.”
Bill hesitated, but then he gave a little sigh. What could it hurt? John already knew about the site and had saved them from losing the artifacts down in the tomb. “I’ll have to clear it with Yasmin, but I don’t see why not,” he decided. Yasmin gave them the all clear after a she made a quick call to Dr. Hawass, who had been very enthusustic as always. And had apparently knew John. Bill had shot the young man an incredulous look, but John only gave him a knowing stare that might have hidden a twinkle of mischief that Bill wasn’t even sure had actually been there.
With a stack of parchment in hand, Bill made his way down into the tomb with John not far behind. “Don’t touch anything,” he stressed to his companion and then pulled out his wand. There were lamps scattered about the room to provide them light and it cast flickering shadows upon the walls. It was as eerie as ever, especially with the number of mummies that laid around them. Each one had been carefully perserved under spells so they could work without damaging them by accident. It was some of the only magic allowed in the tomb.
John had his hands clasped behind his back as he stared around him with open curiousity. Bill had to smile as he flicked his wand in a familiar motion. He didn’t even need to say the spell out loud anymore. As they watched, hidden hieroglyphs started to pop into existance upon the walls of the carved out tomb. They glowed with a faint green light as they scrolled across the walls from top to bottom in hundreds of columns. Bill quickly tucked his wand away and then approached a section that he had been working on. John followed him.
“We have to copy the symbols down so they can be properly translated,” Bill explained. “This text here is pretty much a funerary text. Sometimes its called the Book of the Dead, its most famous name. It can be painted on to coffins or carved into walls. These ones were put here by a wizard thousands of years ago.” He gave a little smile as he looked over the symbols. “At the present time, muggles are aware of some one hundred and ninety-two spells written through various found manuscripts. Though, not every funerary text contains all one hundred and ninety-two spells.” He took a deep breath as his eyes roamed over the glowing columns. “The spells served a variety of purposes and not all of them have real power behind them. That’s what makes cursebreaking here so difficult. Some of the spells are intended to give the deceased mystical knowledge that will serve them in the afterlife.” Bill shook his head. “And then there are others that are incantations to give the deceased some sort of control over the world around them, or protect them from the various hostile forces or obstacles that the afterlife can contain. I also know of two spells in particular that deal specifically with the Weighing of the Heart ritual.”
Bill shook himself then and gave John an apologetic grin, but the young man gave a little shake of his head. “No. It’s all fascinating.”
“Glad you think so,” Bill said with a laugh and then scribbled down a section from where he had left off the day before. “In mundane inscriptions of the Book of the Dead, spells are not what we’re used to as spells. They are only intended to work in the afterlife, though we’ll never really know if they did or not. I like to think they did. But, anyways, when wizards did the inscriptions they would weave true spells into the manuscripts. Our jobs are to pick out the actual spells that will curse us if it thinks we are desecrating the tomb. We don’t want to disturb the other spells as it could mean destroying precious artifacts.”
“And there are other tombs here in the area, though their locations are currently unknown,” John said as he then crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes on the hieroglyphs as well. “The layers over the years mean they’ve entwined. If you make one wrong move, you can make the entire network collapse.”
Bill found himself surprised at John’s spot on summeration of the difficulties that they faced. “Yes, that’s right,” he said finally as he glanced over to the younger wizard. “It’ll probably take years for us to dismantle it all and make it safe for the entire area to be excavated. We’re projecting 1999 for when they’ll be able to make the discovery public, but we won’t know for certain for awhile yet.” John only nodded, so Bill returned to his work. He pointed out a few things to John, but mostly he lost himself to the inscriptions as the young man patiently watched on.
At lunch, John joined Bill and the others for their meal. The adults were more than happy to welcome him into their ranks, thanking him for how he had saved them all the night before. John had simply waved it off and directed questions elsewhere as he asked questions about the site instead. He ended up being roped into helping with sifting through buckets of sand as it was brought up from the tomb, but Bill thought the young man was actually enjoying himself. Once dinner came, Bill invited John to join him in his tent afterwards to share bottles of butterbeer.
As they entered, Bill turned towards the icebox to grab two bottles. “I always enjoy a cold drink like this after being out in the hot desert sun all day,” he said as he offered a bottle to John. The young man took it with a small word of thanks and looked it over with a faint hint of curiousity. As Bill took a sip of his own drink then, John took off his ever present baseball cap and then lightly tossed it on the nearby table. As he tousled his sweaty curls, Bill’s eyes caught on a very familiar scar on the young man’s forehead that had been hidden before, the branching scars over his cheek previously dismissed. Immediately, it felt like the floor had suddenly fallen away from his feet.
“Butterbeer is a wizarding drink?” John posed the question, but Bill thought his own eyes would fall out of his head with how wide they were. He could only stare at the scar upon John’s brow as the young man continued to run his fingers through his unruly curls as he brushed them to the side. When Bill didn’t say anything, John looked over to him and raised an eyebrow in silent question. Bill almost couldn’t find the air to breathe, find the words to speak. Finally, he managed to choke out a single sentence to John. No, not John. His name wasn’t John, Bill thought hysterically.
“You’re Harry Potter,” he croaked.
Notes:
Well, that ended up being a longer chapter than normal... sometimes ideas just flow! Hope you all didn't mind the sudden change in pov! It'll be back to normal pov in the next chapter. Also, things will probably slow down now and time won't skip quite as often. Cheers!
Chapter 11
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Eleven
“Who’s Harry Potter?” Hex found himself asking the question as he examined Bill’s too pale face. The man looked like he had laid eyes on a ghost. Hex took another sip of his butterbeer, but Bill didn’t reply as his mouth worked without sound. After a long stretch with still no response, Hex felt a flash of annoyance. He put the bottle down with a soft clink and crossed his arms over his chest. “Who is Harry Potter?” He asked again, but made sure to clearly enunciate each word to get his point across.
Bill finally made a strangled noise and looked like he wasn’t sure if he could believe Hex or not. “You… don’t know the name?” He asked hesitantly. “You’ve never heard of the Boy-Who-Lived before?” He asked as he gestured widely, clearly forgetting that he had an open bottle of drink in his hand. “I mean, I guess he’s more of a British, ah, celebrity. I guess? And you don’t sound British. But, no really? You don’t know who the Boy-Who-Lived is?”
It still didn’t answer his question, so Hex narrowed his eyes. “No. I don’t associate much with the Wizarding communities, Great Britain or otherwise.” He spoke impatiently.
“Do you at least know who You-Know-Who is?” Bill asked it almost desperately while his voice took on a slightly higher pitch.
That was a name he had heard in passing, though it hadn’t been with much context and still was confusing even now. Hex knew ‘You-Know-Who’ had been an influential figure in Great Britain before he had been born, though the man had been killed roughly fifteen or sixteen years ago. He wasn’t sure the exact date really. Though apparently he was back again, so the supposed death hadn’t been permanent. “You mean Vold…?”
“Don’t say his name!” Bill practically screeched before he winced and cleared his throat. “Sorry! It’s just that his name has a Taboo on it now. He probably wouldn’t bother with any pings outside of Great Britain, but I really don’t want to test that hypothesis.” He frowned then and finally set his half empty bottle of butterbeer aside to run his fingers through his hair. “On Halloween of 1981, You-Know-Who attacked the Potters. Lily and James were killed, but their son managed to survive. Only a year old. No one really knows how, but the baby survived and You-Know-Who was defeated for over a decade. The baby, Harry Potter, earned the name Boy-Who-Lived because of it. He’s sort of become a saviour to a lot of people, especially now that You-Know-Who is back.”
Hex didn’t move from his spot, didn’t react. However, he was struck by the unbidden image of a flash of green. It was a childhood nightmare that had been recurring for years, though had evolved over time to include other atrocities he’d seen. Still, something about Bill’s story resonated with him. It could be real, but Hex had long ago learned not to take things at face value.
Bill breathed out a heavy sigh then and leaned back against the counter behind him. “I met them once, you know? When Lily was pregnant with Harry. They went into protective custody of some sort once their son was born, but my parents knew the Potters. They were in Dumbledore’s Order together.” Bill looked up at Hex and frowned. “You look a lot like them. The Potters. Lily had green eyes like you, everyone remembers that. Her green eyes and red hair, hair more vibrant than the Weasley’s red. James had darker skin like you, and black hair. Mum says it was always like a rats nest with how wild and untameable it was. The Potter Curse she would joke.”
“My family was killed in an airplane crash over Bhutan when I was five,” Hex interrupted in a monotone. He still didn’t really remember the day, but he had been told that he’d been found in the remains of an airplane seat not far from where the wreckage of a plane that had gone down. No one else had survived. He was alone.
Bill shook his head quickly. “Harry Potter had a scar! It was famous for looking like a lightning bolt upon his forehead. Mum said that Professor Dumbledore had told the Order that Harry Potter had lived with his muggle family until he was five years old when the whole family disappeared. I don’t know the details, but if you’re not Harry Potter, then it’s a nearly impossible coincidence. A wizard with black hair, green eyes, lightning bolt scar? Merlin, you just said too that you were in an aeroplane crash when you were five!”
Hex abruptly turned and grabbed his cap before he left the tent. Bill ran off after him, but Hex only made his way towards his own tent and crouched down to enter it. He willed his magic to keep it shut because he didn’t want to be disturbed. Part of him wanted to deny what Bill was saying, to deny that he was this Harry Potter character. But another part of him, a part he had thought long since buried, wanted to know if it really was possible.
After a moment, Hex opened up his bag and pulled out a briefcase. It was clunky, but Thorgeirr had insisted on it. Luckily Hex had been able to insulate it against magic so he could store it in his bottomless bag without problems. Unlatching the two locks, Hex opened the lid of the briefcase to reveal the specialized tech inside. Hex had been lucky enough to get his hands on an Atlas Elektronik Satphone SP 1600B. Once he had it set up, he placed a call to Thorgeirr.
The man answered after only two rings. “Hex? Is everything okay, kid?” The man’s voice was rough, but Hex could hear the underlying worry.
“Everything’s fine,” he reassured briefly. “What do you know about a wizard named Harry Potter?”
There was silence on the other end of the line before Thorgeirr gave a heavy sigh. He muttered something, but Hex couldn’t pick up on the words clearly enough. There was a crackle over the line before Thorgeirr finally replied. “Harry Potter? Never heard of him. Is this related to this new mission you’ve picked up in Egypt?”
Hex allowed himself a frown. “No, nothing like that. Can you find everything you can about him? He’s an English wizard and was born sometime in 1980. His parents were James and Lily Potter.”
When Thorgeirr didn’t respond again right away, Hex almost went to check if the call was still connected. “He’s just a kid like you,” Thorgeirr said finally and Hex could almost picture the frown that was on the man’s face. “Yeah, alright. When do you want this information by?”
“As soon as possible,” Hex said immediately. “I’ll check in tomorrow evening again to see if you have anything.”
“Yeah, alright. I’ll see what I can dig up. Stay safe out there, kid,” Thorgeirr muttered before he hung up.
Hex set the receiver down without another word and then packed it away. As he locked the briefcase once more, Hex paused and took a steadying breath. In the privacy of his own tent, he could afford to have this moment. He didn’t let it last long though and instead stored the case away again with hands that still shook. He clenched them into fists and took another steadying breath. He then locked the feelings deep down where they couldn’t get him killed if something went wrong.
It took Thorgeirr two days to come up with the information that Hex wanted. He had avoided Bill as much as he was able, kept his patrols to the perimeter of the camp and the excavation site. He kept his steps just within the wards and silently watched the nearby town. After dinner, he would retreat to his tent to contact Thorgeirr. The man had nothing for him the first night, but Hex had tried to not feel impatient. He had long ago learned patience, but there was a level of anxiety now that seemed to simmer beneath the surface. It didn’t go away when Thorgeirr answered the satphone call with a heavy sigh on the second night.
“I don’t know why you’ve asked me to look into this kid, but I think I can hazard a guess why,” Thorgeirr said finally after a beat of tense silence. “I don’t know what you looked like as an even younger brat, but the resemblance is uncanny, Hex. Harry James Potter. Born to Lily and James Potter on July 31st of 1980. Orphaned on October 31st of 1981 when the English Dark Lord paid a personal visit. Harry Potter somehow survived, earning him a lightning bolt scar on his forehead from whatever happened. Though sources from the Ministry of Magic claim that the last three spells recorded on the man’s wand were all Killing Curses.”
There was an awkward pause before Thorgierr cleared his throat. “Records of Harry Potter vanish after that in the wizarding community. However, I was able to pick up the trail again in the mundane world. Harry Potter was given to his relatives, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. They had one child, a Dudley Dursley. Gods, what dreadful names.” Hex could almost hear Thorgeirr roll his eyes. “Apparently, Petunia Dursley nee Evans was Lily Potter’s sister. Harry Potter himself doesn’t have many records in the mundane world, though I managed to dig up a worryingly bare medical file and an old primary school photo of the kid. As well as a government issued child’s passport that has magical markings on it. Probably part of the paperwork submitted by whoever placed a magical child with a mundane family.”
Silence came over the phone then except for another crackle of static. Thorgeirr’s voice was almost gentle when he spoke again. “There’s a plane crash, Hex. The crash report cites mechanical failures. All three Dursleys and Harry Potter are listed as casualties in the crash over Bhutan. The plane was on its way to Japan where Vernon Dursley had a meeting with clients, but was staying for a vacation. There are old records in his old workplace, Grunnings. I found a few newspaper clippings as well.”
Hex was quiet as he processed it. Unless it was the world’s largest coincidence, there was no way he could deny the facts. “I’m Harry Potter.”
“Looks like it, kid,” Thorgeirr said quietly. “You’re a bit of a celebrity over in England. Almost like the second coming of Jesus if wizards believed in such things. Nonsense either way. Seems the Headmaster of Hogwarts played off your disappearance when you didn’t show up at Hogwarts at the traditional age of eleven. When their Dark Lord reappeared, there were articles in their papers asking where you had gone. They seem to think that you defeated the Dark Lord when you were a baby and you could save them all again. I wouldn’t blame you if you left them all to rot.”
When Thorgeirr went quiet, Hex allowed himself a little smile. “Maybe. But… I have a name, Thorgeirr.” The others had had names, though not all of them cared for them anymore. But he had never remembered. He had been Thirteen, then he had been Alpha. Now he was Hex. But, he had been Harry Potter once and he had had a family that wanted him. At least, he figured they had wanted him before they had been killed by that Dark Lord. Thorgeirr was right, of course. He didn’t owe the wizarding world anything, but that little part of him that he had hidden for so long was starting to claw its way to the surface. He had a name. He had a past that wasn’t Legio.
“Well, whatever you decide, just don’t leave me out of it, kid,” Thorgeirr said softly. “I have to get going, but make sure you call me in case anything changes.” They hung up and Hex just stared at the receiver for a time before he finally tucked it away. He couldn’t stop the small smile that curled at the corners of his lips.
Still, it was another day before Hex approached Bill again. He had kept his vigilance throughout the day as he mulled over what Thorgeirr had found for him. It wasn’t a lot of information, but it was the bridge between what Bill had thought and what Hex had known about his own past. He trusted Thorgeirr’s opinion more than he trusted Bill’s anyhow. He felt like he had made his decision, but he still waited until after dinner to approach Bill’s tent.
When Hex entered, Bill was bent over the table but he looked up quickly when he heard movement at the door. It was not easy to forget what had happened just a few short days ago. “John! Oh, I, uh, wasn’t expecting you. Want a butterbeer?”
“It’s fine,” Hex said as he let the tent flap close behind him. He hadn’t been a fan of the sweetness of it. Unlike some of the Letters, Hex hadn’t much of a sweet tooth. Some had gained a strong taste for sweets because they hadn’t been allowed such things as Numbers. Hex had gone in the opposite direction and didn’t enjoy sweets because he wasn’t used to them. Some he liked on occasion, but the butterbeer hadn’t really been to his taste. “What are your plans once the excavation ends for the season? Your last day is in three days, isn’t it?”
Bill stared at him before he dropped down into the chair next to him and ran his fingers through his hair. The strands were loose from their usual pony tail. “Truthfully? I’m not really sure. But I’ll be going home, I think. Mum’s been worried and it’ll be nice to see my younger siblings before they head off to Hogwarts. Well, Ron and Ginny at least. The twins still live at home as far as I can tell, already graduated. So does Percy, though he spends most of his time at his job in the Ministry and there seems to be some sort of growing rift. Charlie’s still off in Romania with his dragons,” he rambled. “I think Mum wants us all close by, though Charlie isn’t pulled home so easily. Probably better for him there anyways.”
When Hex didn’t say anything, Bill cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair a bit more. “But, uh, why do you ask?”
“I want to come with you,” Hex said simply. Bill immediately gaped at him, though he luckily got control over himself again. Still, it didn’t stop the curious look that had taken over the man’s face. Hex almost rolled his eyes. “When I was in the airplane crash as a child, it stole my memories from me. I do not remember my mundane family, do not remember my name. However, a contact has found some information from the mundane world that is rather convincing.”
Bill leaned in then. “So you are Harry Potter,” he breathed out, almost in awe.
At the statement, Hex wanted to frown. Instead, he gave a small shrug. “I once was, I think. It’s the only explanation.” His expression smoothed out completely then, while his emerald eyes took on a sheen of ice. “It is not a name I have carried since I was a child. You will remember that, William Arthur Weasley.” Bill’s eyes widened at the full use of his name, not something he had told Hex. “Everything you have seen, or have come to assume, of my abilities, you must keep quiet. Is that clear?”
While his breath stuttered in his chest, Bill gave a quick nod. “Yes, of course. Ah, I’m guessing you want to keep using the name John until we leave Egypt?”
“For now,” Hex agreed. He was curious about his past, but wasn’t quite ready yet to take on the name of Harry Potter again. It seemed more meaningful than the usual aliases he donned and discarded without much thought to them. “What are your plans?”
Bill blinked. “To head back home?” He looked down at the parchments scattered in front of him. “Well, the next two days are the final push. We think we should be able to take down the first layer of wards over the area. On the third day, we’ll be packing up and trading off with the team that has been hired to protect the site in our off season. Once we all leave… I guess I’ll be leaving straight for England. I can apparate the distance from here to Cairo. From there I take an international portkey provided by Egypt’s branch of Gringotts’ to the English branch. I’ll probably apparate straight home.” He hesitated then. “But, if you’re coming with, you should probably meet up with Professor Dumbledore. He’s the Headmaster at Hogwarts and he’s the leader of the Order of the Phoenix that opposes You-Know-Who.”
That was something that they would need to figure out, but Hex wanted to meet up with Thorgeirr first before he ventured off into the wizarding community in Great Britain. “You can go home and see your family,” Hex said after a brief silence to think. “I know London has its own wizarding market. We’ll meet there at noon, two days after your return home.” Luckily, Bill knew better than to ask and so merely agreed.
The next two days, Hex kept to his usual routine he had established. Though on the evening of the second day, he found himself down in the tomb after Bill had eagerly invited him down into it earlier. Bill and a team of three other cursebreakers had their wands out. Hex stood in the opening to the tomb behind a shield with the site supervisor. The hidden hieroglyphs had been brought forth again. He watched as Bill and the other cursebreakers faced the four cardinal directions, but did not appear to be doing anything. But, after a moment, he could feel the buildup of magical energy. It was a subtle thing, but Hex was particularly sensitive to the fluctuations of magical power.
As he continued to watch, the cursebreakers started to use their wands like styluses to erase hieroglyphs and create new ones. They worked quickly and he could see more than one of them mumble under their breath, their expressions full of concentration. It went on for some time, but even Hex can see that they were well trained as they did not falter even once. Not even when it started to take a visible toll on them, their faces drenched with sweat and new lines of tension visible around their eyes.
It was over almost as suddenly as they had begun. Hex could feel the sudden release of magic, however. It staggered him as it burst out like a pulse and passed through him. Immediately it felt like the hair on the back of his neck had stood up and his fingertips tingled. It was not unlike an electrical current that had suddenly sparked through him, but it passed quickly. He stood his ground unwaveringly and did not say a word even as Yasmin made a startled sound from next to him. “The release of the first seal, as we like to say,” she told Hex in the next moment, her voice a little breathless. There was a broad grin over her lips. “They did it.” And at the last minute, too, Hex added privately.
Yasmin released the shield from around them and went down to the others to congratulate them on a job well done. They were all led to the pavilion where they took their meals, a large spread all set out already. It was their last night there and the team had wanted to have a party to celebrate. With a successful first season, they had even more reason to celebrate. They happily invited Hex to join them, so he seated himself next to Bill and looked over the spread of food.
There was an assortment of popular Egyptian dishes that provided Hex with good examples of the local cuisine. He spotted Mahshi, a dish made of grape leaves that were stuffed with rice, vegetables, and spice. There was hummus along with Aish Baladi, a local flatbread similar to a pita. Ful Medames was served as well, specially prepared fava beans that were usually eaten by the use of the Aish Baladi. He also spied Kofta, minced meat patties that were cooked over charcoal. In front of him rested a pot of Sabanekh, a spinach stew that was served with rice. Everything smelled amazing.
They partied long into the night over food and then drinks. There was laughter and stories, though Hex hung back and nursed his bottle of butterbeer. It gave his hands something to do to hang onto the bottle. And to stop Armand from trying to get him to do shots of firewhiskey. Hex couldn’t imagine ever imbibing so much in alcohol that he began to lose reason. The last of them finally wandered off to their tents in the wee early hours of the morning. Hex stole a couple of hours of light sleep himself, but then was awake to return to his patrol.
As the camp slowly awakened, coffee was handed out to the bleary eyes cursebreakers. They grumbled through breakfast before the process of breaking down their camp began. The tents themselves would come down easily through magic, but there were artifacts and things that needed to be carefully crated and returned to the tomb for safekeeping. Though he still kept a sharp eye for anything out of place, Hex offered to help in the process.
By the time they finished, it was lunchtime. The pavilion was the last that would go down, though most of everything had been packed away. There was fresh fruit and sandwiches for them to eat, just simple fare that seemed to be the influence of the European cursebreakers. It’s still filling, so Hex didn’t mind as he took another bite of the BLT he had snagged. The team around him were quiet, tired and vaguely somber. They had spent months there together on the site and now they’d be parting. Hex understood the feeling, that it’d be strange for them as they adjusted back to their lives back home again.
Once lunch was over, the pavilion was taken down. They were just in time for Dr. Hawass to arrive with the team that had been hired to protect the site. They updated him on their success and he was just as exuberant as he always was, full of life and passion for his chosen field. Hex almost smiled, but only shouldered his bag and turned away to leave. They had a handle on it now, so he wasn’t needed anymore. He didn’t even offer a goodbye, not used to such things. They barely knew him anyways and he’d see Bill again in a few days.
Hex hitchhiked a ride to Cairo for the nearly five hour trip and then took a plane to Germany. From the time he had first left the camp, it was nearly a full twelve hours later when he finally arrived in front of Thorgeirr’s bar. It was late and the bar was already closed, but Hex let himself in with the key that Thorgeirr had gifted to him not long ago. The apartment was dark and quiet as Hex carefully entered into the space, Thorgeirr already in bed. With every bit of stealth that had been beaten into him, Hex made his way to his bedroom and quietly closed the door behind him. This was a safe spot. After the long few weeks he had just gone through, all he wanted to do was sleep until he had to leave to meet up with Bill.
As Hex changed into clean clothes, there was a light scratching at the door. He silently padded over to it and opened the door to find Elritze. He allowed a small smile as she stepped past him with all the air of a diva. He softly shut the door again and made his way over to his bed. As soon as he was beneath the covers, Elritze curled up next to him and made herself comfortable. Honestly, Hex didn’t mind. She helped to keep the worst of the dreams away, or always seemed to know when she needed to wake him if they still crept up on him. He appreciated her presence even if he thought he was too exhausted to dream for awhile. Feeling safe and secure, Hex allowed himself to sleep deeply.
When Hex woke again, it was early afternoon if he guessed by the position of the sun. Elritze was gone and his door was cracked a fraction, so Hex figured that Thorgeirr had let her out so she could tend to her needs and demand food. Though, almost as if she had sensed his waking, she pushed through the gap in the door and then lightly jumped up onto the bed to give him a ‘mrowr’. He gave her a small smile and scratched the spot she liked beneath her chin, earning him a happy purr.
It took several long minutes after, but Hex rolled out of bed finally. He stretched himself out slowly and ran his fingers through his always riotous curls. It felt odd to sleep so late, but he had been too exhausted to be up at his normal hour. It had happened more frequently after long jobs where he couldn’t get the sleep he needed, his body recognizing that he was safe here at Thorgeirr’s apartment. He was still tired, but he knew he needed food. The camp in Egypt had surprisingly invited him in on their meals, though he hadn’t always taken them up on their offers. Still, he had eaten better than he normally did on a usual mission. It didn’t stop the hunger that gnawed at his belly, though.
Hex dressed himself in a pair of simple grey sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. His bare feet barely made a sound as he followed Elritze out of the room. As soon as he left his bedroom, the smell of cooking hit him. Thorgeirr tended to pull out all the stops for food once he returned from jobs, the man knowing full well that Hex rarely ate properly while working.
“Food’s almost done,” Thorgeirr called over his shoulder without looking. Though he likely hadn’t heard Hex, he probably assumed he’d appeared because Elritze had started to weave between the older man’s ankles like the demanding little princess she was.
Hex took a seat at the table and looked over the spread that had already been set out. He spotted first the braised cabbage. A bit of an acquired taste, but one that Hex found that he liked because it helped cut through the fattiness of fried food. As he poured himself some lemonade, he spotted that there were roasted potatoes and a cream sauce of some sort. That meant that what Thorgeirr was pan-frying on the stove was likely pork schnitzel. A very hearty meal.
Thorgeirr stepped over to the table then and set down the plate that was piled with golden fried schnitzel. Hex immediately took one for himself and filled the rest of his plate from the dishes that were on the table. “You could have woken me when you got home last night,” Thorgeirr said as he took his own seat and served up his own plate. “You know I like knowing you got home safe.”
Home. What an odd word, but it always made his chest feel warm whenever he heard it. “It was late. I didn’t want to bother you,” Hex replied back before he took a sip of his drink.
“You’re never a bother,” Thorgeirr said with a raised eyebrow. The words were practiced almost, a common exchange between the both of them. Hex always figured it was Thorgeirr’s way of welcoming him back. “How was Egypt?” Thorgeirr asked then.
“Hot,” Hex said with a small smirk as he started in on his food. “Sandy.” Thorgeirr rolled his eyes, but didn’t seem actually mad. “It was a cursebreaking team working on a top secret site for Dr. Hawass.” He wouldn’t really go into details, but Thorgeirr understood and only gave him a nod in understanding. They were quiet a time as they ate, but eventually Hex lowered his fork. “Bill Weasley was the one to connect me with Harry Potter. That’s when I contacted you.”
Thorgeirr’s eyes flitted over to where there was a file on the edge of the table, just out of reach. “What a stroke of fortune,” the man muttered before he met Hex’s gaze again. “The information I found, and all the documents I could get my hands on, are all there. You can look them over once we’re done eating.” He paused then as he seemed to gather his thoughts. “What do you plan on doing with the information, kid?”
At the question, Hex suddenly found himself hesitant to answer. He wasn’t sure why. He knew that Thorgeirr would support him in whatever he decided. “I’m going to Great Britain,” he said finally. “I said I would and Bill wants to introduce me to a Professor Dumbledore.”
“The Headmaster of Hogwarts and a man with a lot of power in the English wizarding community,” Thorgeirr commented with a frown. He gave a nod then and picked up his lemonade. “Well, I know you can handle yourself, but you best keep me updated on whatever happens.” As if that was ever in question, Hex thought privately. “When’s the meetup?”
“Tomorrow at noon, I’m meeting Bill in London’s wizarding street,” Hex replied as he speared a potato.
Thorgeirr nodded his approval. “Fairly neutral place,” he muttered, but then frowned. “You know what’s been going on in the English wizarding community?”
“Only that their Dark Lord has returned,” Hex admitted once he had swallowed the bite he had taken.
With another absent nod, Thorgeirr swirled his ice around in his drink. “That’s true. From what I can tell, his forces have infiltrated their Ministry. Nothing overt, but some of the laws they have passed? Well, wizards have always been stuck in the past, but now they have their heads firmly stuck up their asses. There’s a lot of anti-muggle sentiments that have popped up in the last couple of years since that madman reappeared. Anti-muggle activists are loud and powerful. Everyone else is too afraid to say anything. So, you’ll want to be careful about your mundane upbringing. That means blending in.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve been undercover,” Hex passed off with a shrug. “I’ll visit Berlin’s magical market and purchase some clothes.” It wasn’t the first time he had regretted snapping his wand years ago, but it had been necessary so Legio couldn’t track him. The wand had been crafted for him specifically and would have made a good decoy against his use of wandless magic. Depending on how long he stayed in the wizarding world, he might have to get himself a new wand. But his most important mission was to get clothes that would allow him to blend in. “Berlin’s not far. Want to come with?”
Thorgeirr blinked in some surprise, but then he gave a grin. “You’re inviting me to do some shopping with you? Yeah, sure. I could use the opportunity to pick up a few things from the apothecary that I’ve gotten low on because someone has burned through most of my stock of healing ointments.” Hex just gave a shameless shrug. He was still alive and he always finished the mission. Wounds healed. Thorgeirr rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like, “Why do I even try?”
Hex gave a small smile.
Notes:
I celebrate Yule myself, but see christmas as a sort of family holiday without any of the religious connotations. So, here is an early christmas present for you all whatever you may celebrate!
And I must say that Thorgeirr has certainly taken on a life of his own, hasn't he? He originally was only supposed to show up briefly and never appear again. But he decided to stay and make sure at least someone is taking care of our Hex. Someone's gotta do it.
Happy Holidays!
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twelve
The day was a gloomy one, with the sun's face hidden and the sky obscured by enough clouds to turn it grey. The clouds themselves seemed to drift towards the earth while the streets were quiet, few daring to brave the mist and fog. Down an alley between old shops, Hex looked up curiously at the peeling paint of the dirty sign that proclaimed Les Curiosités du Professeur Morency. Instead of Berlin, Thorgeirr had taken him to a little town in the French countryside. It was a sleepy kind of place with an old world sort of charm, the street they were on filled with little bistros and cafés, boutiques and antique shops. Very touristy and not really to Hex’s taste.
Les Curiosités du Professeur Morency was tucked away far enough that one had to almost know that it was there to even find it. It looked abandoned, with its grimy windows covered by tattered drapes that were drawn shut. Through the gaps, Hex could see broken trinkets and long obsolete clutter strewn about. Though Hex knew that looks could be deceiving, it was not the sort of place he would have expected to find an entrance to a magical market. Yet it was, and it was close enough to England to have the same fashions but small enough that they’d be able to do their shopping in peace. Though Hex wasn’t impressed so far. Why had he agreed to return to the wizarding world again?
“For those in the know, it’s also called Porte Morency. Or Morency Gate,” Thorgeirr said softly before he opened up the dingy little door. Hex scrunched his nose up at the man’s back, but decided not to comment. Instead, he watched as Thorgeirr slipped inside before he followed not far behind. As Thorgeirr led the way through the clutter, Hex’s eyes slid over some questionable gems of taxidermy that were possibly the only intriguing aspect to the entire place. It hardly seemed the sort to have been able to remain open so long. It certainly wasn’t because it brought in any income.
The door to the back of the shop could barely be called a curtain, moth bitten and might have once been a vibrant red. Thorgeirr gave an absent nod to the old man who helmed the counter as he ducked behind the curtain to the back. Hex eyed the shopkeeper with some curiosity, but swiftly followed after Thorgeirr. The shopkeeper looked as if he had one foot in the grave, half blind and hunched over the dirty counter behind an antique till. He hadn’t moved at all except to give them a slow blink as they disappeared behind the curtain, the only hint that he was even still alive and not one of the so-called curiosities. Not the type of guard he would want at the gates of a magical market, but perhaps there was more to the man than at first glance. The buzz of magic was much too strong for Hex to really pinpoint anything concrete anyways. What Hex was sure of though was that wizards were strange.
As he waited for Thorgeirr to open the gateway, Hex looked around them. The back room was barely larger than a closet, with only a wobbly antique desk and a grimy lantern. Thorgeirr retrieved a small silver lighter from his pocket and lit the wick. “Spells are usually used to light the lantern, but this works just as well,” he said as the empty wall next to them clicked softly and then swung outward. As they stepped through the concealed door and shut it behind them, the lantern went out with a soft sputter.
Thorgeirr tucked the lighter away and led Hex down the small corridor before it emptied into the hidden alley beyond. The older man stepped down onto the cobblestone of the street before he gave a small smirk. “Welcome to Allée Morency, kid.” Hex glanced at him and then down the street. Morency Alley was rather quiet, but there were a few individuals that braved the fog and roamed about. Some storefronts were dark still, but most sparkled merrily with colourful fae lights that managed to cut through the gloom. It made for a rather charming atmosphere, a far sight better than the dirty shop they had entered through.
“Let’s go to the bank first,” Thorgeirr said as he made a motion towards a gleaming white building with pillars that stood just a little crooked. It was likely held up by magic, Hex thought as they started down along the cobbled street.
As they walked, Hex looked around them curiously. He did try to act as if this was not the first time he had been there, but it was such an alien world to him. The storied buildings themselves looked archaic almost, with lots of wood and brick. Storefronts held intricately carved wooden facades painted in a rainbow of colours along the cobbled street, while the large bay windows held fantastical displays. The names of shops were painted in large and vibrant lettering across the storefronts, above doors that jingled merrily with bells when they were opened. Street lamps were lit by flickering flames rather than the electric bulbs of the mundane street. There was an eclectic mix of fashion about them, with some wizards in more muggle garb even if it was a decade or two out of date. If one ignored these choices, it was almost as if they had taken a step back in time. Thorgeirr had said before that the wizarding world evolved at a much slower pace, but it never seemed to prepare Hex for just how much they had stagnated. The occasional modern muggle idea might slip through, but wizards were surprisingly obstinate.
Pureblood families in particular appeared in fashion that was more reminiscent of the Victorian Era, or its mainland overlap with the era of La Belle Époque. There was still a visible sort of class divide, but even those who did not have wealth were dressed as if they had come from the history books. As he had spotted before, some even wore an eclectic mix of modern muggle and wizarding garb. When he went to England, Hex knew he’d be better off with an entirely wizarding outfit even though he did not look forward to it. He held back a sigh as his eyes roamed over the various shops that they passed.
As they walked past a stone archway built above an entrance the size of an alleyway, Hex glanced at the peeling painted sign that was posted above it. Allée Montmorg. It seemed to be an adjacent market to Morency Alley but, where Morency Alley was quaint, Montmorg Alley was everything but. From the quick look Hex had seen, there were haphazard storefronts that were dirty and shone dimly by dark candlelight. Chipped and peeling signs were a stark contrast to the bright and merry signs of Morency Alley. It seemed to cater to darker clientele, something that intrigued Hex. He might have to come back to explore it in the future. A short distance further and Hex followed Thorgeirr into the French branch of Gringotts.
They were there to simply exchange money, so they dealt with the goblins quickly and then they were on their way. As they stood off to the side of the steps, Thorgeirr ran his fingers through his beard. “I need to go to the apothecary, but I doubt you’ll find it very interesting. Why don’t we part here for now and meet up at Amélie’s in about an hour for lunch?” Thorgeirr motioned to a nearby bistro. Hex gave a little nod of agreement, so Thorgeirr clapped his shoulder and they parted ways.
Hex strolled down the street with an air of relaxation, enough so he mostly managed to avoid attention. Eventually, he came across a little boutique that looked promising. He had the money to go for something high end, but he had decided to go for a middling look. If he came off as wealthy, it would attract attention. If he came off as poor, it would attract disdain. There was a careful balance that he had to maintain. Looks were important to sell a certain image after all.
As he entered the shop, a magical bell tinkled softly to announce him. A young woman immediately approached him with a bright smile as she appeared from the depths of the store. “Bonjour, Monsieur! Bienvenue à L'Aiguille d'Or.” The Golden Needle. Hex never really understood the naming conventions of stores, but it wasn’t something he really dwelled upon.
“Bonjour,” he greeted simply in response.
The woman blinked before her smile changed just a bit. Had he been too abrupt? Impolite? “Ah, French is not your native tongue, is it, Monsieur?” She asked in English then, to his mild surprise. Though French was certainly not his first language, his accent had been carefully crafted to be as natural as possible. Either he had gotten sloppy, or she was incredibly sharp. He would need to take better care in the future.
“I am comfortable to speak in either English or French, Mademoiselle,” he said carefully.
Though the woman nodded, she then waved her hand daintily. “Ah, I should work on my English, no? We do not get enough English speakers here. How can I help you, Monsieur? Do you look for anything in particular?”
Hex gave a shake of his head. “I just want to browse. I’ll find you if I have any questions.” He tried to offer a smile, but it felt stiff on his face. The witch didn’t seem to notice thankfully as she gave him a slight bow and then disappeared off into other parts of the store. Hex breathed out slowly and looked around him, feeling suddenly off center. His eyes caught onto a couple of mannequins in the center of the store, blank white figures that were enchanted to move and show off the clothing they modeled. It was unsettling.
The amount of choices was almost overwhelming. Hex had never put so much care into a civilian disguise before. He hadn’t needed to as he was more well versed in muggle fashion by virtue of being around it more often. He rarely had to interact with civilians anyways. Even then he sometimes wore his fatigues around them because they had been clients. At Thorgeirr’s bar he usually wore his fatigues because none of the man’s usual clientele batted an eye. Now, he felt out of his depth, but he didn’t want to go find the clerk again. So focused, he almost missed the tinkle of the bell on the door.
“Are you alright there, kid? I saw you from the window.” The voice was a welcome one as Hex turned to face Thorgeirr. The older man had a bag tucked underneath his arm and Hex thought he saw concern in the man’s golden eyes. Though he was surprised to see the man so soon. Had he lost track of time? He hadn’t thought it had been that long, but Thorgeirr had already finished his own shopping. Whatever the case, Hex found himself glad that the man was there.
Hex did not sigh, his expression did not change. “There are too many choices,” he said simply. At the admission, as level as Hex's voice was, Thorgeirr’s expression softened and Hex saw understanding in his gaze. Thorgeirr did not bring attention to it, but instead directed Hex over to a rack and helped him pick out an outfit. In the end, Hex walked out in simple dark trousers. His shirt was a simple white and high collared, though left unbuttoned at the throat, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Over the shirt he wore a dark vest with two columns of silver buttons to close it across his middle.
As they stepped down the steps of the shop, Thorgeirr placed a flat topped ivy cap over Hex’s curls to help him hide his scar. In one hand he carried a shopping bag that contained Hex’s clothing he had changed out of and another set of the outfit he had purchased. “Do you still want to go to Amélie’s?” Hex almost declined, but gave a sharp nod instead. So Thorgeirr led the way to the small eatery.
When they arrived, Hex immediately picked out a table in the very back of the shop where he could press his back into the corner. Thorgeirr grabbed his shoulder and squeezed gently, a knowing look barely hidden in his eyes. “Here, take our bags, kid. I’ll order for the both of us. You take a seat.” Though he always used kid as an endearment, it was easy to forget that Hex was still just a child in some regards. He was far from innocent, hadn’t been for a very long time, but his childhood had been stolen from him. Hex might be used to the blood and dirt of a battlefield, but he barely had any civilian experiences to balance it out. The current look in Hex’s eyes was a familiar one, a look that Thorgeirr recognized from when he had seen Hex start to get overwhelmed. Luckily he knew how to snap the teen out of it.
Hex slowly sat down in a chair and put their bags on the floor next to him. From his position, he could watch the entire floor and the only entrance. There were only two other customers in the shop, both by the window. The women wore exquisitely crafted dresses and hats with large plumes, though pointed like a customary witch’s hat. They were deep in conversation as one of the women used her fingers to lazily direct her spoon to stir whatever was in the mug in front of her. Neither seemed to pay him any attention, so Hex’s shoulders relaxed slowly.
Thorgeirr came over then and set a plate in the middle of the table. “I ordered this to start with. It’s a halibut croquette with garlic aioli. I think you’ll enjoy it. They’ll have our drinks in a moment along with the rest of our meal.” Hex only nodded as Thorgeirr sat down across from him. “Did you want me to come with you tomorrow?”
Part of him wanted to say yes, to have someone he trusted at his back. But Hex shook his head and picked up one of the croquettes to dip in the aioli. “No,” he said simply and took a bite. For a fish and potato patty, it was surprisingly light. He could tell it was fried, but it wasn’t even oily either. He popped the rest into his mouth. “It’s good.”
“Told you that you’d like it,” Thorgeirr said finally after a moment as he leaned in to grab one of the croquettes for himself. “I also got us Croque Madame and Coq au Vin. The Croque Madame can be described as a grilled cheese sandwich with ham and an egg on top, but it’s so much better than just a simple grilled cheese.” Hex didn’t seem to really understand, but he still nodded. Thorgeirr frowned briefly, but carried on. “The Coq au Vin is a chicken stew with a very flavourful tomato based sauce. Do you have a preference for which of the two you want?”
Hex picked up another croquette and gave a little shrug. “I don’t have a preference either way. I’ll have whichever you don’t want.” He ignored the look that Thorgeirr gave him and bit into the delicious little morsel he had picked up. He almost smiled when Thorgeirr scoffed and shoved a whole croquette into his mouth.
“Well, I’m taking the Coq au Vin just for that, brat,” Thorgeirr grumbled as he stood up again. The wizard at the counter had called out for him, to let him know that his order was ready. He loved how magic could speed up the cooking process without forfeiting the quality when done by professionals. Thorgeirr had paid them a little extra to stay away from the table, let him order and then retrieve their dishes himself. They had looked confused, but had agreed in the end. So he grabbed their drinks and set them on their table before he went back to retrieve their dishes. “They’re both lemonade,” he called over his shoulder at Hex. “Go ahead and grab one of them.” When he returned, he placed a plate in front of Hex and then sat down with the other dish.
Hex looked over his plate curiously. The Croque Madame really did look like a sandwich with ham, though there was cheese melted across the top of it. The fried egg on top had nice crispy edges and the yolk looked like it would be perfectly runny. Beside the sandwich was a small bowl of some sort of creamy soup. Hex picked up his spoon first and took a little bite after he blew on it to cool it off some. He hummed at the silky taste and glanced up at Thorgeirr.
“It’s a potato and leek soup,” the man said without prompting. “Comes with the sandwich. The sandwich itself you can eat with your hands, but you can also use a knife and fork since it’s messier than a normal sandwich.” He dipped a crusty piece of bread into the broth of his stew and then gave Hex a little grin. “Go on. What do you think? It’s good right?” It was.
As they continued to eat their lunch, Thorgeirr drew Hex in for conversation. It wasn’t long before Hex found himself relaxing and responding to the older man’s comments. When they finally left, Hex felt like he was in a better mood. They got themselves an international portkey that they purchased from Gringotts and returned home. Hex spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch with Elritze while Thorgeirr sorted through requests from clients at the kitchen table. Occasionally he would call out to Hex, who had worked with some of the other mercenaries before. Hex was more than happy to give Thorgeirr his input into who he thought would be best paired for each job offer. It helped pass the time. Eventually Thorgeirr left with his stack of files to open the bar.
Hex was up early the next morning, back on his normal schedule. He went through a run through the streets of the city before he took advantage of the gym at a small local health club. By the time he returned to the apartment, Thorgeirr was awake and he had started on breakfast. “Good morning, kid,” the man greeted. “Breakfast will be soon if you want to shower first.” Hex greeted the man and ducked away to take advantage of the shower just as Thorgeirr had suggested.
Once he was seated at the kitchen table, Thorgeirr brought over plates of food and took his own seat. “What time are you meeting Weasley?”
“As 1200 hours,” Hex responded as he filled his plate with an assortment of eggs, sausage, toast, and hash browns. “Though London is an hour behind, so I’m taking a portkey from Gringotts’ Berlin office at 1230 local time. I’ll be catching the 1100 train to Berlin as it’s about an hour to the city. It’ll give me enough time to make it to the bank to get my portkey.”
After a nod of understanding, Thorgeirr looked up at Hex. “I’ll walk with you to the train station,” he said.
“I’m not a child in need of an escort,” Hex shot back as he picked up his fork.
“Maybe I just want to have a nice walk and could use the company,” Thorgeirr drawled. Hex rolled his eyes and Thorgeirr hid a grin.
The older man accompanied him to the train station in the end, but Hex found that he really didn’t mind as much as he pretended. Once he had his ticket, Thorgeirr saw him to the platform and stuck his hands into his pockets. “If you don’t come back tonight, borrow one of those owls and send me an update. Or even find yourself a payphone if you can get back to the mundane world. You know the drill.”
With a silent nod, Hex adjusted the strap of his pack. It carried his change of clothes and some toiletries, just in case. He hesitated a split second then before he reached out and wrapped his arms around Thorgeirr in a hug. Hex was nearly as tall as the other man was now, but wasn’t nearly as wide. When Thorgeirr responded to the hug, without hesitation, he practically curled around Hex. The man’s embrace was warm, grounding. It wasn’t the first time, or even the second, that Hex had wondered if this was what it was like to have a dad. He pulled away from Thorgeirr then and silently boarded the train for the trip to Berlin.
The trip to London went exactly as Hex had expected. He made sure to change his clothing before he entered the Berlin bank so he was already in character by the time he arrived in the arrival area of the London branch of Gringotts. With his leather satchel secure over his shoulder, Hex pulled his cap down a little further and exited the bank.
The difference between Morency Alley and Diagon Ally was rather stark. Hex could see the similarities between the two streets, but many of the shops in Diagon Ally were boarded up and their windows dark. Makeshift stalls had popped up along the sides of the street instead while many of them seemed to sell protective amulets of a sort. There were very few people out and about, and with no muggle fashions to be seen. Those who did walk the streets kept their heads down and did not speak. Even the colours of the storefronts seemed drab and near colourless, shades of grey. The only bright splashes of colour were the Auror sentries in their scarlet uniforms. They looked like Victorian police officers if not for the colour of their coats. Hex averted his eyes and ducked his head to appear like the other civilians around.
At the end of the alley, Hex slipped through the open archway and into the Leaky Cauldron. Just as sparsely populated, Hex ignored the hunched over clientele and slipped into a seat at the end of the bar so he could see most of the room. “Hello there,” the old barkeep said with a faint smile. “Don’t think I recognize you, so you’re not one of my regulars. What can I get for you?”
“I’m waiting for a friend,” Hex volunteered with a smile that the barkeep never realized didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll probably order food, but can I just get a butterbeer for now?” He had no idea what other drinks wizards had to offer, but that was an oversight he could fix later if he decided to stay.
“Sure thing! The name’s Tom and I own this fine establishment,” he said as he opened up a bottle and slid it over to Hex across the bartop. “Let me know if there’s anything else you need!”
Hex took the bottle and gave him a little salute with it. “I’ll keep that in mind, Tom.” A brush of his magic said it was safe, so he took a sip before he carefully took a look around him. The butterbeer was still not to his taste, but it was maybe growing on him, just a little bit. He took another small sip. As he leaned over the bartop with his bottle in hand, the large fireplace suddenly flared green with the bright magic of floo travel. It was always fascinating to watch, though Hex personally preferred portkey over floo when it came down to it. He didn’t like how the ash got everywhere. Though perhaps it was time to learn how to apparate.
As Hex watched, a man stepped from the hearth in the next moment with a displeased frown on his aristocratic features. He delicately brushed a bit of ash from his shoulder as the fireplace flashed green behind him once more. The second man was more of a boy really, Hex decided. Likely the man’s son as he shared the same sharp features and fine pale hair. Both were impeccably dressed and stood with their heads held high, as if everyone else was beneath them. Wizarding noblemen, Hex thought. The older man delicately placed a top hat upon his head and then rolled his shoulders back. As he moved, his cloak rippled around him. “Come along, Draco.” Even his voice was fitting of a man that thought him above anyone else, velvety and deep. Just still grating and very… posh. Hex tracked their movements through the pub before they disappeared out the back door towards the Alley. Distantly, he could hear the front door of the pub opening.
“John!” Hex looked over, unsurprised to see Bill. He gave the man a little nod as he dropped down in the seat next to him. “Bloody hell, I’m starving. Hey, Tom! Mind if I get a butterbeer along with bangers and mash?”
Tom gave Bill an answering smile and slid a bottle over to him. “I’d say I’m surprised your mum let you leave her house not stuffed with food, but I know how you Weasley boys eat,” he said in amusement. “I’ll have it up for you in a moment. Anything I can get you?” He asked Hex before he paused. “John was it?
Hex gave a little nod as he looked over the board posted behind the bar, handwritten in chalk. If Bill was going to eat, he might as well grab something as well. It better sold a narrative that they were two friends there to catch up and share a meal. He had mentioned it to Tom already anyways. “Sure. I’ll grab the fish and chips,” he decided with a careless looking shrug. He took another sip of his butterbeer then and looked over to Bill. “Your family was happy to see you?”
Bill blinked once, a little thrown by Hex’s relaxed posture. “Ah, yeah,” he said finally with a little shrug. “Mum’s always happy when I come around and she’s got most of her kids together. It was nice to see my siblings too, even though I spent most of the day avoiding the twins’ traps.” He rolled his eyes as he picked up his own butterbeer. “I almost didn’t recognize you, you know. You clean up well.” He picked his words carefully, as best as he could.
“Had to blend in,” Hex said shortly before he nodded to Tom as the man slid plates in front of them. He glanced over his own plate first. Fish and chips. Pretty standard deep fried and battered fish with potato wedges, with a side of tartar sauce. He glanced over at Bill’s plate as he picked up a potato. The wizard’s bangers and mash looked like sausages and mashed potatoes smothered with gravy. If there was a next time, maybe he’d try it. “Did you speak with the Headmaster?” He asked quietly then before he took a bite of his food.
Bill picked up his fork and scooped up some of his mash. “I sent him a letter saying that I wanted to introduce someone to him,” he said with a little shrug. “Got a reply this morning. He said he’d meet us at a private room in the Three Broomsticks. It’s a pub in Hogsmeade, just outside Hogwarts. He said he could meet us for dinner, so we have several hours to kill.”
A neutral location with a time of Dumbledore’s choosing. Hex had to wonder how controlling the old man would be. He dipped one of his fish strips into the tartar sauce and took a bite. Heavy on the oil, but not bad. “Well, we have time for you to tell me more about the war that is going on here,” he said quietly once he had swallowed. From the corner of his eyes, Hex could see Bill grimace. “But preferably somewhere more private. So, until then, tell me about your family.” Bill seemed more than happy to rise to the suggestion as they ate. It was clear to Hex that Bill dearly loved his family, was proud of his siblings’ accomplishments. He noticed he didn’t talk about his father, however.
Once they had finished their meals, Hex paid for them and then stood up. Bill gave Tom a wave before he led Hex back out into the alley. “We can go to Flourish and Blotts,” he told Hex quietly. “We could pick out some books, if you want to know more about the wizarding world, and it’ll be a quiet place to talk. We shouldn’t be disturbed there. Better than wandering the street right now at least.” Hex only nodded as he looked over the nearly empty street. They’d stick out far too much if they just spoke in the street.
So, they walked quietly to Flourish and Blotts, one of the few shops still open. Its windows, even the ones on upper floors, were stacked full of books. Faint light shone through the cracks that gave a hint to the warmth inside, but Hex thought it looked ready to spill forth an avalanche of manuscripts. Bill opened the door and ushered Hex inside. They wandered their way up to the second floor and between the nearly endless haphazard stacks until they reached the back of the store. It was a quiet corner with two plush chairs that were nearly overtaken by the stacks of books around them. But it provided sightlines to the staircase so Hex felt relatively secure in their privacy. It was enough.
Hex sat back in one of the chairs and turned his eyes on Bill. “When did the Dark Lord return?”
At the question, Bill blinked and then gave a wry smile. “We’re diving right into it, huh? Well, he returned on the 24th of June in 1995, roughly two years ago. Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament and the Champion Cedric Diggory was whisked away by portkey during the Third Task.” He breathed out a sigh. “No one really knows what exactly happened, but Professor Dumbledore theorized that Cedric was used in some sort of dark resurrection ritual since you disappeared. A life for a life or something. Though it doesn’t really explain how he survived the events of Halloween 1981. I don’t know anything about that, sorry.”
The redhead sighed then and absently tugged on the end of his ponytail. Hex only watched him silently as he patiently waited for him to continue. “Things were pretty quiet for awhile,” Bill said. “You-Know-Who was gathering his power again. There was a large breakout of Azkaban, the wizarding prison, but there wasn’t a lot of otherwise visible movement. I think mum said that he was talking with other races, like the werewolves and the giants, to get support. The Ministry isn’t very creature friendly.” He gave a grimace before Hex watched as the blood drained from Bill’s face, the man's eyes a little distant. “There was an attack at the Ministry around Christmas. You-Know-Who was after something in the Department of Mysteries. Dad… Dad was attacked,” Bill stuttered over a sudden thickness in his throat. “You-Know-Who has this snake and he sent her in, I guess. Dad didn’t make it.”
“My condolences,” Hex said quietly when Bill fell silent, though the words seemed hollow. Death had long ago become a close companion and he thought little of it anymore, but he did realize that not everyone had the same feelings towards it.
Bill gave a sharp nod. “Mum hasn’t really been the same since. She worries if we’re too far away from home, but at the same time she doesn’t want us anywhere near the war.” He sighed then and looked down at his hands. “I’ll admit that I wasn’t much of a Gryffindor. I was a coward and I ran back to Egypt.” He cleared his throat then and shook his head before he looked back up at Hex. “Right, sorry. You probably don’t want to hear about my family problems. Ah, the war. Well, things have slowly ramped up since then. There have been more flagrant attacks on wizarding villages all across the entirety of Great Britain. Last year there was even an attempted invasion of Hogwarts, but I guess it never panned out for reasons I was never told.”
There was silence between them for a long minute before Bill leaned back in his chair, exhaustion on his face. “Things are starting to encroach into the muggle world and You-Know-Who has definitely gotten his hooks into the Ministry. Mum said that she had heard there were whispers of a Muggleborn Registration Commission that might be passed into law soon. I’m not sure what it’ll entail, but I know it won’t be anything good. Muggles are going missing and it’s not a stretch to believe that You-Know-Who is going after muggleborns next. Hogwarts is really only one of the last few strongholds left because of the Headmaster. It’s pretty risky even talking about stuff here in Diagon Alley, which is supposed to be neutral ground. It’s not good.” No, it certainly wasn’t.
Hex wasn’t sure he wanted to meet with Dumbledore and be potentially pulled into a war. But, he pushed the thoughts away and looked out over the cluttered bookstore. He might do some shopping before they left. “Tell me about Hogwarts,” he requested then. Bill was more than happy to latch onto the change in subject.
Notes:
I took artistic liberties for my vision of the wizarding world. I always do, honestly. And yes, I know, Hex still hasn't met Dumbledore yet. Sorry! Hit a bit of a writer's block on it so I decided to give you all some worldbuilding and fluff with Thorgeirr being all parental over Hex instead. Hope it's not too disappointing!
Chapter 13
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirteen
When it was time for their appointment with the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Bill led Hex to the apparition point in the Alley and then side-along apparated with him to Hogsmeade. Though he had promised himself it was time to learn the skill for himself, Hex was not particularly fond of the uncomfortable way it felt like he had been pulled through a straw. There were worse things to be felt, but Hex hated it all the same. Still, he landed on solid feet and immediately took in the village around them.
Hogsmeade held more life to it, was the first thing that Hex noticed. There were more people about and they held their heads up high. Where Diagon Alley had felt like a snapshot of Victorian London, Hogsmeade felt like a painting of a medieval village. There were touches of a Victorian village, with its cobbled street and bright storefronts, but there was an age to it that Hex hadn’t felt in Diagon Alley. He wondered if it had anything to do with the nearby castle that had been said to have been built in 990 CE. Well, at least the beginnings of a castle that had likely grown over the years. He didn’t know medieval history well enough to be sure, but he doubted the entire castle was as old as everyone made it out be. Not that it mattered.
“Hogwarts’ wards extend to the village,” Bill said from next to Hex and broke the younger man out of his thoughts. “They end at the Nexus point for the wizarding road network.”
That was something that Hex was familiar with. “Hogsmeade has a Nexus?”
Bill gave a quick nod. “It has one of the oldest ones in Scotland, I think.” The wizarding roadworks were like tunnels that had been compressed to shorten the distance between points A and B. From what Hex understood, not everything in the wizarding communities could be transported by portkey or some other mode of instantaneous travel. The roadworks had been constructed long ago to connect communities all over the world. It even crossed over oceans, which had made it valuable to Legio and then later Hex himself. However, because of the nature of how the roadways worked, Nexus points were the only reliable doorways. One could leave the road through the wall of the magical tunnel, and he had done that plenty of times before, but it was not always completely accurate and had to be carefully calculated so you did not end up tens of kilometers away from your destination. A Nexus was also the easiest way to gain access to the roads without expending a large amount of magic.
“We should get going,” Bill said finally. “The Three Broomsticks Inn is this way.” As they started down the street, Bill stuffed his hand in his pockets. “We normally just call it the Three Broomsticks. It’s a tavern and inn that’s popular amongst the Hogsmeade residents, but especially popular with Hogwarts students when they’re allowed down in the village on weekend visits. I’ve quite a few fond memories of having butterbeers with friends.”
Hex glanced at the older man, but turned his gaze on their surroundings again. “I had a team,” he said suddenly. “We were called Alpha Squad.” It was a name that was generic enough that it wouldn’t mean anything to Bill even if he was aware of Legio. “After missions, we would put together our money to buy a package of Hostess Snoballs from the local store. We’d share it together.” He gave a small smile then, though it quickly dropped away. “We all had colours that we swore tasted better than the others. I swore the pink ones were best.”
He didn’t even know how it had all started. He thought it might have been Theta who had purchased the first one and they had shared it. Iota had been the one to purchase the next one after they came home from a mission. They had made their way to the top of the Playground and shared the package of two cakes between them all. Iota’s favourite had been the green. Eta’s had been the blue. Zeta had said the white ones were best. Theta stood by the orange ones. The colours always seemed to change at the base’s store, so they would take what they could get. But they always went up to the top of the Playground to share the treat. He missed it.
“Merlin, John… how old were you when you started all this?” Bill asked quietly as his steps stuttered briefly. “You’ve only just turned seventeen, yeah?”
Hex frowned. Harry Potter’s birthday was July 31st, so that meant that he really had only just turned seventeen. Not even a week before he had learned the truth. He wondered what he was going to tell Theta and Zeta when he saw them towards the end of the month because, whether or not he stayed in the wizarding world, he would meet up with them so they wouldn’t think he had died. But he had to get through this meeting first before he thought about his trip to China in just over a week.
“Yes,” Hex said finally. “You know, I never knew when my actual birthday was. I was pretty sure how old I was, but I didn’t know my birthday.” It was an easy thing to admit, but it served its purpose as Bill became distracted from his original question. “I always just celebrated it on January 1st, but it’s nice to know which day it actually is now.” He gave Bill a smile and it actually felt real, though a bit stiff.
Bill’s shoulders dropped a little and he gave Hex a smile as well. “Well, it’s a little late, but Happy Birthday.” Hex thanked him before they came to a stop in front of a building with crooked eaves and many chimneys that belched smoke even in the heat of the summer. Over the door hung three broomsticks tied together to form a triangle. It wasn’t hard to guess that this was their destination.
“Bill,” Hex said before they stepped into the pub. When the redhead turned to him, he gave him a brief smile. “The name is John Geist until I reveal myself.” Hex wasn’t sure if he would reveal himself right away but he hadn’t given Bill the last name for this particular identity, a bit of an oversight on his part. Bill, luckily, only nodded and then reached out to open the door.
As they stepped into the pub, Hex looked around curiously. He made note of every exit and every possible threat. There was a woman behind the bartop who Hex supposed was rather pretty, her hair done up in curls and a warm expression on her face. “That’s Madame Rosmerta,” Bill said to him softly before he motioned towards the stairs. “The Headmaster is waiting upstairs for us.” Hex nodded his head, but didn’t reply. The Three Broomsticks Inn was warm and surprisingly crowded, all residents of the village most likely. He spotted several individuals with long pipes, which added to the smokiness of the Inn’s interior. They all seemed jovial, a rather stark contrast to the magicals he had seen in Diagon Alley.
As Hex made his way up the stairs after Bill, the steps creaked beneath their shoes with each step. No one really paid them any mind, though a few glanced their way with natural curiosity before they were quickly dismissed. He didn’t find any lingering gazes, which eased the tension in his shoulders somewhat. The familiar weight of his knives, hidden about his body, helped to ease more as they came to a stop before a door. Bill gave a quick knock and then pushed it open as the lock clicked to allow them in.
The room inside was surprisingly spacious with a large hearth, thankfully unlit. The room was somewhat muggy, but not an unbearable temperature for Hex who was used to finding himself in hotter climates. A bed was tucked away in a corner, pristine and unused. Before the hearth was a table laden with food and a handful of chairs. One of the chairs was occupied by an old man that Hex thought he could assume was Headmaster Dumbledore based on the descriptions he had heard of him.
Dumbledore was an old wizard, roughly one hundred and seventeen years old. Hex could see the man’s age weighed heavily upon him, but he was still surprisingly spry. There was a sharpness hidden behind those blue eyes and jovial smile. “Come in, come in. Make yourselves comfortable and help yourself to the food,” the man said as he spread his hands, knobbly and yet completely steady. Hex wondered if all wizards were long lived. Or as eccentric. The old wizard dressed in robes that reminded Hex of an old painting he had seen once, of some medieval alchemist or physician. Though Dumbledore’s robes sparkled like the night sky on a rich fabric of dark blue. The silvery threads seemed to flicker like stars and he caught a few that suddenly darted across the fabric like comets. What a strange man.
As Bill approached the table, Hex followed after him and slipped into the seat next to the redhead. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with us, Professor. This is John Geist, whom I met in Cairo,” he introduced. “John, this is Professor Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts.” Hex nodded to him in greeting while Dumbledore gave him a smile that made his eyes twinkle. Hex stared at the man’s nose rather than directly into his eyes.
“It is good to meet you, Mr. Geist,” Dumbledore said and Hex was sure that the man’s smile dimmed just a bit. “Might I ask what you wanted to speak to me about, Mr. Weasley? You were rather vague in your letter.” His smile was kind, but Hex knew men like the Headmaster. That friendly look was only skin deep, a facade to hide the machinations within. He could act with kindness, but men like Dumbledore did not get where they were through benevolence alone.
When Bill glanced towards him, Hex reached out to start filling a plate with food. He wasn’t likely to eat any of it, but the old man had invited them to the meal. “I was born in England, my parents magicals,” Hex said as he sat back in his chair and held his fork loosely in his hands. “I lost my entire family when I was a young boy and was raised out of the country.” It was true enough.
“I am sorry to hear about your family, Mr. Geist. Are you here to reconnect with your past?” Dumbledore said politely, though with a note of confusion. A lesser man might have told Hex to get to his point.
Hex watched as Dumbledore gathered food for himself, but merely took a sip of whatever was in his goblet. “Truthfully, I was not born with the name of John Geist,” he told the old wizard. “I lost my family so young that I lost my identity as well. It is only recently that I have learned of my past, so I am curious to see where it was I came from.”
“Oh? Well, don’t keep me in suspense, Mr. Geist,” Dumbledore said with a jovial chuckle that masked impatience when Hex paused a moment too long. Hex fought not to smirk. It was always fun to get one over men like the Headmaster.
He waited until Dumbledore had gone to take another drink before he offered a smile that was innocent in appearance. “Bill tells me that my name is Harry Potter.” The warmth of amusement curled in Hex’s stomach as the Headmaster actually choked on his drink. He reached up then to remove his cap and set it aside before he ran his fingers through his errant curls. He knew it would show off the healing scar on his forehead, still prominent even if it no longer appeared perpetually new.
Dumbledore placed his goblet down with a touch more force than necessary, but he recovered from his hacking quickly. The old wizard quickly dabbed at his mouth, his eyes wide as they darted up to Hex’s forehead. “Oh, Harry, my boy,” Dumbledore gasped out finally. “I was so worried!”
“Are we friends?” Hex interrupted, his voice bland. The Headmaster blinked in honest surprise, an expression that Hex had a feeling that wasn’t often on the man’s face and yet it had appeared twice now. Perhaps he should feel honoured.
It took him a moment, but Dumbledore finally leaned back in his chair. “Pardon?” He asked, as if he wasn’t sure what Hex was asking. And perhaps he didn’t, though Hex doubted it.
“Are we friends, Headmaster Dumbledore? I am aware my parents knew you to some degree, but you and I have never met to my knowledge. Only my friends greet me so personally, but you and I are not friends, are we?” He tilted his head a little and gave a polite smile, disarming in its nature. “So, if you would be so kind, I would ask that you refer to me as Mr. Potter.”
The Headmaster cleared his throat then and offered a police smile of his own. “Yes, quite so, Mr. Potter. You will have to forgive me for my lapse in manners. I was quite close to your parents, you see. And I remember you as quite a young boy, barely older than a baby.” Hex wondered if it was Dumbledore that had placed him with the Dursleys. The man seemed to have quite a lot of power and was not simply just the Headmaster of a magical school. It was not a new revelation, though it was one that he could see for his own eyes now.
“Mr. Potter, I want to invite you to attend Hogwarts,” Dumbledore suddenly interrupted Hex’s thoughts. “Your parents both attended the school and you were supposed to attend yourself when you turned eleven. They would have wanted you to be here.” Dumbledore spoke with a soft sort of smile. Grandfatherly, one might say. Hex wasn’t fooled. There was another scheme that the man had in mind.
Hex gave a helpless looking shrug. “I haven’t officially attended any magic schools, Headmaster. I’ve been trained in the use of my magic, but nothing formal,” he informed the old man, his tone carefully apologetic. “I’d be too old to start my attendance, aren’t I?”
“Oh, nonsense, Mr. Potter! I’m sure that we can get you caught up to where you need to be in no time at all,” Dumbledore said with a cheery smile, the sparkle in his eyes a near physical thing. “There is no better place of learning than Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And would you not like to meet those of your own age? Make some friends?” Friends were Zeta. Theta. Thorgeirr. Even Bill could be considered a friend. Hex didn’t need anyone else. “The professors all knew your parents too, of course,” Dumbledore suddenly tried another angle. “Your father was very gifted in Transfiguration and your mother truly excelled in Charms.”
Hex hummed in a thoughtful sort of tone as he pushed his food about on his plate with his fork. “It is a rather tempting offer, sir, but I wouldn’t have the funds to pay for a private boarding school,” he tried with a mournful sigh. “When does school even start?”
“September 1st, but you would not have to worry about school fees. It’s been already paid in full since before you were even born. Your parents had no doubt that you would attend,” the Headmaster countered. Hex paused at that. The fees were already paid in full? Yet he had not attended any of the years before. He wondered if he could have the fees returned to him if only for the principle of the matter, but it was not a priority.
With a shake of his head, Hex picked up his goblet and went to take a sip before he paused and set it back down again. “I’m still not sure, Headmaster. What sort of classes does Hogwarts offer?” With that question, Hex grilled Dumbledore for nearly an hour about how Hogwarts operated. Even Bill managed to give his own input every so often. Part of Hex was curious about what his life could have been like if he hadn’t been found by Legio, but he mostly wanted to be well informed of what he might be stepping into if he decided to take the Headmaster up on his offer.
Eventually, he leaned back in his seat. “It is all very tempting, sir. However, I’m not sure if I can give you my answer yet,” he said with an apologetic sigh. “Is it alright if I send you my answer by owl? I can have it to you by the end of the week.”
Dumbledore seemed hesitant to have him out of his sight, but eventually gave in and nodded. “Yes, yes. This all must be very overwhelming of course. We usually prefer to hear responses back by July 1st so there is time to prepare for the attendance, but I think we can all agree that these are special circumstances. As long as you can send your reply as soon as possible, I would be more than happy to give you time to think on it. Just, if you would answer a question for me, Mr. Potter?”
“Yes?” Hex wondered what the man would ask, but thought he had an idea.
Just as Hex suspected, Dumbledore leaned forward with an expression that was meant to convey concern. “Where have you been all these years, Mr. Potter? When we searched for you, the trail ended over Bhutan with the death of your relatives. You disappeared.”
Now that was interesting. “How did you know I was still alive, headmaster?” Did the old man think he wouldn’t call him on it? Or that he was too stupid to make the connection? “I know I was listed as a casualty. The reports say no one survived the crash.”
It seemed to throw Dumbledore for a loop and he didn’t have an answer right away. Hex wondered if he was searching for an explanation to give him that didn’t sound like a lie. “After your parents died, you were praised as a hero. I’m sorry to say that you had no family left within the wizarding world. So, the decision was made to give you to your mother’s sister to raise. The blood you shared with her would protect you against anyone who tried to harm you. After all, Tom Riddle’s followers would want revenge for your part in his first downfall.” Hex raised an eyebrow as he wondered how Dumbledore would tie it into the original question.
“I was the one to place you on your aunt’s doorstep, to place the wards that would protect you as long as you called it home,” Dumbledore continued. Hex did not shift, but his lips turned down just a fraction. That answered his question from before about whether or not it had been Dumbledore to place him with the Dursleys. He could not remember his aunt and uncle, his cousin. But the reports that Thorgeirr had dug up had not been particularly kind to the family. They had been some of the worst sorts of people. He wondered if Dumbledore had known that. Dumbledore seemed unaware of Hex’s sudden change as he continued. “When your aunt was killed, the wards fell. The alarms were quite spectacular. However, the instrument that indicated your health never failed. Whatever had happened, I knew that you were still alive. But by the time we were able to hunt down what had happened, we could find no trace of you.”
Hex didn’t know the entirety of how wizards tracked individuals, but he knew there were ways to avoid them. Legio had a number of wizards, various magics at their disposal. In Legio’s hands, Dumbledore and his people wouldn’t have been able to find him. He wondered what would have changed if the Headmaster had found him first, but he didn’t think about it for long. What-ifs didn’t change the realities of the present so it wasn’t worth dwelling on.
“You mentioned you had some magical training,” Dumbledore suddenly changed topics back to his question. “The ones who found you were magical?” It wasn’t quite a question, though there was inflection near the end to pose it as one.
With a small nod, Hex sat back in his seat. “The ones who saved me were largely nomadic and several of them had magic at their disposal,” he said easily. “I moved from place to place as a child, never really staying in one place for long. I’ve been to places all over the world, though mostly through Europe and Asia. It made for a rather enlightening childhood.” All subjectively true, but still incredibly vague. He gave Dumbledore a smile, a dare for him to push harder.
Dumbledore cleared his throat then and stood up. “Well. I suppose that is all that we can really discuss for the moment,” he said with calmness that Hex thought might have been forced. It was hard to tell, but he made a job of being able to tell what someone was thinking. It had saved his life more than once after all.
Dumbledore didn’t appear to notice how closely Hex watched him as he continued, “I hate to run off, but the time has become late. I have another appointment I need to attend to, so you will have to excuse me, Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley.” He gave them both a rather stiff nod, though Hex watched as the old man forced his shoulders to relax. “I am glad that you have come home to us, Mr. Potter. I do so look forward to your response and hope that it will only be positive things. Have a good evening.” As Bill gave his own goodbye, Hex only inclined his head in farewell.
“That was fantastic,” Bill breathed out as soon as the door shut behind the Headmaster. He chuckled and flopped back in his chair as he ran his fingers through his long hair. “I always knew there was more to that man than he liked to let on. Had to be to have gotten this far, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone actually stand toe to toe with him like that.” He reached out to pat Hex’s shoulder. “Come on. We can use the floo down in the tavern to get back to Gringotts. You need an international portkey, right? I can help you get one quickly.” Hex nodded and silently followed Bill out the door.
By the time he made it back to Thorgeirr’s bar, it was late. Not so late that the older man had closed up for the night, but late enough that there weren't many stragglers left in the establishment. One man was slumped over a table, bottles strewn about his head, and another was at the bar. A familiar folder was set up before him, though it was gone in the next moment as Hex made his way up to the bar.
Thorgeirr glanced up at him and then reached beneath the counter to grab a bottle of water. He tossed it at the teen before he nodded over to the drunk man slumped over in his corner table. “Welcome back, brat. Think you can get McNeil out?” An American expat, the man was a frequent visitor and he always took the corner seat. Hex was usually the one who could get McNeil kicked out the door without making a ruckus.
Hex opened up his water and then slid into the booth opposite of the drunk man. He absently counted the bottles littered about, noting that there were at least three more than the average. Thorgeirr had probably cut him off at that point, given him some water instead. That glass was next to the man’s folded arms, still nearly full. Hex took a sip of his own water and then set it down on the table, with just a little more force than strictly necessary. It did its job however, as McNeil shot up in his seat and leveled a blurry glare on his sudden companion.
“Wha? Zat you, Jamie?” He squinted at Hex, much to the teen’s amusement. He merely picked up his water again and took another sip. “Wha time’s it?” McNeil squinted again, though this time his eyes roved over the muted light of the bar.
“It’s time for you to head on home, McNeil,” Hex said plainly. “Drink your water and then up you get.” He reached over and nudged the water glass closer to the drunkard, who only stared at it for a long moment before he finally picked it up and took a long drink.
McNeil groaned then and slid out of his seat. He looked ready to just crawl across the floor, but Hex stood up and dragged McNeil to his feet. “Ah, gotsa settle up ma tab,” McNeil slurred as he weaved his way towards the bar.
“It’s already taken care of,” Thorgeirr said as he set a glass of whiskey in front of the man at the bar. “Cab’s waiting for him as usual, kid.” Hex only nodded and helped guide McNeil out so he could pour himself into his cab. Once the door was shut, Hex made his way back to the bar and started to clean up the bottles left on the table. Thorgeirr glanced at him, but didn’t say anything as he went back to cleaning up the bar.
Once the last man had finally left, Hex went over and locked up the door. The two silently finished the cleanup as they fell into their usual routine when Hex was around. They finished quickly before Thorgeirr led the way upstairs to the apartment. He immediately made his way into the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients to make sandwiches. “How’d the meeting with Dumbledore go?” He asked the question finally as he cut some lettuce up finely and then dressed it with a little bit of vinegar.
“He’s insistent that I attend Hogwarts,” Hex said as he approached the counter and grabbed the loaf of rye bread to slice. He mulled over how to explain the man and the feeling that he got for him as he set down the bread knife. “He reminds me of Gianni Cattaneo,” he said finally as he pulled down two plates and set them on the counter. Cattaneo was an older man with ties to organized crime, but had worked as a freelance mercenary for years. He wasn’t quite a regular in Thorgeirr’s pub, but he popped up every so often to pick up jobs or hand over requests from his own contacts. He always seemed to be in the middle of some sort of scheme.
Thorgeirr pulled a face as he constructed their sandwiches. “Well, ain’t that lovely. You think he has some sort of agenda towards you?”
With a shrug, Hex grabbed an apple out of a bowl and selected a knife to slice it into wedges. “He’s a powerful man and the Harry Potter name carries a lot of weight in that community. I’m an unknown, so he’s going to want to keep an eye on me. Use my power for himself.” Though he had no idea how Dumbledore planned to use that power.
There was silence between them for a long moment before Thorgeirr finally let out a heavy sigh and went to grab a bag of crisps from the pantry to distribute between the two plates. “You want to figure out his endgame, don’t you?”
Hex tried not to smile, amused by the way Thorgeirr grumbled. “You’re the one who’s always telling me I should learn how to be a kid,” he said in an innocent voice. He had to press his lips together to stop his laugh when Thorgeirr actually growled at him.
“Brat,” the man muttered. He then heaved out a heavy sigh as he picked up the two plates and carried them over to the table. Hex dropped the apple slices into a little bowl and then grabbed two bottles of water. Thorgeirr slid a plate over to him as he took a seat. “Well, when does your school start then?” He grabbed one of the bottles and cracked it open.
Hex picked up one of the sandwich triangles. “September 1st,” he responded back before he took a bite off the corner.
“That’s just a few weeks away,” Thorgeirr said with a frown as he popped a crisp into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. “Well, if I pull a few strings, I might be able to work something out. I’m going to miss this place though.”
At that announcement, Hex blinked and then slowly lowered his sandwich before he could take another bite. “What?” He watched as a smirk curled over Thorgeirr’s lips and then he took a big bite from his sandwich so he wouldn’t need to talk right away. Hex gave him a glare that was more terrifying than it had any right to be while on the face of a teenage boy. Thorgeirr chewed quickly and swallowed with a grimace, the pieces a bit too big still. Hex tried not to smirk.
Thorgeirr took a quick swig of his water. “Just thinking it was time for me to close up shop here,” he said finally. “I’ve been here for long enough and it’s time for me to move on.”
Hex wasn’t convinced. “This bar is more than just a bar,” he said blandly. “You’ll abandon all that?”
The older man gave a snort and picked up his sandwich again. “Give it all up? Nah, kid. But, I’ve been thinking. You’re going to need backup if you’ve decided to go off into the wizarding world. Sure, you can hold your own and I know you can handle pretty much anything, but it would make me feel better if you’re not actually by yourself. Besides, I’ve been wanting a change of scenery. I’ve got contacts in the wizarding communities, but this is an opportunity to find more. Expand my business to different horizons. Or something.” He gave a little shrug. “I can sell this place off to my friend and they’ll keep the business going. If I really want to, I’m sure I can always come back.”
There would be no dissuading him, it seemed. Though, Hex found that he really didn’t want to try hard to do that anyways. He’d put up a token protest, but he really did feel better knowing that Thorgeirr would be at his back. “So, it’s settled then. I’ll go down to Berlin in a couple of days to send off a letter to Dumbledore.” Might as well let the man stew for awhile, but he had made up his mind. In a few weeks, he’d be at Hogwarts.
Notes:
This chapter wasn't very cooperative, but I think it turned out alright in the end.
Chapter 14
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Fourteen
“I’ve never seen you so unfocused, A. You look like your thoughts are elsewhere.” Hex blinked at the sudden voice, but did not startle. He turned his gaze from the ocean in front of him and instead focused on Theta. The teen smirked a bit and leaned back on the blanket that the three were seated upon. Zeta watched them, but she had her lips wrapped around her popsicle and so stayed quiet. “Something else happened?” Theta spoke again before he slid his own popsicle into his mouth to catch some melted drips.
Hex looked out over the ocean again as he lifted his own popsicle. He paused for a moment and then stuck it into his mouth so he didn’t have to reply right away. Finally though, when Theta made an impatient sound, Hex slid the popsicle from his mouth and then let out a little sigh. “I mentioned I was in Egypt at the beginning of the month.”
“Yeah,” Theta interrupted. “The super secret site that you can’t even discuss with us but where you met a cool sounding bunch of cursebreakers.” Zeta gave him a glare for his interruption, but Theta carefully ignored it.
With a brief smile, Hex watched the waves as they lapped against the sandy beach. “One of the cursebreakers recognized me,” he revealed finally. “He knew who I really was, from even before I became Thirteen. I verified it myself.”
From next to him, Theta choked on his popsicle. Even Zeta looked surprised when Hex looked over to them. He smirked a bit and popped his frozen treat back into his mouth, but Theta whined loudly. “No, no, no! You can’t just leave it at that, A! Come on, man! What’s your real name then?”
“Harry Potter,” Hex told them calmly, seemingly unaffected.
Theta wrinkled his nose then. “Harry? It’s not short for Hadrian? Or Harold? Ah, Henry? Harrison? Fuck, even Harvey?” When Hex only raised an eyebrow and didn’t reply, Theta let out a heavy sigh. “Wow, that’s rough. I’m sorry to say, man, but Harry is just so boring. It’s worse than Francis even. Perfectly good name for someone, but for you? Ugh, it’s just so simple in comparison. No way I’m calling you Harry, sorry.”
Next to them, Zeta rolled her eyes and then tossed her garbage into their bag. “I’m happy for you, A,” she told him then, her expression serious. There was a softness in her eyes, however, that was new. It made Hex want to smile, but he only gave her a nod. “Do you still have family, then?” She asked him next.
With a shake of his head, Hex threw his own trash away. “Apparently my birth parents were killed when I was just over a year old. I was given to my mother’s sister to raise. She, my uncle, and a cousin were the ones to die in the airplane crash that put me in Legio’s hands,” he told them. “I haven’t found any records of any other blood family.” He wasn’t too concerned about it. Theta and Zeta were family. Thorgeirr was family. “But there is a school. Somewhere in Scotland, near the Hogsmeade Nexus.”
“Huh,” Theta said as he chewed on the wooden popsicle stick, his treat all eaten. “I think I passed by that Nexus the other day. I passed through Great Britain when I was headed to Spain from a job in Norway. Took a detour through England.” He paused and then gave Hex a grin. “So, you know, I know where it is.”
Hex let himself chuckle as he turned his gaze on Theta, though his expression quickly became serious. “Be on your guard if you travel through Great Britain,” he told Theta, though he also glanced over to Zeta. “The wizards of the Isles are not very welcoming of non-magicals right now. There’s a terrorist group that’s spilling over into the normal world.”
Zeta wrapped her arms around her knees and gave a little nod. “I’ve heard about the terrorist attacks in Great Britain,” she told them. “Civilian rumors are all over the place, though there are darker whispers in certain circles.” Theta nodded grimly in agreement. Hex had heard the rumors as well, though he rarely took jobs in Europe so hadn’t put much stock in them. It was good to have an ear to the ground, but he usually kept his attention outside Europe in places he actually frequented for his work.
“You’re going to this school, aren’t you?” Theta asked suddenly. He looked out over the ocean. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. I’d probably do the same.” He took a deep breath then before he leveled a serious look on the other two former Letters. “When does your school start? Soon?”
“September 1st,” Hex responded back easily, though he was curious what exactly Theta had planned.
Theta gave a sharp nod before he gave a sly grin. “I know we’ve kept ourselves apart so there’s less of a chance of Legio finding us, but we should celebrate A’s good fortune. School starts for you in about a week, right? Let’s take on a mission, all three of us. For old time’s sake.”
Zeta didn’t say anything. She only gave a little smirk and looked over to Hex with a raised eyebrow. Hex himself couldn’t bring himself to be surprised. “You already have something planned,” he said after a second. “You were waiting to bring it up, but this gives you an opportunity.” Theta looked unapologetic as he gave a little shrug. Hex realized that he couldn’t deny them. He wanted this too. Who knew how long he’d be at Hogwarts and he wanted something familiar before he had to act like a normal teenager. The one thing he really did not look forward to having to do. “Alright. What’s the mission?”
No one spoke at first while Theta blinked in Hex in surprise. He hadn’t expected their former leader to give in so quickly. But Theta recovered fast and gave a bright grin that bared too many teeth. “Oh, fantastic! I know you were just in the relative area, but we’ll be headed to Sudan.”
When he didn’t elaborate, Hex raised an eyebrow. “What’s in Sudan?” He asked finally, his voice bland. It was a usual game with Theta.
“What’s in Sudan? Oh, I’m so glad you asked! We’ll be visiting the extraordinary site of the ancient city of Meroë,” Theta said with excitement. “I know you, A, have this thing about ancient relics. Meroë is this amazing archaeological site that I think you’ll really enjoy. Especially if you were just in Egypt anyways.” He dug into the pack at his side and pulled out a folder before he handed it over to Hex. “We’ll be providing support in the transport of magical relics discovered on the site, to be taken for restoration.”
Hex took the folder and flipped it open. Meroë. The site was home to one of the earliest cities in Africa outside of Egypt, located in the ancient region of Nubia in what was modern day Sudan. The ruins located in Meroë had been an important religious and administrative center for what was known as the Kingdom of Kush for some thousand years. It had eventually been abandoned in the fourth century until it was re-identified in the year 1772. Little activity was seen on the site until 1909 when archaeologist John Garstang undertook a massive excavation that lasted until 1914. There had been periodic excavations since then, including a recent one. That excavation had revealed a magical tomb and had prompted the inclusion of a team of cursebreakers.
The cursebreakers had dismantled the protections over the tomb and now the artifacts that had been removed from the excavation were being relocated for proper restoration. A small team had been requested to stand guard over the proceedings to protect the artifacts from falling into the hands of black market dealers.
Hex flipped a page over. Bill dealt mainly with Egyptian antiquities, but he wondered what he would think of the Kushite artifacts. It appeared that the Kushite culture showed some cultural affinities with Egypt, even so far that the royal families of both kingdoms occasionally intermarried, but they still had their own distinct culture and ethnicity. He had to wonder how many Kushite artifacts had been mistaken as Egyptian over the years, but he shook off the thoughts and lifted his head.
“Well, Zeta. What do you think?” Hex asked then as he closed the folder and looked up at the female member of their group.
Zeta didn’t need long to think about it as she gave a little nod. “Let’s do it.” Theta wasn’t the only one to miss working together. Hex too could say that he had missed it, so it wasn’t a hard decision to make for any of them.
Hex handed the folder over to Zeta so she could look it over. “We’ll meet up the day after tomorrow,” he decided. He had to check in with Thorgeirr once he made the long trip back to Germany. “We’ll meet in Khartoum, outside of the Republican Palace.” Hex had been in Khartoum once before, though it had been for something far different. The Palace was easily the most recognizable place that he could remember from the city that would be easy for the other two to find.
So it was two days later that found Hex in the gardens outside of the Palace. He had dressed simply, but for the heat. It was similar to what he had worn when he had first met Bill in Cairo, actually. Over one shoulder he carried a backpack and, behind the aviator sunglasses he wore, he was able to watch the people around him. For an hour he wandered the garden until he neared a parking lot. He was quick to spot Theta, who was seated on the hood of a sandy coloured truck and had a map spread over his lap.
Hex sedately approached the other male. “Hey, mind if I hitch a ride?” He drawled as he looked over the vehicle. “Nice wheels.”
“Thanks, man!” Theta gave Hex a wide grin and made a motion with his thumb. “And sure thing! As long as you’re up to some adventure!” He was boisterous, but it wasn’t over the top. They didn’t draw more than cursory attention as Hex tossed his bag into the back of the truck. He spied some crates and could guess at what they contained.
“If you’re going on an adventure, I think I’d like to tag along,” a voice said that Hex immediately recognized as Zeta.
Theta cackled and hopped off the hood of the truck. “Sure thing! Hop right in and we’ll be on our way!” Once they had all climbed in, Theta started the truck up and quickly eased them onto the roads of the city. “Like her?” He asked as he adjusted his hands around the steering wheel. “She’s a 1989 Nissan Patrol that I picked up somewhere not long after we parted ways a couple of years ago. I’ve had her since and I’ve been pretty much living out of her. She’s good for offroading.”
As he looked out the window, Hex allowed himself a small smile. “It suits you,” he agreed before he fell silent, always aware of what went on around them. He was on alert for a tail, but things were quiet.
“Glad you like her!” Theta crowed before he settled down again. “The trip to the Meroë necropolis is going to take us about three and a half hours,” he told them then. “We’ll be making a pit stop near the end before we meet with the clients. I figured it would be a good place to finish suiting up.” All of them were partly ready, and always armed in some way, but had dressed to blend into the city.
The trip would be a relatively long one, but they were used to such things and used to longer waits. Still, Theta glanced at Hex out of the corner of his eye. “Hey, mind if I turn some music on? I’ve gotten used to having something on when I’m travelling. Helps to fill the silence in my head.” Hex gave a nod and glanced over his shoulder. Zeta merely made a small motion as she continued to watch out the window. Theta snorted and reached over to switch on the cassette player. Immediately music blared from the speakers, though Hex only blinked as he glanced at Theta.
“It’s Nirvana!” Theta told them as he turned down the sound to something more manageable. “The song’s called ‘Come as you are’.” He grinned at Hex and then started to sing along to the lyrics, offkey and loud. Hex shook his head and looked back out the window.
He sat there quietly until he heard Zeta move in the back seat. They were about an hour and a half into their drive. Theta had stopped singing along to the music, but it still played in the background. He drummed along on the steering wheel, but things had quieted. A moment after he heard Zeta shift, she leaned over the front seats with two boxes in her hands. “I thought we could use some food,” she said. “So, I brought some along.” She sat back as Hex thanked her quietly.
Opening up one box, Hex set it next to Theta so he could reach. He then opened up his own box. A sandwich sub took up a good portion of the box, but there was also some trail mix, cubed cheese, and sliced cucumber. It looked like Theta had the same assortment, so it was easy enough for him to eat with one hand as he drove. “You prepare this yourself?” Hex had to ask as he picked out a piece of dried apricot from his trail mix and popped it into his mouth.
“Easier to make something,” Zeta replied.
Hex nodded and picked out a slice of cucumber next. “It’s good,” he said as Theta echoed him. They fell silent then to eat their food, content in the silence with only the music to cover the sounds of their chewing.
When they finally arrived at their first stop, Theta pulled the car off to the side of the road and then hopped out. The other two quickly followed and met Theta at the rear of the truck. They changed quickly as they geared up before Theta provided them each with a rifle. Hex had brought most of his own weapons, as had Zeta, but Theta had promised to take care of their larger pieces. He didn’t disappoint and Hex finally felt more settled. He hadn’t been nervous persay, but he alway felt better like this. Perhaps he was too used to having a gun in his hands that it felt strange when he did not.
They piled back into the truck once they were ready, Zeta and Hex both with their rifles in hand. When they arrived at their destination a half an hour later, Theta parked next to a building and a group of other vehicles, including a M809 truck that had a covered bed. It was a familiar vehicle, though painted in tans and browns to better blend into the desert. They jumped out of their own truck where Theta led the way to introduce them to the archaeological team they had been hired to protect.
Once introductions had been made, and their route explained, Zeta hopped into the cab of the M809 while the other two took positions in the back. They kept themselves on high alert, but they weren’t likely to meet any resistance yet when they didn’t even have the artifacts. Still, Hex closed his eyes and carefully spread out his awareness as he had mastered long ago. It took them another twenty minutes, but eventually the vehicle slowed and came to a stop. “Here we go,” Theta whispered as Hex reeled his magic back in and opened his eyes.
Hex was the first to drop down from the truck, his rifle a comforting weight in his hands. In the next moment, he pulled his scarf up over his nose to protect himself from the sand that blew around them. His aviators from before had already been swapped for tinted ballistic goggles, so his eyes were protected from both the sun and the sand. He took stock of what was around them, but his eyes were quickly drawn by the pyramids around them. Meroë in its entirety was marked by more than two hundred pyramids, though they were not all gathered into one place. While many of them had crumbled into ruins, there were still those that had stood firm against the forces of nature. Though not nearly the size of Giza’s great pyramids, many of the pyramids around them boasted grand temple-like entrances. He had to wonder what they had looked like at the height of the ancient civilization.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The cursebreakers and archaeologists that I spoke with here say that not many people know about it,” Theta said as he dropped down out of the truck as well and came over to stand next to Hex. Though he nodded in agreement, Hex had to take a moment to be amused by how short Theta still was even after all the years. He was at least a head shorter than Hex himself was, though still as stocky and well muscled as ever. “Probably a good thing,” Theta continued, unaware of Hex’s thoughts. “Graverobbers are a problem, but not as bad as sites up north in Egypt.”
Hex gave a nod of his head before he made a quick motion. “Theta, I want your eyes up top,” he ordered as he quickly fell back into the familiarity of being squad leader. Theta’s eyes were bright as he gave a little salute and climbed up onto the truck. It was the highest accessible point for him to keep an eye on the surroundings. “Zeta,” Hex called out next and made a motion with his head. “Eyes open.” She gave him a little salute and jogged over to be close to the entrance of the pyramid. A slight shimmer over the entrance, like a mirage, told Hex that there were some wards at play.
As he found a position for himself, Hex could not help but feel the gaping hole in his chest that was Iota and Eta. He knew that they could handle this mission, but he missed their dead compatriots. It stole his breath away with just how deep the ache went. Sweet little Iota, who was either a steady presence at his back or a reliable spotter at Theta’s side. They had no use for bombs or explosives in this job, but Eta had had sharp eyes and had enjoyed distracting them with jokes spoken only with his fingers. It was never distracting, but kept away the boredom. Hex missed them.
He found himself suddenly flexing his fingers in the familiar motions of their own crafted sign language. After a moment, he thought he heard Theta’s snort on the wind but he didn’t dare look at the other teen.
Hex allowed himself a small smile behind his scarf as he gripped his rifle again and surveyed the shifting sands around them. The sun beat hot overhead, but Hex was long used to its heat. It was past midday at least, so wasn’t as hot as it could have been. Not far off, the archaeological and cursebreaking crew they were guarding started to move crates into the back of the truck. He watched for only a moment as they were carefully ferried from the pyramid before he focused on the sands around them. He could faintly hear their conversations as they carefully secured each crate.
“We’re ready!” The accented voice of the site supervisor, Hassan bin Samir, reached his ears awhile later, so Hex held up a hand and snapped out quick directions with his fingers. Zeta hopped up into the cab again to sit with the driver while Theta dropped down to the ground. Hex met him in the back of the truck to take their positions there.
Their route was going to take them to a nearby Nexus, about an hour away. Once they were on the magical highway, they would be headed to a magical laboratory on the outskirts of Omdurman. There was a wizarding research center there that was run by the magical government of Sudan. So far, everything had gone smoothly.
It was not long after they had slipped through the Nexus arch that everything fell apart. Theta was the first to spot the approaching truck. “Alpha,” he said simply and lifted his rifle to sight down the barrel. Hex lifted his rifle as well to watch as two vehicles started to gain on them. Muggleborn wizards would often have vehicles of their own, though with magical customizations. The various magical governments also owned various vehicles, though purebloods preferred their carriages if they could not take instant teleportation methods. So, it was not unusual to see other trucks on the magical highway. What was unusual was their speed and that they had no markings for being military grade vehicles.
As he slowly took one hand off his rifle, Hex brought it to the radio attached to his flak vest. “Heads up,” he said into it. “We have company.” It might not end up being anything, but he wasn’t about to take any chances. He released his radio and adjusted his grip on his rifle again.
After a moment, his radio crackled. “Roger that, A. Awaiting further orders.”
Hex caught a flash of light a moment later and quickly threw out his hand. “Theta!” He summoned up his magic and focused on a shield as he gritted his teeth. The incoming spell impacted upon his shield and burst across it like a spiderweb of light. “Recommend we pick up the pace!”
Next to him, Theta grabbed his own radio. “We have hostiles,” he barked into the device. “Two vehicles, at least one wizard. ‘A’ recommends we hurry it up!”
The truck lurched forward in the next moment before Zeta’s voice crackled over the radio. “Roger that, Tee.”
The other truck with all of the rest of the crew was in the lead, but they also had a radio and were listening in. In the next moment, their radios crackled again. “A, we’re headed towards an old warehouse about five minutes down the road. It’ll provide cover. Think you can hold them off until then?” It was the supervisor’s voice, tight with anxiety.
Hex gave a sharp nod, so Theta quickly relayed the message. They had to hold them off, it wasn’t a question. They wouldn’t fail. “Take out their wheels, Theta,” Hex snapped out the order as he pushed more power into the shield he had conjured. Their assailant seemed determined to break through his shield. Hex grinded his teeth together and twisted his hand, able to feel the vibrations of each spell that impacted.
Next to him, Theta lined up a shot quickly and took it. He tsked softly as it sent up a burst of gravel, but he had already taken another shot. It hit the front grill of the truck with the sharp rendering of metal into shrapnel, but the truck continued to rumble onward without immediate effect. The third shot was successful as the tire ruptured and the truck’s driver lost control as it swerved at the sudden loss of a wheel. The second truck gunned forward and revealed a hidden third truck as it too swerved to avoid the disabled truck as it flipped. The flipped truck unwillingly exited the Nexus in the next moment and no longer was a worry.
“Take cover,” Hex barked out the order when he saw an armoured man lean out of the side of the truck and the sun flashed off the scope of a rifle. He threw himself to the side as gunfire erupted around them and tore through the canvas of the truck bed’s covering. Sparks flew as the bullets ricocheted off of the metal supports. Protective wards over the crates were the only things that kept the artifacts inside from being damaged by the gunfire.
When there was a lapse in the gunfire, Hex quickly moved and targeted the man still hanging outside the truck behind them. Feeling the kick of the rifle against his shoulder, Hex watched as the man slumped and then fell from the truck. The second truck had to swerve to avoid the fallen body. Hex pressed back again into cover.
Five minutes was a long time when so much could happen in the span of a few seconds. Yet, somehow, they managed to survive long enough for their trucks to make a detour off of the magical road. The timing was precise, and hopefully enough that their pursuers would miss the exact exit. If they missed it, they would end up kilometers away in another location.
As they ground to a quick stop, Hex and Theta jumped from the back of the truck. Both of the trucks were hidden away in the empty warehouse as Zeta jumped from the cab to cover them. She took up a position just inside of the doors, just out of sight. The two young men remained outside the warehouse, but they made sure to take cover behind a crumbling concrete wall and other various debris. Hex reloaded his rifle with a fresh magazine. It had just clicked into place when the two persuing trucks emerged from the road. They had made the turn. Which meant that they had expected it.
Hex unclipped a grenade from his vest and pulled the pin with his teeth. With a bit of power behind the throw, the grenade soared through the air and bounced once before it exploded in bits of shrapnel beneath the undercarriage of one of the trucks. As it exploded in a ball of fire, both Hex and Theta opened fire upon the other approaching truck. It swerved to avoid its fellow, but then screeched to a stop. Men poured from the vehicle and rushed to find cover. Hex managed to take down two of the ten soldiers, but their covering fire made it hard to pick them off before they found cover.
Theta ducked his head as bits of concrete burst above them. “A… it’s Legio,” he hissed. “I recognized the patches on their sleeves.”
With a grim nod, Hex unclipped another grenade and pulled the pin. He lobbed it in the direction of a group of old oil barrels. When it exploded, there was at least one scream while the vibration could be felt heavily through the ground. Their former allies, if that was even the right word for what the other mercenaries of Legio used to be to them, would not have recognized them yet. But if it really was Legio, they couldn’t let even one escape now. Just to be safe. They also couldn’t afford to lose because Legio would just continue to keep pressing forward.
Hex pushed off the wall and kept crouched down low as he moved to a new position. He then quickly popped above cover to take stock of where each soldier was located. He got off a few more shots before he took cover once more. “There are six left,” he told Theta as more gunfire burst above his head. The metal of the warehouse wall was riddled with bulletholes now, but he could only hope that their clients had taken adequate cover.
Legio slowly gained on their positions, but both Theta and he were able to pick them off one by one until only two remained. He didn’t even know how long it had taken, but Hex knew they were close to the end. He abandoned his rifle, able to hear the soldiers’ breathing if he concentrated. Instead, he pulled his favourite karambit from its holster and shifted his weight in preparation. He glanced at Theta and then gave a small nod. As the last two soldiers cautiously rounded the corner, Hex moved.
Theta covered him, but Hex took out one of the soldiers with a slice across the throat and pushed him into the last of their opponents. As the man tried to recover, Hex darted in close and whipped around to kick the rifle from the man’s hands. He grabbed hold of him then with a chokehold as his eyes met with Theta’s. The shorter teen adjusted his grip on his rifle and stepped in closer. “Surrender,” he ordered roughly.
When the man tensed, Hex gathered up his magic and tightened his chokehold. It took only a few seconds before the soldier passed out. Hex immediately released him. “Check to make sure the others are dead,” he ordered as he started to tie up their prisoner. Theta nodded sharply and then stepped away to do as ordered. Hex heard a couple of gunshots a few minutes later, but he trusted Theta to be okay. When the teen returned, Hex made a motion with his head. “Check in with Zee.”
As Theta entered the warehouse, Hex crouched and pulled down his scarf. He was just pulling his goggles up to rest against the stop of his head when the Legio mercenary groaned as he regained consciousness. Hex waited patiently for the man to focus and then he tilted his head to the side. “Jeffery Pierce,” he said evenly, having recognized the man. Pierce blinked and his gaze sharpened.
“Alpha. Goddamn. You’re fucking alive still.” It was then that the man realized that he was at Hex’s mercy. He tugged at his bindings while his eyes widened a fraction. Hex thought it was fear that flashed through the man’s eyes. Pierce knew how the Letters operated after all, knew he wasn’t going to get out of his situation alive. “Fuck,” the man growled, like a predator robbed of its claws and secured in a cage.
Hex shifted then, which brought attention to the karambit that was in his grip once more. “Jeffery Pierce. You’re going to tell me how you learned about the shipment,” he said. It wasn’t a request and Pierce knew it. In the face of the Letter’s reputations and Pierce’s fear of them, it loosened the soldier’s tongue and he spilled the answers to every question. Pierce knew he was going to die, but he didn’t want to be tortured into death.
Once Hex had his answers, he put the karambit away and unholstered his pistol instead. As Theta came to join him outside, Hex put a bullet between Pierce’s eyes. He stood up then and holstered his weapon once more. “They have a mole,” he said to the other teen as he turned away from Pierce’s corpse. “Someone was loose lipped about the artifacts and that they were going to be transported. It reached the ears of a black market dealer, who approached a member of the team who’s drowning in gambling debts. Made an offer, so he sold the details of the transport. The dealer hired Legio to secure the goods.”
Theta held out Hex’s rifle to him. “Legio doesn’t know it’s us, right?”
With a shake of his head, Hex took his rifle back and headed towards the warehouse. “No. They weren’t aware of who was hired as protective detail.” As he pulled his goggles back down, he stepped into the warehouse then and over to Hassan bin Samir. “We’re in the clear,” he told the man once he had his attention. “Though you would be wise to reevaluate Ibrahim bin Aziz’s honesty. He sold you out.” A dark look passed over the supervisor’s face as he nodded.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. The crates were brought to the laboratory and they were given a portkey to take them back to Theta’s truck. Payment was taken care of before they left and the portkey was as disorienting as usual, but they all landed solidly on their feet. It was quiet around their landing spot, but it still took several minutes before they could start to unwind their tense muscles. Theta grabbed a bag out of the back of his truck, but Hex went to sit at the base of the wall the truck was parked next to. He slid down it and let out a measured breath.
After he dropped his bag, Theta collapsed down next to Hex with a laugh that was strained and almost breathless. “Ah, the good ol’ times,” he wheezed out, his rifle settled in his lap as he dropped his head back against the wall behind them. “Missions always seem to go sideways, don’t they?” Theta grinned and closed his eyes. “But we always come out on top. Hell of a way to send you off to school, though, A.” He snorted and then took a measured breath.
On Hex’s other side, Zeta was patching up a bullet graze on her arm. Hex reached out to help her with the bandage, the movements familiar. She thanked him softly as she let her own head fall back against the wall. “We should do this again,” she said softly when no one else spoke after a time. “It has been two years now. It’s been long enough.”
“We never should have split up to begin with,” Theta muttered under his breath, but then let out an explosive sigh. “But, we’d never have gotten to where we are now if we hadn’t split up. Especially Alpha.” He opened his eyes and adjusted his grip on his rifle. “I’d follow you anywhere, A.” He dug into his bag then and pulled out two devices. He held them both out to Hex. “Pass one over to Zeta,” he said as Hex took the two items. “I know it’s a bit forward of me, but I didn’t think you’d protest.”
Hex passed one over to Zeta and then curiously flipped open the small black device. The screen lit up and there were numbered buttons. “It’s a Motorola StarTAC phone,” Theta explained. “I’ve got it all set up through a contact of mine. I might not have any magic of my own, but there are benefits to growing up knowing about it.” He gave them a grin. “My contact is a mundane born wizard who is a whiz at technology, so the phones are integrated with magic. They’re insulated against the usual magical interference with all the benefits magic can provide. They run on magical batteries and access a magical network he designed. Means they’ll work pretty much anywhere. Short text messages can be sent, or we can call each other up without worrying about them being intercepted. Numbers for each others’ phones are already saved.”
At the explanation, Hex flipped the phone closed again before he slipped it into a pocket. “I’ll keep you updated,” he promised. He didn’t have to say anything else. Though he did allow a small smirk as he looked at Theta from the corner of his eye. “You really did have everything planned out, didn’t you?” Theta’s ears turned red, but he only gave a little shrug. Hex snorted and then took a deep breath. If all went well, this was the last mission he’d be on for at least a year. It was strange to think about as he had never gone so long before. Though he’d heard something about a Christmas break and being able to go back to see family. He was sure that Thorgeirr would be able to hook up some job for him during that time.
Which, speaking of Thorgeirr… Hex gave a little sigh. “Thorgeirr is closing up shop at the bar,” he told the other two. “So you won’t be able to find him there anymore.”
At the announcement, Theta straightened quickly and turned a sharp eye on Hex. “Did something happen to him?” They hadn’t met Thorgeirr, but they understood Hex’s attachment to the man. They had known that the man was an adult they could trust, could find safety with.
“No,” Hex said quickly with the tiniest of smiles. “He’s fine. He’s just decided that he wants to expand further into the magical world. According to him, it’s an untapped market.” There were quite a few muggleborn mages that had left the magical world behind, pushed out by an unaccepting world. Some just didn’t want to give up the world they had been born into. Hex had known a number of mercenaries with those types of stories, had worked alongside some of them. Their abilities gave them an advantage over those without magic, even if they had to hide those skills.
There were jobs like the one they had just done, that involved the magical world in some way. However, clients had to have contacts that lived within both worlds in order to hire anyone for anything. If Thorgeirr could set up shop in the wizarding world itself, it opened up all sorts of possibilities. “He’s found property in Hogsmeade,” Hex said as he pulled out a canteen and then took a draw from it. “It’s like his bar back home with a tavern space below and a flat above it. I think he plans on more than selling just alcohol, but actually making food.” A small smile appeared again as he offered his canteen to Zeta.
“Oh, please tell me he’s doing German food!” Theta groaned as he let his head fall back again. “Like bratwurst and sauerkraut. Or! Mm, those giant fucking preztels with mustard or beer cheese. Hell, schnitzel is pretty iconic too! And there are so many amazing stews, like bierfleisch with its hearty beef and mushrooms.” Theta licked his lips and then groaned again. “Gods above, I miss Germany.”
Hex could only roll his eyes as he took his canteen back from Zeta and then offered it to Theta. Hex breathed out then and slowly pulled himself to his feet. “We should get going,” he said. “I need to get back to Thorgeirr. I’m helping him pack up and move.” He was honestly a little surprised by how quickly the older man had managed to purchase a new place. The man was giving the bar as-is to a friend of his, but the apartment had needed to be packed up. Then everything would be transported to Hogsmeade. Thorgeirr wanted to be settled in before Hex went off to Hogwarts, which was only a few days away. He wasn’t sure he was looking forward to being at the school.
His thoughts were interrupted though as Theta stood up and then held something out to him. Hex paused when he saw the package of pink Snoballs. “Your favourite, right?” Theta gave a little smile as Hex took the package.
“Yes,” Hex whispered and just looked down at them for a long moment. He then nodded towards the truck. “We’ll share them on the way back to the city.” And they did. It was a bittersweet moment, but Hex found himself smiling as he listened to Theta excitedly retell points of their mission as if they hadn’t just lived it. He missed Iota and Eta, but he thought it wasn’t so painful anymore.
Notes:
Sorry it took so long to post! Hopefully the longer chapter makes up for the wait! Writer's block had me stuck, but then I had so much to write once it cleared. I felt Hex needed some time with his old teammates before he went off to Hogwarts.
(And, seriously, if anyone enjoys Ancient Egypt, you should definitely check out the ancient Kingdom of Kush. I'm no expert myself, but the pyramids at Meroë are really interesting and there have been some incredible discoveries that have come out of the recent excavations!)
Chapter 15
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Fifteen
September the 1st dawned bright and sunny, though the chill of autumn had begun to creep over the Scottish village of Hogsmeade. Hex was up with the dawn as always to take a run through the local forest. The Forbidden Forest, as he had been told, was filled by the strange and unusual. He actually quite enjoyed how it kept him on his toes and made him work on his stealth. For such large creatures, Acromantula were very quick on their many feet and had a taste for human flesh. Probably not in his best interest to get caught, but it was exhilarating!
When he returned back to Thorgeirr’s flat a couple of hours later, the man was up and at the stove as he made breakfast. He glanced over his shoulder as Hex came in and grabbed a bottle of water from the vintage looking icebox. It wasn’t even plugged into anything, but ran on magic. “Got everything packed and ready to go?” The older man asked as he slid an omelet onto a plate and slid it across the counter for Hex.
The teen took a moment to just enjoy the strange image of Thorgeirr cooking over an antique stove with magical flames before he took the plate and took it over to the table with his water. “You know I do,” he replied finally as he sat down and grabbed his fork. Thorgeirr joined him a few minutes later with his own plate and a small tower of buttered toast. Hex stole a piece and spread jam over it before he took a bite.
“What a month,” Thorgeirr grumbled suddenly as he selected a piece of toast for himself. “Guess I’m going to have to get used to calling you Harry, huh? Much rather just call you kid still.” He gave the teen a smirk and a little shrug. “You get permission yesterday to come back here every weekend? I heard they typically only allow the students to visit only maybe once or twice a month.”
At the question, Hex gave a little shrug. “I didn’t ask. I’ll be down here most weekends, whether or not they give me permission.” He’d sneak out of the school if he had to, which might be quite fun.
Thorgeirr rolled his eyes and decided not to comment. He didn’t look very surprised at any rate. “Well, I’ll look forward to your visits. And the help with the pub.”
“You finally decide on a name, then?” Hex drawled as he scooped up some eggs. When Thorgeirr didn’t respond for a long minute, Hex looked up at the older man with a faint frown. His brow furrowed a touch then when the man gave him a wide grin, a twinkle practically in his golden eyes. “What?” He demanded lowly.
With a chuckle, Thorgeirr picked up his glass and took a drink of his water. “Hafner Haus,” he said finally once he had swallowed, sounding far too proud of himself.
It took Hex a moment, but then he tsked and took another bite of his breakfast. “Potter House. You’re hilarious.”
“I thought it fitting,” Thorgeirr said with too much cheer. “Now finish up your food and shower, brat. I know they’re expecting you at the school again.”
“Yeah, for lunch,” Hex mumbled, but he focused on his breakfast. Once he finished, he helped with the dishes and then finally went off to shower. When he reappeared again, he set his trunk down next to the door. Thorgeirr had taken him to Allée Morency again to purchase his things for school. Hex hadn’t particularly wanted to return to Diagon Alley and he was fluent in French, so he didn’t have to worry that all of his textbooks were written in the language. Even got himself a new wand. Red cedar and phoenix feather, just like his first wand, but it wasn’t quite the same.
With his trunk ready to go, Hex made his way over to the kitchen where Thorgeirr was seated at the table again. “Recipes?” He asked curiously as he picked up one of the pages that the older man had spread out around him.
“Yeah,” Thorgeirr grumbled as he grabbed a pencil and made a notation. “Locking down the menu for the Haus. Can’t believe I’m actually going to make food.”
Hex snorted and placed the page down again. “You’re the one who decided to branch out,” he pointed out as he took a seat. He still had a few hours before he had to make his way back up to the castle again, so he wanted to spend it with Thorgeirr in some fashion. He pulled a few pages closer to him. Thorgeirr only flashed him a brief smile before they lapsed into a companionable silence.
When it was finally time for Hex to leave, he barely made it out the door. One hug and Thorgeirr thought it was perfectly acceptable to hug Hex whenever he wanted. Honestly. Hex would never admit, even under pain of torture, that he leaned into the man’s embrace. He eventually managed to drag himself away from the older man and get out the door, trunk in hand. For the second time in as many days, Hex found himself on the path up to Hogwarts.
The previous day, Hex had met with Dumbledore and a witch named Minerva McGonagall. She had introduced herself as the Head of Gryffindor and the Transfiguration professor, where she had then proceeded to test him on his magical knowledge. Dumbledore had explained that he would still join in the seventh year classes, but they wanted to know just what he knew. Hex honestly had no idea how he had done, though he supposed he was about to find out the results. There was little other reason for him to head to the school so early when the rest of the students wouldn’t even join them until that evening.
McGonagall met him at the entrance hall doors as she invited him in and told him to leave his trunk, that a house elf would take care of it. He frowned briefly, but complied. Once they were in her office, she invited him to sit and then called a house elf to bring them some lunch. “Might as well eat as we discuss the results of your tests,” she told him as he watched the little creature that appeared. A tray of food appeared on the desk a moment later. “Go on, then.”
“Actually, Professor, I ate before I came,” he told her with a carefully crafted smile. “Thank you, though. I would much rather hear how my testing went so I can explore the castle. The hallways are quite extensive.” He was going to have to learn to trust the food here, but he couldn’t be too careful. Honestly, he wouldn’t put it past Dumbledore to attempt to put potions in his food. He was going to have to test everything before he ate it.
McGonagall gave him a surprised blink before she sat back in her seat with a cup of tea. “Yes, my apologies. I should have asked,” she said finally before she gave a little sigh. “Well, then. Your practical scores were quite impressive. Your command over silent casting is very good in particular. Better than many adults even.” She gave him a smile then before it quickly cleared into her normal stern contenance. “Your potionmaking is adequate, though there are apparent gaps in your schooling.” None of that really surprised him. He didn’t know the incantations for spells, but he could will the result that they wanted from him. And Thorgeirr made potions handed down from his grandmother, but it was mostly medicines. The man had taught him what he could, but the wizarding world had a whole range of potions that Thorgeirr hadn’t known either.
“Your Herbology testing came back rather well, too,” she gave him a small smile at that announcement, but Hex only nodded. He had worked a job awhile back that had dealt with smuggled magical flora. He had done quite a bit of research in preparation for that, which only built on the knowledge he had gained from Thorgeirr’s lessons. Potionmaking and Herbology crossed paths quite often, Hex had found.
The professor suddenly gave another sigh. “What concerns me are your theory scores,” she said before she took a sip of her tea, her food still untouched in front of her as Hex hadn’t moved to grab anything either. “Your theory scores were very low.” Hex wasn’t surprised to hear that. Some of the questions he could figure out and give logical answers, but theory had never been at the top of Legio’s lesson plans for the magical Numbers. He had learned Latin, and spells in this part of the world were based upon Latin incantations, but he couldn’t give in depth answers to most of the questions.
“It puts us in a bit of a conundrum,” McGonagall continued. “I discussed it with the Headmaster and we have decided that you will attend classes with other Seventh years as already established. The core classes are, as follows: Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and my own subject of Transfiguration. There are advanced classes for each of these, but you will be placed in the general levels for now. You will also have the choice of electives between Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, and Study of Ancient Runes. However, because these are not core classes, you will join in with the Third years for any of these subjects you would like to take.”
She gave him a little smile. “For your Core classes, we have decided that you shall receive remedial work to be given through each professor’s discretion and to be done on your own time. You will then be reevaluated on your progress. Upon your reevaluation, we will decide if you’ll be able to sit for your OWLs by the end of the year. It is an unusual situation as normally you would have taken them in your Fifth year. You should have been taking your NEWTs this year. We shall have to figure it out as the year progresses, so worry not, Mr. Potter.”
Hex was seriously regretting his agreement to come to Hogwarts. But, he wasn’t a stranger to hard work. He’d give it a chance and he could always disappear if he decided he really didn’t want to be there any longer. “I’m mostly self-studied, Professor,” he told her in a lapse of silence. “So, I’m not surprised that my theory is so far behind. I’ll be sure to work hard at it.” He spoke with another carefully crafted smile. She seemed to relax in the face of it.
“Very good, Mr. Potter. I’m glad to hear it. So then, did any of the electives interest you? I do hate to rush you, but we need to add you to the class schedules that you’ll get tomorrow morning at breakfast. Typically students are required to select at least two electives, though the Headmaster has agreed that you may select only one if you need so that you’ll be able to keep up with your remedial coursework,” McGonagall explained and then fell silent as she waited for his answer.
Hex had to feel a little relieved when he wasn’t required to select two electives. Most of them sounded quite boring as it was, though he might have selected Arithmancy if he had been absolutely required to select a second elective. As it was, he was going to go with just one. “The Study of Ancient Runes sounds particularly interesting, Professor. I think I’ll stick with just that one for now,” he told her.
McGonagall immediately grabbed a quill and marked something down on a parchment on the side of her desk. “It is a very interesting topic, Mr. Potter. I think you will enjoy it,” she told him as she wrote. When she set her quill aside then, she gave him another smile. “Well then. Did you have any questions about Hogwarts for me, Mr. Potter?”
With a shake of his head, Hex gave the professor a polite smile. “No, I don’t think I have any questions, Professor. A lot of them were answered yesterday and I’ve read through Hogwarts: A History.” It was probably the only English book he owned and had been rather informative, if a bit long-winded.
“Oh, good. Well, if you ever have any questions, my door is open to you, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said. “You are free to go then, Mr. Potter. A house elf will collect you for dinner, but for now the Headmaster has agreed to allow you to wander the castle so you might understand the corridors better.” When Hex stood up then, the Professor held up a hand. “Oh, one more thing. Your elective does have a required textbook. Given your circumstances, the school will be providing the text for you. You will just need to ask Professor Babbling about it on your first day of class.”
Dismissed then, Hex gave a little nod of his head. “Thank you, Professor. I appreciate it.” He left quickly then before he could be drawn into any awkward conversation. McGonagall hid it well, but there was a certain bit of sadness in her eyes whenever she looked at him. She had been nothing but professional, but Hex had the feeling that she might have known his parents in some capacity more than just as students. He’d much rather explore right now, get settled into the castle that practically vibrated with ancient power. It was a lot and all at once.
Hex quickly left the witch’s office when she didn’t protest. He had the feeling that she had hoped to share lunch with him and had assumed that he would be there for some time, but he really was not up to it. It was too bad that his things had already been taken from him, but he wasn’t worried about anyone being able to open his trunk. He was sure that there were plenty of things he could find to entertain himself until the rest of the students arrived anyways.
Still, he found the hallways to be quiet and rather lonely. The portraits whispered when his back was turned, or stared down at him from high frames, but none of them seemed interested in conversation. Which was quite fine as Hex found them off putting and as strange as they found him. At least he had arrived in the castle already wearing his robes, stiff as they were. Too much fabric to move about as easily as he wanted, though he had adapted well enough. Thorgeirr hadn’t even hidden his laughter when he had seen him, though.
Though the portraits didn’t want to speak to him, a number of the ghosts stopped to greet him as they floated through walls. There weren’t a large number of them, but Hex looked forward to sneaking around the specters as it might put up a challenge. The paintings would be another challenge as well as they seemed more likely to act as spies for the Headmaster. Hex had noticed more than one of the occupants slip into another frame, so they were not bound to them. He made sure to not poke into anything if he felt the eyes of the portraits upon him, nosy beings that they were.
By the time that a house elf came to tell him that the other students had finally arrived at the train station in Hogsmeade, Hex had managed to cover most of the castle. He had stumbled upon a number of secret passages, so there was still plenty to be explored, but at least he had an idea where the classrooms were located. His favourite had been the Astronomy tower because it reminded him of sitting atop the Playground and he liked being in high places. The library had been a close second, though he had been unimpressed that he could get into the Forbidden Section. Though, he supposed, he’d enjoy getting around the wards in place to see what books it contained.
The house elf led him down to a small room just off of the Great Hall. “Mister Harry Potter sir is to wait here,” the creature said in a high pitched voice as it wrung its hands in the pillowcase it wore as a toga, stamped with the Hogwarts’ crest. “Headmaster Professor Dumbledore will announce sir for his Sorting just before dinner, of which yous will use the main doors.”
Hex gave a nod. “Thank you,” he said absently and stepped away as the creature disappeared. There were a number of cases in the room that contained awards and other strange artifacts, so he might as well keep himself entertained. Though, when he found a mirror, Hex stopped to look over his reflection. He had trimmed his hair recently, the dark locks cropped close on the sides of his head again from where they had started to grow out, and the riotous curls left to do as they wanted. The high collar of his shirt, and the rest of his clothing, hid the many scars he had earned over the years. So, he thought he looked somewhat presentable. The shapeless robes certainly concealed his body well enough, as well as the few weapons he always had on him.
He certainly looked the part of a wizard at least, though he supposed it was time he started to think himself as Harry Potter. It was almost like another persona, even if it was his birth name, but it would help him respond more naturally if he thought of himself as Harry. So, Hex took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Harry stared back at him from the mirror.
It was then that he heard the murmur of voices woven with laughter. The students were making their way into the Great Hall. Harry glanced towards the door and then started to make his way around the room again. As he continued to listen, the students quieted and were greeted by the Headmaster. First years were brought in and had their own Sortings, though he had been momentarily thrown off by what was the Sorting Hat’s song. Even if Hogwarts: A History had warned him, it hadn’t really prepared him for a singing hat. Wizards were weird.
Harry was quick to notice that the cheers that erupted were much more subdued whenever Slytherin was called. And it was called out a lot less frequently than the other three Houses. Harry counted three new Slytherins. He shook his head and went to stand then in the center of the room to patiently wait for the Sorting to end. When it finally did, he exited the room and went to stand at the doors to the Great Hall to await introduction.
“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!” The Headmaster spoke brightly as he spread out his hands grandly. His voice easily carried over the entirety of the hall as he stood from his seat. “Now, I know you all are eagerly awaiting the fine feast that has been prepared for us, but there is one last piece of business that must be taken care of before then.” He smiled at their confused murmurs. “Hogwarts has been blessed to accept a new student who has transferred in for his seventh year.” The murmurs grew in volume from the seated students as many made confused comments to their friends.
Dumbledore chuckled and raised his hands. “Yes, yes. It is highly unusual, but I think you will all agree that he’ll be welcomed with open arms. Let us give a warm welcome to Harry Potter!”
There was dead silence as the doors at the back of the hall creaked open, but there quickly exploded a flurry of whispers. Harry didn’t look at any of the other students as he walked down the center aisle with sure steps. He could hear the whispers around him since the teens made no effort to be quiet. As his robes billowed around him, a silly thing with slit sleeves that was worn over the rather Victorian suit underneath, Harry caught snippets of conversation. He still couldn't help but make a note about how wizarding fashion was absolutely ridiculous.
“Holy shit, did Professor Dumbledore actually say Harry Potter?” Was the first thing he heard.
The Gryffindor’s companion hissed back, “I thought he had disappeared!”
“No way that’s Harry Potter,” came from the Hufflepuff table.
Another student agreed with, “Yeah, are we sure that is him? Always pictured him as a scrawny and dorky sort of lad, bloody hell he's tall.”
“Harry Potter or no, it’s weird having a transfer student so old like this,” a girl from Ravenclaw complained to the boy next to her.
“He must have an amazing arse, goddamn,” was a bit of an outlier. Harry almost searched out the boy who had spoken, but managed to keep his eyes forward and the amusement off of his face.
The whispers continued around him, but Harry soon reached the stool next to McGonagall. She gave him a whisper of a smile as he took a seat. She then plopped the Sorting Hat down on his head. An old and ratty looking thing, it slipped down his head a little. Whoever had commissioned the hat to begin with must have had an enormous head.
“Godric did have a rather large head,” a voice suddenly spoke into his head. Harry’s muscles tensed, but he did nothing else. He had known this would happen, though it was still uncomfortable. “Though I do resent the comment about being ratty.” Harry wasn’t going to take the comment back and pushed that thought towards the Hat’s presence that was, remarkably, in his head. He wondered how it worked.
“Quite a lot of spells and ingenuity went into making me,” the Hat stated proudly. Harry could practically feel the way its presence preened. They should get on with it. “Yes, yes, of course. How pushy,” the Hat huffed. “Now then, what do we have here?” Harry could feel the way the Hat rifled through his organized memories. The darkest ones he kept locked up tight in their respective rooms, trapped and unaccessible. He would destroy the Hat if it revealed any of his other secrets to outsiders. Particularly Dumbledore.
The Hat’s presence seemed to still for a second that stretched into several. Finally, it seemed to shake itself. “Yes, well, I don’t ever spill secrets to begin with, so there’s no worry about that, Mr. Potter. Or perhaps you prefer Alpha? Or Hex? What a peculiar mind, a peculiar life.” The Hat poked around a bit more before it seemed to settle in one place. “Well, while you have a strong sense of loyalty, it is not a loyalty easily given. Besides, I think you would terrify the poor Badgers. No, no. Hufflepuff is not for you.”
Harry carefully glanced at the table with the students that wore yellow and black on the trimmings of their robes. They looked like they held a hidden strength, and possibly hidden claws if they had the need to use them, but they were too soft. No, he agreed that Hufflepuff would not be a good fit. “Yes, quite right. Now, Ravenclaw. You do show a zeal to learn, but it is not for the sake of knowledge itself. Ravenclaw may be a good choice, but no, not a perfect fit. You are too unconventional.”
The Ravenclaw students did appear studious as many already had books in front of them at the table, but Harry thought he would not get along with them well if he had to share a dorm with them. Truth and facts could be found in more than just books. Rules were not rigid, the end all and be all. The Hat hummed in agreement.
“You have bravery, courage, and stubbornness in heaps. You had to have to survive for as long as you have,” the Hat said next, in a quiet sort of voice. “But Gryffindors can be foolhardy, too blind to certain truths.” Harry had a feeling that the Gryffindors were more vocal in their hero worship for the Boy-Who-Lived. He would not tolerate it. “You would eat them alive,” the Hat agreed before it let out a sigh.
“Self-preservation. Resourcefulness. Ambition. All traits of a Slytherin. Yes, these are all true for you. However, Salazar’s poor House has become the House of scapegoats and they continue their cycle of abuse. Harry Potter is not particularly well liked in the House of the Snakes.” Many of them were children of Deatheaters. Yes, Harry had been told this by Dumbledore, who likely thought he was well-meaning. Still, he would take that over hero worship. “Hm, yes. They may be better equipped to deal with you.” Harry tried not to smile. “And you will find that not all of them wish to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Yes, yes. Better be…”
“Slytherin!”
The word echoed over the Great Hall. Though the teens had started to become restless with the length of the Sorting, a hush fell over them at the announcement of Harry’s House. It suddenly seemed very still as even the professors were quiet. Harry, unconcerned, stood up and lifted the Hat from off of his head. He handed it over to McGonagall with a nod of his head before he stepped down the couple of steps from the dias the staff table sat upon. As he stepped down, the trim on his robes and the colours of his tie turned to silver and green.
There was not even scattered applause as Harry found himself a seat at the end of the table. When he sat down, Dumbledore cleared his throat and clapped his hands. “Tonight has been full of surprises, but I’m sure that all of you are now looking forward to the feast! So, without further ado!” As he spread his hands again, the tables were suddenly filled with heaping platters of food. The students slowly shook themselves out of their stupor and eagerly filled their plates, though many still stole looks towards him. Harry watched the Headmaster as the old man took a seat, a slight pinch between his brows. Harry didn’t allow himself to smirk as he turned his attention to the food in front of him. He wasn’t a puppet.
“Are you really Harry Potter,” a voice spoke up across from him. The voice was hushed so it wouldn’t be heard over the low roar of the rest of the Hall. Harry looked up at the boy and pinned him with an even stare. It barely took a few seconds before the boy started to fidget in his seat on the bench. “I mean, I guess you have the scar. But where have you been?” He seemed to gain a little bit of courage when others nearby looked over, curious to the answers.
Harry looked back down at his plate and picked up his fork. A careful push of his magic told him that the food was safe to eat, untampered. “As far as I’m aware, I’m Harry Potter,” he said calmly. “I have not been in Great Britain in a very long time.”
“Is it true that you lived with muggles?” Another voice spoke up now, a girl with a nasally voice that held impatience in her tone. A spoiled child, if Harry had to guess. “I know Professor Dumbledore tried to keep it all hush hush, but can’t really hide it when you never showed up for your first year. There’s been all sorts of rumors, but I heard that you lived with muggles and they kidnapped you so they could steal your magic.”
Harry lifted his eyes again and stared at her wordlessly until she started to fidget as well, her hand clasped tightly around her own fork. He dropped his eyes again, unconcerned. “I was raised outside of the wizarding world,” he said simply. “Overseas in mainland Europe and throughout Asia. We moved around a lot.”
Things were quiet for awhile then as Harry ignored the questions directed towards him and kept to himself. Though he seemingly ignored his classmates around him, he carefully listened in to the conversations. There were discussions about him, conversations about the ongoing war. Eventually, some debated magic and what they might be learning that year. The younger years were particularly vibrant, unjaded. Harry wondered if he would have been like that if he had never been raised by Legio. What-ifs wouldn’t get him anywhere though, so he quickly shut down that line of thought.
Eventually, his classmates gave up on trying to question him and the rest of the feast went by without any incidents. As the tables were cleared, the Headmaster dismissed them to bed. Harry followed his fellow Slytherins down to the dungeons. He recognized the corridor from his earlier wandering, though he was curious when they came to a stop near a bare wall. “Listen up! I will only say this once,” a blonde teen said as he looked over the gathered students with a barely contained sneer. Harry recognized him as the blonde boy he had seen in Diagon Alley with his father. Draco, he thought the teen had been called. “This is the entrance to the Slytherin commonroom. The password is currently set to Asphodel. If you forget it, then do not come crying to me.”
As the wall slid open, the students passed through and then descended the stairs into the dimly lit room. It had leatherbound couches around a large lit hearth and a scattering of tables with chairs so the students could study. Bookshelves lined the walls and a silver chandelier hung from the arched ceiling, but what caught Harry’s attention was the tall windows that cast a green light over the commonroom. A school of fish with flashing scales swam past one window and then disappeared. Harry was willing to bet that the windows looked into the depths of the loch that the castle was built beside. How extraordinary.
“Potter!” The call of his last name caught Harry’s attention. It was the voice of the blonde boy with sharp features. When he turned to look at him, the teen sniffed and tilted his head back a fraction. “Pay attention, Potter. There are some rules that you need to follow,” the blonde said with a sneer. Harry stared at him quietly and raised a single eyebrow when the gangly wizard scoffed at him. “Already so impertinent. You will find that there is a hierarchy here in Slytherin and… Just where do you think you are going?” Harry almost snorted when the teen’s voice rose a few octaves towards the end of his question.
When the blonde had tried to tell him about rules and hierarchies, Harry had rolled his eyes and moved to brush past him. He’d much rather find his dorm and his trunk. He didn’t even say anything to the other teen, but the blonde turned a bright shade of red that clashed horribly with his fair complexion. The boy probably rarely saw a bit of sun.
“You can’t just ignore me, Potter! I was talking to you!” The blonde drew his wand then and brandished it wildly. Harry stopped, but still did not look back at him. He kept his back to the wizard, a wordless snub to say that he could show his back without fear because he knew with certainty that Draco could not even touch him. He made sure not to smile when he heard the wordless noise of rage that rose from the wizard. The blonde was far outclassed, but would Draco recognize the danger that he was in? “Impedimenta!” Obviously not. So much for Slytherin self preservation.
Harry didn’t want to bring more attention to him than he already had, but he wasn’t about to let the Slytherins walk all over him. They seemed the type to recognize power. His wand was in his hand with barely a thought as he flicked his wrist so it fell from the special bracer he had ordered as a holster. He preferred the old thigh holster he used to wear in Legio, but the robes prevented the viable use of such a thing. Still, it put his wand in his hand as he twisted out of the way of the turquoise light.
As he ducked beneath the spell light, it put him closer to Draco. Crouched low, though mindful of his robes and the way they moved around him, Harry summoned up his shield through the focus of his new wand. The tip of it glowed a faint gold as the amber light of his shield rose around him in a sphere.
Draco threw out another spell as he backpedaled, but it fizzled out like a lightning strike across Harry’s shield. Once he was close enough, Harry released the shield so that it burst with a small shockwave. Draco stumbled in surprise, which Harry took to his advantage. In the next moment, he had Draco’s left arm twisted behind him and pressed the tip of his wand against the blonde’s pale throat. He was lucky that Harry hadn’t used one of his knives instead. “Drop your wand,” he growled into the blonde’s ear. He could feel as the shorter teen trembled against him, a whimper in his throat.
“What is going on here?” A deep voice snarled out, thick with barely repressed anger. “Release him at once, Mr. Potter!” Harry raised his eyes slowly to stare evenly at the older man’s beak-like nose. He knew better than to look a wizard fully in the eyes. He didn’t move, so the man bared his teeth in a sneer. “Just because you are our new celebrity does not give you the right to do anything that you want! I don’t know how you have been raised in the time you were amongst muggles, but it will not stand here.” There was disdain that darkened the man’s words. The man, likely a professor and probably the Slytherin Head of House, held a hatred for him that was most unusual. It was a festering hatred that burned in the man’s sunken dark eyes.
The professor’s expression faltered as Harry finally released the blonde in his grip. He seemed to have come to some realization. Draco immediately stumbled away and rubbed exaggeratedly at his throat, as if it really had been a knife that Harry had held against his delicate skin. “Professor Snape! He attacked me unprovoked,” he whined, the tone of a brat who was used to getting his way. Harry would have liked to see him in Legio’s tender mercies. The blonde wouldn’t even survive a day. Calmly, Harry tucked his wand away even as he continued to stare at the professor’s hooked nose. Professor Snape was it? He had blood on his hands, could practically smell it. He was sure that Snape recognized the same for him.
“Mr. Malfoy, that is enough,” Snape said tightly, a rigid stiffness to his posture. “I will not tolerate fighting amongst Slytherin House, especially on the first night. I will not take points, but you will both serve detention with me tomorrow night after dinner. You will not be late.” There was a burst of whispers through the students that lingered around the room. Harry had the impression that Malfoy - for that was what his last name was and he would not call him by his first name again - was one of Snape’s favoured students. A detention on the first night must be unusual.
“Of course, sir,” Harry said finally. He would not apologize.
Snape gave him a sharp nod and his jaw tightened as he looked away first. “Well? What are you all waiting for? Tomorrow starts your classes, so you best all find your beds or, gods forbid, you all actually open a book in preparation for your schoolwork. I will not tolerate anyone darkening the honour of Slytherin.” He turned sharply on his heel and quickly left, his dark robes flared behind him dramatically. Harry held back a roll of his eyes.
As the professor closed the commonroom door behind him, Harry could feel the eyes of the other students upon him. He ignored them all as he climbed the staircase that was off to the side and he had seen other males climb. He found the door that had a plaque fixed to the door that read ‘Seventh Years’ and pushed it open to find a circular dungeon room with vaulted arches that contained six beds. Canopied beds with green draperies were evenly spaced around the chamber, with a desk nestled beside each one. At the foot of each bed waited their school trunks.
In the center of the room, upon a green rug with the Slytherin crest, was a wood burning furnace to keep away the chill of the dungeon. Across from the entrance was another door, which Harry assumed was the dorm bathroom. He ignored it and instead searched out his trunk.
Each of the other trunks were labeled. Draco Malfoy. Vincent Crabbe. Gregory Goyle. Blaise Zabini. Theodore Nott. His trunk was unlabeled, but nestled between the beds for Zabini and Nott. At least he wasn’t next to Malfoy. Harry approached his bed and discovered that they weren’t pressed against the walls. Behind each bed was a wardrobe, so Harry approached his and started to remove his robes to hang. He could hang the rest of his clothing later once he placed protections on the wardrobe. He didn’t trust his dorm mates.
Harry was used to being fully clothed for sleep on missions, but had taken to wearing little more than pajama pants to sleep in when he spent time at Thorgeirr’s. So, he stripped down to his boxer briefs after he had grabbed a pair from his trunk. He had just slipped them on when the door to the dorm entered, but he didn’t spare them a glance. He did look up though when he heard them stop abruptly. He had just looked over his shoulder when one of the teens finally found the words to speak.
“Bloody hell, Potter. Where the hell did you get a body like that? And I’m not just talking about the bleeding muscles.” The teen who had spoken had hair that was as black as midnight, enough that it had an almost blue sheen to its silky straight strands. His skin was pale against the darkness of his hair and his robes, though his eyes were a crisp blue. The boy next to him was taller, his skin a rich chocolate like Zeta’s. He also had dark hair, though styled in a similar fashion to Harry. His, however, was coarser and the long hair at the top of his head was carefully gathered together in locs.
Harry looked away from his quiet examination of his two new classmates, calm as he went to sit on his bed. There was no use in hiding as he was not ashamed of the story his scars told. There were the mottled scars of past burns, the raised and jagged lines left by knives, the starburst puckers of healed over bullet wounds. Some were years old, some only a few months healed. He even had a tattoo that peeked over his neck that depicted a thestral with wings outspread as it hung suspended. He had gotten it not long after his mission where he had nearly died. A memento that remembered the incident, and remembered his lost teammates. The Greek letters of Iota and Eta were hidden amongst the ink.
“Souvenirs of my life,” was all Harry said before he sharply closed the curtains of his bed. The leather bracer was still strapped around his right arm so that he was always armed. There was a small knife hidden with it, along with his wand. Still, he slipped yet another knife beneath his pillow as he laid down. Harry closed his eyes then, but did not sleep. He could hear the conversations of his dorm mates as the rest of them finally came to the room as well. It was several hours later before he was finally sure that the others were in bed and asleep. Only then did he allow himself to rest, lulled to a light sleep by the quiet lapping of water against the high circular windows that looked out into the loch.
Notes:
And so it has begun!
Chapter 16
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Sixteen
Though the sun had still not yet risen, the sky had lightened in preparation for the day. The calls of birds as they woke from their slumber were sweet sung songs that greeted the new morn. In the light of the brightening sky, a lone figure slipped from the castle doors and headed across the lawn. The individual kept to the deep shadows that lingered on the school grounds before they slipped unseen into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest.
Harry leaned one hand against the trunk of one of the twisted trees as he adjusted the fit of his sneaker. Thorgeirr had insisted on proper running gear for his morning runs like this, so he was dressed in black joggers and a black longsleeved shirt that hugged his torso. He leaned over then to tighten his laces before he took off on a light jog through the trees. When he reached a clearing, he stopped long enough to carefully stretch himself out and then he started off again at a hard run.
There were tree roots in the path that he vaulted over, and strange glowing mushrooms that he sidestepped as they puffed out sparkling spores. He could hear the distant cries of unknown creatures and the chatter of magpies. When he came across a stream, he made a quick judgment and grabbed hold of a sturdy low hanging branch that stretched over the bed. With a soft grunt, he vaulted across the swiftly flowing water and landed in a crouch on the other side. He used the position to push himself forward in a sprinter’s dash.
He had nearly reached the halfway point of his run when he heard voices up ahead. Intrigued, Harry slowed down and crept forward instead. There was a clearing that he came to the edge of and he remained hidden within the deep shadow of the tree he came to a stop beside. He carefully edged his way around the side of the trunk until he could just see just who was speaking. When he caught sight of the creatures, he pulled back carefully. Ixionidae. Or better known as centaurs in these parts of the world. They were conversing in a language that Harry couldn’t quite understand. He had never been very fluid in Greek, though he had a passable understanding of the language. However, the centaurs were conversing in Ancient Greek and, while some dialects could be somewhat comparable to modern Greek, Harry was not well versed enough to translate. Even if he could understand them, it wouldn’t be very smart to cross them. Centaurs were very territorial and not on very good terms with wizards after all.
As he turned though, he heard the snapping of twigs from where he needed to go. Before he could make any quick decisions, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Harry raised his hands in surrender as he turned fully to stare down the long shaft of a Grecian spear. He absently wondered if it had been handed down through generations, or if it had been crafted deep within the forest upon some unknown forge. “Χαίρετε,” he greeted as two more armed centaurs appeared, the word the equivalent of a hello.
The roan coloured centaur narrowed his eyes as he straightened and settled the butt of his spear against the ground. “We know you,” he rumbled. “Whispers of your return have been borne upon the wind, written amongst the stars. Come, wizard.” Harry wondered just what he had gotten into this time. Still, he followed after the centaur without any protest because it would be folly to do otherwise.
The three centaurs led him through the trees, through winding paths that only they could discern. Harry tried to track their route, but the forest was disorienting at the best of times and they had taken him deep into its depths. With time he’d be able to figure out his way through the forest, but its denizens would likely prove to be difficult opponents. Well, he just hoped he’d be back in time to be able to get a shower and breakfast before he had to head off to class. He’d need to collect his schedule in the Great Hall, so he couldn’t miss breakfast. Luckily, the trek did not last too much longer.
Based upon what he had observed, Harry knew that Hogwarts was nestled within a valley with craggy mountains that surrounded it. It stood upon a rocky hilltop that overlooked a deep loch that was home to creatures both mundane and magical. The Forbidden Forest met the shores of the loch and rose along the sides of the surrounding mountains. Large boulders and mountain streams made the ground treacherous while the ancient trees twisted and overtook the rocky soil with their roots. Harry felt they were climbing the side of one of the mountains, though they suddenly came to a plateau that housed a clearing that was awash with the natural light of the rising sun.
They had stepped first over a bridge woven from the roots of a tree, the rushing mountain stream dark and cold beneath it. Then once they were upon the other bank, they passed beneath a woven archway made of living vines and entered into the clearing. It was a village, Harry quickly realized. Colourful tents hung from braided rope amongst the tree boughs along the edge of the clearing. A table rounded like a crescent moon surrounded the makings of a bonfire, the table laden with a seasonal harvest gathered from the forest. Woven cloths in a multitude of colours hung from where they had been draped over the clearing while unlit lanterns hung from them.
The centaurs of the village had started to rouse, mares draped in woven fabrics unlike he had ever seen before. Stallions donned leather armour, though some wore the woven fabrics just as there were some mares that dressed in armour. There were even a few foals of varying ages, their genders indiscernible as they all wore their hair long with flowers woven through the braided locks. Most woke as most children did, with yawns and sleepy complaints. Harry watched it all in curiosity, surprised he would even be allowed within such a sacred space to the centaurs.
Harry was led to the only permanent structure built upon the plateau. It was styled like that of a Greek temple, with columns that were intricately carved to appear like leaves at their top and supported a clay tiled roof. Harry was led up the steps of the temple where fire still burned within the bowl like lanterns that were suspended from the timbers that supported the rooftop. The sound of water greeted him as he entered the main chamber of the temple, suddenly alone as the other centaurs remained outside the entryway. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the temple’s interior, Harry glanced up to look at the boughs of the single ancient tree that grew from the back of the temple. Its canopy filled the entirety of the space overhead, its trunk twisted and knotted with old age. He was sure that magic sustained its life, so out of place for the Scottish countryside that it was.
In the center of the temple chamber was a pool of water, framed by the marble that made up the rest of the temple. It was not a still pool as it rippled and moved from an unfelt breeze, decorated by lily pads and delicate white water lilies. In the space between the pool and the tree’s trunk was laid an ornate woven blanket, embroidered in delicate designs that resembled vines. The scent of incense was heavy in the air, an earthy and almost piney scent that carried hints of citrus.
Upon the blanket laid an old mare with a dappled grey coat, draped in a delicate blue cloth. There were flowers that decorated her silver hair, a blindfold across her eyes. Still, she gave a smile when Harry stopped on the other side of the pool. “Welcome, wizard. I am Nicandra, High Priestess.” She tilted her head back then, her face upwards towards the boughs of the tree above her. “Do you like it? It is an olive tree born from a single seed that was carried here from our homeland many generations ago. Older than even the castle of your people.”
“It is extraordinary,” Harry said honestly when the priestess quieted and obviously waited for an answer. “Χαιρείς, High Priestess Nicandra.” It was the singular form of the ancient greeting he had given to the centaurs he had stumbled upon.
The priestess smiled again and tilted her head to the side. “You are well informed, child of magic. Child of blood and iron.”
Harry’s brow furrowed briefly before his expression cleared again. He was not a child, never had been. “I knew someone who enjoyed myths and legends, cultures both modern and ancient,” he explained quietly as he thought of Iota.
“Yes,” Nicandra whispered. She lowered her head again before she picked up a roughly hewn bowl from beside her. “The gods whisper,” she said suddenly as she rattled around whatever was in the bowl. “The earth reveals her secrets to those who know how to listen. If the west wind whistles, I know how the waters will ripple. Such as it is for other things.” She tipped the bowl in her hands and scattered the knucklebones upon the ground in front of her. As she passed her hand over them, Harry could swear he heard whispers upon the breeze suddenly that rustled the leaves of the olive tree above his head.
“You were forged in blood, with the iron of man,” Nicandra spoke. “You have worn many faces, each a mask to hide the truth within. Yes. The winds are changing and upon them are born the wings of ravens, the scent of war.” Her expression was grim, her brittle lips downturned. “He who has fled from death will not fall beneath the blade so easily, just as a flock of birds will scatter to the winds will eventually reform.”
Harry was so out of his depth. Magic was so weird. The priestess gave a smile even when he didn’t say anything. Instead of pressing him, she beckoned him closer. “You are not alone, wizard,” she told him then as he stepped around the pool cautiously. Once he was close enough, Nicandra held out an object to him. Harry hesitated, but then took what turned out to be a clay pendant on a leather cord long enough to slip around his neck. The relief of an olive branch was pressed into the clay on one side, the image of a centaur on the other. “You will understand the gift in time. Firenze will show you the path to your castle.”
Obviously dismissed, Harry took a step back and gave the priestess a stiff nod though she would not be able to see it. She seemed to smile regardless. He left quickly to find a stallion with a golden coat waiting for him at the bottom of the temple steps, long hair the colour of moonlight. “Firenze?” Harry asked shortly and earned a serene smile in return.
The trip back out of the forest was just as winding as the journey he had taken to get to the centaur village. His guide was quiet and Harry saw no reason to start a conversation either. He only muttered a goodbye once they reached the boundaries of the forest. “Be safe, Harry Potter,” the centaur said with a bow of his head before he disappeared into the darkness of the forest. The sun had risen now, but it didn’t quite reach the depths of the forest’s shadows. Harry shook his head and glanced down at the token still enclosed in his fist before he took off for the school at a jog. He needed a shower.
The corridors were thankfully still somewhat empty and those students that were awake were easy enough to avoid. So Harry was able to slip into the Slytherin Commonroom unnoticed. He ignored the looks and whispers he got when he strode through the room, the few students that were awake eyeing him in curiosity. When he reached his dorm, two of the boys were still snoring. He supposed he was lucky he had learned how to sleep anywhere otherwise the sound might have kept him up the night before.
“Where in Merlin’s name have you been?” Malfoy sneered when he caught sight of Harry. He seemed to have conjured up a mirror and was fussing over himself, but had caught Harry’s reflection. “And just what are you wearing?”
Harry hid an eyeroll as he opened his trunk and tucked away the trinket that the priestess had given him. “I went for a run,” he said simply as he pulled out his toiletry kit and made his way towards the bathroom. As he stepped inside, he glanced over the room briefly before he selected an empty shower stall. One of his dorm mates was just finishing up, the pale skinned boy from last night.
When he spotted Harry, he secured his towel around his waist and held out a hand. “It’s a bit unconventional, but I wanted to introduce myself since we’ll be sharing a dorm for the foreseeable future. The name is Theodore Nott.” Harry regarded him a moment and then reached out to shake Nott’s hand. “Welcome to Hogwarts and welcome to Slytherin, I suppose. I’ll see you down at breakfast then.”
Harry watched him leave and then stepped into the empty stall. He made quick work of his shower, just as efficient as had been ingrained in him. Nott was still dressing in the dorm room when Harry returned. At least Malfoy had left. Harry put his toiletries away and then pulled out a clean uniform. “Draco and Blaise already left for breakfast. Blaise is usually the first one down in the Hall,” Nott spoke up suddenly.
When Harry looked over to him, the teen gave him a little smirk. “Normally, the last of us that are ready in the morning are the ones that have to make sure that Vince and Greg there are awake. But, since you’re new, I’ll take care of it this morning. Just this once.” He removed his wand then and sent two spells towards the still slumbering teens. Harry recognized them both as charms that caused a small electrical shock. Overuse could cause electrical burns, but was otherwise harmless in small doses.
As the two lumbering teens yelped out of their sleep, Harry finished dressing. He would have to collect his satchel and necessary books after breakfast, once he had his schedule and knew what materials he would need for his classes. Ready for the day, he left for the Great Hall so he could get some breakfast. Nott had slipped out of the dorm before him, already gone from the commonroom as well.
As he took a seat at the end of the Slytherin table, Harry looked over the spread that weighed down the tables in the Hall. He had to remember the breakfasts he had gotten used to when growing up as it was often just porridge, sometimes plain rice. Even in recent years he still often did not eat much for breakfast out of habit. Thorgeirr had tried to get him to eat more whenever he was at the man’s flat, but he liked to resist the attempts sometimes just to annoy the older man. In comparison to what he was used to, this was almost overwhelming in the amount available. In the number of choices. Harry gave a small smirk as he got himself some toast with preserves and a bowl of oatmeal. A push of magic told him the food was safe to eat.
As he was eating, Snape suddenly approached the table with a stack of parchments in his arms. He barely glanced at Harry as he dropped one of them next to the teen before he moved on and continued to hand out the parchments to each student. Harry wondered what the man’s problem was, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. Not unless it became a problem. Instead, he picked up the parchment next to him, quick to realize it was his class schedule.
Monday:
Breakfast - 6:30-8:15
Defense Against the Dark Arts - 8:30-9:30
Study of Ancient Runes - 9:45-10:45
Lunch - 11:00-12:00
Potions - 12:15-1:15
Potions - 1:30-2:30
Free period - 2:45-3:45
Herbology - 4:00-5:00
Dinner - 5:00-6:30
Tuesday:
Breakfast - 6:30-8:15
Transfiguration - 8:30-9:30
Charms - 9:45-10:45
Lunch - 11:00-12:00
History of Magic - 12:15-1:15
Free period - 1:30-2:30
Defense Against the Dark Arts - 2:45-3:45
Defense Against the Dark Arts - 4:00-5:00
Dinner - 5:00-6:30
Wednesday:
Breakfast - 6:30-8:15
Charms - 8:30-9:30
Charms - 9:45-10:45
Lunch - 11:00-12:00
Study of Ancient Runes - 12:15-1:15
Free period - 1:30-2:30
Herbology - 2:45-3:45
Potions - 4:00-5:00
Dinner - 5:00-6:30
Astronomy - 11:30-12:30
Thursday:
Breakfast - 6:30-8:15
Study of Ancient Runes - 8:30-9:30
Transfiguration - 9:45-10:45
Lunch - 11:00-12:00
Defense Against the Dark Arts - 12:15-1:15
Potions - 1:30-2:30
Free period - 2:45-3:45
History of Magic - 4:00-5:00
Dinner - 5:00-6:30
Friday:
Breakfast - 6:30-8:15
Transfiguration - 8:30-9:30
Transfiguration - 9:45-10:45
Lunch - 11:00-12:00
History of Magic - 12:15-1:15
Herbology - 1:30-2:30
Herbology - 2:45-3:45
Charms - 4:00-5:00
Dinner - 5:00-6:30
It looked like they had fifteen minutes as passing periods to get from one class to the next. And most days he had at least one double period, along with a free period. It was a rather chaotic schedule as he was used to the way he had been raised at Legio, with a rigid structure that rarely deviated from days that bled into each other.
Harry set the parchment down and returned to his food. He would need to return to his dorm so he could retrieve his satchel along with his supplies for Transfiguration and Charms. The others seemed to avoid him but he was quick to realize that there were a set of eyes on him from the staff table. He glanced over from the corner of his eye and frowned a fraction when he realized that he recognized the man. Sirius Black. A convict that had escaped prison in the summer of when Harry had turned thirteen. Legio had wanted to recruit him, but hadn’t been able to get close to him. Apparently the man was a wizard, and perhaps not as guilty as he was supposed to be if Dumbledore had allowed him in a school full of children. Even so, Black’s stare was unnerving enough to put Harry on edge.
After he finished his breakfast quickly, Harry stood and intended to leave for the dorm again. He had just started to pull away from the table when a great many owls streamed in through the suddenly open windows of the Hall. No one seemed alarmed, so he sat back down to watch the raptor birds as they sought out specific students, not wanting to get in the way. Harry’s sharp eyes spied packages or letters tied to the legs of the various birds. It was how wizards sent their mail he remembered, so parents were probably writing their children. Though he saw a few newspapers being delivered as well.
Not expecting any mail, Harry made to stand up again once things started to settle down again. So, he could say he was quite surprised when a barn owl suddenly dropped down in front of him and stuck its leg out with a rather stern look. Harry stared back for a long moment and then reached out to untie the letter. Immediately, the owl stole a piece of bacon off of a nearby platter and then took flight once more. Harry watched it leave and then turned his attention to the letter. Cautiously, he opened the envelope and slid out the parchment inside.
Harry!
I hope you don’t mind that I decided to write you, to see how your first day at Hogwarts has gone! This is Bill Weasley, by the way. I just figured that you might like having a familiar face reach out since, no offense, but you really don’t seem the type to make friends. So, how was your first day? What House did you get sorted into? My House was Gryffindor, of course, and both of my younger siblings that still attend Hogwarts are in that House. Ron and Ginny. I’m sure you’ll meet Ron at least since you’re both in the same year. Well, feel free to respond if you want, but don’t feel pressured! I’ll probably be in the castle at some point since I’ve decided to hang around Great Britain for a little while with everything that is going on with the war and such.
Good luck in your classes!
Bill Weasley
P.S. He probably didn’t stick around very long because I told him that he didn’t need to wait for a response, but the owl’s name is Amun. If he does stick around, he has a particular liking for bacon.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so surprised to get a letter if Bill was the one to write one. Honestly, Harry was somewhat surprised that Thorgeirr hadn’t sent him something just because he could. With a whisper of a smile that was gone just as quickly, he tucked the parchment away again and finally stood up to leave. Well, it was a nice enough gesture. He might even write back, but he’d have to figure out how to borrow an owl. Or he could sneak out to Hogsmeade and use the owl post that was in the village. He’d worry about that later, however. He had a class to get to, though he made sure to tuck the letter securely away in his trunk as he fetched his school satchel.
One of the first in the Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall spotted Harry and summoned him over to her desk. She then held out a bound stack of parchments for him to take. “This is the remedial work that I would like you to start with, Mr. Potter,” she instructed him crisply. “The library holds all of the required textbooks for each class, so I have written down the ones I recommend for Transfiguration. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.” Harry gave a nod, so McGonagall told him to find himself a seat. Harry took the desk in the far back of the classroom, against the wall as it was the easiest to protect his back.
There was still a little bit of time before class started, so Harry pulled out his book in preparation. He left it off to the side, along with a fountain pen because he refused to use quills, and flipped open the journal that McGonagall had given him. Everything was neatly organized and reminded him of a workbook. There was space for him to leave his answers, so he figured he just needed to turn the book back in once he had everything filled out. Depending upon what was given for him in his first Charms and History of Magic classes, he could start on it in his free period.
As the other students started to file in, Nott slid into the seat next to his. The teen gave Harry a quick smile and then started to pull out his own materials for class. Harry ignored the whispers that started up around him again as more students entered the classroom and instead slipped the workbook into his satchel. With it safely tucked away, he then flipped open his textbook to get a start on the reading while he waited for class to start. “Is that in French?” Nott asked suddenly, his voice quiet.
Harry didn’t even look up. “Yes,” he replied simply as he opened up an empty journal that Thorgeirr had helped him pick out. It would keep his notes much more organized than loose scrolls or sheets of parchments. Honestly, did wizards like to make things more difficult for themselves?
“Why is it in French?” Nott wasn’t deterred.
As he uncapped his fountain pen, Harry finally looked at Nott. “Because I speak French and I shopped for my school supplies in France.”
“Right.”
Harry tried not to roll his eyes as McGonagall called for their attention. When told they would be studying the theory of turning toads into toadstools, it was hard to not stare at the professor. It was official. All witches and wizards were mental.
Notes:
Yes, I went through the trouble of creating a class schedule for Harry. I made it all from scratch, so if it's not logical… well, it’s not really essential to the plot and more just a way for me to keep things straight.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the word bonfire comes from bone fire? It was an ancient Celtic custom to throw bones into fires during midsummer festivals (I can’t remember the significance). So, bone fire eventually became bonfire. And now, every time I write bonfire, I subconsciously think of this fact and I always write bonefire first before I have to backtrack and correct my spelling.
Chapter 17
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Seventeen
Charms went by in the same way as Transfiguration. The professor, a small man that perhaps wasn’t entirely human, gave him a stack of parchment that was to be his remedial work and then started on class. At least the anti-alohomora charm seemed somewhat useful. Lunch was a nice break, though Harry wrapped up several of the sandwiches and then found a quiet alcove to eat them alone. The History of Magic class was a joke, taught by a ghost that seemed to be barely able to remember the names of his students and droned on in a monotone. Harry saw many of his classmates take the time to nap or carry on personal conversations, not even paying any attention to the class material. Even he felt hard pressed to keep his eyes open. Harry never thought he could be lulled into sleep and almost thought there was some sort of strange magic going on. So, he was happy to escape the class as soon as the toll of the bell echoed through the halls.
After History of Magic, Harry had an hour break. He would have a double period of Defense Against the Dark Arts after that, but for now he headed to the library to work on his remedial assignments. He had read over a lot of both his Charms and Transfiguration work when in History of Magic, but had realized he was going to need to check out some of the textbooks before he could move on too far. Some answers seemed intuitive, but it would probably be better to cross check his answers before he put them down. As ridiculous as magic was in the wizarding world, actually doing the coursework was the only thing that would keep him from boredom until he figured out the world better. After all, it was always better to keep his head down at the beginning.
Slipping into the library, Harry went over to the front desk. “Good afternoon, ma’am,” he said to the woman that stood there. She leveled him with a very stern glare as she paused in her writing, a quill in hand.
“Is there something you need, Mr. Potter?” She asked pointedly, one slender brow arched. She looked ready to dismiss him, her expression distrustful.
“Oh, there you are, Potter!” A voice suddenly called from behind him, though it was not overly loud. Still, the librarian shot the newcomer a sharp glare and shushed him. One of Harry’s dormmates suddenly appeared next to him and shot him a smile, as if to say ‘just play along’. “Forgive us, Madam Pince. We’ll keep it down, promise.” He then motioned with his head, so Harry followed after him after a polite nod to the librarian. Once they were near the back of the library, the teen set his satchel down on an empty table near a window. “Sorry about that, Potter. I guess no one warned you about Madam Pince. She’s not the most helpful sort and would rather keep us all locked out of the library than have us touch her precious books.”
Harry set his own bag on the table across from the other Slytherin. “She’s a librarian,” he deadpanned.
The dark skinned boy snorted and gave a shake of his head. “Perhaps, but she’s been known to throw fits over anyone speaking too loudly or doing anything else that might somehow damage the books. I’m pretty sure she’s cursed a few of them.” He chuckled at Harry’s expression and then held out a hand. “The name is Blaise Zabini. It’s nice to formally meet you.” Harry hesitated a moment, but then reached out to grasp Zabini’s hand. Zabini already knew who he was, so there was no point in introducing himself. Zabini didn’t seem to care as he let go of the handshake. “So, what were you attempting to ask Pince about?”
Though he wondered what sort of agenda Zabini had in approaching him, Harry wasn’t about to turn down the help. The bookshelves were not all typically labeled like most libraries he had ever been in, though he supposed the Dewey decimal system wouldn’t expand to magical books. “Professor McGonagall gave me remedial work for Transfiguration,” he stated as he pulled out the workbook. “I’m starting with the Transfiguration alphabet first.” Then he could move onto the basic transformation formula, but he was going to need to know the alphabet to understand pretty much anything else.
A strange look flickered over Zabini’s face before he made a motion for Harry to follow him again. Down a few bookshelves, he pulled out a book and showed it to Harry. “If you want the basics, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch is a good place to start. However, I would also recommend Beverly Hawthorne’s Compendium of Syllabary and Formulae.” He pulled down another book and offered both texts to him. Harry took them both with a little nod. Once they were both seated at the table, Harry pulled out his fountain pen and opened his workbook to the first page. “What’s that?” Zabini asked curiously as he pulled out a book and a roll of parchment.
Harry glanced up with a blink before he frowned slightly and lifted his pen. “This? It’s a fountain pen,” he stated. “I refuse to work with a quill because they’re a hassle. This is the closest thing I could get since I doubted Hogwarts would let me get away with normal muggle pens.” He unscrewed it and pulled out the ink cartridge. “The ink is self contained and the cartridges are replaceable. It’s honestly easier to write with.” And it didn't break as often as quills did. He put it back together and then held it out to Zabini. “You’re welcome to try. No need to dip it into an inkpot.”
Zabini took the fountain pen curiously and pulled out a scrap piece of parchment. After a few moments, he looked at the pen in wonder. “I’ve used self inking quills before, but you’re right. This is not so unwieldy and feels like it is less likely to break. I quite like it, so where did you get it?”
With a shrug, Harry pulled out another pen. “The muggle world,” he replied vaguely. “You’re welcome to keep that one, if you like.” It had been a relatively cheap one and he had brought several. Not that money was an issue at all. And, if he needed to, he could just ask Thorgeirr to get him some more of the pens and more ink cartridges.
“Thanks, Potter,” Zabini said quietly and they fell into silence for a time. Harry worked on his remedial work and Zabini got started on the Transfiguration homework they had gotten. Eventually though, Zabini sat back with a small sigh. “Say, Potter. Where have you been all this time? Definitely not in England. I can’t place your accent.”
As he looked up from the book in front of him, Harry gave a small frown. “Mainland Europe and Asia,” he repeated the same answer he had given before. “I was raised in a community of sorts when they found me after the accident that killed my muggle guardians. We moved around a lot. English was the common language, but I picked up a lot of other ones.”
“Oh, like a nomadic tribe of some sort?” Zabini asked brightly. “And I’ve seen you in class today. You know magic even if it isn’t conventional.”
Zabini was rather observant, wasn’t he? Harry placed the cap back on his pen and started to clear up his things. His free period was almost over, so he should probably get headed out to his double period. “Yes, something like that,” he said finally. “There were some wizards among them and everyone knew about magic, even the non-magicals. Magic was taught differently.” It was better to tell the truth rather than to make up stories, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.
As Harry started to pack up, Zabini checked his watch and then gave a little sigh. He started to gather up his own materials and then stood up. “I’ll walk with you to Defense.” He waited for Harry and then they quietly left the library, though Harry stopped to check out the two textbooks under Pince’s suspicious glare. Once in the hallway, the tolling of the bell announced the end of class. They had fifteen minutes to get to the Defense classroom, but Harry wasn’t in any rush. “Sirius Black is our professor this year,” Zabini said suddenly.
“This year?” Harry asked as his brow furrowed for a brief moment. The way Zabini had said it was odd.
A chuckle came from the teen next to him. “Oh, didn’t you hear? The professor position for Defense Against the Dark Arts is cursed. Sort of ironic, isn’t it? Especially since Dumbledore doesn’t seem to care to do anything about it even though it must be a pain to find a new professor each year. Sometimes they just quit, sometimes they’re injured and can no longer teach. One turned out to be a werewolf. So, this year we have Black. He was in Azkaban for something like twelve years because everyone assumed that he served the Dark Lord.” He stopped quickly then before he grimaced. “I’m not sure if anyone has bothered to tell you, but I guess you should probably know that Sirius Black supposedly betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord. Everyone knew that Sirius Black and James Potter were the best of friends.”
Something complicated squeezed his heart, but Harry only glanced at Zabini with a raised eyebrow. When he didn’t say anything, the other Slytherin cleared his throat before he continued. “When the Dark Lord returned at the end of my Fourth year, not much changed at first. But then there was an attack on the Ministry at the end of my Fifth year. In it, Peter Pettigrew was photographed at the Ministry as being alive and well. Black had supposedly killed him and a bunch of muggles, but here Pettigrew was still alive. I don’t know if it’s really my place to say, but the whole story came out. There are probably old newspapers in the library archives that describe the whole story. But, basically, Black was pardoned last year.” The teen looked uncomfortable and quickly stopped talking.
Harry hummed a nonsense sort of noise as he adjusted the strap of his schoolbag on his shoulder. So. Sirius Black had been a friend of his parents and really had not been as much of a criminal as everyone had been led to believe. Wouldn’t be the first time governments had been wrong. If Black was as close to his parents as Zabini said, however, the man would have been an uncle of sorts to him when growing up if his parents had never been killed. He knew next to nothing about the older wizard, but he wondered what sort of notions Black already had about him. He was about to find out at any rate.
“Thanks for the heads up,” Harry said finally as they seemed like something he should say. And he was grateful to know his connection to Black. Zabini only gave a little nod, a bit of tightness around his lips. Harry held back a smile and sidestepped to avoid a little Hufflepuff as she ran down the corridor past them. “You don’t have to worry about offending me,” he said suddenly, his voice making Zabini jolt in surprise. “There is no use in dwelling on what-ifs.” He’d have been dead a long time ago, and likely by his own hand, if he had let such thoughts overwhelm him.
They took the rest of the trek to the classroom in silence, the door wide open. Harry stepped in and looked around curiously before he moved to one of the seats in the back of the classroom. It was a vaulted room with thick stone arches. It almost seemed like that it had once been a hall that they had added a floor to split it in two. He wondered if there was a hidden space underneath, or if there was another floor beneath them. Hogwarts was certainly a patchwork of building styles and there was very little planning that seemed to have gone into it all, likely built piece by piece over the centuries. He wouldn’t put it past the castle to have hidden spaces that were more mundane in origin than magical. A bit of both, more like.
Harry heard a door open and glanced over to see that a man had stepped from what was likely an office space. Black. He turned away again and leaned down to pull out his book from his satchel, along with his pen and a new leatherbound book for his notes. “Harry?” The voice was quiet, but carried across the space. The few other students in the classroom immediately went silent and turned to look between them. Harry did not roll his eyes as he looked up again.
“Yes, Professor Black?” He kept his words simple and even. He had no connection to this man, not that he could remember. Just because Black had known his parents, it meant nothing. He didn’t even remember his own parents.
At Harry’s tone, Black blinked and visibly gathered himself. He cleared his throat then as he went to the desk next to a chalkboard. “If you would see me after class, Mr. Potter?” Harry only gave a nod in response. Black stared at him a moment longer, then seemed to distract himself by uselessly sorting through parchments on his desk.
Next to Harry, Zabini gave a soft snort. “At least the man has some sense,” he muttered, but Harry didn’t respond. He instead opened up his textbook and started to read while he waited for class to begin. When the bell rang to announce the beginning of the period, Harry looked up at the professor and waited.
“Welcome to Seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Black began as he rounded his desk and leaned against it with a grin. “I’m sure you all know, but I’m Sirius Black. Yet another Defense professor, right? Honestly, with some of your previous professors it’s a wonder that any of you are up to date on the curriculum.” There was scattered laughter at his joking tone, though it mostly came from the Gryffindors. It figured that they would share this double period with the other House, one that Harry found didn’t like Slytherins at all. Some seemed to think he had betrayed the “Light” because he was a Slytherin and not a Gryffindor. What a load of shit.
Black suddenly clapped his hands. “Right then. With the state of things in the wizarding world right now, it’s been decided that we’ll be focusing on dueling this year. We’ll cover a few other things, but today’s class will cover the basics of dueling so that everyone’s up to speed. So, I want you all on your feet, books put away. You’ll just need your wands for the start of today’s lesson.”
Once everyone had stood up, and their class materials safely packed away, Black unsheathed his wand and used it to push all of the desks out of the way. He then summoned up some mats to cushion any falls. “Alright, gather round,” Black announced once he was finished. “I’ll be going up against each one of you one at a time so I can gauge your individual skill levels. Mr. Finnigan, why don’t you go first?”
A freckled boy with sandy hair stepped forward, his wand already drawn and held tightly in his fist. Harry crossed his arms across his chest and frowned as he watched. Finnigan was a Gryffindor, based on the colour of his tie and that he hadn't recognized the name. Harry didn’t know much about dueling positions, but Finnigan turned to the side and held his wand outward. He could see the teen rock forward slightly so his weight was on the balls of his feet. He was the first to cast a spell, with just a bit more power behind the spell than strictly necessary. Black nodded in approval even as he raised a shield to absorb the spell.
Eventually, Black disarmed the Gryffindor. If Harry had to judge, he thought Finnigan might make a decent dueler. He didn’t seem to have perfect control over his magic, but he was quick on his feet and seemed to have a decent set of instincts. “Very good, Mr. Finnigan. Ms. Bulstrode, you’re up next,” Black stated as he gave a little smile to the Gryffindor boy.
Bulstrode was a Slytherin girl, though Harry had no idea what her first name was yet. She was heavier set, with a full face. She was by no means ugly, but Harry found her expression unpleasant. It twisted her face into something mean and spoiled. He had no doubt that she was the type of person to be a bully, and likely used to having others do things for her. He didn’t think she would last long against Black even with how easy he was going on the students.
He was right. The girl stormed off to the side and joined another Slytherin girl that whispered to her hurriedly. Harry couldn’t see her lips well enough to read them, but he assumed she was attempting to soothe her angry friend. Black barely glanced at her before he called over a Gryffindor boy with the family name of Thomas. Thomas ended up being a good dueler as well, with good instincts and quick reflexes. He had a better hold of his magic than Finnigan, though it was hard to say who was the better dueler between the two. But, so far Gryffindor had been shown to have better duelers than Slytherin even if they had barely started. Harry could see the smug looks that were being sent over their way.
When Malfoy ended up on his ass with a squeal, laughter rippled throughout the room from the Gryffindors who didn’t even attempt to hide their amusement. Harry narrowed his eyes at Black, however, wondering if it had been a fluke. Malfoy was a bit dramatic, but he did have some potential. Was the professor harder on the Slytherin students? Malfoy’s duel had barely lasted any longer than Bulstrode’s and Harry hadn’t expected that from the blonde at all.
Up next, Longbottom from Gryffindor was a timid teen with hardly any control over his magic. Harry thought he could be a rather powerful wizard, but he had absolutely no confidence and was far too reliant on his wand. A wand that seemed ill suited to him. Still, Black praised him gently for his attempt before he called on Nott.
Harry was sure that Black was being harder on the Slytherin students when Nott was disarmed with a spell that sent him flying back. He landed safely next to Harry, who reached out a hand to help his classmate up. Did Black have some sort of grudge against Slytherin? Nott retrieved his wand, a pale pink flush on his cheekbones in his humiliation. Black had put an unnecessary amount of power into his disarming spell. As a professor and an adult, he would have known better.
As another Slytherin student was called forward, Harry stepped away from the edge of the mat as he pulled off his robe and his suit jacket. He placed it over the back of a desk. His clothing was still more restrictive than what he was comfortable with, even if they were lighter than his usual kit. He left his vest on, but loosened his tie and tossed it over the back of the desk as well. Feeling better, he returned to the edge of the circle. Black had just finished his short duel with one of the lumbering Slytherin boys that seemed more muscle than brain. Gregory Goyle, Harry thought the name had been. Both boys might benefit from martial arts training.
“Professor, I would like to go next,” he spoke up before the professor could select another student. Honestly, Black reminded him too uncomfortably of the soldiers that had trained him as a young boy. The professor was kind to the Gryffindor students, but he could see the way that Black looked down on the Slytherins. Harry couldn’t say that he was particularly close to any of them yet, but they were still his classmates. They were his companions.
Black gave him a surprised look, but then grinned and nodded. “Of course, Mr. Potter. Wonderful of you to volunteer. Though you didn’t need to remove your robes. This isn’t a serious duel.” He chuckled as if it was some joke, but Harry didn’t laugh.
As he rolled up his sleeves, Harry looked over to Zabini from the corner of his eye. “Do you know any shielding charms that will protect the students from wayward spells?” He asked the question quietly. So far it hadn’t been necessary, but he intended on pushing Black. The man would probably try to go easy on him at first, but Harry wasn’t going to let the man get away with that. Harry also was more likely to duck out of the way of spells than to shield them, so the barrier around the mats was a necessary precaution.
“Sure, if I get Theo to help me with it. What are you planning?” Harry tilted his head and gave the ghost of a smile, but didn’t reply. Zabini studied him for only a split second before he gave a sharp nod. He quickly turned to whisper fiercely to Nott as Harry finally stepped out onto the mat. As he took his position opposite of Black, he could feel the flare of magic as the two teens created a shield around their mini arena. Black glanced at them, but seemed to shrug it off as he focused on the teen across from him instead. Harry flicked his wrist so that his wand appeared in his hand. He then settled into a comfortable position, his knees slightly bent and legs just enough apart that he could move in any direction before he really thought about it.
Black gave him a curious look, but then a wild grin slid over his face. “Ah, this brings me back,” he said as he rolled his shoulders. “Go on then, Mr. Potter. Let’s see what you’ve got!” He lifted his wand and called out, “Petrificus Totalus!”
Harry flicked his wand and deflected the spell easily. He quickly followed it up with a burst of magic imbued with Harry’s wish for Black to lose control over his legs. Black summoned up a shield that absorbed it. As the shield fell away, he had to dance out of the way of two more spells that Harry had cast in quick succession. He pressed Black onto the defensive, tested his shields and his reflexes. Normally he might have held back more at the beginning if he knew there was no way to avoid something drawn out, but he wanted to force Black to take him seriously from the beginning. Luckily, the man got the idea quickly.
“You’ve got good reflexes, Mr. Potter!” Black said with another grin. Harry wondered if the man was imagining his father James. “No surprise at all! Alright then, let’s see if you can handle this, then!”
Harry immediately spun out of the way of another jinx and dropped down to a slight crouch as he summoned up his golden shield. It absorbed a hex and a jinx before he let it explode outwards as it fell, which forced Black to take a step back. Harry rushed forward and dodged beneath the spell that Black had snapped out in retaliation as he tried to recover his footing. Before the professor could process how close the teen had gotten, Harry pressed the tip of his wand against Black’s chest and pushed out a burst of magic. Black flew back and landed on his ass while his wand went flying. Harry summoned it into his hand as he slowly straightened up.
There was silence as Harry tossed Black’s wand back to him so it clattered next to the man. “Don’t look down on us Slytherins,” he said evenly, without inflection. The bell rang then, signaling the end of the period. DADA was halfway over. Nott and Zabini let the shield fall, the students whispering to each other as they watched Harry. The teen ignored them as he turned away from Black and walked into the gathered students.
Black stared at Harry until he could no longer see him from his position, then he cleared his throat. “We’ll take a fifteen minute break here,” he said finally as he clambered to his feet. “No fighting and keep your voices down. Use the toilets if you need to, but let me know that you’re going. We’ll resume the duels once the break is over.”
As the students broke off into groups, Harry fixed his uniform. “Why did you do that?” Nott said quietly as he appeared at Harry’s elbow. Zabini appeared on his other side. “You’ve known us all of a day, so why defend us?”
Harry paused and looked between the two of them. He then resumed tying his tie and then straightened his robes. “Because no one else will.” He might not like all of them, but he hadn’t liked all of the Numbers either when growing up. But, just like the Numbers, the Slytherins were the underdogs and had no one but each other. Harry had the power to stand up for them, so he would.
“Oh,” Nott whispered, his eyes wide. He shared a look with Blaise before his expression changed. He drew himself up and gave a little nod. “We’ll stand up for ourselves, too. Can’t have you take all of the burden, Potter. Wouldn’t be right.” He offered a little smirk as Zabini gave a little nod of his own. Harry only snorted softly. “Do you know why we’re nearly all still here? The Slytherins, I mean. You must know about the allegiances of our parents. They would have told you,” Nott said suddenly.
At the question, Harry gave a hum and crossed his arms across his chest. “I can imagine the answer isn’t a simple one,” he said in reply. “Hogwarts is one of the last protected places in Great Britain, from what I understand. Your parents would want you in a place of safety even if it’s under the eye of their enemy.” He frowned a bit then. “But I can also imagine that you’re under orders to find a way past the defenses.”
Nott gave a nod. “You’re observant,” he said softly. “Yes, it’s just that. I’m sure that the Headmaster knows it too, has us under surveillance. It puts even more pressure upon us.”
“You know, family is what we make of it,” Harry said as he thought about the Letters, about Thorgeirr. “That’s in my experience at any rate. I don’t have any blood family left, but that just means that I can create my own family. Don’t let the expectations of your parents force you to do what you don’t want to do.” If Nott had brought it up, especially to him, then the teen was looking for a way out. “You’ll be a recognized adult once you graduate, right? Your parents can’t get you while you’re here and they’ll have no say over you once you graduate.”
“Well, once we turn eighteen and we’ve graduated,” Zabini interrupted softly, his gaze not on them. “We graduate at the end of June. Luckily, my birthday is May the seventh so I’ll be eighteen before the end of the school year. But Theo’s birthday is mid-July. He’ll have graduated, but still have a couple of weeks before he turns eighteen.”
Harry frowned a bit and gave a nod. “Yes, that makes things difficult. But. Your parents cannot do anything if they cannot find you. School has just started, so you have nearly a year to come up with a plan. I’ll give you advice, if you need it, but think on that.” He straightened up then and headed over towards Black. Behind him, Nott looked to be deep in thought as his brow furrowed deeply. He could feel Zabini’s sharp eyes on him. “Professor Black, I’m going to use the bathroom.”
Black blinked at him before he grimaced and turned his head away. “Yes, alright. But be quick because the bell is about to ring again.” Harry fought to not roll his eyes as he turned away and left the classroom.
Harry slipped back into the classroom just before the bell rang again and Black herded them all up to start the duels again. Harry made sure to stand directly across from him and leveled him with a stare. Black quickly averted his eyes, but he did evaluate the remaining Slytherins fairly. Harry could not help the small smug smile that curved his lips as he watched the duels. Both Gryffindors and Slytherins had potential to be good duelers, but Harry wondered if the Slytherins would be given the opportunity to even try. Silently, he returned to his desk once Black had returned it to its original state.
“Alright, then! Very good,” the professor said with a wide grin, though his eyes were on the Gryffindor side of the classroom. “There are definitely areas that we’ll need to work on, but I think we’re at a good place. So, then. For the rest of class, let’s discuss spells that are essential to know when in a duel. Who wants to go first?”
One of the Gryffindor girls, Granger he thought was her last name, immediately threw her hand up and nearly lifted herself off of her chair. Her flyaway hair nearly had as much energy as the rest of her, Harry thought in some amusement. A few others raised their hands then too, but Harry spotted both Gryffindors and Slytherins snickering as they shot the girl sidelong looks. Harry watched as her expression tightened and her lips pressed tightly together as she ignored them.
“Hermione Granger,” Zabini whispered to Harry, having noticed the direction of his attention. “She doesn’t really have any friends. At least not in Gryffindor. She’s top in all of her classes and absolutely obsessed with her books. Honestly, it’s a surprise that she wasn’t in Ravenclaw.”
Harry shifted to get himself comfortable. The desks were absolutely not built for his height and stature, so it was difficult to sit so his legs wouldn’t cramp up. He'd managed more uncomfortable positions for longer periods of time however. “She’s brave enough for Gryffindor if she’s put up with taunts like those her entire time here,” Harry stated back as he grabbed his pen and opened his notebook again to write down the spells that were being called out. He could research them more later, if necessary.
Once class was finally over, Harry stood up. Dinner was being served now down in the Great Hall, but Black had wanted to speak with him first. So once the other students had packed up and left, Harry put his bag over his shoulder and approached the front of the classroom where Black was waiting for him. “You wanted to speak with me, Professor?”
“Yes, right. I did,” Black said as he dropped down in his seat behind his desk. “I heard that you need remedial work for Defense Against the Dark Arts.”
“My theory scores were not good,” Harry explained blandly. “So, yes. Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore decided to assign me remedial work for each class.”
Black nodded as he looked down at his desk and shifted some parchments around. “Right. Well, I don’t have any work for you yet. I’m not a permanent professor, so I was still finishing work up for my classes when Dumbledore mentioned the remedial work for you. So, I thought maybe we could pick a night once a week where I can give you remedial lessons instead.”
When the man looked up, Harry could read the faint hope that shone in the man’s eyes. He gave a soft sigh and a small frown in return. “I would rather have paper assignments that I can work on in my own time, Professor Black.”
“Right,” Black murmured as he deflated some. “Your next Defense class is on Thursday, right? I should have something worked out for you by then. Check back with me, but if not then I’ll definitely have something for you by your class on Monday.” When Black didn’t say anything else then, Harry gave a little nod and then turned away. He wanted to get to dinner so he could grab some food, then he wanted to do a bit more exploring of the castle. As he left, he thought he heard Black whisper, “It’s good to see you again, Harry,” but he ignored it as he disappeared out the door.
Black would definitely be a good way to get to know what his parents were like, but now that he was here, well, he found himself shying away. Perhaps Black had come on too strong? Or perhaps he hadn’t been truthful with himself and he didn’t want to learn more? He had learned his true name, where he had come from, but that was all in the past. He wasn’t a normal wizard, he wasn’t even a normal human and he knew it. Well, whatever the case, it was still only the first day. Perhaps he’d change his mind in time. For now, he wanted to go get some dinner. Maybe he’d even write a couple of letters too before he went off to explore the castle. With that plan, Harry dropped his things off in his dorm and secured them in his trunk before he finally headed down to dinner. Nott waved him over to join him and Zabini.
Notes:
So that wasn't how Sirius hoped it would go!
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 18
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Eighteen
“Don’t you have detention with Professor Snape tonight?” Nott suddenly asked as they were finishing up their dinner. Nott was sipping at what was left of his pumpkin juice while Zabini absently pushed around the dregs of his shepherd’s pie.
Harry set his fork down and then pushed his sleeve up a little to check his watch. “He said after dinner, so I would assume just after 6:30,” he said. “He didn’t really specify a time.”
Zabini and Nott exchanged looks. They both shrugged then as Nott set his empty goblet down. “I would recommend being there at 6:30 exactly, just to be safe. You never know with Professor Snape. He’s generally pretty lenient with us Slytherins. We know he favours us over other Houses, but he didn’t really seem to like you. If you were a Gryffindor, I would understand. However, you’re a Slytherin.” He paused and gave a frown. “Although…” The teen trailed off in a murmur as he glanced at Zabini again. The dark skinned boy gave a little nod.
“Well, I’m not sure how much you know about the current war, but my father is a Deatheater,” Nott admitted quietly so no one else could overhear. Harry thought there was reluctance in Nott’s words, as if he was afraid to admit his father’s allegiances out loud. Harry had already been aware that many of the Slytherin parents were Deatheaters, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. He only gave Nott a little nod, to show he had heard. Nott frowned a bit, perhaps surprised, but then he continued. “Father said that Professor Snape was a Deatheater as well. If he was a Deatheater, still is, then he might harbour anger for how you defeated his Lord when you were just a baby.”
Harry frowned a bit as he glanced over to the staff table. If Snape was a Deatheater, Dumbledore would have to know about it. It didn’t seem like it was something that could be hidden from the Headmaster. Not if a mere student was aware of Snape’s allegiance. If so, then what reason would Dumbledore have to keep the dour man around? To keep an eye on him and perhaps get information from him? Voldemort would know that Snape worked as a professor and there would be risks involved. But then, he would be able to spread false information to the Headmaster. Harry wondered what side of the war that Snape played. Not that it really mattered. Harry wasn’t there himself to fight a war.
“I’m going to head down,” he told his two companions. “I’ll see you later.” They only gave him nods, so he stepped over the bench and headed out of the Great Hall. Harry took his time as he wandered down to the potions’ corridor, and ignored the other students that he passed. When he reached the closed door to the potions’ classroom, Harry leaned against the opposite wall and closed his eyes. If he concentrated, he could hear the distant footsteps of classmates in other corridors.
It was nearly 6:30 when he finally heard approaching footsteps. He counted two persons, both likely male based on the heaviness of their steps and the sound of their gaits. One had a long stride and the other had to take nearly twice as many steps to keep up. Snape and Malfoy, most likely. Harry opened his eyes and straightened as the two individuals rounded the corner. Snape stopped immediately and his eyes narrowed, but then he swiftly pivoted and unlocked the classroom door. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get in both of you,” the man sneered.
Harry said nothing as he made his way into the classroom and looked around the chamber. There was clutter on the walls, jars filled with all sorts of things that ranged from the mundane to the macabre. Many of them were likely preserved potion ingredients, but others he wondered if they were part of some hobby. Snape seemed the sort to have such predilections. Silently, Harry turned to face the professor. What exactly would a detention entail?
Malfoy had his arms crossed over his chest and he was actually pouting. Harry glanced at him and had to resist the strong urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he focused his attention on Snape as the man went over to his desk. The man’s expression was closed off, except for a sneer that told Harry that the man would rather be anywhere else than right there. “Is there something you wanted to say, Mr. Potter?” Snape suddenly snapped out. Harry said nothing and only continued to watch the professor. “Such arrogance. Just like your father. I suppose some things just can’t be helped,” the man sneered. So the man knew his father, but obviously had not gotten along with him. He’d heard his parents were Gryffindors, so was it just the usual rivalry between Slytherins and Gryffindors? Harry didn’t think it was so simple.
“I never knew my parents, sir,” Harry said politely, but had adopted the monotone voice he often used with his past superiors in Legio. “I cannot say if I am like them or not.”
“You are insolent just like your father, boy,” Snape hissed back. Harry didn’t react. He had never shown insolence a day in his life. Such actions would have gotten him killed long ago, but he wasn’t going to tell Snape that. If nothing else, he didn’t think the man would believe him. He wondered if Snape had had a rivalry with his father. Black would probably know if he ever felt the need to ask. Probably never. There were more important questions he’d ask first.
When Harry didn’t respond to Snape’s goading, the man practically snarled and snapped out his wand. Harry’s muscles tensed in preparation, but all the professor did was summon a stack of cauldrons. “You will clean them, Mr. Potter. Some physical labour will do you some good, I would think.” The man summoned a wire brush, cleaning solvent, and some gloves. “Well? Get to it! Mr. Malfoy, follow me.”
Harry did roll his eyes then as he picked up the gloves and slipped them on. It figured that the spoiled teen wouldn’t be forced to clean cauldrons. He’d probably complain to his daddy or something. Harry would say it wasn’t fair that he was forced to do this task when he hadn’t even been the one to start the fight, but life was rarely fair. That was a lesson he had learned a long time ago so there wasn’t any use in complaining. Instead, he focused on the task before him. The faster he got it over with, the faster he’d be able to leave.
“I shouldn’t have to keep an eye on the both of you,” Snape suddenly spoke. Harry only spared him a glance. “Behave, Mr. Potter. You won’t like the consequences if you start another fight while I’m gone.” The man then swept out of the room without a backwards glance. Harry ignored both him and Malfoy, who had shot him a superior smirk as he rummaged through a cabinet that appeared to house quite a number of vials. They looked like potion ingredients and Malfoy seemed to have started to rearrange them.
“You can’t run away from me now, Potter,” Malfoy spoke up after a minute. Harry ignored him as he continued to scrub old potion residue from the cauldron in front of him. “I don’t know how you got Zabini and Nott on your side, but there is a hierarchy in Slytherin. If you want power, then you have to know your place.”
Harry paused and finally looked over to Malfoy. “You speak of power as if you know of it,” he said softly and looked away again. “Power is like water, a fickle thing. It is strong on its veneer, but can be stolen away or broken with barely a thought. If you are not careful, your power will burn you.”
“Potter. What the bloody hell are you talking about?” Malfoy asked after a brief pause of silence. Harry wanted to sigh. The teen was too coddled, too used to having things handed to him on a golden platter. Well, it wasn’t his job to set the boy right. He’d figure out the harshness of the world once he graduated. Then it would be a question of whether Malfoy would sink or swim, so to speak. Especially with the war.
With a shake of his head, Harry continued to scrub. “Forget about it, Malfoy. Just know that you don’t have any power over me. You’ll see what I mean.”
“You’ll regret saying that, Potter,” the boy sneered, but Harry ignored him. As long as Malfoy didn’t try to hit him with a spell again, he was barely a distraction.
When Snape returned, he seemed almost disappointed that they weren’t fighting. Harry suspected the man wanted further reasons to punish him somehow. How childish. The man had no reason to say anything else to him as Harry finished up the cauldrons quickly and then put the supplies away. Snape frowned angrily, but dismissed him when he didn’t have any more reasons to hold him back further. Harry only gave a small nod of his head and then left. What a waste.
At least Nott and Zabini waited for him in the Commonroom. They had saved a table near one of the windows and had their homework spread out over it. When Harry walked in, Nott waved him over. He made sure to grab his own things before he joined them for a few hours. They all worked in silence on their own things, but it was surprisingly nice to have companionship. As the night drew late, however, the three teens eventually all packed up and went to bed.
Wednesday dawned bright and sunny, Harry already awake as he roamed the hallways. He had already finished his run in the forest, but there was still time before the rest of the castle would be really awake. A few other students had gotten a start on the day, but the corridors were still largely empty and as quiet as a magical castle could really be. He wanted to find somewhere he could do other exercises, though he wasn’t sure how he was going to get himself gym equipment in the castle. Wizards were so very behind on the times and the most exercise they got was on broomsticks or by dueling. Both decent forms of exercise, but not complete.
Of course, he could already do a lot in the forest. He had done his run. He had done pushups, situps, lunges, and even pullups on a sturdy branch from a tree. He worked with what he had, though he would have preferred the use of weights to work on his strength. He would have liked to have a designated place where he could go, somewhere he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone stumbling upon him. It wouldn’t be anything new, given how he had grown up, but sometimes he enjoyed a little peace. Especially now that he was in a castle surrounded by children who knew how to be children even in the war they were living through.
Harry frowned slightly and stopped to examine a bizarre tapestry that stretched across a good portion of the wall. It was labeled as Barnabas the Barmy and showed a small wizard as he directed a group of eight trolls within a forest clearing. Each of the trolls were wearing what appeared to be tutus and the wizard was trying to get them to dance. Every so often, a troll would hit Barnabas with the clubs that they held. Well done as artwork went, but very weird. Harry shook his head and turned away to continue on his walk again.
He quickly stopped short though when he realized that there was a door directly across from the tapestry now. He had been positive that there hadn’t been a door there before as he was always mindful of the details of his surroundings. Hogwarts had numerous trick stairs and doors, false doors, stairs that moved or led to nowhere. There were hidden passages and vanishing rooms. Some of them he had found on his own, some he had been told about by offhand comments by his classmates. He’d only been there a few days and he was sure there was still so much to the castle he still did not know about. He wondered if the door that appeared was a false door, or one that led to a vanishing room.
Curious, Harry went over to the door and turned the handle. He half expected it to be locked, but it turned easily and swung open to reveal an impossible room. He was sure the dimensions were illogical for the space it was supposed to occupy, but what stood out was the old exercise equipment that lay scattered about. It was a mix of the strange and downright weird as some of the contraptions he couldn’t even begin to guess what they were supposed to do. It looked like a forgotten collection that had been gathered over the years by various wizards, likely muggleborn if Harry had to take a guess, who had put some thought to their physical fitness. Though there were pieces better suited for a museum. It was strange, however, that it had popped up just as Harry had been thinking about a place to exercise.
Harry crossed his arms over his chest as he looked around the room with a small frown. The pieces did look to be in good condition, but were largely too complicated. “No, what I need is an obstacle course to run, weights to lift,” he said out loud as he tested a theory. He felt almost pleased as the room started to shimmer around him before it settled into something new. When he had thought about an obstacle course, the one that came to mind had been the one that he had grown up on. That was what now reflected around him. When he had pictured weights, he hadn’t thought of any in particular. The ones that appeared looked old, but were perfectly usable.
So, he thought this room responded to what the user needed. It could reflect something specific, mold itself into exactly what was needed. For other things, less specific wants, it had to choose from what it already knew. “Show me the abandoned things,” he said out loud. It had responded to his thoughts alone when outside in the corridor, but no one was around to hear him speak out loud.
The room shimmered again and suddenly he stood within a cavernous room that was filled to the brim with abandoned or broken things. There were mounds upon mounds of things, old and decaying. Some looked still useful, some were broken beyond repair. There were some things that Harry thought might have been illegal to carry while at Hogwarts. How extraordinary. It must be from this that the room drew from to either use or replicate for those who requested nonspecific things. What an amazing find!
As much as Harry wanted to stick around and explore the room further, he had to get back to his dorm in the dungeons so he could shower and dress in a proper uniform before he could get down to breakfast. He could explore the room tomorrow morning he decided, so he quietly left and headed down to the Slytherin dorms. When he arrived, Zabini was already up and presumably in the showers since he could hear the water running in the bathroom. Nott was out of bed as he gathered his shower supplies, and Malfoy had just started to roll out of bed. Predictably, Goyle and Crabbe were still asleep.
“I don’t understand why you would wear such muggle clothing,” Malfoy sniffed as he straightened out his bedhead.
Harry didn’t even spare him a look as he opened his trunk and pulled out his bathroom kit along with a clean uniform. “I grew up alongside muggles,” Harry said in reply. “That aside, why shouldn’t I wear what I find comfortable?” He didn’t wait for a reply as he stalked off to the bathroom and took one of the empty stalls to shower. As always, he made quick work of his shower.
After breakfast, Harry had a double period for Charms. So once he was dressed, he gathered his satchel and his supplies needed for his Charms class. After the double period was lunch, so he didn’t have to carry too many books. He did make sure to bring his remedial work, just in case he had time to work on it. He could always ask the professor questions as well.
When Harry started for the door, Zabini called out to him. “Hey, wait up, Potter!” Harry paused long enough for the other teen to grab his bag and then catch up to him. “Thanks,” Zabini said with a small smirk as he put his bag over his shoulder. “Headed down to breakfast, right? Where were you this morning?”
Harry glanced at the other teen from the corner of his eye. “I always go for a run in the morning. Helps me keep in shape,” he replied simply.
“You are most definitely in shape,” Zabini muttered, much to Harry’s vague amusement. “What time do you usually get up in the morning?”
After a second to think, Harry gave a careless shrug. “I’m usually up by five,” he said carelessly. Zabini actually halted in the middle of the corridor so Harry stopped to look at him. “I’m used to it,” he said in answer to the unspoken question, a small smile playing about his lips at Zabini’s gaping mouth. “I’ve been woken early for one thing or another my entire childhood.” That he could remember at least. “It’s become habit by now.”
“I almost asked if I could join you in the mornings but, bloody hell, that’s just insane,” Zabini grumbled with a shake of his head and started to walk again. “You’re insane.” Harry only shrugged as he followed after the other teen and quickly fell in step with him once more.
At breakfast, Harry gathered together his meal and ate it quietly. Nott joined them after awhile and Zabini pulled him in for conversation. Harry was content to just listen to the voices around him, but eventually he stood up and made his way towards Charms. Nott and Zabini quickly followed after him as they chatted behind his back. Harry found them open seats and dragged out his textbook to read while he waited for class to start.
Charms went by just as well as it had done the day before, though Professor Flitwick had given them the last half of class to focus on self study if they had managed to perform the charm that had been presented at the beginning of class. Harry might have cheated a little as he said the incantation, but pushed his magic to do what he willed. Wasn’t that what magic was, though? He would stand by it until any of his studies could tell him otherwise. One shouldn’t be entirely reliant on magic anyways.
After he had dropped his books off in his dorm and had collected the materials for Ancient Runes, Harry made his way down to the Great Hall to collect some sandwiches for lunch. He then made his way to one of the many courtyards within the confines of the castle. Zabini and Nott both joined him, where Zabini made sure to comment on how much quieter it was in the courtyard. Harry ignored them for the most part, but they didn’t seem to mind.
Once lunch ended, the three Slytherins separated as Harry headed off to his Ancient Runes class. It was strange to be in a class with children so young and still so innocent of the depraved depths of the world. They gave him strange looks and there were whispers, but he took a seat in the back of the class and ignored them. They could think what they wanted.
“Alright, settle down, children,” the professor said once the bell had rung. “Welcome to Study of Ancient Runes. My name is Professor Babbling. Shall we get straight into it, then?” The woman had a stern face, her hair dark and long against pale skin. She didn’t seem the type to take any sort of nonsense. “When one mentions runes, generally one is quick to think of the Norse runes whether it is the Elder or Younger Futhark.” She drew her wand then and tapped the board. A piece of chalk rose into the air and started to draw out symbols that were made up of lines and wedge shaped figures. “However, Futhark runes are not the only writing systems that have been used to create magic.”
The professor moved over to a teaching podium and placed her wand down. “The earliest known writing system is cuneiform and was originally developed over time to write the Sumerian language of southern Mesopotamia in what is now modern Iraq. The earliest examples are from the late 4th Millennium BCE, seen first in what we call pictographic proto-writing or proto-cuneiform as they were designed to represent concrete ideals. Such as a bird. Roughly three hundred years later, in the ancient city of Uruk, we find evidence of these early pictographs being replaced by phonograms. Phonograms are symbols that represent sounds rather than objects.”
Harry recognized some of what she was saying, so he thought it came from one of the books on runes he had picked up. Still, he made sure to take notes. Babbling looked over them all. “Initially, there were some two thousand symbols in the earliest Sumerian alphabet,” she told them. Harry hoped she didn’t actually mean for them to try to learn them all, but one never knew with wizards. Luckily, she continued on after a quick smirk at some of the exclamations that came from the Third year students. “Well, luckily for all of you, as time progressed and the Sumerian writers adapted the symbols to phonograms, this resulted in a reduction to approximately three hundred some symbols instead. But, don’t worry, I don’t expect you to learn them all either. That is for more advanced classes. However, this is where we will be starting as I teach you the basics.”
As Babbling picked up a long wooden pointer, Harry saw the students around him scramble to start taking notes. He stopped himself from rolling his eyes, instead focusing on the lesson. So far, he was finding the Study of Ancient Runes to be the most interesting class he had taken so far. He actually looked forward to learning more because it sounded like it could actually be useful. It might give him a good foundation for future self-study, at any rate.
Once Ancient Runes ended, Harry had a free period. He dropped off his class supplies off in his dorm and then collected his textbook for Herbology. He tucked it away in his satchel with a new notebook and then grabbed his potion making kit. It was a small wooden trunk with lots of compartments that had more space that it looked like it should have from the outside. Magic was useful for some things at least. He stowed the kit in his satchel, the bag also holding more than what it appeared it might.
Harry spent the rest of his study period in the library. Ancient Runes was much more interesting than the rest of his coursework, so he started on the assigned homework before he spent a little time on his remedial work for Charms. He ended up checking out a book for it, which he stowed away in his satchel as he made his way down to the Greenhouses for Herbology.
The Herbology professor, a cheerful witch who said her name was Professor Sprout, greeted him happily and passed off a packet of remedial work for him. “Don’t be afraid to come to me with questions, dear. Now, there are extra gloves and tools over in the cabinet there, if you need them.” Harry nodded and tucked away the packet of parchment as he found a spot next to Zabini at a long table.
“Class tends to be more hands on,” the dark skinned teen whispered to him as he tucked his school bag safely beneath the wooden table. “She’ll give a lecture over whatever plant we’ll be studying and then leave us to some task, like pruning it or feeding it. Make sure you watch your hands!”
Harry frowned a bit, but said nothing as he placed his own bag beneath the table. The sound of a bell sounded across the grounds a few minutes later. A couple of students, Gryffindors, hurried in seconds after. The professor tutted a little, but didn’t otherwise reprimand them besides telling them to watch the time more carefully. She then clapped her hands and gave a jolly little smile.
“Alright, students! Gather round, gather round! Today we shall be learning about the Alihotsy plant. Can anyone tell me what other name it is known by?” Sprout asked and looked around the table. A few Slytherins and Gryffindors slowly raised their hands, though the Granger girl immediately shot up her hand. The Longbottom boy shyly raised his hand in the next moment, so Sprout beamed at him happily. “Yes, Mr. Longbottom?”
The blonde boy flushed a deep red, but lowered his hand. “It’s also known as the Hyena tree, Professor Sprout.” He flushed even darker when the professor praised him, but Harry could see a proud smile on the teen’s lips. From what he had seen of him, Longbottom was a timid boy. Yet, he seemed to do well at Herbology. Harry dismissed him and looked back over to the professor as she began to lecture them on the care of the plant that she brought over to the end of the table from another table behind her.
From what he could see, the Alihotsy plant looked like a regular houseplant. It was green and broad-leaved, though this one looked to be like a seedling. There were red flecks on the leaves that Harry could just barely see at a distance.
“Alright, then! Single file and each of you grab a seedling along with a pot,” the professor suddenly instructed. “Be mindful of the plants, as always. The owl dung fertilizer is in a crate just in the corner there, next to the potting soil. Regular gloves are all that is needed, though I don’t think I need to remind you all not to ingest the leaves as it will induce hysteria and uncontrollable laughter,” she said the last part sternly as she placed her hands on her plump hips. “Well, hop to it!”
Harry had always enjoyed working with his hands. It was meditative, when he wasn’t fearing for his life, and gave him even a brief moment of peace. Repotting the Alihotsy plant was a rather enjoyable experience and made the rest of the class period fly by quickly. Ancient Runes was still his favourite class so far, but Herbology wasn’t so bad. Magical plants could be strange, even dangerous, compared to most mundane flora, but the class was relatively tame otherwise. It would probably be the easiest class to really catch up in.
Professor Sprout had them finish up and then clean themselves before the end of class. So, they were able to walk out of the greenhouse as soon as the bell rang. It was a good thing too as Harry’s next class was Potions and he had heard more than one classmate say Snape did not tolerate tardiness. He didn’t need to give the man more reason to find ways to pick on him and it was a long trek from the outside greenhouses to the dungeon classroom.
Once they arrived at the classroom, Harry chose an open desk and pulled out his kit. Nott was the one to take the seat next to him and set up as he sent Zabini a smug little look. The teen then leaned over to Harry. “Professor Snape doesn’t really teach much,” he whispered lowly, just for Harry’s ears. “He’ll put a recipe up on the board and then expect us to brew the potion. He’ll prowl about the desks then, giving out praise to us Slytherins. And watch out for Malfoy. He’ll probably try to add ingredients to your potion when you’re not looking.” Harry glanced at the blonde and couldn’t stop a small snort. He’d like to see the boy sneak anything past him.
The door suddenly slammed open just before the bell rang to start class. Snape appeared with a billow of his robes and brandished his wand. With a swish, a recipe appeared on the chalkboard just as Nott had described. “You all know how this works,” the pallid man snapped out. “Get to work!” There was a scramble as students hurried to collect the ingredients that they needed.
“I’ll get enough for the both of us,” Nott said just as he pushed into the throng of students. Harry watched him go only for a second as he instead focused on setting up both of their cauldrons. When Nott returned, Harry grabbed the first ingredient and started to prepare it. Following instructions to an exacting detail was an ingrained habit. So, when Snape passed by the desk, he only sneered and moved on without comment. Next to him, Nott snorted softly under his breath.
Harry suddenly snapped his hand out and wrapped his fingers around Malfoy’s wrist without even looking at him. The other teen squeaked out in surprise, though Harry was careful not to squeeze too hard. Malfoy’s bones felt delicate beneath his grip and seemed likely to break if he wasn’t mindful of his strength. He turned his head to look at the blonde with an even stare. “Focus on your own work, Malfoy, rather than sabotaging the work of others.” He released Malfoy’s wrist then and let him scurry back over to his desk across the aisle from him.
The rest of the class went by without a hitch, but Snape ordered him to stay after class as he dropped off a vial of his finished potion. Harry nodded and returned to his desk to clean up. Nott put his bag over his shoulder and shot Harry a small smirk. “I’ll save a spot for you at dinner,” he said. “Do you want me to take your bag back to the dorm for you?”
Harry considered the offer, but gave a small shake of his head. “No, it’s alright.” So far Nott had proved himself to be helpful, but it would be some time before he thought of the teen as being trustworthy. “Professor Snape probably has my remedial work for me, so I’ll need to drop it off in the dorm anyways. I’ll see you at dinner.” Nott nodded in acceptance before he left with Zabini.
Once all of his classmates had left, Harry approached Snape’s desk. “You wanted to see me, Professor?”
Snape looked over Harry with a critical eye with an expression that said he found Harry wanting. “Normally, I would not accept students like you in my class, Mr. Potter. Not when you haven’t proven yourself with your O.W.L.S.,” he said finally. “However, because you are a special case, the Headmaster has insisted that you have an opportunity to take all the required classes you should have taken. Even if they are likely far above your ability.” His lips curled back in a sneer as Harry easily read just what the man thought of the situation. He still didn’t understand why Snape even had a place at Hogwarts. Indebted to the Headmaster perhaps? He said nothing as he waited for Snape to get to the point.
“Unlike your other classes, potions are very hands on,” the professor finally continued. He shoved a stack of parchment at Harry, which the teen was forced to take so they wouldn’t fall. “Every Saturday morning, I will take an hour of my precious time to review your brewing capabilities.” The man looked like he wanted to do everything but just that. “That packet is all of the First year curriculum. You will be quizzed on how well you know the material every Saturday until I am satisfied that you can move on to the next year’s work. Am I clear? Just because you are the Golden Boy, doesn’t mean that I will take it easy on you.”
“Yes, sir,” Harry responded simply. Snape reminded him strongly of instructors he’d had in Legio, those who were willing to pick on those they thought of lesser just for the small semblance of power. “What time do you want to see me on Saturday?”
The professor didn’t seem happy that he wasn’t rising to his taunts. “You will come at nine o’clock sharp. No later, Potter. Now get out.” Harry didn’t have to be told twice as he gave a nod and turned on his heel. He dropped off his things in the empty dorm, then made the trek up out of the dungeons to head to dinner.
In the Great Hall, he quickly found Zabini and Nott. True to his word, there was an empty spot next to Nott. Harry slid into the seat and immediately assembled a plate of food for himself. “What did Professor Snape want to talk to you about?” Zabini asked as he picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice.
“Just my remedial work. And that I’ll have to see him every Saturday so he can assess my progress,” Harry responded as he picked up his fork and speared a carrot. “He mentioned it should only be about an hour, and just after breakfast.” He would have the rest of the day free to work on his other coursework, or to go down to Hogsmeade to visit Thorgeirr. Even though it had only been a few days, he found himself missing the older man.
“Didn’t the other professors just give you packets to fill out on your own time? Merlin, that’s rough. I know Professor Snape goes easier on us Slytherins, but that still doesn’t make him a good teacher. Even we can tell that he’d be better off in a different profession,” Nott said with a shake of his head. “For a man who doesn’t like to teach, why would he give himself more work to do? Especially since he doesn’t like you even though you’re a Slytherin.”
Harry only shrugged as he focused on his meal. Eventually though, he set down his fork. “We have Astronomy tonight, yes? I think I’ll head to the library until then, take a look over the remedial work that Professor Snape gave to me.” He stood up from his seat. Both teens followed after him, saying they would join him. When they arrived at the library, Nott proved to be very knowledgeable about potions and recommended a couple of more detailed books for him.
When Harry and Nott eventually made it to the Astronomy tower later, the two passed by several First years as they left their first Astronomy class. It answered why their class was so late, at least. Not all of their year had opted to take the class, Harry found out. Even Blaise had decided not to take it as it was no longer required after Fifth year. It was a quiet class and many of the students looked sleepy as Professor Sinistra started them on learning the moons of Jupiter. When the class finally ended, she gave him a remedial packet and sent them on their way.
When they made it back to the Commonroom, it was quiet. There were a few scattered students awake, but most had already made their way to bed. Harry spotted one younger student who had fallen asleep in front of the fire, curled up in the corner of a couch with a book perched precariously on their lap. They looked young, perhaps only a First or Second year. As Nott made his way up to bed, Harry went over to the young student and carefully slid the book off their lap. He then gently shook the boy’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t sleep here,” he said softly when the boy jerked awake. “Come on. Head up to your bed.”
The boy blinked owlishly at him before he gave a little nod. Harry stood back so the boy could stand up and then handed his book back to him. “Thanks, Potter,” the boy whispered. Reminded of the Numbers from years ago, Harry gently placed his hand on top of the boy’s head. He ruffled his blonde hair slightly and then left, just catching the wide eyed look. Harry allowed a small smile as he went up to get ready for bed.
Notes:
Sorry this took so long! Was working on an original work (though I have writer's block on it again, of course). I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Chapter 19
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Nineteen
Thursday and Friday passed by without incident. There was, at least, as much calm as a magical castle full of children that had great and untrained power at their fingertips could have. The Hidden Room, as Harry had taken to calling it, had been a magnificent find. His runs through the forest had been nice enough, but his workouts in the Room were more fulfilling with the proper equipment at his disposal. That morning, he had brought a change of clothes and his school bag with him to the Room. When he arrived, he had it take the form of the obstacle course.
Harry dropped his bag down on a bench near the door and then stretched out a little. He double checked his sneakers to be sure his laces were tied, then he took off at a run around the track. He did several laps and was barely winded by the time he came to a stop. He immediately stretched out his warmed up muscles until he was satisfied he wouldn’t pull anything. Once he was ready, he went over to the wall next to the door and opened up a cabinet that shimmered into view. The items inside were rifles, pulled from designs in his mind. He knew the specs so well that the rifles were well crafted. He couldn’t take it from the Room or else it would disappear, but it was useful enough in the Room. So, he threw the strap over his shoulder and cradled the weapon in his hands. With a steadying breath, he dashed towards the first obstacle.
The low wall barely slowed him down anymore, not like it had when he had been a small kid. Now, he grabbed hold of his rifle in one hand and braced himself with his other hand to vault up over the wall. He landed squarely on his feet and immediately pushed towards the next obstacle, the stepping stones. These too barely slowed him down as he leapt from one to the next without hesitation. He sprang off the last one and into the next obstacle, vaulting over the wall. This one was lower than the first one so he didn’t even need to brace himself with his hand to pull him up and over. He immediately had to duck beneath a pole and then spring up over the next low wall. Over three, under three.
The next obstacle was a stone tunnel, like a large drainage pipe. It had been simple as a kid, but now he needed to crouch low to the ground and duck his head to make it through unscathed. He straightened as he exited and slid between the thin wooden dodging panels that stood close together. He had to move from side to side as there was no room to move otherwise.
When he exited the panels, Harry came upon the hanging rope. As he ran over, he slung his rifle over his back and then jumped to grab the rope. He could feel the way his muscles flexed as he worked his arms and core to get him up the thick rope to the top. As he hauled himself up over the edge, he steadied himself and jumped over the ravine below. Even the sharpened poles beneath were just as he remembered them. Harry moved on quickly, his rifle in his hands once more.
The corridor wasn’t unlike the tunnel in that he had to crouch beneath obstacles, but they were intermittent panels rather than a continual pipe. Similar movements, but different environments. It helped train the mind in connection with the body. Harry straightened and dashed up the balancing bridge, the planks barely wider than his feet. He had no space for a misstep, but he kept his posture slightly crouched to better center his balance. He was down the other side with no problems and then through the window that was there to practice vaulting through a small space.
He was almost to the end. Harry tightened his grip on his rifle as he pushed himself up the apex ladder, mindful of how his steps landed upon the logs. He had to take the descent on the other side slower than how he had ascended, but it wasn’t by much. Pushing himself harder once he dropped off the last rung, Harry dashed up the slope to the top of the terrace. There were three drops and then he was at the finish line. Harry ran the entire course two more times.
When he finally finished, Harry put the rifle back and then stretched out his muscles slowly to cool down. From his bag he dug out a water bottle and downed at least half of it. Wiping his mouth, he looked around the obstacle course. Then, with a shake of his head to dispel the memories, Harry requested a punching bag as he put his water bottle down and retrieved some tape for his hands. As he moved over to where the bag had appeared, Harry taped up his hands to protect his knuckles.
After awhile, Harry asked the Room for a shower as he went to retrieve his water and remove the tape from his hands. He shook out his arms before he grabbed the water bottle, draining the rest of it. He packed it away in his bag once more and then went to strip down out of his sweaty clothes. This was packed away in a small bag that he tucked into the expansive inside of his satchel before he went to wash away the sweat.
The hot water felt good against his muscles, so Harry allowed himself the luxury of a longer shower. But he knew that if he wanted breakfast, then he was going to need to get going soon. So he rinsed off the last of the soap and turned off the water. He made quick work of drying himself off and dressed in his full uniform. He hated how restrictive it felt, though he was used to working with heavier equipment. The uniform was annoying, but it was an old skill in knowing how to work around it. Either way, he would happily burn the clothing once he left Hogwarts.
Harry shouldered his satchel and ran his fingers through his damp hair, carefully separating the curls so they wouldn’t knot. He should probably tie it back before he went down to the potions classroom, but he left it for now as he made his way down to the Great Hall. It was roughly 0800 hours, so he had half an hour to eat and an hour before he needed to be at the classroom. It would be best to eat breakfast first, then he would have time to drop off his dirty workout clothes in the dorm.
As Harry entered the Hall he thought that, and for being near the end of breakfast, the Great Hall still had a good many students within it. Harry figured that other students had taken advantage of the fact that they didn’t have any classes and had slept in late. If only he had that luxury. As he pushed the thought from his mind, Harry gathered an assortment of breakfast foods. Sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, and toast. It was all heavier than he was used to, but he took small amounts and ate slowly so it wouldn’t unsettle his stomach. He’d adapt quickly to the change in diet, just as he always did.
As he exited the Hall after he finished eating, Harry was stopped by the Headmaster. “Mr. Potter!” The man’s voice was jovial and carried along the corridor. A few other students stopped to look, but Harry ignored them as he turned to greet the Headmaster with a polite nod. The old wizard didn’t appear to be fazed by his lack of verbal speech, though Harry didn’t miss the small tick in the corner of the man’s mouth. Disgust. Or perhaps contempt. The latter seemed the more likely option.
“How can I help you, Headmaster? I was just on my way down to the potions’ classroom, so I can’t talk long,” he said as he adjusted his hold on his satchel. He still had plenty of time to get down to the classroom, but he really didn’t want to interact with the Headmaster. Was he the only to see through the man’s act? Probably not, but most seemed to be awed by the old man’s power. Defeater of Grindelwald or some such rot.
The Headmaster gave him an indulgent smile. “I merely wanted to see how you were settling into Hogwarts, Mr. Potter. How are you finding your classes? I see you have already made friends with Mr. Nott and Mr. Zabini.” There was that flash of emotion again. The Headmaster was not pleased by his choice of companions, and likely not his House placement either. “Your House has been treating you well?”
Harry almost snorted at the questions. He was sure that Dumbledore would have preferred him in Gryffindor where he had a much stronger hold. The Slytherins had not so nice things to say about the Headmaster of Hogwarts. What machinations had fallen through and out of the man’s control? Harry almost smirked as he gave an ever so slight tilt of his head. “Theo and Blaise have been very helpful,” he said smoothly. “The classes are challenging, but I enjoy a challenge. It is only the end of the first week of school, Headmaster, but I am finding my place just fine.” He gave a slight bow of his head. “If that’s all, I really must go. Professor Snape will be waiting for me.”
He didn’t miss the flash of surprise that crossed Dumbledore’s face when he said he was finding his place, the momentary trace of concern, but the wizard did not stop him from leaving. Harry hurried down the steps into the dungeon and then slowed his pace as he checked his watch. He had plenty of time, so he’d stop by the Slytherin dorms just as he had originally planned.
Once he entered and passed through the Commonroom, he spotted Zabini and Nott at their normal table next to a window. They each gave him little waves, a game of chess between them. Harry gave them a nod and continued up into the dormroom so he could pull out his bag of dirty laundry. He emptied it into the hamper next to his wardrobe and put the bag itself into the wardrobe. With the satchel over his shoulder once more, he left the Slytherin dormitory to wander the dungeon corridors until it was time to meet with Snape. He had found that he was the only one wearing the full uniform as most students wore either their partial uniform or casual wizarding clothing. A few wore muggle clothes, but none of them had been Slytherins.
Snape was at his desk when Harry finally knocked on the door and entered the room, right on time. The man barely spared him a glance and jabbed his quill towards the desk opposite of him. “You will find a test there,” he said sharply. “Once you are finished, you will brew the First year potion upon the board. You have an hour, so I suggest that you get started, Potter.”
“Yes, sir,” Harry replied and hung his bag off the hook on the side of the desk. He pulled out his fountain pen and immediately got to work on the packet. He glanced at his watch to note the time, but looked over the extensive questions that were front to back on the parchments. He made sure to read through each question first, then returned to the top page and the first question. He answered the ones that he could at first, then moved on to the harder ones.There were a number that he could not answer at all, but he wasn’t too worried.
The potion on the board would only take about a half hour. So, just before he reached the half hour mark, Harry stood up. He took his test over to the professor and left it on the edge of his desk. “I finished what I could, Professor,” he said simply and then went to gather the ingredients for the potion. He pulled out his kit and set up quickly, working quietly and efficiently to prepare ingredients. He could feel the weight of Snape’s gaze on him, but luckily the man hadn’t said anything.
Once he had capped off a vial of the potion, Harry took it over and set it on Snape’s desk as well. The wizard looked it over with a small curl of his lip, then grabbed his quill to write something in red ink on the parchment in front of him. “Barely on time, Potter. Now get out so I can attempt to enjoy the rest of my weekend.” Harry only gave a quick nod and then cleaned up the desk he had used.
As he exited the classroom, Harry couldn’t help but take a steadying breath. It felt strange to know that he had the rest of the day off, as well as the next day. He could work on his remedial work or any number of assignments that had been given in his classes, but it seemed almost like a waste. He felt restless, like he needed to keep moving. Perhaps he’d go down to Hogsmeade to see Thorgeirr. Either way, he wanted out of his robes at the very least. He had almost gone in just the suit he wore beneath the robes, but had decided that it was more likely that Snape might attempt to take away House points, or more likely give him detention, if he wasn’t in full uniform. He hadn’t wanted the hassle.
“Harry Potter,” a soft voice broke him from his thoughts. Harry had sensed the presence of another person, but hadn’t expected them to call out to him. He didn’t recognize the voice either. When he turned his head, it was to find a young woman as she stood near the corridor wall. She wasn’t in uniform and instead wore a pale blue dress that seemed to float about her legs, the colour complimenting the clear blue of her eyes. Her pale arms were covered by the sleeves of her dress that puffed at the shoulder and wrapped around a thick tome of some sort. Her hair was half done up and pinned by a pale blue flower, as well as her wand. The rest of her pale blonde hair fell about her shoulders in soft waves, and framed her sweet face. She was pale, but her cheeks were dusted a light rose and her plush lips were curled in a smile. Harry also noticed that she was barefoot, not a shoe or a stocking in sight.
Even surrounded by a magical castle she stood apart, and it seemed almost as if he had been visited by a faerie. She was almost ethereal. “You are?” He asked her as he came to a stop.
The blonde witch gave him a larger smile and did a little curtsy. “Luna Lovegood,” she introduced herself.
When she straightened, Harry gave a little hum. “And how can I help you, Ms. Lovegood?”
“Oh, call me Luna!” She said with a little laugh. “My feet brought me here and it must have been for a reason, so here I am.”
Harry wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She looked like she had waited for him, but had it been purely coincidence and she had merely thought to introduce herself? It was possible as there was a low chance she had known where he would be that morning. She wasn’t in any of his classes, so was not a Seventh year, and she hadn’t been outside the Hall when he had spoken to Dumbledore after breakfast. She certainly didn’t give off any vibes that were anything other than innocent. “Right,” he finally said. “Where are your shoes?” He couldn’t help but ask it because surely her toes were cold in the damp castle dungeons.
Luna gave a careless shrug as she looked past him. “All my shoes have mysteriously disappeared,” she informed him airily. “I suspect the nargles are behind it. They like to play pranks, you see. I often find my things missing, but it’s alright.”
Nargles? That wasn’t a creature that Harry had ever heard of, but perhaps it was an obscure name for a magical creature. Or perhaps Luna was being misleading. He gave a little frown and thought it was more likely that her yearmates were hiding her things on her. Bullying her. He hated bullies. When Luna gave him a knowing smile, he realized she was more perceptive than she looked at first glance. “You want them to think you’re crazy so they won’t see how they get to you.” She only gave him another smile, just as soft and fae-like as before. “Come to Hogsmeade with me,” he said on impulse. He was sure that Thorgeirr would love her.
Luna blinked in surprise, but it quickly cleared. “Only Seventh years are allowed to come and go to Hogsmeade as they please on the weekends,” she informed him. “I’m a Sixth year.”
Well, it was good to know that he wouldn’t have to sneak out of the castle at least, but he wasn’t going to let rules like that stop him. “Do you think that anyone would notice you were gone?” He said with a raised eyebrow. He didn’t mean to be mean, just blunt. “Students are allowed to roam the grounds and Hogsmeade has more than one entrance if one doesn’t take the road.”
The blonde witch gave a soft laugh then and nodded her head. “Yes, of course. Rather than the forest, I’ll meet you down by the Quidditch pitch, Harry,” she said before she turned on her heel and practically danced away. Harry watched her go.
When Luna was out of sight, and he could no longer hear her steps, Harry followed the same path down the corridor until he rounded the corner. He made his way to the Slytherin dorms where he dropped off his things and removed his robes. He wore the uniform underneath, though removed his jacket as well. As he left the dorm and down the stairs into the Commonroom, Harry rolled up his sleeves.
When he passed through the room, Nott called out to him. Harry paused and approached the table. “How did your thing with Professor Snape go?” The teen asked. “Will you join us?”
“I completed what I could, but I won’t know the results until the professor tells me,” Harry replied simply. “I’ll pass on joining you. I have other plans.” He gave them a little nod and then turned on his heel without another word. His two yearmates exchanged looks behind his back, but decided to leave him be even with as curious as they were.
Harry found Luna already waiting for him down by the quidditch stands, her book gone and a bonnet upon her head. It looked to be made of straw and was tied with a wide blue ribbon to match her dress. Enchanted butterflies decorated the crown as they fluttered iridescent wings. Harry also noticed that she had found shoes. They were white boots with many buttons up the sides. “I see your shoes have returned to you,” he said by way of greeting. While he found the vaguely Victorian fashion of wizards to be somewhat ridiculous, he couldn’t deny that it suited the petite witch.
At Harry’s appearance, Luna gave him a starry smile and wrapped her arm around his without fear. “Yes,” she said with a laugh. “Things have a way of returning when we least expect it, don’t you think?”
Harry really didn’t know what to make of her, but he nodded easily in response and led the way around the stands. The pitch would cover their tracks as they crossed the open field towards the boundary wall. As they walked, he quickly became aware of the unfamiliar tune that Luna was humming. He let her be until they reached the stone wall that served as a boundary for Hogwarts’ grounds. He hopped up onto the waist high wall and leaned down with perfect balance, his hand held out to Luna. She gave him a radiant smile and let him help her up onto the wall as well.
“The wind is lovely, don’t you think?” She said as she stood there, her hand safely in Harry’s as she closed her eyes. “I can almost hear all the whispers of the world from here, as the breeze whistles between the mountains.” She opened her eyes again and gave Harry another smile. “Even you must feel at peace, hm?”
At the statement, Harry jumped down and then wrapped his hands about Luna’s slender waist to lift her off the wall. He set her down upon the grass and then stepped back with a small frown. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Luna clasped her hands behind her back and gave him a knowing smile. “You hold yourself like a soldier,” she told him. “You may be the same age as many of the children within Hogwarts’ walls, but you are already a man. Your eyes give you away, you know, to those who know how to look. They have seen the depths of humanity and have found it wanting. They have seen loss, known fear like very few could ever hope to survive.”
“It doesn’t scare you?” She was observant, far more observant than those many times her age. Perhaps it was because others dismissed her so she was easily overlooked. If that was the case, the secrets she must know must be numerous.
With another knowing smile still on her lips, Luna tilted her head a little. “Why should I be afraid? No, I think things shall be interesting now that you’re here. After all, things that are lost have a way of finding their way back when we least expect it, remember?”
She was a very strange girl. “The other students don’t see the same things as you, yet I can see the uncertainty in their eyes. They don’t know what to think of me,” he commented.
As they started to walk again, Luna hummed softly. “Yes, that is true. There is a saying from somewhere that states it is never good to meet your heroes,” she said after a moment. “In your case, rumors and stories have built you up into a pinnacle of goodness and light. You are nothing like the stories we grew up on, that they thought you would be like just because you survived You-Know-Who’s attack.”
“That’s such a stupid name,” Harry couldn’t help but say.
Luna’s laughter peeled across the field like the tinkling of bells. “Mages are a superstitious lot,” she said as she covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smile. “During the first war, they became afraid to utter his name. However, the Headmaster has famously said that fear of the name fosters fear for the thing itself. Those who actively defy You-Know-Who are brave enough to say his name, so he placed upon it a Taboo. Any who speak his name will reveal their location to him and he attacks without prejudice. However, it is usually only his sympathizers that call him the Dark Lord. We are left only calling him You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
The Taboo was a logical step in some regards, but Harry shook his head. “If almost no one is brave enough to speak his name, and those that will find themselves dead because of it, then there will be no one alive who remembers his name one day.” After a pause, Harry frowned a little. “His name. It loosely translates from French to flight of death, or theft of death. He runs from death, has found a way to anchor himself to life.” It was something he occasionally pondered, though hadn't put serious though to it.
“Thief,” Luna said suddenly, a bright grin on her face.
“What?”
Luna gave a laugh and spun to look at Harry as she walked backwards, her hands clasped behind her back once more in a playful pose. “He shall be called Thief, then. If we cannot say his name, but the others are too ridiculous and long-winded to say, then we shall call him Thief.” The blonde witch gave him a conspiratorial wink then. Harry couldn’t help but smile. Thief. How fitting.
As Luna turned back around and fell back to Harry’s side again, he looked across the field. She resumed her humming, so Harry let her be as they continued on to Hogsmeade. When they reached another boundary wall on the edge of Hogsmeade’s residential district, Harry hopped up onto the wall just as he had done with the other one and then helped Luna up. She gave him another one of her cheery smiles once they were on the other side.
“Where are you taking me?” She finally asked him. “The nargles say you guide with purpose, but even they cannot discern where. But that’s the fun with surprises, isn’t it?”
She was such a strange girl. But, somehow, he didn’t mind. Something told him that she was stronger than people gave her credit for, but at the same time he didn’t like the idea that she was being bullied. He wanted to protect her, protect her like he couldn’t protect so many of his brothers and sisters. “I thought that both of us wouldn’t want to be in the castle any longer,” he said finally. “So, I wanted to show you a place that doesn’t have any thieving mice.” Luna only giggled in response as Harry spotted Thorgeirr’s tavern.
The door to the Hafner Haus opened as soon as Harry placed his hand on the handle. He knew it had been locked before, so the wards had successfully responded to his presence and allowed him in. As he stepped inside, Luna entered behind him. She looked around curiously at the nearly empty interior as she reached up to remove her bonnet. The tavern boasted only a dark wood bar, intricately carved and had come with the place. There were dark wood accents about, but Thorgeirr hadn’t done much by the way of decorating yet.
Behind the bar was a door that led back to the kitchen. Harry could hear movement back there and knew that Thorgeirr would likely appear shortly. “There’s a hook by the door if you want to hang your hat,” Harry mentioned to Luna as he stepped further into the room and looked around. It looked like it had been cleaned recently, which was something that Thorgeirr hadn’t started yet at the beginning of the week. Harry was glad he missed that, though he wasn’t any stranger to such menial tasks.
“Well, well, brat. Looks like you decided to bring a girl home, hm?” Thorgeirr's voice traveled over to him as soon as the man appeared in the doorway. Harry ignored the statement, not about to rise to Thorgeirr’s teasing or else it would never stop. The older man seemed to realize this as he smirked and made his way further into the room. “Well, young lady, it’s a pleasure to meet one of this brat’s friends. I’m Thorgeirr.”
Luna gave Thorgeirr a curtsy along with a cheerful smile. “And it’s a pleasure to meet Harry’s father,” she said sweetly. “I’m Luna Lovegood.”
There was a beat of silence before Thorgeirr gave a bark of laughter and went behind the bar instead. “Well, well. Don’t you see all, Ms. Lovegood?” He pulled out a couple of bottles of what appeared to be butterbeer and then popped the caps off of them. “Well, it isn’t anything so official as that, but I’d like to think he’s my kid.” He slid the bottles across the bartop and motioned to them. “Go on.” He grinned over to Harry then, who only stood there with a blank expression upon his face. “Now that the cats out of the bag, you gunna call me papa now, brat?”
“I’d sooner cut off my own arm,” Harry said blandly as he followed Luna over to the bar. She hopped up onto one of the padded stools and took a bottle. He took the one next to her and grabbed the other bottle, but didn’t take a sip. “What were you doing back in the kitchen? I see you got the cleaning done in here.”
Thorgeirr grabbed another bottle of butterbeer and uncapped it. He gave a little shrug and glanced over to the door. “Was doing some experimenting for the new menu.”
With a small sip of his drink, Harry leaned against the bar. “Oh? Have you decided then?”
Thorgeirr chuckled and took a swig of his drink. “Yeah, for now. Thought I’d go for a short and simple menu, so just four things. If they’re popular, I can always think about expanding.” The food wasn’t the primary goal, though it amused Harry that the man had decided to even attempt food. He thought that Thorgeirr was enjoying the change of scenery a touch too much, but if it made the man happy, then he wasn’t going to say anything. “I got a Zwiebelkuchen in the oven right now. If you stick around long enough, then I’ll let you taste test it for me.”
“What’s a Zwiebelkuchen?” Luna interrupted innocently as she swung her feet back and forth. “What other things are you going to make? Who will help you?” Harry wondered about the last two questions as well, so he only stared at Thorgeirr and didn’t say a word.
As both teens looked to him for answers, Thorgeirr chuckled. “A Zwiebelkuchen is basically a bacon and onion pie. I have also decided to offer Kartoffelpuffer, which is like a potato pancake. It’ll be served with applesauce. The third item is a giant Bavarian pretzel that’ll be served with beer cheese, as well as mustard. The last item is Bratwurst with sauerkraut. All of which can be made ahead of time and then kept warm in giant chafing dishes imbued with stasis spells. As long as I make things in advance, I’ll be able to handle it easily enough on my own for now.”
Depending upon how popular the place got, Thorgeirr may eventually need to hire some help. Harry wondered how the man would handle that, but he himself would likely come down to help Thorgeirr during the occasional weekend. “The Three Broomsticks is a popular establishment in the village,” Thorgeirr said suddenly, breaking Harry from his thoughts. “I don’t expect to get much business from the get go with that as competition.”
“The magical community is slow to change,” Luna said solemnly in agreement. Thorgeirr snorted softly, not about to disagree with that statement. Harry hid his smile behind a sip of his drink. There was a twinkle in Luna’s eyes, but she turned her attention to Thorgeirr and started to quiz him on creatures that could be found in German forests. They were not creatures Harry had ever heard of before and Thorgeirr seemed to be just as much at a loss. It didn’t stop Luna at all, though eventually she was interrupted by the ring of a bell.
“That’ll be the timer,” Thorgeirr said and then invited them into the kitchen as he turned on his heel and headed for the door. Harry slid off of his stool and offered his hand to Luna. She gave him another of her smiles as she took his hand and hopped off her own stool. She practically danced then as she led Harry after Thorgeirr into the Haus’ kitchen.
The first thing that caught Harry’s attention was the smell of butter, onion, and bacon, of buttery pastry. The kitchen was surprisingly bright, the walls and ceiling whitewashed with dark wooden beams that supported the floor above. Dark wood cabinets lined the walls where there were ingredients and hooks that held copper cookery. A large curved window let in the sunlight with a metal sink beneath, while a large wood burning oven took up a place of prominence against the back wall. Thorgeirr had approached this and was using a large paddle to remove the Zwiebelkuchen from the oven. As they watched, the man placed it upon the large table that took up a good portion of the middle of the kitchen.
As Thorgeirr hung up the paddle and went to retrieve plates, Harry looked around the room once more. A stove, like the one upstairs in the flat, was off to the side. There was a large copper pot on top of the stove, so he went to investigate. Luna had joined Thorgeirr at the table as she happily complimented the man on his cooking skills, but Harry ignored their chatter as he lifted the lid off of the pot. The pot was empty, but smelled faintly of cheese. Harry felt almost disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to sample whatever it was that had been in the pot.
“Harry,” Luna’s soft voice called out to him as he returned the lid to the top of the pot. Harry turned to the witch as she walked up to him, a plate in her hands. She held it out to him, so he took it from her. “That piece is for you,” she said as she twirled on her toes and then danced back to Thorgeirr’s side to retrieve another plate. Harry hopped up onto the wooden counter next to the sink and summoned a fork from the middle of the table. It smacked into his palm a moment later, so he dug into the still hot pie. It was good and he felt content as he listened to Luna chatter on as she took a seat at the table, perched on a stool.
Notes:
Can you tell I love Luna?
Chapter 20
Notes:
Trigger warning for graphic depictions of warfare
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty
The air was thick with smoke while the sharp staccato of gunfire drowned out nearly all other sound. The scent of gunpowder and blood clogged his nose, while the kicked up sand of the desert around them tried its best to fill his lungs even through the scarf he used to cover his lower face. Alpha thought he could hear shouting over the gunfire, but it was hard to say. It could just be the screams of dying men. An explosion just a few meters away rained down sand and unknown debris upon him, though he was saved from the worst of the blast by the crumbling wall he’d taken refuge behind. He had worked through worse than the small cuts that shrapnel had opened upon his cheeks, though head wounds always bled worse than how they truly were. It was only Alpha’s goggles that saved him from getting blood, and sand, in his eyes. Alpha ducked his head against another explosion as the broken mud brick of the abandoned building didn’t provide much protection. Across the shattered doorway, Alpha could see Iota as he screamed at him and struggled to be heard over the deafening chaos.
There was dread in his stomach and bile in his throat. Alpha didn’t know what it was, but there was something wrong here. It was some nagging suspicion that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he knew that something wasn’t right. Even so, his hands never wavered and they remained still even as he adjusted his grip around his rifle. He ignored the body that lay slumped next to him, the Legio mercenary lifeless and covered in blood from the wound that spilled his guts into his lap. They were pinned down and the man had bled out too quickly for them to do anything. Though Alpha suspected that only Legio’s magical healers might have had any chance of saving the doomed soldier.
“Potter!”
Alpha’s head turned, but he dismissed the voice. It wasn’t unusual to hear strange things in the middle of a firefight. With adrenaline thick in his veins, the mind tended to pick up on things it might have otherwise missed. Perhaps one of the soldiers around him was named Harry? But, no, he knew that wasn’t right. He had learned the names of the men that his squad had taken on this mission with. None of them were named Harry. Alvarez lay next to him. Bowers had been the first to fall. Bakshi crouched near Iota, one arm useless as the Letter tied a hasty bandage around the mercenary’s shoulder. Novikov and Phillips were somewhere close by, though Alpha had a feeling that Phillips was not going to survive even though he couldn’t see the two men.
“Potter, wake up!”
There was another sudden explosion close by, larger than the first, that made his vision white out. The only sounds he could hear were muffled explosions and a high pitched whine that overtook anything else. White hot pain ripped through his side as shrapnel tore through him and embedded mangled metal into his flesh. It stole his breath from him, but he didn’t dare cry out.
“Damnit, Harry Potter! Wake up!”
Alpha could feel the presence of Theta next to him suddenly as the teen appeared and applied pressure to his wound. He couldn’t hear what his teammate was yelling though he was by his side. Alpha pushed Theta away from him and climbed back to his feet as he let adrenaline dull his pain. They were already down two men and they couldn’t afford to fail. Alpha pulled a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin with his teeth while he ignored the pain as he did so. Once he had steeled himself, he tossed the explosive and waited for it to blow. A burst of controlled power propelled the grenade farther than a simple throw.
It was like cold water had been suddenly dumped over his head. The cold dampness of a dungeon room washed over him and Alpha was upright before his mind caught up with his body. His ever present karambit was in his hand and he had it pressed against Nott’s throat before the movement had even fully registered. The other teen was stock still, his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. Clarity seemed to come to him suddenly and the dark haired teen breathed out heavily. He was Harry Potter. He was at Hogwarts. It had just been a dream, a fragment from his past. He had the scars to prove he had survived that clusterfuck of a mission.
“Shit,” Harry muttered and quickly tucked the knife away again. Nott watched him warily, but slowly lowered his hands again. The teen was not a threat, so Harry cast a quick glance around. It was dark in the room still, the only light a gentle green that filtered in through the high windows. It cast eerie shadows, but the room was still as the other boys slept. Harry was no stranger to nightmares, but silence had been trained into him. He wouldn’t have woken the others with his night terrors. “What are you doing up, Nott?” He asked softly as he made to slip out of bed. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep again, so he might as well get up and find something productive to do.
“Had to take a piss,” Nott said bluntly as he stood up out of the bed too. “You looked like you were in pain, so I tried to wake you.”
Harry glanced over to the other teen. “I get nightmares occasionally,” he admitted in a monotone. “I wouldn’t recommend attempting to wake me again.” He’d likely lash out again, moving to take care of an unseen threat that his mind had conjured up before reality set back in again. That may not end quite as luckily. But perhaps he should put wards around his bed when he slept. He hadn’t before because he usually slept so lightly and he was usually the last one to bed while also being the first awake.
While Harry silently grabbed a sweatshirt, he ignored Nott as the other teen stood there watching him. “What happened to you, Potter?” The teen asked quietly as Harry grabbed his schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder.
Harry glanced over to Nott and then shook his head. “I can’t say,” he said finally. He hadn’t exactly hidden the fact that he wasn’t a normal teenager, though he had been careful to suppress most of his skills. Some things had meant life or death, however, and were not so easily cast aside. His bearing and his stature could also not be hidden and most humans were like prey animals in that they could sense danger even if they couldn’t pinpoint why or what had set off the ancient instincts.
As the weeks had gone on, he had settled into his life at Hogwarts. But the shadow of his upbringing would always loom over his head. It most often reared its ugly head in the dark of the night. He couldn’t possibly share the horrors with an outsider. Even for as long as he had known him, Thorgeirr had only begun to learn the details. Though Harry was sure that the man had likely guessed at more.
As he turned and left, Nott remained where he was as he stood next to Harry’s abandoned bed. However, the boy soon joined him at a table in the quiet Commonroom. It was late enough that the students had all found their way into their beds while early enough that they’d all sleep for some time yet. A fire had lit itself in the hearth when Harry entered and it now fought to chase away the chill of the dungeon chamber. Harry had chosen a table close to a window and had lit a lamp, but had not gotten much farther than spreading out his runes homework when Nott had joined him.
“You should have gone back to bed,” Harry said finally when the other teen didn’t seem inclined to speak.
Nott snorted and leaned back in the chair he’d taken. “You must be joking if you think I could go back to bed after that,” he said with a scoff. The boy quickly sobered then and regarded Harry closely. “Why can’t you tell me what has happened to you? The state of your body, your nightmares, it all tells the tale of a hard life. Especially for a boy who is only seventeen. I want to help, Potter.”
Though he would admit that Nott could be considered a friend, as well as Zabini and Luna, Harry would not subject the other boy to the horrors of his upbringing. While Harry might not always understand societal cues, even he understood that his childhood was definitely not normal. Besides, knowledge of his past could possibly put Nott in danger anyhow. “I appreciate the offer, but it is not something you can help with, Nott.”
“I think it’s time you call me Theo, don’t you?” Nott said in response as he ran his fingers through his inky hair. “Even if you don’t want to call us friends, I would think that we are allies at the very least. I want to be your ally and stand beside you. You need allies here, don’t you? Especially with the likes of Dumbledore and his machinations across the chessboard.”
Harry didn’t say anything at first, but the teen across from him remained still and did not squirm. “Alright. As long as you call me Harry, then,” he said finally. Honestly, Harry had a complicated relationship with names. Names were disposable to a man like him. Yet, Harry Potter had been his first name and it carried more weight than all of the other names he had ever held. A true name as simple as it was at face value. Still, he would discard it as easily as he abandoned the others if it came down to it. What did it matter what others called him? Even so, he understood that others put stock into names, especially the supposed honour of using one’s first name.
“If it’s that easy to get to call you by your first name, then you are welcome to use mine,” a voice called from by the stairs. Harry glanced over to see Zabini standing there upon the bottom step. He had wondered how long the teen had planned to linger there before he joined their conversation.
“Blaise, then,” Harry said with a careless looking shrug. “Why are you awake?” The dark skinned teen took a seat next to Nott. Though Harry supposed he should call them by their first names even in his thoughts so he would get used to calling them such.
Blaise leaned back in his seat and gave Harry a small smirk. “The others might sleep like the dead, Crabbe and Goyle especially, but your conversation in the dorm woke me up. I was curious, so I followed.” Next to him, Theo scoffed softly and rolled his eyes. “At least it’s a Sunday morning. We don’t have to worry about classes later on. Will you still go for your run later, Harry?”
At the question, Theo’s eyes brightened and he leaned forward to hear the answer. Harry only gave a small nod at first, somewhat amused when the two teens across from shared a look. “I suppose that you will be joining me then,” he said. He would need to modify his routine a little to eliminate the usage of rifles, but he’d make do just fine. It wasn’t as if he practiced his marksmanship every day anyways.
“Of course we will. I want to see what sort of workout you do to get that body of yours. It’s a good thing you hide it under your uniform or you’d have lovestruck fans,” Blaise drawled in amusement as he grabbed a piece of parchment and looked it over. “Ah, your runes homework? Looks like you’ve started on the Egyptian hieroglyphs. Been awhile since I’ve studied these.”
Harry shifted in his seat and leaned over the table as he held his hand out. “Yes,” he stated simply. Magic was a tool and he couldn’t say he enjoyed most of his classes as he used magic in ways different than the other students around him. It made most of his classes boring. Herbology was interesting enough, but he wasn’t much interested in the plants that they were studying. Potions might have been interesting, but he was behind on his studies because of the nature of his situation. The Professor was a petty and bitter man where nothing Harry did could please him. He had moved on to Third Year work in the last week, but he had a lot of other work he still needed to catch up on while also keeping up with the current Seventh Year work. DADA was just a headache as Black avoided him or tried to invite him for “extra classes” depending upon his mood. Dealing with the Gryffindors, Ron Weasley in particular, only added to it.
But runes were interesting. They were probably the one thing he wouldn’t mind studying beyond Hogwarts. He actually enjoyed his homework for the class and Bill had already promised to bring him some books the next time he visited the castle. Egyptian hieroglyphs were Bill’s specialty, but the man also knew how to get his hands on other material. Egypt was not the only location for magical excavations, after all. The labyrinth catacombs in Sarajevo immediately came to mind, though Harry had held himself back from asking Bill if he knew if excavations had resumed in the area.
Harry set the parchment down in front of him and looked back up at the two teens across from him. He could have ignored them and focused on his work, but Harry settled back in his chair. “I heard that strange things have happened in the school in the most recent years. Strange even for a school of magic.” It wasn’t the most subtle probe for information, but he thought he could be forgiven for it. “I’m curious if there is anything I should worry about, especially with the current war.” He had mostly resolved to remain neutral, though he had come to realize that there were still many that seemed to think he should take up the fight as some pillar of good virtue. He wasn’t a hero.
“Well, a troll broke into the castle during Halloween of our first year,” Theo said finally. “There also appeared to be some scheme where the shade of the Dark Lord possessed the Defense professor to steal some valuable artifact that had been hidden in the school. However, he wasn’t able to get past whatever defenses were put up by the Headmaster. Professor Quirrell was found deceased within his chambers at the end of school. The information wasn’t released to the public, but my father said there had been evidence of dark magic and possession. There was no doubt that the Dark Lord had a hand in what happened, though I don’t know much of the details.” He glanced at Blaise, who gave a shake of his head. “Dumbledore is probably the only one with all of the information and I doubt he’d actually say anything even if you asked.”
Harry had his doubts that the Thief, as Luna had taken to calling him and Harry had picked up on, had succeeded in stealing whatever he had come to Hogwarts for. Though he supposed he could try to get the information from Dumbledore if it ever became relevant. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near the top of his priority list.
“Our second year, the Weasley girl was almost killed,” Blaise said. “No one seems to know the details of how it was resolved, but the Chamber of Secrets was opened and the monster inside of it was released. I think Granger was able to figure out the clues to realize it was a Basilisk before she fell victim to its stare, though she was lucky to only have been petrified. A few other students were also petrified during the year so the school was nearly shut down. The Headmaster even disappeared from the school for a time, but eventually everything seemed to get resolved since the Headmaster came back and all of the petrified students were cured. The school reopened the next year, so I assume they resealed the Chamber or something.”
What was wrong with this school? These were normal children, for a magical world at least, so Harry would have assumed that the school would have been closed after the first attack. Legio would have used the basilisk to train them somehow, but anyone in a normal situation would have shut the school down immediately. Even he knew that. And, again, if the information became relevant it seemed only the Headmaster would be able to give him any full answers.
“I suppose our Third year was relatively normal. You know that Professor Black spent time in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit, but no one knew that yet. He broke out the summer before Third year and ended up breaking into the castle at some point. Slashed up the Gryffindor portrait entrance. I remember everyone was fairly confused and speculated a number of things. It was well known that you hadn’t shown up to Hogwarts, so it didn’t seem to make sense why he would show up here of all places. But then it was revealed later in our Fifth Year that Pettigrew was still alive. He was supposedly masquerading as the youngest Weasley boy’s pet rat. So it makes sense in hindsight, though I’m not sure how Black knew that Pettigrew was with that family.”
Harry had to say that, for a school responsible for quite a number of children, it sounded like their security was terrible. What defenses did they have if Voldemort decided to attack? Was Dumbledore arrogant enough to believe that the school only needed him in order to defend against the Dark Lord?
Theo gave a sigh then. “Our fourth year was the last year that something out of the ordinary happened at the school,” he said. “The past couple of years have been quiet at the school, though the war has escalated otherwise. Fourth year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard tournament. It was a pretty eventful year as we hosted two other European schools of magic. Between the extra students and the events, I’m surprised any of us actually learned anything.” He snorted softly and gave a little shrug, though his expression quickly sobered.
“At the end of the tournament, the last task was a magical maze. One of our professors ended up being a Deatheater in disguise and he had created a trap. The winner of the tournament would have been Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts champion from Hufflepuff, but he was whisked away by portkey. My father won’t go into details, but Diggory’s death was instrumental in the Dark Lord’s resurrection. All of us children of Deatheaters knew what had happened, but the Dark Lord’s return was kept quiet for nearly a year. For awhile, most wizards knew that Diggory’s death was tied into Deatheater activity, but didn’t know the results of it.”
Wizards were weird, Harry decided as he picked up his fountain pen in an idle motion. They were completely illogical with oftentime strange customs. And yet, there were things that didn’t seem to phase them though he was sure that would be strange to normal civilians. He had hidden himself in the normal world long enough to understand that much at least.
“Why’d you want to know?” Theo’s question broke Harry out of his thoughts. The pale boy had leaned forward to lean his elbows on the table. “I don’t mind letting you know, but I’m curious.”
Harry lifted his eyes to look at Theo, though he could feel Blaise’s gaze on him as well. “If things had been different, I might have been here with you during those years that I have missed,” Harry said after a moment. “There is no use in what-ifs, but is it wrong to have simple curiosity? The wizarding world is strange to me and I want to understand it better.” He allowed himself a small smirk then. “Besides, I needed something to talk about as neither of you seem inclined to allow me to work on my homework in peace.”
A light blush dusted Theo’s cheeks, but Blaise didn’t seem to be apologetic at all. “I’ve realized that it’s never good to be alone with one’s thoughts after a nightmare,” Theo said finally, though Harry immediately noticed that the wizard hadn’t apologized either. There was a set to the teen’s jaw that said he wouldn’t.
“I’ve gotten used to such dreams,” Harry admitted easily, as if it wasn’t strange. “I don’t let them follow me into my waking hours.” He did not have them every night, but they happened frequently enough. A hazard of his upbringing, Harry supposed. But allowing such dreams to darken his waking thoughts was not a weakness he could allow himself, so he had learned how to detach himself and forget.
“Halloween is coming up,” Harry said abruptly as he changed the subject. “It is not a holiday I am very aware of as I wasn’t raised with such customs. Does Hogwarts have any traditions?” He ignored the knowing stare that Theo shot him as he had not even attempted to hide the topic change.
Blaise shot them both an amused look and rubbed at the bristle on his chin. “Hogwarts tends to hold a feast,” he said. “Students who follow the older traditions used to hold a bonfire out on the grounds under the supervision of a professor, but that hasn’t happened in a number of years. Too many people associate the old traditions for pureblood supremacy, so there hasn’t been a bonfire here since before the end of the first war.” There was a wistful look in Blaise’s eyes that was mirrored in Theo’s.
“Old traditions?” Harry decided to prod. Though he often found them strange, or even just as old-fashioned as the clothing they wore, Harry could say he was somewhat curious about wizarding culture. Though he doubted any of it would be useful, little more than useless trivia, it was still interesting. Iota would have loved it.
In the early morning hours, between both Blaise and Theo, Harry was introduced to the idea of gods and family magic. He was invited to attend rituals once they graduated, though Harry couldn’t make any promises. Eventually though, the hours passed and Harry decided it was time he made his way to the Room for his daily exercises. His companions immediately jumped at the opportunity to join him, so he changed into better suited clothing and loaned them both some clothes that needed to be resized to their frames. Magic could be quite handy in certain situations. Harry had then led the way to the Room through the quiet corridors.
“Woah,” Theo breathed out as he looked around. He stuck his head back out the door to look at the corridor they had just stepped out of and then looked back at the Room. “What is this place? I’ve been at Hogwarts for going on seven years now and I’ve never known this was here. There has to be some incredible magic at work. Bloody hell.”
Harry said nothing as he dropped his bag down on the bench that appeared. He left Blaise and Theo to look around some before he faced them again. “I call it the Hidden Room,” he said finally. “I do not know its actual name, but it seems to be a place where everything that has been lost inside of the school winds up. Or perhaps left here intentionally.”
“I heard rumors from older students that have now since graduated about a room where you could hide things or dispose of them. Illegal things especially,” Blaise said. “But guessing by the appearance of the room, it has a lot more capabilities than that.”
“There are limits,” Harry agreed. “However, it has proven to be very useful.”
“What is this thing?” Theo interjected as he had shut the door behind him and joined Blaise’s side to look over the obstacle course.
Harry stepped over to them and looked over the course as well. “It’s a training course. It helps to train agility and balance, among other things. I’ve been running this since I was a young child.” He glanced over to the other two males then. “Usually in the mornings, however, I start with a warm up run to loosen my muscles. Next are stretches so I don’t injure myself. Only then will I run the course a handful of times. After that, I will often lift weights and run through more stretches.”
Both teens stared at him as they listened to his usual routine. “Every day?” Blaise finally said as he tore his eyes away from Harry and then looked out over the Room again. “Merlin, Harry. No wonder you’re so built.”
Harry gave a little shrug, though his expression was impassive. “I’ll take a rest day once per week,” he explained. Rest days he’d do light exercise or focus on other skills that were not as intensive. He nodded towards the track then. “You’re welcome to join me, but don’t force yourself to keep up. If you can’t keep running, walk instead until I’m finished with my run. I’ll walk you through some stretches so your muscles don’t lock up.” When they agreed, Harry took off at his normal speed. The other two followed, but quickly fell behind.
By the time Harry finished his normal routine, both other boys had long abandoned the workout. Both had lasted longer than he might have expected, though Theo had been the first to sit out. Harry had felt the boy’s eyes on him the rest of the time as Theo had tracked him through the training course, then as he lifted weights. “I still can’t believe you do this nearly every morning,” Theo said as Harry requested showers from the Room.
“It’s a routine I’ve been used to for a long time,” Harry replied simply as he started to strip off his clothing. From behind him, he heard Theo scramble to make use of another shower stall while he heard Blaise move at a more sedate pace. When he looked over his shoulder, Harry spotted the dark flush that had painted itself across Theo’s pale cheeks. He brushed it off and made quick work of his shower.
Once they were all showered, and in fresh changes of clothes, the trio made their way down to breakfast. After they were seated, both Blaise and Theo forwent every other drink option and immediately went for coffee instead. The two teens had begun to show signs of their very early morning and then workout. Blaise sat as stiffly as ever, but Harry could see the exhaustion in the lines of the boy’s face. Theo sat just as properly, but had startled to grumble. He had already given the boy on his other side a glare when the younger student accidentally knocked into him.
“We’ve been up since one or two in the morning,” Theo grumbled as he piled food onto his plate. “How, by Merlin, do you look as you always do?”
Harry glanced at the paler boy from the corner of his eye. “Sleep is a luxury, not a right.” He’d had missions where he had gotten as many hours of sleep in as many days, while sometimes he’d gone for days without any sleep at all. Hogwarts had allowed him a fairly routine sleep schedule, but it was hard to change old habits. His body had been trained to function on less sleep anyways.
When Harry didn’t say anything more, Theo gave him a deadpan stare. “You’re mental,” he declared.
As he took a sip of his drink, Harry didn’t deny it. He could act naturally enough, but he was self aware enough to know that he wasn’t actually normal by any stretch of the word. He allowed himself a brief smile and then focused on his meal.
Once breakfast was over, both Blaise and Theo decided that they needed rest after their early morning. Harry had felt amused, but left them to it. Since it was a Sunday, they had no classes. Luna was nowhere to be found and he was mostly caught up on his schoolwork. So, Harry decided to get a bit of fresh air and wander the grounds. He thought about taking one of his books with him, but ultimately decided against it. A walk alone with his thoughts was all that he needed.
Eventually, Harry found himself down by the shore to the lake. The weather was surprisingly warm for the middle of October, but still much cooler than Harry was used to. He had made sure to grab a cloak before he had gone outside, though he only wore his partial uniform underneath. The cool wind that came off of the loch swirled around him with the promise of approaching autumn and winter. He had grown up in deserts, rainforests, and other tropical or moderate locations. He had seen snow before, and had needed to bunker down through more than one snowstorm, but he couldn’t say he looked forward to winter in Scotland. He much preferred the heat he was more used to.
“Harry!”
When his name was called from across the grounds, Harry turned to see Bill as the older man strode towards him. The redhead had a jovial smile and waved a hand in greeting. Harry gave a nod in return and waited until Bill had joined him before he said anything. “Welcome back,” was how he greeted the cursebreaker. “How long are you staying this time?”
“That eager to get rid of me, Harry?” The man said with a grin and then held up a package that was wrapped in brown paper. He held it by the twine that kept it bundled. “I’m not staying too long. I only really stopped by to report to Professor Dumbledore. But, since it’s the weekend, I thought I’d stay long enough to say hello. As well as drop off those books I promised, of course.”
Harry immediately took the package and went to unwrap it, but Bill stopped him. “Ah, might want to wait to unwrap that, mate,” the man said with a quick laugh. “I actually collected five books for you, so the package is under a couple of spells to make it lighter and smaller. The spells will wear off once it’s opened, so it’s better to do it in your dorm.” Harry nodded and held onto the twine to carry it like Bill had done. The redhead gave a nod and then pulled his cloak tighter around him. “Merlin, I forget how cold Scotland is after spending months in the Egyptian desert. Even the night cold is different from this wet cold,” the man grumbled.
“It’s only going to get colder,” Harry said in amusement, though he completely agreed with the sentiment. They started to walk then and Harry led the way towards the path to Hogsmeade. If Bill was going to hang around, then Thorgeirr’s place would be a more private place to talk. The place had opened recently after Thorgeirr had finalized his menu and had the wards put in place. Privacy spells were a big draw, though Harry knew that the older man hadn’t seen much activity yet even with the few contacts he had within the wizarding world. It was mostly just curious locals.
“Thank Merlin for warming charms,” the redhead muttered from beside Harry and then looked over to the tall teen next to him. “How are your classes going? You hadn’t replied to my most recent letter.”
“I knew I’d see you soon,” Harry explained simply, his eyes on the path ahead. “It is still a lot of coursework, but I have moved on to Second or Third year material for most of my regular classes.” He still didn’t always understand the theory, but he put his memorization skills to good use.
Bill gave Harry an impressed look. “In just about a month and a half? Good job! That’s pretty awesome.” He grinned then and turned his attention down the path as well. “If memory serves, you’re moving onto Egyptian hieroglyphs in your Ancient Runes class soon, right?”
“Yes,” Harry responded without elaboration.
“Which reminds me, actually,” Bill brightened. “Because it’s my area of interest, one of the books I included in that package is on the Egyptian pantheon and how the ancient religion influenced their magic. You’ll cover it somewhat in class at some point, but I couldn’t help but include one of my favourite tomes.”
Harry inclined his head, though he did not look at Bill. “I will be sure to read it,” he promised. The ideas of gods and religious magic was still an odd one. He had never believed in gods, though he supposed it wasn’t too much of a stretch as there was the existence of magic. Magic was just energy that modern science couldn’t fully explain or understand yet, but gods weren’t entirely out of the range of possibility. Though even if they did exist, he doubted it would change his outlook on anything. He’d survived life so far because of his own grit.
“How far have you gotten on your homework?” Bill asked suddenly and broke Harry out of his thoughts. As they continued down to Hogsmeade, Harry explained his assignment. Bill was eager to debate the subject with him and even gave him references to look up in the books he had given Harry.
When they arrived at the Haus, Harry greeted Thorgierr before he found a seat in the corner of the room. Over drinks and food, the two continued their discussion until Bill finally had to leave on some mission for Dumbledore’s Order. Harry remained in Hogsmeade until it was time for dinner. That night, he finished his Ancient Rune’s homework with help from his new books.
Notes:
Sorry this took so long to post! Things have been hectic lately what with my living situation and other life problems. Hopefully everyone still enjoyed the chapter!
Chapter 21
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-One
“I should head back to Hogwarts soon,” Harry said in an absent tone as he swirled his drink around in his glass. The lights in the Haus were dimmed and the sky outside was dark. It was late into the night, the tavern having been closed up just an hour ago. Harry had helped Thorgeirr close up for the night and then had taken a seat at the bar once they’d finished cleaning. Thorgeirr had poured them each a glass and they had made idle conversation for a short while, but Harry had classes in the morning. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time lately. There had been articles in the morning paper every day lately that had spoken of attacks on wizarding villages throughout the British Isles. Voldemort had likely heard of his return and, the madman that he was, was responding to it by increasing his presence. But whatever the case, it left him feeling like he was in a warzone again.
Hogwarts was really the last stronghold left, but it was still a school. Harry had lately seen adult wizards coming and going. Even Bill had appeared in the school more frequently, which had only furthered Harry’s suspicions. It was evident that Voldemort controlled the newspaper, but was using fear of the attacks as a means of control. The war was heating up and even Hogwarts was not unaffected. Harry was used to warzones and this was probably the tamest one he had ever been in. But the heightened awareness that came with it left him unable to really sleep. He was always on high alert and couldn’t shut it off even if he wanted to or not.
“You could sleep here,” Thorgeirr interrupted Harry’s thoughts in a rough voice. When Harry looked up, the man’s gaze was on some papers spread out in front of him. “You know your room is always open to you. And Elritze misses you.” Harry gave a small smirk at the thought of the fluffy cat, but Thorgeirr ignored it. “When was the last time you got a proper sleep, boy? And none of your sass.”
“Isn’t this a familiar conversation?” Harry said in a monotone, though he didn’t stop the smirk that curled his lips again. “Haven’t had a full night’s sleep in over a week.”
Though he understood Harry’s situation, Thorgeirr still clenched his jaw and then jabbed his thumb at the stairs. “Up you get, brat. You know my place is well protected so you can let your guard down. Go get a proper rest and don’t even think of getting up until breakfast. Elritze will probably keep you company.” He lifted his gaze towards Harry then and gave him a hard stare. It only amused Harry. “That’s an order, boy. You know which room’s yours so get going.”
“Alright, alright,” Harry said as he stood up and knocked back the last of his drink. He placed the glass back onto the counter and then ran his fingers through his hair. “But only if you make potato pancakes for breakfast.”
Thorgeirr gave a sharp nod as he cleared away the papers on the bartop. “You got yourself a deal. Now stop dawdling.”
Harry didn’t stop a chuckle as he gave Thorgeirr a little salute and then turned on his heel. Upstairs, his room was just as he had left it. Harry sat down on the edge of his bed and let out a slow breath, just letting himself relax. He did feel safe here, with the feel of Thorgeirr’s wards around him. Nothing was infallible, but this was enough. Not quite the same as Thorgeirr’s bar back in Germany, but it didn’t matter when the older man was close by. He’d be able to sleep knowing that Thorgeirr had his back.
A soft mewl broke Harry from his thoughts as Elritze hopped up onto the bed and then butted her head demandingly against his hand. “Hello, little diva,” he said in amusement and rubbed the spot behind her ear that she enjoyed. “Let me get ready for bed and then you can have all the cuddles you want, hm?” He scratched at the spot again before he stood up to take a quick shower in the ensuite. When he came back into his bedroom, he was dressed only in a pair of low slung pajama pants and the band around his wrist that contained his wand. Elritze hadn’t moved and she gave him an impatient mew. “You’re as bad as Thorgeirr,” he grumbled, but climbed into bed and turned off the bedside lamp with its magical flame.
When he laid down on his side, one hand beneath his pillow and close to where he had a hidden knife, Elritze quietly padded over and curled up against his chest so that her little head rested against his arm. Harry chuckled and pulled his blanket over himself before he relaxed. He had to admit that he was exhausted, though only Thorgeirr would really understand his dilemma. He was thankful to the white-haired man for his help. With the older man’s presence close by, and Elritze’s soothing purrs a lullaby, Harry was able to sleep well for the first time since he had gone to Hogwarts.
The next morning, breakfast was already spread out over the table when Harry left his bedroom with Elritze in his arms. Thorgeirr had just picked up the Daily Prophet and was looking over it with a frown. “There was another attack last night. This time at an integrated mundane and magical town in southern England.” Throughout the world, there were hidden villages like Hogsmeade where the only inhabitants were wizards. There were, however, also partially hidden settlements that were often small and visible on a map, but the magical parts were warded against those who didn’t know about magic. These cities and villages were safe havens for those who didn’t have any magic of their own, but were aware of the secret. Thorgeirr had looked at a few of them before he had settled on Hogsmeade to be as close as possible to Harry.
Harry sat down and let Elritze curl up on his lap, feeding her a piece of egg from one of the platters on the table. “Which town?” He asked, only vaguely curious.
“Brentor in Dartmoor,” Thorgeirr replied as he set his paper aside. “Mostly on the wizarding side, but it leaked over into the mundane side. One of my sources say they’re covering it by saying it was unexploded World War Two munitions finally going off.” He gave a shake of his head as he started to load up his plate. “You know, this war is bad for business.”
Harry snorted softly as he prepared his own plate. “You’re the one who decided to uproot your entire operations and follow after me.”
Thorgeirr paused and looked up at Harry with a blank expression. “If you’re trying to ask me if I regret this, then I never will. I built up a network once, I can do it again. It’s not even from scratch this time.” He smirked a little then and picked up his fork as he looked away again. “But, you’re right. I don’t really have a right to complain, do I?”
“You complain the most out of everyone I know,” Harry shot back sweetly.
Thorgeirr flicked a piece of toast at Harry. “And you’re always a brat, boy.” He didn’t look too annoyed though. “Eat up, kid. You got classes soon, I bet. What you got first?”
Harry spread some jam onto a piece of bread and took a bite. It was Monday, so he had DADA first off. Then after he had Study of Ancient Runes. He told Thorgeirr this once he had swallowed. It wasn’t too bad of a morning as long as Professor Black decided to ignore him for the class. “Though I have a double period of potions after lunch.” At least then he had a free period afterwards. Herbology ended his day and he didn’t have strong feelings for it either way. He’d never really been able to have opinions before, not ones that he could verbally speak about. But he would easily admit that he didn’t look forward to potions.
“Full day. You’re still learning about dueling in DADA, yeah?” Thorgeirr said between eating. “Bet you could teach that class better than that current professor. He still giving you any trouble?”
At the question, Harry gave a shrug as he ran his fingers through Elritze’s soft fur. “It’s nothing that I can’t handle,” he said offhandedly. “I’m his last link to his dead friends. I suppose he’s my last link, that I know of, to my dead parents.” He had come to Hogwarts originally to understand his past, where he came from. But he thought that perhaps Professor Black had come on too strong. That, and he didn’t like bullies. Sirius Black was a bully just like Severus Snape was, though they had their different motivations and were bullies of different breeds. So to speak.
“Well, if you decide you ever want to give Black a chance,” Thorgeirr interrupted Harry’s thoughts, “You are more than welcome to bring him here. You don’t really need it, but I’m happy to provide you some backup.”
“I know,” was all that Harry replied.
Once he had finished his breakfast, Harry helped Thorgeirr to clean up from their meal. On his way back to the castle, Harry made his way through the residential streets of the village before he made his way across the open grounds. When he rounded the Quidditch stands, he made sure to keep along the base of the hillock to obscure him from Hogwarts’ windows. Once he rounded the hillock, he strode quickly and with purpose to the castle walls. From there, he skirted the wall at a jog while he knew that he’d only be seen if someone were to stick their head out the window to look directly down. Harry entered the castle then through a door that led to the greenhouses, then deftly avoided everyone in the hallways until he reached the Slytherin Commonroom.
As he had already showered at Thorgeirr’s flat the night before, Harry only changed out his clothes for a clean uniform and then collected what he needed for his two morning classes. When he slipped into his seat just before the bell rang to begin class, Theo glanced at him with a small frown. “Where were you last night? And this morning? You never came back,” he whispered just for Harry’s ears.
“Hogsmeade,” was all Harry said before the bell rang and Professor Black called the class to order.
Luckily, Professor Black ignored him during the duration of the class and Harry was able to slip out the door without the man trying to stop him. He parted ways with Theo and Blaise to head to his Ancient Rune’s class. Once he had turned in his homework, Professor Babbling gave him a new packet of work for him. Her class had recently become a study period for him as he advanced more quickly than the younger students in the class. He was able to work on the packets she gave him and ask questions when he needed. It was an arrangement that they had started the week prior to see how it went, for which Harry was grateful. The material was interesting and he didn’t want to be limited, too used to going at his own pace.
Lunch was uneventful, though Malfoy had kept sending him looks throughout the meal. Harry left early to grab his supplies for the double period of Potions. He almost expected the blonde to follow him, but he must have chickened out. The double period went by well enough as they were given a more complicated potion to brew, Snape’s teaching method consistent if unhelpful. But as Harry went to leave, the professor held him back with a sharp word.
“Headmaster Dumbledore wanted to see you,” he said once the rest of the students had exited the classroom. The man sneered then and waved his hand. “I have another class so I don’t have time to escort you. I’m sure you’re aware of where his office is anyways, but remarkably this doesn’t seem to be because you have gotten yourself into trouble. You better get moving, Potter.”
Harry gave a sharp nod of his head and pivoted on his heel at the dismissal. With the Slytherin dorms close by, and with no idea how long the meeting with the Headmaster would go, Harry dropped off his potions’ materials. He grabbed his Herbology supplies instead and then walked briskly up towards the Headmaster’s office, though he wondered what it was that the Headmaster was up to that time.
As soon as Harry stepped through the door, Dumbledore gave him a carefully crafted smile. “I’m glad you came so quickly, Mr. Potter,” he said and then made a motion towards his desk. “Would you care to join me for some tea? You have a free period, yes?”
Harry was sure that the man wanted more than tea and he wasn’t in the mood to play games, not after having to deal with Snape’s class. “Unfortunately, I prefer to spend my free period in catching up with my studies, Headmaster. Can we get to the point?”
Dumbledore gave a sigh of disappointment as he poured himself a cup from the teapot in front of him. He still didn’t say anything as he added one too many cubes of sugar, enough that Harry wanted to wrinkle his nose in disgust. Instead, the teen said nothing and waited with the patience that had been beaten into him. Finally, Dumbledore took a sip of his sugary tea. “I wanted to take the opportunity to give you some private lessons, Mr. Potter.”
“With all due respect, Headmaster, I don’t believe there is much that you could teach me,” Harry said evenly. He wasn’t lying either since he didn’t really have any interest in high powered magics, or intricate and deep magical theories.
At Harry’s statement, there was a brief pause and a flash of emotion across Dumbledore’s face. Harry had the feeling that the old man wasn’t used to being turned down. As the face of resistance against the Thief, Dumbledore’s ego had likely inflated so much that he couldn’t see why anyone might turn him down. Dumbledore took another sip of his tea, likely in an effort to hide his reaction. Once he set his cup back down, he gave Harry a more serious look. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist, Mr. Potter. I’ll explain tonight, so I’ll see you after dinner.”
Harry gave a sharp nod, taking it like orders he had taken from Capitán in Legio. “If you’ll excuse me then, Headmaster.” He said shortly. Luckily the old wizard let him go, so he turned on his heel and left. After a quick check of the time, he headed towards the library. He worked on his Herbology homework since it was the only thing he had on him even though it wasn’t due until the next week. Later, Harry found himself back at the Headmaster’s office that night after dinner just as the man had ordered him.
With a swish of his wand, Dumbledore had unlocked a cabinet to reveal a stone basin with runes that Harry hadn’t studied yet. The bowl was filled with a shimmery liquid that looked almost like mercury, but was more transparent than the dangerous element. “Do you know what this is, my boy?” The man had his grandfatherly act on again, but Harry only gave him a deadpan stare. He didn’t know why the old wizard still tried with his ruse.
“No,” he said shortly and said nothing else.
There was an awkward pause, but Dumbledore quickly recovered. “It’s a pensieve. A way to view memories,” the man explained. Harry only continued to stare at Dumbledore. The Headmaster cleared his throat and made a motion towards the basin. “There is something important I wished to show you within those memories,” he told Harry. “It’s the memories of a Bob Ogden, a ministry official at the time. He died some time ago now, but not before I was able to track him down to persuade him to part with these memories of his. So, we shall be accompanying him on a visit he made during the course of his duties as an employee of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Shall we? Just dip your face into the basin.”
He must be kidding. He wasn’t sure how the pensieve would work, but he would need to turn his unprotected back towards the Headmaster while some unknown magic was at work. “After you, Headmaster,” he said finally. “Show me how it’s done?” It was that or he would not participate in this at all. He had strengthened his mental shields as tightly as he could in case the strange mind magics could influence him.
In the end, Dumbledore conceded the battle and entered the pensieve first. Harry watched as the man dipped his face into the strange liquid and seemed to be sucked in. It was an almost comical thing to watch. Surreal. He almost turned on his heel and left, not really interested in whatever Dumbledore was trying to show him. Still, he didn’t think he’d get very far before the man realized he hadn’t followed and Harry was trying to avoid unnecessary trouble. So he gave in and followed after the Headmaster.
When Harry appeared next to Dumbledore, the man gave him a grin that seemed to manifest actual sparkles. It was like a scene that he had glimpsed in a comic that Theta had smuggled into the barracks once. Harry ignored the old wizard so he could look around at their surroundings. They stood before a rundown old shack of a building with a snake nailed against the door. It wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever seen, but it still was unsettling in a way that sent warning signals down his spine. He had to remind himself that this was a memory and would be like seeing a movie projected around him. He wouldn’t be able to interact with it.
So, he silently watched as Bob Ogden, a magical law enforcement officer, went to speak with the occupants of the ramshackle hut about a summons to a hearing for magic against a muggle. Harry assumed it was a muggle that was unaware of magic. Harry crossed his arms loosely across his chest as he allowed a small frown. He wasn’t sure what Dumbledore’s plan was, or why these events were even relevant. The family was a real piece of work though, all at least halfway to madness. He noted that they hissed at each other, however. It was sibilant in a way that was familiar, but Harry couldn’t exactly place why. He could feel Dumbledore’s eyes on him during this scene, but Harry ignored him. He could practically feel the man’s dawning confusion.
Things devolved into chaos when the younger of the two men in the memory revealed that the woman was in love with the muggle man that had appeared. As Harry exited the memory with the Headmaster, the man started explaining how Ogden had later returned with backup to arrest the two Gaunt men to bring them to Azkaban. Harry had frowned slightly at the name of the infamous wizarding prison. He had visited once, years ago, when they had been hired to assist in the capture of an international and highly dangerous magical criminal. It was not an experience he was in any hurry to repeat.
When Dumbledore took a seat at his desk, Harry went to stand in front of it. “What was the point of all that, Headmaster?” The man still hadn’t explained.
Dumbledore looked at him with a more serious look than he had in the past. “Voldemort’s true name is Tom Marvolo Riddle,” the man said grimly.
“Marvolo Gaunt is his grandfather, so does that make Merope his mother?” Harry instantly made the connection. “The muggle man is his father. What happened? Riddle Sr. looks too vain to want a woman like Merope Gaunt.”
Nodding in agreement, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. “Yes. I’m glad you noticed it,” he said quietly. “Merope Gaunt coveted Tom Riddle Sr. but he wouldn’t give her a second glance. Though she was little more than a squib in terms of magical power, Merope was a phenomenal potionmaker. She dosed Tom Riddle Sr. with a strong love potion so that he would marry her.” The Headmaster continued to explain the details behind Voldemort’s birth. Fascinating, really. Though Harry didn’t know why Dumbledore was taking time to tell him. To somehow entice him to be their saviour?
Though Harry had noticed the two artifacts that the Gaunts had been waving about in the memory. A ring and a locket. They seemed to hold some sort of significance, but Dumbledore didn’t remark upon it. Still, Harry carefully stored the information away in a chest in some locked room of his mental landscape. A habit and nothing more.
When a lull came to their one sided conversation, Harry clasped his hands behind his back. “I have studying that I need to do, Headmaster. I had hoped to visit the library before curfew.”
The man blinked, as if surprised by the idea of Harry being so diligent in his studies. “Ah, yes, of course. Do forgive me for taking up so much of your time, my boy. You are dismissed then, and with plenty of time before curfew.” He gave Harry a benevolent smile then. “I hope you have a good night, Mr. Potter. But, before you go, I want to take the opportunity to let you know that I wish to continue these lessons. I’ll summon you when I’m available for your next lesson.”
Lessons? What a joke. Harry gave a sharp nod to show he understood and then he turned on his heel, intent on leaving before Dumbledore held him back for any other reasons. He was able to make his escape though, so he made his way down to the dungeons so he could fetch his bag. He hadn’t been lying when he had said that he wanted to visit the school’s library, but he also wouldn’t put it past the Headmaster to spy on him and follow his movements.
When he arrived in the dorm, Theo had already gone to bed. Blaise said the other teen had been complaining of a headache so had retired early. Compelled to check on his companion once he entered the dormroom, Harry carefully crept over to Theo’s bed on silent feet. He couldn’t sense any magic upon the bed curtains, so he carefully pulled back on one of them. Theo looked like he was sleeping relatively peacefully, so Harry let the curtain fall back into place. With no one else around to see him, Harry drew on his magic and willed for a protective ward around the teen’s bed. Theo wouldn’t be bothered until morning.
With that done, Harry removed part of his uniform so he would be more comfortable. He then finally collected his satchel and left for the library while Blaise stayed behind as he socialized with other Slytherins. Harry didn’t normally mind when Theo or Blaise tagged along to the library, but it was nice to be undisturbed for once.
The library was quiet when Harry slipped in through the doors. The librarian was quick to glare at him even though he hadn’t made a sound and she sharply reminded him of the time. Harry only nodded as he wandered away from her. He didn’t think the witch liked anyone even though Harry hadn’t made any trouble that might have earned him her ire.
There were few students in the library and all of them were upper Years. Most of them were diligently studying, though a few he caught whispering and giggling over whatever gossip was currently making its way around school. He ignored them as he studied a row of books before he selected a promising tome. After he had dragged it off the shelf, Harry searched for an open table.
As he headed for a quiet corner, Harry’s sharp eyes caught a curled up body in one of the window seats hidden in the rear of the library. He quickly recognized the untamed hair of Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor witch in his Year. There was no one else around and he quickly picked up on the sound of tears when he stepped closer. Harry knew that Granger was bullied, though he had never seen the extent of it. It was likely just a snide comment here and there, unimaginative digs at her intelligence that were born out of jealousy. She had hidden well how their words had affected her, it seemed.
He always followed his gut instinct. Gut instincts were usually clues that were subconsciously recognized and had saved his life on more than one occasion in the past. Whatever pulled at him now likely didn’t have any immediate life or death impact, but Harry still walked over to a nearby table where Granger’s things were already spread out. He set his things down with a heavier hand than he would usually, just so Granger would be alerted to his presence.
The girl hastily wiped at her eyes as she stiffened, her back almost painfully rigid. Harry said nothing and only watched her from the corner of his eye as he pulled out his things. “Can I help you?” The girl asked him finally as she hopped off the seat and approached the table. If it wasn’t for her puffy and red eyes, Harry wouldn’t have been able to tell that she had been crying. He pulled out his pen case though before he lifted his eyes to study her. Though her skin tone was lighter than Zeta or Blaise’s rich chocolate skin tones, he thought she had a similar ancestral background to either one of them. Harry himself had a darker skin tone, though it was more likely that one of his parents had had a Middle Eastern ancestry. As Granger nervously tugged on a lock of her flyaway hair, Harry wondered if she was mocked for her ancestry as well. He had never understood why such things mattered to some people.
“Just wanted the company as I work on my Charms homework,” he said neutrally. “I hope you don’t mind?” Granger didn’t respond right away, her eyes wide and uncertain. “I can move if I’m bothering you.”
That seemed to snap her out of her thoughts as she quickly shook her head. “No! Uh, it’s alright,” she stuttered briefly and then quickly held her hand out. Harry glanced down at it and then reached out to clasp her hand in his own for a handshake. “The name is Hermione Granger. I’m sure you know as we share a few classes, but I’m a Gryffindor Seventh Year. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter.” Her eyes flickered up to get a glimpse of his scar, something that Harry had gotten used to.
As he released her hand, Harry sat back in his seat. “What homework are you working on?” He asked her curiously, just to engage her in conversation. She still looked uneasy, though she had taken a seat across from him.
“Uh, I’m caught up on all of my homework actually,” Granger said finally. “I usually complete it as soon as I can, so I’ll work on other projects in the meantime. One can never have enough knowledge.”
Harry hummed softly as he flipped open his Charms textbook. So Granger was the type to crave knowledge for knowledge’s sake. It was something that was not necessarily useful for the real world, not unless she wanted to be a researcher or a professor. But it wasn’t his place to comment on it. “What project are you working on, then?”
When he asked the question, Granger gave him a surprised look. Harry thought it might be because she wasn’t used to someone actually being interested enough to listen to her. He waited patiently for her to respond as he flipped through his textbook. Granger was silent for several more moments, but then she seemed to gather herself as she cleared her throat. “Ah, I was making my way through Cassandra McCrowley’s ‘An Anthology and Compendium of the Narratives of Magical Britain’,” she said as she dragged over a huge tome that probably weighed as much as a small child.
“Anything interesting?” Harry asked as he picked up his fountain pen. He watched as Granger brightened and immediately started on a veritable lecture on what she had learned so far from the text she had been reading. Harry listened with one ear as he worked on his homework at the same time. Granger didn’t seem to mind, or perhaps hadn’t even noticed as she chattered quickly. It went on like this until the librarian finally came along and cleared her throat sharply before she reminded them about curfew. The two teens quickly gathered up their things and Granger gave Harry a cheery goodbye. Harry only nodded to her and left for his own Commonroom, though he continued his studies until well after everyone else had already gone to bed. Sleep was a long time coming.
Notes:
So, confession time. Years ago I used to write on a certain other .net fanfiction site. I went onto the site recently because I was looking for something and, purely on accident, ran across my abandoned profile from around when I was eighteen. I only had a handful of stories published on there, so I glanced over them. And, my dear readers, I am so glad to see that my writing has improved by leaps and bounds. It was so cringy and so very terrible. Very dialogue heavy and barely any substance. I still can’t believe I wrote that stuff… and somehow there were people who liked them. Oh, the embarrassment!
Chapter 22
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Hey, Harry.” Blaise caught Harry’s attention as they packed their things up. The group had been in the library to work on their assignments, though the last twenty minutes had been Hermione and Luna debating over whether or not Wrackspurts actually existed. Blaise had continued to work on his Charms’ essay, but Theo had become somewhat invested in the debate between the two girls. Harry had ignored them all as he reviewed for an upcoming Transfiguration exam. The Halloween feast was about to begin however, so they had called an end to their group study. Normally dinner would be held immediately after the last class of the day, but the Halloween feast was being held later on in the evening for reasons the Headmaster hadn’t really explained. Theo had just shrugged and said it was the way it had always been.
Harry slung his bag over his shoulder and gave Blaise his attention. Blaise threw his own bag over his head and stepped up to Harry’s side. “You still headed down to Hogsmeade? You sure you want to miss the feast?”
It may be his only chance to attend the Halloween feast at Hogwarts, but Harry found that he didn’t really care. It sounded like most of the available food would be sweets and he wasn’t too keen on that. “I’m not interested in the feast,” he told Blaise plainly. “I’ll probably be down there all weekend.” After all, Hogwarts was boring. He would admit that there were people here that he could think of as companions, but the schooling itself was boring. Some things were useful, but on the whole he’d rather be out taking jobs than sitting on his hands doing practically nothing. Thorgeirr had seemed to realize this, so had invited him down to Hogsmeade to spend the weekend.
“I guess we’ll cover for you then if we need to,” Theo said, though Harry noticed that the other boy was trying not to look disappointed. Luna came up to Theo in the next moment and threaded her arm through his. Theo blinked down at her in surprise, but quickly gave in. HIs shoulders relaxed and he looked up at Harry with a little smile. “Yeah, alright. I guess it’s understandable,” he said with a little sigh and a twist of his lips that was small but genuine. “Have fun.” He let Luna lead him away then, the girl happily chatting away at him as they walked. Hermione said her goodbyes as well and promised to see the others down at the feast.
With their group headed their separate ways, Harry walked with Blaise down to the Commonroom to drop off their schoolbags. Blaise had taken Theo’s as Luna had led the teen off in the direction of the Hall. After he had stashed the two bags, Blaise said goodbye to Harry and left without another word. Harry took his time to collect his gym bag and packed with a few things. Most of what he might need was at Thorgeirr’s place, but he had a few things he wanted to bring along. Mostly a change of uniform for when he returned to Hogwarts at the end of the weekend. Once he had everything he needed, Harry quietly made his way out of the school while most were occupied by the feast.
The walk down to Hogsmeade was a quiet one. He took the usual path towards the Quidditch pitch and through the field towards the residential streets of Hogsmeade. The sun had set early, before classes had even ended for the day. By now it was fully dark except for the stars and the school itself that was lit up like flickering fireflies. It was an awe inspiring sight, one that seemed almost magical. Well, it likely was magical in nature. It felt strange to look at in all honestly, so used as he was to the grittier side of the world. He turned away from the castle and didn’t look back again.
When Harry arrived at the Haus, the lights were off and there was a closed sign in the door. There had been more people than usual on the streets so late into the evening, but then it was a holiday night. In the midst of a war, people had a tendency to find any sort of relief from the stress where they could. And Hogsmeade was a relatively safe place where they could gather for their celebrations. Harry had slipped unseen through the various throngs until he had reached the Haus. Even though it was closed, he was able to enter in through the wards and lock the door behind him once again. All of the lights were off, so Harry went for the upper floor stairs. It unlocked for him, so he let himself in and ascended the stairs.
The first thing he saw was Thorgierr in the kitchen, though there were incredible smells that had wafted down the stairs that he had followed. The man grinned at him and made a motion with his head. “Hey, brat. Food will be ready soon, so why don’t you go catch up.”
Harry narrowed his eyes, his instincts already pinging. He could sense more than one person in the apartment, but Thorgeirr was calm. He wasn’t putting on an act, so it was people that the older man trusted. Still, Harry loosened one of his knives in its sheath as he rounded the corner, prepared for anything. It had to be someone he knew for Thorgeirr to tell him to catch up, but had no idea who it could be.
“A!” The bright call came from Theta, who was perched on the back of the couch. Harry stopped and stared, unable to hold back his surprise even if it only showed by a slight widening of his eyes. Zeta sat primly in a chair with Elritze happily curled up on the young woman’s lap. She gave Harry a nod in greeting, though he spotted a smirk barely hidden in the curl of her mouth.
“Zeta,” Harry said flatly before he flicked his gaze over to the other boy. “Theta. What are you both doing here?” He was glad to see them, always glad to see them, but they normally each had their own things. For the longest time, they were only to come to Thorgeirr if there was something wrong. Neither one of them seemed to be injured or on edge, but he couldn’t help but worry.
Theta seemed to sense Harry’s thoughts as he hopped off the couch and gave the taller teen a sharp grin. “We can’t see you because we miss you?” Harry had the urge to roll his eyes, but instead just gave Theta a deadpan stare. In response, the other teen huffed softly and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “There’s unease growing in certain circles, worry that this Dark Lord is going to expand outside of Britain. Or, at the very least, his actions here will have rippling repercussions throughout the rest of the world. So Zee and I teamed up to gather intel. Thought we could trade information and decide what we should do next.”
Harry reached down to pick up Elritze when she hopped off Zeta’s lap and started to twine herself around his ankles. He then took a seat in the corner of the couch and ran his fingers through the cat’s fur. “They expect Harry Potter to be a saviour, but I’m not who they want to be. I’m no hero.”
“None of us are,” Theta said promptly, his voice serious. “But it’s better to be informed than not, right? And, honestly, this could provide an opportunity for us to benefit.”
“Hey, brats, why don’t we hold off on shop talk until food is ready,” Thorgeirr called over his shoulder suddenly. “I said to catch up, not start a war council.”
Theta snorted and dropped down in the opposite corner of the couch from Harry. “Well, I met this really cute boy and I’m flunking all of my classes. What about you, Zee?” Theta fluttered his eyelashes at the young woman. He yelped then and ducked a knife that sailed harmlessly over his head.
Harry was used to their antics so he calmly plucked the knife out of the wall and fixed the hole with a quick brush of magic. He carefully gripped the tip of it as he held it out to Zeta. The young woman grabbed it and tucked it away again even as she gave Theta a raised eyebrow. “Next one will be through your eye,” she promised him flatly.
Theta huffed, but didn’t tease her again. “Seriously though, I’ve spent the last couple of months doing recon. Though I did take a babysitting job for a little while. Some wealthy snob who was receiving death threats. Kept watch over him until the threat went away. Or, more accurately, for the investigators to actually do their jobs. I might have helped out in that regard, dropped a few hints to Scotland Yard, because they were taking too long,” Theta huffed as he leaned back and threw his arm over the back of the couch. “Got paid well though, so I’m set for a little while at least.”
“More than what I’ve had since our last mission together,” Harry said lightly as he carded his fingers through Elritze fur.
At his words, Theta leaned forward and grinned again at Harry. “Oh? Are you jealous, A?” He purred as he propped his chin against his knuckles. But when Harry leveled a look on him, he quickly backpedaled. “Well, maybe not jealous, but certainly bored. I don’t think any of us have gone so long without fighting in some way since we were practically tiny tots.” He gave a sheepish grin now as he sat back. “I know I would be bored. So why not fight in a war just to keep from getting rusty? Wizards would certainly be an entertaining challenge. At least one might hope.”
Harry found that he couldn’t disagree with Theta. He had met interesting people, and learned a few interesting things, but on the whole he had been bored. He thought it would have been nice to have some peace. Though it was funny how he thought a school in the midst of war was peaceful. Though granted, Hogwarts had largely been untouched by the war. However, he had found he really didn’t enjoy the peace. He wasn’t used to such inactivity. His first kill had been as a young boy and he had lost count of how many lives bloodied his hands. He didn’t enjoy the killing, but he had gotten used to it. He had gotten used to the violence. And now he knew only one way to keep his hands busy.
“I’ll forever hold out hope that one day you three can all act like normal young adults,” Thorgeirr called from the kitchen. “Never have anything normal to talk about do you?”
Harry turned his attention to the man and allowed a small smirk. “Like you’re one to talk,” he retorted.
Thorgeirr snorted as he looked over his shoulder and met Harry’s eyes with a smirk of his own. “Aye, you caught me. But I can still hope. But that’s for another day, so why don’t you all come make yourselves useful and help set the table.”
With a roll of his eyes, Harry stood up and gently placed Elritze on the couch. She gave him an unhappy mewl and darted off to go hide off in his room. He watched her go, then led the way to the kitchen. He didn’t have to order the other two as both Theta and Zeta followed without question. Harry showed them where the plates and everything else were located, so they soon had the table set. Thorgeirr then had them help bring over all the food he had made.
Once they were all seated, Thorgeirr sat back as he watched the three young adults fill their plates with food. Only once he was sure that they had enough did the older man fill his own plate. “How are your classes going, kid?” He asked then as he tried to keep the conversation steered in a direction away from where he knew they would eventually end up.
Harry picked up his fork and stabbed one of his potatoes as he pondered the question. “The magic itself is simple enough. I learned the basic rules of magic a long time ago,” he said before he slid the roasted potato into his mouth. Once he swallowed, he continued. “A lot of magic is about will and intent. But wizards make it all needlessly complicated. They get stuck in their rules and their complicated theories.”
“Wizards are paradoxical beings,” Zeta said softly. She rarely spoke, and certainly not as much as Theta, but she always said what needed to be said. Harry found her voice to be low and a little husky, a soothing timbre. “They rarely have an ounce of logic in their reasoning, yet they seek to add rigid rules to every facet of how they perceive magic.”
Harry nodded his agreement. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make it all the way through the school year. Theta seemed interested in the school however and pressed Harry for more details. He seemed somewhat interested in the particulars of his classes, but was more intrigued by the castle itself. Especially the moving staircases as he commented on wanting to try jumping from one to another. When Harry gained a considering look, Thorgeirr groaned. “I’m not mourning you if you fall to your death because of stairs and your own stupidity, brat.”
“As if I’d let myself fall. That’s what magic is for,” Harry shot back without a beat. He ignored Theta’s snort, but did look at the other teen. “You mentioned intel.”
Thorgeirr sighed, but the teens ignored the man as Theta poked at his roast beef and frowned a little. “None of us have really paid that much attention to these parts of the globe. Sure it has its own problems, but it tends to run more towards white collar crimes or murder for hire. That type of thing.” Harry nodded his agreement. They had been trained for warzones and the like, though he remembered a few kidnappings or assassinations Legio had been hired for. The group had its fingers in many pies, but had specialized units for the various ops they ran. There was rarely any crossover, at least for the Letters.
“Well, lately there has been an increase of reported terrorist attacks across mundane Great Britain. However, none of the usual suspects are claiming responsibility. There’s also a rise in gas explosions, and even explosions connected to previously unexploded World War Two ordinance,” Theta continued and then shoved a slice of meat into his mouth.
With Theta’s mouth full, Harry sat back and picked up his cup. “Deatheater attacks,” he said without inflection. It wasn’t a question. “The conflict is leaking out into the mundane world.”
“Yes,” Theta said after he had swallowed with a grimace. “It’s running the risk of exposing the magical world to the mundane world.” More non magical people were aware of the wizarding world than most wizards realized, as it had become somewhat of an open secret in some circles, but the world wasn’t ready for the wizarding world to be completely exposed. Mages just weren’t ready for such a thing. The delicate balance of economies and social order weren’t ready for a whole other facet to become exposed to public view. “The Dark Lord is also building power,” Theta continued with a frown as he picked up his roll and broke off a piece.
“His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle,” Harry interrupted. “Though Luna, a companion from school, has taken to calling him Thief.”
Theta paused and then shared a quick look with Zeta, though a grin quickly spread over the teen’s face as he looked back at Harry. “Oh? Flight from death, right? Yes, I like it!” He cackled as he mopped up some of the gravy on his plate. He then popped it into his mouth and swallowed after only a few chews. “Mm, so the Thief is building power outside of the British Isles. Blood supremacists are just another hate group, but unfortunately they’re not limited to just Great Britain. They always seem to have the strongest presence in white dominant nations, but satellite groups aligned with Thief are popping up in other major cities all over the world. So far it seems to be mostly confined to Europe, but there are rumors of movement in the States as well.”
Next to Harry, Zeta shifted in her seat and drew attention to herself. “Within the Thief’s close circles, his followers are called Deatheaters. Affiliated groups are claiming the name of Knights of the Old Dawn,” she said with a look towards Harry.
“Typical extremist types,” Theta muttered. Harry hummed his agreement after he nodded at Zeta. “I picked up some chatter about another attack planned for later tonight actually,” he revealed then as he sat back in his seat. “It’s a magical town.”
Harry gave a nod, his eyes on his plate as he thought it over. “The Thief wants to purge everything that is not magical,” he said finally. “Those with a mundane heritage, or have non magical partners, are likely viewed as traitors in some capacity. Their goal is likely to spread fear and to punish those they believe are in need of it. Anyone who opposes their viewpoints.”
Theta huffed, his lips twisted in a grimace. “Again, typical extremist types.”
There was a lull in the conversation then until Zeta spoke up again. “The Minister of Magic is a puppet under the control of the Thief,” she stated. “A war on two fronts.”
“The attacks draw attention away from whatever legislation changes he’s making from within the Ministry,” Harry realized quickly. “The attacks serve a dual purpose of being a front and to weaken their enemy with frequent attacks. The newspaper, which is under the Thief’s control, only ever reports on the various attacks. When government laws are passed, they aren’t reported until it is too late.“ Zeta nodded her agreement.
Theta hummed thoughtfully and then speared a carrot with his fork. “You know…” He trailed off before he gave a shark-like grin. “We might not be heroes, A, but we have experience in destabilizing regimes, don’t we?” He snorted then. “Conspiracy theorist’s wet dream.”
At the question, Harry didn’t respond right away as he ignored Theta’s final comment. His brow was furrowed as he looked down at his half-eaten plate. “The Thief is their linchpin,” he said finally as he lifted his eyes. “From what I understand of mages, they are little more than sheep. They’re largely followers. When the Thief was defeated the first time nearly twenty years ago, his Deatheaters scattered. Defeat him and they’ll scatter again.”
“Like rats,” Theta tacked on. “But, the Thief has already been resurrected once. How do we know he won’t do it again? His followers might be rats, but he himself is a damn cockroach.” The teen gave an exaggerated shiver. Harry decided it wouldn’t be worth it to roll his eyes. Still, Theta stuck his tongue out at him.
“It does beg a good question, however,” Thorgeirr interrupted. As the three young mercenaries looked at him, he leaned back in his chair and met their gazes evenly. “He’s already resurrected once, so he obviously has a way to tether himself to life. Although, it did take him thirteen some years to do it.”
Theta brightened. “We could always kill him again and it’ll give us time to figure out how he’s keeping himself alive. And kill him for good.”
“It’s a simple plan, but it’s an idea,” Harry agreed as he returned to his food. “In the meantime, I will see what I can find in the Hogwarts’ library. Hermione mentioned that it’s the largest library of magical material in all of wizarding Britain. I doubt I’ll find anything in the normal stacks, but that just means I’ll have to break into the Restricted section.” Gave him an excuse to actually do it and get past the magical security that was in place. Might be a fun challenge.
Theta shifted in his seat then and drew Harry’s attention. “On that note, Zee and I had a surprise for you. A present,” he said with a grin as he shoved the last of his dinner into his mouth. He chewed quickly and then swallowed. “I mentioned that I had gotten word of an attack planned for tonight. So, I thought we might have some fun. I thought you might be bored at the fancy school of yours, so I came prepared.”
From across the table, Thorgeirr gave a heavy sigh. He then gave Harry a wry smile. “Go on then. I can handle the clean up here, too. You’ll need to get moving if you want time to scope out the location.” Harry knew that Thorgeirr trusted in his abilities, but didn’t like how young he was. Still, he was thankful that the man rarely did more than make snarky comments. Thorgeirr understood his situation anyways. So Harry shoved his last potato into his mouth and stood up. Theta gave Thorgeirr a playful salute and followed after Harry. Zeta joined them quickly as Harry took the lead.
In Harry’s bedroom, Theta picked up a large duffle and carefully dropped it down onto the bed. Harry unzipped it to find a number of familiar weapons. “The village is called Loch Caesterbury,” Theta reported as Harry took stock of the weapons that the teen had gathered. “I can’t find it on any maps, so it’s likely always been a wizarding settlement. My sources say that it’s a fairly large village of over one thousand residents and the Thief is sending a force of about fifty of his followers to stir up trouble. There doesn’t seem to be any specific target.”
“Pureblood sympathizers mark their doors,” Zeta said suddenly as she sat down on the edge of Harry’s bed and picked up one of the pistols. “An Ouroboros, etched into the centre of the door.”
Harry glanced over at her. “Hidden?”
“According to my source, it reacts to the Dark Marks that Deatheaters are marked by,” Zeta informed him. “But, it can also be revealed through a concentrated pulse of magic.”
It was useful information, so Harry gave her a nod. When there was a noise in the bedroom doorway, Harry looked over to see that Thorgeirr had leaned against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. “Dumbledore’s Order is usually the one to respond to reports of Deatheater activity,” he told them gravely. “The Aurors tend to show up after the Deatheaters have already moved on from their attack. Take care not to cross paths with either group and I would recommend concealing your identities. Especially you, kid. The Order tends to go for imprisonment first and foremost before they’ll go for the kill. They’ll take captured combatants to Azkaban. If they catch you, they’re not likely to take it well just based off of differing viewpoints.”
Harry could care less what they thought of him, but it would be a hassle to deal with the aftermath. So he gave a little nod as he set the rifle down. “Death in war is inevitable,” he commented lightly as he started to undress. Theta and Zeta didn’t even bat an eye as they started to follow Harry’s lead. Thorgeirr frowned and then turned away to head back into the kitchen.
Once all three of the young adults were dressed and fully kitted up, they gathered in Thorgeirr’s living room. The older man watched them with a complicated look on his face, but said nothing as he joined them. “Three meters down the pathway from the Nexus, step off on the left side of the path. There is an old red shed hidden underneath some wards. Kid, you should be able to get inside.” He tossed something at Harry, who caught it easily.
Harry opened his hand and looked down at the set of keys in his gloved palm. “Your Jeep?”
“Even through the highways, that’ll get you there quicker than on your feet. And it’s more inconspicuous,” Thorgeirr said as he leaned down to pick up Elritze as she weaved around his ankles.
“Could have taken my Patrol, ‘cuz I got her stashed, but that’ll work too,” Theta said with a shrug as he shifted his rifle over his shoulder. “We should get going.”
Harry nodded and tucked the keys into one of the pouches on his flak vest. “Let’s roll,” he said quietly, his voice firm. He could feel Thorgeirr’s gaze on him still as he led the way out of the flat. Harry knew that the older man would remain awake until they had returned no matter what the time would be. He spared one last glance over his shoulder and then disappeared down into the shadows of the darkened stairwell.
Careful to keep out of view of any of the nosy neighbors, Harry led the way to the Nexus. The large gateway was always unguarded, something he never understood. Wizards were either too trusting or just too stupid to think of regulating the highways. Especially during a war. But it worked in their favour as they slipped unseen through the shimmering veil and onto the lit pathway beyond. And once they had retrieved Thorgeirr’s black Jeep Wrangler, they were well on their way. Theta was at the wheel as he had been the one with the intel. He passed on what else he knew, but there wasn’t much to discuss.
When they were close, Theta pulled off the road so they could hide the Jeep. Harry got them back onto the road and they continued the rest of the way on foot. They were lucky they were alone, though it was late enough that there didn’t tend to be much traffic anyways. Harry was the first to step through the veil into the sleepy little village beyond.
The settlement was important enough to have their own gateway, though it was smaller than Hogsmeade. What set apart this wizarding village from any number of places they had been, was how the settlement had chosen to hide itself. It laid beneath a ward dome that kept back the waters of a deep lake, so the Nexus was the only way in or out of the village by foot. Theta’s face was lifted towards the dome, though he didn’t say a word. Harry glanced at it as well, but then focused on the buildings below them in the lake valley.
There were a few lights still on in random houses about the village, the streets lit by flickering streetlamps. The dome above them cast a faint green glow that provided enough light as a full moon night. Everything was quiet, though Harry could faintly hear the movement of the water currents above their heads. Harry hopped up onto a boulder then to give himself a better view of the village below.
Harry turned then to look at his two companions and settled his hands on his rifle, the strap a familiar pull over his shoulder. He shifted, but then planted his feet and looked over his two teammates. “Theta, I want you up in the tower,” he said with a nod towards the steeple of the old meeting hall. “If you’re made, then I want you to withdraw. We’ll rendezvous back here once it’s all over. Zeta, you’ll be with me.” He checked his watch and then pulled up his mask over his nose. “They’ll likely strike at midnight, so you best get into position, Theta. Remember, the Order will show at some point. Avoid contact.” As he held out his fist then, both Theta and Zeta also reached out to press their fists against his. “Return all in one piece,” he said softly.
“Yes, sir,” Theta and Zeta echoed gravely. Theta then disappeared into the darkness to get into position. For a moment, Harry could see Theta’s shadowed form as he flitted between boulders but he quickly dropped out of sight.
Harry adjusted his black baseball cap and then looked over his shoulder at Zeta. “Let’s go.” The nature of Apparition was that an individual needed to have been to a place to be able to transport themselves there. They could also use coordinates to travel to a place they had not visited in the past. Because of this, the Deatheaters would most likely appear first in the village square.
The two followed a similar path that Theta had taken as they picked their way down the rocky side of the valley. They passed houses that were dark, and some that had dim lights that flickered within upstairs windows. A dog barked in the distance, but Harry only made a cursory note of it as they walked along the cobbled pathways. When they arrived in the village square, Harry looked around with a small frown. The square was a little park with benches and plants that were seemingly magical in nature. There were not a lot of places to hide. However, it would benefit them to pick off as many Deatheaters as they could first. Theta had his spot in the tower and wasn’t likely to be noticed in the confusion.
Harry checked his watch and then looked around again. There were a few shops that surrounded the square, so Harry eyed them as he gauged their positions. However, a low stone wall caught his attention the next moment. Beyond the wall was a home but, when Harry reached out his magic, he could not sense anyone in the building itself. Spells were less likely to move through walls than bullets were, but an empty house also meant a lower chance of collateral damage and casualties. If the Deatheaters were able to figure out where to fire back at, at the very least. So he motioned towards it with his head and led the way over.
Harry and Zeta were able to take up positions behind the wall, crouched and out of sight. There was a bit of cover from some sort of hedge as well, but they still had a clear view of the village square. With the night still quiet, Harry took the time to check over his equipment yet again. Next to him, Zeta’s presence was a solid one. Reliable. He knew he could count on her.
The two sat in companionable silence for a long time. They didn’t need words to fill the silence. Harry checked his watch periodically, but nothing happened until nearly one in the morning. By then, most of the lights in the village had gone out but for the streetlights and the occasional bedroom light. It was quiet but for the muffled sound of the water above them, but suddenly there were loud cracks from the direction of the village square.
Harry was immediately on his feet, Zeta not far behind. Still crouched low, they were in position within seconds. Harry took a moment to sight down his scope to watch the gathered figures that had appeared in the square. They all wore dark cloaks that blended into the darkness around them, but were given away by the bone white masks they wore. The masks were like beacons in the night and provided perfect targets as Harry lined up his first shot. The first Deatheater fell in a spray of blood as their head whipped back from the force of the impact. They crumpled like a marionette whose strings had been severed, lifeless and useless.
In the few precious seconds it took for the other Deatheaters to react, Harry and his teammates had dropped eight more. Magical shields went up as the wizards tried to figure out where the shots were coming from, but most of the shields proved useless against physical projectiles. Nine more of the Deatheaters were taken out by the time they realized they needed better shields. Five more fell before they could get the shields up in time. Harry held up a hand then and ceased firing as Zeta followed his lead. Around them, lights were turning on into the houses as the sleepy village reacted to the rapid explosions of gunfire. The Deatheaters too had made no attempt to be quiet as they yelled out their confusion.
Harry made a quick motion with his hand as he straightened from where he had been knelt down on one knee. He remained in a crouch as he led the way along the low wall and into the deeper shadows of an adjacent alley. Harry straightened with his back against the wall as he looked around the corner. The few Deatheaters that were left were in a state of chaos. There had been little organization to them to begin with, but there was even less now. Some had crouched down behind shields to examine their fallen fellows, but most looked about wildly as they tried to find the source of the enemy fire.
When nothing happened for a long moment, the shields started to disappear. Harry had the impression that the shields took up too much magical energy to be held indefinitely. That worked in their favour as he took the opportunity to down several more of the wizards. Zeta had crouched down by his feet and had used the same opportunity to get in her own shots.
The Deatheaters seemed to have some sort of sense as they huddled closer together, trying to present themselves as a smaller target. Some were cowards and had popped away with loud cracks of disapparition. A few were smart enough to try to dive for cover behind solid objects, though the square did not provide much by way of cover. Especially for Theta’s eagle eyes high above in his nest.
It was when Order members started appearing that the last of the remaining Deatheater horde finally turned tail and ran. Harry immediately made a sharp motion with his hand to signal retreat to Zeta. The Order members were standing around in confusion, but he figured they could take care of whatever was left. As he turned, he spotted more than one individual stumble away to empty their stomach into a bush. He had to wonder what Dumbledore would think of their report later. He shook off the thoughts quickly as he led the way back to their rally point to wait for Theta to rendezvous with them. The sniper appeared a few minutes later, his rifle slung securely over his shoulder. Without a word, Harry led the way through the Nexus. They could talk once they returned to Thorgeirr’s place.
Notes:
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I also would like to warn you all that future updates will likely take awhile to get out for an undetermined amount of time. I'm starting a new job tomorrow and so won't have as much time to write as I used to. I'll still try to keep updating, though, so don't worry about that! You all will just have to wait longer for updates, unfortunately. So I apologize in advance!
Chapter 23
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sunlight dawned late in the morning it seemed like, though such a late sunrise was not unusual for that time of year. It seemed unnaturally quiet that morning if only because the teens were normally awake by the early hours of the day, but that morning they were still asleep. Thorgeirr was loathe to disturb them though as he had heard them return late into the night, well past midnight. He had remained awake until he was sure they were home safe, and had fallen asleep to their quiet chatter from the brat’s room. When he had woken before dawn after only a few hours of sleep, the apartment had been quiet. He had silently risen for the day, but there hadn’t even been a rustle from the other bedroom. There had been no movement at all even when he had started to prepare breakfast, though he had thought it might summon them soon.
But it was already past sunrise now and breakfast was long ready, yet there was no sign of the three young mercenaries. Thorgeirr had to wonder just how long they had stayed awake after they had returned, though it was just as likely that they hadn’t had the chance to sleep well in awhile if they were anything like his kid. He knew they were fine, but he couldn’t resist peeking in on them to make sure they were still breathing. Luckily the door was already cracked, which Thorgeirr had to smile at. The kid must have anticipated them sleeping long and knew he’d want to check in on them. He was a good kid, all things considered.
After he had crept up to the door, Thorgeirr quickly spotted the three. Instead of the bed, they seemed to have made a nest on the floor in the back corner of the room. It was easily the most defensible position in the room, though that wasn’t what Thorgeirr had focused on. The kid was in the center of the pile, on his back and his face calm in his sleep. Beside him, Zeta had her head rested comfortably on his chest. One of the kid’s arms was wrapped around her, his hand rested on her stomach. Theta’s head was pillowed against the kid’s stomach while the brat’s hand was splayed over Theta’s chest. Elritze was there as well, curled up on the kid’s thighs. So all was well with how calm she was.
It might have seemed like an odd position for the three given Thorgeirr knew how lightly the brat slept, but he knew that Zeta and Theta would lay down their lives in defense of their leader. And they’d take down any threat before it even came to that. Thorgeirr smiled to himself and then turned away to silently make his way over to the couch. He’d take up guard with a book and watch over the apartment so nothing would disturb their much needed sleep.
It was Elritze’s appearance that let Thorgeirr know that the young men and woman in the other room were finally awake. He glanced up at the time and realized it was nearly noon. “Well. I suppose we should have lunch prepared instead, hm?” He looked down at the white cat next and gave her a little smirk. She only gave him an unimpressed stare. Thorgeirr chuckled and put his book aside so he could stand up. “Why don’t we try something new? I think perhaps a stew or soup of some sort to go with the autumn weather. Especially with the fresh bread we have on hand.”
“Talking to a cat?”
Thorgeirr looked over his shoulder and gave the brat a look. It was unfair how awake the three all looked even though they must have only just woken up. They certainly didn’t look it. “As if you don’t talk to her when you’re alone,” he shot back. “There’s some breakfast food on the table under stasis, if you want it. I’ll be making a proper lunch, but it’ll probably be a little while.” He turned back around and made his way towards the kitchen again.
Harry immediately led the way over to the kitchen table and lifted the cover off of one of the platters. He grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite of it. As he chewed the bite, Harry dropped down into a chair as both Zeta and Theta joined him as well. Theta immediately dived into the food, always the one with the most appetite out of all of them. Zeta was more sedate, but she still joined them in devouring the food.
“How did last night go?” Thorgeirr asked as he glanced over his shoulder. He was cutting up vegetables for whatever he was making.
“Well, I can promise that Thief is scrambling to figure out what happened,” Theta said with a grin that was full of teeth. “He’ll be down quite a few of his fanatics. Though it wasn’t nearly enough.”
Harry almost snorted, but held himself back. “We hid your Jeep back where you stashed it originally,” he told Thorgeirr when the man only shook his head at Theta’s comment. “No injuries to report.” He allowed himself a small smirk when he caught the older man’s small sigh of exasperation. Thorgeirr also muttered something beneath his breath, but Harry wasn’t able to catch whatever it was. Though he could probably guess at the man’s grumbling.
“You opening up the Haus at all today?” Theta changed the subject suddenly as he adjusted his arm around his plate of food. He glanced over to Thorgeirr’s back, though the man didn’t turn to look at them.
There was a beat of silence, but then Thorgeirr shook his head. “Nah, not today. Was up too late last night,” he said, but they all knew it was because the man wanted to spend time with Harry. Theta’s grin was bright and even Zeta had a small smile about her plush lips. They weren’t going anywhere either. “I’m assuming you all are sticking around for the weekend? You can pay me back for the food and lodging by helping me with the Haus tomorrow,” Thorgeirr continued as he still didn’t look back at them.
“As if that was ever in question,” Harry shot back. And that was the truth. He always came to Thorgeirr to relax and he was glad he was able to share that with Zeta and Theta.
A chuckle came from Thorgeirr. “I know you, but just making sure your pals know the routine.” He finally looked over his shoulder as he gave Harry a smirk. “So make sure to clean up those dishes too when you’re done with them.” Harry finally did roll his eyes while Theta snorted in amusement.
Regardless of the teasing, the three did the clean up once they were finished eating just as promised. Thorgeirr had gotten the pot onto the stove to simmer for awhile, so the group all moved back into the living room to sit. Theta grabbed drinks for everyone and then found his usual perch on the back of the couch. Harry leaned against his legs as he took a sip of his soda. Zeta sat on Theta’s other side, though she leaned into the corner of the couch. She tucked her feet under Harry’s thighs and leaned her legs against Theta’s.
“So, Alpha and his team. Theta and Zeta,” Thorgeirr said as he threw one arm over the back of the chair he had commandeered. “Can’t say I know much of the kid’s history from before he became Hex, but I know he thinks highly of his old team.” He shook his head then. “Though I still can’t get over how young you all are and how accomplished you are at your ages. I know you don’t want to tell me much about your history, but are there any stories you can tell? I’m curious about young Alpha. Was he always such a brat?” He flashed Harry a grin. The young man knew that Thorgeirr was only teasing him, but he still gave him a small glare back. Thorgeirr only chuckled.
At Thorgeirr’s questions though, Harry felt the gazes of both Theta and Zeta on him. He knew what they were asking. He gave a little tilt of his head so he could see their hands from the corner of his eyes. Theta’s fingers flexed in an absent sort of motion. Harry held back a smile as Theta’s question only proved him right. Theta wanted to know if it was safe to mention Legio, if Harry wanted to hide their past. How specific could they be with their stories? Let me handle it, he said in reply with a crook of his own fingers as he reached up to scratch at his cheek.
“I’ve never been a brat,” he said after only a few beats of silence since Thorgeirr’s questions. He leaned his head back against Theta’s thigh then. He had been debating how much to reveal to Thorgeirr for awhile now. He trusted the man completely, as much as he trusted Theta and Zeta. But that was only part of the issue. Knowledge of his past with Legio could put Thorgeirr in danger. However, the counter to that was that Thorgeirr’s association with Harry alone put the man in danger. Harry had to trust that Thorgeirr was strong enough to protect himself. And Harry too was strong enough to offer support should the man need it. He could protect Thorgeirr, but Thorgeirr was strong enough to not need the help.
“When I was five, the relatives that had guardianship over me were killed in an airplane crash over the jungles of Bhutan,” he said.
“Yes,” Thorgeirr said slowly. “All three of your relatives were killed as you were on your way to Japan.” He had heard this part of the story before already. He had helped to look up some of the details surrounding the accident after all.
“I ran away from a circus when I was six because they were abusing me and an older brother I got separated from,” Theta supplied. “Nearly starved on the streets before I was picked up. I was brought to Bhutan by the man who found me.”
“My family was killed in a fire,” Zeta said shortly. “I was sold off by the woman who found me, brought to Bhutan.”
Thorgeirr looked between the three, a frown on his face. “What was in Bhutan?” He went to take a sip of his beer, the action almost automatic.
“Legio,” the young mercenaries said as one.
Whatever Thorgeirr was expecting, it wasn’t that. He choked on his mouthful after nearly inhaling it. “What?” He demanded in a wheeze. He stopped short then as he cleared his throat. “Goddamn. You’d think nothing could really surprise me anymore, but damn.” The white haired man gulped down several long draws of his drink and then ran his fingers through his hair. “Honestly, that explains so much. I heard rumors about an experiment that they had attempted for better mercenaries, though I could never sniff out the details.” He leaned back in his seat and gave a huff. “All I could figure was their Letter unit was highly trained and surprisingly young.” He paused then before he gave them each a hard stare. “ You’re past Letters? Goddamn .”
Harry couldn’t stop a snort of his own. He knew that Legio had a new Alpha squad. They weren’t quite on the same level as his team had been at the height of their Legio career, but they were still quite good. Not true Letters, but still highly trained. Legio had likely tried to continue the legacy of the Letters, of Alpha squad in particular, or had tried to cover up their supposed deaths. The deaths of their lauded Letters would be bad for business as it undermined their reputation after all.
Thorgeirr let out a groan then, which drew attention back to him. “You were Alpha squad, weren’t you? Well, shit, I can’t even be surprised to realize that. Everything makes sense now.” He threw back the rest of his beer, much to Harry’s amusement. Thorgeirr leaned forward to set his empty bottle down and then leveled Harry with a stare. “Alright, brat. Cat’s outta the bag now. What’s your craziest story? I want to know details.” Harry felt something warm spark in his chest at how easily Thorgeirr had accepted the new information.
At Thorgeirr’s comment, Theta immediately brightened and leaned forward with a wide grin. “Oh! I got this one, A,” he said as he looked down at Harry. When the teen gave a little flick of his fingers, Theta cackled and then looked up at Thorgeirr. “We had two others with us in our squad,” he said. “Eta and Iota. Iota was brought to Legio from Romania and Eta I think was picked up in Myanmar. So we’re a pretty diverse group, you know? Not to mention Ze is female while being A’s second. All this and we’re practically kids, yeah?”
“Yes,” Thorgeirr said shortly. Harry knew it was the reminder of how young they had started the life they had. Thorgeirr might not begrudge them for their choices or their lifestyles, but Harry knew the man was angry on their behalf that their initial choice had been taken away from them. It made that warm feeling in his chest burn even brighter.
As though he understood, Theta’s smile softened a fraction but then he continued on. “Well, we were hired to rob a train. A heist to relieve the train of several crates, though we weren’t told what was in them. High security though!” He cackled a bit and then leaned forward some. “It was some private corporation and they had hired a rival team of mercenaries.”
Harry turned his head away from the conversation as Elritze hopped up onto his lap. He ran his fingers through her soft fur as he set his can of soda aside, practically forgotten already. He knew the story that Theta was retelling, so he let his mind wander. Though he could picture the faces of the soldiers that had discovered them on the train. The soldiers’ path had deviated from the intel they had gotten, just a fluke of human errors. But the soldiers had thought they had been trainhopping kids at first. They’d nearly gotten away with it too, but things had eventually devolved from there. He didn’t need to rehear the story again, though Theta’s voice was surprisingly soothing to listen to as the teen told the story with the appropriate theatrics. Though he ended up more focused on the wiggle of Zeta’s fingers as she hid commentary from Theta’s sharp eyes. Harry had to fight not to smile.
“What is that?” Theta asked suddenly after his story had come to an end. The question was directed towards Harry and broke him from his thoughts. He realized then that he had been absently playing with the token that had been given to him by the centaurs. He had taken to wearing it lately, though hadn’t really known why. He thought, perhaps, that it was because something Nicandra said was bothering him. It had been at the back of his mind for weeks now and the token was a reminder of that.
Harry looked down at the clay token and then pulled it from his neck. He held it out to Theta, who took it curiously. “It was given to me by the Ixionidae that live in the forest,” he said quietly.
“Centaurs? Iota would have loved to meet them,” Theta said just as quietly. He flipped the token over, examining the olive branch and then the other side with its relief of a centaur. “I’m surprised they gave you something like this. I’m assuming it has meaning?”
With a little nod, Harry took the token back and put it back around his neck. He told Theta and Zeta about his short visit with the centaurs. He frowned a bit then as he repeated the words that Nicandra had told him about the Thief. “‘He who has fled from death will not fall beneath the blade so easily, just as a flock of birds will scatter to the winds but will eventually reform,’” he said, but then trailed off.
When the silence stretched, Zeta gave a small tilt of her head. “Is something on your mind, A?”
“She was talking about Thief, but why mention that he is like a scattered flock of birds? What does that have to do with not being easily killed?” Harry responded slowly, his gaze still on the token from where it hung about his neck. Something about it nagged at him. Like a thought that hadn’t been fully realized or was just out of reach. “We know that Thief did something to prevent himself from dying fully. He was dead after he attacked the Potters. My family.” That was still strange to think about. “He was resurrected just a few years ago using some sort of ritual that used a life as a sacrifice.” Something about that seemed strangely familiar.
Harry lifted his head suddenly, a small frown on his lips. “Do you remember those strange dreams I used to have?”
“Yes,” Zeta said simply and then exchanged a look with Theta. “You had a seizure once after one of them.”
“Yes, that one,” Harry said gravely. “I think I dreamed of it. Of Thief’s resurrection. But through his eyes.”
The other two shared another look while Thorgeirr made a strange sound. They ignored him and continued their conversation. “Have there been any more of these dreams?” Theta asked seriously as he dropped from his perch on the back of the couch.
Harry shook his head as he tucked the token away back beneath his shirt. “Not since I nearly died,” he replied, his voice quiet. He’d already told them about his experience, but not the dream. The dream. “A soul shard.” He breathed it out as he looked back up at the others. “I died, but the doctors brought me back. During all of it I had a strange dream, but had nearly forgotten about it.” In some ways, he hadn’t thought it had been real. Just his mind giving him some sort of closure for Iota and Eta.
“A?” That was Theta’s voice, softer than Harry had ever heard it. He turned his gaze to look over to the other male. The other teen gave him a pleading sort of look, though it quickly disappeared. Theta’s expression smoothed, though Harry half expected him to look away. But Theta met his eyes. “What are you talking about? Soul shard?”
Harry breathed out, though paused when Elritze butted her head against his hand. He gave a brief smile and threaded his fingers through her soft fur. He noticed that Thorgeirr had crossed his arms over his broad chest, his expression grim. “In my dream, I was at the top of the Playground,” he told them. He saw Thorgeirr’s brow furrow, but the other two knew exactly where he referred to. “Eta and Iota were there.” He went quiet, but then he gave a small shake of his head. “Eta carried a strange bundle in his arms. Like a baby almost, but it was ugly and deformed. He called it a soul shard, a parasite that had been attached to my own soul. For me to return to life, they’d take it with them.”
“My grandmother had a story,” Thorgeirr interrupted, his deep voice grave. His golden eyes were intense as they focused on Harry. “I’ll save you the long version, but it basically boiled down to an evil sorcerer that lived in a tower. He lived for hundreds of years past what he should have been able to even for a wizard. Did evil acts, yadda yadda. There was a hero involved and somehow he got his hands on a simple clay pot that the evil sorcerer had guarded fiercely. It was broken and when it broke, the evil sorcerer died.”
As he finished his story, silence fell upon their little group. Theta’s hands were twitching slightly in agitation, the only tell of his emotions as his expression was clear. Zeta’s own hands spoke in clipped and sharp tones. Harry said nothing, though he had a grim smile that barely twisted the corners of his lips. “So a soul shard is an anchor,” he said finally. “A way for someone to tether themselves to life by, presumably, fracturing their soul.” If he had the capability for it, he might have felt sick at the thought of something so vile. Breaking apart one’s soul did not seem like something that didn’t come without consequences.
“Thief has more than one soul shard,” Zeta spoke up, her velvety voice dark. “One was destroyed when Alpha nearly died, yet Thief is still alive and well.”
The question was, how many were there? From what little Harry knew of him, Thief felt like he was the type to obsess. He would obsess with running from death and was likely to have taken a great many measures against permanent death.
“Let me look into it,” Thorgeirr said finally. “I can use my connections to gather any intel I can get my hands on. Leave it to me.”
Harry trusted the man to do it, but he still frowned. “We’re not heroes.” They had fought against Deatheaters the night before, but Harry would readily say that it wasn’t more than just idle curiosity. He had fought with wizards and against wizards before, but it was only within a certain circle. He had never fought against wizards from the wizarding world that had abandoned the mundane world before, though he could admit that it hadn’t been a fair fight. It’d been more of an ambush than anything else. With last night aside, he was still not sure he wanted to join in on this war. He wasn’t a stranger to them, but he refused to be a figurehead. He was a soldier, a paid one, and nothing more.
From beside him, Theta shifted slightly. Harry glanced up at the other teen to see him staring at him. “But there are people you want to protect now, isn’t there?”
Harry thought first of Theo, then of Luna. He thought of Blaise and Hermione. He could care less about the inhabitants of Hogwarts, but he knew he wanted to see the four of them safe. But Theo’s father was a blood supremacist. Blaise’s family was neutral, but he was a Slytherin. Hermione was a witch born from a mundane family. Luna’s family stood opposite of Theo’s. Harry knew they were often referred to as Light oriented, but he thought that was a stupid descriptor. Nothing was ever so black and white, but rather a spectrum of greys. Either way, each one of them had some tie to the current war that could put them in danger somehow.
With a sigh, Harry leaned his head back against Theta’s shoulder. He almost smiled when the other teen blinked at him in surprise at his sighs, but he closed his eyes instead. “There are people,” he said. “I think I would like to introduce you both to them one day.” He wasn’t ready for that meeting just yet, though.
There was a pause, but then Theta ran his fingers through Harry’s riotous curls. “I want to meet the people that are enough to capture your attention, A. Whenever you’re ready.” Theta paused again and Harry opened his eyes again when he could practically feel Theta’s hesitance. The sandy haired teen had turned his gaze on Zeta and Harry turned his own head to see that she stared back at Theta. Their fingers were still, a conversation in their gazes instead.
“Theta.” Harry said the name of his companion, his tone flat and unyielding. There was no tremor in Theta’s hands or stiffness in his body, but Harry had known Theta for a long time. He knew the other boy as well as he knew himself.
“We’re staying here, Alpha,” Theta said finally when he met Harry’s eyes again. “We’ve separated long enough and we’re stronger together, aren’t we?”
Harry allowed his expression to soften. “As if you would allow me to chase you away even if I wanted to,” he said quietly. He straightened up then and turned to face the other two more fully. “It’ll be dangerous. This war. They aren’t an enemy that we are used to fighting.” They wouldn’t be able to rely on ambushes forever. Though a madman, Thief was intelligent enough to think up some sort of counter or shield.
Theta offered a grin, his expression bright once more. “Well, as we’ve discussed before, we have plenty of practice in destabilizing regimes. And the Thief is the linchpin of the war.”
There was a sudden chime through the living space. None of them barely gave a flinch, but Harry knew he wasn’t the only one that was suddenly palming a weapon that was always close at hand. “Expecting guests?” Harry asked Thorgeirr neutrally as the man stood up.
“No. Stay here,” the man ordered. It wasn’t likely to be anything too worrisome as Hogsmeade was a safe haven, but it was still best for Harry to stay out of sight. Though even as Thorgeirr made his way for the stairs, he saw the three get up from the couch and move towards the corners of the room. They were likely finding hiding places in case they needed to fight back against trespassers.
When Thorgeirr came back several minutes later, he wore a bemused expression as he led a gaggle of students into the apartment. Luna led the charge and the only one that didn’t appear confused. She immediately scooped up Elritze as the cat approached her, cooing over the snowy feline. She turned her head then and smiled straight at Harry, though the teen could only give her a deadpan stare. Luna had impeccable timing as always. Still, he had learned not to ask. Besides being observant, he was certain she could sense magic in ways normal mages could not. Though he had to admit that it was amusing to see such a dainty young woman leading around a couple of Slytherins as the House of serpents were supposed to be the manipulative ones.
Luna gave him a wink as she plopped down onto the couch. The other three that had arrived with her remained by the door with uncertain looks on their faces. Though Theo’s pale cheeks took on a dusting of pink when he spotted Harry. The dark haired teen tilted his head ever so slightly, but then turned his focus on Luna. He raised an eyebrow when she only gave him a starry smile, but said nothing. She was going to make him ask.
“As lovely as it is to see all of you, I am curious why you are here, Luna. And why you have brought Theo, Blaise, and Hermione with you,” Harry said evenly as Thorgeirr disappeared off into the kitchen. He was likely there to grab drinks for their new guests and to check on the stew that was still simmering away on the stove. Theta and Zeta had taken their positions on either side of him, the action as natural as breathing.
As content as the cat she cradled, Luna gave a laugh that was light and reminded Harry of the warmth of spring. It was an odd thought that he shook away and focused on the young woman’s words as she opened her mouth. “The threads are tightening and the weave’s design begins to appear,” she said. “We’re all woven together.”
Harry could only hold back a sigh as he broke his gaze from her and then motioned to the others that still hovered by the door. “Might as well come in,” he said. Hermione and Theo had taken seats on either side of Luna upon the couch while Blaise had taken a seat in Thorgeirr’s chair. The older man himself had given out bottles of butterbeer and then had dropped himself in the other chair. Harry and his team grabbed chairs from the kitchen table. Once everyone was settled, he made introductions. He introduced Theta and Zeta as his family.
Once the introductions were complete, Luna gave Harry a sly sort of look. “It is not often that Thief is dealt a loss,” she said in a coy voice, her tone almost too sweet.
“Thief?” Hermione interrupted, her expression confused. Her hands were tightly clutched around her butterbeer bottle and she appeared uncomfortable.
Theo leaned forward a little so he could look past Luna. “The Dark Lord,” he explained. “His name translates rather loosely from French to either flight of death, or theft of death. Because his other monikers are rather long winded and stupid, Harry has taken to calling him Thief.” He glanced at Luna next. “Though I think he mentioned that you were the first to call him that.” The blonde Ravenclaw only nodded her agreement.
Hermione nodded with a small crease in her brow. “Clever. But what loss? This morning’s paper recounted a few attacks, but there wasn’t any mention of anything that might be considered a loss for You-Know- uh, Thief, that is.”
“You forget, Ms. Granger, that Thief controls the papers.” Thorgeirr was the one who answered. “He won’t want anything published that might undermine his efforts of terrorizing the citizens. Word of mouth may pass along different news, but it takes much longer for information to travel. As for what loss? Well, my contacts alerted me to another faction on the scene that was quick to put down a raid attempt just last night.” He didn’t even look at Harry, but there was a glimmer of pride deep in his eyes.
The young Gryffindor witch looked a little green around the edges, but her eyes were determined. “Good. Someone needs to be doing something,” she grumbled before her shoulders slumped a little. “I know Professor Dumbledore means well and all, but this cycle of hatred is just going to continue if Thief continues to gain ground. He controls the Ministry and the papers. Even the Wizarding Wireless Network has been taken over by his sympathizers.”
Theta’s head immediately tilted and he gave the other two a look from the corner of his eye. He crossed his arms over his chest in the next moment and tapped his fingers against his arm. Harry gave a little nod. “Underground radio broadcasts,” he stated out loud.
Hermione immediately seemed to get it, the only one of the Hogwarts’ students that had a background with the mundane world. “Oh! That is…” She trailed off, her brow furrowed again as she brought her fist up to cover her mouth. She suddenly appeared deep in thought.
Theo looked between Harry and Hermione before he focused on the other Slytherin. “Underground radio broadcasts?” He questioned, though there was confusion hidden in Blaise’s eyes as well. Luna just looked like the cat that had gotten the cream, perfectly pleased with herself.
“It’s also known as a pirate broadcast,” Harry explained. “It’s an unsanctioned radio stream. During wartimes, it’s a tool that can be used to transmit propaganda. It’s especially useful for rebels suppressed under regimes so that their message can be spread unhindered. Even coded messages. Though not impossible, it can be harder to trace where an underground broadcast is being transmitted from. Especially if it’s not in a fixed location.”
At the explanation, Theo’s eyes widened a fraction. “It could undermine Thief’s efforts to control the media,” he realized. “Spread information faster.”
Harry gave a little nod and offered Theo a brief smile. “Yes,” he agreed.
“My daddy prints a magazine,” Luna interjected suddenly, though her eyes were on the cat still in her lap.
“The Quibbler? It’s not much more than a gossip rag and full of nonsense. Conspiracies and works of fiction,” Blaise responded with a roll of his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. “A bit of fun, but useless.”
The smile that Luna gave him was almost pitying, as if she knew something that the Slytherin teen did not. “No,” Harry said thoughtfully as he absently tapped his fingers against his knee. “A magazine like that is perfect to hide messages. It is also not under Thief’s control. If information could be relayed to your father, would he print wartime articles, Luna?”
“I think daddy could be convinced,” she agreed. It was likely her plan all along anyhow. He’d have to speak to her about it in more detail eventually, once they decided on more concrete plans. Theta tapped his fingers against his crossed arms again. Zeta watched them from the corner of her eye.
Interrupting things then, Thorgeirr gave a sigh and stood up. “As fun as all this is, I’m going to go check in on lunch,” he said. “Make sure there’s enough for everyone. Why don’t you all discuss Quidditch or something?”
That seemed to catch Theta’s attention as he turned towards Harry slightly. “Quidditch?” As Thorgeirr left off into the kitchen, the group of teens were actually pulled into a conversation about the wizarding sport. Harry hadn’t bothered to go to any of the matches that had been held, so barely knew anything about it himself. The other students were more than happy to introduce him and his mundane companions to the sport. Hermione didn’t much enjoy Quidditch herself as she preferred her books, but she was still a wellspring of knowledge on rules and statistics.
In the kitchen as he made sandwiches to go with the stew, Thorgeirr smiled as he listened to Harry and his teammates finally act their age for once. After the heavy discussion just a short while ago, this made his heart lighter.
Notes:
Did you miss me? Sorry it has been so long! I don't have much time to do writing anymore, but I'll try to make the next update much sooner next time. I hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Chapter 24
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Four
“I don’t want to go to class,” Theo grumbled as he poked at his eggs before he stabbed at a piece. “Monday mornings are the worst. Defense as our first class? I’d rather not see Black’s face first thing.”
Harry tried not to smile as he took a bite of his oatmeal. Above his head, the mail owls suddenly flooded the Great Hall. It had become such a routine occurrence that Harry barely gave it a glance. But something about it made him pause though and he lowered his spoon. The owls seemed strange, though he quickly realized what was different. “There are more owls than usual,” he noted quietly. The conversation around him stopped as his companions turned to him in confusion. Their attention was quickly drawn to the owls around them next.
When an owl dropped down in front of Blaise with a paper in its talons, the Slytherin teen reached out to pay the owl and take the paper. But as he went to unfurl it, there was a sudden scream from another table.
Harry immediately searched out the one who had screamed, but unrest started to roll through the Great Hall. There were cries and a rise in loud conversations as students shouted to be heard over each other. Harry grabbed the paper that rested in Blaise’s lax fingers. As he spread out the paper, the reason for the chaos in the Hall became clear. The headline was in bold letters, striking and prominent across the page.
Massacre at the Wizengamot!
It is with great sorrow that his author must break the news that last night, during a secret meeting between the Wizengamot, that a great tragedy has occurred. Though it has not yet been released what the emergency session had been called for, the Wizengamot sequestered themselves just a few hours before midnight. [...] At midnight, the Dark Lord’s forces invaded the meeting chamber. [...] Of the fifty members of our judicial and legislative body, thirty-one of them lost their lives. The nineteen survivors have been brought into protective custody and their whereabouts are currently unknown. We have been reassured that they are in stable condition, however. This author understands the caution that they have taken. [...]
Beneath the headline was a large moving picture, meant to be shocking. It showed the Wizengamot chambers through an open doorway as a body was levitated out of the room on a stretcher. The body was covered by a white cloth, though a hand slipped from beneath it to hang off the side. It looped back to the beginning and started again. In the background of the picture, two men stood in observation. One was Malfoy’s father, Lucius Malfoy if Harry remembered correctly. Beside the magical nobleman stood another man of an older age, his hair dark and long. Even in the photo Harry could catch a glint of redness in the man’s eyes. There was a frown on his elegant face as he watched the proceedings before him, but it did not reach the coldness in his eyes. Something about the man unsettled Harry, set his instincts off and put him on alert.
It was under the main article that there was a smaller article, dwarfed by the headline above it. It seemed almost non-consequential, but declared that there had been an emergency appointment of a new Chief Warlock after the massacre in the Wizengamot chambers. Next to the short article, seemingly so insignificant, was a small portrait of the same man that was in the background of the larger picture above. The man’s name, the new Chief, was Athanasios Nicanor. It only worsened the feeling he had in his gut.
Harry dropped the paper onto the table and stood up. The names of those who had died had been relegated to one of the last pages of the newspaper. A footnote. Something about the whole thing angered him, a low simmer that lit his chest on fire and caught in his lungs. He wasn’t a hero, he told himself. It was practically a mantra by now. But right that moment, it wasn’t a hero that was needed, was it? Heroes were brave and selfless, reckless. They stood as honourable champions against evil villains. White knights from fairytale stories. He wasn’t a hero. But he was a soldier. A commander.
“Harry?” Blaise and Theo had their gazes on him. He could feel the eyes of others as well even as the professors tried to settle the chaos in the Hall. The Headmaster might have had an easier time in gaining control, but he was notably absent. Harry wondered if he had been forewarned and was with his Order. But that wasn’t what was important.
After he had brought himself from his thoughts, Harry glanced over to the other tables. He caught Luna’s eyes and gave her a little nod, but turned his attention back to his Slytherin companions. “Find Luna and Hermione. Meet me in the Hidden Room,” he ordered before he turned on his heel and left. Classes were soon, but he had more pressing matters to worry about. When the two teens gave solemn nods, he was sure that they were of the same mind.
After he left the Great Hall, Harry’s first stop was the Slytherin dorm. He stashed his schoolbag away, but made sure to grab the phone that Theta had gifted to him months ago. He flipped it open as he noticed that he had a message waiting for him from Zeta.
Influx of activity at portal. Have organized with boys to oversee.
The texts were supposed to be private so no one could obtain them, but codes were second nature to them. This one was rather minor, more just vague wording than with any notable code, but got the point across. It would seem that Hogsmeade was seeing an influx of refugees after the incident at the magical Ministry. They had been concerned that such a thing might happen, though hadn’t expected movement so soon. The attack on the Ministry had come suddenly and without warning, especially since Voldemort was supposed to have control over the Ministry. Harry had a bad feeling about whatever the madman’s plan was supposed to be. Getting rid of his last remaining opposition in the Ministry? It was hard to say for sure so early on after the attack.
But that aside, Harry knew that mages placed much too faith in their warding. Hogsmeade was well protected, yes, but it also had its weakness in the Nexus portal. According to Zeta’s message however, she and Theta had worked with Thorgeirr to keep an eye on the situation. He sent the young woman a reply back with an order to keep him updated, though he suspected he’d be down in the village before anything might change. Wouldn’t hurt to be sure though.
Harry tucked the phone away into an inner pocket and then gathered his will. When he felt the tingle of magic upon his fingers, he waved his hand and left a trail of sparks that quickly disappeared. His possessions packed themselves away in his trunk, though he had been mostly living out of it so there wasn’t much to pack. His trunk shrunk then and he tucked it away into his pocket as well.
On his way to the Hidden Room, Harry ran into Bill as he passed through the Entrance Hall. The redhead’s expression was dark, though it cleared when he spotted Harry. “Mornin’, Harry,” he greeted as they both came to a stop.
Harry gave a nod in greeting. “You concluded a meeting with Dumbledore,” he stated. It was likely with the rest of the Order as well.
“Yes,” Bill agreed with a grimace. “And I bet you can guess what it was about, too.” He gave an attempt at a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
With a soft hum of agreement, Harry considered his options. He trusted Bill on some level, but only because the man had kept his mouth shut about how they had met. The redhead knew some generalities about his background, so that weighed Harry’s decision as well. “Do you have some time? Follow me.”
“I do, but don’t you have class?” Bill said even as he took a step towards Harry.
The dark haired teen gave Bill a look. “There are more important things to worry about right now, aren’t there?” He turned then and headed up the grand staircase. He heard Bill give a sigh in agreement and then follow after him.
The others were already waiting in the Room when Harry arrived with Bill behind him. He ignored them for a moment as he took in the shape the Room. It had taken on the appearance of a library with a wide hearth that burned with a warm fire. A collection of plush chairs and couches sat in a ring. Theo and Luna had taken one couch while Hermione had curled up in a chair, her face pale but eyes resolute. Blaise had taken another chair. All of them looked to him when he appeared.
Harry took a chair that faced the door and sat down. He waited for Bill to sit as well before he looked at each of them. “Thief is making his move,” he said solemnly. “It’s still too early to know exactly what his plans are, but one thing is for sure. No matter what happens, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are the only safe havens left in the entirety of magical Britain. That means that Hogsmeade is becoming a refugee camp. There is already an increase of activity within the village.”
“What happens now?” Hermione’s voice was small as she wrapped her arms around her legs. “This seems to be some sort of turning point in the war, doesn’t it?”
No one responded right away, though Harry could tell that things weighed heavily on their minds. He leaned back in his chair a little, though his eyes never left the others around him. He turned his focus on Bill, however. “How well known is it that Thief has taken control of the Ministry?”
Bill’s brow furrowed, but he seemed to understand who he spoke about when he said Thief. “Ah, Thief you call him? Clever.” He shook his head then. “Those directly involved with the war have a good idea of it, I suspect. Though it’s a lot of assumptions, honestly. Professor Dumbledore seems pretty confident that he’d got a strong hold of the Ministry, but it’s a hypothesis based on a lot of the legislation that has been passed. A lot of known Deatheaters that escaped prosecution from the first war are high power officials in various departments.” The redhead gave a helpless shrug. “Others not as directly involved might have some suspicions, but it’d likely be more rumours than anything else.” Magical individuals weren’t exactly known for being logical or smart afterall.
It was about what Harry expected. “Those who were killed at the Wizengamot were his opponents, yes?” When Bill agreed, Harry nodded. “Then he’ll fill those positions with his sympathizers. Outspoken sympathizers or subtle ones, however, remains to be seen. There is also something strange about the new Chief Warlock.” He would get Thorgeirr to look into him as soon as he was able, if the man hadn’t already started. “Whatever the case, Thief is building his strength in the Ministry. With a greater hold, the tides of war will change.” He focused on Bill again. “How large is Dumbledore’s Order?”
At the question, Bill grimaced. “Not many. There are quite a number of allies of the Order that aren’t full members, but the Order itself only has maybe thirty or so members. Some estimations put Deatheaters outmanning us by at least twenty to one, though that was mostly during the first war. I’m sure that the numbers have changed, and not in our favour.” Harry figured that the Deatheaters also had an advantage with age as most of the Order he had spotted had been older. Mages lived for a long time, but youth would typically always have a physical advantage over their elders.
“What is your goal? To defeat Thief?” Harry pressed.
Bill gave a small nod. “And to protect muggles and muggleborns from being harrassed by Thief and his followers,” he added on. “It’s mostly the latter because none of us have any hope of winning against him. He’s one of the best duelers that have come out of the wizarding world in a long time. Especially with his knowledge of the Dark Arts. Professor Dumbledore is the only one who was ever able to match him.”
Harry did not have any high hopes for the Order’s chances. Especially if Thief’s faction continued to wear them down. With the massacre at the Wizengamot, things were about to kick into high gear. With these facts laid out before him, there was only one path that was viable to take. Something he was prepared for. “Another thing that we know for certain is that Thief will come after me, wouldn’t you agree?” He posed his question towards all of them. “Whatever his obsession with me is, I put Hogwarts at risk if I am here.”
He was pleased to see that they all knew instantly what he meant by the statement. “But Hogwarts is already at risk!” Hermione burst out and shook her head. “With Professor Dumbledore here and all the muggleborn students, Thief won’t leave Hogwarts alone forever. Where will you even go?”
“But it will buy time if I disappear from Hogwarts,” Harry countered. “He will attack Hogwarts eventually, yes, but he has other things to focus on.” He paused then to take in their reactions. Luna’s face was neutral, but gave him a small smile when he looked over to her. Blaise and Theo both looked resigned, though Theo also looked upset. Bill had a considering frown. Hermione sighed and gave a little nod to show her understanding. It was hard to say exactly what Thief would do, but Harry knew he couldn’t play at being a student anymore. He might not be a hero, but maybe he could do some good.
“Dumbledore has his Order, but it is not as affective as it could be,” Harry said finally. “So I will create a resistance and find a way to kill Thief once and for all. I will have Theta and Zeta with me.” He didn’t have to ask them to know that they wouldn’t leave his side.
No one seemed surprised at his announcement. “What can we do here?” Theo asked quietly, his tone firm. Luna had taken his hand and clasped it tightly in her own. She seemed otherwise at ease, though there was worry at the creases of her eyes. When he looked upon the two of them, Harry felt warmth in his chest. It was similar to the warmth he felt when he saw Zeta’s smile or heard Theta’s laugh. But it wasn’t the same. Still, he could wonder on it another time.
“I want you all to organize with Thorgeirr to pass along messages,” he said gravely. “He deals in intelligence, so his efforts will be beneficial.” He turned his focus to Luna then. “I want you to publish messages in your Quibbler. If you work with Thorgeirr, he’ll know what to say so that I’ll understand.” Luna gave a nod and a small smile, though her hand had tightened around Theo’s.
Harry turned his gaze on Hermione then. “You remember our conversation on underground broadcasts, yes? It’s necessary to boost the morale and hope of civilians. You have probably read the most books out of all of us, so you’re our best chance of figuring out how to hijack the radio network for our own use.” Hermione took a deep breath and nodded her head gravely.
“Actually, I think I might be able to help with that,” Bill interrupted. “Well, not me exactly. But you remember my twin brothers, yes?” He gave Hermione a brief smile.
The bushy haired Gryffindor gave a little nod as she looked down at her knees. “Pranksters. But they were nice to me.”
Bill snorted softly, though his expression quickly cleared again. None of them could hold onto amusement for long. “Pranksters, yes. But also incredible inventors. They hide it well behind their pranks, but they have a lot of knowledge on spellcrafting. I’ll put you in touch with them because they’ll be able to help you with the radio. Whatever it is that you need.”
At the offer, Hermione straightened up in her chair and brightened a little. “That would actually be really appreciated, Mr. Weasley.”
“Oh, please. Mr. Weasley was my father,” Bill said with a little grimace. “Just call me Bill, yeah?” He looked over to Harry again then and offered a brief smile that quickly disappeared again. “I don’t know what help I can be, but I’ll pass on anything relevant I learn from Order meetings. Professor Dumbledore likes to play things close to the chest, though.”
Harry couldn’t stop himself from snorting at the comment about Dumbledore. “I appreciate the offer, Bill. Like the others, you can have Thorgeirr help you pass along the information.” He pulled back his sleeve a little to check the time on his watch. Classes would start soon. “I plan to leave while everyone is in class,” he told them. “Hermione, I want you to leave before Theo and Blaise so you do not enter class together.” He had wanted the chance to tell him plans, however. To say goodbye. Dumbledore would likely question them eventually about his disappearance, but he wanted to keep suspicion off them for as long as possible. At least long enough for him to slip out of the castle and disappear.
Hermione stood up quickly and walked over to Harry. She then darted in and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. “I get the feeling you can take care of yourself, Harry. But do be careful. We’ll do everything we can to help, but you have to promise to stay safe. Okay?” Her words were watery as she clung to him. Harry carefully wrapped his arms around the young woman and somewhat awkwardly patted her back.
“I’ll stay safe,” he promised. “I’ll pass messages to Thorgeirr when I can.” He let her go as she pulled herself away and quickly wiped at her eyes. He hadn’t known Hermione long, but he thought he would look forward to seeing her again one day outside of Hogwarts once Thief was dead. He’d look forward to seeing all of them again.
“I’ll hold you to your promise, so this isn’t a goodbye,” Hermione said as she wiped at her eyes again and then drew herself up. “See you later, Harry Potter. Good luck.” She gave him a smile and then grabbed her bag. She dragged a large book out of it and then clutched it in her arms. Harry could guess she wanted to look like she had lost track of time in the library and so that was why she would be late to class. He nodded to her as she took one last glance back before she hurried out the door.
Luna climbed to her feet next and then walked with light steps over to Harry. He stood up to meet her as he noticed that she wasn’t wearing shoes again, though this time he knew it was because it was what she preferred. Something about feeling the vibrations of the castle. Her dormmates had stopped stealing her things after Luna had declared herself his friend and friend to other Slytherins. Her bullies were likely wary of retaliation. He didn’t persuade them from the notion if it would protect her.
Once they were close to each other, Luna immediately wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’ll keep an eye on Theo,” she whispered only for his ears. “We’ll be waiting for you.” She went up on her toes then so she could press a kiss against his cheek. When she pulled back she went to stand next to the couch where Theo was still seated.
Blaise was the next to say goodbye and promise to do what he could to help. “If you need fighters, just let me know. I’ll stand behind you,” the teen said seriously. He made a small motion with his head. “We’ll tell Professor Black that you have a migraine and can’t make it to class.” He clapped Harry on the shoulder and then turned away to stand by the door. “Theo, I’ll wait for you down in the commonroom so we can walk to class together. Take care, Harry.” He nodded to the other teen and then left without a backward glance. Harry could see the tension in the teen’s shoulders, however.
Theo was the last to approach Harry. He took a deep breath, but he couldn’t hide the tremor in his hands. “Harry, you have to come back to me. Us. I still have things about the wizarding world that I want to share with you, to show you that it’s not all bad.” He reached out to take Harry’s hands and squeezed gently. “Like everyone else, I know that you’ll stay safe. But… don’t take on the burden alone, okay? We’ll all do our part.”
Harry squeezed Theo’s hands back and then let go. “I’ll keep you all informed, I promise. Don’t put yourselves in unnecessary danger either. Hogwarts is safe for now, but it likely won’t stay that way forever. If anything happens, get to Thorgeirr. He’ll get you all to a safe place. Promise me that.”
“Of course, Harry,” Theo said with a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It made something tighten in Harry’s chest, but he pushed it down with all the other strange feelings to analyze later.
In the next moment, Luna came up to them and took Theo’s hand. “We need to get going. You, too, Harry.” She gave him a little curtsy and then pulled Theo for the door. In the next moment, they were all gone and Harry was left alone with Bill.
“I’m glad you made friends here, Harry,” Bill said as he stood up from his chair. “I bet you have everything with you, right? I can show you a secret passage out of the castle.” He gave a little smirk then and shrugged a shoulder when Harry gave him an unimpressed look. “I didn’t feel like sharing it before. Honestly, I wondered if you’d be able to find them first. But that’s pointless now, so I’ll show you.”
Harry let himself roll his eyes as he motioned for the door. “After you, then.” His voice was without inflection again as he stared at Bill. The redhead gave a little shiver and hurried for the door. Harry smirked a little at his back, just a small curve of his lips.
They two men used secret passages and isolated corridors to reach the third floor without being seen. Once there, Bill led the way over to a large statue of a witch with a twisted spine and one eye. A plaque declared that the statue was of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, though that told Harry nothing. Bill whispered the password, “Dissendium,” and a hidden hatch opened to reveal a slide behind the statue’s hump. “This’ll take you to the basement of Honeyduke’s in Hogsmeade,” Bill told him. “I know I’m just echoing everyone, but stay safe, Harry. I’ll see you later.” He gave Harry a little salute and then turned away.
Harry climbed up to the opening and closed the hatch behind him before he took the slide down to the bottom. When he landed, Harry straightened and lifted a hand to summon up a ball of light so he could see in the tunnel. It drifted along beside him as he took off at a jog so that he’d reach the village sooner.
When he finally reached the other end of the tunnel, Harry released the magic light and then spread out his awareness. There was no one inside the basement chamber so he slipped through the hidden door. He could hear voices above his head, so he cautiously ascended the staircase. He spread out his awareness again and waited for the basement door to be clear before he exited. He easily slipped into the crowd as he pretended to browse while he made his way to the exit door. Pale faced parents followed around their small children, hollow smiles on their faces as they tried to pretend everything was normal.
Harry glanced at a small boy, no more than three, as the child stared up in wonder at a display of bubbles made of sugar. They floated around in their case and shone in a multitude of colours. Harry wondered if he had ever been so innocent, shown such wonder. He turned away to exit before he disappeared down an alleyway between the shop and the one next to it.
Thorgeirr’s place was closed when he arrived in front of the Haus, the storefront dark. He let himself in and made his way up the stairs to the apartment above. Theta was on the couch, cross legged and with papers spread out all around him. He barely spared Harry a look, though he gave a little salute. “Zee is down at the Nexus with Thorgeirr,” he said. “They should be back soon. I’m doing research for Thorgeirr.”
Harry nodded in understanding before he went into his bedroom. He returned his trunk to its usual size and pushed it into a corner. He retrieved things he needed from it and then changed his clothes into something more familiar. He locked the trunk up then and returned to the living room. Thorgeirr and Zeta returned not long later. The white haired man stated that he had called in a few favours so that the Nexus would be covertly guarded.
Thorgeirr then dropped down into a chair with a heavy sigh. “I think you can all agree that we expected something like this to happen,” he said as he echoed Harry’s thoughts from earlier. The man turned his full attention on Harry then. “Where are you going to go, kid?” He spoke with such certainty and Harry nearly smiled. The older man had come to know him so well.
“I have a safehouse in Aberdeen. We’ll leave tonight and go there first,” he replied easily. He was going to take Zeta and Theta with him, there was no question about that. When Thorgeirr only nodded in acceptance, Harry explained to him the conversation he had with the others from Hogwarts so he would know what the plan was. As he talked, Theta cleared up the papers that he had spread out around him.
They spent the rest of the day preparing to leave. Theta went ahead to get his vehicle from where he had hidden it and arrive first at the safehouse. Zeta left as well to meet with a contact for a few supplies that they might need eventually. Once the two were gone, Harry went into his bedroom to finish packing his bag. It was a battered duffel that he had had for a few years now, more familiar than the trunk he’d been using at school.
As he packed his bag, Thorgeirr appeared in the doorway and leaned against the doorframe. Elritze wandered in as well and hopped up onto the bed to curl up on Harry’s pillow. The teen gave her a few pets, but then focused on his packing. “You looked into Nicanor?” He asked without preamble and did not even spare Thorgeirr a look.
Thorgeirr snorted softly as he had expected the question. “Of course,” he drawled. “You know me.” He gave a little sigh then. “Lord Athanasios Nicanor popped up sometime in the first wizarding war,” he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “He appeared on the political scene, lobbying in the Wizengamot without actually holding any positions. But he disappeared at the same time Thief did. Word was that he had taken a step back from the political theatre because of health reasons.”
Harry paused and straightened up to look over to the older man. “What about his history before he joined the Ministry?”
“Nothing,” Thorgeirr responded gravely. “The father of the current Malfoy Lord was a man by the name of Abraxas Malfoy. He was the one who vouched for Nicanor when he appeared, stating that he was an old family friend. Many assumed he was a pureblood from another country, but I can’t find any sources to prove this to be either true or false.”
Something about the man just did not sit right. “Thorgeirr,” Harry said finally, slowly. “What does his name mean?”
A snort came from the older man as he pushed away from the door frame and walked further into the room. “Funny you should ask that. I had a hunch just as you, I suspect.” He picked up a case from Harry’s dresser and then held it out to the teen. “Both names are Greek,” he said first. “The name Athanasios means immortal. Funnily enough, a shortened form of Athanasios is Thanos. Thanos is also a derivative of Thanatos, who was a Greek deity. He would appear to humans to carry them off to the underworld.” He paused as he watched Harry pack the case he had given him. “As for Nicanor, it means victory.”
“Thief is Athanasios Nicanor,” Harry said with certainty. He had no proof, but he was sure of it.
Thorgeirr nodded grimly in agreement. “I believe so too,” he stated as he handed Harry another case to pack. “I’m going to keep track of his movements and look for evidence where I can find it. We’ll send you updates through the Quibbler, just as promised.”
Harry placed the case into the canvas bag and then zipped it up. “Good,” he agreed. He turned to Thorgeirr then. “We’ll use the dropbox in Dublin and send updates at least once a week.”
“Sure. Let me know if you need anything you can’t get your hands on yourself. I’ll prepare a care package then,” Thorgeirr replied. He then reached out to drag Harry in for a tight hug. The teen only sighed and gave in as he wrapped his own arms around the man. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it if I’ve learned anything about your new friends, but stay safe out there, kid. Take care.” Harry could only nod.
Once he left Hogsmeade with his duffel over his shoulder, Harry walked for at least an hour before he accessed the magical highway through a forced opening. There he hid himself in a small span of willow like trees that glowed faintly, magical in nature. He waited for a vehicle to pass and caught a ride on a covered cart when the driver wasn’t watching. Harry hid himself amongst some crates and settled in for the ride.
At the next major Nexus, Harry jumped off of the cart and disappeared off into the city. When he made it to the muggle side of things, Harry took a series of trains and buses before he finally made it to Aberdeen. It was well past midnight before he finally reached the long stretch of old buildings that housed various residences. One of them was his safehouse. The lights appeared to be off when he approached, but he knew it was just an illusion that he had cast when he had first purchased the space.
Harry let himself in through the private entrance and locked the door behind him. He made his way up the stairs to the second floor and wrapped his hand around the knob. It warmed briefly beneath his palm before there was a soft click. The door opened in the next moment so he stepped inside, the place warm and dimly lit. Harry closed the door behind himself and locked it manually. As soon as he did, he felt the flare of magic as the wards fell into place.
With the place safely locked up again, Harry made his way further into the apartment and quickly spotted the others. Theta had already made himself at home, spread out over the couch with his arm over his eyes. He might look asleep, but Harry knew that he was listening and very much awake. In the small kitchen, Zeta gave Harry a little nod from where she stood at the counter. The little apartment had a stash of food, but it was mostly nonperishables. It looked like she had bought some bread and other more perishable goods. She was putting the items away in cupboards, but also looked to be making them sandwiches.
“Good to see you both made it in safe,” he stated mildly as he set his satchel down on the floor. As he spoke, Theta sat up on the couch and offered a wave.
Harry made his way over to sit next to Theta and dropped back into the seat. He wanted to sigh, but held it in as he leaned back into the cushion behind him. He didn’t say anything for a time even as Zeta came over with plates of food and handed them out. He only gave her a little nod as he accepted the offering.
“Alpha?” Theta asked when Harry had been quiet for a long time. He didn’t have to say anything else, his question in his tone. They knew each other well enough that they didn’t need words for certain things anymore.
Harry raised his eyes and turned his gaze on the others, his expression grim. “I think it’s time we contacted the Letters.”
Notes:
Things are starting to heat up! I know everyone just met up and all, but we'll see them again. And, honestly, I'm surprised that Harry lasted as long as he did at Hogwarts! This is my favourite chapter in awhile though, so I hope you all enjoy it too!
Chapter 25
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Five
Harry didn’t think he had ever seen Theta’s eyes so wide. They had all long ago learned to hold back their emotions, to not reveal what they were feeling. But at his announcement to contact the other Letters, even Zeta had frozen and barely looked to be breathing. It felt like if anyone moved or made a sound, it would break the moment. Destroy their hope.
Finally, it was Theta who had the courage to take the plunge. “A? You… truly mean that? We’ll get the Letters back together?” Harry knew the other teen well enough to know that hope had leeched into Theta’s voice.
“Do you think it is safe, A?” Zeta spoke up next when Harry didn’t reply right away.
With a small inclination of his head, Harry allowed himself a little smile. “Letters were always loyal to Letters first above all.” It had been years since he had seen them, but he would still trust them with his life. He had been close to the other squad leaders, having trained beside them the most when they were growing up. They might not have always been able to show how close they were, but they had been steady companions. They all did what they could for each other, stood against the rest of Legio together. Harry had kept tabs on the other squads as best as he could while trying to keep off of Legio’s radar. They’d done well for themselves, though it was time to get the family back together.
Harry picked up a sandwich triangle and then looked between his two teammates. “To face Thief and his cronies, we’ll need reliable soldiers. Who better than those we grew up with?”
“And we’ll finally get them out from underneath Legio’s hand,” Theta muttered as he sat back, his own plate gripped between both of his hands. “How will you contact them?”
At the question, Harry took a bite of his sandwich. Theta grumbled, but started on his food as well. Once he had finally swallowed, Harry set down his plate and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to uncover his right forearm. “With this,” he said simply. He waved his hand over his forearm to reveal a piece of ink that hadn’t been there before.
Theta immediately set his plate aside as well and leaned forward in interest so he could inspect the raven and its intricate lines. “Is it like the Thief’s Dark Mark?” He asked curiously.
“No,” Harry responded. “From what Thorgeirr’s been able to gather, the Dark Marks are soul brands. They link the Thief’s followers to him and he can use them to punish them, or compel them to run to his side.” He looked down at his forearm and the details of his tattoo. Within the lines were hidden the Greek lowercase letters for alpha, beta, delta, gamma, and epsilon. “Our tattoos are just forms of communication.” He pressed his finger against the mark and gathered up a bit of his will. He pushed it into the tattoo to activate it.
Showing the others the mark then, they were able to watch as the letter for his name changed in colour. A dark charcoal grey rather than the deep black it had been previously. It was subtle, but the others would be able to feel the change. Even Epsilon, who had no magic of her own, had one of the tattoos. A blank ribbon in the raven’s talons suddenly filled with light grey lettering, it lasted barely a few moments before it disappeared. It was the coordinates for one of his safehouses. The other squad leaders would be able to reveal their tattoos, and the coordinates, when they were in a safe position to do so.
“I’ve never seen it before. On any of you. When did you get it done?” Theta asked as he lifted his eyes away from the ink.
Harry covered the mark again and then leaned back in his seat. “Delta specialized in magical tattooing,” he revealed. “You’ve seen his marks? They’re more than just decoration.” His first, and most visible one, had been the collar like one about his throat. It had been later that he had revealed that he had imbued magic in the markings and had trained beneath a magical master during one of his squad’s long missions. “We all got them not long after, though we made sure to hide them from Capitán.” He took another bite out of his sandwich.
Theta nodded slowly and then exchanged a look with Zeta. “What is that location?” He asked when he turned his eyes back on Harry.
Once he had swallowed again, Harry gave a brief smile. “I have a safehouse in Cusco, Peru. We’ll meet them there.” It was a small one and one that he didn’t mind abandoning if things went sideways. He trusted the other Letters, but there would always be the possibility that things had changed. Or Capitán might catch on and send a tail after one of the squads no matter how careful they were. They were good, but still human.
“When will we meet them?” Zeta asked, so Harry’s eyes slid over to her.
“Everyone will arrive as soon as they are able,” he replied back. “But it will likely take a few days before we’ll all be able to gather.” They would want to get there first though to make sure that they wouldn’t walk into a trap. Just in case.
Theta groaned suddenly. “We only just got here and now we have to get moving again, don’t we? Why even come here?” There was a whine to the teen’s voice, though he gave Harry a little smile to show that he wasn’t actually complaining.
“This will still be our main base,” Harry said simply. “We’ll return soon. I wanted the chance to strengthen the wards.” That way they wouldn’t return to any surprises. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
Both of the other two nodded, though Theta gave another groan. “I’ll pack the necessities and then get some rest. Try to get some sleep, A?”
Harry couldn’t make any promises so he didn’t respond. He only finished off his sandwich and then set the plate on the low table in front of him. Theta sighed, but didn’t press. He only stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and then got up to prepare a small pack. Harry watched him leave and then turned his attention to Zeta. He raised an eyebrow at her even stare, but then she only shook her head and stood up to collect their plates.
“Sleep, Alpha,” she told him sternly as she made her way into the kitchen.
He couldn’t promise that he’d sleep, but Harry finally relented. “I’ll try,” he said back. Zeta gave a nod as she knew that was the best she was going to get. As she quietly puttered around in the kitchen, Harry called upon the wards to examine them and strengthen them. He referenced his new knowledge of runes to help him, though it was still rudimentary at best. Still, it was very late by the time he finished. Or perhaps very early. Harry checked his watch and allowed a small sigh. Dawn would be in a few hours, but he still needed to pack a new bag from his duffel. Then he’d try for some sleep, just as he had promised.
In the quiet of the apartment, Harry found a backpack in one of the cupboards. He pulled a few things from his duffel and put them into the pack before he stashed his duffel away for when they came back to the apartment. He quietly dropped the backpack down near the door and then went to lay himself out on the couch. Theta and Zeta had retreated into the bedroom, but he didn’t want to disturb them if they had been able to sleep. So he pulled the blanket off of the back of the couch and made himself comfortable. With just a couple of hours left before dawn, Harry allowed himself to relax enough to sleep.
With only those few hours of sleep, Harry got them out the door just after dawn. He took them outside Aberdeen and then accessed the magical highway from a remote hillside. They looked like tourists as they traveled by foot to the location that Theta had stashed his vehicle. It would be the quickest way to move over the ocean road since they had a long journey ahead of them. Much faster than any mundane means of transportation.
Theta hopped into the driver’s seat and Harry took the passenger’s one. Zeta stashed their bags in the seat next to her as she climbed into the back. Once they were on their way, she passed out little boxes of food for them since they hadn’t eaten anything before they had left. Harry opened his box to find a breakfast wrap and some dried fruit. It warmed something in his chest to know that Zeta had taken an interest in something as mundane as cooking. She was getting really good at it too and Harry had to wonder if she had been able to trade pointers with Thorgeirr in the short time she had been at the man’s apartment. Perhaps one day.
Harry found himself watching out the window as they entered the ocean highway. The magical road slipped beneath the waves of the water, so the world around them seemed to take on a green hue. The sun provided light from above, but it was strange with how it was filtered through the water. Flashes of silver darted past the magical tunnel as sunlight reflected off of schools of passing fish. As they continued to drive through the ocean, they even spotted a pod of whales as they swam sedately by.
“These are always my favourite roads to travel,” Theta commented quietly as a giant sea serpent twirled around the tunnel barrier and then swam off. “I feel privileged to see the mythical creatures especially.” Harry hummed his agreement.
Even with the speed of travel that the roads provided them, it was still hours before they finally drew close to Cusco. But with the time difference, it felt almost like they had gone back in time. When they had left Aberdeen, it had been early morning. When they reached Cusco, it was early morning in the region. Regardless, it would make it easier to move about unseen.
“It’s colder than I expected,” Theta muttered as he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt down lower. They had just exited the highway and had appeared on the outskirts of the city. It was still early morning here, so the city was quiet. “I don’t think I’ve been here before.” Theta was looking around in curiosity, though he was also trying not to draw attention to them from the few people that wandered about. “I’d like to come back sometime and actually take the chance to explore.”
Harry didn’t look at his companions as he adjusted his backpack over his shoulder. “It’s a beautiful city. A long history,” he said and ducked into an alley. When the other two followed after him, he led the way through the city down alleyways and smaller paths that were less likely to be populated as the city started to wake up. He finally turned down one of the narrow cobbled streets and led the way to a doorway that was painted a cheerful blue. Above the wooden door set in its archway was a window with a small balcony. Harry unlocked the door and pinged the wards. It told him that he had been the last person to access the apartment about a year ago. Good.
Once they entered the apartment, Harry dropped down his backpack and then straightened back up. “I want to check over the wards,” he told them. “Make yourselves comfortable.” He knew they needed time still to prepare themselves for seeing the other Letters again. Though the leaders were likely to come alone rather than bring their whole squads. The squads would likely be nearby, but only the leaders would come to the apartment.
Harry made his way to the exact centre of the apartment and steadied his breathing so it was even. He reached out his hands then and gathered his will, his magic. The wards appeared like a spiderweb, strings of magic that only Harry seemed to understand. He spread his fingers so that the strings wrapped around them and then tugged to test them. He spent time like that as he tugged on the various strings. He could feel Theta’s curious eyes on him even as Zeta started to move about the room. He knew she was mapping it out and making note of its exits, its weaknesses.
Once he finished, Harry dismissed the magic with a sharp twist of his hands. The glowing threads faded away, though he could still feel the faint hum of them on the edges of his awareness. He ignored them and instead went to pick up his bag again. He brought it over to the dining table and unzipped the main pouch. Harry dragged out a rolled up map and spread it out over the table. It was a topographical map of the British Isles, though it also showed cities and settlements. The map had been charmed to show the magical highway and other magical areas of Great Britain. Along with a few other features. Harry went to brush his fingers over the runes that had been inscribed along the edges of the paper, but he paused as a thought came to him.
He had been using his birth name, but he wasn’t Harry Potter here, was he? He was Alpha again, about to face the other Letters again. It was a mantle that was much more comfortable than Harry Potter was proving to be and it was one he wanted to be when he met with the other Letters. So Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He searched down inside of himself and wrapped the familiar persona of Alpha around himself again. He hated Legio and what they had done to him, but it was what he was most comfortable with. So when he opened his eyes again, Alpha had tucked Harry Potter deep away inside of a locked room of his Playground mindscape.
Across from him, Theta approached the table and tilted his head a little as he regarded Alpha. He gave a toothy grin then and nodded. “Welcome back, Alpha.”
Alpha held back a smile. Theta certainly knew him too well. He gave the other teen a nod and then brushed his fingers over the runes on the edges of the map, magic a spark on his fingertips. They flashed briefly and then a ghostly image of the map seemed to rise off of the paper it had been contained on. It was like a hologram from one of the books that Theta enjoyed, vaguely see-through with a soft glow. When it was like this, Alpha was able to zoom in on the image and make notations on it if needed.
There were a few markings that glowed a faint red rather than the grey-blue the rest of the map was coloured. “What are these?” Theta asked as he dropped his hands onto the table and leaned in to inspect one of the marks.
“Known Deatheater bases,” Alpha replied. “Thorgeirr’s sources were able to confirm frequent activity within the various establishments or residences.”
Theta hummed softly and reached out to zoom in on a manorhouse in the middle of nowhere. “Thorgeirr’s intelligence network is impressive,” he remarked.
“It will be essential to track the Thief’s movements,” Alpha agreed.
It was then that the door to the bedroom opened and Zeta joined them again. “Does Thorgeirr have any information on Thief’s current location?”
When she joined them, Alpha crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his hip against the table. “Not yet. Thief doesn’t seem to step outside at all. If he’s moving between locations, he’s taking the floo or using apparition points from within them. He’s not using any other modes of transportation. He’s being careful not to be tracked.”
“We would benefit from a mole,” Theta remarked as he straightened up. “Bring someone to our side, or plant one in his ranks.”
The idea did have merit. It would be more reliable to insert a mole into Thief’s ranks, but it would require Thorgeirr’s help. The Letters were no stranger to undercover work, but the wizarding world was a whole other ballgame. They had to send in someone who had magic, but also someone who had more experience in the pureblood circles. Alpha wouldn’t be surprised if Thorgeirr was already making preparations for such a move, but he would pass along the message. Blaise or Theo might also have an idea of someone they might approach to bring over to their side.
Alpha straightened then when he felt a ping against his wards. Each one of them had their own signature, a certain sort of flavour to their magic. Even Epsilon had her own signature by having an echo of one. The one who was at the door was Gamma, the oldest of the squad leaders. He’d be twenty-three now, wouldn’t he? Alpha wondered how he had changed.
Not wanting the man to linger on the doorstep, Alpha reached out and curled his fingers slightly. It opened the wards long enough for Gamma to slip through. A moment later he could hear footsteps on the stairs, a conscious move by Gamma to announce himself to Alpha’s team. It was an unspoken token of trust to let the others know where he was. It eased a fraction of the tension that Alpha felt in his shoulders. He turned to face the door as Zeta and Theta went to flank his sides. They stood at rest, their hands behind their backs. Alpha knew they had weapons close at hand, just as he did.
When the door opened, the man that stepped through still had a young face that Alpha would recognize anywhere. But Gamma had changed, his face not as soft as it had been when he was a teen. And the man had gained more muscle while a dark shadow of a beard adorned his jaw. The man’s dark hair was still long and tied into many tight braids, just as Alpha remembered, but there were beads threaded into them now. Alpha thought they might be enchanted. A pale scar cut through his brow now and along his cheek, prominent against his dark skin. Though Alpha realized that he was as tall as Gamma now, perhaps even taller.
Gamma’s stern eyes trailed over Alpha and then the two behind him, first over Zeta and then other Theta. Alpha knew the older Letter was inspecting them as he picked out their changes. Gamma then met Alpha’s gaze head on. “That last mission. You lost Eta and Iota,” he stated without question, his voice deeper than Alpha remembered. It rumbled like the heralding thunder of a storm.
“Yes,” Alpha responded simply, his expression carefully clear. “We were rushed into the mission with poor intel.”
At the answer, Gamma suddenly snorted and his face relaxed a fraction. “That seems to be a standard for the missions that Capitán passes along to the Letters. We always seem to get the missions that have poorly done intel or have little time to prepare. That hasn’t changed. It’ll never change.” He stepped forward then and reached out a hand. Alpha didn’t hesitate to grab it, though he wasn’t quite prepared for when Gamma pulled him in close and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Welcome back, Alpha,” he whispered for the younger man’s ears.
When they pulled back, Gamma looked them over again. “The others will be glad to see you all again.” His gaze returned to Alpha. “But why now?” Gamma’s eyes flickered over to the map that was still spread out over the table in the next moment.
Alpha allowed a small smile and turned his head a little to glance at the map out of the corner of his eye, Gamma still in his sight. “Needed your help. And thought it was time we got the family back together.”
“And defy Legio.”
The statement drew Alpha’s full attention again as he faced Gamma. “Yes,” he said it simply, firmly. He tilted his head a fraction then as he studied Gamma’s expression. “We all knew it was going to happen one day, didn’t we? It’s the promise we made to each other when Delta gave us the tattoos. It should happen before we lose anyone else.”
Gamma’s expression darkened and his eyes slid away from Alpha. “I lost Omi. We lost Omikron. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
The look in Gamma’s eyes, that pain of loss, Alpha knew intimately. He reached out and placed his hand on the older Letter’s shoulder. “I know,” he whispered. “We’ll honour them. Omikron. Eta. Iota. We’ll honour them by protecting what’s left of our family. We’ll honour all of the Numbers we have lost.”
After he placed his own hand over Alpha’s, Gamma took a deep breath and relaxed his expression again. “You’re right.” A small smirk quirked his lips then. “Though you should know that Beta has been angry with you.”
“For supposedly dying?” Alpha could see it. The Spanish girl had been closest in age to him and she had been the friendliest of the other leaders towards him.
Gamma gave a low chuckle and pulled away from Alpha. “Basically. Watch yourself when she gets here.”
Of course. “As if that’s in question,” Alpha said as he watched Gamma walk over and drop down onto the couch. “I’m surprised you’re here so early. Thought it would have been at least another day.”
“We were in the area,” Gamma said. “Bit north. Xi is taking care of things for me.” He gave a little quirk of his lips then. “You’ve really grown up, Alpha.”
Alpha could practically feel the way that Theta and Zeta both relaxed. Zeta moved over to the kitchen then, though she always kept an eye on each of them. Theta moved towards the couch as well as he eyed Gamma. “How are they? Xi? Pi and Rho?” It was a question that Alpha wanted the answers to as well. He had become closest to his own squad, close to the other leaders. But Letters like Xi, Pi, and Rho were still all family. He had still missed them.
“They’re good,” Gamma said. “Knowing you’re alive, Pi’s going to want to challenge you to a sharpshooting match, Theta. See if she’s surpassed you.” Theta had been the best sniper amongst all of them and that was what earned him his place on Alpha squad. The snipers of each squad had a friendly competition going to see if they could surpass each other and Theta was not exempt from it.
At the challenge, second hand as it was, Theta gave a bright grin that was full of teeth. “Oh, I still reign supreme,” he said as took his usual perch on the back of the couch. “But I’d be happy to show her how much she’ll need to practice to ever beat me.”
As Gamma gave a low chuckle, Alpha made his way into the kitchen to join Zeta. Both of them still kept an ear on the conversation that Theta had struck with the dark skinned leader, but Alpha moved to help Zeta prepare food for them all. He had gotten some lessons from Thorgeirr, but relied on Zeta’s directions for what she wanted done. As they worked, Theta grilled Gamma for any details he was willing to give about how the Letters were doing. Gamma was tight lipped about other squads, but Alpha knew that he was doing it to give the other leaders the choice in how much they were willing to say.
“I heard there’s a new Alpha squad,” Theta finally stated. It caught Alpha’s full attention as he glanced up from where Zeta had him slicing vegetables. “What are they like?”
A dark looked passed over Gamma’s face that he could not fully hide. His expression cleared quickly, but Alpha already had the sense that he would not enjoy what Gamma would reveal. The older Letter seemed to feel Alpha’s gaze on him and lifted his eyes to him. “Capitán sent us to investigate when your squad didn’t return,” he said first. “Your magic blanketed the area and any bodies were burnt beyond recognition. When we returned to basecamp, I reported to Capitán you’d been killed by the explosion.”
“You didn’t know for sure,” Alpha stated.
A small smile curled one side of Gamma’s lips. “I didn’t think you would be killed so easily, though it’s not improbable. Even you are not infallible. If you were alive, then you had to have gone into hiding for a reason. I wasn’t going to expose that.”
Alpha gave the other leader a nod, his chest warm with gratitude. It was Gamma who had kept Legio off of their backs initially, allowed them to lick their wounds in peace. “I owe you,” he said.
At the statement, Gamma gave a little shrug. A small crease appeared in his brow then. “Capitán ordered us to silence. We couldn’t hide from the rest of Legio that your squad had been taken out, but Capitán didn’t want it getting out that his best squad had been defeated. So he selected a new Alpha squad from his best mercenaries.” Gamma went quiet. “They’re the reason we lost Omi.”
Something twisted in his chest then and the warmth he had felt became burning anger. Alpha’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the kitchen knife in his hand. “How?” The word was said lowly, a demand more than a question.
“We partnered with them for an op,” Gamma said immediately, a fire of his own in his eyes. “Took us somewhere in Africa. We were supposed to intercept a shipment of goods, but you know how it goes. Op went sideways. We got the shipment, but the new squad took it and left us behind.” Alpha could see the way that Gamma nearly growled then, his jaw clenched together. “Omi took two bullets, one to the throat. He bled out before we could get to safety long enough for me to treat him.”
Alpha clenched his own jaw, the situation uncomfortably familiar. “Iota was the first to die,” he said finally. “He took a bullet to the neck, just as Omi did. But he used a grenade and took a few of our enemies with him.” He’d never actually spoken about this in detail with anyone before. He and those who were left of his squad already had to live that night over and over in their dreams, so why put it out into the world with words? He hadn’t even described this in detail to Thorgeirr. “Eta took three bullets to the chest and went down. They went straight through his body armour.” Zeta stood stiffly next to him and Alpha could not look at her to offer her comfort. Theta had his head bowed, his knuckles white as he clasped his hands together between his thighs.
There was understanding in Gamma’s eyes, a shared grief at the loss of their comrades. “We’ll honour them,” Gamma echoed Alpha’s earlier words.
“We will,” Alpha said tightly and then forced his hand to relax around the kitchen knife. Beside him, Zeta started to move again as well. They finished making the meal in silence. Theta too had become quieter, but Gamma seemed to understand.
Once the food was ready, Alpha put away the map for now and they all sat down at the table to share the meal. Things started to relax then, so they started to reminisce over the few happy memories they all had together as first Numbers and then when they had become Letters. They stayed up long into the night as they got to know each other again in a place where they finally felt safe enough to be themselves.
Delta was the next to arrive once the new day dawned. The young man had grown out his hair and had it piled up in a messy bun. The twenty year old also had quite a few more tattoos than Alpha remembered, many of them in hanzi. The characters of Delta’s native tongue seemed nonsensical at first glance, but Alpha could guess that they had a magical significance like the runes he himself had started to learn. “Should have guessed that you’d be the first of us to run, Alpha,” was all Delta commented before he joined them.
Epsilon arrived next, a day later. She had cut her blonde hair short into a sort of pixie cut while she sported a new burn scar that stretched over her shoulder. It crept up her neck and onto her cheek as well. Epsilon looked over each of them critically before she stalked over to Alpha. The young woman smirked a little when she had to tilt her head up to look him in the eye. “Our little Alpha has all grown up,” she drawled and then dragged him into a hug. “Welcome home, Alpha.” She went over to Zeta then and pulled her off into a corner, presumably to catch up with the other woman.
Beta was the last to arrive. The Letters had been gathered around the table as they shared a meal together. Epsilon was regaling them with a story about a recovery mission her squad had done earlier that year. Alpha turned his head though when he felt the ping against the wards. Epsilon immediately went quiet, though remained relaxed. Alpha reached out to open the wards and let them close again when he heard Beta’s footsteps on the stairs. He stood up and away from the table.
When Beta entered the into the apartment, it was quiet. No one dared to move or say anything. Even Alpha remained quiet as he tried to gauge what Beta’s mood was like. As he examined her, he took the time to compare how she had grown. She was close in age to him, though would be about nineteen now. The tips of her hair had been dyed red the last time he had seen her. They still were, though her hair was much longer now and she had it in a single long plait down her back. The red was darker in colour now and looked almost like blood that dripped from the brown of her natural hair. Her eyes were just as fierce as he remembered.
“Alpha.” Beta was the first to break the silence. Her voice was even and did not betray whatever emotions she held onto. When she stalked towards him, however, Alpha felt like she towered over him even though he was a good head taller than her at least. In a stand off between predator and prey, it had been a long time since he had felt like the hunted. She reared her hand back then and slapped him hard against his cheek, though Alpha knew she had pulled back her true strength. He deserved it, so he didn’t try to dodge. She wasn’t aiming to truly hurt him.
“You ever do something like that again to us and I will hunt you down to kill you myself. Got it?” She growled the words at him. Alpha could only nod in agreement through the burning sting of her strike. He could feel the amused looks directed towards his back and was sure that Theta was trying not to laugh. Alpha ignored them. He might have been strongest of the Letters, but even he knew not to mess with Beta.
The young woman nodded then as well and her expression finally relaxed. “Good. Now what war council have you summoned us to, Alpha?”
Notes:
Anyone else excited for all of my babies to be getting back together?
Chapter 26
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Six
Glad to have Beta there with them, Alpha motioned towards the table. “I’ll answer all of your questions, but have a meal with us first. Come join us,” he encouraged her. As Beta accepted the invitation, Delta conjured up a simple chair for her while Zeta stood up to fetch another plate from the kitchen. When she brought it over to Beta, she also turned to Alpha and held out an ice pack for him. When he tried to refuse it, Zeta raised an eyebrow at him and continued to hold it out until he finally relented. As they all sat down at the table, Alpha pressed the ice pack against his bruised cheek and then picked up his fork to resume eating.
“I discovered my birth name,” he revealed to them once they had all settled in again and had had a chance to eat most of their meals. Immediately he felt all of their eyes on him as the idle conversation around him went quiet. Zeta and Theta knew this story of course, but they still turned to him when he spoke.
Unconcerned but interested for Alpha’s sake, Gamma leaned his elbow on the table and speared a piece of chicken with his fork. “Did you? Been over a decade now, hasn’t it? Must be an interesting story if it’s related to gathering us all back together.” Not all of them remembered their pasts more than just vague memories. Not all of them even remembered their birth names as a lot of them had chosen not to remember. Delta had once told him that the memories before Legio were often painful.
Alpha glanced over at Gamma and allowed himself a slight smile. Not often one to weave a lot of build up, he decided to get straight to the point. If they wanted the details on how he had made his discovery, he could answer their questions as they came up. “My parents were James and Lily Potter. They named me Harry James Potter, but were killed when I was a year old,” he told them. He fell silent then when Delta actually choked on a bit of his food.
The young man smacked his chest and then sent Alpha an incredulous look. “ You’re Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived? Well, shit.” His eyes narrowed then and he shared a look with Epsilon. “The English Dark Lord is after you, isn’t he? That’s what this is all about.” Alpha couldn’t say he was surprised they had heard the name, had in fact expected it. If Legio had known he was Harry Potter they had never said. It was something that could be put together easily with a bit of digging if one wished to do so. If they were aware of this connection, Legio would eventually know he was still alive. That was a hazard he had always been prepared for, one of the reasons he had built his reputation as Hex. If Legio came for him, he would have his connections to give him a better chance to stand against them. But Legio’s awareness of him was a problem for the future.
Alpha leaned back in his chair, his fork held loosely in his hand. “Yes. I went to Hogwarts because I was curious about the world I had originally been born into. However, the war within Great Britain’s wizarding world has escalated and I will admit that I underestimated the power in which my birth name carried amongst the masses.” He paused then, his gaze on his plate as he thought over his next words. “And, though the time was short, there are some that I have come to call friends. They are all intimately affected by the war, so I find that I cannot stand idly by.”
Next to Epsilon, Beta studied Alpha as she leaned back in her chair as well. “It is true that if this war continues, it will have a ripple of repercussions throughout the entire world. Magical and mundane. I know that Legio has been keeping an eye on the situation.”
“Are they lending any support?” Alpha asked in the opening that the comment about Legio created. Thorgeirr hadn’t found any evidence of such a thing, but it didn’t hurt to check even though the other Letters might not know either. The man’s contacts with relation to Legio were fairly weak compared to his other ones and Capitán played his cards close to the chest anyhow.
Gamma shifted then and drew Alpha’s attention. “From what I can tell, there haven’t been any troops that have been sent to Vold…”
“Don’t say his name. It’s under Taboo,” Alpha cut in sharply. “He might not care to investigate an anomaly from outside the British Isles, but I don’t want to take the chance. We’ve been calling him Thief.” Besides, none of them were afraid to say the man’s chosen moniker which could become a problem once they returned to Great Britain.
With a nod of understanding, Gamma resumed. “Capitán hasn’t been sending any troops to Thief, but I think the Magic and Technology Division has sent some of its resources.”
With that revelation, Alpha frowned a little. “The MTD? What resources have they shipped out? From what I understand, Thief does not like anything non-magical.” Though, at the same time, Alpha had a feeling that the Thief’s persona was something carefully crafted. He could not have gotten as far as he had by only indiscriminately killing non-magicals. What went on beneath the surface? It nagged at him. Especially the possible connection with Nicanor.
“I have worked closely with MTD on occasion,” Epsilon interrupted. Alpha turned his head towards her and nodded in understanding. As the only squad leader with no magic of her own, it made sense that she would work with the Division to receive integrated tools. It was an MTD device that allowed Epsilon to interact with the wards and with her tattoo. A magical divining rod so to speak, but with added bonuses.
Alpha tapped his fork against his plate and gave a slight tilt of his head. Theta immediately stood up and made his way into the bedroom. A few eyes followed him as he left, but most continued to watch Alpha. “Epsilon. Work with Delta to retrieve what intel you can about the MTD’s connection with the Thief.”
A chuckle from Delta drew everyone’s attention even as Theta returned to the table and sat down next to Alpha. The other teen held out something to him, so Alpha took it with a nod even as he turned his own attention towards Delta. The young man offered Alpha a little smirk once their eyes met. “It’s been years, but you easily slip into the leadership position again, don’t you?” In missions with multiple teams, leadership had always fallen to Alpha first. It was still a deeply ingrained instinct to take the lead it seemed. “Not that I’m complaining, of course. We’ve missed your leadership, Alpha.” Delta placed his fork down, his food finished. “What do you have there?”
Alpha opened up the bag that he had had Theta fetch for him. He then tipped it out onto the middle of the table. Gamma was the first to reach out and pick up one of the little wooden tokens. He flipped it over curiously. From memory, Alpha knew that one side had a rudimentary engraving of a raven and the other side had a series of elder futhark runes. He’d carved them himself. “I remember you working on these,” Gamma said as he flipped the wooden coin back over. “What is it?”
“A key,” Alpha responded before he took another bite of his own food so he could finish his meal. The wooden coins were something he had started to work on while he had waited for the others to all gather. He’d been glad to get them finished before Beta joined them so he could hand them out now. “There’s one for each of you. Including Zee and Tee.”
Theta immediately snatched one up and looked it over. “A key, huh? What’s it for, A?”
“The true safehouse,” Alpha said in a carefully crafted innocent tone. He found it surprisingly hard to keep a straight face when Theta gave him an incredulous look. “The safehouse in Aberdeen is just the door,” he said finally with a hint of a smirk at the corner of his lips. “Or at least one of them.”
At the new information, Theta held his breath until his face started to go red. He then let it out explosively along with a loud groan. “Goddamn, A. Of course that tiny ass apartment wouldn’t be the real base,” he grumbled before his shoulders slumped. “Right then. How do these keys work?”
At the question, Alpha ignored the snickers from a few of the other captains and picked up the last key. There had been another way to unlock the portal contained within the apartment, but he had changed the lock before they had left for their current location. It would be easier now for each of them to be able to bring their squads. He would have to make more so that there were enough for each of the Letters, but there was enough for now.
“It’s a key,” he said. “You simply insert it into the lock.” Theta narrowed his eyes at Alpha, but the dark haired teen only gave the other Letter an innocent look.
“Menace,” Theta grumbled, but gave in with a little sigh.
There was a scattering of quiet laughter from around the table, but then Delta held up the key he had grabbed. “Is there an activation phrase?”
Alpha nodded in response to the question. “I went with ‘opna dyrnar,’” he told them.
Delta glanced over to him with a small frown. “That’s… ‘open the door’ in Icelandic, isn’t it? I’m not very fluent in the language.”
“I’m not either, but I thought it suitable,” Alpha responded with agreement. A lot of them had passing knowledge of quite a number of languages. Alpha himself could carry a rudimentary conversation in more languages than he could count, though he was fluent in far less. He’d lost track at some point. Icelandic was certainly one he was barely even conversational in as it was not a language they’d encounter often. But it also meant that it would not be a password easily guessed.
There were nods of agreement from around the table. “You’re right about that, Alpha,” Beta said. “The English mages surely won’t think outside of their Latin spells.” She slipped her token into a pocket and then picked up her cup to take a drink of her water. “I have to get back to basecamp soon,” she said then. “I slipped out since we’re on downtime. Kappa was injured in our most recent mission so we’ve been sidelined until he’s healed fully.” Even the magical healers could only do so much.
“I’ll head back with you,” Delta said. “I’ve been away long enough and I know my squad can’t cover for me much longer.”
None of them moved, however. Alpha understood that it was hard to leave again when they had only just gotten back together. “We’ll have all the Letters back together soon,” he said finally as he stood up. He didn’t want to bring Capitán’s wrath down on the other Letters. If they all disappeared for too long, the man would get suspicious. That would make it harder for them to disappear with their squads. But Alpha gave a small smile then. “Still, it wouldn’t hurt to wait a little longer. Perhaps a game of cards?”
The other Letters were more than happy to follow his suggestion, so the dishes from their meal were quickly cleared away so the table was empty. Someone produced a deck of cards, though Alpha had a feeling it was Theta. It wasn’t long before they had a game of poker under way, the pot an eclectic mix of items. There were knives and currency from a wide range of countries, but that wasn’t what was important anyways. And, as the game progressed, there was a fair bit of cheating as well. The fun was in getting away with their cheating as each one of them was doing it, but calling out the tricks of their companions as soon as they spotted it.
“Oi! I saw that!” Epsilon pointed her finger at Alpha when he tried to switch two cards. She had glanced over at just the wrong moment, but Alpha was just glad she didn’t have a weapon in hand. Beta had already stuck a knife through a card with a flick of the wrist when she had caught Gamma’s attempt. She’d repaired the card, but Alpha had snapped out a hand to take the card from her. She’d also taken the opportunity to try to switch cards with a bit of magic. When caught, she only gave Alpha an innocent look before the game continued on.
It was late into the night before the game finally wrapped up. All of them had won some and lost some, but none of them minded. What mattered was that they had enjoyed their time together even if it was only for a few hours. They left one by one with promises that there would be days like this again in the future. Alpha gave each of them the location for the safehouse in Aberdeen as they left.
In the few hours left until dawn, Alpha bunked down with his team so they could get a few hours of sleep. They were gone then from the city before it had even fully started to wake.
When they arrived back in Aberdeen, Alpha had them pack up what little they had already unpacked. He helped Zeta in the kitchen so they could bring with them the produce she had bought when they had first arrived. She had given Alpha a look that had spoken volumes about what she thought, but at least she hadn’t made any comments out loud. Still, Alpha couldn’t help but twitch his fingers in quiet apology. She nodded her forgiveness at him.
Once they were all packed, barely an hour later, Alpha led the way into the small bedroom. He picked up his duffel and then fished his key out of his pocket. Alpha slid open the closet door to reveal an array painted against the back wall. It was just barely noticeable, only a shade off the original paint of the wall. The array was not a proper runic matrix like he had started to learn at Hogwarts, but rather something that he had constructed himself. It was a nonsensical series of lines and shapes within a circle, merely a way for him to anchor the magic he had constructed through his will. His new runic studies would eventually let him construct more elaborate things, but this array was perfect for its purpose. Because it was only an anchor and not a proper array, it would be much harder for a wizard to mess with it in any way.
“I still can’t believe that we had to repack everything because you wouldn’t tell us about this place,” Theta grumbled from behind him.
Alpha didn’t even glance over his shoulder as he pressed his key into the center of the array. “Ah, but I wanted to keep it as a surprise,” Alpha said lightly with amusement colouring his tone. He stepped back then, the wooden token attached to the wall like a magnet against metal. “Opna dyrnar,” he spoke the passcode and the engraved letters flickered with a soft glow.
“Sure was a surprise alright,” Theta muttered as the portal activated with a soft whoosh. It swirled and solidified, seemed to sparkle at the edges like the night sky while the center of it was as dark as a moonless night. “And so is that. As much as I trust you, are you sure it’s safe, A?” Zeta was the one to give Theta a look then as she stepped towards the portal. “Well, forgive me for wanting to make sure all of my limbs stay intact.” Zeta only rolled her eyes and was the first to step through the portal. She was gone with a small flash of light, barely more than a flicker. Theta groaned, but followed after her. Alpha smiled to himself now that they had both gone through, then followed after barely a moment later once he had grabbed the final box of food items.
Since they were all through, Alpha plucked the key from within the center of the array. The key had appeared on the paired array that he had painted on the metal door to the complex, though technically it was in a sort of in between space. With the key taken from the array, the portal immediately dissipated and faded away into nothing.
“What is this place?” Theta asked curiously as he looked around and then glanced over the metal railing. The stairs went down a few flights and were made of metal grates, but painted a dull sort of grey. There were metal pipes on the wall that carried electrical wires to lights in cages that were mounted upon the wall. The walls themselves were made of cement, but painted in the same colour as the stair.
Alpha tucked away the key into his pocket and then glanced over to Theta. “An abandoned missile silo complex,” he replied. “I purchased it under an alias and used a bit of magic to bury the paperwork. It has a complex ward over it that basically erased it off any maps and from the memories of anyone who might have known of its existence. Only those who have passed through the wards will be able to know of its existence, though only I know of its exact location.” And he was going to keep it that way. As much as he trusted the other Letters, the best kept secrets were the ones where few knew of them.
A groan came from Theta then and Alpha had to hold back an amused smile. “I think there can’t be anything else that surprises me and then you pull shit like this, A,” the other teen grumbled as he started down the steps. Zeta followed after him, though she flashed Alpha a quick look. He thought he saw amusement in her eyes, so he allowed himself to finally smile as he followed after them down the stairs. He had counted fifty-five of them at one point.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were met by an open steel blast door that led into what would have been the Blast Lock Area. It contained two sets of blast doors that weighed roughly three tons each, while the area itself was encased by one meter thick concrete and steel walls. When it had been an active missile site, the area would have protected the crew from any nuclear detonations, intruders, or other such hazardous conditions that might have happened within the missile silo. Now, the doors were open since he had no need to have them closed. The Blast Lock Area itself had been completely stripped down and Alpha had not done anything to renovate it. Instead it was the same painted grey walls with its industrial lights.
The door to their right led to a short portion of the metal corridor, at which was another blast door at its end. This was the old control center of the missile silo, though everything had been stripped out of there as well. It was this area, with its four levels, that Alpha had converted into a living space. The corridor, called a cableway, opened to the top level. This one Alpha had converted it into a kitchen and dining area with industrial size appliances. Behind a rec area with mismatched couches there was a metal stairway that led down to the next level and its bunks. It also had a dorm style bathroom, something all of them were already long used to using. The other two levels contained the same layout. Alpha had always planned on this one day becoming a base of operations for the liberated Letters so had built it accordingly.
On the other side of the Blast Lock Area was the door that led out to the longer portion of the cableway. Altogether, the entire length of both tunnels combined came out to be about sixty-four meters long. At the end of the longest tunnel was the missile silo itself. It too had been completely stripped of everything and had undergone the greatest renovations. It had taken a lot of work - and a great deal of magical help - to get it to where it was now. Alpha had installed proper floors so that the silo was divided into eight segments. The lowest section had been properly waterproofed and contained so that it had become a reservoir for the entire complex. Above the reservoir was the mechanical room, which was where the important systems for the complex - such as the air and water filtration systems - were located.
The next segment was the laundry and linen storage. There were large industrial washers and dryers along with extra bed linens. It was a long way to walk from the room to the bunkrooms, but the hampers in the laundry had arrays that connected to hampers in the bunkrooms. Linens and clothing could be sent between the two. Above the laundry room was the dry goods storage. He had amassed a large store of nonperishables, things like rice and canned goods, milk powder and egg powder. As well as flour, sugar, and even dried herbs. Some of the items he had gotten with Zeta in mind.
The next room up was the obstacle course and gym space. It was smaller than the obstacle courses they were used to, but was still useful. There were pullup bars integrated into the course as well to give them options, while around the perimeter were weights to help with strength training. The next two floors were the armoury. He had gathered a collection of weapons and ammunitions of all kinds. There was also body armour in various colours, though black was the dominant colour for the assortment. Thorgeirr had helped him source some of it, though he hadn’t told the man what it had been for.
The cableway opened onto the top armoury floor where the weapons were located. Above that was what he had dubbed the war room. It was beneath the sealed hatch of the silo and contained a large round table so that all of the Letters would be able to gather around it. The room also contained a library of maps, magical and otherwise.
The entire complex had been a giant undertaking. Alpha had purchased it as soon as he had been able to scrape together the funds for it and spent every spare moment on its renovation. He had only just completed it not long before he had gone to Hogwarts. There were still things that could probably be done, but now the other Letters would have the opportunity to put their own mark on the place.
“You’re welcome to explore later, but follow me,” Alpha ordered as he turned down the shorter cableway. Once in the kitchen, he set the box down on a metal prep table before he turned as Zeta and Theta entered behind him. Zeta approached him in the kitchen, though her eyes were on the appliances. “There is also dry storage in the converted silo,” Alpha told her. “You’re welcome to any of it.” Zeta gave a nod as she set her own box next to Alpha’s. She immediately started to unpack everything and start to put it away.
Theta went past them and over to the stairwell. He glanced over the metal railing. “Beds down there?”
Alpha glanced up from where he had started to help Zeta to unpack so she could put the items away. “If you go down to the lowest level, the room is divided into two. Through the door is the room I set aside for us.” The rest of the levels and beds were up for grabs when the other Letters arrived, but Alpha had wanted a more private space for his team. The other squads would be welcome to move beds and put up dividers if they so wished once they arrived, but he’d only been able to do so much for the space himself.
“I call dibs!” Theta crowed and then vaulted over the railing to drop down onto the stairs. Alpha could hear him on the first few metal steps, but then Theta stopped making a sound. Even amongst trusted allies, it was difficult to turn off the instincts that had been grilled into them. With a shake of his head, Alpha turned back to helping Zeta.
Once they finished, and Theta hadn’t reappeared, Alpha led the way down to their bunkroom. The room he had set aside for his squad didn’t look much different from the rest of the floor. However, it was set up much like the barracks had been at Legio’s camp. Each one of them had a bed and a desk. At the foot of each bed was a trunk for any belongings. Theta had already seemed to claim the one on the left as he stretched out on top of the blanket. Zeta took the one on the right, so Alpha placed his duffel down on top of the middle bed.
“There’s a cabinet in the bathroom with extra toiletries,” he told them as he dug out his satchel from the larger duffel. “Feel free to explore. I’m going to head up to the war room.”
Theta waved him off, but sat up on his bed. “I’ll come find that later,” the teen promised as he bounced up onto his feet. Zeta tilted her head a little and tapped her fingers against her hip. Alpha gave her a little nod and a smile. He figured she would want to make them all food later. He looked forward to what she would make.
After the long trek to the war room, Alpha set his satchel down on the table and dug out the supplies he had been using to carve keys for the Letters. He wasn’t sure when the others would appear, though it could take a few days at least. Gamma and his squad would likely be the first ones to show up however and he wanted to have enough keys so each Letter could have one.
It was nearly an hour later before Theta joined him, a notebook in hand. The sandy haired teen dropped down in a chair next to Alpha and glanced over his work curiously, but then focused on whatever he had in his notebook. If Theta wanted to share then he would, so Alpha didn’t ask. They only worked in silence until a soft chime caught Alpha’s attention. He straightened up and made his way over to a chest that was in the corner of the room. “What’s that?” Theta asked curiously as he leaned back in his chair to stretch out his back with a groan.
Alpha opened up the chest and pulled out the two items inside. “A magical postal box,” he said in the plainest terms. He made his way back over to the table and set down a copy of the Daily Prophet. He held onto the Quibbler and flipped through the pages until he reached an article with the picture of a spear hidden in the border design. Thorgeirr.
“A postal box? Why doesn’t Thorgeirr just use that?” Theta asked as he grabbed the newspaper and pulled it open.
After a brief glance at the other teen, Alpha sat down and grabbed a notebook with a pen. “He can in emergencies. It’s under an alias, so I don’t want to take the chance of compromising it.” They still didn’t know exactly how far Thief’s reach and influence touched, so had to take every precaution that they could. It was easier for Hamish Taibhse to receive normal periodicals than to risk someone discovering there was a connection between him and Thorgeirr. Alpha hadn’t broadcasted his own involvement with Thorgeirr, but it hadn’t been hidden either. Besides, Thorgeirr was taking a stronger stance in the war which might bring him attention from the wrong people. There were too many factors to consider and the magazine ciphers had been the simplest solution.
With Theta’s understanding hum, Alpha uncapped his pen and started to go over the article slowly. If one examined the printed letters carefully, they would notice that some of them were a shade or two lighter than the others around them. Alpha wrote each one down, carefully grouped together by line.
“Alpha,” Theta suddenly said seriously. Alpha lifted his head and turned his attention to his companion. As soon as he looked at him, Theta slid the newspaper over. “Take a look at this article. You’ll want to read it.”
With a small frown, Alpha picked up the newspaper to examine it. Across the top of the paper was a bold headline. “‘Wartime Act Passed by Wizengamot’,” Alpha read out loud. He skimmed through the article then while his expression darkened with each line. The Wizengamot had passed an emergency act that gave their leader, Nicanor, sole power over the Ministry. They excused it by stating that it was a reaction to the deposed Minister’s uselessness in defending the country from the Dark Lord’s attacks. The article praised the move and stated it was a long time coming. It also informed its readers that Nicanor would be giving a speech the following morning to address this new act. “I’m going,” Alpha said shortly as he tossed the paper back onto the table and went back to the Quibbler article.
“I’ll inform Zee,” Theta said quietly as he stood up. Alpha nodded in agreement, but didn’t comment. He trusted his team, so he focused on Thorgeirr’s message.
Once he had found all of the faded characters, Alpha was left with a nonsensical series of letters. Within the spear hidden in the border were two additional letters along its shaft. First was ‘B’ and the second was ‘N’. He slipped a little coin out of his pocket and used his nail to press a small button on the side. A thin sheet of metal popped out that contained a small cipher decoder. A pulse of magic made it larger, though it was usable in its smaller form. Alpha turned the wheel to match up the ‘B’ and ‘N’.
Going letter by letter, Alpha fixed the characters until he had proper words. By the time he finished, he had a message from Thorgeirr. “Shit,” he muttered as he sat back.
“What did Thorgierr have to say?” Theta said from the stairwell as he his head popped up. Alpha glanced over to see both him and Zeta as they appeared. Zeta had a tray of food in her hands.
Alpha turned back to the message in front of him. “Nothing good,” he said grimly. “After the emergency act, the Wizengamot also signed a Registration Act. Every witch and wizard in Great Britain needs to register under the new legislation and submit proof of their blood status.”
The other two sat down on his right side and Zeta took the message to look it over herself. “Why does this remind me of the lessons we did on World War II?” Theta asked the question as he looked over Zeta’s shoulder to read the message for himself.
“The next step will be re-education camps,” Zeta said grimly as she set the notebook back down.
Alpha nodded in agreement. “Yes. That does seem like where this is headed, even if they won’t call them that.” He frowned as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes on the food that Zeta brought even if he didn’t reach for it yet. “I’m going to head to London. I want you both to remain here, wait for my return and to welcome the other squads.” Both Zeta and Theta didn’t have magic of their own so it would be dangerous for them to attend Nicanor’s speech. “I’ll leave tonight.” They could only give in with nods of agreement.
Notes:
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Chapter 27
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Seven
A young man with brown hair stepped from the Ministry lift and tucked his top hat beneath his arm. He dusted a bit of lint from his shoulder with his free hand, then stepped towards the reception desk with a purposeful stride. The witch behind the counter flushed a little as the man flashed her a dazzling smile, his hazel eyes practically twinkling in the atrium light. “W-wand, please,” she requested with a stutter and then quickly cleared her throat. “Ah, Name?”
The man handed over a pale wand and then ran his hand over his short beard. “Giacomo Ombra,” he said with a heavy Italian accent.
“Your business, Mister Ombra?” She asked as she placed Giacomo’s wand on what looked to be a scale. The blush that had been painted on her cheeks still hadn’t disappeared and she snuck another look at him.
“Ah, here to see Lord Nicanor’s speech, of course,” the wizard said with another smile.
The woman’s blush darkened and she hastily scrawled down something with her quill after looking at the magical display on the contraption next to her. “O-oh, yes, of course,” she stuttered again and then quickly plucked Giacomo’s wand up to hand to him. “Enjoy your visit to the Ministry of Magic, Mister Ombra.”
Giacomo gave the witch a wink as he tucked his wand away again. “Why thank you. Buona giornata, Signorina Daisy.” he said after a quick glance at the nametag on her lapel. He gave Daisy a little bow and then swept past the desk. Giacomo then joined in the throngs of people that had started to amass in the hall, though his attention was briefly stolen by the giant fountain halfway down the atrium hall. Its figures stood larger than life amidst a circular pool. A centaur, a goblin, and a house elf all seemed to look up at the figures of a witch and a wizard, the wizard most prominent among them. Jets of water poured from various points in a grand display. “Che schifo,” the man muttered and moved on.
Past the large fountain, there was a large stage that had been built. It stood above the gathering crowd, decorated with bright heraldry and its focal point an ornate podium. Aurors in their scarlet Victorian-like police uniforms stood before the stage, their expressions stern and eyes sharp. As Giacomo found a spot to stand, music started to play that was heavy on trumpets. The steady thrum of conversation went quiet as all eyes went towards the stage.
As the music played, Athanasios Nicanor appeared from a side door. As he made his way up the steps, applause erupted from the gathered crowd. The older man waved a hand with a serene sort of smile, something carefully neutral. When he took his place behind the podium then, he raised his hand and the atrium hall suddenly quieted. The silence was almost deafening.
Nicanor lowered his hand and placed it against the podium as he ran his eyes over the faces of those gathered. “Yesterday - in the response to the wretch that has plagued our world and has been allowed to run rampant for far too long - the Wizengamot held an emergency session to pass wartime measures that would allow for a more unified front.” The man’s voice was deep and almost velvety, but it seemed to easily carry across the hall. Nicanor paused in his words and then placed his hand against his chest. “I take upon this role with great honour and reverence while I promise to dedicate my life for this great cause. I swear this upon my name, Athanasios Nicanor.” There was an eruption of applause until Nicanor held up his hand for silence. When the crowd quieted again, Nicanor lowered his hand and drew a breath. “Long ago, before muggles came to fear us, our ancestors were heralded as great leaders and healers. We were great wise men and women. But this Dark Lord, this man that has driven all of us to fear even saying his name, has reduced us to cowering mice in our hovels. He has stolen our pride from us.” Uneasy murmurs erupted through the crowd and Giacomo glanced to the side as the witch next to him turned to the friend on her other side to whisper fervently.
The crowd quieted once more as Nicanor raised his hand again and gave them a grim smile. “The former Minister and his establishment were too weak to take a stand, unable to provide the defense of our families as should have been their priority. Their incompetence has stolen friends and family from each one of us. Not even our children are safe. Not one among us hasn’t felt the touch of the Dark Lord’s hand.” He lowered his hand and swept his gaze over the crowd. “It is my pledge to work for the safety of our magical kin, to safeguard the purity of our homes.”
Nicanor continued to speak for at least another hour as he spoke about his plans to stand against the Dark Lord’s reign of terror. He told them of how they would overhaul the Ministry and root out the corruption that had dug its fingers into the establishment. Giacomo thought he made a lot of pretty promises, ones that would appeal to the mages that had become disillusioned under the previous Minister’s order. Nicanor gave the sense that he was offering a light of hope for the downtrodden people. By the time Nicanor brought his speech to a close, many of the gathered crowd had lifted their faces with adoration plain on their faces.
The politician bowed his head and then placed his hand against his chest once more. “Thank you all for gathering here today in such support of our great magical nation. If you all still have the time, I shall answer a few questions.” He nodded then towards a woman who had a fan clutched in her hands.
“Lord Nicanor,” she greeted. “I heard that the Wizengamot also passed a Registration Act. Is there anything you can tell us about that?”
It was a question that Giacomo was curious about as well. The politician on the stage nodded with a serene smile again, unsurprised by the question. “It is long past time that we took a census of our people, especially with the influx of muggleborn witches and wizards. There is no reliable record, so we aim to correct this.”
“And what of the rumor that it will record our blood status?” Someone else pressed.
Giacomo thought something flashed through Nicanor’s eyes, but the man’s expression was as neutral as it had been. “We wish to conduct a survey for a study that the Department of Mysteries is working on. Forgive me, but I cannot reveal too much until their findings are published.”
There was a murmur through the crowd, but someone else shouted out another question. “You mentioned a restructuring of the Auror Corps. Can you explain more about that, Lord Nicanor?”
“Of course. In order to stand against the Dark Lord’s building strength, we hope to put our Aurors through better training. With the restructuring, it will give them better reaction time in order to react to Deatheater activity,” Nicanor responded easily. Giacomo thought the man had a quick answer for everything without truly giving anything away. He certainly came across as a well seasoned politician.
Many of the next questions were more personal ones about Nicanor himself. The man answered them without actually really saying anything about himself. It was nothing that hadn’t already been revealed to the public in the past. When the man finally left the stage again, it was to the heraldic music again. Once Nicanor was gone, the crowd slowly dispersed even though many stayed to excitedly talk about their new Ministry leader. Giacomo lingered a little to listen in, but slowly made his way to the wall of Floos that lined the side of the atrium hall.
When it was his turn, Giacomo stepped through the Floo and reappeared in the Leaky’s hearth on the other side. He brushed ash from his shoulders and then stepped out of the way in case anyone else came through. He gave a cheerful wave to the bartender and then stepped through into the back alley. He removed his wand and let himself into Diagon, the Alley just as bleak as ever. Giacomo kept to himself as he walked, his steps with purpose. He was careful not to meet the eyes of anyone, but especially the eyes of the Aurors that lined the path. His destination was Gringotts, and he was able to pass the doors unhindered.
With how quiet the street of Diagon had been, Giacomo found himself surprised to see that the bank hall was filled with patrons. Most of them were dressed in wealth, their expressions almost pinched as they looked down their noses at the goblin tellers. The man ignored them as he found an open teller and then passed over his key. “I’d like to speak with my estate manager,” he requested lightly.
The goblin’s brow furrowed as he picked up the key to examine it. His expression cleared then and he gave a nod. “Yes, of course.” He made a motion then and summoned one of the other employees. “Grindstone will show you to a suitable consultation room.”
Giacomo gave a little bow and then followed after the goblin. He was shown to a small room with a desk and a winged chair. Once he was left alone, Giacomo pulled something out of his pocket and enlarged a satchel. He pulled out a few garment items and laid them over the chair before he started to mechanically undress. Each piece of clothing that came off was a piece of the facade of Giacomo.
“Using my office as a changing room again, Herr Geist?” The accented voice came from the doorway far sooner than he had expected, but Alpha never stopped undressing. Bindaxe was used to these situations by this point as it wasn’t the first time Alpha’d needed to switch personas within the bank or its branches.
“This isn’t your office though, is it? That’s back in Berlin.” He said as he ran his fingers through his hair and used a pulse of magic to clean away the dye that had been in it so that it was black once more. He’d used muggle ways of disguising himself so it wouldn’t trip any potential wards at the Ministry.
The goblin breathed out a sigh. “I assume you need me to dispose of those clothes for you?”
Alpha nodded as he pulled on a new shirt and started to button it. “Yes. You can take the usual fee out of my account.” He next pulled the coloured contacts out of his eyes and then finished dressing.
“Was there something else you need, Herr Geist? Or did you just request me to make use of our bank to change your clothes?” The goblin drawled the words, seemingly irritated, but this was the usual exchange between them. Bindaxe knew that he was a mercenary, but was under the impression that his name really was John Geist. It was the name he had a Gringotts account under and where he put the money he earned from wizarding contracts.
Alpha put the satchel strap over his shoulder once he was fully dressed again. “Actually, I did have another motive for today’s visit. I wanted to request an inheritance test.”
Bindaxe took a seat at the desk and folded his hands. He gave Alpha a pointed look. “An inheritance test?”
“John Geist isn’t my birth name,” Alpha stated easily. “However, it is only recently that I have discovered who my parents were and what name they gave me. I have reason to believe that they may have left a vault to me with their passing. I wish to reclaim it, if possible.” A war required money after all.
The goblin stared at him a few moments longer, but then pulled a sheet of parchment out of the desk. He then also grabbed a case and opened it up to reveal a blood quill. “You know what this is, Herr Geist?”
“Yes,” Alpha responded simply as he stepped up to the desk. “What happens to the test once it’s done?”
After a quick glance up at Alpha, Bindaxe selected a normal quill and inked a complex pattern into the parchment on the desk. “It is securely filed for our records. I will place it specifically with your other documents in your account portfolio, Herr Geist. Only I will have access.” He slid the parchment over the desk then. “If you are ready, then carefully trace the design with the blood quill. The fee will be deducted from your vault, as per our usual agreement.”
Though he picked up the quill, Alpha took a moment to inspect the design that the goblin had etched out onto the parchment. The characters were similar to the Elder Futhark runes that he had been learning, but had their differences. He had read in some book once that the goblins were distant relatives to the dwarves, some offshoot long ago. Dwarves had originated in the Old Norse lands, so he supposed it made sense then that the goblin language would be so similar.
His examination told him nothing about the array on the parchment, but he trusted the integrity of the goblins. He trusted the binding of their laws and regulations within the bank. So, Alpha placed the quill on the parchment and slowly started to trace the inked lines. As he carefully traced the design, he didn’t even flinch as it started to engrave itself on the back of his hand. Once he finished, he set the quill down and slid everything back over to Bindaxe.
Immediately, the goblin put the blood quill away and then picked up the parchment. While the banker spoke words in a guttural language, Alpha looked down at the back of his hand to watch as the mark disappeared without a trace. He looked back up again to see the blood on the parchment glow with a faint golden light before it sunk down into the parchment as if it was being absorbed. As he continued to watch, words started to appear slowly as they scrawled themselves across the page.
“Bei den Göttern,” the goblin breathed out as he picked up the parchment again. “You’re Harry Potter.” He quickly snapped his fingers then and a folder appeared upon the desk. He shoved the parchment into the folder and snapped his fingers again. Alpha held back a smile, once again appreciating the integrity of Gringotts’ goblins. Even though they could come across as cold and willing to do anything for a bit of gold, they were very particular about their relationship with their clients. That included the identities of said clients.
Alpha took a seat in the chair across from the desk finally. “Yes. I understand that they left behind a vault for me. I want to reclaim it and transfer the assets to the Berlin branch.” He wanted access to the money in the vault, but couldn’t be seen too frequently going in and out of the London bank even if it was under various disguises. It would eventually attract attention from the sharpest of eyes. No, it would be safest to do business in branches outside the London one.
Something in Bindaxe’s expression tightened, the already naturally sour expression deepening. Alpha narrowed his eyes. “I’m not the first to close my account here, am I?” He thought of the many wealthy patrons that were in the bank lobby.
“Nothing gets past you, does it, Herr Geist?” Bindaxe muttered as he snapped his fingers so that a stack of parchments appeared before him. “Many old wizarding families, ones that have had vaults for generations within our venerated establishment, have started to withdraw their wealth. But only here at the London main branch.” Alpha frowned a bit, but didn’t comment. It was something they might have to look into, though they’d keep an eye on it at least. It could be a coincidence, just wartime paranoia. But in Alpha’s experience, things were rarely ever a coincidence.
Bindaxe gave him a look, but then slid the papers over to him. “Read these over and sign in the designated areas, Herr Geist. Or should I call you Herr Potter?”
“Geist is fine,” Alpha responded as he picked up the small stack. “What are these?” The technical jargon in contracts like these were often headache inducing, so he’d like a heads up on what exactly to expect.
“It’s the proper paperwork that needs to be filed to reclaim a family vault and to transfer the contents to a new branch,” Bindaxe said as he slid over a fountain pen to the wizard, well used to Alpha’s view on quills.
“Of course,” Alpha said evenly, if barely above a mutter. He picked up the first parchment and slowly went over it. Though he knew that most of the forms were pretty standardized, it never hurt to make sure an extra clause or two hadn’t been snuck in. Bindaxe only gave him a small grin, so Alpha grabbed the fountain pen and started to slowly read through each page. He signed where he needed and then filled in the relevant information. All in all, it took him about an hour.
Once he finally finished, Alpha slid the pages over to Bindaxe. The goblin picked up the stack and went through it slowly. “Sehr gut,” the banker said after awhile. He separated a few of the sheets and snapped his fingers to pull up Alpha’s file. He tucked the parchments away before he snapped his fingers again to make the file disappear back to wherever it was archived. “I will file these immediately,” Bindaxe said as he straightened the remaining papers. “The process should take a few days, but I’ll contact you when it’s completed. Was there anything else, Herr Geist?”
It was about what he expected. Even with magic at their disposal, it would still take time to physically move a vault. Alpha stood up from a chair. “The only other thing would be the purchase of a portkey. Or, if you would allow me the use of a private floo.” He didn’t want to be seen leaving the London main branch.
Bindaxe frowned deeply. “I can allow you the use of a private floo. The Ministry is tightening restrictions on the regulation of portkeys in Great Britain.” A floo would only allow him to travel to a connected hearth within a set region. In this case, he’d only be able to travel within Great Britain. That was really all he needed, but this was the first that he was hearing about portkey restrictions.
“What sort of restrictions?” Alpha pressed Bindaxe for answers.
The goblin studied him a moment and then gave a sharp nod. “Gringotts used to be able to use their discretion to issue portkeys for clients. It is like this in every branch over the world. However, due to the nature of our treaties with wizards, we are still subject to the laws of the localized governments. The British Ministry of Magic has decided to tighten their red tape over the issuing of portkeys. So far, we are still free to use our own discretion in who we issue portkeys to, however the use of portkey magic is being carefully tracked. Each portkey must be created with the appropriate paperwork filed. If not, then the issuer is heavily fined.”
So, if he wanted to use a portkey from the London bank, he would need to file paperwork to obtain it. He could file it under the name of John Geist, but he didn’t want a record of his movements if he could help it. Instead, he could take a floo to a magical transportation hub in Glasgow, then find his way back to Aberdeen from there. “That is good to know. I’ll take the use of the floo, then.”
Bindaxe stood up as well then. “Very well, Herr Geist. If you would follow me.” The goblin led Alpha to an office and showed him where the floo powder was located. “Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Geist. Pleasure doing business with you as always.”
Alpha gave the goblin a nod and then picked up a handful of floo powder. “Glasgow Hub,” he called out and stepped into the flare of green flames. When he stepped through on the other side, he arrived in a large circular room that was filled with lit hearths. There were a few people as they milled about, but everyone kept their eyes down and kept to themselves. Alpha adjusted the strap of his satchel and walked past a reception desk where people could purchase floo powder. Another room was an Apparition point, but he ignored that door as he headed for the exit.
As he stepped out of what looked like an emergency exit, Alpha emerged in an alleyway between two rundown factory buildings. He had found that the magical community had a thing for hiding important buildings in seemingly abandoned places. With a small shake of his head, Alpha headed out into mundane Glasgow so he could wind his way around the city until he arrived at the train station. There he purchased a ticket to Aberdeen. The trip was about two and a half hours, but he spent the time just staring out the window at the passing scenery. From the train station he made his way around Aberdeen until he finally let himself into the apartment safehouse. Confident that he hadn’t been followed, it was early evening by the time Alpha returned to the base complex.
“You’re back,” Zeta greeted Alpha as he stepped off the stairs from the entrance portal.
Alpha gave a small nod as he glanced around the Blast Lock Area. “Someone else is here,” he observed. He could hear faint conversation from the bunk area, so at least one person had arrived.
Zeta crossed her arms across her chest as she glanced down the cableway to the bunk levels. “Yes. Gamma and his squad arrived a couple of hours ago.” There was a softness to her expression that might have been a smile and it eased the tension in Alpha’s shoulders. He wanted to report what he had learned, but seeing Gamma squad again first had quickly became a priority now that he knew they had arrived. So Alpha turned and made his way down the cableway.
Conversation stopped when Alpha stepped through the doorway. Theta was perched on the back of a couch in the rec area, Rho seated between his legs. The sniper was braiding the other Letter’s long bright red hair, but glanced up when Alpha appeared. He gave his leader a grin and a little salute, but then returned to what he was doing. Rho also gave a little salute, a small smile on their lips.
Movement from the kitchen area drew Alpha’s attention next. He turned to see Gamma behind the prep counter, Xi and Pi on either side of him as they made sandwiches. “You made it,” Alpha commented as he made his way over to the island. He stole a slice of salami and rolled it up before he slipped it into his mouth.
Gamma shot him a look and tossed a slice of cheese at him. “Wait until we’re done and we’ll make you a sandwich too,” he said with a small smirk. Alpha merely caught the piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth. Mozzarella, he thought.
“I’d be honoured to get a sandwich,” Alpha said flatly, though he tossed Xi a little smile when she snorted. Pi was laughing too, though it was quiet and under her breath. “I’m surprised you got here so quickly. I had expected at least another day,” Alpha said then as he changed the subject.
With a snort, Gamma focused on his task. “Yes, well. Once I told Xi, Pi, and Rho that you were still alive, we decided it wasn’t worth it to head back to Legio.” The older Letter flashed Alpha a quick smirk. “We might have left a few things behind, but it’s nothing that can’t be replaced. Anything truly important we’ve kept on us at all times. So there was no point in going back to the basecamp.”
Alpha gave a nod as he looked over at Theta and Rho. It was sound logic. “If we’re all eating together, I can fill you in on what I’ve learned.”
“Perfect. We’re almost done.”
Once all of the sandwiches were assembled and plated, all of the Letters gathered around the table with their food. Alpha pulled out a button from his pocket and placed it in the center. He pushed a bit of his magic into it and an image materialized in the air above the table. Alpha had used a magic item to record Nicanor’s speech. It was the best way to recount it, to really examine the nuances of which words the man chose to use. He’d be able to revisit it anytime he needed.
They were all finished eating by the time that the speech came to an end, but they remained at the table as Alpha recounted what he had also learned while at Gringotts’. Once he finished, they were all quiet for a long moment. Alpha stood up to collect the plates and put them into the sink. When he returned to his seat, Gamme turned towards him. “You’re right that there is something not right about Nicanor, but he seems to be willing to take a stand against Thief. Still, do you think that they are allied in some way?”
Alpha leaned back in his chair and frowned slightly. “From what I understand, Thief is marked by obsession over his magical heritage. He’s fanatic about magic, enough that it pushed him into what wizards call the Dark Arts. He wanted to push the boundaries of what was possible, eventually delving into necromancy and immortality. There was a lot of social upheaval in the years before he really started to gain power for his attempt at a revolution. It seems that his goal was to build a new order where those deemed purebloods would rule while muggleborns and the like would be subjugated.”
“What’s their qualifications for what they consider to be a pureblood? How would they even determine that?” Rho interrupted as they propped their elbow against the table, their chin on their fist. “Would that rule out any creature blood? The wizarding world has plenty of humanoid creatures that are close enough to human to interbreed.”
“It’s hard to say,” Alpha mused thoughtfully. He thought of the inheritance test that he had done at Gringotts. It had shown a portion of his family tree, though he would readily admit that he didn’t know how it exactly worked. But if magic could reconstruct a family tree from just his blood, then what else was possible? “The magical census,” he said then. “The wizarding society as a whole has its own obsession on how pure one’s blood supposedly is. The Registration Act is likely to record if one’s parents - and even grandparents - had the ability to use magic. They’ll start simple, but it’ll likely escalate from there eventually. They’re likely to redefine what they see pureblood as.”
Pi snorted softly. “If history has taught us anything, it’s certainly that,” she commented. “They’ll start out by helping the people, but it won’t end there. Nicanor isn’t going to give up power once Thief is gone. He’s building the grounds for a dictatorship, to brainwash the people before they’ve even realized what’s happened.”
“It’ll be a totalitarian regime,” Xi agreed with a frown. “And brainwashing is a good word, I think. People will happily follow along with anyone who saves them from Thief.” Alpha thought they were all in agreement about that.
“What about the regulations they’re imposing on the goblins?” Theta brought up after a moment. “They’re not afraid of pissing off the goblins? They’ve had wars against goblins in the past, haven’t they? They can’t afford another war.”
Alpha shared a look with Gamma then. They had learned a little about the goblin wars in their lessons, but it hadn’t been much. Legio didn’t care much for history, but rather making and influencing the future. According to Legio, one could learn from the past but only so much as was actually useful as lessons for the future. “So far, all they have done is restrict the usage of portkeys, but the Ministry could easily say that it wasn’t intended as a slight against Gringotts specifically but rather a measure for the war against Thief.” They had tightened the regulations around portkeys, but it could be said that the restrictions it put on Gringotts was an unfortunate consequence. The goblins couldn’t protest, couldn’t even say that the Ministry really was pressing restrictions upon them. “We don’t know for sure yet if they’re targeting Gringotts, so it’ll be something to keep an eye on.”
Gamma nodded but then waved his hand a little. “Agreed, but back to my earlier question. Do you think Nicanor and Thief are connected?”
“My gut says yes,” Alpha admitted. “Nicanor appeared during the first conflict, but then disappeared when Thief did. It was supposedly due to health reasons, but the timing is suspicious. My gut wants to say that Nicanor is Thief himself, but what would be his game then? Why pit his two personas against each other?” He could be wrong. It could be a coincidence and Nicanor had nothing to do with Thief. Maybe they were once allies but then had a falling out. It was hard to say until he had more information. To get that information, they were going to need to plant a mole somewhere in the Ministry.
Though they didn’t have everyone back together yet, they needed to start putting forth a plan. “Gamma,” Alpha decided after a moment of silence. “You are the oldest of us with magic, so I want you to infiltrate the Ministry. Specifically the Auror Corps.”
Gamma seemed unsurprised as he gave a nod. “I’ll use one of the personas I’ve used in the past,” he said. “I can go over the details with you and we can set up a secure line of communication.”
They would need to move quickly, but they also didn’t want to rush into it. Alpha nodded, but then he gave a small smile. “Sure, but at least spend a full night here.” It was their first time away from Legio and Alpha wanted them to be able to relax at least a little even if it was only for a night. It would only be the beginning after all.
“I have some nail polish,” Zeta offered. “We can have a girls’ night.”
Theta jumped up. “Screw that! I want in on it, too!” He grinned and held a hand out to Rho. “Come on! Can’t let the girls have all the fun, yeah? Sleepover!” He led the charge down the stairs, Rho laughing quietly behind him.
Notes:
Hope you all enjoyed!
Chapter 28
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I will gut you,” Xi said lowly, a knife already in her hand.
Theta immediately threw his hands up with a grin. “Hey, hey. It wasn’t me, I swear! Pi’s the one with a bowl of popcorn in her lap!”
The young woman put the knife away, though Xi still kept her eyes narrowed at Theta. “And you’re sitting next to her, within easy reach of the popcorn, you damned sniper.”
Alpha rolled his eyes as he shuffled the cards in his hands. Pi smirked to herself as she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth to cover the expression. Both Pi and Theta had flicked popcorn at Xi, so they were both equally at fault. He wasn’t about to get between them all in a fight, however. He was confident he’d come out on top, but he wasn’t about to risk his limbs for something so insignificant.
A snicker from Gamma drew Alpha’s attention and he spared the older Letter a look. Gamma winked at him and tossed a pretzel into his mouth. Hiding his own amusement, Alpha dealt out the cards. “Better behave, you three,” Gamma said as he turned away from Alpha and grabbed another handful of pretzels. He set them down in front of him and then picked up his cards. “Alpha dealt, so I’m first this time.” He glanced at the cards in the center of the table, then grabbed one of his cards.
“Oi! You’re skipping me already?” Pi grumbled with a small pout. She stuck her tongue out at Gamma when the young man gave her an unrepentant grin. Theta patted her knee in commiseration and then took his turn. Zeta spared him a glance and went next. That look told Alpha that Theta had better think twice about what sort of cards he played on her in the future. Theta hadn’t listened well so far. Alpha held back a smile as he watched Xi play and then Rho. It was finally his turn, so he played a reverse. Next to him, Gamma huffed but didn’t say anything as Rho played a card.
Theta’s small cry of outrage as Zeta played a plus two card on him made Alpha snort, unable to help himself. He had seen that one coming and only smirked when Theta pointed at him. “You both are conspiring against me, aren’t you?!”
“We would never,” Zeta blinked innocently as she picked up two cards and slid them over to Theta. “Besides, you started it during the first round, didn’t you?”
“I can pick up my own damn cards,” Theta grumbled without any real heat and took the cards with another mutter that Alpha couldn’t pick up. Alpha found it difficult not to laugh, but was glad to see a smile on Zeta’s lips.
The game of Uno only devolved from there as each Letter’s goal seemed to be to make the others pick up as many cards as they could. Cheating was not off the table either, of course. In the end, it was Rho who managed to win. Alpha had patted their shoulder as he congratulated them and then had gathered up the cards.
Alpha glanced at the time then, a digital clock mounted on the wall, and realized that it was well past midnight. “How about a movie?” He asked. It would be a good way to wind down for the night so they’d be able to get some sleep. With the agreement of the others, they moved up to the rec area where the TV was and Alpha popped in a VHS for The Princess Bride. Thorgeirr had introduced him to a lot of movies when they had had the time, so he had a small library of movies now that had been mostly gifted to him by the older man.
With the movie playing, Alpha found himself a spot to sit next to Theta. The sniper was leaning against Rho, but kicked his legs up over Alpha’s lap. It didn’t take long for the rest of the Letters to pile together on the couches around them. Alpha wouldn’t have been surprised if they all would fall asleep where they were and spend the night like that, but one by one each of the Letters eventually slowly abandoned the movie and went to bed. Alpha turned it off once he and Zeta were the last ones left. On silent feet they made their way to bed themselves, Theta already fast asleep on their level.
“Goodnight, A,” Zeta whispered as they each climbed into their own beds.
“Goodnight, Zee,” Alpha responded as he settled. They were soon both fast asleep.
It was late morning then by the time everyone made it out of bed, though Alpha had been awake at his usual time after only a couple hours of sleep. He had spent some time in the gym before he had returned to the mess to start on some food for all of them. He decided on some French Toast, something that Thorgeirr had introduced to him. He had stuck two trays of bacon into the oven as well. Zeta was the next to join him, so she started to slice up strawberries and made whipped cream. Alpha might have snuck a spoonful when she wasn’t looking. And stolen a strawberry.
As the others started drifting into the mess with the promises of breakfast, Alpha plated food out for them. Theta trudged over to the coffee machine first when he appeared and poured himself a cup. He then proceeded to dump in far too much sugar and creamer that Alpha wasn’t even sure it could be considered coffee anymore.
“Food, Theta,” Alpha spoke up and held out a plate. Theta only yawned and grabbed the plate on his way past. Alpha only shook his head and offered Rho a plate as they stepped up to the counter.
Once the food had been all dished out, Alpha took a seat next to Theta and nudged him a bit. The other teen grumbled a bit and shifted away from the poke, but Alpha knew that the sniper was more aware than he pretended to be. With a chuckle, Alpha let him be and started on his food.
As they ate, the conversation remained quiet, none of them really used to speaking much around mealtimes. But the quiet didn’t last long as Alpha’s head shot up when an alarm started to blare. The others were on their feet in moments as well, their food abandoned.
“Alpha. What’s going on?” Gamma’s voice was tight as he appeared by Alpha’s side.
With a quick movement of his hands, Alpha pulled up an array of magic. It showed a rudimentary blueprint of the complex and small dots to indicate lifeforms. The white ones in the mess were all of them. Five dots had appeared through the portal, but one of them was glowing an ominous red. “Either Beta or Delta’s squad is here and one of them is critically injured,” Alpha said as he dismissed the magic. He was out the door in the next moment, thankful that this section of cableway was shorter than the other tunnel. Though he hadn’t set up an infirmary area yet, something he’d planned to do and should have done from the beginning if he’d known this was going to happen. But the Blast Lock Area was going to be the infirmary area and so was the last to be renovated. It was planned out, but wasn’t finished yet. He should have. He’d gotten too comfortable, perhaps even lost his edge. Filled with hubris. The Letters were good, but they were not infallible. He shouldn’t have forgotten that.
“Zeta, Theta,” Alpha threw out the order over his shoulder, knowing they had followed close behind. “You’ve seen the boxes stacked along the cableway to the silo. Find the ones labelled with medical supplies, five and eight in particular need to be brought to the Blast Lock.”
“Yes, sir,” Theta said sharply as both Letters darted past him and sprinted through the doors to fetch the boxes he’d mentioned. As the rest of the Letters entered the Blast Lock, it was just in time for Beta’s team to appear at the bottom of the stairs. Mu and Nu were identical twins and they carried Kappa between them. Lambda and Beta stumbled in behind them, a little worse for wear but walking under their own power. Alpha could easily guess that it was Kappa who was the one in critical condition.
With a wave of his hand, Alpha summoned up a simple table. “Lay him down,” he ordered firmly. “What happened?”
The twins hauled Kappa onto the table and laid him out carefully. Alpha couldn’t see any obvious blood, but that just meant that they had had time to attempt some first aid. They had stabilized Kappa at least. But the young man was looking worryingly pale, his face creased with pain and slick with sweat.
“Capitán caught us as we were trying to leave,” Beta said grimly as she limped over to Kappa’s side and took his hand. “One of the squads came back before they were scheduled and Capitán came out to meet them. It was just bad timing, but not a good look for a Letter squad to be sneaking out. Especially when Gamma squad never returned or reported back.” She gave a small shake of her head. “Capitán ordered Squad Decem to bring us in, so we had to fight our way out. Kappa took a bullet to the shoulder. Once we were clear, we stopped to tend to our wounds but it was quickly clear that Kappa was hit with one of MTD’s bullets. He’s been poisoned with what we think is lindwyrm venom.”
Next to Alpha, Gamma summoned up a small table as Zeta and Theta dragged in two plastic bins that were labelled Medical. They hauled them up onto the table that Gamma had conjured and stepped back so Alpha could get to it. The young man flipped the latches on the first bin and dragged the lid open. “Lindwyrm venom,” Alpha muttered and didn’t even glance over at Beta as he spoke to her. “How long?” A lindwyrm was a magical snake species native to Sweden that could grow to massive proportions. It typically spit venom that would blind its victims but, as was typical of magical venom, reacted differently once within the bloodstream.
“Three hours,” Beta said gravely. Alpha guessed that they must have managed to get a portkey at some point, but it still wasn’t great. “I gave him a potion, but he started to degrade quickly about a half hour ago.”
Alpha grabbed an IV start kit and tossed it at Gamma, who grabbed it without blinking. The young man tore open the packaging just as Kappa’s back arched off the table and he let out a scream. Mu and Nu were already close by, but they darted back in to hold down their teammate’s shoulders. Xi and Pi also stepped forward to help pin Kappa down as the injured Letter tried to thrash. Rho had taken Beta aside to see to the graze on her leg, though Beta’s gaze never left Kappa. Lambda followed after them to help look after her commander.
As the other Letters pinned Kappa down, Zeta helped Gamma get the IV into the injured man’s arm. Once he had sanitized his hands and put on gloves, Alpha immediately grabbed a vial and a syringe. After he had torn open the packaging of the new needle, Alpha stuck the needle through the top of the vial. He measured out a dose of morphine and pulled the needle from the vial. As Alpha got rid of the air bubbles, Mu shifted out of his way so he could get to the IV. Once the medicine was administered, Theta helped him cut away Kappa’s shirt so they could get to the wound in his shoulder.
With his shirt out of the way, they next had to cut away the soiled bandages. Unlike with mundane snakes, magical snake bites didn’t have anti-venom to treat them. “Did you remove the bullet?” Alpha called over his shoulder as he inspected the inflamed hole in Kappa’s shoulder.
“Wasn’t any time,” Beta spoke up, her voice tight as her leg was stitched. “We stabilized him as best as we could and got the hell out.”
Alpha tsked softly and glanced up quickly. “Zeta.” He only had to say her name as she tore open a package of surgical tools, her hands already gloved. The young woman grabbed a pair of forceps and handed them over to Alpha. “Hold him still,” he ordered sharply to the others. Once Kappa was pinned, Alpha used the forceps to dig around into Kappa’s shoulder. The morphine hadn’t kicked in yet and the Letter was delirious already, so immediately tried to fight them.
“Shit,” Alpha muttered after a moment. “Zeta, gunna need Skele-grow.” The bullet had shattered Kappa’s clavicle and part of his scapula. The young woman stepped away, but Alpha kept his focus on the Letter on the table.
Once he managed to dig out the bullet, Alpha dropped the slug into a metal pan along with the forceps. Zeta appeared back at his side and held out a scalpel. Alpha took it without a glance and used it to cut away the flesh that had already started to rot away from the magical venom. Next to him, Zeta pressed gauze to the wound to help with the bleeding. Together they worked to clean up the wound and then stitch it closed. As soon as they were finished and had bandaged the wound, Alpha switched out his gloves and grabbed the Skele-go.
MTD had refined medical potions, one of the few positive contributions that Legio had made. They were made to be administered through the bloodstream rather than the mouth, which was useful for giving the medicine to someone unconscious. The refined potions had appeared on the magical black market and were popular in particular amongst mercenaries of all walks. Legio didn’t have a hold over the dispersion of the product any longer, which made it easier to get a hold of at any rate. Alpha had procured a whole case of them.
So, once the Skele-grow was administered into the IV, Alpha went through the case. Kappa was next given an antibiotic and a blood cleanser, the best that they could give him for now. Alpha finally stepped away from the table and nodded to the other Letters. He appreciated the help they had given to hold Kappa down and then keep supplies in reach once the injured Letter had finally passed out. High pain tolerances were often a curse in situations like these.
“Gamma,” Alpha said quietly as he pulled off his gloves and threw them away in a bin that Theta had procured. Everything would be incinerated later. When the other commander looked at him, Alpha nodded towards the cableway. “Show Beta and her team to the barracks. They can get cleaned up.” He knew they wouldn’t rest until they were sure that Kappa was okay, but they needed to know that there was a space where they could.
Alpha looked down at Kappa and placed his hand against the young man’s forehead. He was still clammy, yet flushed and warm beneath it. “Let’s move him into the barracks, too,” he decided. They would turn the Blast Lock into an infirmary, but it would be better to have Kappa recovering in a bed and out of the way. There would always be someone to keep an eye on him, though Alpha was sure that Beta would do it personally.
As Gamma led Beta and the rest of her team to the barracks, Alpha had the man’s team help him transfer Kappa onto a spinal board to keep him stabilized. They then walked him to the first level of the barracks and carefully transferred him to an open bed. Zeta made sure that his IV was still attached correctly along with a bag of fluids once he was settled. Xi stayed behind then to keep an eye on Kappa while Alpha led the way back to the Blast Lock. Gamma joined them shortly after.
“This was going to be the infirmary,” Alpha said. “Centralized in the complex, but also closest to the entrance portal.” He should have had it prepared before then. He stepped over to the wall opposite of the stairwell door. There was another door against the wall, a simple one that blended in with the drab grey of the walls. Alpha pushed it open to reveal another room and a set of stairs down to another level. There was a decontamination shower built into one wall, though it would need to be reworked to be useful as anything.
As the others trailed after him, Alpha stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. “The bins all piled out in the cableway can be brought in here,” he said. “They’re medical supplies of all sorts.” He had put thought into what might be needed, but shouldn’t have put it off. He should have completed it before he went to Hogwarts.
Alpha shook off the thoughts and turned his attention back to his companions. “We can set up examination tables in here and put up curtains. Down the stairs are two rooms, one we can use as storage for extra supplies while the others we can put up beds.”
“A few of those boxes have shrunk furniture, don’t they?” Gamma said as he looked around the room.
Alpha gave a small smile and inclined his head. “Yes. Magic makes moving and storage useful.”
With a little chuckle as he agreed, Gamma went over to Alpha and clapped his shoulder. “We’ll take care of this, yeah? You’ve done this entire complex on your own and just saved Kappa’s life.”
It was probably for the best. He needed some time to center himself after everything anyways. “I’ll be in the war room, then. The bins contain everything that is needed.”
“We’ll call you if we need to,” Gamma promised. The others all nodded their agreement as well, so Alpha spared them another look before he left them to take care of it. The supplies were all ready, so they were likely to set it up in no time at all with that many hands. They had plenty experience in packing up and setting up camps quickly after all.
Once he made it to the war room, Alpha let out a sigh and leaned against the table. He closed his eyes and just focused on his breathing. Yes, he should have set up the infirmary earlier, but he had told himself many times before that there was no use dwelling on what-ifs. They sometimes snuck up on him, but what-ifs could become shackles to the past. He had to keep moving forward. Kappa was alive and the Letters were setting up the infirmary right then. He wasn’t infallible, but he had the other Letters to catch him.
Alpha straightened and turned his attention to the map that was spread out over the table. Assembling the Letters was step one. It wasn’t complete, but it was in motion. They could hopefully move onto step two, which would be Gamma’s infiltration of the Ministry. Though they would be working multiple steps at a time. They’d have to put up a system of tracking Deatheater activity, but that would be something he’d have Delta work on. Alpha was interested in runes and their applications with magical tools, but Delta had always had a knack for such things.
But when the tattoo on his arm suddenly flared with heat, Alpha’s thoughts derailed and he stopped in his tracks to pull back the sleeve of his shirt. With a wave of his hand, the dark lines of the raven came into view. He had no doubt that Beta and Gamma were doing the same elsewhere in the complex. But his attention went fully to his ink when the ribbon in the raven’s talons glowed a scarlet red. “Shit,” he cursed as he dropped down into the chair. He knew Beta and Gamma would find him, so he stayed where he was.
“Capitán has them,” was the first thing out of Beta’s mouth as she appeared at the top of the stairs several minutes later. Gamma was not far behind her, likely the one to steer Beta in Alpha’s direction. They were the only ones to appear, but Alpha wasn’t surprised. He only nodded in response to Beta’s statement. “Can’t say I’m surprised after he caught us trying to leave,” Beta continued, a hint of guilt in her voice.
She wasn’t wrong, but Alpha gave a shake of his head. “We knew that was a risk, though it was unfortunate that two squads were caught in his net.” He leaned back in his chair and looked down at the dark ink on his forearm. Gamma and Beta also took seats, though they remained quiet. Alpha ran his fingers over his arm and then looked up at his fellow commanders. “We’ll have to move fast. Capitán will know that we’ll come for them and will prepare for that eventuality.” If they didn’t move quickly, a mission to extract the other teams would turn into instead a retrieval of their bodies. Either way, they would not leave their comrades with Legio.
“I’ll be going with you,” Beta said firmly. If it was anyone else, Alpha might have protested. But even with an injured leg, Beta wouldn’t hold them back.
Alpha frowned and leaned back in his chair as he covered his tattoo again. “Just the three of us will go,” he decided. All of the Letters were highly trained, but stealth was their highest priority to get into Legio. Their teams were likely to be unhappy about being left behind, but they wouldn’t protest. Much.
“Well, as shitty as this situation is, it’ll be like old times,” Gamma said with a flash of a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been on a mission together.”
Beta snorted softly, but then she turned her serious gaze on Alpha. “Does your portal only move between this complex and the Aberdeen safehouse?”
At the question, Alpha couldn’t help but give a small smile. “No,” he said and Beta didn’t look surprised at all. “I can connect it to various safehouses I have all over the world.” There were other ways out too, of course, but he’d hold onto those routes for now.
“Good,” Beta responded and leaned against the table. “Which is your closest to Legio?”
Alpha didn’t respond right away, but then he gave a small inclination of his head. “Nonthaburi, Thailand.” That was if Legio hadn’t moved, though he hadn’t heard of them relocating their main base.
When Beta nodded thoughtfully, Alpha stood up and went over to one of the shelves. He selected a rolled up map from the selection and brought it over. He spread it out over the table to show off an aerial map of how he remembered the Legio camp. “Has anything changed since I left?” He asked as he straightened back up. Beta stood up as well to get a better view, though Alpha could see that she had shifted her weight to favour one leg over the other. He carefully moved his gaze away and over to Gamma, mindful not to draw Beta’s attention to his observation.
“There are a few more buildings,” Beta said as she tapped at a section of the map. Alpha tossed a marker over to her, so she grabbed it out of the air and sketched out a few changes. “The perimeter has been altered as well.”
“More towers,” Gamma said grimly as he pointed out a few sections on the map. “And if Capitán knows that we’re coming, he’ll tighten security.”
It wouldn’t be the first time he had to sneak in somewhere dangerous, but Legio certainly knew their tricks better than anyone else. It was also the first place to weave together a mundane defensive line along with magical protections. “What about the wards?” They knew how to move undetected, so MTD’s defenses were going to be the most dangerous obstacle.
“Unfortunately, Delta was the one who understood them the best,” Gamma grumbled as he stood up from his own seat to lean over the map more. “However, what I do know is that each perimeter tower contains a power cell. They are attuned to a specific magical frequency that bounces between each of the towers.”
Alpha frowned as he studied the position of the towers. “Any disruption through the ward field is picked up by the cells, I’m guessing. And if one cell doesn’t respond, it sets off alarms.”
“Yes,” Gamma agreed simply. “The solution would be to find the frequency that they emit and match it. That would allow us to pass through undetected. However, I know the frequency is changed at random intervals.” And that was the problem. They fell into silence, their expressions pensive.
Beta dropped down into a seat again, likely to rest her leg. Alpha didn’t comment, though he glanced over to her at her movement. “Spellsinging,” Beta said suddenly. “Spellsingers are those that weave magic through music. Sound is basically a vibration that travels through space or medium as an audible wave of pressure. If we apply the theory of spellsinging, we might be able to find a way past the frequencies of the wards.”
The idea had merit and was likely the best they’d be able to do on such short notice. “Good. How often do they rotate the guards?”
“Every two hours,” Gamma responded. He leaned over the map then and tapped one of the towers. “The perimeter fence is still the same chain link and barbed wire, but a barrier of landmines has also been buried around the camp. This tower here is probably the weakest spot. We had to do guard rotations before and this was where smuggling dropoffs occurred. Lambda set it up, didn’t she?” As Gamma looked over to Beta, Alpha had to hold back a smile, unsurprised.
Beta gave a little nod, though her lips were twisted in a proud smile at what her teammate had done. “Lambda discovered a safe path through the minefield,” she said. It would get them close to the tower.
“How would you get past the shield?” Alpha asked as straightened to look at her more fully.
Beta leaned back in her chair. “Non-living items can be passed through the barrier without pinging it,” she said. “Otherwise it’ll ping each time the wind blows and carries a leaf across the shield. As an example.”
It made sense. “What about bugs and small animals?” Large enough animals would know better than to approach, but birds and rodents were small enough to try. Bugs didn’t care about intangible barriers.
“Pass through without pinging it based on size. And the shield is intelligent. It recognizes certain things and allows them to pass,” Beta explained. “Like Gamma said, Delta knows this better. But that’s the simplest explanation.”
After a beat of silence, Alpha looked between Beta and Gamma. “And the simplest answer is the easiest for our purposes,” he said slowly. “Physical transformation.”
“It’s dangerous,” Gamma muttered, but he wasn’t protesting. “That was one thing our instructors always pointed out. Self transformation was dangerous. Especially full body transformations like that.” He wasn’t wrong, but what other options did they have when they didn’t have the luxury of time? They didn’t use magic in the same way that wizards did anyways. They were more intune with themselves and their magic.
But he had to remember they weren’t infallible. “You think we shouldn’t do it?” He wanted their opinions, if they thought they could do it.
Gamma gave a small shake of his head. “It’s not that.” He paused then and shared a glance with Beta. “I think we all know it’s our only viable option on such short notice. But how are we going to get back through afterwards? The wards scan the entire camp for anomalies every hour, too. We’re not going to be able to get in and out in under an hour. We’re good, but not that good. Especially in the middle of Legio’s home turf.”
He wasn’t wrong and was echoing Alpha’s own thoughts. “If we can get into the camp, then we can get to the towers. If we can get to just one, we can use Beta’s suggestion. Spellsinging to change the frequency of the power cells. Just enough to confuse it. To ignore us as we find where they’re keeping the Letters, get everyone out.” There were so many ways that this could go wrong as they walked into the metaphorical belly of the beast. It wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but it also wasn’t their first rodeo.
“I can take care of that,” Beta said with a brief smile. “I just need to get a look at one of those power cells.”
Alpha gave a nod, his gaze on the map again. “We’ll leave in two hours.” As much as he wanted to leave right away, they needed a little time. “Beta, eat something and get some rest. We’ll meet up again in an hour to gear up.” Even if she didn’t sleep, he wanted to make sure Beta ate something at least. Beta didn’t look happy at the order, but nodded in agreement as she stood up.
“In one hour,” she said tightly and then headed towards the stairs, barely a limp in her step.
Gamma waited as she left, then reached out to squeeze Alpha’s shoulder. “You should rest too. Don’t overthink it.” He squeezed Alpha’s shoulder again and then let go. “I left the others with the infirmary, so I’ll go check in on them.”
“If I’m being ordered to rest, then take your advice yourself,” Alpha called after the older Letter as Gamma left. The young man tossed a smirk over his shoulder and a little salute, but didn’t reply. Alpha rolled his eyes once he was alone, but allowed himself a small smile. They all looked out for each other in their own ways.
HIs smile fell away though as he turned his attention to the map still spread out over the table. They had a semblance of a plan, though they all knew it was risky to jump in feet first. But this was what they did best and they would not leave their comrades behind. Alpha would not leave comrades behind again. So, he memorized the altered map in front of him and then retreated to his bunk to catch a power nap. When he woke, Zeta had a snack waiting for him. She didn’t say a word, but he could feel the weight of her gaze.
“We’ll bring them back. I promise,” he whispered.
“I know.”
Notes:
So, this author should be blamed for a lack of an infirmary in the complex plans. I knew I was forgetting something, but it’s too late now. So, I spun it into the story… and hopefully it doesn’t become a lasting fixture that needs to be used often.
Also, I am in no way a medical professional, so any attempts at medical aid are based off of quick research and my limited knowledge of how this all works. I tried to use magic to fill in the gaps, so hopefully it’s somewhat believable!
Chapter 29
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was strange being back there. In some regards, it felt like he had never left. There was a piece of him that had been left behind in Legio’s camp all those years ago and a part of him would always stay within Legio, a mark upon his soul. And to be standing there again, even as an outsider, made something deep in his chest tighten. It made his breath catch in his throat before the moment passed just as quickly as it came. Alpha barely acknowledged it even as he shifted his grip on his rifle. He slung it over his back then on its strap.
They had waited until night fell to approach the camp, though the perimeter was lit up by floodlights. Their plan was to use physical transformation to enter the camp. Once past the barrier unnoticed, they would take back their original forms so they could change the power cell’s frequency. They’d then find the other Letters and get them out through the barrier. It was a straightforward plan, but they all knew that it wouldn’t be so simple. Not when they were on Legio’s doorstep.
Alpha tilted his head a little when Beta shifted next to him. She had her own rifle slung across her back as she adjusted the black cap on her head. She spared him a glance from the corner of her eye as she did so. He knew she was asking if he was ready. Would he ever be ready? Though his concerns had never stopped him from moving ahead before. So, Alpha gave a sharp nod of his head and took a measured breath. He could feel both Beta and Gamma still on either side of him.
None of them spoke, not wanting to break the silence around them. They had already discussed the details on the way there so it wouldn’t be beneficial to rehash it again. They all knew they had to be careful with the transformation, careful to not let the animal mind take over their own. This wasn’t an illusion after all. So, though he kept his awareness open, Alpha reached down to his center like he had been taught. He gathered it up and circulated the power through this body, to each tip of his fingers and each toe. It helped to imagine it like a flowing river, steady and powerful. A force of nature, but able to be controlled with the right tools. He would mold it to his will.
Once his magic had flooded through every corner of his body, Alpha extended it past the confines of his form and wrapped it around himself like a blanket. He kept a clear image in his mind of what he wanted, needing to know the creature he was about to become. There was pain as he forced the shape of his body to change, to condense and morph. But what was a bit of pain? He had been through worse. Alpha also had to account for the items he wore and carried, not wanting to leave any of his kit behind. The entire process took several minutes, but once it was completed, a small Indian Nightjar was left where Alpha stood. Two others stood next to him and Alpha had to suppress the impulse to call out to them.
Instead, Alpha shook himself out and tested his new wings. The nightjar form he had taken was small and had a short tail with white corners. He had a golden nape and collar along with dark cheeks and white patches on either side of his throat. The crown of his head was done in grey and his chest was more of a brown in colour. The instincts of the bird pressed down upon his mind, but Alpha had spent years fortifying his mind. So he pushed back the animal mind and spread his wings instead. He let the underlying instincts guide the movements of his body as flying was not inherent to his human mind. But he forced himself up into the sky and to the direction of the camp. He could sense the small presences of Beta and Gamma follow him as they took to the dark skies where even the light of the camp could not touch them.
With Alpha in the lead, they circled the camp three times so that Alpha could familiarize himself in person with how the camp had changed. The rotation of guards was exactly as had been described, though Alpha detected a level of energy that came from heightened awareness and anticipation. Legio knew of the bond that the Letters shared. With two of the teams detained, the other teams wouldn’t stand idly by. But Legio wouldn’t know how, when, or in what numbers the Letters would come. And that would be their advantage.
Alpha swooped down and landed upon the roof of one of the watchtowers, one carefully selected for its position. Gamma and Beta lightly dropped down on either side of him, but Alpha was already lightly hopping to the edge of the roof. He looked around, though a bird’s vision was almost distraction in the way colours were vividly different from a human’s. But his mind was able to make sense of the input as he forced himself to focus, forced himself to note the movement of bodies in the distance.
Legio never slept. There were always teams that were leaving or returning. There were always preparations for future missions and debriefings no matter what time of day or night it was. However, activity still slowed down at night and the darkness had a way of blanketing silence over the camp.
In the darkness of the rooftop, Alpha gathered his magic within himself again and resumed his human form. As he flexed his fingers, he held back a grimace as the painful sensation finally passed. Gamma shifted behind him and was the only sign of the Letter’s discomfort. Alpha took a slow breath then and closed his eyes. He stretched out his awareness and then held up two fingers after a moment of searching. There were two sentries within the tower. He made another motion and Gamma slunk over to one side of the tower while Alpha slid over to another. Beta joined his side and both gave him a nod. They were ready.
Alpha took a breath and then he was moving, the other two Letters a half beat behind him. The three dropped down from the rooftop and grabbed hold of the edge to swing themselves into the guard tower. Before the guards could raise any alarm, Alpha was on top of one man while Gamma was atop the other. Both were dead before they had fully hit the floor.
As Alpha straightened, he pulled his knife from the mercenary’s throat and wiped the blood off. As he looked around the tower then, he hid the knife back on his person and noticed that Beta had already approached the power cell in the center of the room. He quickly spotted the power cell itself, which appeared as a blue crystal that was sizeable in nature as it was quite possibly about the size of a man’s head. It hovered over its metal base that had been likely manufactured by MTD for the purpose of containing the crystal. There were lines upon its faceted surface that appeared almost like the wires of a computer chip. They glowed a brighter blue than the rest of the crystal while the entire cell slowly rotated in place. Alpha could feel the power that came off of it, almost like a hum that pulsated at a consistent beat.
As he and Gamma took their places to keep watch, Alpha spied Beta as she pulled a small handheld device out. It powered on with a soft beat, barely audible, before Beta started to take measurements from the power cell. It only took her a few moments before Alpha felt Beta draw up some of her own magic. When she hummed, he could feel her power reverberate in her voice. The power cell flared once in response, but slowly started to match the pattern that Beta hummed. The thrum of energy it put out also seemed to change in pitch.
It took several minutes, but then Beta stood and quickly tucked away the tool that she had used. She glanced over to Alpha as she straightened and gave a nod. “It’ll last for two hundred minutes,” she informed him quietly.
Alpha glanced at his watch. After a quick calculation, he looked back up at the other two. “We have 98 minutes before the guard rotation,” he informed them in a low voice. “Let’s move out.” If all went well, they had ninety-eight minutes before anyone realized that something was wrong. They simply had to find the other Letters and get them out through the fence before the dead guards were discovered. It was plenty of time.
With his rifle in hand, Alpha led the way to the door. He spread out his awareness once more and then motioned with his head when he verified no one was around. As he kept to the lead, Gamma and Beta remained close behind him. They made their way down the metal steps silently and then dashed for the shadows of the nearest building. They pressed their backs against the wall, but did not remain still for long.
There was a possibility that Capitán had confined the Letters to their barracks, but Alpha had a better hunch that the man had secured them in the underground cells. It was more secured and they had to take into account that Capitán would have found a way to neutralize Delta’s magic. Epsilon may not have any magic of her own, but Capitán was bound to know that she had her own tricks up her sleeve to compensate. All of them were slippery and hard to contain, so Capitán would need somewhere to hold the Letters safely until he decided what to do with them.
Around the mess hall was a cluster of buildings that included an armoury, the infirmary, and what they had called the administration buildings. One of the buildings housed the MTD headquarters and their various labs. But one of the buildings stood as the heart of the camp, where Capitán kept his office and debriefing chambers. It was an ugly building constructed of concrete and lined with unyielding steel doors upon its facade. The second floor was surrounded by a metal balcony where Alpha remembered Capitán standing to survey the open yard before him. The man had made the Letters stand at attention for hours in the yard while he basked in his perceived accomplishment. It hadn’t been an uncommon practice.
But what few knew was that there was a hidden basement in the building. The camp had a separate building for holding cells, but the most secure cells in the base were beneath the main building. And the Letter commanders knew how to get in. Even if they did not have the current code, they knew how to bypass it. So they made their way carefully past the barracks and towards the cluster of admin buildings. Alpha couldn’t help but spare a glance towards the Playground, illuminated by the moon that it was. Ironically, some of his better memories of his time at Legio were contained with the walls of the imposing building.
Alpha quickly looked away again and moved on, though had to throw up a hand to bring them to a halt as a patrol made their way past. Alpha did not recognize either of them as the two walked by, rifles over their shoulders and faces grim. Once the patrol rounded the corner out of sight, Alpha made a forward motion and they advanced again.
They had to stop a few times as more patrols passed, but eventually they made it to the main building. Along the short side of the building was a plain wall that was shielded with steel panels. The opposite end of the building was the same, but this wall contained a secret. Alpha felt around the corners of one of the panels and then nodded to Gamma. The older Letter would be the fastest at breaking into the hidden basement beyond the door.
Legio was a leader in integrating magic and mundane technology, but only because they didn’t shy away from it. There were collectives around the world that also strived towards the same purpose, but Legio was the one that had the connections and the resources. In fact, a lot of the camp compound integrated magic and technology. That included the hidden door they stood before. So while Gamma got to work, Alpha and Beta took positions on either side of the frame. Gamma slung his rifle across his back and then got down on one knee. He pulled a small pouch out of one of the pockets on his tac vest and unzipped it.
After he had selected one of the tools, Gamma pried off a small section of metal plating that disguised the circuit cell for the door. Setting the panel aside, he slid out the inner components and examined them closely. He quickly grabbed a flashlight from the pouch and turned it on, though the light from the flashlight was red and dim enough that it wouldn’t catch attention. Gamma stuck the end in his mouth so he could use both hands and then turned back to the device.
The inner circuits were curious in that they looked like panes of glass, but were actually comprised of polished crystal. Etched into the crystal were lines and runes, pretty but nonsensical to those who weren’t familiar with the device. Within their slots, they each seemed to glow with a faint light in a rainbow of colours. Gamma quickly studied each panel and then slid one of the crystals out of its spot. The entire device powered down with a faint hum, but Gamma didn’t seem too concerned.
It took Gamma a couple minutes, but he rearranged the crystals within the locking mechanism. He flipped a few around, but eventually slid the last crystal back into place. It immediately powered back on with a soft hum. Gamma closed it up quickly and then tucked the flashlight away with his tools. He slid the pouch back into his pocket as he stood up before he pressed the panel in a quick pattern. Where he touched left behind glowing runes in a soft green. Once he pulled his hand away, it flared once and the door finally slid open soundlessly. Alpha knew that Gamma would have also dismantled the alarm.
So, once Gamma had his rifle back in his hands again, Alpha took the lead down the steps into the darkness. His steps were quiet as he took them slowly, the door sliding shut behind them. From below there was light, just enough that they could see. So then, once they neared the bottom, he held up his hand and pressed himself against the wall. Just at the bottom of the stairs was a room that would contain at least two guards. If the cells were empty there was no reason to have a guard, but if the Letters were there then there was no way that Capitán would leave them unguarded. So they paused and Alpha reached out with his awareness once more.
It only took him a moment to frown and hold up four fingers. Capitán had increased the amount of guards for the cells, but that wasn’t entirely a surprise. It wasn’t even an obstacle. Alpha shifted and reached into one of his pockets and removed a pair of tactical sunglasses. They looked like ordinary glasses, but they shimmered with a faint green light across the lenses. When he put them on, the magic contained within them functioned like night vision once the lights went out. It was much sleeker than what was available on the mundane market. Behind him, he knew the other two were doing the same.
After a beat, Alpha next pulled out what looked like a handful of black marbles. He tossed them into the room below with a little push of power. As they skittered across the floor, the young man heard movement below before the chamber was completely blanketed with darkness. A shout from the men below greeted them as the Letters were already moving, unhindered by the black around them.
The four guards were on their feet with hands on their weapons, but they were swinging about wildly. One was stumbling blindly as he presumably looked for a light. One was fumbling with a flashlight, but it was useless in the magical darkness that had descended upon them. Alpha slung his rifle over his shoulder and ducked beneath the wild swing of one of the men. He darted in then and clapped a hand over the man’s mouth. It muffled the guard’s yell, but Alpha was already sliding a knife between the man’s ribs.
Beta had gone for another of the guards and Gamma had already dispatched a third. That left one more guard that needed to be taken care of. Alpha removed the knife from between the man’s ribs and threw it at the last guard as he swung around. It went right through his throat and dropped him like a stringless marionette. Alpha dropped the first guard and went to quickly retrieve his knife. Gamma had already made for the door where there was a second lock that was similar to the first. He had it open within a couple minutes.
Alpha was the first through the door and into the flickering light of the underground cells. He let out a low whistle then, a short pattern that the other Letters would be able to recognize. Immediately, there was a small laugh from one of the cells. Delta appeared at the bars, but was careful not to touch the electrified door. “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said, exhaustion laced through his voice. “You came quicker than I expected.”
The Letter commander’s expression sobered then. “All nine of us are accounted for, but Tau is injured,” he reported. He raised up his hands then and showed off what looked like a pair of silver bracelets. “Epsilon and I both have a set.” A dark look passed over Delta’s face. “It’s restricting our use of anything magical, including my innate power.”
He’d been afraid of that, but first priority was getting the letters to safety. “Gamma,” Alpha ordered simply as he set up sentry by the doorway. They had to get the cells open. Gamma nodded sharply in response to the order and made his way over to what looked like an electrical box. It was entirely mundane in nature, so Gamma made quick work of the wires inside to power down the electrified bars. The doors popped open in the next moment.
Once the doors were open, Delta immediately went for the cell that Tau had been abandoned in. He stripped off his shirt and used it to make strips that he wrapped around the inflamed wound on her leg. Gamma and Beta passed out knives to the other Letters so at least they wouldn’t be weaponless. Not that they truly needed the blades to be dangerous, but a weapon was a weapon.
Once Tau was stable, Alpha led the way up into the open air. Beta joined him as he surveyed the darkness around them. “Alpha,” she breathed out in a low voice as the other Letters started to filter out from the stairwell.
In response, Alpha only gave a small nod. He knew they'd been followed. He knew exactly who it was. “Get Tau's leg taken care of,” he ordered quietly, his voice firm. “We're going to have to head for the weeds.” They were going to have to fight their way out. The camp was still quiet, but that meant nothing. The Letters might have been Legio's prize teams, but the rest of the squads weren't anything to laugh at either.
“You know, Alpha, I never believed you were dead. You were always my favourite and my crown jewel.” The voice that came from the shadows was smoke rough and straight from the darkest corners of his nightmares. Capitán. Alpha had to suppress a shiver as the man revealed himself, but couldn’t quite stop himself from adjusting his grip on his rifle. This was the man that had ended hundreds of lives. Innocent children that only he and the other Letters remembered. This was the man that had ruined their lives and had stolen their innocence. As much as he wanted to put a bullet between the man's eyes, Alpha only shot Beta a quick glance before he turned to face Capitán.
The older man was just as tall and built as Alpha remembered him, just as bald. But, somehow, Alpha wasn’t staring up at an insurmountable mountain anymore. He had been fifteen when he had last seen Capitán and had been tall even then, but now Alpha stood eye to eye with the older man. It seemed like so much had happened in the last two years, like it had been a lifetime ago, but Capitán was just as he had always been. And, yet, Alpha wasn’t staring up at the boogeyman any longer.
Capitán chuckled then as he stepped fully from the shadows, a pistol in his hands. It was held loosely, but Alpha knew better than to underestimate this man. “I knew you couldn’t be dead, boy. And I’m not surprised that you’ve returned for the other Letters.” There was a beat of silence and then suddenly Capitán was moving, the pistol raised and a shot fired off. Alpha had already spied the subtle movements that indicated what Capitán was about to do, but he didn’t dare move for fear of one of the other Letters being hit.
As much as Alpha wouldn’t hesitate to take a bullet for one of the other Letters, there were other solutions. Even as Capitán was raising his hands, Alpha too released one hand from his rifle. He threw his fist up and summoned his magic to raise a shield. It was just in time so that the bullet ricocheted off the amber forcefield back towards Capitán’s direction. The man didn’t even flinch as it whizzed past him.
Instead, Capitán lowered his weapon and straightened back up. “Well, well. You never did give up on your training, did you, boy? I could really use someone like you. Why don’t you come back, Alpha? I can make it worth your while.” The man gave a mirthless smile, one that Alpha felt was seared into his brain. He'd never forget that smile. “As I said, you were always my favourite. I always knew you would be something special, you know.”
Alpha felt rage burn through him as sudden as an inferno. Emotions were often muted, a necessity to keep his sanity. He had never felt such anger before, an all encompassing thing that threatened to steal his reason. He could barely breathe through the anger, but forced himself to take even breaths. His face never once betrayed what he felt, but he raised his rifle with a steady hand.
Dark anger fell over Capitán’s face and the man raised his own weapon again. “You would dare raise a hand against me, boy? I'm the one who raised you, saved your life. I'm the one who gave you the skills to survive in this world. I fed you. I clothed you. I gave you a home. I gave you a name. And this is how you would repay me?” Before Alpha could respond, Capitán visibly collected himself. He kept his pistol trained on Alpha, but he gave the young mercenary a placating smile. “Why don’t we make a deal, boy? You come back to my side and I’ll let the rest of the Letters go. You’re worth more than them anyways.”
Just a few years ago, Alpha might have agreed to the trade. He’d gladly hand over his own life to see the other Letters free. But, now, he thought about Thorgeirr. He thought about Luna. He thought about Theo. He thought about his other companions from Hogwarts. And he thought about his team. His Zeta and Theta, who had blossomed outside of Legio’s cage.
“I have a better deal, Capitán,” Alpha said firmly, the first words he had spoken to the older man. He adjusted his grip on his rifle and sighted along it, the muzzle steadily leveled with Capitán’s forehead. “You stole our lives from us. You stole the choice of how we might live. So, you will let all of us go and you will stay away. You let us be. In exchange, we let you live and we don’t raze Legio to the ground.” Alpha’s voice had dropped since he had last spoken with Capitán, settling into a deep timbre. His words were cold and even, laced with warning. “If I learn that you have come after any one of us, I will hunt you down. No amount of defense will stop me.”
A dark snarl passed through Capitán’s lips, but they both knew that Alpha would make good on his threat. The older man had no choice but to agree as he lowered his weapon. “Deal,” he growled out. “But the same applies for you, Alpha. You meddle in Legio’s affairs and I will find a way to retaliate. I have the resources to do it.” That was true enough, though all Alpha had to do was make sure that Capitán didn’t find out. But Alpha currently had other things to worry about than meddling with Legio.
“Deal,” Alpha said with an air of finality. Still, he did not lower his weapon until Capitán had done so as well. Now he just had to get the Letters safely out of the compound. Alpha knew better than to turn his back on the other man, however. While he did not aim his weapon at Capitán again, Alpha still kept it raised as he started to retreat in the direction the others had gone.
Once he was around the corner, Alpha dashed off as he followed the faint trail that the other Letters had left behind. Beta had led the others towards the Playground where they could regroup if any of them had gotten separated. When he arrived, Gamma was crouched down next to Tau while Beta was in quiet conversation with Epsilon. Delta was down on own knee next to Tau as well, giving her support as her commander. But when Alpha appeared, they all looked to him. All of them knew better than to ask what had happened, but rather looked to him for what came next.
Though Capitán had made the deal to let them go, Alpha knew the man wouldn’t do it so simply. The entirety of Legio likely had standing orders to shoot them on sight and Capitán would be slow to give them the order to stand down. If they got caught in the crossfire, Capitán would merely place the blame on the Letters. So they would still need to fight their way out.
“The original plan was to go through tower six,” Alpha informed them. “However, Capitán knows we’re here.” He didn’t need to elaborate further than that. They all knew they were going to need to go with a contingency plan.
“We’re going to break up into two groups. Delta, you and your team will come with me. Epsilon, you and your squad will go with Beta,” Alpha instructed. Beta and Gamma both knew the plan. Alpha glanced at Gamma in the next moment, though. There was one piece of the plan he needed to change. “You’ll be coming with us to support Tau.” Gamma nodded sharply in understanding.
Alpha looked over each one of their grim and determined faces. He knew he didn’t have to worry about them, that they’d get out in one piece. Even Tau wouldn’t slow them down much as each one of them had fought through worse injuries to survive the grueling missions they’d been put through by Legio. And once they were through the gates, they would be free. Free to make their own choices.
“We’ll rendezvous at Waypoint Three,” he chose at random. It was the first of one of his random throwaway safehouses nearby that they would be hopping through to throw off any tails. They would use the network of portals he had constructed to jump between the safehouses until they reached the final one and then would use it to take them to the old missile silo. It was going to be a long day, but none of them would complain about it. Not when their safety was at risk. They could properly stabilize Tau at the safehouse, enough to get her safely to the silo compound.
Alpha made his way over to Tau then and crouched down next to her. They had to get moving very soon, but he wanted to check in with her. She looked pale and had pain creasing her brow, but the young woman was alert. She offered him a faint smile and reached out a hand to Alpha. He took it and gently squeezed her fingers. “Don’t worry about me, Alpha,” she said softly. “I’m just glad that you’re alive.”
“We’ll get you to a safe place soon,” he told her. “Just hold on until then.” He squeezed her hand again. “It’s good to see you again, Tau.” He helped her to her feet then as Delta also stood and wrapped his arm around her waist. Alpha let go of Tau’s hand then and stepped back.
“Let’s move out. See you on the other side, Beta,” Alpha ordered. Beta gave him a salute and then handed off her handgun to Epsilon. Her backup went to Psi, Epsilon squad’s sharpshooter. Beta then led the way out of the Playground, Epsilon and her team close behind. As they disappeared into the darkness, Alpha readjusted his rifle and then took a slow breath. He turned to his group then and handed Delta his pistol, who kept it in his free hand even as he continued to support Tau. Alpha’s own backup handgun went then to Phi, Delta’s sniper specialist. Gamma handed over his own pistols to Tau and Epsilon.
Once they were all armed, Alpha gave a sharp nod. “Let’s do this.” He and Gamma both had kept their nightvision glasses on, so it made it easier to navigate the dark corners of the otherwise illuminated compound. Alpha led the way out of the door while Gamma hovered near Delta and Tau to help out if necessary.
Like ghosts, they flitted between the shadows of the equipment that stood outside the Playground. They headed first for a cluster of buildings that functioned as warehouses for equipment. As they pressed their backs against the wall of the closest one, there was a sudden explosion from across the compound. It rocked the ground beneath their feet as smoke suddenly billowed into the air, flames licking up towards the sky. Beta and Epsilon’s squad were the ones who had set the charges, a part of the contingency plan that they had worked out before they had left for this mission. He had some charges he would set as well.
So, when they passed to another warehouse, Alpha had the other Letters stand on lookout as he pulled out a couple of blocks of C-4. He set the charges quickly and then put the explosives into place at the base of the building, hidden in the dark. They quickly moved on and advanced, skirting around patrols. Just a few minutes later, the explosives he had placed went off and rocked the compound again. There was shouting as they slipped back into the shadows between buildings before a patrol ran past them towards the scene of the explosion. Once it was clear, they pressed onward.
Once they neared the exit, Alpha stopped quickly and then snapped a command with his fingers. Gamma immediately led the group between two buildings while Alpha stood his ground. He sighted down along the muzzle of his rifle and then took two shots in rapid succession as two mercenaries rounded the corner, rifles of their own already raised. Alpha was gone before either one hit the ground.
The Letters were all pressed against the wall of a warehouse when Alpha caught up to them. Gamma made several sharp motions as he silently informed him of the roadblock ahead. Legio had mobilized and had set up barricades, it seemed. But the Letters had run these drills alongside the mercenaries before. Alpha nodded and fired off several sharp commands with his fingers.
Gamma immediately tossed his rifle at Delta before he picked Tau up in a fireman’s carry. They would need to move more quickly now, so this was easiest. Besides, Tau still had the firearm that had been given to her and she’d protect Gamma’s back if needed.
Alpha placed his hand against the door of the nearby building and forced out a pulse of magic. It broke the inner lock mechanisms and popped open with a little shove. Sigma went in first, his pistol raised and at the ready. He clicked his tongue once in a signal that the coast was clear and they all spread out quickly, sounding off with the same clicks.
Once the area was secured, Alpha approached one of the trucks that was in the bay. Delta hopped up into the cab with him while the rest of the Letters all piled into the back. It took Alpha a few minutes, but he pried off one of the panels beneath the truck’s console and hotwired it so that the engine roared into life. As soon as the rumble of the motor filled the garage, Alpha straightened and gunned the vehicle forward. A pulse of his magic propelled the garage door outwards and Delta immediately opened fire.
Legio mercenaries scattered out of the way of the truck, another pulse of magic destroying the barricade so their path was unhindered. It was a sense of relief that rushed over Alpha then as they passed through the gates and into the darkness. It wasn’t over yet, but the largest obstacle was now behind them. Next to him, he heard Delta breathe out a heavy breath and knew that the other commander felt the same.
From there, Alpha drove them a few klicks and got them onto the magical highway. They abandoned the truck at the last Nexus and took the stretch of road to their exit point on foot. From there, Alpha got them to the first portal that he had hidden in an abandoned farmhouse. Beta and her group already waited for them there, unharmed. Relief flashed through Beta’s eyes, but no one said anything as Alpha unlocked the first portal and ushered them all through. Tau was looking a little worse for wear, so they did not stop long at each safehouse until they finally reached the final one.
Knowing that Theta or Zeta would be there to greet the returning Letters, Alpha lingered behind so he would be the last one through. He spared the small space a little glance, thankful that it was the last stop, before he stepped through the final portal himself. He would need a good rest after all that, his body exhausted even if he was used to that sort of state. It would be good to be finally back somewhere safe.
Alpha shut down the portal behind him once he was through and allowed himself a slow breath before he started to descend the stairs. He took them slowly, just processing the night’s events. He really needed a good nap, if possible. Looked forward to it even. Just an hour or two of rest, maybe a good meal. Just because he was used to this exhaustion didn’t mean that he enjoyed it.
“Welcome home, A,” Zeta’s quiet voice broke Alpha’s thoughts when he stepped through the door into the blast lock area. Home. He’d never truly had a home before and hearing such a welcome made something tighten in his chest. Yes, he was home. Home was with the other Letters and he was home.
After a wordless nod to Zeta, Alpha turned towards the long cableway. “Report?”
“Infirmary is fully prepped,” Zeta responded promptly as she followed behind Alpha. “Tau was brought there as soon as she came through the portal. It has been quiet otherwise, little activity.” There was a pause then and Alpha glanced over his shoulder at the young woman. She met his gaze then and inclined her head. “We prepared a warm meal in preparation for your return. It’s keeping warm in the mess. Theta is showing everyone around.”
She knew exactly what he needed. What they all needed. “Well done,” was all Alpha said as he stepped into the armoury to strip down out of his gear.
When Zeta hovered in the doorway, Alpha glanced over to her as he pulled his vest off. He knew that she wanted to ask. “I’ll speak to everyone after we’ve all had a chance to have food and a bit of rest.” Zeta only nodded in response and then turned away. Alpha knew that she was satisfied for now after having determined for herself that he was uninjured. At least nothing that raised any immediate concerns. He’d get the cut on his cheek looked at later. He couldn’t even remember when he had gotten it. For now, he wanted that promised meal.
Though he made sure to thoroughly clean his weapons and put everything away neatly, Alpha made quick work of it. Gamma and Beta had joined him as well, though neither of them said anything as they stripped down out of their kits. Alpha waited for them to finish before he led the way to the mess where all the Letters had gathered. Even Tau and Kappa were there, surrounded by the other Letters. As Beta and Gamma passed him to go collect plates for themselves, Alpha stayed by the door and just watched the Letters as they mingled. His family.
Tau looked a bit pale, but her expression was clear and Omega hovered close to her. Kappa looked a bit ashy and only had a bowl of broth before him, but the twins Mu and Nu sat on either side of him to support him. It was a vast improvement regardless.
“It’s good to see you up, Kappa,” Alpha called out, which brought a hush over the gathered Letters. He knew that they had all known he was there the moment he had arrived, but had waited to see what he might do. He didn’t stop a small smile as he gave a little nod. There was an undercurrent of tension in the room, but he could also see relief hidden in the eyes of many of the Letters. It warmed him to know that he had given them this.
Freedom.
Notes:
I'm sorry it took so long to get this out! Life has been hectic lately. I hope the chapter was worth the wait! Also, I got some *ideas* so ya'll are in for a wild ride!
Chapter 30
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty
“Alpha. Gamma is back,” a voice said from the doorway. “He said he'll be up to report once he gets his equipment put away.” So, whatever happened, there was no emergency.
Alpha nodded his head, his eyes still closed. “Thanks, Psi.” In the weeks since they had rescued the Letters from Legio, Gamma had successfully infiltrated the Ministry. Rather than an old persona of Gamma’s, Thorgeirr had used his connections to build the Letter a cover as an English wizard who had spent his childhood in America attending a private wizarding academy. It gave him credentials and he had further impressed his superiors with his skills. It was enough for them to not look too deeply into his backstory as the British Ministry of Magic was sorely in need of competent Aurors.
WIth Gamma established as Gabriel Meyrick, he rented a London apartment from Seamus Dire. As it was one of Alpha’s covers, he was able to manufacture paperwork that proved that Gabriel Meyrick was a longtime renter from Seamus Dire. The apartment itself was a safehouse that was linked to the silo complex through a portal hidden within the building’s attic. Though the Ministry did not seem to have the competence to do a meticulous check of Gabriel’s life, it never hurt to be thorough on their end. Thorgeirr even had fake friends of Gabriel established within America that had attended the Academy and could speak easily of memories they had of the hardworking young man.
The sound of footsteps broke Alpha from his thoughts, so he opened his eyes and pushed himself up. “Welcome back,” he greeted Gamma as the other commander stepped into the gym with him. Gamma had changed out of his Auror uniform into a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. “How was your first day?”
Gamma snorted and dropped down next to Alpha on the mat. “Now I can see why they accepted my application so easily. It’s a wonder they’ve survived as a policing force within the wizarding community for so long. The entire department is in shambles.”
“Just means you’ll be able to climb the ladder.”
A soft snort passed from Gamma’s lips as he leaned back a little, his hands on the mat behind him. “I should hope so. It’s the only thing that will make this all worth it,” he said evenly, only a hint of a grumble in his voice. “When I arrived, I was given my uniform. It’s dyed this bright scarlet which is as good as putting a target on my back.”
Alpha recalled the Aurors he had seen in uniform at the Ministry and had to hold back a smile. “At least the colour will make it easier to hide any blood,” he said with some amusement, a small laugh escaping him when Gamma rolled his eyes.
“That blood will get there because I’ve murdered someone, I swear,” Gamma muttered as he rolled his neck a little. “That uniform is restricting and just unnecessary. I’d rather wear a mundane police uniform. Wizarding fashion is wild.”
With a soft snort, Alpha leaned back a little as well. “I’d argue that the school uniform is worse with its layers and loose sleeves.” He shook his head and then gave Gamma a little smirk. “If you do end up murdering someone, just make sure you make it look like an accident.” He spoke in a half serious tone which drew another chuckle from Gamma.
“Noted,” the young man drawled before his expression sobered. “After I was given a uniform, I was given a tour of the department.” He gave a shake of his head and then looked up to the metal ceiling as he gathered his thoughts. “Wizards have a tendency to rely on their magic to offer support for their structures. A mundane engineer might faint if they saw, but it just leaves the corridors like a confusing maze with no real rhyme or reason for it all. Almost like the WInchester Mystery House that’s in the States.”
“Hogwarts is like that,” Alpha commented. “Staircases to nowhere and doors that lead only to a wall. Except that it’s all magical in nature, so things move. One door might lead to a room that is only available on Wednesdays.”
Gamma shook his head as he straightened up and crossed his legs. “Bizarre. I’ll draw out a map of what I remember, however. Might take me a few tries just because of how nonsensical the layout is.”
Alpha stood up and then reached out a hand to Gamma. When the older Letter took hold, Alpha helped him to his feet and then retreated a few paces. “Want to loosen up while you finish your report?”
With a soft groan, Gamma dropped down into a defensive position. “ Please. I was barely able to work up a sweat earlier when my new squad ran drills.”
“Fists only,” Alpha said before he shot forward. Gamma blocked with his forearm and twisted immediately to make a grab at Alpha. They made several lightning fast blows back and forth before Alpha flipped Gamma. The other Letter landed solidly on his back, but grabbed hold of Alpha’s arm and used his feet to push the other off of him. They were both on their feet again within moments.
Gamma twisted around and aimed a kick at Alpha, who dodged out of the way. “After the tour, they brought me to meet my new squad. We were assigned to an Inspector to work with when necessary, but our main duties will be patrolling and Deatheater response.”
They traded several more blows. “How large is your squad?”
“Six of us, including Captain Gwyn,” Gamma replied as he caught Alpha’s punch before the younger Letter followed it up with an uppercut. “They had us run drills together afterwards. Team bonding, I suppose. But it was generally just duelling each other, no contact whatsoever.”
Alpha managed to catch Gamma in the side with his knee, but the other Letter moved with the hit to minimize the impact. “Promising?”
“No,” Gamma grumbled as he ducked out of the way of an elbow. He caught Alpha with a jab, but the younger Letter wasn’t even fazed as he quickly retaliated. “Even Captain Gwyn only uses limited spells. No creativity either.” He paused then as he aimed a sweep of his leg at Alpha. “A couple of them are decently quick on their feet, but they’re too reliant on magic.”
Colour him unsurprised, Alpha thought as he ducked out of the way of a jab. They traded blows back and forth for several more minutes until Alpha finally pinned Gamma to the mat. The other Letter immediately yielded, so Alpha climbed off of him and then reached out to offer a hand to Gamma.
Gamma took Alpha’s hand and groaned softly as he let him help him to his feet. “They’re requiring every witch and wizard to carry an identification card,” he said grimly as he let go of Alpha’s hand then. “It’s part of the new Registration Commission. It sounds like they’ll be setting up registries in major cities throughout the UK. They’re making it sound like a census and are going to be issuing ID cards.”
As he brushed himself off, Alpha nodded with a frown. They had known this was coming. “What is the timeline?”
“Within the week,” Gamma replied promptly. “We have standing orders to stop civilians at random and request their identification. For the first month, they will be let off with warnings. After that, anyone without identification can be arrested.”
It also meant that Alpha would not be able to enter the Ministry under any number of disguises. “Your identification will be under Gabriel Meyrick,” Alpha mused. “Beta, Delta, and I will need to establish solid aliases in the wizarding community.” Beta and Delta would be easy enough with Thorgeirr’s help, but Alpha’s was going to be more difficult. His natural face was recognizable within the community through the nature of his celebrity status. It just meant that he would have to settle on a non-magical disguise like he had done to go see Nicanor’s speech. “Anything else to report?”
Gamma gave a little shrug, a movement that amused Alpha. It was not an action any of them would have done when reporting to Capitán, but it pleased him to see it. “There are rumors about re-education camps,” Gamma said grimly. “Just whispers at this point and I’m unsure if it’s just fear mongering or more than that.”
“Keep an eye on the rumors then, see if anything develops,” Alpha ordered.
“Of course,” Gamma responded back easily.
And he did. At first, for the first few weeks, Gamma had little to report back on. Alpha had little doubt that things were changing behind closed doors, but nothing had been officially announced yet. Focus seemed to be on the Registration Act. In fact, Delta and Beta had both gone to get their certified identifications with the British Ministry after Thorgeirr had supplied them with cover identities. Both proclaimed to be immigrants to the UK with no connections to each other whatsoever. Beta became Soledad Ruiz from Spain and Delta became Zhāng Liwei from China. Alpha had yet to register himself, but he was still waiting on Thorgeirr.
In that same amount of time, there was little advancement in activity from Thief’s Deatheaters. There were still raids in various villages, but there was no notable uptick in activity. However, one of the Letters who had been tasked with monitoring Deatheater movements did notice a shift in the pattern of their attacks. Sigma had realized that, rather than seemingly random locations, places integral to magical industry were under attack. Greenhouses and laboratories were no longer safe, entire farms burned down. There had already been an impact on the magical economy. There were layoffs from destroyed factories, a rise in prices as materials necessary for production became more scarce. And, for a community hidden from the mundane world, they still needed to be fed. Magical farms were necessary to feed the hidden communities, but several of them were targeted and laid to waste.
Not long after Sigma had noticed this, and after the panic that had risen from the magical community over the rise of prices and scarcity of items, the Ministry of Magic issued the Wartime Rationing Act. To purchase most goods, mages were required to show their new identification and use item stamps that had been issued to them. So, it limited the amount of items that they could purchase each month and prevented anyone from hoarding the necessities. Business owners that refused to follow the new guidelines could be heavily fine and even face the seizure of all of their assets. As the new program was rolled out, Aurors were sent out to do surprise inspections of businesses.
The Letters were also quick to notice a discrepancy within the program. Those who had non-magical blood through at least one of their parents received half of the same allowances that were made for those who were considered Purebloods. Those who were named as Muggleborns received only a quarter of the same allowances as Purebloods. None of this had been announced when the Act had been introduced.
A grim tension hovered over every magical space as people tried to keep their heads down, stay unnoticed in the uncertain times. But then the Ministry announced the creation of the Magical Youth Corps, three of them in total. The Scouts was for children aged six to ten years old. These were the children not old enough yet to attend school and enrollment was mandatory. It was touted as a program that would keep children safe and prepare them for their futures in the magical community.
The Explorers was for children aged eleven to seventeen, school aged children. Many children in the UK attended Hogwarts but there was a number that were homeschooled, even small as that number may be. Alpha knew that Dumbledore would not likely allow the formation of the Explorers on Hogwarts grounds, so it set off alarm bells for what the Ministry had planned for this Corps. So far, nothing had come of it.
Then there were the Pioneers. This Youth Corps was for the young adults that had freshly graduated from their magical schooling, those aged from eighteen to twenty-five. These were the faces of the entire program. Bright, young witches and wizards that were the epitome of the image the Ministry was trying to cultivate. As with the other Corps, enrollment was mandatory. However, the Letters had noticed that this invitation had not extended towards any mundane born students. Beta and Delta, who had joined the Corps to keep their covers intact, had reported that any students with mundane ancestry had been made to renounce that part of their heritage.
The Youth Corps on all levels participated in positive optic activities. They could be seen in battle ravaged cities, helping with the cleanup or passing out refreshments to on site workers. The Daily Prophet was very happy to spend entire spreads over the deeds done by the Youths while they praised their efforts. They called them young heroes.
The Youths had even partnered with the British and Irish Quidditch League. Their motivation was empowering the people in the dark times that had fallen on them, give them a bit of hope for the future. As a result, the Letters had found propaganda posters that had started to appear all over magical spaces. Many of them featured Quidditch players in heroic poses with taglines saying that they were “doing their part for a better future.” Posters for the Youth Corps touted lines about “for the greater good.” In the grey streets of a nervous society, the posters were bright and eye-catching.
Then the Ministry of Magic announced that they were completely rebranding. That they would no longer be known at the Ministry of Magic because they wanted to separate themselves from the mistakes of the previous regimes. Their goal was to lead the wizarding community into a new golden era, return witches and wizards to their rightful places. The Ministry instead donned the name of Assembly of Mages with Eminence Athanasios Nicanor as its herald.
With this announcement, the government also unveiled plans for a new capital city. Rather than a government building and shopping district in a predominately mundane city, they revealed grand plans for an entirely magical capital. It was named Nova Aurora, the City of the New Dawn, and would contain the government buildings for the Assembly of Mages, as well as the relocation of St. Mungos. Diagon Alley too would be shuttered and the shops relocated. This included the formation of the First Wizarding Bank, run entirely by wizards and through full control by the Assembly. Nova Aurora was to be a bright and shining example, the dazzling crown of the Assembly’s golden age.
With these revelations, Eminence Nicanor toured the various wizarding settlements to give grand speeches. They were extravagant affairs, with bright heraldry and loud celebrations. Alpha made sure to attend each one under various guises, careful not to draw attention from the attending Aurors. The first speeches were quieter, with fewer in attendance. Most were just curious about their new leader, about the changes that were happening quickly. But Nicanor was a master at influencing public opinion. He had the Youths with him, the Scouts in particular, when he stood at the podium. They wore uniforms of blue trimmed in gold, bouquets of faerie flowers in their hands. Nicanor spoke of bright futures, the coming of the golden age.
As he continued his tour, the crowds grew larger and larger until mages were traveling from all corners of the UK to see Eminence Nicanor speak. They were grand parties, full of life and laughter.
But then there was an attempt on Eminence Nicanor’s life. From the crowd appeared a wizard dressed in ratty clothing and sporting unkempt hair. His eyes were wild as he drew his wand, his raving incomprehensible. He tried to curse Eminence Nicanor as the crowd parted around with panicked screams. Alpha had taken up position on one of the rooftops and watched with a frown as the Aurors rushed to put the attacker down. Gamma’s squad had been on protective detail, so the Letter was the first to reach the madman.
As the unknown assailant was taken into custody, Eminence Nicanor took to the stage once more to sing the praises of the officers that had protected him. As the Aurors spread out to look for any more assailants, Alpha slipped away and returned to the silo to wait for Gamma to return.
Gamma found him within the war room when he returned, Zeta and Theta on either side of him. When the other commander appeared, Alpha straightened as Gamma fell into a position of rest with his hands behind his back. “The attacker was a man by the name of Jakob Pauley,” Gamma reported grimly. “Aged 42, unemployed and addicted to the illegal wizarding substance known as Wyrmdust. Jakob Pauley is also a first generation wizard, or known colloquially as a muggleborn.” He paused then as he gave a small frown. “Jakob Pauley has been declared deceased as of 16:26 of Greenwich Mean Time. He was found unresponsive in a Ministry holding cell at 16:04 and aid was administered, but was declared dead. Exact cause is still unknown, but preliminary reports are citing suicide.”
“They’re going to turn him into an example,” Alpha muttered as he dropped down into a seat next to the table. He motioned to a paper that was spread out in front of him. “The Prophet already issued a special edition covering the event.” The article was splashed across the paper in large letters and a moving image of the attacker. Alpha would place bets that the man hadn’t been in his right mind, but the article had painted him as a mastermind yet completely unhinged. “I wonder if the attempt was orchestrated by Nicanor himself.” There was no proof of it, but it wouldn’t have been the first time a politician had done something like that to spin a particular narrative.
With a shake of his head, Gamma approached the table and picked up the paper. “There’s no proof of it, but I wouldn’t toss out the possibility.” He frowned as he looked over the picture, spotting himself in the background. He tossed the paper back onto the table. “Regardless, Nicanor is using the opportunity to assign himself a personal guard.” He looked up at Alpha with a faint smile, something like triumph in his eyes. “After my contribution in saving his life today, Nicanor summoned me and offered me a new position. I told him that I would think about it, but it’s an opportunity to get closer to him.”
“What did he have to say about this personal guard?”
Gamma took a seat and leaned back in it. “Our goal would be intimidation and protection,” he recited. “The Black Vanguard is what he’s calling it, from what he said. As stated before, we’d be his personal guard and follow him around at all hours. We’ll be used also to intimidate his political enemies, those who are opposing the Assembly’s progress into its bright golden age. His words.”
“A new golden age has certainly become a tagline of his administration,” Alpha muttered. He nodded then at Gamma. “Accept the offer. We’ll have to take more care about you not blowing your cover, but keep me informed.”
“As always,” Gamma retorted with a small smile.
So Gamma had become a minor officer in Eminence Nicanor’s Black Vanguard. When he received his new uniform, he wore it to show it to the other letters so they could familiarize themselves with it. Alpha was reminded of pictures he had seen in military history books that were circa WW1 and WW2. Though these uniforms were all black in colour and they wore half cloaks over their coats. The insignias on their caps were gold and featured crossed wands against a rising sun. Rather than the somewhat dated police uniform that the Auror ensemble portrayed, the Black Vanguard was much more militant.
“Most of the other Vanguards are also young,” Gamma said as he removed his cap and stuck it beneath his arm. It was a natural movement, bred from years of undercover training. “All handpicked. All top marks from the training program, or having earned the spot through their valour.” He shared a look with Alpha then. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, showing off a mark that flared with a bit of magic. He then raised a hand and started to sign out words.
Alpha translated out loud for the benefit of any of the Letters who could not see Gamma’s hands clearly from their positions. “‘Nicanor branded each of us to silence about anything potentially damning. Such as the fact that all of the Vanguard are either Pureblood or Halfbloods who have been made to denounce their mundane heritage.’” When Gamma dropped his hand again, Alpha frowned a bit. “It doesn’t surprise me. Though your brand only prevents you from verbally speaking about things, yes?”
At the question, Gamma snorted. “I don’t think wizards know about sign language. Or they dismiss it. I haven’t tried writing yet, but I believe the brand is only for spoken language.” It would make reporting a little more difficult, but nothing that they’d couldn’t handle or work around easily enough.
“That’s that. Come in and eat, Gamma. Get out of that uniform,” Alpha ordered. “We’ve saved you a spot at the table. Zeta even made dessert for after.” They took these little moments where they could get them, though they were lucky that things quieted down again for a time. At the very least, there were no new major announcements.
But then the Daily Prophet sent out a special edition newspaper to make a big announcement, something that not even Gamma had heard in advance. The Letter was still earning Nicanor’s trust and wasn’t privy to very much yet after all. Alpha read through the article, then retreated to the kitchen so he could fetch a meal. A few others were trickling through, but Alpha found a seat across from Theta.
“They’ve issued an educational decree,” Alpha stated as he sat down with his tray. He’d explain it more to the others later. They typically all gathered for dinner to share a meal together, though other meals were more relaxed.
Theta cursed softly as he lowered his fork. “Seriously? Do I want to know? How bad is it?”
Alpha shook his head, his eyes grim even in his otherwise emotionless face. “They announced the creation of a new Department of Magical Education. The first bit of legislation that they have passed is that they have declared the closure of Hogwarts.”
At the announcement, Theta actually dropped his fork. It clattered against his metal tray and splattered a bit of his mashed potatoes, but he ignored it. “ Hold on. Are they serious? Isn’t Hogwarts supposed to be some gem of magical education in the UK? A huge mark of pride?”
Alpha gave a little nod as he picked up his fork. “It is. However, it doesn’t fit their image of the New Dawn of the Assembly of Mages,” he said grimly, his tone lightly sarcastic. “They’re citing their opinion that Headmaster Dumbledore has too great a hold over the impressionable minds of young witches and wizards. I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to reopen Hogwarts again one day, but only once they’re able to remove Dumbledore as Headmaster. The man’s all but locked the old fortress down though, so the Assembly will pull all of their funding from the school. If parents want to pull their children from the school, Dumbledore can’t stop them. And any children that do remain at Hogwarts won’t be able to properly graduate and find suitable careers because they won’t be recognized as full fledged mages.”
“Well, shit,” Theta groaned and shook his head. “That’s going to go over well. Or, you know, not . Have you heard anything about Dumbledore’s response to the decree yet?”
As he scooped up a bit of his potatoes, Alpha shook his head. “I’m still waiting on Bill to send me a report.” He ate his bite of food and then picked up his cup to take a sip of his water. “In replacement of Hogwarts, they’ve announced a new school system. Children in the age range of the Scouts will attend Primary. It’s supposed to teach the basics, reading and writing. The sort of things that typically fell to the parents or tutors, from what I understand. Then when they reach 11 years, they’ll be sent to a school in Nova Aurora that is meant to replace Hogwarts. Higher education, once they graduate, may be attended at a newly established University that will be located in Nova Aurora as well.”
Theta picked his fork back up. “I’ll agree that their education system needed an overhaul, but this just doesn’t sit right.” He shook his head before he snorted softly. “Nova Aurora is going to be massive and the magic needed to hide such a city is going to be mind boggling.” Alpha could only agree.
With a sigh, Theta shook his head and shoveled a bit of food into his mouth. “I’m going to head down to the radio room once I’m done eating. The Assembly’s radio program is going to start in about an hour on the Wireless,” he explained. “So, another round of propaganda. Yay.” Alpha held back a snort, mildly amused. Theta’s commentary was largely the only thing that made those programs palatable to listen to.
“Best of luck,” he offered dryly as he hid his humour. Theta stuck his tongue out at him, but then shoveled the last of his lunch into his mouth.
Later that night, once he had revealed the creation of the new Education Department, Alpha met with Gamma to receive the young man’s latest debrief. After a time, Gamma grabbed a sheet of paper and started to write out part of his report. Alpha left him to it as he grabbed some of the papers on the table to study until Gamma finished.
Once Gamma set his pen back down, he held out the paper to Alpha. The young man took it with a glance to the other Letter who was quick to explain. “It’s a list of all the current Departments in the Assembly before the restructuring, along with the changes. There are entire offices being shut down or crammed together into a single office,” Gamma explained as he leaned back in his chair and then cracked his knuckles. “There are new departments as well. I’ve put those in brackets. It’s a mess.”
- Department of Magical Law Enforcement:
Auror Office
[Magical Investigation Unit- MIU]
Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects
Duties given to MIU
Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office
Duties given to MIU
Improper Use of Magic Office
Moved to a sub office of MIU
[Court of the Peoples]
Council of Magical Law
Wizengamot
Renamed to Lawmaker’s Cabinet
Wizengamot Administration Services
Combined with Council of Magical Law and moved to sub office underneath Court of the Peoples
Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes:[Downsized to Office beneath Department of Magical Law Enforcement]
Accidental Magic Reversal Squad
Obliviator Headquarters
Combined with Invisibility Task Force
Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee
Combined with Muggle Liaison Office
Invisibility Task Force
Renamed to Invisibility and Obliviation Division
Muggle Liaison Office
- Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures:
Beast Division
Renamed Magical Creature Task Force
Being Division
Duties given to Beast Division
Spirit Division
Duties given to Beast Division
Goblin Liaison Office
Moved to sub office beneath Beast Division
Centaur Liaison Office
Moved to sub office beneath Beast Division
Pest Advisory Board
Renamed to Pest Advisory and Investigative Task Force
Office of Misinformation
Moved to sub office beneath Ministry of Magic Public Information Services
Department of International Magical Co-operation:Renamed to Department of Foreign Affairs [restructured]
International Magical Trading Standards Body
International Magical Office of Law
International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats
- Department of Magical Transportation:
[Magical Transportation Regulation and Misuse Division - MTRM Division]
Floo Network Authority
Duties given to MTRM Division
Broom Regulatory Control
Duties given to MTRM Division
Portkey Office
Duties given to MTRM Division
Apparition Test Centre
- The Department of Magical Games and Sports:
British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters
Official Gobstones Club
Ludicrous Patents Office
Duties given to DAE
- The Department of Mysteries [restructured and given new duties]
[Magical Experimentation and Research Division]
[Heritage and Bloodline Research Division]
- Misc Offices:
Committee on Experimental Charms
Duties given to Department of Mysteries
Magical Maintenance Department
Ministry of Magic Public Information Services
Department of Magical Education
Restructured and expanded, as noted below
Wizarding Examinations Authority
Moved to sub offices beneath Offices of Department of Magical Education
Ministry of Magic research committee
Duties relegated to Department of Mysteries
Ministry of Magic exploding bonbons disposal unit
Foreign Affairs and Sports Department
Moved to sub offices beneath Department of Magical Games and Sports/ new Foreign Affairs Department respectively
Department of Muggle Relations
- [Department of Magical Education]
[Office of Pre-School Education]
[Office of School Boards]
[Office of Higher Learning]
- [Department of Administration and Efficiency - DAE]
“The DMLE has been given a lot more power,” Alpha noted absently as he looked up at Gamma again. He set the paper down in front of him and leaned back in his chair. “Some of the changes are concerning.”
Gamma nodded with a small grimace. “It’s been chaos. The new Department of Administration and Efficiency was created to oversee the changes to the Assembly, but a lot of people have lost their jobs or suddenly have new heads they need to report to. They’re telling everyone to bear with it, that things will settle down once the Assembly has moved to its new offices in Nova Aurora. But, I can only imagine that more changes will be coming eventually, though not quite to the level of this massive overhaul.
“Speaking of Nova Aurora, have you seen plans for it? They’ve kept construction under wraps,” Alpha inquired as he picked up a pencil and grabbed a piece of paper to make a few notes.
With a snort, Gamma leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table in front of him. “Nicanor keeps a model in his office. I’ve seen it a few times when on rotation.” He paused then and his brow furrowed a little. “Alpha, it’s massive . The size of which would take decades of work if it wasn’t for the use of magic. They’re projecting a year for the grand reveal last I heard.”
Alpha couldn’t even respond to that as he tapped his pencil against the paper in front of him. The Assembly hadn’t even announced the location for the city yet, though its existence was all the wizarding society could talk about. The entirety of the wizarding community in the UK was in upheaval, caught in a whirlwind of changes. In contrast, Thief’s movements had seemingly quieted. However, Alpha didn’t expect it to last long.
Notes:
Uh, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I do apologize, but life has been crazy lately! Hopefully this chapter makes up for it, but boy is there a whole lot going on! Hope you all enjoy reading it!
Chapter 31
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-One
Alpha watched silently as down below the Aurors took Deatheaters into custody. Each of the enemy mages were handcuffed with shackles that glowed faintly with magical power, likely meant to suppress their magic. They were rounded up and left in groups with only a couple of Aurors to watch over them so they wouldn’t attempt an escape. Alpha shifted ever so slightly and adjusted the grip on his weapon. When Epsilon stepped up close to him, he tilted his head a little.
At first, she didn’t say anything and only watched the activity below them from where they had taken up sentry on the cliff above the village. “There were forty-three assailants,” Epsilon said finally. “There were twelve casualties and at least two that looked to be in critical condition but escaped with help from their compatriots. Sixteen have been captured and are now being taken into Assembly custody.” She made a small nod towards the group below.
“So fifteen escaped,” Alpha said before he made a motion with his head. He stepped away from the edge of the cliff and several more shadows peeled away from their hiding spots to fall in step behind him. “I want to know where Thief gets his numbers for his army.” Non-magicals not in the know would be surprised at the size of the community hidden beneath their noses, but it still didn’t quite explain the size of Thief’s army. They hadn’t even been able to get an accurate read on how large his army actually was. This wasn’t the first confrontation where there had been casualties and arrests, but it hadn’t slowed down Thief’s campaigns one bit. “Any casualties among the Aurors?”
Epsilon frowned slightly as she walked alongside Alpha. “Two,” she replied shortly.
With a soft snort, Alpha raised a hand and dropped the shield that hid their transport truck. “By tomorrow they will be hailed as martyrs,” he said with a touch of disdain. A part of him understood the need to honour the dead, but the Auror’s deaths were cheapened by how the Assembly used it to paint a narrative.
Chi hopped into the driver side of the cab as the rest of their small squad piled into the back of the truck. Alpha joined Chi in the cab and opened up the magical highway for them. “Three klicks,” he instructed. “Then exit on the right.” The Assembly had set up checkpoints along the highway, so they needed to weave around them.
“Yes, sir,” Chi responded as they started on their way. After a few minutes of silence, Chi glanced over to Alpha. “Zeta said she’d have breakfast waiting for us once we arrived. Any idea what she’s making, Alpha?”
Alpha gave a shrug as he looked out the window. “No idea. She likes to surprise us, I think. Rho said something about peeling and grating potatoes though.”
“Maybe I can dream about potato rösti then,” Chi said as he offered Alpha a quick smile. The young man allowed himself a chuckle in response and nodded. Rösti were quite good, especially when topped with runny eggs and grilled ham in his opinion. The Swiss dish was very versatile too.
The two fell into silence then as they traveled, Chi following instructions to avoid the checkpoints. Alpha opened the path onto the magical highway when needed. When they finally arrived at their destination, Chi parked the truck in the abandoned warehouse they had selected for that purpose. Delta had put a number of protections over it, so they were able to take the portal there directly to the silo once Alpha had opened it up.
The squad immediately went to change out of their equipment first and clean their weapons before they put them away. As they worked in silence, Upsilon appeared in the doorway. “Alpha. Mail arrived for you in the post box while you were gone.”
“Thank you, Upsilon,” Epsilon replied for Alpha. She then tossed the other commander a look from the corner of her eye. “As important as it might be, food first. I will send Zeta after you otherwise.” Alpha had to hold back a smile as he only gave Epsilon a nod as he ignored the snickering from her team. He then thanked Upsilon as well. Finished with their tasks then, they followed Upsilon as he led the way down to the mess.
“Alpha, I was right about the rösti,” Chi called out to him as he collected a tray to fill with food.
Zeta raised an eyebrow at Alpha as she handed him a tray. “Taking bets on what I was cooking?”
“Never,” Alpha quipped back as he took the tray. Zeta and Rho had provided an assortment of toppings for their rösti, so Alpha selected a few things and then found an empty seat.
All the Letters still took meals together when they could, a habit for them. Gamma was missing as he had been called in to work at the Assembly, but the rest of the Letters were there that morning and scattered about the mess. Theta, Kappa, and Phi were all in a heated discussion over sniper rifles. Alpha had no doubt that Psi and Pi would also join in once they had taken their seats. The five snipers sometimes huddled together as a group for their shenanigans. Debates over rifles was an often visited topic but Alpha still listened in with amusement.
When all of the food was handed out, Zeta took the seat opposite of Alpha. “Upsilon told you about the post box?” She said as she picked up her fork. When Alpha nodded, she eyed him closely. “Good. But then you will get some sleep after.” Alpha had to smile at how comfortable she was at ordering him around. Still, it had been a couple of days since he had gotten any proper sleep, so he wouldn’t protest.
Once they finished eating, Zeta shooed him off of dish duty as the other Letters got up to help clean the mess from their breakfast. Alpha quietly excused himself and made his way up to the war room. There, Alpha pulled the Quibbler from the post box and examined the vibrant cover.
He dropped down into a seat and then opened up the front page, absently looking over the article without really reading it. He flipped through slowly, but paused when he came across a drawing of a spear hidden in a tangle of vines. He immediately grabbed a nearby notebook and set himself to deciphering the message contained within the accompanying article.
Once he was finished, Alpha breathed out and set his pencil down. They had some decisions to make. Some would be easy, but they would go in prepared regardless. He pulled another sheet of paper closer to him and grabbed a pen instead. He then worked on writing a detailed response to Thorgeirr.
Zeta found him like this a while later, likely hunting him down to ask why he hadn’t made it to bed yet. Alpha held out two letters to her. “The first needs to get to Thorgeirr. The other needs to get to Sami.”
“Your back alley contact?” Zeta clarified with the barest of frowns. The back alley was what they called the black market dealings that involved both the mundane and magical worlds. Alpha only gave a nod, so Zeta gave a sharp nod of her own. “Sleep. I will take care of this.”
As much as Alpha wanted to dive headfirst into the next thing, to make preparations for what was coming, he knew he needed at least a few hours of sleep. It would be a few hours anyways before he got any sort of responses from either Sami or Thorgeirr. So he cleaned up his paper and writing utensils before he made his way to the barrack rooms on the other end of the silo. After he had stripped out of his boots and laid down, Alpha allowed sleep to claim him. It was luckily dreamless, his mind and body too exhausted to allow nightmares to plague him.
It was the next day then that Alpha assembled the Letters in the Blast Lock Area. Even Gamma had returned by then and so all of the Letters were present. Once they had all arrived, Alpha took a deep breath.
“Thief is going to lay siege to Hogwarts,” Alpha revealed grimly as he looked around the room at all of the gathered Letters. “The intel comes from Thorgeirr.” He clasped his hands behind his back then, a firm set to his lips. “In preparation, we will aid in the evacuation of the castle for those who need it.” He paused then as he looked at the resolute faces around him. “There will be pushback from the Headmaster, but Thorgeirr has already offered his assistance in transporting those designated as muggleborns to places of safety.”
Alpha then made a motion with his head. “Follow me.” He turned around and then headed up the stairs. He could practically feel the curiosity of the other Letters, but they followed quietly and without question. When they reached the top of the stairs, instead of activating the portal, Alpha unbolted the heavy door and pushed it open. Then, one by one, they filed out through the door into an open clearing.
The area around them was wooded and there was a faint scent of saltwater upon the air mixed with a bit of pine. The air was cool and a bit of fog that hung about, but the world was quiet. The letters stood within a large clearing that was marked off by a heavy fence. “The entire silo complex is under extensive warding. The fence marks the boundaries of the protections,” Alpha explained. “I am the only one who knows the exact location and it cannot be found by any magical means.” He had made sure of it.
Alpa gestured around him then. “Below ground, the silo complex itself is our homebase. It is ours,” he said firmly. This was their home now and he didn’t want them to feel unsafe in it. “On the surface here, I want to turn this area into a refugee camp. There are several companions that I met at Hogwarts that will need a safe place to go.” It had been a few months now since he had left Hogwarts and he found that he did miss the friends he had made at the school. He wanted to make sure they were safe, as well as provide more of a base for some of their operations.
“We’re not in Europe anymore,” Zeta commented, though she didn’t sound surprised at all. None of them appeared surprised. They had likely already realized this long before that moment.
“No,” Alpha agreed. “We will keep the silo time in the GMT zone.” The beauty of magic was that even though they were nearly across the entire globe, they still could reach England in an instant. The fact that they were no longer in the UK meant that they were probably in the safest place from Thief. Or anyone else from the English wizarding community who might try to hunt them down. Their location would make it harder for them to be tracked, the reason why he had opened up the silo as their base to begin with. Now it would become a refugee camp for those closest to him. They could offer their support in whatever way they were comfortable, but would be safe away from the fighting.
“Do you have supplies already, Alpha?” Phi’s voice interrupted Alpha’s thoughts, but the young man didn’t let it startle him. Instead, he calmly shifted his gaze over to the other Letter. Phi was Delta squad’s sniper and she had come to him not long after they had been rescued to let him know that she was trans. Alpha had known her as a talented young man who hadn’t seemed to fit well into his skin, but had powered through it to earn his spot as a Letter. Now, he was glad to see that she finally appeared settled and had told her that he was happy to welcome another sister. And that had been that.
Alpha motioned towards a truck that was parked to the side of the clearing, within the boundaries. “Some of the supplies are already in the silo, but I have also gotten my hands on a few other things,” he told them. That had been why he had sent a letter to Sami and were supplies they had just received. “They have been acquired through a magical source, so everything has been packed through magical means. Opening the cases will release any spells.” They had worked with such things before, but it was a gentle reminder to be in a clear area when opening cases that contained larger pieces. “Let’s get to work.” Better sooner rather than later as they would likely need to move within an unknown time limit.
Fortunately, the camp came together quickly as the Letters had experience with this sort of thing. Each of the buildings constructed were heavy military grade tents that they had built upon platforms to keep them off the ground. They were large and sturdy, a half circle in design and coloured a dark green. The two barracks they had set up were the same military style tent, but contained wizarding spaces to give each of the refugees their own private areas. The rooms were still somewhat spartan, but they were more comfortable than the cots the Letters were used to in the best of cases. The magical barracks provided proper plumbing as well.
The meeting hall was also a military style wizarding tent so they could all gather comfortably. The inside still looked much like the normal inside of one of the tents, just much larger than the outside would have one believe. A large marker board took up space against one wall upon a platform. A table was set up before it and that was all that was contained in that building. They could move things in and out of it as necessary, but would serve its purpose as a meeting hall.
The smallest of the tents was the radio tent. This would be manned at all times, where Alpha planned to run their underground radio broadcasts. From the reports he had gotten, Bill’s brothers - the Weasley twins - had helped Hermione figure out how to bounce the signal off of multiple locations so the originator point couldn’t be tracked. The radio tent would give Hermione the space to run her broadcasts.
There were a number of more small tents, mostly to be used as storage. One was designated as laundry, though Alpha had wondered if the mages would just use magic to clean their clothing. Well, Thorgeirr would make use of it at any rate. Near the laundry tent was a large water tank with a filtration system to supply the camp. Nearby the water tank was also the medical tent and the kitchen, with an attached tent for the mess hall. Alpha hoped they would never need to make use of the medical, but he refused to let them be caught unprepared again.
The last of the camp buildings was an armoury. It was more for their use than any of the mages so that they would always have weapons at hand. Next to the armoury was an obstacle course. Mu and Nu had immediately made use of it as soon as it was up, though they had quickly dragged Theta into it as well. It hadn’t taken long for other Letters to run a lap or two. Obstacles courses had been some of the first places where they had built bonds as teammates. Though good memories were often few and far between, they took what they could get where they could find it.
Once the camp had been set up, Beta helped Alpha acquire more trucks. They already had a few hidden around the country, but he wanted to establish more of a fleet within the camp itself. So another tent went up to house the vehicles they got their hands on. All of their purchases were paid through the use of the Potter fortune, though it had been needed to be converted from wizarding money.
In the meantime, when they gathered in the meeting hall to make plans, Epsilon volunteered her squad to help transport the refugees. Zeta and Theta also promised to come along with him, already knowing Alpha’s friends from the school. With that established, Alpha sent another message off to Thorgeirr before they had focused on coming up with several viable routes they could take.
During this planning period they had to do more direct lines of communication with Thorgeirr because of time constraints, but messages were still written in code. Between both sides, they came up with a plan within a matter of a couple of days. All the while they monitored Thief’s movements closely, with an underlying current of tension, but things passed in relative peace for the next week until they could put their plan into motion. There was nothing out of the ordinary at least, though it certainly wasn’t true peace.
All too soon, with everything in place, the day of the mission arrived. The Letters had eaten together before Alpha and the rest of his temporary squad had gone to prepare for the escort. The rest of the Letters had other duties to attend to as they finished final preparations for the arrival of the refugees.
Once fully kitted up, Alpha adjusted his black baseball cap and then looked around at the others. Theta and Zeta stood next to Omega while Chi and Psi went through the final checks of their equipment. All of them were quiet, though he spotted the slight movements of Theta and Zeta’s fingers. He turned his eyes away from them then as Epsilon strode up to them with a stack of fabric in her hand. She held them up once she was close enough. “I bring presents,” she told them.
“Masks?” Alpha inquired as she handed one of the pieces to him. When she nodded, Alpha unfolded it and had to hold back a little smile. It was a half face mask in a black fabric, but a print had been added to appear like a snarling wolf in a red ink. If Deatheaters were going for intimidation in their skull masks, the Letters would as well. And, for their visit to Hogwarts, the masks would help to hide their identities. Alpha wouldn’t put it past Thief to have at least one spy amongst the mages at Hogwarts.
Putting the mask on, Alpha adjusted the fabric and then looked out over the ready squad. “Everyone understands the plan,” he stated without question. “Let’s move out.” They had already gone over the plan several times as adjustments were made, as well as several contingencies, so there was no need to rehash them. Alpha trusted the other Letters to stick to the plan or make judgement calls that were in everyone’s best interest. They had to get moving if they wanted to be in time for lunchtime at Hogwarts.
The assembled squad piled into the trucks that they were taking. Theta took the wheel of the lead truck while Alpha slipped into the seat next to him. Zeta took the next truck and Epsilon joined her in the cab. Chi, Psi, and Omega each had a truck as well so that there were a total of five trucks to transport all of the refugees. As they started up the trucks, Xi and Pi opened the gate for them. To do so, they placed their keys into the locks and activated the large portal. It had been installed by Alpha before their mission and was only connected to one place. It was several times larger than the other portals installed in the safe houses, large enough to move the transport vehicles through. For these reasons, two keys were required to open the portal.
When they arrived on the other side without incident, the portal closed behind them. The portal had taken them into the ruins of an abandoned wizarding village. It had become a magically dead zone through some sort of accident decades ago. Magic, such as the portal, could still be performed but there was still a hollow and flat feeling to the area that even those without magic could pick up upon. No life grew within the barriers of the village. Because of this, the village had been abandoned and had become the perfect exit point. It had still kept its Nexus point and this allowed them easy access to the highway.
From there they traveled to Hogsmeade, though they had to weave around a couple of checkpoints along the way. As they entered Hogsmeade, they passed through unhindered though Alpha noticed quite a few mages stop in the streets to watch them with barely hidden fear. Deatheaters shunned all mundane technology and their trucks did not bear the insignia of the Assembly, so their caravan was a complete unknown to the magicals. Most mages avoided conflict, so they passed through the village without issue. When they arrived at the gates to Hogwarts grounds, they found them closed. The trucks rumbled to a stop and then Alpha hopped out of the cab to approach them. They hummed with magic, but the Letters did not wish any ill will to those within the wards. The gates would let them pass. Still, Alpha found himself looking up along the road towards the castle as he placed his hands on the gate.
Alpha had known he would return to Hogwarts one day. He could have even guessed at the capacity in which would herald his return to the castle. And, in some ways, that was still true. But he never could have guessed that his return would come so quickly. It had been months since he had left, but he had expected years. The wars against Thief had been drawn out already over several years, so he hadn’t expected much progress. But things had changed now.
“Let’s go,” Alpha said as he pushed open the gates and then hopped back into the cab.
The ride up to the castle was quiet, but Theta gave a low whistle when Hogwarts came into proper view. “It really is an impressive sight. Haven’t had the chance to see it so up close and it really is magical ,” he said with a sliver of amusement. Alpha had to hold back a soft chuckle, but he did allow a little smile. Each of the non-magical Letters carried talismans that allowed them to see past the enchantments that hung over Hogwarts to hide its existence from non-magicals.
When they pulled up in front of the entrance doors, they all hopped out of the vehicles. The trucks had been enchanted to withstand the heavy concentration of magic that saturated Hogwarts and would also prevent any wizards from tampering with them. So he felt comfortable leaving them behind as he led the way up the steps. He pushed the doors open and they were met with an empty hall. They had arrived on time, so all of the inhabitants would be at lunch for the Headmaster’s announcements.
Alpha made his way up to the Great Hall and stopped in front of the doors. Epsilon stood just behind him to his right as Theta and Zeta took position just behind them. Chi placed his hand on one door while Omega went to the other. Psi took his place behind all of them and they all waited patiently for Alpha’s command. It barely took them seconds to take their places. Alpha quietly took a deep breath and then nodded his head. More than just collecting their allies, this was about making a statement. One that would reach Thief.
The doors slammed open with force, spelled long ago to push anyone out of the way of them so they didn’t have to worry about crushing anyone. As Alpha strode into the Hall with the other Letters at his back, there were several screams that echoed throughout the space. The Headmaster, as well as the rest of the staff, were all immediately on their feet. Alpha raised his hand as he walked and summoned up a shield that absorbed the spellfire directed towards them.
“Who are you?” Dumbledore demanded of them, his voice harsh as he rounded the table.
Alpha said nothing as Chi and Omega shut the door behind them with another loud bang before they took up guard. “Remain where you are,” Alpha said finally, magic in his throat so that his voice rang out over the noise in the Hall. “We are not here to hurt you.”
“Harry?” That voice came from Black, who had also rounded the table. “Harry, is that you? What’s going on?”
Though he didn’t take his eyes off of Dumbledore, Alpha reached up to pull down his face mask with a little tug. The Headmaster’s brow was furrowed and he didn’t put his wand away. “Harry? What is all this? Who are these people?” He glanced at the Letters behind Alpha. “Why don’t we go up to my office so we can discuss this, hm?”
Alpha understood that the Headmaster wanted to get them out of the Great Hall and away from the students, but he stood his ground. “Hogwarts is being shut down,” he stated as he ignored the man’s questions. “Funding is being pulled.” He knew that Dumbledore would try to hold out as long as possible, but Thief was staging a siege. They did not know when exactly, so many parents were pulling their children out of Hogwarts for their safety. As much as Dumbledore viewed Hogwarts as the safest possible place in all of the UK, even he could not force the students to stay.
“I’m not sure I understand, Harry. Come, we should really discuss this in my office,” the Headmaster tried to interrupt.
“Hogwarts is unsafe,” Alpha said loudly, his voice traveling across the hall. “We are here to ensure the safe passage for any who are in need of it.”
Alpha caught the sound then of someone from the Slytherin table standing up. From their movements, he knew that it was Hermione without having to look over to her. She strode up to Alpha unhindered as he made a small motion with his head to allow her close. She offered him a shaky smile and then looked out at the students.
“They’re Guiding Star,” she called out. “For those who know, this is our chance.” She looked up at Alpha then and gave him a little nod. “I trust you and your team.” She stated this loudly for the Hall’s benefit.
In response, Alpha gave a nod of his head and then glanced over his shoulder. “Chi. Omega. Theta,” he called their names, but didn’t need to elaborate. He looked back down at Hermione then. “They’ll escort you.”
As students started to stand up, Dumbledore held his wand out to Alpha. The young man raised an eyebrow, but did not appear concerned. “I don’t know what you’re planning, my boy, but I can’t let you take the students from the safety of Hogwarts.”
“Hogwarts is not as safe as you would like to believe, Headmaster,” Alpha cut in coldly. His flat tone seemed to surprise the old man, but Alpha ignored it. “The one who calls himself a Dark Lord will besiege Hogwarts in the very near future and the Assembly has abandoned you. You know this. You might want to tell yourself otherwise, but the children are not safe in the castle any longer.” If they had ever been safe to begin with. “We are here to take to safety those who are in need of it.” It was something that had been organized with help from a number of mages at Hogwarts, as well as Thorgeirr, and right beneath Dumbledore’s nose.
Dumbledore still did not lower his wand. “You are a child yourself,” he started out in a coaxing sort of voice.
Alpha cut him off. “I have never been a child, Headmaster Dumbledore. And even without knowing this, you would have had me fight your war for you anyways.” He looked over to Black as well, noting the stunned looks on both of their faces. “I am not a hero. I am not a white knight or a golden saviour. I am a weapon. I am a revolutionary who fights for those who cannot because if I don’t, who will? I’m already broken so I’ll do what I can to save more children from the same fate.”
“I’m sorry, Harry, but I can’t let you take them,” Dumbledore said as he shook off his surprise. He raised his wand a fraction, but Alpha was ready. His amber shield absorbed the spell aimed towards them and he didn’t flinch as he continued to stand there, stare locked on the Headmaster.
Shock filtered over Dumbledore’s face, seemingly surprised that Alpha had blocked whatever spell he had used. “It was not a suggestion to disregard, Dumbledore,” Alpha said flatly, voice cold once more. He stood firm then as a good third of the remaining students left through the doors, escorted by the Letters. Once they were gone, Alpha tilted his chin up a fraction. “We will be back. On the day that the Dark Lord attacks, we will be back to face him. It’s what you want, isn’t it?” When Dumbledore didn’t respond, Alpha turned sharply on his heel to march back out the door. He did not fear showing his back to Dumbledore, though he kept his awareness up.
He had just reached the doors when a voice rang across the silent hall. “Wait!” Alpha turned slightly to find Black running up the aisle towards him. “Wait, Harry. Please. Let me come with you,” the man pleaded.
Alpha regarded the man quietly for a beat. Should he? Black hadn’t seemed to know what to do about him, but the man had tried to reach out to him. As far as he knew, Black was the last link to his parents. But beyond that, Alpha knew that Black was a competent dueler. They could use his expertise. So he gave a sharp nod and continued walking. Black hurried after him, both of them ignoring Dumbledore’s yell for Black behind them. A moment later, the doors closed with a solid bang.
Notes:
I'm not 100% happy with the flow of this chapter, but I hope it doesn't come off as too wonky. I hope you all enjoyed it regardless, my dear readers! Leave me some love?
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Two
When the truck came to a stop, Alpha hopped out of the cab. From the corner of his eye, he could see the portal close as Xi and Pi removed their keys. He made his way around to the back of the truck and opened up the tarp. Hermione was the first one out of the back as she threw herself at Alpha and pulled him into a tight hug. He’d been prepared for it, so wrapped his arms around her to catch her. He still caught a faceful of her flyaway hair, but he only huffed out a quiet laugh and set her on her feet.
Theo was next off the truck as he reached up to help Luna off the back. Blaise joined them shortly after. As they stood there and looked around, a pair of twins jumped off the truck. These were Bill’s brothers, though he hadn’t met them in person yet. As Hermione stepped away from Alpha, the twins approached him with a grin.
One of the twins thrust out a hand with a bright grin. “Harry Potter, huh? It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Fred. This is George.” He made a gesture with his head as he motioned to his brother beside him.
Alpha studied the two for a brief moment and then reached out to clasp the redhead’s hand. “Bill has spoken about you and I understand that the both of you have been instrumental in Hermione’s research.” He glanced over to the other twin and gave a nod. “Welcome to basecamp, George. Fred.” He released the redhead’s hand then, directing their names opposite of how George had introduced them.
Surprise flickered across their faces before they roared with laughter. “Bill was right! Nothing slips past you, Harry. Mind if we call you Harry?”
As he watched Black drop out of the truck, Alpha took a moment to mull over the question. Finally, he came to a decision. He looked over the assembled group. “Actually, I prefer Alpha.”
“Alpha? What sort of name is that?” Fred said in amusement, but his tone was playful.
Before Alpha himself could respond, one of the Letters approached their group. “He’s Alpha because he’s the most skilled out of all of us,” Beta said as she came to stand at Alpha’s side. “It’s as much of a rank as it is a name.”
He knew that Black was listening in, but Alpha kept his focus on the younger mages. “I don’t know how much Bill has told you,” he directed towards the twins before he turned his gaze back on the friends he had made at Hogwarts. “I’ve told you before that I was raised in a nomadic group that traveled around mainly Europe and Asia. What I didn’t mention was that it was a mercenary group.” He wouldn’t get into too many details, but he had made the decision to tell them a little about his upbringing and his life. “Since I was five years old, I have been trained in combat. I was six when I had my first kill.” He told them in an even voice, without emotion. But, he would never forget Seven. His death still haunted his nightmares some nights even then. “I was eight when I killed my first man. Our commander was a big believer in trials by fire. Only those who were strong survived and all the weak were weeded out. Sometimes by our own hands.” Capitán had trained them to never hesitate.
Next to him, Beta nodded her head as if she was unaffected by Alpha’s words. He knew her though, knew she was also thinking of all the Numbers they had lost along the way. Their comrades. He thought of the Letters they had lost. Iota. Eta. Omikron.
“Merlin. You’re only seventeen ,” Black stated suddenly into the stunned silence. Many of the mages appeared to be a little green, though Luna’s eyes were understanding. She gave him a sad little smile as he looked past her briefly to fix his gaze on his supposed godfather. Black placed a hand over his mouth and rubbed his face. “Merlin. A mercenary? How many people have you killed?” He seemed almost reluctant to ask, but did so anyways.
Next to him, Beta shifted and spared Alpha a look. He doubted any of them knew an exact number. “I’ve participated in wars and skirmishes across the globe. Some in places you probably have never heard of or knew there was fighting happening,” Alpha said after a moment. “I’ve never kept track. Not if I want to keep my sanity.” It was something that was barely held on by threads as it was. What helped was that he had saved lives too. Especially since leaving Legio.
Alpha shook his head then. “We’re all broken, held together by pure spite.” He heard Beta huff a quiet laugh from next to him, loud enough only for him. He held back a smile of his own. “But we’ll keep on fighting because that is all we know how to do.” He made a motion with his head then. “This is Beta. She’ll show you to the barracks where you’ll be staying. Feel free to get comfortable and explore the camp, if you wish. We will have a more formal meeting around dinner later. Beta will provide you with details.” He gave Beta a nod and then turned on his heel. Theta followed him to the silo door and they disappeared down the stairs to get out of their kit. He told himself he wasn’t running away.
About an hour later, Alpha was alerted that the rest of the squad was back. They had separated so the refugees could be transported to a safe location where their parents were waiting for them and then could be escorted out of the country if they wished. Alpha had returned with those who would be staying at the refugee camp. (They really needed a better name, he thought.) Now with the rest of them returning, with Thorgeirr with them, Alpha wanted to be there for their return. And, he’d privately admit to himself, to see Thorgeirr again. It’d been months since he’d seen the older man.
Thorgeirr was speaking with Zeta when Alpha walked up to them. “Welcome back,” he greeted Zeta before Thorgeirr suddenly pulled him into a hug. Alpha had half expected it, but still grumbled softly in Thorgeirr’s ear even as he returned the hug. Zeta tossed Alpha a small smirk before she left them to go change out of her kit.
“Good to see you, brat. As if you’d be anything other than healthy, but I am glad to see you alive,” Thorgeirr told him once he had released Alpha. He clapped the young man’s shoulder and then took a step back. “All of the kids have been safely seen off to their parents and we got most of them to one of my contacts outside of the UK. A few decided to make their own way.”
Alpha gave a sharp nod. “Good. There were no issues?”
The older man chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, none at all. All of you Letters are efficient and reliable. We were in good hands.” He said it as if there was no other option. Alpha agreed, but was still pleased to know that it had gone well. None of their plans had leaked, which was what they had hoped for.
“Harry? Who is this?” Black’s disgruntled voice spoke from behind him as the wizard approached them.
Alpha had to hold back a roll of his eyes, already half regretting his decision to let Black come with. He couldn’t hold back a snort though when Thorgeirr growled out, “Ich habe mehr Recht als du, Sirius Black.“ He had said he had more of a right to be there than Black did.
“What did he say about me?” Black demanded harshly, his metaphorical hackles raising. Alpha did roll his eyes then before he turned around to face the older wizard.
The stare that Alpha leveled on Black stopped the man in his tracks. His eyes widened and Alpha spotted the smallest of tremors go through the man. Alpha had been told before that he could kill a man with his stare alone, and he directed this full force at Black. He felt some satisfaction at Black’s reaction, but held it back from his expression. Instead, he lifted a hand. “This is Thorgeirr,” he introduced finally. “If I am not around, you can defer to him.” He didn’t need to introduce Black to Thorgeirr since the man was already aware of who the wizard was.
Alpha turned his attention back to Thorgeirr then. “Let me show you to the barracks where you’ll be staying,” he offered. Thorgeirr nodded his acceptance and retrieved a duffel from the back of the truck. He slung it over his shoulder and then motioned for Alpha to lead the way. The young man turned his back on Black without a word and led Thorgeirr over to one of the barracks. “This is Building A,” he told the older man. “You’ll be in room Thirteen.” He hid a small smile at the private joke as he pushed the tent flap aside and led the way inside.
The interior’s appearance was more like that of a brick and mortar building than it was a canvas tent, a grey that reminded Alpha of the Letter barracks in Legio’s camp. There were wooden doors along the corridor, the interior wizarding space much larger than the outside would have one believe. Alpha stopped outside of Thorgeirr’s door and then pushed it open to allow the man to see inside. It was simply a bedroom with a bed and desk, along with a wardrobe and a window. Another door led into a small ensuite bathroom
“Cozy,” Thorgeirr commented with humour. He stepped inside and dropped his duffel on the bed. “Better than some of the holes I’ve had to camp out in.”
Though he remained by the door, Alpha leaned against the frame. “We’ll be gathering together around dinner to go over a few things,” he told the man and then paused. “What did you do with Elritze?”
Thorgeirr ran his fingers through his white hair and offered Alpha a smirk. “The Haus has been shuttered for now and Elritze is with a friend. She wasn’t very pleased that I was leaving her, the little diva. I’m going to have to give her some salmon to make it up to her later.” At least she was somewhere safe. “How have you been, brat?” Thorgeirr suddenly asked as he unzipped his duffel.
At the question, Alpha didn’t respond right away. “I got the Letters back,” he said finally, his voice quiet.
Thorgeirr smiled fondly and nodded his head. Alpha didn’t even need to explain himself. Times were tough, but Alpha had his family back together. Whatever happened, they were in it together and they’d get through it together. “Good,” he said as he started to unpack. “I’ll see you at dinner then. Soon, at 1700hrs?”
“Yes,” Alpha said simply as he pushed away from the door frame. He turned to leave, but then paused to look over his shoulder at Thorgeirr. “I’m glad you’re here,” he told the older man quietly and then slipped out the door. With Thorgeirr there, the total refugees from Hogwarts and her surroundings now totalled eight. There was Thorgeirr, Black, Hermione, Luna, Theo, Blaise, Fred, and George. A small group, but Alpha had the feeling that there would be more eventually. Bill was staying behind for a little while because of Dumbledore’s Order, though had plans to join them. Thorgeirr had a few close contacts that would be joining them as well soon. Mundane born mages that had become mercenaries after they had left the stagnant magical communities behind. Alpha knew there would be more if the situation continued to escalate.
As he left the barracks, Luna danced up to him from where she had been exploring. She wore an oversized blue button up tucked into high waisted jeans, the sleeves of her shirt rolled to her elbows, and a red bandana wrapped around her head to contain the blonde curls she had pinned up upon her head. It was almost strange not seeing her wearing the Hogwarts’ uniform or a dress, but it was a look that suited her all the same.
“I’m surprised Theo isn’t with you,” he greeted Luna with as she reached him.
She gave him a little laugh and then threaded her arm through his to hold onto him. Alpha allowed it as he guided her towards the mess hall. They could talk there until dinner. “He’s with Blaise right now, getting settled in. He does want to come see you, but he’ll be along later,” she told him as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “For now, I get you to myself.”
Alpha allowed himself a small smile, though he kept his eyes on the path ahead. “Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?”
“Yule is soon,” Luna said lightly, seemingly without prompt. “Most of the world knows it as Christmas. Have you ever celebrated Christmas?” She asked it gently, in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer but didn’t want to assume just in case.
Silent as he thought over her words, Alpha glanced up towards the cloudy sky. “Once. With Thorgeirr. We spent it working in his bar.” Growing up in Legio, they had never celebrated holidays or birthdays. Things like that they were tangentially aware of, aware that normal people celebrated such things but not really understanding the customs or specifics. Sometimes they had made up their own customs for celebrations. Not that they often had much to celebrate.
Alpha looked down at Luna then. “Will you help me? To give the others a Christmas. Thorgeirr would help.” He didn’t have to even ask the older man to know that he would be happy to help them organize something. For the refugees from Hogwarts, Christmas would be something familiar to boost their morale. For the Letters, it was the first of many holidays where they were finally free of Legio. Why shouldn’t they celebrate?
Luna gave Alpha a bright smile and hugged his arm tighter. “You can leave it to me, Alpha. We’ll come up with something magical.” She gave him a wink just as Hermione approached them.
The curly haired girl had changed out of her Hogwarts uniform as well, though she had also forgone any sort of wizarding fashion. Instead she wore a pair of dark green corduroy overalls over a long sleeved striped shirt. “Harry! Oh, sorry! I mean, you said you prefer Alpha, right? Sorry! Alpha, then.” She stumbled over her apology, but then gave him a bright smile and darted in to give him another tight hug. “I didn’t have the chance yet, but I wanted to thank you,” she said once she had let go. “For bringing us here.” She stepped back then and gave Luna a little smile as well. “Sorry if I’m interrupting, but I’m guessing you’re headed to the dining tent, right? It’s in that direction. It alright if I join you?”
Luna stuck her tongue out at Hermione, but only appeared to be a little put out. “I don’t mind it too much,” she said airly, though she tightened her grip on Alpha’s arm. Hermione eyed her, but then gave a little nod and apologized. “I’ll just bug Alpha later,” Luna said in response before the girls fell quiet.
“Hermione,” Alpha spoke up and the young woman gave him a curious look. “I wanted to say thanks for your part in organizing the mission from your side. Things went quickly and smoothly because of your work at passing the word around Hogwarts.” The refugees had come prepared, so they had been able to make their escape efficiently.
Beside him, Hermione blushed at the praise. Alpha had the sense that she wasn’t often praised honestly like this. She was a bright young woman but that had the potential to intimidate those who were not at her level. He thought she would fit in well around the camp where there were others who would be able to keep up with her. None of the Letters, including him and the other commanders, were formally trained in magical theories. But that wouldn’t stop them from being able to keep up with debates. Everything followed logic once one could figure out the patterns after all.
“I’m glad that I could help,” Hermione muttered bashfully. She cleared her through then and looked up towards the sky. “You know, I’m surprised it’s not colder,” she observed as she changed the subject. “We’re somewhere in North America, right? Based on the approximate time zone differences and surrounding landscape.”
Alpha smiled a bit in amusement. Hermione was very observant when she wanted to be. “Yes,” he agreed. “There’s a barrier over the camp. Part of it makes the localized climate more mild in the immediate area within it. There’d be snow otherwise.” He and the other Letters had made camps in some of the worst places before, but he had done what he could to make their current location as comfortable as possible for everyone.
“Incredible,” Hermione breathed out. “The clouds look like it’d snow.”
With a hum of agreement, Alpha looked up towards the sky again. “If it does snow, you’ll see the flakes land against the barrier and then turn into rain as they pass through.”
At that announcement, Hermione’s nose crinkled. “I think I’d prefer the snow,” she muttered and then fell quiet.
“I heard that Bill’s brothers helped you with your radio broadcast research. Did you find the radio communications tent?” Alpha asked as they stepped into the mess hall and then found a seat. It was quiet in there, empty. The Letters on kitchen duty would probably appear soon to set up the meal line, but they were alone for the time being.
Luna leaned against Alpha’s side on the bench she shared with him. She seemed content to just sit there and listen, so Alpha focused on Hermione. She had seated herself across from Alpha and had brighted at the question.
“I did see it! Thank you so much, Alpha. I think it’ll do a wonderful job,” she said eagerly. “Fred and George have some equipment that they need to unload and set up, but I think we’ll be able to get started right away. I even have a script prepared.”
Alpha regarded her seriously. “Tonight. We’ll issue the first broadcast tonight.” Hermione’s eyes widened at the announcement, but then she gave a resolute nod in agreement. “Good,” Alpha said and then let his expression soften. “How have your studies been? Did you make it through ‘An Anthology and Compendium of the Narratives of Magical Britain’?” He recalled the giant tome that she had lugged around and worked on between her normal classwork.
Hermione blushed suddenly and her eyes darted off to the side. She opened her mouth to say something but then shrugged and tucked a curl behind her ear. When Alpha raised an eyebrow, Luna laughed next to him and Hermione blushed redder. “I might have, uh, borrowed the book from Hogwarts’ property,” she muttered finally when Alpha didn’t say anything and only continued to stare at her. “I haven’t finished it yet! It’s a dense book even for me, you know.” She pouted and crossed her arms defensively. “Besides, I’ve had other projects as my focus lately.”
“Fair enough,” Alpha responded then, unable to hold back his amusement as it seeped into his voice. Hermione huffed and stuck her tongue out at him. Alpha let himself roll his eyes in response. “Yes, yes. So what have you learned in your book recently?”
The young woman narrowed her eyes at him, but then huffed and leaned her elbows on the table. “Well,” she stated and then looked thoughtfully down at the table between them. “For a bit of background, there was a period of time that spanned between the 8th and 15th centuries that was known as Scandinavian Scotland because of the settlers from primarily Norway. Vikings.” She looked back up at Alpha and then launched into a quick paced lecture about what she had learned. Alpha listened attentively and asked questions on occasion, but was content to listen to Hermione talk. Beside him, Luna had taken his hand and was idly playing with his fingers.
The trio remained like that for awhile until there was activity off to the side, Alpha glanced over to see that dinner was being set up behind the counter. That meant that the others would be trickling in very soon. He continued the conversation with Hermione a little longer before the Hogwarts refugees started to appear in the doorway. Alpha squeezed Luna’s hand and then stood up so he could direct them. Once the serving line was open, he invited them to get their food.
Alpha had just sent off the Weasley twins when Blaise and Theo entered with Kappa and Lambda not far behind them. Theo hesitated only a moment, but then threw his arms around Alpha’s waist and pressed close to him in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe, Alpha,” he whispered quietly, just for Alpha’s ears. The mercenary wrapped his own arms around Theo and held him. “I was so worried,” Theo continued. “I know you’ve been through a lot and I’ve always known, since I met you in September, that you could handle anything. But it didn’t stop me worrying. I’m so glad.”
“You’re safe here too, Theo,” Alpha responded back as he let the smaller man go and stepped back to look him in the face. “Your father can’t get to you here.” He reached up to squeeze Theo’s shoulder, his expression soft. “Go get some food and then go take a seat. We have a lot to go over. We can talk more privately later.”
Though he seemed reluctant to move away from Alpha, Theo gave a nod at the young man’s promise. “Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll hold you to it.” He offered Alpha a smile then before he joined the serving line. Blaise reached out and touched Alpha’s shoulder as he gave him a nod, then followed after Theo. They both grabbed trays after seeing the others do it as well.
Delta’s squad were on the rotation for kitchen duties, so they stood behind the counter and dished out the food they had made. Chicken and rice were the staples, but roasted vegetables and pieces of fruit were also on offer. Water and juice was at the end of the line in large beverage dispensers, plastic cups stacked alongside them. Alpha gathered his own tray once everyone else had been seated. Though the squad on kitchen duty would have normally eaten after they finished cleanup, Alpha motioned for them to make up trays of their own and then join them at the tables. Once Delta squad had joined them, Alpha stood up and drew everyone’s attention. Gamma was the only one who was missing.
“Feel free to continue eating,” he told them and then spread out his hands. “Welcome to basecamp. We have a few rules that I wanted to go over. First, for those of you from Hogwarts, I want you to be aware that my companions and I are known as Letters. It is a designation from where we grew up and it is how we refer to each other. Beneath this camp is our home. I’m sure you’ve all seen the bunker door by now and are aware that you cannot open the door. It is strictly off limits to everyone but the Letters.” This was true even for Thorgeirr, though he would probably be the only one allowed in if it was an emergency. The silo was a place of safety for the Letters and Alpha didn’t want that soiled by relative strangers in their space. Alpha did like the friends he had made at Hogwarts, but he wanted his siblings to be comfortable in the first place they could call home.
“Secondly,” Alpha continued as he leveled his stare on the Weasley twins. “I will not ban pranks as long as they are not mean spirited.” A bit of fun was required to boost morale in times like this. “However, I must stress that you do not mess with the food in any manner. Bill has told me some stories and you will not enjoy the consequences if you mess with any of our food.” The Letters took food safety very seriously. It hadn’t been unheard of for their “mentors” in Legio to attempt to poison them to build up their resistance or test if they were paying attention.
Alpha pulled his gaze away from the twins. “Everyone is here because of the safety this camp offers, however each one of us is also here because we have a role to play. Whether large or small, each role is important and we must work together.” He was quiet for a moment before he continued. “You are not prisoners here. However, I must stress that we must take safety seriously. If you need to leave the camp for some reason, all the details must be logged and signed off on by me. It is for your safety and ours.”
The Weasley twins seemed a little put out by the comment, but no one protested. They all seemed understanding even if they didn’t necessarily like it. Alpha was vaguely impressed that Black didn’t fight back against the order, but luckily the man seemed to understand too. Or, at the very least, was keeping his thoughts to himself. Alpha gave a small nod and picked up his cup to take a drink, just to wet his throat. “This camp is protected beneath a complex series of magical barriers,” he informed them. “Some of them I wove myself.” Delta had also added his own layers as well. “Because of this, it is safe to use magic within the boundaries of the camp. It cannot be traced.”
Alpha gave them a few more basic rules and necessary information, including the times for meals, before he paused. “Now to finish off, I want to introduce all of the Letters to you while most of us are here,” he told the wizards. “My squad is Theta, Zeta, and myself. Theta is my squad’s sniper specialist and Zeta is our combat specialist.” Theta smirked a little when he was introduced and made a wave with his hand that hid a quip in the flex of his fingers. Alpha barely held back a snort while Zeta nodded her head at her introduction.
“You have met Beta,” Alpha continued. “Her team consists of the twins Mu and Nu. Their specialty is munitions, specifically explosives.” The identical men waved at their introduction while the Weasley twins observed them with interest. He was sure the four young men would get on too well. “Kappa is their squad’s sniper and Lambda is their combat specialist.” Kappa leaned over and whispered something to Theta next to him. The two young men exchanged smirks and then Kappa nodded at the wizards. Lambda looked like she wanted to roll her eyes, but only offered the mages a little smile.
After a brief pause, Alpha nodded to another of the squad captains. “Epsilon is the only squad leader without magic of her own, but don’t underestimate her. Her squad is made up of Chi, Psi, and Omega. Chi is their combat specialist.” The young man gave a little wave. “Psi is their sniper and Omega is their munitions expert.” Psi and Omega both nodded at their introductions, the young man and woman seated next to each other.
Alpha then motioned towards Delta and introduced him. “His team is Sigma, a combat specialist.” The young man raised a hand in greeting. “Upsilon, a munitions expert.” This young man only nodded in greeting. “Phi, a sniper.” She gave them a soft hello along with her nod. “And Tau, who’s an expert in undercover ops.” Tau gave a little wave as a small smile played about her lips.
“Our final squad is Gamma’s. Gamma is currently undercover.” He didn’t say anything more about the other captain, instead moving on to introduce Gamma’s squad. They had made the decision to have Gamma interact with the mages as little as possible. As much as Alpha trusted most of them not to intentionally leak Gamma’s cover, the less they knew the better. “Xi is their munitions expert,” he introduced then as the young woman smiled innocently even as she gave them a wink. “Pi is their sniper,” Alpha said next as the young woman saluted them. “And finally, there is Rho. They are a combat specialist.”
With them all introduced, Alpha sat back in his seat more. “All of us are highly trained and are proficient in several areas. When Thief attacks Hogwarts, I will lead the Letters in the fight against him. The students have been safely taken from the school and there is a plan in place for when he does appear. Until then, we will make our preparations here.” He paused then as he studied his newest friends. “Hermione, I look forward to your broadcast tonight.” When she looked at him in surprise, Alpha allowed himself a small smile. “We’re all looking forward to it.”
“I think you’ve made it through all the announcements, A,” Theta interrupted then and only smiled when Alpha tossed him a small glare. “If there’s any more, you can say them after you’ve eaten. We have dessert to pass out next!” There was quiet laughter from the Letters and the mages eventually joined in. The solemn atmosphere seemed to suddenly lighten and Alpha gave in. There would likely be more discussions later, but what had been needed to be said had been said.
So the mages and the Letters enjoyed their meal together. Thorgeirr gave Alpha a proud smile and then had dragged Kappa into a conversation, the two speaking rapidly in German. Even the Weasley twins seemed enthusiastic and Alpha found that he might enjoy their presence. They were certainly clever. Mischievous, but still seemingly mindful of boundaries. He thought they would fit in well. Black, on the other hand, appeared to be out of place. He joined in conversation when it was directed towards him, but mostly just appeared uncomfortable. Alpha caught a number of glances his way as well, but ignored him for now.
Still, when everyone parted after their meal, Black finally approached Alpha. “Harry? Do you have a moment?”
At the call of his birth name, Alpha turned to face Black. “I prefer Alpha,” he reminded the man. He didn’t miss the wince that passed over Black’s face, but decided he didn’t have the time to call him out on it. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and gave the man an otherwise even stare. “Is there something I can help you with, Black?”
“Your parents named me your godfather,” Black started out.
Alpha interrupted as he gave a sharp nod. “I am aware. However, I do have somewhere that I have to be. This isn’t the time for this,” he said bluntly. “So, you’ll have to excuse me.” Alpha spoke firmly and then turned on his heel as he ignored Black’s sputtering. “If you want to listen in on Hermione’s broadcast, Theta has gone to fetch a radio to set up in the mess hall.” He called the words over his shoulder as he walked away. Hermione and the Weasley twins were already in the radio shack along with Beta and Lambda, but he wanted to be there to support Hermione for her first broadcast. So he left Black behind, promising himself that he would find time to actually sit down with Black and lay everything out.
As he entered the comms tent, Alpha looked around as he took in the changes that had been made to it. Some of the artifacts that the twins had set up were strange and he couldn’t even begin to understand what their purpose was. Some flashed and whirled. Some looked like fantastical toys. But the one piece of equipment he did recognize was the radio transmitter. It appeared like an old World War Two era transmitter, with multiple knobs and dials set within a blue metal case. George was seated before it where it rested on the table as he fiddled with the knobs.
After a few minutes, the redhead looked up at Hermione after he glanced at Alpha. “It’s all set to go when you’re ready.”
Hermione took a quick glance at her watch. “I want to start it at 8:00,” she said. “So we have a little bit for everyone to get ready. And for me to gather my wits.” She gave a weak smile, her voice quivering a little.
“Don’t think about it,” Alpha said quietly, his voice firm. “All you need to think about is all the Letters in the mess hall. Theta set up a radio there and they’ll all be assembled to listen to you. Luna, Theo, and Blaise will all be there. Speak to them.”
Though she still looked nervous, Hermione breathed in deeply. “You’re right,” she said softly as she looked down at the packet of notes in her hands. “I’ve gotten this far. I can do this.” She was hyping herself up, but Alpha had faith in her. He nodded his head in agreement as he let her continue to give herself a pep talk. Once it was time, he offered her a water bottle for a quick drink. Once she was done, he took it back and held onto it for her. “I got this,” Hermione whispered again and then turned towards the radio.
After another moment, the young woman took a deep breath and then slid into the vacant seat. Alpha stepped behind her and squeezed her shoulder. When she looked up at him, he gave her shoulder another reassuring squeeze. Hermione donned a shaky smile, but she still nodded firmly and then picked up the microphone. She took a slow breath and then began.
“Good evening,” she said in a steady voice. “Here in Great Britain, we are fortunate enough to always have access to the news. Broadcasts and newspapers keep us notified of the goings on within magical Britain. We are fortunate.” She paused then. “But we also only have access to the news that they feed to us, carefully curated by the Assembly of Mages. They do not tell us that not all magical citizens are equal. They do not tell us that the Wartime Rationing Act was set up to give less allowances to those who claim muggleborn ancestry or are muggleborn themselves. The news does not tell us that the Magical Youth Corps are ordered to deny any muggleborn heritage.”
Hermione continued to speak at length, listing many of the details that the Letters had discovered but hadn’t been reported on by the Daily Prophet. Alpha stood behind her through the entirety of her speech. Finally, Hermione took a deep breath. “We are Guiding Star and I leave you tonight with one final message: Do not comply in advance.”
Chapter 33
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Three
Christmas morning started like any other morning. Or perhaps he should call it Yule. Hermione seemed to be the only one to call it Christmas while the others seemed to prefer Yule. The winter holiday. Whatever the case, Alpha was up early and dressed. As he made his way up to the mess, he quietly made his way through the silo barracks. Still, the other Letters were already awake and in the process of going through their morning routines. They would all meet him outside soon and they’d go on their normal run before they parted for their normal duties. Or that was if it was a normal day. Alpha had to wonder what Luna and Thorgeirr had planned for the winter holiday.
Local time was actually 2100, but they were keeping to the UK’s timezone still. Either way it would be dark out for most of their day, but that was what the camp’s lights were for. They were programmed to follow the sun’s position in the UK and the windows in the tents were enchanted to show day and night according to the camp’s time rather than local time. The sky itself was strange to get used to as it didn’t reflect the timezone they were going off of, but most days were overcast and they spent most of their time indoors anyways.
When he reached the mess kitchen, Alpha shook off his thoughts and went about setting up the coffee machines. He programmed in a time so that there would be coffee ready for them once they had finished with their morning workout. Most of them lived off of the drink nowadays for the extra little kick that caffeine gave them. Some preferred it sweeter, some preferred it black. He didn’t really have a taste for it and drank it just for the caffeine when he needed it, usually with a dash of cream to make it a little more palatable.
“Got the coffee going? Oh thank fuck. Let’s get this over with,” Theta grumbled as he trudged into the mess.
Alpha rolled his eyes at his brother’s act, but amused by it. “If you finish last at the course, I’ll make sure you don’t get a drop of it,” he threatened playfully.
At the threat, Theta threw a hand against his chest dramatically. “Well, I never! I’m going to make you eat those words, A,” he shot back.
“I look forward to it,” Alpha said with a little flick of his fingers. Theta flipped him off in response. “Rude. Come on. We’ll wait for the others on the surface.” Alpha led the way, Theta snickering quietly behind him. When Alpha opened the bunker door, both of them stopped in honest surprise as they took in the camp’s transformation.
“It’s snowing,” Theta whispered. “It’s too warm for snow.”
Though he remained quiet, Alpha reached out and caught a few snowflakes on his palm. They were cool, but they lingered for a few moments and then melted away. He looked up towards the sky then while he wondered if his barrier had failed in some way. But he was surprised to see glittering clouds that hovered just beneath the curve of the barrier as they dusted the camp with snowflakes. “Luna,” he muttered then as he stepped out onto the snow. “She said something about it not feeling like Yule without snow. It’s a magically conjured snow.”
“Incredible,” Theta breathed out as he reached down and scooped up a handful. “When did she find time to do this?” There was always a team of the Letters that was awake and on guard even through the night hours.
The sound of crunching footsteps in the snow drew Alpha’s attention and he turned his head to watch Mu and Nu’s approach. The twins gave short nods in greeting and then looked up towards the preternatural clouds above them. “It’s been snowing about an hour,” Mu said as they came to a stop. He adjusted his grip on his rifle and then made a motion with his head. “Luna appeared and let us in on her plan.” That was very considerate of her, Alpha thought with a small smile. “She said she and Thorgeirr would take care of breakfast for everyone, that it’d be served at 0800 on the dot. We’re not allowed to sneak a peek, she said.”
Alpha huffed out a quiet laugh. “Anything to report?”
Both twins shook their heads. “Nothing, Alpha,” Nu said, but then exchanged a look with his brother. “But the snowfall was very calming to watch. It was quiet.”
It sounded like Luna’s Yule was off to a good start. “Good. Go catch a few hours of sleep. We’ll meet up again to see what they’ve got cooked up for breakfast.” With twin nods at the order, the two young men slipped past them and disappeared down into the silo. Alpha turned to look up at the snow again then. “They are right, though. It’s quiet.” He wondered if this was what peace felt like.
“What’s going on?”
Alpha heard from behind them a few minutes later. He looked over his shoulder and gave Rho a small smile when he spotted the Letter, more of their companions behind the combat specialist. “It’s snowing,” he said simply. “A gift from Luna.”
As all of the Letters gathered, they stood in silence as they watched the falling snow. Once they were all there, Alpha took off at a run without a word. The snow crunched beneath his feet as the others fell into orderly lines behind him, just as they always did. They did their laps and then their warm ups just as usual, but there was something peaceful about their run that wasn’t usually there. The snow made it feel like they were in their own world, cut off from all the rest. It was soothing. And safe.
Once they had finished their stretches, they took off on more laps until they reached the obstacle course. By the time they had finished the entirety of their daily routine, Luna and Theo were waiting for them. Alpha nodded to them in acknowledgement, but then led the Letters through their usual stretches first. The two mages waited patiently for them, apparently in conversation. Though Alpha did catch their gazes on occasion.
Once the Letters finished, Alpha straightened and then approached his two friends. Luna immediately gave him a serene smile, her hands clasped behind her back. “Did you like my present? I got Thorgeirr’s help in devising a way to bring snow without compromising the integrity of your wards.” When Alpha nodded, the young woman’s smile brightened. “Wonderful! Have you ever had a snowball fight before, Alpha?”
Alpha was sure that he could guess at the context of what a snowball fight was as the activity was described by the name, but he wasn’t sure about the particulars. “No,” he told her simply. They had very few good memories of snow and this moment, this snow, was probably the best they had ever experienced.
“I will be more than happy to show you,” Luna said sweetly, a snowball already in her hand. Alpha narrowed his eyes at her, already having a feeling that he knew that was about to happen. From the way the Letters were shifting behind him, he was sure they knew what was going on as well. Alpha adjusted his weight just as Luna let the snowball fly, stepping out of the way with a slight turn so that it sailed past him harmlessly. He had to duck beneath the next one that came courtesy of Theo.
It could have just as easily devolved into a free for all, but that was not how the Letters operated. They quickly took sides as the rest of the Letters pitted themselves up against the captains. Skirmishes like this between the Letters often ended up with this sort of dynamic.The five captains were the strongest of their number, so it evened out the odds while giving the captains a proper challenge.
The obstacle course became their battlefield and Luna perched herself at the top of the rope climbing wall so that she could watch but not take part. However, Theo immediately went to Alpha’s side and offered him a smile as he gathered up snowballs of his own. Alpha regarded him curiously from the corner of his eye, but then immediately had to pull Theo out of the way of a snowball that was thrown by Theta. Ammunition was being collected and cover was being selected, but that didn’t stop the occasional snowball from being lobbed between the opposing teams.
Theo looked up at Alpha with a light blush brushed across his cheeks. “Thanks,” he said softly as he pulled away, reluctant in his movements as if he hadn’t wanted to move. Alpha found himself wanting to explore it further, but their current situation was not the time for that. So he gave Theo a nod and told him to stay close.
Alpha and the other captains had taken shelter behind the tunnel for now. The obstacle course ran in a circle, so the other Letters had taken up shelter across from them near the corridor. They weren’t likely to stay in these spots, but they were treating them like their home bases. It would be a tamer version of the capture the flag wargame they had participated in numerous times as children.
“Epsilon, Beta, Delta,” Alpha spoke their names to get their attention. When they turned their attention on him, he made a few motions with his hands as he laid out directions. The three of them saluted in understanding. Theo watched them in confusion as they gathered up some snowballs for their ammo and then darted off one by one towards the Rubble, the short walls and horizontal poles used to practice ducking and vaulting. Luckily the wizard didn’t say anything and only turned his attention back to Alpha.
With Theo’s attention on him, Alpha gave a small smile and nodded towards the dodging panels. “You’ll stick with me,” he instructed. “Gamma will remain here to guard our base.” Gamma had returned to the camp for Yule, though had been careful to not come in his Vanguard uniform. He still spent very little time around the refugees from Hogwarts, but Alpha hadn’t wanted to exclude him completely. The other Letters had agreed. It would change once the camp grew, but for now they had a system that worked.
“Come on,” Alpha said as he shook off his thoughts and gathered up some snowballs into an arm. Theo scrambled to follow him.
Alpha thought it felt a little like working with greener mercenaries. Theo was by no means clueless or talentless. Alpha found that he could rely on Theo to watch his back to a degree, but he still had to drag the wizard out of the way of a few snowballs. Theo wasn’t bad, but he didn’t match the skills that had been beaten into the Letters. Still, it looked like Theo was enjoying himself and Alpha found himself smiling as well. He gave Theo a wink then before he poured snow onto Chi’s head from where they looked down at him from the side of the terrace.
Chi jumped and whirled about, though Alpha was ready to roll out of the way of the snowball that was already leaving the man’s hand. He chuckled and shoved more snow off of the top of the terrace before he hopped down. He’d gotten a good view of their battlefield, now they needed to move on. Chi was silent, but Alpha could practically feel the Letter’s frustration. He chuckled and helped Theo down before he took off for new cover as his companion followed him.
In a span of a few minutes however, Theta must have climbed up to a higher vantage point with Phi. The two snipers managed to hit both him and Theo because, even though snowballs didn’t travel as far, it was still harder to dodge a sniper’s aim once it was locked on. Alpha brushed himself off once they were in a safe corner and then helped Theo by sweeping off the snow that was in the young man’s hair. Theo flashed him a smile in thanks and then they were off again. The game lasted until Luna blew a whistle to gather their attention and summon them from their hiding spots.
Alpha didn’t think he had felt so light, so free. Theo leaned against him, his face bright with laughter and exhilaration. “We won!” The young man said to him, but Alpha had to wonder just how someone won at a snowball fight. All of them had been unable to completely escape being pelted with the cold snow, though he supposed that the captains were significantly less soaked through. Perhaps they had won then. He allowed a smile as he wrapped his arm around Theo’s shoulders.
“Go shower,” Alpha ordered the Letters then. “We’ll meet up again for breakfast in half an hour.” They saluted him and took off at a jog as one, quiet laughter among them and their faces brighter than he had ever remembered them being.
Luna jumped down lightly next to Theo and him then as they were left alone. “Thank you,” Alpha told her quietly, his arm still wrapped around Theo’s shoulders.
The young woman smiled knowingly at him as she brushed off her pants. “The day isn’t over yet,” she told him. Alpha couldn’t even begin to imagine what else she and the others had planned. But a part of him did look forward to it. “You should go get showered too,” Luna said and broke Alpha from his thoughts. She leaned up to kiss his cheek and then took Theo’s hand. “We’ll meet you in front of the mess hall in a bit.”
And she kept her promise. Both Luna and Theo waited for the Letters outside of the mess hall when Alpha led the way there. Almost subconsciously, they fell into five rows in four columns behind Alpha. Each of the other captains stood in the first row behind Alpha, all of them at rest with their feet apart and their hands clasped neatly behind their backs. It was a habit beaten into them that would likely take them a long time to shake, if ever.
“I’m not going to give you any speeches,” Luna said with a sad look in her fae-like eyes. “Come. Come in and eat.” She stepped aside then and had Theo help her pull the tent flaps aside. “Merry Christmas and Blessed Yule.”
Alpha spared her a nod and used his fingers to sign a quick message behind his back. He remained where he was then as the other captains led the Letters around him and into the mess hall. He could hear small murmurs from a few of the young mercenaries, but he kept his curiosity pushed down until they had all entered so he could walk in with Luna and Theo. “I hope you like it, Alpha,” Theo whispered as Alpha finally approached the entrance. Luna smiled at him, her cheeks slightly puffed up in her anticipation. They seemed eager to see how he would react. So Alpha looked between them and then finally stepped through into the mess hall.
The first thing that Alpha noticed was that everyone was gathered. He had known all the Letters had entered, but Hermione was also there. So was Blaise and Thorgeirr, the Weasley twins and even Black. And, though the usual set up was a buffet line, all of the food was spread out over the tables like he had seen it at Hogwarts. There was so much food he was sure they’d be eating it for lunch too.
The next thing that stood out to him was that the tent had been completely redecorated. He wondered if Luna had done it alone or if she had recruited all of the mages to help. But that didn’t matter really. Instead he examined each new detail. The largest was the massive pine tree in the corner. It was covered in glass baubles and wintery themed ornaments, wrapped in glittering garlands. There were faerie lights hidden amongst the boughs and candles with magical flames, while a glowing star rested upon the very top. Beneath the tree was a large pile of unknown items all wrapped in colourful paper.
Around the mess were colourful garlands in greens, reds, and golds. Twinkling faerie lights wrapped around each garland like stars. Pine boughs hung from support poles and were decorated with what looked like cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices. There was a spicy scent to the air even above the inviting smell that the breakfast feast gave off. Some of the dishes he recognized, some he did not. But he was pleased to see that it was a colourful spread of dishes that Thorgeirr had definitely had a hand in. There were dishes from all around the world, a celebration of the cultures that many of the Letters had come from as children.
Alpha spotted congee, a rice pudding from China that had a variety of toppings. There was shakshuka, eggs cooked on a tomato based sauce that was popular in many parts of the world. He could see piles of Latkes, a crispy potato fritter, along with stacks of pancakes and French toast. There were scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and flatbreads that he thought might be chapati. There were other things too, but he couldn’t tell from a glance. Some sort of sweet pastry or roll though he thought he saw. It all smelled and looked amazing, the assortment almost overwhelming with the amount of choices.
“Good morning, brat,” Thorgeirr spoke over the low murmur of voices in the mess. “Come sit down and join us. Eat.” So he did.
It took some time, but eventually the Letters were able to relax and fill their plates with food. Immediately, the Weasley twins drew them all into a lively retelling of some of the pranks they had pulled during Christmas feasts at Hogwarts. It drew laughter, restrained as it was, and Alpha had the feeling that the twins were trying to break the underlying tension that never seemed to disappear. He did applaud their effort.
The Letters were used to eating quickly, finding time to sneak food whenever they could. But their Yule breakfast lasted for over an hour as they allowed themselves to slowly eat, be drawn into conversation. Several of them even volunteered stories of the unique places they had seen in the far corners of the world, the hidden gems along with the kind people they had met few and far between.
But eventually, Luna stood up and clapped her hands. “Come! What is Yule without presents?” She said cheerfully and then conjured up pillows for them all. She invited them over to the tree and its colourful presents piled around it. “We made sure that each one of you had at least two gifts,” she told them. “The ones with the silver bows were chosen by Thorgeirr and the ones with gold bows are from Theo, Blaise, Hermione, and me. We chipped in to select your gifts.”
None of the Letters could think of a response and Alpha caught many of their looks, the little gestures of their fingers. He flexed his own fingers into a soothing motion. This gift giving was as much for Thorgeirr and the others as it was for them giving the presents. Besides, he was curious what they thought would be good presents for the Letters.
Once the gifts had been passed out, the Letters shared quick looks with each other. To Alpha’s knowing eyes, they appeared awkward and unsure of what to do next. They knew enough to open the presents, but Alpha knew they were likely hesitant. None of them were very fond of surprises like this after all. So Alpha took the lead and started to open first the gift from Thorgeirr. When nothing happened when he opened the box, Alpha heard the rustling of paper as the others started to slowly open their gifts as well.
Alpha hid a smile and set the lid of the box aside. Reaching in then, he pulled out a new thigh holster with a handgun securely nestled in it along with four extra clips of ammo to go with it at the bottom of the box.
“It’s a modified Beretta M9,” Thorgeirr said as Alpha carefully pulled the pistol from the holster. “I had a back alley contact procure them for me. They’ve been magically silenced and have purification properties on the bullets.” When Alpha gave Thorgeirr a little frown, the man smirked a bit and tugged on the gold ribbon of the box he was holding. “There is a theory about corrosive magic that your friend Hermione could probably explain better. But, basically, there are different types of magic. I won’t get too into it, but there is a branch of the “Dark” Arts where the magic has been corrupted.” Alpha nodded briefly, familiar with the theory. Magic at its core was neutral by nature, but what it was used to do could be twisted through the will of the caster.
Alpha slid it back into the holster. “So, in theory, it would work against things like inferi and dementors,” he said as he set the box aside. “Things that normally can only be repelled by specific magics.”
“Exactly,” Thorgeirr said with a smirk. “If you run out of ammo, I can teach you how to make more.” It was a good gift, practical. And Thorgeirr had gotten each Letter the same gift, though each one was engraved with the Greek letter associated with their names. The older man’s expression softened as he watched the Letters open their presents from him, excitement hidden in their eyes.
“Thank you, dad,” Alpha whispered softly, just loud enough for Thorgeirr to hear him. When the man quickly turned his attention back to the young man, Alpha gave his mentor a sincere smile.
Thorgeirr quickly dragged Alpha into a tight hug. “Living up to your name, brat,” the man muttered as he pretended he didn’t have tears in his eyes. “Now you’ve shown me up. No present could ever top that, son.” He clutched onto Alpha tighter when the young mercenary actually hugged him back.
After a few moments, Thorgierr pulled back and cleared his throat. He squeezed Alpha’s shoulder and gave him a gruff smile. “Open the rest of your presents, brat.”
Alpha nodded to him and then focused on the rest of his presents like he had been ordered. Unsurprisingly, Hermione had gotten him a book on magical theory and defense. He gave her a nod of thanks, amusement in his eyes. Theo had gifted him a necklace, a pretty little Celtic knot around a green gemstone. “It’s charmed,” the young man explained with a blush. “Luna and I have matching ones. If you focus your magic on it and who you want to feel, it’ll pulse with our heartbeats.” Alpha picked it up and wrapped his hand around it. When he did as instructed, he could feel the pendant silently pulse just as Theo had said. Luna’s heartbeat was calm, but Theo’s raced with emotion.
“Thank you,” Alpha said and put the pendant on. He was sure that it was a present for Theo as much as it had been for him. If he wore it, Theo could reassure himself that he was still alive. It was a thoughtful gift and Alpha though it would bring him some solace in his darker moments. He picked up Luna’s present then and unwrapped another book. “Tales of Beedle the Bard,” he muttered. “Is this a children’s book?” It was richly illustrated and had some silly sounding stories in it. Luna only gave him a smile and said that her favourite story was the Tale of the Three Brothers. Alpha frowned at her, but thanked her all the same.
The next gift that he opened was from all of his friends and similar ones had been gifted to each of the Letters. It appeared to be like a simple black choker band and there was a separate silver cuff that went around the ear. When Alpha picked it up and raised an eyebrow in question, Hermione smiled brightly. “It’s a magical communication device! Fred and George helped with it. It’ll work over long ranges and you only need to focus on who you wish to speak to. Even if you speak in a low whisper, it’ll still transmit clearly. The device will work even for those who don’t have magic, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Another practical gift, something that meant a lot to the Letters. They all murmured their sincere thanks. It didn’t matter that they had all gotten the same things, they appreciated they had received anything at all.
The mages all opened presents as well, brought in through the help from the Weasley twins so they could all get gifts from their families. The Weasley twins had gotten a whole lot of treats from people, but they were more than happy to share the magical treats with the Letters. They weren’t obviously curious about the sweets, but Alpha knew they all were intrigued. They’d all seen mundane candy before, but magical candy was strange and, well, magical.
By the time they finished with presents and mingling over them, it was time for lunch. The leftovers from breakfast had been keeping warm under stasis spells courtesy of Hermione, so they returned to the food and finished it off. One by one they left then as they took their presents with them. They wanted to place their new items in safe places and most of them had tasks that they needed to get to. Alpha lingered behind with Thorgeirr to help clean up the paper and ribbons that had been left behind. But eventually, he did leave to go check in with the Letters that had taken up post in the radio shack.
As he walked between the tents, Black appeared. The man blinked a little in surprise, but then reached out quickly. “Oh, hey, Harry,” Black called out before he winced and cleared his throat. “Shit. Sorry. Alpha. Do you think that we could talk?”
Alpha paused and turned fully to the older wizard. He knew he couldn’t keep pushing it off. He always took on problems head on, so he couldn’t keep running away. Sirius Black was his last true connection to his past and he couldn’t keep pushing Black away just because the man had come on too strongly. Alpha would readily admit that emotions weren’t his strong suit. “Follow me,” he said finally.
The mess was empty now when they arrived, though the decorations still merrily flickered away. It made the tent seem warmer. Alpha went over to the ever present drink station and made them up a couple of drinks. He made tea for Black and coffee for himself, needing the caffeine. He took the two cups over to the table and placed one in front of the other man. He then sat down opposite of him and wrapped his hands around his mug. “What did you want to speak to me about?”
Black grimaced and looked down at his own mug, suddenly at a loss for words. He had been trying to speak with Alpha for awhile now, but now that he had finally gotten his chance he didn’t seem to know where to start. “I… You know that I was named your godfather.”
“And yet I went to the Dursleys,” Alpha interrupted. He had lived with the family, the last of his mother’s family, for about four years. Give or take a few months in there. He didn’t remember them, but perhaps that had been a blessing. He already had enough trauma and the research that Thorgeirr had uncovered about the family had not been promising. “If I had gone to you, as my parents had likely intended, things would have been entirely different.” He watched Black flinch at the thinly veiled accusation. Alpha couldn’t imagine any other life and knew there was danger in dwelling on what ifs, but it didn’t stop the curiosity of what things might have been like if he had never fallen into Legio’s hands.
With a quiet sigh then, Alpha leaned back in his seat. “However, I am not in the business of living in the past. I cannot change what has already happened and it won’t do me any good to linger on how things could have been.” He paused then as Black gave him a hopeful look. “I understand that my birth parents named you as my godfather. However. I do not need a guardian. I do not remember ever being a child.” His words were blunt.
Black’s shoulders slumped and he gave a heavy sigh. “I have come to realize that,” the man muttered as he fiddled with his cuppa. “Watching you… I don’t even see James or Lily in you. You do have your mother’s eyes and your father’s curls, but you don’t have James’ mischievousness or Lily’s temper.” He gave a weak smile then. “But you are your own person. And, I guess I have been hoping to get a piece of them back through you. At the same time though, I really do care for you. You’re my godson after all. I want the chance to get to know you. If you’ll let me.”
“I am not used to the way things work in the wizarding world,” Alpha said by way of answer. “I do not think I will ever fully fit into a life as a wizard.” On the flip side, he didn’t fit into the normal mundane world either. “I am curious about my past, about the life my parents must have wished for me. However, I can just as easily cast it off and abandon it. I am a soldier and that’s all that I remember.”
The look that Black gave him was full of sadness and regret. “I just want to be in your life again, Alpha.”
Alpha regarded the man closely before he took a sip of his coffee. “Just don’t treat me like a child,” he said finally. “I lost my memory as a five year old child in an accident and was picked up by a mercenary camp. With no memories of who I was, what even my name was, it left me a blank slate to mold me in the way that they wished. I don’t ever remember being a child and my first memory is being forced to run while men attempted to kill us. I will never be normal.”
At the blunt admission, Black looked like he might be sick. The man had to swallow thickly, but he gave a resolute nod. “I just want to try,” he croaked out. “We’ll figure it out somehow. I just want to be part of your life, however that looks.”
With a nod, Alpha stood up. “That’s settled then.” He could put his coffee into a disposable travel cup and then continue on to the radio shack again. But Black quickly held his hand out.
“Ah, wait! I wanted to give you your Yule present,” the man said hurriedly. “I didn’t want to give it in front of the others. Just a moment!” He pulled a lumpy package out of a pocket and then enlarged it from where it had been shrunk. Black then slid it over the table. “It’s, uh, actually a family heirloom from your father’s side. We used it to get into a lot of mischief as schoolboys and Dumbledore was holding onto it for awhile. I got my hands back on it though and thought it was best for it to be in your hands. It’s a piece of your family history, but it’s also useful.”
As the man rambled, Alpha sat back down slowly and took the package. A small probe of his magic told him that the object was magical in nature, but nothing harmful. So he carefully opened up the gift as Black finally fell silent. The item was soon revealed to be a cloak. The material was silky in nature and shimmered faintly in the light, yet dark in colour. Alpha raised an eyebrow at Black. “It’s enchanted,” he probed.
“It’s an invisibility cloak,” Black explained. “True invisibility.”
Somewhat skeptical, Alpha stood and draped the cloak over his shoulders. Through skills that had been beaten into him over the years, he could go unseen. But even that was not true invisibility. But as he put the cloak on, he watched as his body disappeared beneath it with a shimmer. It was honestly fascinating. And, while it wasn’t infallible, it might actually prove useful. “Thank you,” he stated evenly and removed the cloak again. He put it over his arm then and grabbed his coffee once more.
“I can promise to try, but the Letters are my family,” Alpha said as he went over to the drink station to dump his coffee into a disposable cup. “I would recommend that you don’t push.” He was self aware enough to know that it would shut down any efforts. Alpha put a lid on the cup then and put the now empty mug into a rack. “I have things I need to do. I’ll see you at dinner.” He gave the man a nod and then turned on his heel. He was under the impression that what needed to be said had been said, so didn’t see any need in lingering around. Luckily, Black didn’t try to stop him.
“Thanks, Alpha,” the man said instead, relief in his voice.
After a nod to the man, Alpha left and took the cloak down to the silo where he put it with his things. He trusted the Letters to not go through his belongings or take anything, so he didn’t feel bad about leaving the obviously precious object behind. He then made his way to the radio shack to check in with the Letters that had manned the radios.
Owl post was terribly inefficient for quick correspondence, so wizards had finally progressed somewhat and now used magical radios for communication. It had been an initiative by the Assembly and their new Department of Mysteries division, the Magical Experimentation and Research Division. MERD had announced a number of new technologies, many of them seemingly inspired by mundane technology of the 1940s. Wizards already had the Wizarding Wireless to listen to radio broadcasts, but now they had introduced radios for personal communication.
So far, it was limited to the Assembly itself and those closely associated with it. And, unfortunately for the Assembly, they were far behind in integrating magic and mundane technology. Their communications had been easily hijacked and now there was always a team that rotated through the various broadcast streams for anything of importance. It often felt like looking for a needle in a haystack, but they had picked out a few important conversations already.
When he ducked into the tent, Alpha spotted Theta where he was bent over a table. Against a wall, opposite of Hermione’s radio, there were three radios set up. Each of them were manned, the three Letters scrolling through dials to tune into various broadcast streams. They each wore headphones and had open notebooks in front of them to take notes.
“Anything to report?” Alpha asked softly as he stopped by Theta’s side. His teammate was rummaging through some pages of notes, but glanced up at Alpha when he appeared. Theta shook his head in the negative and picked up a page to study it further. The Assembly were just smart enough to use codes in their messages, but those hadn’t been very hard to crack.
Theta then held out a page. “There was this, actually. It’s the latest communication between the Public Information Services and the DMLE. It hasn’t been decoded yet, but I have picked out a few references to the Vanguard. Once it’s decoded, we’ll need to cross reference it with Gamma. See if he knows anything.”
Alpha took the page and looked it over quickly. He hummed softly and set his coffee cup aside, not caring when Theta picked it up and took a sip. Alpha grabbed a pencil then to make a few notes through the sequence of numbers and letters. He then grabbed another piece of paper that contained their cipher key. Theta let him be as Alpha worked on the message, but it ended up not being any important. Just a few pieces of information that Gamma had already passed along.
After that, the rest of the day passed peacefully. Alpha helped out in the kitchens to prepare their dinner and Thorgeirr joined them as well. They helped to hand out the meal as well before eating once everyone else had finished. Once they finished their meals, Alpha helped with the cleanup. Once they were finished, Alpha left on a walk of the compound to just enjoy the snow while it was still there.
As he approached the obstacle course, Alpha noticed that there was someone seated on top of the climbing wall. When Alpha got closer, he realized that it was Theo. With nowhere else to be, he made his way closer to where the young man was seated. “Hey,” Alpha said quietly once he was close enough so he wouldn’t spook Theo.
The young wizard blinked out of his thoughts and then looked up at Alpha. HIs expression smoothed out and then he smiled. “Hello, Alpha. Have a good Yule?”
“Activity has been quiet,” Alpha said as he sat down next to Theo. “It has been a good day.” He picked up the pendant that was around his neck still then. “And thank you again for this.”
Theo smiled as he wrapped his hand around his own. “I forgot to mention, but the chain is enchanted to not break easily and it can only be removed by you. So it can’t be lost or taken from you.” Alpha appreciated the thought that had gone into the gift.
Alpha turned his gaze out towards the snow then. The camp’s lights were at their dimmest so it was early night for them, though local time was somewhere around 1300. The sun was still out, but at least it was very overcast so it obscured the sun to a degree. “What brings you out here? You looked deep in thought,” Alpha asked then after a few minutes of silence.
“The Assembly,” Theo admitted quietly as he wrapped his arms around himself. “I hate that I agree with some of the changes.”
Alpha looked the young wizard over and then turned his gaze back towards the gently falling snow as he thought about how to respond. Luna had said the spell would be ending soon, but for now it still brought a sense of peace. He watched the large flakes for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, but then he let out a quiet sigh. “Well, that's the point isn't it?” He spoke evenly, though his tone was still surprisingly gentle. “The wizarding world has needed change for a long time. Everyone knew this, was dissatisfied with the Ministry. Some wanted progress, some wanted to return to the past. Nicanor has support because he is promising change, actively working on that change. That is what makes people overlook the changes they don't like, because at least there are changes they can stand behind. They don’t think about the consequences. The changes aren’t harming them in particular and Nicanor is promising progress.”
He paused then and allowed himself a small smile. “But there are rumblings of disquiet,” he said firmly. “And, you know, rebellion isn’t just about the physical fighting. In fact, we do what we can to leave that to the last resort. Rebellion isn’t just about raising a physical weapon against your enemy. It’s standing up again when they knock you to your knees, knees bloody and cheeks bruised. It’s about not giving up hope. Rebellion is preserving knowledge and the truth. Rebellion is being sure to not comply in advance, not submitting before anything has taken root. Rebellion is in the little things and not keeping quiet. If there is injustice, then we keep on fighting.”
Theo nodded his head slowly as he thought over Alpha’s words. “You’re right,” he whispered.
“There’s a famous poem by a non-magical man by the name of Pastor Martin Niemöller,” Alpha said into the quiet then. “It stuck with me.” He took a deep breath then before he recited the short poem.
“First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.”
When Alpha fell quiet, Theo grimaced and looked up towards the sky. “You’re right. If we don’t stop them now, they’ll just keep coming. Thief speaks out against anyone with muggle heritage and even the Assembly’s activity has shown prejudice against muggleborns. But they won’t stop there. Once they are rid of all muggleborns, they’ll just move onto another group that doesn’t fit their ideals.”
“Exactly,” Alpha agreed before he looked down as Theta appeared from the darkness. The Letter had a grim look on his face as he took up a stance with his hands folded securely behind his back. Alpha didn’t even need to ask what was wrong as he felt like he had a feeling. Theta only proved him right when he spoke:
“Thief has launched his attack on Hogwarts.”
Notes:
A little bit of happiness for my babies before they have to go off and do more fighting. I hope you all enjoyed it!
Chapter 34
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Why can’t I go with?” Theo demanded. “Hogwarts was my home too!”
Alpha looked up from where he was running through final checks of his equipment. Most of the Letters were gathered around him as they also finished their preparations.
“No,” Alpha said firmly as he turned his full gaze on Theo. His expression gentled then when he spotted the fear in the young man’s eyes. “Do you remember what I told you about rebellion? It’s not just fighting.” He shook his head then. “You don’t want to fight, Theo. You’re still a teenager. The battlefield isn’t for children.” He gave a twist of his lips, his expression briefly bitter before it cleared. He knew it was somewhat hypocritical of him as he was still technically a teenager himself, but his circumstances were different.
Theo looked like he still wanted to protest, but Alpha held up his hand and drew the attention of everyone gathered. He directed his words towards the mages, however. “The Letters don't fight for ourselves,” he told them. “Instead, we fight for those who can't fight, for those who come after us. We can hope that one day our homes will have peace, that the world will have stability and freedom.” He took a breath then before his expression darkened. “But we will never know that peace for ourselves. We might one day see freedom, but our lives on the battlefield will become shackles that will never allow us peace.”
The wizards appeared stricken, as if they hadn’t thought about the consequences of what it was like to be a soldier. Behind him, the Letters fell into lines and waited patiently for further orders with their hands on their weapons. Alpha knew their expressions mirrored his without even having to look. It was hidden behind the expressionless masks they had mastered, but their eyes gave away their jaded resignation if one knew where to look. “We never had a choice to start down this path, but we will sacrifice our lives and our sanity for the greater of the world. To atone for the sins we have committed as soldiers with no autonomy of our own.” His expression softened a fraction. “That is what makes us heroes. Not white knights or glorious shining champions, but broken men and women. We pay the toll, become martyrs and sacrifices because it is in our ability. It is not fair and there will be despair, but if we do not do this, then who else will?”
As he took in their pale faces, Alpha shook his head. He focused upon Theo again then. “Each one of us Letters are broken and tormented by the things we have been made to do. You do not want to fight, Theo. War is not honourable. It is not glorious. It is bloody and there are no good men. If I can save you from that fate, I will.”
He looked at each one of the mages then. “Just because you will not be coming with, it does not mean you do not have an important job. The protection of Camp Guiding Star is just as crucial.” Tau and Xi were remaining in the camp under Gamma’s command to keep an eye on the radios and to prep the infirmary in case it was needed. Thorgeirr was staying behind as well as he had felt that he would be more useful at the camp rather than Hogwarts. He had ordered Sirius to stay as well, though the man didn’t seem pleased about it. Alpha only wanted the Letters to go with though, so he would grudgingly remain behind.
“Gamma has full authority while I’m gone. If he’s called away, command falls to Thorgeirr.” With the order given, Alpha turned to face the Letters. “Let’s move out!” They didn’t have time to sit around and needed to get moving. Dumbledore would have locked down the castle according to what Bill had told him, but the castle wouldn’t be able to keep Thief out forever. So they jumped into the waiting vehicles and were out through the gates within minutes, the portal opened by Tau and Xi.
As always, they took the magical highways. However, they had to weave through the checkpoints and so it took them a good couple of hours before they finally made it to Hogwarts’ grounds. As they jumped from the vehicles, Alpha pulled the night vision glasses from a pocket of his vest and slipped them on. They made quick work of hiding the trucks before they took off at a jog towards the train station in the near distance. This was where the students would disembark and board the Hogwarts’ Express. The track looped around while there was a road that carriages took to bring the students to and from the castle itself. Separate from these was a path that went down to the loch, the one taken by First years to reach the boats that carried them to the castle for the first time.
In the distance, Hogwarts castle rose above the patch of trees. To him and the other Letters with magic, she was beautiful in her splendor. The Letters without magic only saw her with the shroud she wore to appear in an illusion of ruins to keep her from the mundane eye. But any repelling charms there might have been were counteracted by charms that the Letters wore, the magic inked permanently into their bodies. But Alpha didn’t focus on any of that as he led the way down to the wall on the edge of the grounds.
“Delta,” Alpha ordered softly as he got down onto one knee, the other Letters falling in around him and getting down as well so they were all hidden by the wall.
At the order, Delta quickly slung his weapon over his back and then spread out his hands. He frowned deeply and closed his eyes, a look of concentration on his face. Alpha could feel the ripple of his magic as it spread out. “The wards have fallen,” Delta said grimly after only a few moments, but it was about what Alpha expected.
Beyond the dark silhouette of Hogwarts there were the occasional flashes of light, but nothing to indicate an ongoing battle. Hogwarts herself was still brightly lit as she always was at night, but the loch before them was dark and still. Alpha knew there were creatures in the loch, but they did not disturb the surface. And, luckily for them, the loch was unguarded.
“There’s an underground harbour,” Alpha told them and that was all that he needed to say. He vaulted over the wall that served as the boundary between Hogwarts’ ground and the outside world. The Letters followed after him and they wove through the pine trees like ghosts, their footsteps silent as they followed Alpha down to the waterline.
When they reached the shore, the Letters were quick in setting up two F470 Combat Rubber Raiding Crafts, or CRRC. The CRRC each took a ten person crew and could be outfitted with motors, but they had opted for the more silent option of oars. With the dark crafts and their dark clothing, they’d be able to row across the dark water without being seen.
A few short minutes later they were on the water as they silently glided across the surface towards the castle. None of them said a word as Alpha directed the way towards the harbour he had pointed out. It had been constructed sometime over the years as a way to get the inhabitants out of the castle in times of emergency, so it would allow them to pass through. When they entered the natural fissure in the cliff wall, the glow of magical torches suddenly lit the cavern inside. The Letters ran the crafts aground on the sandy slope of the harbour landing, then disembarked swiftly. From there they needed to climb several flights of stairs to get to the main level of the castle. They barely broke a sweat by the time they made it to the top, though Alpha felt that even he breathed just a little heavier than he normally might have. He quickly recovered though and lifted his rifle as they were suddenly surrounded by animated suits of armour.
“Wait, wait! It’s Harry!” Bill’s voice rang out down the corridor even as McGonagall and Dumbledore appeared. “He’s here to help!”
Alpha pulled down his mask and gave the two Professors an even stare. McGonagall seemed to hesitate a moment later, but then she gave a flick of her wand so that the armour returned to their positions. Alpha lowered his rifle and the other Letters followed his lead. “Theta,” he said and snapped a couple of orders with his fingers. The young man gave a sharp nod and then took off at a jog with the other snipers behind him. Alpha had provided the layout of the castle and the Letters had all memorized it. The snipers would set up in the ramparts so they could watch the battlefield from vantage points.
“Why are you here?” Dumbledore demanded answers in a grim voice, his wand in his hand.
Though he kept a wary eye on Dumbledore’s movements, Alpha fixed his gaze on the man’s nose. Never look a wizard like Dumbledore directly in the eye. “Why would Thief, the Dark Lord, attack a nearly empty school?” Alpha retorted back. “It’s to send a message. Hogwarts has long been a symbol in the UK’s wizarding community. It may be all but defunct now because of the new laws passed by the Assembly, but it is still a symbol and the Dark Lord wants it. He wants to own it, shake the morale of common civilians. Owning it gives him power.” Alpha paused then to let that sink in. He was sure that Dumbledore knew this. “We are here to defend that symbol and to send a message of our own. That we are not a force to be ignored.” It was also a place where they knew for certainty where Thief was currently located. They could not pass up this chance.
Alpha looked over to Bill then, though he still kept the other mages within his line of sight. “Fill me in on what’s going on,” he ordered.
Though Bill spared Dumbledore a quick look as if to gauge his reaction, the redhead nodded in agreement. “Approximately thirty minutes into the Yule feast, Thief launched an attack on the wards. They fell about an hour later and he’s set up camp on the grounds. The castle has gone into lockdown and anyone not able to fight has barricaded themselves into the commonrooms.” Families of the Order members were at Hogwarts, Alpha knew. Not all of them were ready and willing to go up against Thief’s forces.
“About every hour since, Thief has broadcasted a message telling us to give up and surrender,” Bill continued. “I’ve estimated at least several hundred Deatheaters, but Thief also has some creatures in his army. I’ve spotted a few trolls and he’ll have werewolves as well.” He paused then and seemed to be doing a quick count in his head. “On our side, there are only maybe thirty or so of us able to fight.”
It was about what they had expected. “Theta and his team will take care of the trolls,” Alpha said. Even the thick hide of the large creatures wouldn’t be able to stop armour piercing rounds. It’d probably take more than one shot, but Alpha had full faith in the snipers. Alpha gave Bill a nod then before he turned his attention fully back on Dumbledore. “I’ll be taking command.”
“You’re still children,” Dumbledore tried. “And muggle technology won’t work at Hogwarts.”
Alpha gave the Headmaster an unimpressed look. “Because you think magic is superior to mundane technology?” He asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. “And we’re not children no matter how young we physically are.” He then snapped out a couple of orders with his hands. The Letters split off into their squads under their captains while Rho went with Delta’s squad to fill in for Tau’s spot. Each squad worked best with their assigned teams, but they all understood each other enough to switch around when needed.
“I want all eligible fighters in the Great Hall,” Alpha ordered Dumbledore as the Letters stepped into their teams. “You have a way to alert the castle, yes?”
The Headmaster appeared reluctant, but Alpha did not back down. Finally, the old man gave in and raised his wand. The silvery form of a phoenix erupted from the tip and then took off down the corridor before it disappeared.
“Good,” Alpha said and then turned on his heel. “Bill, follow me.” The mage would be a better source of information than Dumbledore. He knew the way around the castle, could have navigated it even with his eyes closed. As Alpha led the way to the Great Hall and looked over to Bill as the older wizard fell into step with him.
“This is more like the man I got to know,” Bill said with a little smile. “More genuine, I think.” He cleared his throat then before also giving a sigh. “As I already said, we have maybe only thirty individuals here who are willing to fight. Some of them are Order members, some of them are not. I know some of the kids, like my brother Ron, are wanting to fight too, but Dumbledore has ordered them all to keep to the Commonrooms if they haven’t yet graduated Hogwarts.”
Jogging up a set of stairs, Alpha mulled over the numbers. They were vastly outnumbered and didn’t have the luxury of setting up any traps because Thief’s army was already there. “How many children have remained at Hogwarts? How many families?” He knew that Hogwarts had taken on refugees from Dumbledore’s side of the war. Mostly Order members and their families. Many students hadn’t even returned that year to begin with and many had been pulled by their families in the few months it had still operated as a school. Those still left behind had been smuggled to safety by Thorgeirr and the Letters. Any that did remain were the children of refugee families that had come to Dumbledore believing he’d keep them safe.
Bill was quiet for a moment and seemed to be doing some counting in his head. “I think Hogwarts is currently housing thirty-eight families of various sizes. Overall, there are fifty-two children in the castle. The youngest I believe is about a year and the oldest is seventeen, but not graduated from Hogwarts.”
A surprising number of people placed too much trust in Dumbledore and the ancient castle, Alpha thought. Especially when it seemed so obvious that Thief would want Hogwarts, would attempt to take it. Dumbledore especially would know this and yet he had dug his heels in. Did he truly believe he could defend it on his own with his small group? Probably. Alpha thought it was arrogance. Even he knew his limitations and when it was better to retreat. When he was given an option.
Alpha frowned a bit then and paused at the top of the landing. “The Room,” he stated and turned to Bill. The other Letters waited patiently on the stairs below. “Omega. Go with Bill and gather up the refugees from the Commonrooms. Escort them all to the Room and erase the door.” It would be the safest place for them since not many knew of the Room’s existence. The magic of the room could also hide the door and they should be able to lock it from the inside that way. They’d have access to distractions for the children as well.
With the order, Omega saluted and then peeled away from her squad. Bill frowned a bit, but then relented and led the Letter away so they could go to each of the Commonrooms. As they disappeared down into the dungeons, Alpha continued on the way to the Great Hall where the inhabitants had already started to gather.
Alpha could immediately pick out those who already had experience in fighting by the grim set to their faces and the way their hands drifted towards their wands. Others appeared determined, but fear clouded their eyes and their faces were pale. Alpha recognized some of them and others he did not. One of the men he did not recognize eyed them critically as they filed into the room and took up their positions.
The man looked like he had participated in many battles in his lifetime, parts of his face missing and a prosthesis in place of one of his legs. A strange eye rolled about in his head seemingly on its own, the colour vibrant and unnatural. Alpha had the sense that it saw more than a normal eye. It swept over each of them before both of the man’s mismatched eyes rested firmly on Alpha at the head of the Letters.
“Well, well,” the man said in a rough voice as he leaned heavily against a walking stick. Alpha knew enough to know that a great deal of it was an act and this wizard would not be one lightly crossed. “You must be Harry Potter. I’ve heard a lot about you, boy.” Alpha did have to wonder what exactly Dumbledore would have told them.
“Call me Alpha,” was all that Alpha said as he looked over the gathered mages. He recognized Snape, the dour man’s expression calculating as he observed the Letters. The wizard seemed to be one of the few who seemed to recognize the mundane weapons, understood what it meant. Alpha spotted McGonagall next as she stepped into the hall behind Dumbledore. They both went to the head table, but Alpha ignored them for now.
He spotted next a redhead that must be Charlie based on Bill’s descriptions. The dragontamer had returned to the UK against his mother’s hopes from what Alpha understood. He gave the man a nod and made a note to extend an invitation to him if he survived the battle.
“Harry,” a voice interrupted Alpha and he turned his gaze quickly to a man who had started to approach him. “Sorry. Alpha.” The man winced a bit as Alpha stared him down wordlessly. The man was shabbily dressed in clothes that had been patched one too many times, his face heavily scarred. His demeanor was almost timid, but his amber eyes gave him away. A werewolf.
“Remus Lupin,” Alpha interrupted. Lupin immediately drew himself up, a spark of hope in his eyes. “Black mentioned you.”
Lupin gasped softly and took another step forward. “Sirius! Is he okay? Did he come with you?”
Alpha shook his head shortly in response. “No. But he is safe.” He added on the last bit in a thin attempt to reassure the man that Black had mentioned to him briefly during one of his earlier attempts to talk to him.
“Oh, thank Merlin,” Lupin muttered and ran an agitated hand through his sandy hair. “That reckless man.” Alpha wanted to smile for a moment and thought that Lupin would get along with Thorgeirr quite well. Werewolves were not held in high regard in the English wizarding community, especially after some of the changes the Assembly had started to put into place. Perhaps he would extend an invitation of safety to Lupin as well.
At the head table, Dumbledore suddenly cleared his throat. “You wanted us gathered? Alpha?” He tacked on Alpha’s name almost like an afterthought. The mercenary had to hold back the urge to roll his eyes. How petulant.
“The Dark Lord, the one we call Thief, outnumbers us with his army,” Alpha started as he gathered magic in his throat so that it would be heard clearly around the Hall. It easily caught the attention of the gathered mages, their low conversations ceasing. “However, we do have the advantage of position as well as a few tricks that he will not expect.” He studied each of their faces as he spoke. “All of you will remain here in the castle, the last defense.” He could see many of them wanted to protest, but Alpha raised a hand to silence them. “I have a team of snipers on the roof,” he told them and watched as Snape’s eyes widened in understanding. The potions’ master had knowledge of the mundane world that many wizards were ignorant of it seemed. A grudging sort of respect seemed to blossom in the man’s dark eyes.
Alpha blinked and moved on. “My team will surround the camp. Our goal is to bring down Thief himself. Remove him and the rest of them will scatter.” Their goal was infiltration rather than full out battle. They might have skills above and beyond all others of their age, but even they would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of numbers in Thief’s army. So, the snipers would cause chaos and provide a distraction as the rest of the Letters infiltrated the camp in search of Thief. The plan would adapt as needed.
Alpha turned his eyes on McGonagall then. “That magic you used to animate the suits of armour. How widespread is the spell?”
She blinked at him for a moment, but then drew herself up. “I can cover the entire castle,” she stated proudly. “It is part of the castle’s defenses along with my expertise with Transfiguration.”
Alpha wasn’t sure what she meant exactly, but he inclined his head. It was enough to know she could make the armour useful. “Good. You will activate them and have them at the defense in the Entrance hall. Use them as a shield if the doors are breached.” He looked over the other mages then. “I will reiterate. Your orders are to remain in the castle and act as the last defense. We will fail if we fight head on. Is that understood?” He frowned as he received only annoyed grumbling. How undisciplined they were. If they had had more time he might have plotted to use their skills better, but Alpha trusted the other Letters more.
“Delta, you will be with me,” Alpha ordered. “Beta, you will advance from the greenhouses. Epsilon, from the quidditch pitch.”
“At your command, Alpha,” they echoed, a show of a unified front.
Alpha nodded to them and then turned on his heel. “Ready yourselves, but stand down for now.” It was an order for more than just the Letters, but the mages as well. He then made his way up to Theta’s location so he could get a view of the battlefield himself.
As he stepped out onto the parapet, Alpha crouched down to walk over to his brother and then got down onto one knee next to the other mercenary. He pulled out his binoculars and surveyed the gathered army below.
“They’ve set up tents,” Theta said, his gaze through his scope. “No sign of Thief himself, but they’re in it for the long haul. There are campfires even, though that might be for the warmth.”
“Wizards have warming spells,” Alpha remarked. “It’s for intimidation. To show off how large their army is so Hogwarts will surrender.”
Theta hummed in agreement. “It is rather spooky through the foggy air,” Theta commented lightly, not spooked at all. Alpha huffed out a soft laugh.
Before either of them could say anything more, there was a ripple in the air and then a sibilant voice spoke around them from no discernable direction. It was a man’s voice, though he spoke with a sort of lisp that drew out certain syllables as if the hissing of a serpent was superimposed over his. It was a strange sort of voice, but Alpha didn’t dwell on it as he searched for any sign of the speaker. He assumed it was Thief himself.
“Albus Dumbledore,” the voice spoke in a chastising tone. “You continue to hide within your castle and draw out the inevitable. Surrender yourself and there does not need to be any bloodshed. I do so hate to waste any drop of magical blood, especially that of children who do not know any better. Will you continue to put their lives in danger for your petty squabbles? Time is ticking, Albus Dumbledore. Surrender yourself by sunrise or we shall be forced to come for you ourselves where there will be casualties. Cast aside your selfish desires and become a good example for future generations. Perhaps then you might be remembered favourably.”
The world went quiet then and Alpha lowered his binoculars. “Absolutely bonkers,” Theta muttered from beside him. Alpha could only snort softly in agreement. “He might be in the forest,” Theta continued then. “Thief that is.”
“I agree,” Alpha said as he tucked the binoculars away again. He paused then as he noticed the chain that was always about his neck. He tugged it out gently and held the clay pendant in the centre of his gloved palm. “If Thief is in the forest, then the centaurs will be able to find him. They know the forest better than anyone else.” He had already planned on approaching from the forest but, if they contacted the centaurs first, they might be able to pinpoint Thief exactly rather than having the need to search for him in a large camp.
Alpha reached up and touched the choker around his neck, the gift that all the Letters had received earlier. He focused on the other Letters. “Squad One. Assemble at the door to the greenhouses,” Alpha ordered them. “We’ll be entering the forest first in search of the centaurs as allies. The rest of you be ready for further orders.” They couldn’t afford to wait.
“Yes, sir,” was the response he received, the voices coming through as if they were being whispered directly into his ear. It was a strange feeling, but Alpha adapted quickly. He clapped Theta on the shoulder and then retreated back to the door into the castle. He walked the corridors quickly and ignored the whispering portraits that lined the walls. When he made it down to the entrance hall, Dumbledore waited for him at the bottom of the stairs.
As he ignored Dumbledore for the moment, Alpha noted that they were the only ones in the hall. However, a near battalion of knight’s armour had assembled. They appeared like statues, but they stood in defensive positions and were ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice. Alpha looked them over with approval before he stepped down from the final stair. “Is there something I can help you with, Headmaster?”
“Harry, my boy,” the old man spoke, his voice thick with disappointment. “You should leave this to the adults. It is not too late to step back and lay down your weapon. Leave it to us to figure out a solution. No one else needs to die.” There was a coaxing quality to his voice, a grandfatherly tone that put Alpha’s defenses up.
“Enough,” Alpha interrupted. “My name is Alpha. Perhaps I was once born as Harry Potter, but it is not part of my identity any longer. That name is dead, and has been since the aeroplane accident that took the lives of my last living relatives. I tried to reclaim the name, but I have made the decision to lay it to rest. I would appreciate if you would respect my choice on the matter. I am Alpha and you do not have the right to be so familiar with me either.” He spoke the words with an edge as he hoped to drive in his point.
Dumbledore appeared speechless, so Alpha continued. “We are long past the point of no return now, Headmaster Dumbledore. Your hubris has put the lives of innocent civilians in the path of danger. If I and my team had not stepped in, you would have brought the war to the doorstep of innocent children that are ill prepared to face off against full grown mages who want to see them dead. Do you think that just because they are children that they would be spared? Death is not discriminatory. And Thief’s agenda will see everyone dead who he sees as impure. That is the dirty truth.”
Having said his piece, Alpha brushed past Dumbledore. “You protect your precious castle, Albus Dumbledore. My soldiers and I will plant our boots in the mud to do the same dirty work we’ve always done.” He disappeared down the corridor through an archway, his conversation with the headmaster done. The man didn’t even attempt to stop him, for which Alpha was grateful.
When he arrived at a side door that led out to the greenhouses, Delta and the other Letters waited for him. Zeta gave him a nod in greeting before she returned to the final checks of her weapons. The others were in the midst of the same ritual, something each one of them did before any mission. One could never be too careful and they always did everything they could to come out the other end alive. Even if that meant religiously checking their equipment. Each one of them could tell a story where such an action had saved their lives in the past.
“Our best guess at the moment is that Thief has set up base in the forest. Its ancient magic will help shield his activity,” he told them as he did his own final checks. Thief was also likely to use his forces as a shield as he would be expecting a frontal assault from the castle if one happened at all. “To find him, we will be locating the centaur herd because they are the stewards of the forest. They will be able to provide us with safe passage.” If they agreed to help. But the pendant that he had received from the centaur High Priestess made him sure that they would offer their assistance. “Our objective is to assess the situation. Let’s move out.”
They passed through the doorway easily, the wards weakened and the door nearly forgotten about. Alpha gave Delta a sharp order with his hands and the Letters stepped into the shadows to wait on alert as Delta put a heavy ward of his own design over the door. Thief’s army would not be able to sneak in that way if they remembered the door’s existence. WIth that finished, they skirted the castle wall and then ventured out into the thick snow towards the boundary walls.
Once off the grounds, they made for the relative safety of the forest. The thick canopy of the ancient trees provided a barrier that snow could not penetrate. This made it easier to hide their tracks. They were careful not to go too deeply into the thick darkness so that they wouldn’t stumble across its secrets, but they found a stream and followed it to a small clearing. They remained at its edges, but settled in to wait. The centaurs knew all that went on within their borders, so Alpha knew they would come find them before the Letters could even stumble across them. They only had to wait a few minutes.
“You have come, Child of Blood and Iron,” a voice spoke from the darkness amongst the ancient trees along the opposite bank of the stream. “We would have you know that we do not meddle in the affairs of humans. We are the watchers of the heavens, observers of the universe.” The golden haired centaur that Alpha recognized as Firenze then stepped from the shadows into the clearing, flanked by two other warriors. “However, it is written that we shall aid you.” The male gave him a smile that held secrets unknown to man.
Having been so easily spotted, Alpha peeled away from the shadow he had been hidden in and stepped into the clearing as well. He gave the centaurs a short bow and greeted them, but did not take his eyes off of Firenze. “We believe that Thief is in your forest,” he said solemnly. “I wished to request your aid in locating his position.”
“Thief,” Firenze repeated slowly and tilted his face towards the sky. “Yes, that is a proper name for who he is. What he is. We will take you to him.”
Alpha made a motion with his hand and his team stepped from their hiding spots to assemble behind him. They gave the centaurs respectful bows, their weapons carefully slung across their backs until the centaurs turned to lead them off deeper into the forest. Wordlessly, and on silent feet, the Letters followed.
As they followed the centaurs, Alpha picked up his pace so he could walk beside Firenze. The centaur glanced at him and then turned his face towards the path ahead again. “You know this is not the end of the battle, yes? There are many threads in the tapestry of possibilities, but even we cannot see where it might lead. There are too many paths to discern and the stars tremble in the heavens.”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but Alpha didn’t find himself surprised by the centaur’s words. They already knew that Thief had some way to bring himself back from the dead, but they hadn’t yet found the reason why. Well, that was to say that they did have an inkling but did not possess any of his tethors. But if they could defeat him now, they could gain themselves time to deal with that problem while continuing to deal with the Assembly. “We’ll keep on fighting,” was all he replied in response.
Firenze nodded to him in understanding and the group made the rest of the journey in silence. Eventually they came to the top of a cliff. “There,” Firenze murmured as he stood within the shadows of one of the ancient trees. Alpha gave him a nod in thanks and then crouched down. He crept forward carefully before finally moving down onto his belly. Alpha crawled forward until he could see over the edge of the cliff. Silently, the others joined him as the centaurs disappeared back into the forest.
Below them the cliff sloped down and ended into a small clearing. The clearing was ringed by torches that flickered steadily in the dead air of the forest. Within this ring of magical flames, thirty-two cloaked figures stood in a circle as their white masks became beacons in the firelight. At the centre of them all stood a man who could only be Thief.
Thief might have been a man once, but there was very little about him anymore that was noticeably human. He struck a humanoid figure, though stood easily a head taller than even Alpha. Almost sickly thin, ratty robes practically hung off of Thief’s skeletal frame. There was a sort of serpentine grace to his movements though as a scream suddenly rendered through the air, an unknown wizard at Thief’s nonexistent mercy. Alpha ignored the screaming as he continued to examine Thief.
Though it was hard to tell in the dim light, Alpha thought that Thief’s skin might have been ashen and there was not a strand of hair upon his head. Spindly fingers grasped a bone white wand and, as Thief turned, the firelight reflected in the man’s eyes with a red hue that was noticeable even from their distance. A bogeyman that children might describe from their nightmares, but tangible in front of them.
Alpha carefully shifted and reached up to touch his choker. He concentrated on all of the Letters. “Thief located. Will engage. All teams in position,” he whispered to them, his words barely louder than a breath. The magic would ensure they could hear him. “Keep their army occupied.” He released the magic and received confirmation in his ear. Once he had it, he sharply signaled to the others beside him. They carefully moved away from the ledge then and got into their positions around the clearing. They wouldn’t engage until the other teams checked in.
“Alpha,” Delta’s voice suddenly whispered into his ear. “They have wards up around the clearing. It’s meant to protect against objects of a certain velocity.” So, Thief had finally learned to shield against their weapons. “There should be no problem once the barrier is breached, however. And it’s only over this clearing.” That meant it was likely experimental magic at best and Thief was using it selfishly to protect himself. Shocker.
The man that Thief was torturing suddenly gave a piercing scream as some new magic was forced upon him. Alpha watched as the man’s back arched and contorted, though noted that there was a white mask beside him. One of Thief’s Deatheaters then. He wondered absently what the wizard had done to piss the self proclaimed Dark Lord off. Not that it truly mattered.
With all of the Letters in position, Alpha boldly stepped into the clearing. A few twitchy wizards jumped when he appeared, though only a couple attempted to curse him. Alpha merely sidestepped one and brought up his shield to absorb another. When he passed by them unharmed, nervous murmurs erupted along the circle and a few more raised their wands. However, it had gotten the attention of Thief.
“Who dares to interrupt the great Lord Voldemort?!” The man hissed out in an angry voice, one that made each of his followers flinch back in an instinctive motion. Alpha ignored them while Thief’s scarlet eyes narrowed as he took in the advancing teen. “Has Dumbledore sunk so low that he would hire muggles to fight his war? Has he told you that he has sent you here to die?”
Alpha tugged down his mask with its snarling crimson wolf’s maw and then removed his cap. He tossed it aside, though his eyes never left Thief’s face. “Dumbledore did not send me. I have not come here to die.”
Thief’s eyes widened before they narrowed and filled with calculation. “I had heard that Harry Potter had been found living amongst muggles but had finally returned to the wizarding world,” the man said slowly, his voice deceptively pensive. “But then he disappeared once again.” He paused then and looked Alpha over slowly. “Yet here you are, Harry Potter. Tainted by the muggle world, denied your magical heritage.” Alpha leveled the man with an unimpressed stare, but Thief ignored him and held a hand out. “Join me, Harry Potter,” the man made the offer in a self assured drawl. “I can give you access to magics that Dumbledore would never care to teach you. I can help you get revenge on the muggles that stole you away from your rightful place.”
“No,” Alpha said firmly.
Quicksilver fury passed over Thief’s serpentine face, his eyes practically flaming themselves as they reflected the light from the torches around them. “You would dare to join Dumbledore’s side? This is the only chance I would give you, Harry Potter! You will surely regret turning against the side of proper, pure magic!”
“I am not on Dumbledore’s side,” Alpha interrupted smoothly.
It was enough to cause Thief to falter and the man narrowed his eyes. “Then why have you come, Harry Potter?”
Alpha tilted his head a little and didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, he allowed himself a small smile. “Because there are things I want to protect,” he said vaguely. “And I can do what needs to be done.”
When he didn’t say anything else, Thief cackled. “You can do what needs to be done? Is that what this is? A one man army, not on Dumbledore’s side or on mine. But you plan to change the tides of this inevitable victory of mine?”
Thief laughed again, an unnaturally high sound that grated at Alpha’s ears. He held his ground though and continued to smile. It evolved into one that showed too many teeth and did not reach his eyes. He concentrated his thoughts on the choker and willed it to reach the Letters. “You assume that I am alone, Thief. And that will be your downfall.”
The madman didn’t have the chance to respond as a loud explosion suddenly reverberated through the forest, its origin from the direction of the castle. Alpha raised his weapon as Thief’s gaze whipped furiously in the direction of the explosion. “Shall we dance, Thief?” The old mage’s army would not be able to come to his aid. Alpha took a shot then that whizzed past Thief’s ear, which only missed because the man had already started to move as soon as Alpha had raised the rifle.
The sound of gunfire interrupted Thief’s angry roar, though Alpha did not turn to look. At least ten Deatheaters fell to the bullets as they had been focused on their leader. Had they really thought that he would come alone?
“Stop them!” Thief screeched out in fury. “Potter is mine!”
The man's eyes were mad. The sort of madness that was focused, but unpredictable. All limitations, all humanity stripped away. It was dangerous. It was also wrong. Something about it pinged all sorts of mental alarms, but Alpha did not have the luxury of time in pondering it. Thief was as quick as a viper, his movements sharp and his magic acidic. He wielded spells that felt twisted and unnatural, the natural magic corrupted under a corrosive will.
Alpha had to spread out his senses. He kept his focus on Thief, but there were also twenty some Deatheaters that would not hesitate to cast a spell at his back. Spells were also more dangerous than most other weapons he was familiar with. Some spells wouldn’t do much if it barely brushed him, rather it would be comparable to being grazed by a bullet. But some spells engulfed the victim at the slightest touch. So, the objectively milder spells could be stopped by his shields, but others required him to dart out of the way or find a physical shield.
After a quick sidestep from one of Thief’s pain curses, Alpha nearly stepped into some sort of hex that had been aimed at his back. It instead grazed along his ribcage, cracking bones and splitting his skin while leaving his clothes practically untouched. If it had landed where it had been intended, Alpha was sure that it would have severed his spine. Each breath became painful and blood quickly started to soak his shirt, but Alpha didn’t dare stop moving as he continued to circle Thief. Zeta was there in the next moment, a knife in the Deatheater’s throat. He could thank her later.
So many things could happen in the span of moments but, if nothing else, Alpha could admit that Thief had impeccable reflexes. It was no surprise really, though mildly annoying when Thief would raise a physical barrier to stop the bullets before retaliating with a wave of unknown magic. Alpha couldn’t even get close to Thief to use one of his knives. A rifle was not his first choice either for relatively close combat, but it was also a weapon that he did not have to reload as frequently. He made do and had managed to get close with a few shots a number of times, Thief’s blood an unnatural shade of red, but always superficial. Alpha blocked a sickly green wave of magic in the next moment by calling up a wall of dirt. It crumbled away into dust, but the young man had already moved on.
Thief was a terrific dueler, but Alpha had already spotted several places where he was still limited. His body did not appear natural, or had been twisted by unknown magics into its current grotesque form. But even a manufactured body had limitations and it appeared that Thief was nearing his, though it did spur him on to more dangerous curses. Alpha had the advantage of his youth, of his training. Weakness got them killed, so he pushed through the pain. But even with all of his advantages, Alpha did not come away unscathed. Thief had a certain fondness for pain curses, especially one that made him feel as if every nerve ending had been doused in acid and then set aflame. But this was not the first time he had been tortured.
The spell had glanced off of his shoulder when it had been hidden in the path of another spell that was blocked by the magics of his shield, but it was enough to engulf all of him. Alpha made a sound as his steps faltered but forced himself to keep moving. He barely managed to duck beneath the menacing green magic that Thief had crowed out in premature triumph. He shook off the magic as Thief’s thread of control broke. Alpha kept pushing onward and ignored the way his opponent screamed out his wrath.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Sigma go down in a spray of blood. Upsilon was immediately at his side even as he raised his handgun to put a bullet between the eyes of the man who had cursed Sigma. With his free hand, Upsilon pulled out an emergency portkey that had been provided by the Weasley twins and slapped it onto Sigma’s prone form. Sigma disappeared and Upsilon quickly returned to the fray, but Alpha did not track him as he had already moved on. His body felt numb and his breath burned in his chest, but it felt like it was on the edges of his awareness. He would not falter. Not when the Deatheaters had dwindled to a fraction of their original number.
Then, as soon as he saw an opening, Alpha ducked beneath another screaming beam of eerie magic and tossed his rifle away. He didn’t have time to treat it with care, his hand already going to the handgun strapped to his thigh. Thorgeirr’s present was going to say its piece, the weight of it solid in his hand. Alpha brought the weapon up quickly with one hand and cupped the front of his knuckles with his palm. He barely took the time to aim as instinct drove him and he squeezed the trigger. The shot was silent and a flash of silver in the winter rising sun, his aim true.
Alpha slowly lowered his arms in the next moment, though his gaze never wavered from the smoking wound in the middle of Thief’s forehead. The man’s snakelike eyes, blood red and inhuman, were wide with shock even as they began to glaze over. But as Alpha watched, the man’s grey skin began to darken further and then flaked away like flecks of burning paper. It was slow at first, but quickly accelerated until Thief’s entire form disintegrated into dust.
There were pops of air displacement from magical transportation as the living Deatheaters escaped in fear. Alpha ignored it all as he grimly stared down at the pile of ash that had once been the self proclaimed Dark Lord. Something didn’t sit right. He knew that Thief had used necromancy to regain his body, but this felt too easy of an end.
“Delta,” Alpha spoke softly when he felt the man’s presence appear at his side. He didn’t need to say anything else as he nodded towards the ash that had begun to scatter to the wind.
Delta hummed grimly as he slid his rifle strap over his shoulder so the weapon rested against his back. The captain had a still bleeding gash near his temple, but he didn’t pay it any mind as he knelt down and ran his finger through the ash. All of them were a little banged up in some ways.
As Alpha watched, the older Letter sniffed at the ash and then dabbed a bit onto his tongue. Finally, Delta stood and gave Alpha a sharp nod. “Homunculus,” he said gravely, the word confirming Alpha’s suspicions. It was just a vessel, one manufactured through alchemy and likely possessed through necromancy. Almost like a puppet in some ways. For now he was defeated, but Thief would be back.
Notes:
So... thoughts? Did it live up to expectations?
Chapter 35
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Five
Alpha remembered the beauty of Hogwarts’ grounds. He remembered the sparkling blue waters of the loch that rippled in the wind or were disturbed by the lazy movements of the giant squid. He remembered the lush green blades of grass that swayed in the breeze, dotted with Scottish heather. He remembered the ancient forest with its dark and ominous depths, but crowned with leaves in crimson and golden hues as the seasons turned. He remembered the mountains that surrounded the loch and grounds in the distance, Hogwarts nestled in their valley. Hogwarts at the height of her beauty was an image stolen right from a storybook.
But now the grounds lay ruined. Hogwarts herself remained untouched, but the Deatheaters’ destroyed camp now littered the broken up ground. The evidence of the battle was strewn about, the Letters having set off explosives and sown discourse to keep the enemy distracted. The trolls had been easily turned against the wizards, the creatures’ indelicate methods puttingthe Deatheaters in the line of becoming collateral damage. Bodies still lay strewn about, bludgeoned to death or littered with killshots from the Letters themselves.
The Letters might have faced insurmountable odds, but they knew how to use the terrain to their advantage. They knew how to use their weapons to their advantage, fight as a unit. Wizards, for all of their supposed mastery over magic, were slaves to their habits and to their patterns. It made them predictable and the Letters were not above taking advantage of that. But they themselves were not infallible.
Alpha picked his way through the grounds as he approached the castle. The Deatheaters must have known the moment that Thief was defeated as they had all turned tail and ran. There were other Letters that wandered through the field and looked for survivors, but any of their own severely wounded had been taken to the castle or transported directly to the camp’s portal to be brought to their medical tent. Alpha would need to get a full report later, but first he had to speak with Dumbldore.
Even through the muffled static that currently plagued his hearing, a gurgling sound suddenly caught his attention and Alpha paused to find a Deatheater choking on his own blood. The wizard was partially buried beneath a fallen boulder, a victim of one of the trolls. The wizard was a young man, likely barely out of Hogwarts. His features were aristocratic, but Alpha didn’t know his name. Perhaps some features of the Rookwood family, but he couldn’t be sure. Not that it mattered in that moment.
Even as he ignored the pain in his right arm, Alpha loosened his pistol in its holster and then pulled it free. The unnamed wizard looked up at him almost pleadingly, his blue eyes unfocused and filled with pain. He choked on more blood then, the liquid seemingly filling his lungs. It was a miracle the young man was still alive, but it was just that his body hadn’t quite caught onto the fact that it was dead and there was no saving it. It would be a slow and agonizing death. So Alpha lifted a steady hand against his own pain and put him out of his misery. As the body slumped and went quiet, Alpha holstered his weapon once more and continued onward past the smoldering remains of a green pinstriped tent.
As he made his way up towards the entrance doors then, Alpha took a shuddering breath. Now that the adrenaline had left him, he became very much aware of the pains in his body. His entire torso felt stiff and his nerve endings were on fire, no doubt a result of his broken ribs. He needed to get them bound soon, though he was lucky that his sharp movements had not lodged a broken rib into one of his vulnerable organs. The blood loss was starting to make his vision go fuzzy along the edges as well, but at least he wasn’t actively bleeding out anymore.
The doors suddenly slammed open then and Bill came dashing down the stairs. “Alpha!” He stopped short though and clenched his hands into fists, an aborted motion as he stopped himself from grabbing onto the injured mercenary. “Merlin,” Bill breathed out then before he stepped to the side. “You should have Madam Pomfrey take a look at you.” He seemed to be eyeing the side of Alpha's face.
Alpha absently lifted his left hand and found drying blood on his right cheek from his ear. He wasn’t even sure when that had happened, though he knew he had more than one visible injury. “No,” he retorted. “I’ll receive treatment back at the camp.” He could hold on until then. “Take me to Dumbledore first.”
“If… you’re sure?” Bill said slowly, still clearly divided over what he thought Alpha should do.
“This isn’t the worst state I’ve found myself in while needing to do a report,” Alpha interrupted Bill’s thoughts. “You can scold me back at the camp, if you wish.”
That seemed to pull Bill up short and the redhead drew in a sharp breath. “You’re inviting me to join you?”
Alpha inclined his head slightly. “The war isn’t over yet and we need competent fighters, people I can trust,” he explained. Trust would come with time, but so far Bill had proven himself capable of earning that status. After everything he’d done, Bill was nearly there anyhow. “There are others I wish to extend an invitation to as well. Your brother Charlie and Remus Lupin, if they are willing.”
“If I see them first, I can pass along your invitation if you would like,” Bill said. “Dumbledore’s in the Great Hall.”
At least the man wasn’t far away. “Good. Gather your things and meet us back in front of the castle, whoever is coming with,” Alpha ordered. “The trucks will be here soon.”
“Yes, sir,” Bill said with a little flash of a smile over his exhausted face. The sun had risen into morning and none of them had gotten any sleep in at least twenty-four hours. There would be time to rest soon. Alpha gave Bill another little nod and continued on towards the Great Hall as the redhead disappeared.
“Alpha,” Zeta said from behind him once they were in front of the Great Hall doors. She held both of their rifles over her shoulder as Alpha had passed off his to her after they had parted ways with Bill.
Though he didn’t look at her, Alpha lowered his head a little. He lifted his left hand then and placed it against the doors. “I know,” he told her. “We’ll make this quick.” Zeta didn’t respond, but Alpha could feel her disapproval. She knew better than to go against his orders, however.
Alpha opened the door then with barely a push. At the head table, Dumbledore rose to his feet at their appearance. “Mr. Potter?”
“Thief is dead,” Alpha announced loudly as he ignored Dumbledore’s use of his deadname. He ignored the old wizard completely as he looked over the faces of the pale mages. “He is still tethered to life in some manner, but for now he has been defeated as his vessel has been destroyed.” He gave them a solemn nod of his head, but the action nearly made him black out. He took a moment to quietly collect himself.
“We must retreat for now,” he said then. “However, I can put you in touch with someone who can help with the aftermath on the grounds. And I will reach out again.” They needed time to regroup, to lick their wounds. Alpha finally turned his eyes on Dumbledore. “I told you before all this that Hogwarts is a symbol. Thief attempted to take it and the Assembly has silenced it. Yet she still stands. We will protect her.” He did not believe for a moment that this would be the last time that a battle would take place on the grounds of the ancient castle.
Dumbledore’s expression was grim and likely saw more than what Alpha wanted him to see. “Mr. Potter-”
“With all due respect, Headmaster, the name is Alpha,” the mercenary interrupted sharply. He wasn’t in the mood for games. “I would ask that you respect my decision. I earned my name through sweat and blood. I have claimed it for my own. I am Alpha and I will not remind you again.” He gave the Headmaster a small glare and then turned his eyes on the group gathered there. “Charlie Weasley. Remus Lupin. I wanted to extend to you the invitation to return with us.” Both men were immediately on their feet. “If you agree, we will wait long enough for you to retrieve your things.”
Charlie immediately agreed and made a dash for the door. Lupin was more sedate as he rounded the table. He approached Alpha first and gave him a shaky smile. “I really appreciate it, Alpha. We’ll try to be quick,” he reassured and then made for the door as well. Alpha wondered if the werewolf could smell the blood on him.
As the two left, Alpha turned his attention back on Dumbledore. “The Assembly will use their power against you and the people you strive to protect here,” he said. “You cannot protect them forever. If you cast aside your hubris, you will help the families here find refuge outside the boundaries of the UK. Those who can fight will stay if you give them the choice, but families should be taken to safety.” That was as much as he could do at the moment. Now it was up to Dumbledore to decide what to do. Alpha turned on his heel then, the world tilting and spinning as he moved. “I’ll be in touch, Headmaster,” Alpha called over his shoulder instead as he forced his voice to come out strong.
Psi and Kappa had gone to retrieve the two trucks they had taken, so Alpha was relieved to see that they rumbled in wait for them all to gather. Many of the Letters were injured in some manner, some worse than others. Only the snipers of their number had managed to escape injury. For a fleeting moment as he approached the vehicles, Alpha envied them. But he quickly dismissed it as he knew the risks, knew them intimately. Envy would do him no good.
Alpha climbed into the truck and barely managed to hold back a grunt of pain. He carefully leaned back in the seat and breathed out carefully, unable to fully draw a breath. He studied the castle then as they waited, the Letters gathering one by one before both Lupin and the two Weasley brothers finally joined them. “Move out,” Alpha ordered once they had all boarded.
Kappa studied Alpha from the corner of his eye, but shifted the truck into gear. “Just get us home,” Alpha said lowly in response to Kappa's unspoken comment as he carefully resettled in his seat. He wanted to close his eyes, surrender to the darkness that pulled at him from the edges of his vision. But he forced himself to focus. He would keep them safe until they reached the camp.
“Yes, sir,” Kappa replied tightly, but did not protest. Instead he led the way onto the road away from the castle. If he pushed the vehicles a little faster than they normally might have taken them, Alpha didn’t say a word.
Like every other time, the Letters used the magical highways to get to the portal that would take them home. They wove through the checkpoints, but still made it back in almost record time. Alpha felt every jostle and jolt of the truck as his jaw ached from how tightly he had set it. It paled in comparison to the fire that flashed through his body at every movement, the adrenaline long since burned away and every sensation unable to be ignored. Only his high tolerance for pain kept him upright. He was sure that Kappa had realized this as well since the sniper continued to sneak glances at him every so often.
When they arrived at the magical dead zone, Theta and Phi jumped from the trucks and quickly opened the portal. As they stood there like sentries on either side, the trucks were put into gear once more and driven through.
Barely aware when they finally came to a stop, the feeling of home washed over Alpha. This was a place that was safe. He popped the door then and pushed it fully open with his foot as his shoulder had completely locked up, his range of motion suddenly worryingly limited. Alpha had been hit by more than one spell throughout the entirety of the battle, not all of them from Thief himself.
The drop from the truck made his vision white out, but Alpha held back a groan and carefully straightened himself. As his vision cleared, he spotted Thorgeirr. The man’s face was creased in worry, but Alpha couldn’t bring himself to reassure the man that he was fine. He wasn’t fine. “How is Sigma?” He asked instead, needing to know. He had seen the Letter’s unmoving body. He could still see in his mind’s eye the way that Sigma fell.
“Alive,” Thorgeirr said as he approached. Was the older man’s voice muffled? The ringing in his ear hadn’t stopped, but it seemed almost like his hearing was getting worse and Thorgeirr was very far away. Alpha didn’t dare shake his head to try to clear it. He blinked slowly instead and made a questioning grunt, his energy quickly leaving him. Luckily, Thorgeirr seemed to understand. “Sigma’s in critical condition, but they’re optimistic that he’ll survive.”
Most of them had all returned to the camp under their own power, but Sigma had been sent by emergency portkey in the middle of battle. To hear that he was still alive sent a wave of relief through Alpha. It felt like a tangible feeling, a roar in his ears that grew louder and louder. Was that the beating of his heart? Why was Thorgeirr’s form blurring at the edges, moving as if he was in slow motion?
When Alpha finally slipped into darkness, the last thing he heard was Thorgeirr calling his name. It came through as if he had been suddenly submerged beneath water. His lungs certainly felt like it as they burned and he could not draw breath. Then it all went blissfully dark.
Awareness came back slowly. It felt like a boulder had been placed on his chest and it made it difficult to breath, impossible to move. He could not even bring himself to twitch a finger or to open a single eye. Voices appeared on the periphery of his awareness, but the darkness had too strong of a hold on him and he slipped off again. As his awareness faded again, he felt a hand slip around his own right hand and cling to him tightly.
When Alpha woke for the second - third? fourth? - time, he was finally able to open his eyes again. His vision cleared slowly and he became aware of the canvas of the tent ceiling. The steady beep of a heart monitor let him know that he was in the medical tent specifically. There was the murmur of voices again from outside the door, still too low for him to make out any words. But what he focused on was the hand that was loosely gripping his own.
As he turned his head slowly to the side, Alpha became aware of an oxygen mask over his face. His injuries had necessitated oxygen being delivered to him it seemed. As much as it annoyed him now that he was aware of it, Alpha let it be and settled his gaze on the person next to him. Just the motion of turning his head was exhausting, so it took a moment for his brain to catch up. Theo’s dark head of hair was resting against the mattress, his hand wrapped around Alpha’s and his face creased in a fitful sleep.
A slight noise at the door to his room, across from his bed, had Alpha turning his head again, though his vision faded a little at the edges from the effort. He thought he recognized Thorgeirr’s bulk at the door, so he closed his eyes and gathered himself. He could sense Thorgeirr’s approach and then felt the man’s hand touch his head. It was a gentle touch and made Alpha slip off a little more. “It’s alright, son,” Thorgeirr murmured so he wouldn’t wake Theo. “You’re safe here. Get some more rest.” At least he thought that was what Thorgeirr had said. Alpha wanted to glare at the older man for touching his head like that, but all the fight went out of him again and he slipped back into sleep.
When he finally woke again, Theo’s hand was still around his own. But when Alpha opened his eyes, the young man was also awake. “Alpha!” Theo gasped out and looked like he was about to burst into tears. Instead, he immediately pulled out his wand and conjured up a silvery creature that appeared to take on the vague shape of a wolf, more mist than anything solid. It nuzzled Theo’s hand and then took off through the wall. “I’ve let the others know that you’re awake,” Theo explained as he tucked his wand away again. Alpha had to concentrate on the way his lips moved to understand him, his hearing still too muffled to fully hear.
Once Theo quieted again, Alpha studied the young man silently even as he absently noted that
he still had the oxygen mask over his own face. Theo’s skin was pale and there were deep bags under his eyes. The wizard’s normally styled hair was in disarray and had a bit of grease to it. Alpha slipped his hand from Theo’s and then reached up to gently tug at a lock of the man’s hair. He couldn’t move his hand much more than that and the action exhausted him, but it got his meaning across. Theo flushed darkly and quickly averted his eyes.
“He hasn’t left your side once,” a strong voice said from the doorway, oddly muffled again like his right ear was full of cotton. Alpha slid his eyes over to take in Zeta’s appearance. She looked a little rough around the edges as well, but Alpha could only see it because he knew her so well. “It’s been three days, A. We weren’t even sure you were going to make it at one point.” Her words were spoken as if they were discussing the weather, but Alpha could hear the worry that was threaded through her tone. He didn’t have the energy to feel shocked at the news or he might have winced.
“Zee,” he croaked out, but his mouth was dry and it made his throat feel like it had seized up. He choked and struggled to take in a breath, not used to feeling so helpless.
Theo suddenly leaned over Alpha and clutched at his hand. “Hey, hey. It’s okay,” he said soothingly. He grabbed a nearby cup then selected an ice chip from it. He slipped it beneath the mask and into Alpha’s mouth. “Suck on that slowly. I’ve got more. It’ll help wet your mouth.” He gave the instructions in a soothing voice, though Alpha could feel Theo’s trembling through his hand. Still, he did as ordered and managed to get his breathing back under control.
Once Alpha’s breathing had calmed, Theo let out a breath and sat back down in his chair again. He hadn’t let go of Alpha’s hand once. Zeta appeared on the other side of the bed and folded her hands behind her. Alpha knew it was to stop herself from taking his free hand. He wanted to ask what the damage was, but he didn’t want to risk another attack. He twitched the fingers of his left hand then, knowing she would understand.
Before she could answer though, Theta came barreling through the door. “Alpha!” He called out, his eyes wide. When he made it over to Alpha’s side, Zeta slapped him upside the head. Theta gave her a pout, but did calm down. “Sorry. We’ve been worried,” he said as even more people gathered in his room. There was Thorgeirr and the other Letter captains. Alpha flexed his fingers again in irritation, but the Letters only shared a quiet laugh between them that Alpha couldn’t quite hear. Theta gave a grin and crossed his arms. “Don’t worry. Just us. We’ll keep the others out.” Alpha twitched his fingers again and then gave in, though he eyed them. He wanted answers.
It was Thorgeirr who finally spoke first. “You racked up quite the number of injuries, brat,” he said with a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Four broken ribs. Forty-three stitches to close the gash on your side.” He listed off and then hesitated.
Theta was the one to continue, though Alpha spotted the way that his jaw tightened slightly before he spoke. “Alpha. You also broke your right collarbone and tore your rotator cuff.” Alpha twisted his hand and clenched his fingers a little. Theta shook his head and glanced over at Theo. “The thing is, A… they were inflicted through the use of dark magic. The corrupted magic is preventing the use of healing magic. Even when you developed an infection, we could only give you mundane medicine and hope your body would fight it off. It’s why you’ve been asleep for so long.”
It felt like he had a pit in the bottom of his stomach. He’d nearly died plenty of times from various injuries. This wasn’t the first time he’d had broken bones or needed a ridiculous amount of stitches. It wasn’t even the first time he had needed to heal without any magical means at his disposal. But something about this time just didn’t sit right with him. What was he missing? Alpha tapped on the bed, the movement a little jerky with agitation.
Theta traded a look with Zeta then as he hesitated. Alpha tapped a little harder against the bed. “We’re not sure yet, but you might have sensory nerve damage to your right arm,” Theta explained reluctantly. Alpha wanted to protest, to say that he didn’t feel any pain. Everything was sort of muted though and just meant that they had him on the good painkillers. But that wasn’t the only thing. There was something else, too. He shot the two of them a glare. Theta actually winced in response. “You have damage to your right ear,” the sniper said finally. “We couldn’t be sure until you woke, but you’re probably experiencing hearing loss. We can’t be sure yet if it’s permanent or not.” Alpha closed his eyes and appeared serene, but the heart monitor recorded the jump in his heart rate that he couldn’t control.
Thorgeirr stepped up close and placed his hand against Alpha’s head to smooth out his hair. “It’s alright, son,” the man murmured, loud enough that Alpha could pick it up with his left ear. When Alpha kept his eyes closed, Thorgeirr turned his head towards Zeta and Theta. “See to it that Theo gets a proper shower, food, and a nap. He’s not allowed back here for at least nine hours,” he ordered them.
“Yes, sir,” Theta and Zeta snapped back automatically. Theo tried to protest being kicked from the room, but Theta whispered to him softly and was able to coax Theo from his chair.
Once the three had left, Thorgeirr turned his attention to the four others. “Beta, stay behind. I want the rest of you to return to your duties. Reassure the rest of the camp that Alpha is alive and awake.” He fell silent then and continued to gently stroke Alpha’s curls until only Beta remained in the room with them. “Beta. Report.” It was exactly what Alpha wanted to hear.
“Sigma is alive,” Beta announced first. Her voice was raised loud enough that Alpha could hear without any difficulties. “He’s in the next room, also recovering. He was hit by magic that stopped his heart, but they were able to restart it soon after his arrival in medical. He’s still being kept for observation and further testing, but should be released tomorrow.” She paused as Alpha opened his eyes to look at her as she reported, relief in his eyes. “No casualties. Eleven of the Letters received minor injuries during the battle, including a few broken bones. All of them have been treated with modified potions and have been released from medical.” That was better than Alpha had expected in all honesty. “Three received more serious injuries, but all have been treated and will be released today after observation.” It was standard procedure that they had enacted depending on the severity of injuries. Alpha knew that he himself would likely be confined to the bed for at least another few days now that he was awake.
Beta let Alpha digest this before she continued again. “Thief had werewolves in his army, just as we suspected. They were capable of a partial shift and Lambda was bitten. However, because it was outside the full moon’s powers, we are unsure if she will transform or not. During the next full moon, she will be isolated and observed.” Alpha frowned a bit and gestured with his hand. Beta inclined her head. “Lupin is here and there is a plan for his containment during the full moon. He has also agreed to aid Lambda if she requires it.”
Once Alpha gave a little nod, Beta relaxed a fraction. “In other news, the Assembly has released a special newsletter. It’s named the Golden Herald.” Alpha narrowed his eyes and Beta quirked her lips in a small smile. “I know. They announced Thief’s death and declared a memorial for everyone affected by the war. There will be speeches and all the necessary heraldry.” There was a sarcastic edge to her voice that Alpha fully agreed with. The memorial would become a hollow spectacle with a veneer that the Assembly cared for its wizarding civilians.
When Beta didn’t say anything again for the moment, Alpha made a gesture with his hand and signed out a question. The other Letter shook her head. “Nothing has been heard from Nicanor for a few days. His closest aides say that he had a relapse of his previous bad health so he’s recuperating in his home.” The timing was suspicious to say the least because Alpha still had his suspicions about Nicanor’s connections to Thief. They would continue to observe for now.
“That’s all the important bits,” Thorgeirr interrupted then. When Alpha looked up at the man to protest with a glare, the older man shook his head firmly. “You just woke up, brat. I wouldn’t have allowed even this except that I know that not knowing would have made things worse. Now you can rest easily knowing that all of your Letters are safe. You can go now, Beta. Thank you.”
Beta hesitated, but Alpha gave in after a moment and a weak glare towards Thorgeirr. So, she saluted Alpha and then left without another word. Alpha knew that the other Letters would all be there to press her for answers, express their worry for him.
Once they were alone, Thorgeirr gently brushed some of Alpha’s hair away from his forehead and seemed to be studying the faint scar on Alpha’s forehead. “You did well, son. I am very proud of you,” he stated then and leaned down to press a kiss against Alpha’s forehead. “But get some rest now, okay? I’ll be here the entire time, I promise. When you wake again, we’ll get some proper food into you and I’ll have a surprise waiting for you.” Alpha thought he had slept plenty, but the call for more rest was difficult to deny. Even though he tried to fight it, his eyelids fluttered and he fell asleep to Thorgeirr’s gentle touch. The man’s fingers running through his hair were surprisingly soothing.
The promised surprise ended up being Elritze. Alpha could not hide his honest surprise as the snowy feline hopped up onto the bed and immediately nestled her head against his thigh. She purred quietly, though Alpha only knew because he could feel the vibrations. She then kept him company through the tests Bill came in to help run. As a cursebreaker, the redhead had the best grasp of how to deal with dark magic. Not once through it all did Elritze leave Alpha’s side.
Over the days that followed Alpha was still confined to his bed in the medical tent, so he ordered one of the Letter captains to attend the Assembly’s memorial for those fallen in the war. Alpha would have preferred it if he could have attended himself, but that was out of the question. In his place, Delta had volunteered to go while under his wizarding alias of Zhāng Liwei. Fred and George Weasley had even provided the Letter with a discrete magical tool that functioned like a spy camera. It provided a live feed to connecting mirrors, one of which they had set up in Alpha’s room.
The other mirror had been set up in the mess hall for the others to watch if they wished, but Theo had decided to join Alpha. The two of them sat alone in Alpha’s room as they waited for the event to start. Elritze had taken up her spot in Alpha’s lap once the bed had been adjusted so Alpha could sit up without too much effort on his part.
Alpha shifted awkwardly, enough that Theo shot him a questioning look. “I’m fine,” Alpha rasped out. There was some pain, but he didn’t want to become reliant on the painkillers they were still giving him. He was used to an acceptable amount of pain anyhow. Theo narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together, but blessedly didn’t comment. Alpha offered a little smile and then held out his left hand. “Come sit on the bed with me. I promise I won’t break.”
Though he seemed to debate it as he fixed Alpha’s pillow for him, Theo did finally give in and climbed up on Alpha’s left side. “Are you looking forward to your surgery?” He asked finally as he leaned carefully into Alpha. “Thorgeirr managed to secure you a proper surgeon didn’t he?”
After a hum of agreement, Alpha carefully wrapped his left arm around Theo’s waist. Elritze pressed her head into his stomach in response, but Alpha only had the one functional hand available. “My rotator cuff will not heal on its own,” Alpha told Theo quietly. “But because it’s a collateral injury from dark magic, I can’t use magic to heal it either.” He could do physical therapy to manage the pain, but they had decided it would be better for him to have surgery given the nature of his life. It would be better to repair the injury before it inevitably got worse.
“I know all this,” Theo practically whined. “Thorgeirr reached out to one of his contacts and secured a surgeon that he could trust. He’ll repair your shoulder and you’ll need to go through up to six months of physical therapy to return functionality to your arm.” He sounded a little petulant, but Alpha knew he was only worried. It warmed him and he couldn’t help but turn a little so he could press his cheek against the top of Theo’s head. At the action, Theo seemed to relax as all the fight drained out of him. “I just don’t like seeing you like this,” he said quietly, but still loud enough for Alpha to hear.
Alpha’s hearing hadn’t improved. His left ear was normal, but they had discovered that Alpha was suffering from moderate hearing loss in his right ear. It left him feeling unbalanced and exhausted as he would catch himself straining to listen harder for anything that might sneak up on him. Theta and Zeta spent a lot of time in his room with him, quiet sentries on his right where his metaphorical blindspot was located. He trusted them wholly and completely, so it would allow him to relax to know they wouldn’t let anything sneak up on him.
It didn’t help that nearly his entire right side was weakened. His hearing loss was one thing, but then he also had the injury to his arm. There was the small tear in the tendons of his rotator cuff, but his right collarbone was also broken. It had luckily been a clean break and wouldn’t require emergency surgery to repair, but it added to the pain and weakness in his arm. His entire right arm had been immobilized to prevent further damage. It also helped to stabilize his broken ribs, those breaks also thankfully clean. The breaks would take anywhere from six to twelve weeks to heal, but they had been optimistic about these injuries at the very least.
But further tests had also noted that he did have nerve damage in his right arm, his hand in particular. They weren’t sure what exactly he had been hit with, but the effects were lingering. Whenever his painkillers started to wear off, Alpha always became aware of the pain. It carried an odd sort of numbness, yet still burned and prickled. It almost felt like his arm was in a permanent state of recovering from having been asleep. He could put the pain out of his mind as uncomfortable as it was, but the worst of it was the feeling of weakness and the random bouts of what they called fasciculation. Every so often, the muscles in his hand would twitch beyond his control. Alpha tried not to think about it and would pray wordlessly to Gods he wasn’t even sure existed that the damage could be healed.
“Alpha?” Theo’s voice tore Alpha from his thoughts.
After he had lifted his head, Alpha offered the younger wizard a brief smile. “I got lost in my thoughts,” he apologized. “It’ll take time, but I’ll recover.” And what he didn’t recover from he would learn to adapt to. Just as he had always done.
“I just wish it didn’t have to be you,” Theo muttered. Alpha caught it only because Theo had made sure to sit on his left side. Before he could respond though, the mirror above the foot of the bed suddenly shimmered and revealed an image much like a TV.
The Assembly had attempted to hold the memorial at Hogwarts. However, Dumbledore still held control over the school. The Assembly might have stripped the school of its title, but ancient laws still gave Dumbledore control over the physical castle as her last Headmaster. The old wizard had refused to house the Assembly, rightfully knowing that it was a ploy to gain a foothold in Hogwarts. With the school still out of their reach, the memorial was instead set to take place in the old Ministry building. Nova Aurora was still under construction or they might have brought the memorial to the new wizarding capital.
Even so, the Assembly had pulled out all stops. Alpha had been inside of the Ministry before and it was practically unrecognizable now. There were banners and heraldry, fairy lights and grand oversized statues of mages with their right hands outstretched so their wands were held out over the crowd. Colourful lights burst from the tips of the stone wands in a shimmering gold and rained down on the gathered crowds.
A full band sat upon a stage in the corner of the atrium as they played music that was upbeat. A much larger stage was prominent at the end of the atrium, decked out in golds and dark blues. The podium was a rich dark wood and draped in more gold. Behind the stage was a large midnight blue banner emblazoned with a gold insignia. The Assembly had replaced the old Ministry logo. The background of the new insignia was the rising sun that was prominent in much of the Assembly’s propaganda. Within the rising sun were the scales of justice, though the stand was that of the blade of a sword. Around the pommel and hilt of the sword was a wreath of victory laurels. As a final statement, atop the scales of justice were two crossed wands. Alpha couldn’t help but snort at the sight of it.
Theo glanced at him, but didn’t say anything as he focused back on the mirror again. Delta had found a position that gave him a good view of the stage. Alpha noticed then that there was a large object behind the stage though it had been covered by a rich blue cloth embroidered with gold. If he had to guess, it would be a statue of some sort to commemorate the war. He wondered how gaudy it would be. If the decision had been left up to him, he would have commissioned a plain stone carved with the names of all the fallen. But that would be too simple for the Assembly.
“How tasteless,” Theo suddenly said. Alpha glanced down at the smaller young man and focused on his words. “The economy is crashing, some people are barely able to eat, and they’re hosting this event that is dripping in gold. They’re trying to make a statement about wealth and how they’re flourishing. It’s absolutely disgusting. And I say this as someone who comes from old money. It’s disgusting.” The Potters were old money too, though Alpha had put the entirety of the funds into the war effort. It would pay for weapons, supplies, but then it would also one day help fund rebuilding.
Before they could discuss anything further then, the sound of trumpets blared out of the mirror to announce the arrival of officials. Alpha flinched at the sound, but turned his head back towards the mirror. He watched as first the Black Vanguard filed out and stood at rest at the front of the stage. Behind them then came the top Assembly officials. The last to arrive was Eminence Nicanor himself, his entrance flanked by two of his Vanguard. Gamma was one of them.
Alpha noted that Nicanor appeared a little pale and drawn, but he wondered how much of it was an act. They had announced that he had been ill, but was it the truth? He certainly looked like he was still recovering from a bout of illness.
“毫无疑问，这就是尼卡诺尔。” Delta’s voice suddenly came over the mirror. It was spoken lowly, but loud enough that it came through the magical artifact clearly if only because of the proximity. Alpha closed his eyes briefly and translated the words in his head, his Mandarin a little rusty.
“There is no doubt that this is Nicanor,” he quoted finally and opened his eyes again. Delta had seen Nicanor in person before and knew the feeling of his magic. That was a thing that could not be duplicated and the reason why he had volunteered. He’d be able to prove if it was Nicanor or someone posing as him. The man at the podium was undoubtedly Athanasios Nicanor.
Theo frowned as he looked up at Alpha again. “What does that mean for your theory that Nicanor is Thief? If you temporarily defeated Thief, then how can Nicanor be walking around?”
“It doesn’t hold up,” Alpha said with some frustration. “When Thief was defeated the first time when I was a baby, it took him thirteen some years to regain a body. Before that, he was barely more than a wraith. Even if his followers could help him regain a new body, we would have noticed. They wouldn’t have had enough time.” Necromancy and alchemy required very specific ingredients and they had kept an eye out on the black market for any movement of these materials. There had been nothing worth noting. “Unless we missed something important, Nicanor and Thief are not the same person. They have to be connected somehow, but we’re back to square one.”
Theo took Alpha’s hand and squeezed it gently. The trumpets and the music suddenly died down, so both wizards turned their attention to the mirror. Nicanor had begun his speech. The man placed his hands on either side of the podium and then leaned against it with a slightly bowed head.
“For nearly thirty years, our hallowed community has been held captive beneath the oppressive weight of war with its uncertainty and terror. Our children have grown up under the shadow of conflict and they have never known anything else. The Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, has forced a schism within our great nation that has nearly brought us to our knees through the incompetence of our predecessors,” Nicanor said grimly into the hushed atrium. “We have lost our friends, parents, children. We have lost our brothers and sisters. We have very nearly lost ourselves.”
Nicanor paused then and straightened up. He spread out his hands in an inviting motion. “But. But now we are free from his tyranny. We have been given the opportunity to rebuild. On the morning after the day of Christmas, the Dark Lord was slain.” Nicanor went quiet then as a loud cheer rose up around the atrium. Alpha flinched a little and turned his head away so that it wasn’t as loud. Luckily Theo said nothing.
After a few moments, Nicanor chuckled and held a hand up to silence the crowd. “Yes, it is good news,” he agreed. “When the reports of his death arrived, we immediately sent our top investigators to examine the site thoroughly and have arrived at the conclusion that he was killed in an internal skirmish of his forces.”
When Nicanor announced this, Theo cried out in anger and dismay. Nicanor continued to speak about the supposed investigation and what they had labeled a skirmish, but Alpha’s attention had turned to the wizard against his side. “How dare he?” Theo hissed the words, his hands tightening into fists in his lap. “How dare he diminish the efforts you have gone through to destroy Thief. He’s basically labeling you as an enemy! As a Deatheater! Now, if you were to come out and say that you were the one to kill Thief, they’ll just assume that you’re an enemy of the state!”
“We knew it would be a matter of time, Theo,” Alpha said in a gentle tone. “We have stood against Thief, but we also have not sided with the Assembly’s new regime. It was only a matter of time before they would finally catch on that we are Guiding Star and then realize our motives.” The codename that they had used to get the students out of Hogwarts had stuck. “We are now rebels. Terrorists in the eyes of the state.”
“You’re freedom fighters,” Theo muttered and then breathed out a sigh as he deflated a little. “I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Alpha gave a little nod and looked back over to the mirror. “No,” he agreed. “And we won’t stop fighting.”
When he focused back on Nicanor’s speech, the man had continued on to speak about rebuilding. It was a lot of the same things they had been hearing lately, just reiterations of the same plans they had already known about. But then Nicanor mentioned something new. “Many of our children have been left without proper guardianship,” the man spoke mournfully. “Their parents stolen by the violence and bloodshed, or compromised by the poison fed to them by their self-proclaimed Lord.” He let this sink in before he raised a hand. “In the spirit of rebuilding and to ensure our great shining future, the Assembly welcomes the establishment of two state funded orphanages. Bright Horizons and Golden Daybreak will provide proper homes for our unfortunate children. It will be a haven for them and a safe place of learning, to become proper members of society.”
Alpha frowned at the announcement. On the surface, this was a necessary step in the right direction. A lot of children had been orphaned through various means during the duration of the war. Especially in the most recent years since Thief’s resurrection. But they had long ago learned that things were still rotten beneath the golden veneer that the Assembly put on. They would need to investigate conditions at the orphanages, find out their true purpose. Alpha had a suspicion of what they would find out, but kept his thoughts to himself for now.
The sound of trumpets caught Alpha’s attention again and he lifted his eyes to watch as the shrouded statue was floated to an open section of the floor. Nicanor himself stepped down from the stage then so he could stand before the large monument. “This piece was commissioned to remember all those who lost their lives in the senseless war,” the official announced. “It also stands for the hope of our nation as we welcome a bright and shining new future. For now she will stand in prominence here in the atrium of this old building but, once Nova Aurora is completed, she will take her permanent home at the heart of the golden City of the New Dawn.”
Nicanor reached up then and grasped the drape that covered the statue. “Welcome Aurora Fortuna, our Lady of Fortune.” He pulled the drape down with a flourish as a great gasp arose from the gathered crowds.
The revealed statue was of a woman in full robes and a cloak over her head, her face uplifted towards the sky. Her expression was both serene and steadfast. In her left arm she held a child, its face also tilted towards the sky and its hands clasped together as if in prayer. The statue’s right hand was extended outward, her fingers wrapped around a wand. As the masses watched, golden magic flared to life within her eyes and the tip of her stone wand started to glow before golden light started to flow like a liquid sunbeam. It disappeared into nothing just as it hit the floor. As Alpha watched grimly, the crowd erupted into cheers.
Notes:
Send me some love? Thoughts? Hope you all enjoyed it!
Chapter 36
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Six
In an uncharacteristic show of frustration, Alpha snarled and threw the knife with his left hand. It landed with a quiet thunk and quivered with the vibrations from the impact. But it was just slightly off mark. He had trained to use both hands since the beginning under Legio and was fairly functionally ambidextrous now. However, he was predominantly right handed. And so now he found the primary use of his left hand to be woefully not up to par. Weakness could get him killed and now he had a glaring one. With another frustrated growl, Alpha ran his fingers through his hair roughly.
In the month after the battle at Hogwarts, Alpha had gone through a successful surgery. The minor tear in his shoulder had been repaired and he had slowly begun physical therapy. He still had to be mindful of the healing fractures in his clavicle and ribs, but hadn’t wanted to be set back too far behind. If he didn’t start on therapy, he’d end up with far too much muscle loss. He had been banned from using his shoulder during the first four to six weeks until he was given the go ahead, but that initial recovery period was nearly over and then he’d be able to increase the intensity of his physical therapy sessions. He would still be banned from strenuous activity afterwards until an undetermined amount of time, but at least he no longer needed to keep it fully immobilized in a sling. His progress was being carefully monitored by the medical staff of both mundane doctors and magical healers.
But his hearing hadn’t returned to normal, the ringing getting gradually worse. It was distracting. And his hand hadn’t improved at all either. Even taking into account his healing shoulder injury, his right hand was nearly useless. He could barely grip anything with it and the tremors hadn’t gone away. The Letters had been careful not to treat him any differently, but he could feel the pitying gazes from the mages. And they all still needed to adapt to Alpha’s injuries anyways, pitying or not. Because of his deafness, they had to remember to approach him from his left and to make sure he was looking at them when they spoke unless they were speaking loudly. Alpha had tried to compensate with keeping his awareness spread out so that no one could at least sneak up on him, but the constant use of his magic left him feeling drained and exhausted. Frustrated. He felt constantly on edge even in a place that should have been safe.
It didn’t help that the camp had been expanding. Thorgeirr had helped them extend invitations to various mercenaries and other trusted individuals who were in the know about the magical world. The Letters were worth practically a small army each on their own, but Alpha didn’t want to put the burden of an entire war on their shoulders. They were good, and maybe they could have handled it all on their own, but why should they shoulder the entire war effort when they could receive help? There were things that even they couldn’t do anyways and they needed the numbers to cover every base as operations expanded. On their own, the Letters and a handful of mages weren’t enough to pay close attention to every important detail. That would only draw out the war and result in heavy casualties. So they had put out a call for recruitment.
As a result, there had been a steady stream of new personnel. Each had been carefully vetted by Thorgeirr and it was more than just more mercenaries. They now had a permanent crew to take care of kitchen operations. They had permanent radio operators whose specialty was radio communications. They had permanent and qualified medical personnel, nurses and specialists. They had proper engineer mechanics for their equipment, their vehicles. And they had those dedicated to being moles within the Assembly, the true scope of that operation only known to Thorgeirr and Alpha himself.
With the expanding camp, they had needed to get creative to fit everyone. Through the magic of more qualified wizards, they had constructed another level to the camp. It was like a large circular platform over the heads of the original base. The wizard space barracks had all been moved to the upper platform and more had been added. The mess still existed on the ground, but it had been expanded to be able to handle such a large group. The camp was lively and there was always activity. They might be now fighting a silent war, but each of them knew how to find entertainment in the little things. It kept up morale. And still none of them were allowed down into the bunker that existed as a safe place for the Letters. None but the Letters knew the true size of the complex.
Alpha had briefly met with each person as they came in, but had kept to the background for the most part otherwise. With his new weakness, he hadn’t felt comfortable being on the frontline so to speak. Luckily the other Letters were all very much up to the task of filling in the space he left behind. He was still the leader, and the entire camp was aware of it, but the other Letters handled the situation well. It allowed Alpha time to focus on his healing in any free time that he had.
“Don’t you have an appointment soon?” Thorgeirr’s voice reached him suddenly and startled Alpha. He barely managed to rein in his first instinct to lash out while cursing the fact that he let himself get distracted. Thorgeirr was nice enough to pretend not to notice as he walked over to the target and pulled the knife free. “Dr. Nadkarni told me she was impressed by how well you were healing.”
Alpha took the offered knife and tucked it back away with a jerky motion. “Not fast enough.” And they still weren’t sure if he would ever regain full functionality in his hand, or full hearing back in his ear. He would adapt. He had to. But some days were harder than others. “Was there something you needed?”
Thorgeirr reached out and carefully grabbed hold of Alpha’s head with his hands. His hold was gentle and he didn’t try to trap Alpha in. “Hey. Look at me, son.” Alpha averted his eyes, but Thorgeirr had as much patience as any sniper. Reluctantly, Alpha looked Thorgeirr in the eye. The older man huffed out a soft laugh and then leaned in to kiss Alpha’s forehead. “Such a teenager. That said, you are one of the strongest men I know. And certainly the most accomplished. But you’re not alone. Now. When was the last time that you were able to get some sleep? Proper sleep.” He tacked on the last bit sternly before Alpha could sass him.
At the question, Alpha averted his gaze again. “Not since before the battle,” he grudgingly admitted. “I’ve caught sleep here and there, but that’s it. It’s the dreams.” His sleep was filled with nightmares more often than not. None of them were stranger to nightmares, his in particular filled with all of the faces he had killed or could not prevent from being killed. Failed missions and being back in Legio were other frequent themes. Each Letter had varying degrees of symptoms of PTSD and C-PTSD. Alpha was no different.
Sorrow filled Thorgeirr’s face and Alpha could not bear to look at the man. “Come find me in my barrack after your session with Dr. Nadkarni. There is nothing going on in the camp that the Letters can’t handle without you. Elritze could use a nap partner. I’ll stand guard.” As much as Alpha wanted to protest, he gave in. Elritze had a way of soothing his nightmares anyways.
“Good. I’ll be waiting,” Thorgeirr promised.
And he was. As soon as his evaluation session ended, Alpha was given the normal instructions. He stopped by the mess first to get a bottle of water and an apple, then made his way to Thorgeirr’s room. He finished with his snack before he arrived and Thorgeirr already had the supplies ready for him to ice his shoulder to help with soreness. As he let the icepack sit for the recommended fifteen minutes, Thorgeirr distracted Alpha with idle conversation. Elritze immediately made herself home in Alpha’s lap.
Once Alpha was ready, Thorgeirr helped to turn off all the lights and then grabbed a chair. “I will be right outside the door,” he promised. “If you need anything, just let me know.” He grabbed a book as well and then set up guard.
In Thorgeirr’s bed, Alpha pressed his face against the man’s pillow and closed his eyes. Elritze curled up against his back, a reassuring presence. Thorgeirr’s scent too was one that Alpha associated with safety now. With the knowledge that the man was close and really would look out for him, Alpha allowed himself to fully relax and drift off into sleep. Exhaustion kept the dreams away for the most part and Elritze helped to chase away the ones that did creep in, which allowed Alpha to easily drift back into slumber.
When he woke again, hours later, he felt groggy. The feeling of sandpaper on his face helped bring him back into awareness and he realized that Elritze was licking his cheek. He grumbled softly and slowly moved his right arm to run his shaking fingers through her soft fur. He sighed and then pressed his face firmly into the pillow so he couldn’t see his hand. “I’m fine, princess,” he murmured to the feline. She made a soft sound and headbutted him, but was content to cuddle him until Alpha finally sat up. His stomach was grumbling, so he thought it was time to go get something to eat. He even felt up to braving the mess hall for a proper meal.
After making a quick trip to the bathroom, Alpha made his way over to the bedroom door and opened it up. Thorgeirr closed his book and looked up to give the young man a smile. “Refreshed? Want to go get some food?” Alpha only nodded his agreement.
Thorgeirr put the chair and book back into his room before he fed Elritze some of her food. Once she was taken care of, he left with Alpha to go down to the mess. No matter the time of day or night, the camp was always bustling. As they passed by various mercenaries and other personnel, they greeted the two of them. Alpha felt on edge, but Thorgeirr helped keep him on his feet as a stable presence. And once they made it to the mess hall, they gathered their trays before they found a corner to sit so Alpha could keep his back to the wall.
The mess hall itself was quiet, but there were a few others that milled about. Alpha felt relieved that it was so quiet. It meant that he could still hear Thorgeirr in their conversation, though he found himself absently rubbing at his right ear every so often. Thorgeirr seemed to notice it and only raised an eyebrow, but thankfully didn’t comment. Alpha sighed softly and dropped his hand back down. “The ringing is getting worse,” he admitted reluctantly. “It’s distracting.”
Thorgeirr frowned a bit and sat back in his seat. “I’ve put in a call for an audiologist,” he told Alpha after a moment. “I think I got a line on someone who might be of some help. I’m just waiting on the final background checks before bringing him in.”
“Thanks, dad,” Alpha said quietly. Thorgeirr only smiled and reached out to gently squeeze Alpha’s hand.
Once they were finished eating, they parted ways. Alpha returned to the silo complex and quietly descended the steps and returned to his room. Theta and Zeta were out somewhere, so the room was empty. He changed into a clean set of clothes and then sat down at his desk to focus on catching up on some work for the camp’s running. He thought perhaps he could go find Theo once he was finished.
“Alpha.” Theta’s loud voice came from the doorway. Though he tried to hide his flinch, Alpha had to take a moment to calm his racing heart. He tried to not get too absorbed into things because his awareness lessened, the ringing in his right ear still a heavy distraction if he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. Which shouldn’t have been a problem except his partial hearing loss was proving hard to adapt to. Sometimes he forgot about it entirely as he tried to shut out the buzzing and the Letters were able to sneak up on him. They didn’t always remember to make sound either, but he couldn’t really blame them. They all walked on quiet feet, the silence beaten into them. It was difficult to break that conditioning.
“Is there something you need, Theta?” Alpha asked finally as he set down his pen. He’d been going over the books and making a list of what they needed to restock. The medical staff had already sent over their list of needed supplies, but he needed to get one from the kitchen staff as well.
When Alpha finally addressed him, Theta stepped into the room and made his way over to Alpha’s desk. “Gamma has returned,” he informed Alpha. “He’s up in the war room.”
Alpha nodded in understanding and closed the book in front of him. He stood up then and prepared for the long trek to the war room. His healing bones were still a little sore with certain movements, though that pain was slowly starting to fade. “Did he say anything?” Alpha asked as Theta followed along beside him and just a step behind on his left.
“No,” Theta stated. “Doesn’t seem to be in any hurry either, so I expect it’s just a routine report.” That was a positive at least. Alpha liked to know what he was getting into, have a read on if the report might go badly or remain neutral. Good news was rare.
As they stepped into the war room, Gamma stood up. He had apparently showered and changed into clean clothes. So, nothing was time sensitive. “Welcome back,” Alpha greeted. With Gamma’s rise in the Vanguard, the Letter hadn’t come around often anymore. Not since the aftermath of the battle at Hogwarts. And he never left the silo complex when he was at the camp as they kept Gamma’s identity secret. The mages who had met Gamma originally had been sworn to silence for the Letter’s protection. And Gamma only returned to collect any supplies he needed or update Alpha with new reports. He never stayed long, but it was long enough for them to exchange information. And Gamma’s squad always came to see him if they were available.
“You’re looking better,” Gamma said as he rounded the table to be closer to Alpha. He looked him over with a critical eye, but thankfully didn’t make any other comments. Instead he followed Alpha back over to the table so they could both sit down. “How’s Lambda doing?” Gamma said as he sat facing Alpha. “Anything come of when she was bitten by that feral werewolf?”
Alpha leaned back in his seat and shook his head. “The bite occurred outside of the power of the full moon. Full moon came and went. She never transformed. However, she has noted sharper senses and an increased craving for red meat. Especially blue steak.” He smiled a bit. “She sustained some heavy scarring as well, but the medical staff has helped it heal with minimal loss of motion. She says that they’re going to schedule some further surgeries for better reconstruction as well, though. She’s been working through some physical therapy to keep her range of motion in her scarred shoulder and neck.” She had to be careful while the wounds were still healing. Having been inflicted by a werewolf, they were slow to heal even with magical remedies.
“That’s good to hear,” Gamma said with a nod of his head. “And how is Sigma?”
“Nearly back to normal,” Alpha replied, some relief in his voice. “Some minor scarring on his heart. Cardiomyopathy they called it. However, they have him on a regime of adapted potions. They’re optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery, but they’re monitoring his progress. The three of us are all on strict orders of light duty.” His lips quirked a little.
“And you commiserate together?” Gamma teased with a little chuckle.
Alpha huffed out a quick laugh of his own. “We might have done that once or twice,” he said in amused agreement. Mostly when they had all shown up at the mess hall at the same time. He gave a little shrug and absently rubbed at his ear. “Everyone else injured in the battle has fully recovered through the use of potions and the usual mundane healing.”
When Alpha didn’t offer up any news about his own injuries, Gamma narrowed his eyes a little before he sighed and let it go. He didn’t expect to get any straight answers anyways. Instead, he leaned forward against the table and slid a couple sheets of paper over to Alpha. “Construction has picked up at Nova Aurora,” he reported. “I’ve seen reports of more crews being hired and more materials being purchased. I think they’re trying to push up the date of the reveal.”
“A shiny new capital created just for magical folk,” Alpha muttered. “Yes, it would be the perfect time for it. A great triumph at the end of a long war and to distract civilians from what still lurks in the shadows.” He picked up the papers then and frowned as he flipped between the two. “These are the numbers for the construction?”
Across from him, Gamma gave a thin smile. “You noticed too, huh? The numbers don’t quite seem to match up, do they?” A massive construction project like the building of an entire new city would take a lot of money, a lot of material, and a large workforce. It would be easy to hide the movement of things that someone wanted to hide.
“They’re building something else,” Alpha realized. Gamma nodded grimly. “Have you seen anything that would give away what it is?”
Gamma rubbed a hand over his face and then leaned back so he could sign with his hands. The seal on his tongue prevented him from saying whatever it was he was about to say. Usually talking about Nicanor himself even if it wasn’t anything too deep or possibly incriminating. Nicanor had been paranoid like that. “Unfortunately, no. Nicanor likes to play things close to the chest. And he pushes projects in pieces through different advisors so no one but him can see the entire completed picture.” Alpha nodded in understanding. They had already known this, but this was just more proof of it.
“However, I have located the temporary campuses that are going to be used for the orphanages,” Gamma spoke verbally then. He moved some papers out of the way to show off the map on the table. He then tapped on two locations. “Both orphanages will eventually be rehomed in Nova Aurora. But until then, they have two campuses for temporary housing. The first one is here in an old Carteret Estate. Some old summer home or something from the magical branch of the family,” he said with a shrug. “The other is owned by the D’Este family. They’ll be opening their doors to the first orphans in about a week’s time.”
Alpha examined the two locations by zooming in on the map. “They’re going to need staff.” He wasn’t optimistic about getting someone in as caretakers for the children, but the places would need groundskeepers and other such staff. It would take time to get anyone into that position, but it would be easier now that they knew where the orphanages were located. All it would take was time and a bit of good fortune. But they’d make their own fortune if it didn’t fall into their laps on its own.
With a nod, Gamma stood up then. “That was it that I needed to report. I need to return soon.”
“Go see your squad. None of them should be on duty anywhere right now,” Alpha said in dismissal.
Gamma stepped around the table and then gently squeezed Alpha’s good shoulder as he passed by him. “Take care,” he told the younger man and then made his way down the steps.
Alpha watched him leave and then turned back to the map. He pulled a piece of paper closer to him and carefully sketched out the new information. He then gathered the new papers and took them back down to his barrack room so he could go over them more thoroughly. He hoped to find a better clue in the numbers of where things were disappearing off to. But, by the time dinnertime arrived, he hadn’t made much progress. He abandoned it for now so he could go eat with Theo instead. It was a welcome distraction.
And, as the weeks continued to pass, they still weren’t any closer in discovering the secrets behind the strange numbers reflected in the reports. One of the reports was the same one that was available to the Lawmaker’s Cabinet, the Court of the Peoples, and the Council of Magical Law. This spending report could be requested by any civilian and was supposed to show transparency from the Assembly. But the second report that Gamma had brought had come from one of the moles in the Department of Administration and Efficiency. The DAE had closer ties to Nicanor and his efforts, so the discrepancies were highly suspicious. They were missing something and it didn’t help that Alpha had been plagued by exhaustion. Headaches also came upon him suddenly. It left him constantly on edge. He would hide himself in the barrack room more often than not most days.
Alpha closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his face. Things had been otherwise quiet with the Assembly lately at least. That was a good thing in some respects, though they were still stuck doing information seeking and infiltration. They had to progress things slowly because if they rushed, they ran the risk of sloppy work. That would get people killed. He had separate meetings with a couple of new recruits later, both new spies who were prepared to infiltrate different levels of the Assembly.
“-lpha!” When the voice suddenly yelled next to him, Alpha startled and grabbed at one of his knives. Theta threw up his hands in a placating gesture, but there was a concerned look on his face. “Alpha? I’ve been trying to get your attention. Everything okay?”
He wanted to say that everything was fine. Theta didn’t have to worry about him. But the high pitched whine was still getting worse. He didn’t want to admit that he could barely hear out of his right ear anymore. And it was spreading to his left ear. He didn’t want to admit it. He wanted to ignore it and hope that it went away. It made anxiety, something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time, roil around in his belly to the point where he thought he would get sick. “I need to see Dr. Nakazawa,” he said finally, proud that it hadn’t come out in a wheeze. He thought he could barely breathe with the way that panic clawed at his throat.
Theta hesitated, but then he started to sign with his hands along with his spoken words. “He’s the audiologist specialist that Thorgeirr brought in for you, right?”
“Yes,” Alpha said tightly. He loved and hated how observant the Letters were.
With a firm nod, Theta made a couple more signs. “I’m coming with you,” he stated and left no room for argument. Alpha was too tired to fight him on it anyways, so he picked himself off his bed and headed for the door.
When they reached the medical tent, Alpha brushed aside the flap and nodded to the secretary. She was one of four nurses that traded off the duty of keeping track of the schedules for the various doctors. He always set up his followup exams with one of them. “Is Dr. Nakazawa available?” He asked her as he rubbed at his ear in irritation. The Japanese doctor spent his free time doing research as Alpha was the only real reason why the doctor was in the camp. In return for being Alpha’s Audiologist specialist, they had given him a lab where he could work on his research.
“Duilich, Alpha,” Moira apologized as she looked over the ledger in front of her. The Scottish woman had probably quickly realized he hadn’t had an appointment. “Dr. Nakazawa stepped out a little while ago. Would you like me to page him for you?” When Alpha gave a sharp nod, Moira pulled out a mirror from a drawer and picked up a stylus. She tapped one of the runes on the edge of the surface and then scrawled out a short message that glowed briefly before it disappeared. Each of the medical personnel carried a compact mirror courtesy of the Weasley twins. Fred and George had their own dedicated lab now and spent time inventing things to aid around camp. The communication mirrors allowed the medical staff to send messages to each other quickly.
A few moments after Moira sent the message, she gave Alpha a polite smile. “He says you can wait in his office and he’ll be along shortly,” she relayed. Alpha muttered a word of thanks and moved past her into the corridor. Behind him, he was sure that Theta was thanking her before the Letter hurried to walk beside him again.
Once they were in Dr. Nakazawa’s office, Alpha sunk down onto the examination table in the corner. Theta followed after him and then carefully touched his knee. When Alpha looked up at him, Theta gave him a little smile and then lifted his hands to sign. “Did you want me to go get Thorgeirr instead? If not, I’m more than happy to wait here with you,” he said as he signed along with his words.
As much as Alpha wanted the steady presence of the older man, he gave a little shake of his head. Theta nodded his understanding and then proceeded to do his best to distract Alpha through silly little gossip from around the camp. He was in the middle of detailing a prank that Fred and George had pulled on one of the mercenaries when the door opened.
“Ah, Alpha-san,” Dr. Nakazawa greeted as he shut the door behind him. “Theta-san. What brings you by my office? Your appointment with me is not for a few days.” There was no inflection beside idle curiosity. Alpha appreciated that the man didn’t make him feel pressured. This was difficult to talk about, to admit to.
With a measured breath, Alpha glanced at Theta and then up to Dr. Nakazawa. “It’s the ringing,” he finally admitted. “It’s so bad, so muffled in my right ear that I can’t hear unless someone is yelling directly into it.” Not that he had actually tested that hypothesis, but that was the feeling he got about it. “And…” He hesitated and furrowed his brow, but Dr. Nakazawa only waited patiently. “It’s spread to my left ear. The ringing.”
At that announcement, Dr. Nakazawa gave a little frown. He went over to the counter next to the table and washed his hands before putting on gloves. Theta moved back so he wouldn’t be in the way, but was still in Alpha’s line of sight. Dr. Nakazawa moved closer to the table then and stood on Alpha’s left side. “Do you mind if I take a look?” Alpha only shook his head, so the doctor picked up his otoscope and leaned in. Alpha steeled himself, but held still as Dr. Nakazawa examined him. “Hm. Just the same as the right,” the doctor said so Alpha could hear him. That meant there was no visible damage.
Dr. Nakazawa stepped back then and set the otoscope back in its place. “I want to get you in for another scan,” he decided. Fred and George had worked with several of the medical staff, both mundane and magical, to develop a prototype magical MRI device. It was a bit janky sometimes, but procuring an actual MRI machine would have been a logistical nightmare. Besides, the delicate components wouldn’t have been able to withstand the heavy magical energy within the camp.
The device that the twins had come up with, using both healer spells and practical knowledge from the mundane doctors, recreated a three dimensional map of the inside of the area scanned. These scans could be manipulated to see closer details and were saved in crystals so they could be accessed later. Alpha had already sat through two of the scans, one for his head and one for his shoulder.
Dr. Nakazawa removed his gloves and then tossed them into a little bin. “I’ll be right back, okay? Just sit tight and then we’ll bring you into the room.” Alpha didn’t say anything and only nodded his head tightly in response. Within a half an hour, a nurse came to escort him to the room they had set aside for the scans.
When Alpha stepped into the room, Dr. Nakazawa was there with one of the medical technicians who was also a wizard. Eli had been selected to run the new device because he had the magic to be able to operate it while also had enough medical knowhow to understand what the doctors needed when they requested scans. And when he spotted Alpha, he gave the young man a smile.
“Good afternoon, Alpha. When you’re ready, go ahead and take a seat in the chair. We’ll start in a moment,” Eli greeted and then turned back to Dr. Nakazawa, but Alpha couldn’t hear what was being said.
Annoyed, and trying to ignore the anxiety in the pit of his stomach, Alpha clenched his jaw and then went to go sit in the chair that had been set up in the middle of the room. Theta remained by the door so he was out of the way and signed a wish for luck to Alpha. The young man nodded and motioned something back, pulling a snort from Theta.
Eli stepped in front of Alpha then, so the mercenary looked up at the wizard. “Ready? Dr. Nakazawa says that we’re just doing your head today. Try to hold still, okay? The nodules will fly around your head, but will not make contact. You shouldn’t feel a thing either, but if you do it won’t be more than like just a bit of static against your skin. Remember to breathe normally. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
Wanting to get it over with, Alpha settled himself and then gave Eli a nod. The wizard gave him a reassuring smile and then inserted a white crystal into the top of the golden orb that he was holding. He then pressed a series of buttons on the side of it before setting it down on the floor. Alpha watched as the orb seemed to break open and seperate. A rainbow of coloured orbs flew out of the interior and started to soar around Alpha’s head like little flies. He closed his eyes against the dizzying movements.
It was over in a matter of minutes. Once the orb powered down again, Eli picked the device up and removed the crystal. It now glowed a faint blue with the data that was stored inside of it. He handed it over to Dr. Nakazawa, who then invited Alpha back to his office so they could go over the scan.
Back in the office, Theta hopped up onto the examination table to sit with Alpha. He absently tapped Alpha’s leg as they watched the doctor pull out Alpha’s previous head scan. The man then put them both onto the reading device that looked like a stone pyramid. When powered on, the magical artifact transmitted the images into the air above the device. Alpha thought it was very strange to be able to see inside of his head.
Using his hands, Dr. Nakazawa zoomed in on the image so he could take a look at Alpha’s left ear and its inner workings. He seemed to be comparing the two scans, the one that was just done and the other one that had been done a couple of weeks ago when the device had first been gifted to the medical staff.
Finally, Dr. Nakazawa turned to Alpha with a little sigh. “My apologies, Alpha-san. I’m going to have to study these more in depth. At first glance, I don’t see anything that would explain what is going on.” He gave Alpha a little smile when he saw the frustration on the Letter’s face. “I do wish I had more answers for you. Hopefully I’ll have them once you come back for your appointment in a few days.” Knowing he wouldn’t be able to get anything more, Alpha gave a sharp nod and left with Theta.
When he returned for his scheduled appointment, Dr. Nakazawa had him take a third scan. He had then given a heavy sigh and shaken his head. “See this here?” He motioned to a small section of the temporal lobes on either side of the scan. “There is a strange, unusual dark spot. Barely larger than a pin, so I almost missed it. It’s not a tumor and its placement is odd. I have a suspicion it might be related to whatever dark magic resulted in the other injuries you had sustained during the battle. I want to consult with another expert, one knowledgeable on the effects of dark magic on the human body.” It seemed like the beginning of an answer but, a few weeks later, Alpha found himself back in Dr. Nakazawa’s office once more.
The buzzing that had been plaguing both of his ears had blessedly stopped. Even he, who had training in resisting torture techniques, had been pushed to the brink by the over present buzz. But now, it was finally gone. It was finally quiet. But too, too quiet.
Alpha stared at Dr. Nakazawa’s moving lips, but felt too numb to focus on what the doctor was saying. His throat felt tight and he wasn’t even sure he was breathing properly. He felt the brush of air against his skin, the only warning he got before Thorgeirr appeared in his line of vision and grabbed hold of his face with gentle hands. The man’s lips were moving too, but Alpha only shook his head. He didn’t know. He couldn’t tell what Thorgeirr was saying. He couldn’t hear him! Thorgeirr gave him a little pat against his cheeks, nothing hard but just to get his attention. The older man then let go of Alpha’s face to grab his hands instead. One hand was pressed against Alpha’s own chest while the other was pressed against Thorgeirr’s. He could feel the steady and strong beat of his adopted father’s heart, the way that he took slow and measured breaths. Steady. Unhurried.
With a great gulp of needed air, Alpha tried to follow Thorgeirr’s example. Finally, he shuddered and closed his eyes. But the silence was too terrifying when he couldn’t hear anything to give him any warning, so he quickly opened his eyes again. Swallowing thickly, he gave Thorgeirr a pleading look. The man seemed to understand and turned his head to speak sharply to the doctor in the examination room. Dr. Nakazawa nodded in understanding and quickly left the room.
Once they were alone, Thorgeirr stepped back a bit and started to sign in BANZSL. It was the British, Australian, and New Zealand Sign Language family, though Alpha was also fluent in quite a number of other sign languages from around the world. “I can read lips, you know,” Alpha said finally and nearly panicked again when he couldn’t hear his own voice anymore. He quickly shut his mouth, not liking it. It made him feel dizzy, his footing unstable.
Thorgeirr gave him a look and then started to sign again. “I know you can, but this is easier for you, isn’t it?” Though he did say the words out loud as well even if Alpha could only see him mouth the words. But the man was right and the SL was easier to follow along. So he sighed and gave a little nod. “Good,” Thorgeirr said with a small thumbs up that he pushed forward a few inches. “How do you want to move forward?” He asked as he went through the signs for want and move forward.
Alpha tightened his lips slightly and pondered the question. “I want…” He started, but then quickly stopped himself. With a frustrated huff, he brought his hands up to quickly sign a response as he mouthed the words. “I want to tell the Letters,” he signed. “I want to tell my friends from Hogwarts.” He used the signs for Magic and School for Hogwarts.
As much as he wanted to ignore this and hope it was all just a bad dream, Alpha wanted to tell those who he was closest to and hide it as long as possible from the rest of the camp. He probably wouldn’t be able to hide it forever from a host of very observant individuals, but he did want to hide it at least until he could get used to the new disability. “I will tell them.” He could tell the Letters first because they all knew various forms of SL as well. Then he could tell the mages and have one of the Letters translate if it was necessary.
“Then that is what we will do,” Thorgeirr signed before he lowered his hands and dragged Alpha into a tight hug. Alpha couldn’t help but curl into the older man and just hold onto him. He was so very tired.
Notes:
Differently abled people are still entirely badass. Arguably more so in my opinion!
Thoughts? Concerns? Give me some love?
Chapter 37
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was hard to adapt. Somehow, it was the hardest thing he had ever done. And the worst of it was the dreams. His mind recreated sound in his head, vivid dreams full of colour and noise. And all too often it was as nightmares or bizarre visions that could never be described as whimsical. But then, as soon as he woke, it all disappeared. Everything went completely silent. He couldn’t hear Elritze’s purring. He couldn’t hear Thorgeirr’s words and his reassurances. He couldn’t hear Theta and his sass. He couldn’t hear Zeta and her calm acceptance. He couldn’t hear Hermione’s radio broadcasts. He couldn’t hear the lighthearted arguing between Black and Lupin as they bickered like an old married couple. He couldn’t hear Fred and George’s cackling as they pulled yet another prank to lighten morale. He couldn’t hear Luna and her voice that reminded him of spring. He couldn’t hear Theo. Sweet Theo who had cried for him and then mouthed promises that he would learn sign language so they could more easily communicate.
His shoulder though was healing. He was also still in the process of doing physical therapy for his hand to try to regain some of his strength in it and relieve the pain. This was a process that would probably take him months of work under careful observation, perhaps even longer than a year for full healing. He would work on it, but the war waited for no one. So he kept on pushing forward, just as he always had done. He picked himself up and refused to look behind.
It was early morning when Alpha was given a stack of mail that had been retrieved from the secure postal box away from camp. “Thank you,” he told Chi quietly, still hating that he could not hear his own voice. He was trying to push past it though because it was necessary to be able to speak. He gave Chi a nod and then started to sort through the stack of envelopes. There were the usual correspondences with outside suppliers or the like, but one of them was a thick and heavy parchment envelope. Alpha sat the other mail aside for the moment and examined the parchment.
All mail was carefully examined for traps, so he didn’t hesitate to break the wax seal and pull the thick parchment sheets from where they had been folded. He checked the signature first and frowned when he realized it was from Dumbledore. With a sigh, Alpha rubbed at the spot between his eyes and then started to read. It was terribly long winded.
Dumbledore wrote about the benefits of solidarity and how they must all stick together. He ended it with an invitation to Hogwarts. Why the man had to take two full sheets to describe what could be summarized by two separate singular sentences, Alpha couldn’t even begin to explain. Figuratively speaking, and literally if given half a chance, Dumbledore probably liked listening to the sound of his own voice. But that aside, Alpha did need to speak to the man. He had plenty of questions that the former Headmaster would likely be able to answer.
So, Alpha grabbed a clean sheet of paper and uncapped a pen. He then jotted down a quick response.
We will be there.
- Alpha
Simple and to the point. It was all that was needed. And as he folded up the paper, he had to admit privately to himself that it made him smile to think of Dumbledore’s frustration at such a short answer. He slid it into the envelope that Dumbledore’s letter had arrived in and wrote the Headmaster’s name on it. He sealed it then before he set it on the pile for outgoing mail.
The next moment, the lights flickered and got Alpha’s attention. He looked up quickly to see Theta in the doorway. The young man had wiggled the lightswitch to give Alpha some warning that he had arrived. Alpha sat back a little bit and signed his question, “What do you need?”
The sandy blond young man grinned and moved further in the room. “Need to get you your own office,” he signed back, mischief in his eyes.
Alpha rolled his own eyes, but didn’t disagree. He often moved between his desk in the barrack room in the silo, or would use the war room. If he had to meet with any of the mercenaries or other staff within the camp, he would just use the meeting hall as a temporary space. WIth the way that the camp was expanding however, he really did need to set up a permanent office topside.
“Not what I asked,” Alpha said with his hands along with a raised eyebrow.
Theta laughed by the way that Alpha could see his shoulders shake. He ignored the pain of longing, wanting to hear Theta’s laugh again. The Letters didn’t laugh enough and it was always a bittersweet treat to hear one of them. And now he likely never would ever again.
With a knowing sort of look in his eyes, Theta made a motion with his head. “Come on,” he signed. “You need to get out. There is nothing pressing that needs to be done, is there?”
Alpha frowned and glanced down at his desk, but Theta was right. A lot of it was busy work, things that didn’t need to be done right away. He had taken on a lot of the administration work because he had been ordered to light duty by his various doctors, but he wasn’t the only one who worked to keep the camp running. So, he gave a nod and carefully climbed to his feet. “Fine,” he said shortly and verbally. He raised his hands then to ask where Theta was taking him.
“As much as I would love to steal you away for a few days and keep it all a surprise, I know you better than that,” Theta signed seriously, though there was a smile on his lips. “So. You and I will be meeting Zeta on a private Australian beach for a full day of relaxation. Just the three of us. Thorgeirr helped us plan, so he’s got the camp handled here.”
How could he say no? It would do him good to get away from the camp and he did trust the others to be able to handle things. And when was the last time that it was just the three of them? Just his squad. Alpha gave in quickly and nodded before he asked what he needed. Theta waved his question away. Within an hour, they were using Alpha’s portals to make their way to Australia. From there, they rented a car and made the hour long ride through the early morning to a private beach where Zeta already waited for them. It had been a long day of travel given the timezones, but they had finally arrived for Australia’s morning.
The trip there had been a quiet one as Theta had needed to focus on the road. Alpha had kept his eyes on the scenery around them as they drove along the coast. And though he couldn’t hear it, he could feel the pounding beat of whatever music Theta had put on for himself. Alpha found himself placing a hand against the door speaker so he could feel it better. There was a rhythm to it and he could feel it in his chest in a way that his heart seemed to want to match. He never saw Theta’s knowing smile.
When they drove onto the edge of the beach finally, Theta parked the car and then hopped out. He grabbed a bag from the back seat that he still hadn’t explained to Alpha and then motioned for the younger man to follow after him. He then kicked off his shoes and left them next to the car. Alpha hesitated a moment, but then followed his example.
Alpha had discovered that after he had lost his hearing, his other senses had sharpened to seemingly compensate. Already blessed with sharp eyes, his sense of smell and sense of touch were the two that he had noticed the most. So as he sunk his feet into the soft sand, Alpha had to pause for a long moment. The sand was a stunning white that seemed to glow in the bright sunlight, so he was thankful for the pair of sunglasses that Theta had gifted him before they had even started the drive. But it was also warm and soft against his feet and slid between his toes as he wiggled them almost curiously.
He lifted his head then to really take a look at where they were. On either side of the beach rose tall cliffs of craggy grey stone, broken into large chunks and boulders. The sands themselves ran down into the sea itself. The stunning, glorious sea. The weather was very warm, Australia in the middle of its summer. To combat the heat, Alpha found himself wanting to dip his feet into the waters. What would it feel like? What a stunning shade of blue.
And the smell! Alpha closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. It smelled of salt and sunlight. But there was also something crisp about the air. Fresh. The breeze felt nice too, though it was just as warm as the sunlight. After the cool weather they’d had to get used to, it was nice to be somewhere warm again. He had been raised in hot places not too different from this and it was what he preferred. The damp and cold, even with the help of the charms to make their camp more mild, had a way of sinking deep into one’s bones. This heat? He felt like he was finally drying out and it was rejuvenating.
Opening his eyes again, Alpha found Theta patiently waiting for him. “Sorry,” Alpha signed, but Theta waved it off. The other Letter led the way down to where a pavilion had been set up on a wooden platform. Zeta was already waiting there for them, dressed in a swimsuit and a colourful sarong about her waist. She was lounging on a padded bench next to an unlit firepit. She climbed to her feet then to greet them as Theta dropped his bag at the end of the bench. He dug out a couple of swim trunks and then held out one to Alpha.
Used to changing around each other, Alpha felt no embarrassment in stripping down naked and then pulling on the trunks. Next to him, Theta did the same. The young man then shoved their discarded clothes into his bag.
Zeta gave Alpha a little smile. “Put on some sunscreen, Alpha,” she told him through SL. “Then go with him for a swim.” She motioned off of the side of the platform where there was a grill set up with a table and a couple of coolers. “I’ll make some breakfast.”
Though he hesitated a moment longer, it didn’t take Alpha long to follow after Theta. They had barely paused long enough to put on the sunscreen as ordered, then Theta had tossed him a wild grin and taken off for the water at a run. Alpha barely hesitated as he took off after Theta, the sand warm beneath his feet.
Once he reached the shoreline, Alpha slowed to a stop. Theta hadn’t even bothered to slow at all before he had dived into the water. Alpha took the time to watch as the clear water lapped at the sandy shore. He had swum in the sea before. In warm water, in cold water. But it had never been just to swim, to do something for fun. So he slowly stepped into the ocean water, felt the way that it curled about his ankles. His feet sunk into the wet sand and he couldn’t resist wiggling his toes down into it. The wet sand became colder the deeper he went, but then he pulled his feet back up before he could sink in too deep.
Theta suddenly came up out of the water in the next moment. He stood up farther away and shook his head much like a dog. Alpha snorted when some of the water droplets hit him. “Oi!” He called out and rolled his eyes when he saw Theta laughing at him. He flipped the other Letter off and then reached down with his hand. He called up a little bit of his magic and gathered up a bit of water to form into a ball. He tossed it at Theta, who tried to dodge it. Alpha merely changed the trajectory and nailed Theta in the back of the head.
“Hey! That’s not fair,” Theta’s lips said once he had righted himself.
Alpha smirked. “What’s the matter? You were already wet,” he forced himself to speak verbally.
Theta frowned though and tilted his head. He then lifted his hands to sign. “You don’t need to speak if you don’t want to,” he said with his hands.
Immediately, Alpha’s first instinct was to shake his head. “No,” he said. “I have to get used to it.”
“Why?” Theta responded immediately as he touched his forehead with the fingers of his right hand. He then brought his hand forward and down while he clenched his middle three fingers against his palm in the sign for the letter ‘Y’. “It makes you uncomfortable.”
The question was deceptively simple. “Because not everyone knows sign language,” Alpha said finally.
But Theta was shaking his head. “No,” he said firmly as he pinched his middle and pointer finger together against his thumb. “Why should you make yourself uncomfortable to please others? We’ve done that enough all our lives. If someone doesn’t know sign language, then any of us Letters can help translate. A lot of the camp does already know sign language in some form anyways. And if they don’t know, but don’t want to learn? Well, that’s on them. Not you. You only speak if it makes you comfortable, not because you feel like you have to.”
Alpha stared at Theta before he finally moved closer to the other man. Theta watched him seriously, trustingly. Alpha reached out then and dragged the shorter Letter in for a hug. Theta stiffened in surprise, but only because none of them were used to such things. But the blonde quickly gave in and returned Alpha’s hug. He then tapped out a message on Alpha’s bare skin. “I got your back,” it said.
The moment ended when Alpha pushed Theta into the water. The blonde would have retaliated, but he wouldn’t risk straining Alpha’s still healing injuries. He was doing well, but still banned from heavy activity and that probably would fall under such a category. He didn’t want to risk getting yelled at by Alpha’s doctors and healers. Alpha’s smug look proved he knew exactly what he was doing while Theta spit out some salty water. “Jerk,” he muttered fondly even as he flipped Alpha off.
The two enjoyed the water then for the next hour until Zeta’s voice caught Theta’s attention. He turned towards the shore to see her waving at them. He shouted back and then turned to get Alpha’s attention. “Time for food,” he signed with a bright grin once Alpha was watching him.
Zeta met them on the beach and handed over a towel to each of them. Alpha thanked her and then quickly rubbed the towel through his hair to get the worst of the water out. He then draped the towel over his shoulder. “What’s for breakfast?” He asked with his hands.
“Come see,” Zeta responded with a faint smile. She then led the way up onto the platform where she had set up a round table. On it was laid out fruit that had been cut up, slices of different cheeses, and some croissants. He also spotted what looked like sausage and scrambled eggs. A small variety of some different things. A pitcher of what looked like iced juice was also set up next to some glasses.
Theta was the first to sit, but Alpha quickly joined him. As Zeta took her seat, Alpha was pleased to see that both of them were easily in his line of sight. And, as they dug into the food, both Zeta and Theta took care to continue to use SL to make it easier for Alpha to follow along in the conversation. It flowed easily and Alpha found himself smiling as the last of his lingering tension bled out of him. He had missed this, the easy camaraderie that they had together with just the three of them. Zeta was as reserved as she always was, but Alpha savoured each of her little smiles. In contrast, Theta was energetic with wide smiles that hid the sharpness of his eyes.
Once they finished their meal, Zeta brought out a thin blanket that looked like it had been enchanted with cooling charms. Probably courtesy of one of the wizards at base. Zeta held it out to Alpha then. “Get some sleep,” she said with one hand. “We’ll stand guard.” He knew they would, but there was still some relief to have it actually said. So, he laid himself down and allowed himself to sleep for a few hours. When he woke again, Zeta was working on lunch.
When Theta saw that he was awake, the other Letter sat down on the bench across from him with a grin. “We’re going to have burgers for lunch,” he signed. “And grilled corn.” Theta looked over the side of the platform then when Zeta obviously said something to him. Theta laughed and looked back to Alpha. “And watermelon. Zeta wants me to cut it up,” he signed and then climbed to his feet. “Want to help?”
How could he say no? Alpha nodded and then climbed to his feet. He folded the blanket back up and set it on the end of the bench before he followed Theta down off the platform. The large watermelon waited for them on the table along with two cutting boards and two knives. Alpha had to smile at how Zeta had anticipated what they would do.
The rest of the day passed peacefully. Once they finished their lunches, the three Letters set out blankets on the sand and continued their conversation as they snacked on leftover watermelon. Conversation flowed easily between topics as they discussed anything they could think of, from the war to old memories and everything in between. They had to remind Theta a few times to put on sunscreen more frequently than the two of them as the young man was the palest of them, but they all managed to survive without getting sunburns.
They ended the day with a small bonfire in the firepit and roasted marshmallows over it. And once it had burnt down to mere embers, they broke down the small camp and packed it away in the two vehicles that had been rented. Then, they spent their last moments on the beach on the hood of Zeta’ rented truck. There they shared a packet of pink Snoballs as they watched the stars. Once they were finished, they made the long trip back home. Alpha had never thought that he’d one day have a place that he’d be able to call home.
Then, once they returned, the three took to their beds and Alpha was able to sleep dreamlessly for the first time in a long while.
When he woke again, Alpha went in search of Thorgeirr so that he could get a report on everything that he needed to know. Beta was the one who said she knew where the older man was and could bring Alpha to him. But the tent that she led him to was not one that had been there the previous day. Beta gave him a little smirk and then ducked inside the door. Alpha didn’t even hesitate to follow her even with how confused he was.
The wizarding tent he stepped into was set up like an office. There was a round table in the centre of the room that contained a map of the UK. The enchantments on it appeared to be like the ones that were on the map in the silo’s war room. Along the walls of the tent stood bookshelves. A good number of the shelves did include books, but there were other things as well. Little trinkets that could have only come from the Letters, carefully chosen and placed in spots of honour. He spotted a crudely carved otter, Tau’s favourite animal. There was a small snowglobe from Hong Kong that could only be from Delta and reminded him of the mission the two of them had gone on together long ago. It had been a good mission.
Alpha wanted to look for more pieces left by the Letters, but his attention was caught by the large desk that stood at the back of the tent. Thorgeirr stood next to it with a large grin on his face. Nearby was a large dry erase board and it was covered in little notes scrawled in a rainbow of colours. “What is this?” He asked with his hands, not even attempting to get it out verbally.
“Your new office,” Thorgeirr replied instantly in SL and then made a grand gesture. “Our leader needed a proper office in the camp, so we put this together for you. It was the Letters’ idea.”
At the announcement, Alpha suddenly wondered if he hadn’t actually lost the ability to cry. His chest felt tight and for a moment he wasn’t even sure he could breathe, a lump in his throat. Theta must have known about this when he had made his comment before they had left on their trip to Australia. The jerk. Thorgeirr’s expression softened then and the man approached him. “Got one last surprise,” he signed gently and then had Alpha turn around. Alpha could feel the man next to him and see him nod from the corner of his eye.
Beta seemed to recognize the signal as she tossed Alpha a grin and then walked out the door. A few moments later, she walked back in. But as she stepped over the threshold, flashing lights lit up the inside of the tent. They were impossible to miss. “No one can sneak up on you in here, Alpha,” Beta told him with precise hand signs, a proud look in her eyes and in the curve of her lips.
“Thank you,” Alpha signed simply. What had he done to deserve such a wonderful family?
Thorgeirr reached out to him then, though he made sure that Alpha would be able to see his approach. He placed his hand against the Letter’s shoulder and squeezed gently, so Alpha looked up at him with a weak smile. He didn’t deserve all this, but he didn’t say that out loud. He knew the others would tell him he was wrong, that he did deserve it. Instead, Alpha gave a little nod and then turned towards Thorgeirr so he could give the man a hug. Thorgeirr’s arms wrapped tightly around him and Alpha let himself relax into the hold.
He allowed himself the moment, but then pulled back and walked around his new desk. He touched it gently and then turned back to Thorgeirr. “Report,” he ordered in SL. Beta excused herself.
At the order, Thorgeirr poorly hid a smile and then launched into a detailed recount of everything of note that had happened. It wasn’t much as things had been quiet lately, but that was better than things going AWOL while he’d been away.
“Good,” Alpha signed and then settled down behind his desk. All of his paperwork and ledgers were safely kept in the locked drawers, but they opened at his touch and Alpha could see glyphs carved into the wood. He brushed his fingers over the marks. “Delta?” He asked aloud. He looked up and Thorgeirr nodded even as he made the sign for ‘yes’. There was evidence of the Letters all over the office and Alpha looked forward to finding each one.
Thorgeirr left then, so Alpha pulled out his ledgers. One thing he hadn’t been quite prepared for was the amount of paperwork it took to run a camp. But they kept it organized and there were department captains, so to speak, to keep track of their specific areas. These captains reported to him and made things easier to keep track of. He was supposed to be on light duty after all.
An hour later, the alarms flashed and Alpha lifted his head in a carefully controlled manner. “Monk,” he greeted. “What can I do for you?” The man said something, but his head was turned to the side as he eyed the new space. Alpha grimaced and snapped his fingers. It was soundless to him, but Monk quickly focused on him. “Hard of hearing, remember?” He still couldn’t quite admit that he was fully deaf, but the majority of the camp had known that he’d been having some trouble with his hearing since the battle at Hogwarts.
“Apologies, Commander Alpha,” Monk said slowly so Alpha could see the movement of his lips. “I’m playing messenger today. R-TAC intercepted some communications from the Assembly to unknown recipients within Moscow. The message was in code and has been relayed to the decoding team. In the meantime, we’re handing over a record of the transmission to you as part of our report.” R-TAC was the Radio Transmissions and Alert Communications division that they had formed within the camp. Alpha wasn’t sure who had named it, but it had become known as simply R-TAC. They oversaw the communications between outside teams and the camp, as well as intercepting communications from the Assembly.
Alpha nodded to Monk and so the blonde man stepped closer and laid a document envelope on Alpha’s desk. “Anything else?” Alpha asked as he picked it up, though his eyes never left Monk.
“No, sir.”
“Then you’re dismissed,” Alpha said.
Monk gave a quick salute and then turned on his heel to leave. At the door though, he turned around to face Alpha again. When the Letter raised an eyebrow in question, the blonde gave a crooked grin. “It’s a nice office.” He nodded over to the dry erase board then. “My note is in the upper right corner in green, if you haven’t found it yet.” He saluted again before ducking out the door.
Once the man was gone, Alpha looked over to the board. He hadn’t studied it yet, but he realized now that the entire camp had taken time to write something on the board for him. He stood up and found Monk’s. “We’ll always hold the line and we’ll rise against their machine,” he mouthed out. With a quirk of his lips, Alpha returned to his desk to open the report. He feared he might get too choked up if he read too many of them at once. And he had work to catch up on.
It was a week later then that Alpha traveled with Theta and Zeta to Hogwarts for the meeting that Dumbledore had proposed. He had debated on bringing more Letters with him, or even another team from the camp, but had decided that it would be better to not give away their growing numbers. The Assembly had a growing interest in Guiding Star so they had to be careful to fly under their radar. So, Alpha took the two he trusted most with him and they took one of the newer Jeeps that they had acquired. They still kept a number of weapons on them, but they refrained from anything too outwardly military. And, just as they always did, they weaved around Assembly checkpoints on the Highway.
“Checkpoint CR-5 is ahead,” Alpha said verbally from his seat as he watched the updated map they had acquired before they had left. Some of the Assembly checkpoints remained in the same areas, but others moved around. So when they needed to use the Highways, they kept maps of the roadways with up to date locations they had acquired from their informant in the Department of Magical Transportation.
Alpha saw Theta nod and he exited off the Highway onto a muddy field. They quickly pulled onto a dirt road and followed it a ways before Alpha opened the Highway again with a pulse of his magic. The Highways criss crossed each other in places and often had no discernable pattern, as was the way with wizards. Their buildings and pathways that had existed for hundreds of years rarely followed any sort of logic, new structures built atop older ones. One could pass through another magical roadway and not even realize it because each stretch of the roads were their own spaces. One could move between them if they knew where they intersected however, so it made it easier for them to slip around checkpoints once they had the entire road system mapped. That had been quite the undertaking since no complete survey had ever been undertaken before. Wizards.
When they approached Hogwarts’ grounds, they arrived first by the train station. With the wards still being down, they were able to drive onto the carriage track without problem. They followed it around the loch and past Hogsmeade before they drove in through the winged boar gates. They approached Hogwarts herself then and drove past the still decimated grounds. It had been cleaned up in the few months since the battle, but the ground was still broken up in many places.
Theta parked the Jeep in the front of the school and the three exited the vehicle. It felt strange to be back, to not have a weapon in his hands. Each of them still had a number of hidden weapons, but they had decided to forgo their rifles. Alpha thought his hands felt empty since he had the feeling like he was going to step into another battle. But this would be a battle of wits more likely and he wasn’t helpless. “Let’s go,” he signed and led the way up into the castle.
There were no wizards to greet them, though two suits of armour stood guard on either side of the door. They saluted them with their swords and Alpha had to hold back a smile. He nodded to them and then stepped into the castle proper. The doors to the Great Hall opened for them as they approached them.
The tables that had lined the Great Hall were gone and instead replaced by a large round table. The table was richly decorated in the colours of Hogwarts’ heraldry and a large feast was already waiting for them. Alpha was grateful for the round table as it would make it easier for him to see each person, though he was still not looking forward to this meeting. It appeared like it wouldn’t be a one on one meeting with Dumbledore after all.
As they entered the Hall, the Headmaster rose to greet them and spread his arms wide. Alpha glanced over the gathered wizards and frowned. He had hoped that it would be a small meeting, but it looked like he was not going to be able to get away without revealing his deafness. Before Dumbledore could say anything, Alpha held up a hand and then turned slightly to Theta next to him. The Letter gave a nod and stepped forward to translate for Alpha as the young man signed his words. “Headmaster. When we were last here for the battle, I was injured in the fight against Thief. While I have recovered, I have been left with a permanent disability.”
“Are you mute?” This was said by a wizard that Alpha didn’t recognize. He only knew it had been said because the man was sitting almost directly across from him and Alpha had been lucky enough to catch his moving lips.
Alpha shot the man a glare and shook his head sharply. “I can speak,” he said verbally before he started to sign again while Theta translated once more. “I have lost my hearing.”
He was suddenly thankful for that fact as he could tell that more than one of the wizards had started to speak at once. He noticed that both Theta and Zeta barely managed to suppress their flinches at the noise. Alpha frowned heavily and made his way to one of the open seats. When Theta took the seat on the left and Zeta on the right, Alpha continued his speech after he had held his hand up once more to catch their attention again. “The only reason I’m telling this to you,” Theta spoke for him, “Is so that you remember to grab my attention before you speak to me.” They took their seats then.
But as conversation began, Alpha noticed that many of the mages would direct their questions to Theta. After several minutes, Alpha slammed his hand against the table and stood up. He could feel the vibrations from where his fist had hit the wooden surface, his goblet quivering. He could only imagine that the Great Hall had gone silent as several wizards snapped their mouths shut. “I am not an invalid,” he told them verbally in a tight voice. “If you need to speak with me, then you will address me rather than my subordinates. I can still speak for myself and I can still tell what each one of you is saying. I can read lips as long as I know that I am being spoken to!” The mages seemed shocked at his outburst, but Alpha felt it was the only way to get his point across. He was at the end of his long fuse.
“Good,” he said just as tightly. “Shall we try this again?” He took his seat again then.
Dumbledore offered him a placating smile. “Forgive us, Mr. Alpha.”
“Just Alpha,” the Letter interrupted. It was so hard to keep the tiredness from his voice, just so done with it all.
“Yes, of course. Alpha. Perhaps once all of this is over, Madam Pomfrey could take a proper look at you, see if something can be done about your hearing,” the man offered. He spoke as if Alpha hadn’t thought to do such a thing.
Alpha narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore. “Do not treat me as if I am a broken toy, am something that needs to be fixed,” he signed as Theta translated in a cold voice. “I may not be abled in the same way that I was, but I am not a commodity that has suddenly lost its value. My injuries are a result of corrupted magic and that is all that you are entitled to know.” And, as Theta said it out loud for him, Alpha realized it was true. He wasn't broken.
As he ignored the food that was laid out over the table, Alpha kept his attention on the Headmaster. “How does Thief keep himself anchored to the living world?” He asked in sign as Theta translated again. He wanted to know what Dumbledore knew and it was the only reason why he was there.
At the question, Dumbledore didn’t even blink. Instead, the old man gestured to the food with a genial smile. “No reason to discuss such heavy topics over a good meal. A feast like this should be partaken with good company and in good humour.”
“We did not come here to enjoy a party,” Theta translated in a cold voice. “We came to receive answers.”
Dumbledore held up a hand and then stroked his beard. “We must remain unified, Alpha,” he chided gently. “We should not fight amongst ourselves.” Alpha stared at the man with a blank expression. The Headmaster had grown too used to being in power.
“I will listen to you when you actually contribute something of worth,” Alpha signed sharply. Theta paused a beat, but did translate quickly after. No one but Alpha and Zeta had to know that the sniper had to hold back laughter. “How does Thief keep himself anchored to the living world?” He asked again. “I know you know.” He was sure that Dumbledore had been getting to that point when he had initiated the supposed lessons when Alpha had still attended the school.
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and regarded Alpha silently. The Letter knew the other mages were all trying to be heard, were speaking their minds. Zeta had slipped her hand beneath the table to relay the most important pieces, her fingers tapping out the letters quickly against his thigh. Finally, the old wizard sighed and gave in with a solemn nod. “Very well.”
The man went quiet again and Alpha tried not to grow impatient. He had patience beaten into him long ago, but even he could only hold out for so long. But, finally, the former Headmaster started to speak. “I knew the young Tom Riddle, was his professor when he graced the illustrious halls of this honourable school. As a child who grew up not knowing about magic, he was enchanted by everything the school had to offer. He became ensnared by the promises of magic. But he was a boy who was a halfblood and in the House of Slytherin. You must understand what that means, Alpha.”
Alpha wouldn’t be surprised if Thief had needed to fight for power, to get others to respect him when they were more concerned about the purity of one’s blood than the use of magic. He gave a nod. “The prejudices of this world created a monster,” he stated verbally. He could see that a few of the gathered mages wanted to deny his words, but they angrily held back their opinions. Alpha raised an eyebrow at them and then looked back at Dumbledore. “Continue.”
“During Tom’s third year, just a week after the students returned to Hogwarts for the start of the year, the Blitz began in London,” Dumbledore said gravely. “During Tom’s years at Hogwarts, World War Two ravaged most of the world. At the same time, the Wizarding community saw the rise of Grindelwald. The world saw a lot of death and fighting for both muggles and wizards alike during Tom’s formative years. I do not know the exact catalyst, but he developed a fear of death. In his research, he came upon the forbidden magic of horcruxes.”
Alpha, in that moment, witnessed a tremor go through a small number of the gathered mages. Not all of them knew what a horcrux was, so he said nothing as he waited for Dumbledore to elaborate. Luckily, the man did not make him wait long.
Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him on the table. “Tom fractured his soul,” he said grimly. “And placed a piece of it in a vessel. As long as that vessel remains, it acts as a tether. A sort of half life.”
So they were right. Thorgeirr’s story was right. He tapped his fingers in a seemingly absent manner on the table in front of him. The question now, was how many were there? They were sure that Thief had more than one soul shard out there. So far they hadn’t truly learned anything new, just proved their theories. “How many are there?” Alpha asked through Theta then. “Thief would not be the type to have only one.”
“I believe there to be seven,” Dumbledore said gravely. “It is the most powerful magical number according to Arithmancy after all and Tom believes strongly in such things.”
It was like pulling teeth, trying to get as much usable information as possible. Alpha wanted to roll his eyes. “Do you know what he used as vessels and where they are?” At least Theta didn’t say it as sarcastically as Alpha was thinking.
Dumbledore stroked his beard then and nodded pensively. “I do have some theories,” he said slowly. Alpha wanted to throttle the man. “When Tom gave up his name, he tried to bury his past. He didn’t want to be connected to his birth name and the fact that he was halfblooded.” Dumbledore removed his wand and then etched out Thief’s name in burning letters. With a little flick, they rearranged themselves. ‘Tom Marvolo Riddle’ became ‘I am Lord Voldemort’. “However, he could never truly move on from his past. I believe it is the same for the items he chose for the vessels of his horcruxes. They have connections to who he was or where he came from.”
“And they are?” Alpha tried to hurry Dumbledore along but the man shook his head.
Alpha kept his face impassive as Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him again. “My apologies, Alpha. I wish to be sure of it before I reveal anything more,” the old man said in what Alpha could only imagine was a placating tone.
It was frustrating, the fact that Dumbledore would still keep details from them. The man wanted to try to control the flow of information, to keep himself relevant in some way. But it didn’t matter in the end. They had gotten enough from Dumbledore to move forward. The old man had proven their theories about the soul shards correct and had given them a direction to go in. Dumbledore wasn’t the only one who could research after all. Between the Letters and the rest of the camp at large, they’d be able to track down Thief’s missing soul shards.
“I want to leave you with some food for thought,” Alpha said as he stood up. “There is a saying that I have heard many variations of, but let me translate it into something you might understand.” He looked over each one of them with a stern glare. “When there are nine at a table with one Deatheater among them but none of them speak out against that Deatheater, then there are ten Deatheaters at that table. With the supposed death of Thief, the Deatheaters have seemingly scattered to the winds. But that doesn’t mean that their ideals do not live on while you cower in an empty castle. Grow a spine. And maybe a pair of balls.”
Alpha spotted more than one scandalized face, but there were a few of them that appeared pensive as well. WIthout another word, Alpha turned on his heel and left the Hall with Zeta and Theta at his back. There was work to be done.
Notes:
Note: I do not actually know sign language myself. I apologize if I make any mistakes!
Thoughts? Leave me some love?
Chapter 38
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Carefully dropping out of the position he had been in, Alpha accepted the bottle of water that was handed to him from Cathi. The woman was a mercenary, but had a background in the medical field and specifically sports medicine. She had gone on to join the US Army after university, but had later fallen in with a mercenary group after she had been discharged. After she had joined the Guiding Star camp, with her background, Cathi had been recruited to oversee Alpha’s physiotherapy. She also spoke SL fluently because one of her parents had been hard of hearing, so that was an added bonus.
“Good job today,” Cathi said with her hands. “How’s the shoulder feeling?”
Alpha squeezed the bottle to squirt some of the water into his mouth before he answered. He swallowed then before he put the bottle down so he could use his hands. “Sore,” he explained. “But better than last session.”
Cathi didn’t seem surprised as she nodded her head. “Good. Means it’s getting stronger. Let me see your hand?” Alpha hesitated, but then held out his right hand. There was still a tremor in it, especially since he wasn’t trying to use it for anything currently. “Fasciculation hasn’t seemed to improved,” Cathi mouthed once she was sure that Alpha was watching her. She held out her other hand then. “Both hands.” Alpha placed his other hand on top of hers and waited for her to nod. He then squeezed both as he knew that she was testing the strength of his grip.
After a moment, Cathi let go with a nod. “Your grip is getting better,” she said as she returned to using her hands to speak to him. “How’s the symptoms? Do you need any more salve from the Apothecary?”
At the questions, Alpha shook his head. “I still have plenty. I can still feel weakness in the hand when I try to grip things, but I’m less likely to spontaneously drop them. There’s still some pain, but the salve has been helping with that. There’s less prickling as well, but the numbness still flares up on occasion.” Cathy nodded to show she had heard. It was an improvement, but Alpha knew that he wasn’t likely to regain full mobility with his hand.
“Good. Keep up those exercises and we’ll reevaluate next time,” Cathi told him and then gave a salute.
Alpha nodded and saluted her back before he grabbed his water bottle again. He then left the small gym and made his way instead to the reception desk. He verified his next appointment with the nurse there and then turned to leave. As he exited the medical tent, Theo was there to greet him.
Theo made a motion much like a salute, though his palm was looser with it turned more outward as he pushed his palm away in the sign for hello. The young man then closed his fist into the sign for ‘A’. They had been using the first letter of his name as his name sign, though he was sure that he would eventually end up with a second sign attached to his name. The second sign was descriptive and based on anything from personality to career. It would come naturally eventually.
Theo was still a little sloppy and his motions a little clunky, but he had held onto his promise to learn SL. So, Alpha offered the mage a warm smile and greeted him back. He said hello and then signed the letter ‘T’, the first letter of Theo’s first name. He then added a descriptive sign, though he refused to tell Theo what it meant. Alpha kept his dominant loose in an open hand with his palm in front of his face. He then moved his hand once in a circular motion clockwise while he changed his handshape into "flat-O". Beautiful.
Theo pulled a face at him, but Alpha only smiled and then made a motion with his head. “I have time before my next meeting,” he said slowly as he signed the words as well. “Join me for a meal?” Theo eagerly agreed, his minor annoyance forgotten.
When they arrived at the mess, they collected their food and then found an open table where Alpha could sit with his back to the wall and Blaise was already seated. They joined him and Blaise greeted them both, his nimble fingers smoothly signing the greeting. Alpha could see Theo’s pout at Blaise’s ease at learning Sign, but hid his smile in a sip of his drink.
“Been awhile since we were able to eat together like this,” Blaise commented as he spoke the words with clear enunciation. It made it easier for Alpha to read the young man’s lips since Blaise wasn’t fluent in Sign yet. “It makes me miss the simpler times back at Hogwarts.”
Alpha wouldn’t say that there had been less worries back at Hogwarts, but there had certainly been different worries. Not as life or death even with the war looming over their heads. Alpha picked up his spoon with his left hand and scooped up a bit of his curry. With the two young men seated across from him, it made it easier to hold a conversation. Especially since the two paid careful attention not to talk over each other so Alpha only had to focus on one speaker at a time. He appreciated the care they took. “How is Luna?” He asked the two before he took the bite of his food.
“She’s been spending most of her time in the Apothecary,” Blaise was the one to answer. “I know she wants to visit more, but she’s been busy with her apprenticeship there.” The Apothecary supplied a mix of magical and mundane medicines within the camp. The mundane medicines were filtered through the Apothecary while the modified potions and salves, like the one he used for his hand, were created on site. The Apothecary had been established as a pharmacy of sorts, so provided the medicines for the camp. Some could be requested over the counter, and everything was carefully inventoried, while some could only be given out through a prescription from one of their doctors or healers. Everything was carefully monitored and orderly. And Luna, who had felt like she needed to contribute to the camp in some way, had chosen the Apothecary to apprentice in. In that same vein, Hermione still spent a great deal of her time with the radio corps, so all of them kept busy. Even Blaise and Theo.
“Pass along a hello to her if you see her,” Alpha said before he turned his attention to Theo. It was something that had snuck up on him in the little moments that they caught here and there, but the young man was precious to him and Theo was a steady presence by his side. “How are you enjoying the Archives?” The Archives was where they kept all of the camp’s records. Records with the highest clearance, accessible only to Alpha and the Letter captains, were kept within the Vault within the Archives. Everything else was kept within the general Archives, but access was carefully monitored. They kept research materials that had been gathered in the camp, records of spending and inventory. Mission reports of a less sensitive nature were also kept in the Archives. It was an effort to remain transparent to the camp at large and keep track of all the physical records, but had measures in place to keep anything from being leaked. Theo had requested to be part of the staff and Alpha had left the choice to Thorgeirr’s discretion. The man had agreed and given the job to Theo after an interview that Alpha hadn’t been a part of.
“I’m still at the reception desk,” Theo stated slowly. “Which I don’t mind at all! I sign in everyone who comes to use the Archive, check their credentials. Take document requests to be passed along to one of the Archivists.” None of the documents kept in the Archives were allowed out of the building, so requests had to be made to pull documents to be looked over at one of the private tables with an attending Archivist. “I’m hoping to gain further clearance eventually, but I don’t mind the reception at all. I’m getting to know everyone better.”
Alpha gave a small smile. “I am happy that you’re enjoying it,” he stated. He was also glad that it kept Theo safe, out of the way. Alpha didn’t have to worry quite as badly. Theo returned his smile, a splash of colour across his pale cheeks. Alpha turned to Blaise then in time to see the young man roll his eyes, so he raised an eyebrow. “And how goes your twin wrangling?”
Blaise had decided to work with the Weasley twins as Fred and George spent a great deal of their time inventing new things for use around the camp. Their largest project currently in development was an alarm system for the camp, but one that had visual cues and not just audible ones for Alpha’s benefit. Blaise was officially apprenticing with them, but unofficially babysitting them. While brilliant, they did have a tendency for mischief and needed Blaise’s calm patience to reel them back in at times. But the three of them seemed to enjoy their arrangement and a great number of useful inventions had come out of it.
Alpha was just glad that each of them had found a place where they fit in and were able to feel useful to the operation of the camp. He didn’t want any of them on the front lines, but he knew they still wanted to be part of the war efforts. He couldn’t fault them for that, though he would still try his hardest to shield them from the worst atrocities. Even so, it was nice to have little moments like this as well, a bit of calm where they could visit like they used to just a few months ago. A lifetime it seemed at times.
Before they could continue their conversation, Alpha noticed a flash of blonde by the doorway. There were several blondes within the camp, but only one had that particular shade of gold. His attention stolen by it, he raised his head fully to see Luna as she practically danced into the mess. She went to grab a tray of food and then must have spotted them as she came over to join them.
Alpha greeted her immediately, pleased to see her. He still missed the sweet sound of her laughter, but her smile was just as lovely. She greeted him in return, her SL as graceful as the rest of her. She was still learning, but she learned swiftly. Perhaps not as easily as Blaise, but he still appreciated her dedication. He appreciated it from all of them.
So Luna took her seat and she eagerly began a conversation about mundane things without missing a beat. Theo was just as riveted to her tales as he always was and it made something relax in Alpha because of the familiarity of it all. He still couldn’t quite understand Luna when she pulled out words he had never encountered before, but he enjoyed it for the distraction it was meant to be. Blaise just sat back and made little comments every so often that Theo sometimes smacked him for.
But as much as he wanted the moment to last, there was a very important meeting that he needed to get to before he was late. So Alpha stood up and gathered his tray. “I need to get going,” he told them and both young men nodded their understanding. Luna offered a smile and a goodbye, not yet finished with her meal. Blaise promised to keep her company.
Theo quickly stood as well and picked up his tray. “I’ll walk with you to your office,” he offered once he was sure that Alpha was watching him. He waved a quick goodbye to Blaise and Luna then before he followed Alpha over to turn in their trays. Theo then hurried to follow Alpha out the door. Once they were on the pathway between the tents, Theo reached out and gently tapped Alpha’s arm. When the commander looked at him, Theo smiled and shrugged. “You aren’t meeting with the ICW yet, right?”
“Correct,” Alpha said with his hands and then continued verbally so Theo could follow. “We’re meeting with an ICW representative in a couple of weeks.” He explained simply but didn’t give any more details. The meeting was being kept quiet and wouldn’t even take place at the camp. They’d be meeting the representative at a neutral third party location. Thief’s temporary defeat and the Assembly restructuring was a matter that was being closely monitored by the rest of the magical community around the world.
The ICW, or International Confederation of Wizards, operated much like the mundane United Nations in some regards. There were a number of cabinets and councils that operated under the unified organization of the ICW with representatives from the structured magical governments around the world. Alpha had worked with them in the past under Legio, so this wasn’t the first time he had dealt with them. He wasn’t expecting any support either as this was more their two organizations feeling each other out. The ICW would want to know who Guiding Star was and Alpha wanted to put out feelers to see if the ICW would step in at any time against the Assembly.
Alpha caught Theo’s nod of understanding. Then, when they reached his office, Theo smiled up at Alpha. “I have to get to my shift in the Archives. I hope things go well in your meeting.” He hesitated a moment, but then reached out to take Alpha’s hand and give it a squeeze. Alpha squeezed back and then let go so he could say goodbye. Once Theo had turned away, Alpha slipped into his office to find Thorgeirr already there with the Letter captains. Zeta and Theta had arrived as well. The group were gathered about the table in the center of the office, engaged in conversation that halted when Alpha entered.
Thorgeirr straightened up and held out a stack of papers to Alpha. When the young man took it, he glanced at Thorgeirr in question. “It’s the report that I had Bravo-3 compile,” the man explained. That meant that it was from one of their spies within the Department of Administration and Efficiency. Each of them had a codename based upon where they had been stationed. The Letters all knew the code, though only Thorgeirr and he knew what identities were connected to each codename.
Alpha nodded to Thorgeirr and then went over to his desk. He opened up the locked drawer and tucked the papers inside. He’d go over the report once the meeting was over, so he closed the drawer and opened another one. He grabbed a stack of sealed letter envelopes then before he locked the drawer back up. As he stood up, the lights flashed around the room. Alpha turned towards the door to see a group of five individuals enter. Just who they were waiting for.
“You wanted to see us, Alpha?” The man who spoke was Antoine Green, a former Navy SEAL and also what the wizards called a Halfblood. He used both his hands and his voice to speak for everyone’s benefit. Alpha appreciated the effort. Antoine had been around the camp for a few weeks now and Alpha had worked with him personally a couple of times. He was a good man and a good leader.
Alpha invited the group to join them all at the table. “I mentioned I wanted you to captain a new team,” Alpha stated in both Sign and verbally. “Meet your new team, Antoine.” Alpha then went around and introduced everyone, all mercenaries. Thomas Byrne was also former military, he’d joined the Royal Air Force after he had graduated Hogwarts as a Muggleborn wizard. Byrne had felt ostracized by the magical world, so had joined Guiding Star to help bring change for others like him. Lindsey Baird was a halfblood witch who was both a mercenary and a cursebreaker. She had worked with Bill Weasley in the past.
Alisa MacIntyre had been disowned from her Pureblood family for being without magic, what was known as a Squib. Alpha hated the word. Alisa had still gone on to become a cursebreaker because she had self studied and was well versed in the theory behind cursebreaking magic. Alpha had found that goblins were more inclusive than the average mage, so they had hired Alisa as a cursebreaker. She had worked with Lindsey before as well, so Alpha knew they would work well together as a pair. The last of the new team was Lyam Clair, a Muggleborn wizard who had trained as a Healer before deciding to join the military as a field medic. Alpha had carefully considered each individual as he constructed the team with input from the other Letter captains.
“I have an assignment for you,” he told them finally. “When you joined the camp, you were told that Thief is not permanently dead.” They all nodded and he could see the curiosity in their eyes, but each of them was a professional. They waited patiently for him to continue as he looked over each of their faces. “What you were not told was the reason behind such a belief.” Alpha passed the stack of letter envelopes to Theta, who took them and passed them out to each of the individuals in the room. “Thief created what is known in the wizarding communities of England as a horcrux. It has other names, but it is essentially a soul shard.” He was grimly pleased to see that each of the new squad had faces of dawning horror. That was the proper response.
With a grim nod, Alpha motioned to the envelopes that had been handed out. “Thief’s original name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was born to Merope Gaunt, a Pureblooded witch from a line that claimed to be the last known ancestors of Salazar Slytherin.” It was a name that was famous within the UK communities, so all of them had at least an inkling of the power behind the name. “Thief’s father was a Thomas Riddle, a man with no magic. Our research has turned up the fact that Thief’s mother bewitched Riddle Senior under a love potion and which Thief was then conceived. When Riddle Senior was no longer under the sway of the potion, he kicked out his pregnant wife. Merope Riddle nee Gaunt died in childbirth and only lived long enough to give her son a name. Thief was born on December 31st of the year 1926 and was thus raised within Wool’s Orphanage until he graduated from Hogwarts.”
Alpha looked back up at the others. “The packets you were given each contain all the information we have gathered surrounding Thief’s early years and his rise to power. The soul shards he has placed into objects that act as anchors. When his body dies, he is able to use the anchors to construct a new body for himself through the use of alchemy and necromancy. However, if we destroy these anchors, we can destroy him for good.”
Antoine raised his hand to gain Alpha’s attention. When the commander nodded at him, the captain tapped the envelope in his hand. “You want us to search down the soul shards. Do you want us to destroy them?”
With a nod of his head, Alpha tapped his own envelope. “Further details are within the packets I have given you, but yes. I want you and your team to hunt down the soul shards. Thief is likely to have placed protections upon them, so you will be provided a lab where you can conduct experiments if needed. I am also willing to help you find whatever resources you need to aid you in your hunt. We have a contract with the German branch of Gringotts Bank and their cursebreaking team. Bill Weasley is our liaison.” The contract would allow them access to the best cursebreaking equipment available within the markets, both the civilian wizarding markets and the mundane world’s black markets.
“I want weekly reports on your progress, Captain Greene. Do you have any questions for me?”
Antoine gave a short nod. “Will we be working with any other squads or will it be on a case by case basis?”
It was a good question. Alpha motioned towards Beta. She gave a little smirk, but didn’t say anything. “If you need the aid of another squad, we will make decisions based upon each case and who is best suited to aid you in the circumstance. However, Beta’s squad has been heading the research into Thief’s past. That investigation is ongoing and so she’ll be your point of contact going forward.”
Alpha watched as Antoine snorted at something that Beta had said, though Alpha himself hadn’t seen what it was. A joke of some sort he could guess. He didn’t dwell on it though and instead rapped his knuckles on the table to get their attention. “His years after his graduation from Hogwarts and before he rose to power as a self proclaimed Dark Lord are of particular interest. Beta and her team will be following up a lead in the next week, so look forward to more information soon.”
“Understood,” Antoine said with a sharp nod. “With your permission then, I’d like to be dismissed with my team so that we can get to work.”
They likely wanted time to go over the new information together and discuss the contents. They knew where to find him if they had further questions. “Very well. You are dismissed.” Antoine and his new squad all saluted. “Bill Weasley should be waiting outside for you. He can lead you to your lab.”
“Thank you, sir!” WIth a final salute, they filed out of his office.
Once they were gone, Alpha placed his hands against the table and looked over the Letters that were still gathered there. Delta smirked a bit and crossed his arms over his chest. He wiggled his fingers then in a pattern that had the other Letters chuckling. Alpha rolled his eyes, but decided to not comment.
“Heard from your godfather lately?” Beta’s hands asked next and caught Alpha’s attention. Her fingers flowed in a way that was lightly teasing, her hip cocked slightly. She gave Alpha a wink when he raised an eyebrow at her. “If he and Lupin weren’t trying to be discreet, I would think that you’d be getting daily letters.” Alpha could see the laughter on the others’ faces, but held back a scowl.
Black and Lupin had been tasked with a mission to make contact with the Ulfheðnar. These were the warriors of the unified werewolf packs of the Northern Communities of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. They had a presence in the UK as well, though most of the UK packs were under Thief’s sway. And years of systematic oppression by the Ministry of Magic had sent the rest into hiding. The new government had lumped any individuals with non-human blood in with Deatheaters and to be arrested if proven guilty by the Assembly’s standards. So Thorgeirr had suggested that they reach out to the Ulfheðnar, who were in a position to assist. Alpha hoped they would help against the feral werewolves of Thief’s army that were still free, but at the least offer sanctuary to the innocent victims of the Assembly’s new laws. Lupin had volunteered for the mission because he was a werewolf himself and he had been an ambassador to packs before. Black had been instructed to go with Lupin as it was policy that missions were never run solo. Besides, Black was an asset as an Animagus and he was close to Lupin. They would work well together.
“They’re not scheduled to check in for another day,” Alpha said finally. When Beta lifted her hands to say something else, Alpha flipped her his middle finger. The others erupted into silent laughter as Alpha watched their shoulders shake, though some were more subdued than others. It made Alpha hide a smile.
“Alright, alright,” Alpha said then with a roll of his eyes. The others quickly sobered up, though he caught a few smiles. It was little moments like this that kept him from drowning. “We have finalized the candidates for Bravo Site,” he announced to the group next. They had decided as a whole that they needed a secondary location for the camp, one that would be located within the UK itself. The portals were useful and could bring them across the world in an instant, but they needed a secure site away from the main camp as well. Especially if they were to take any prisoners in the future from inevitable squirmishes.
Alpha activated the map on the table and pointed out three locations. “Delta. I want you to take your squad and do some surveillance on each site,” he ordered. “You have a week to get me your report.” With Delta’s background in obscure warding, he trusted the Letter to pick out the best location and how to safeguard it. They’d be able to keep the others as possible future sites as well, if it came down to that. One never knew how a war would progress, though Alpha knew that this could drag on for years in a worst case scenario.
“You got it, A,” Delta saluted with a little grin.
“Good. Then the rest of you are dismissed as well.” It had been a short meeting, but a necessary one. The Letter captains immediately saluted and made their way out of his office, but Zeta and Theta lingered behind with Thorgeirr.
Zeta waited until the others had left and then got Alpha’s attention. “You’ve eaten?” She asked sternly.
Though he was amused by it, Alpha only nodded and held back a smile. “After my appointment, I ate with Theo, Blaise, and Luna,” he reported to her because he knew it would help to ease her worries. She was one of the few he allowed to mother him.
Thorgeirr stepped close to him then and gently placed a large hand on the young man’s good shoulder. He squeezed carefully. “We’re all glad to hear you’re taking care of yourself. But you better stop by later and visit with Elritze. She’s being a little terror because you haven’t said hello to her in awhile.”
“I’ll stop by tonight if I can,” Alpha promised. He’d probably end up sleeping in Thorgeirr’s suite, the man’s living quarters having been upgraded from the little room in the barracks he had had only a short while before. The new suite had become a place of refuge when he needed it, one of a handful that were around camp. Though he felt at ease around the other Letters, he always found himself having the best sleep in Thorgeirr’s rooms. He thought it was, in part, because of Elritze. He’d fall asleep to the feel of her purring, though he did miss being able to hear it.
Pushing away the thoughts then, Alpha placed his hand over Thorgeirr’s. He next faced Zeta and Theta again. “Join me for dinner,” he suggested. “I have reports to go over now, but later we can bring food to have dinner here in private.”
“I’ll hold you to that, A,” Theta signed and then waggled his finger. Alpha couldn’t even hold back the eye roll if he had tried. Theta appeared to laugh then before he gave a salute. “We’ll see you later then, A!” He was the first to leave, likely to check in with the perimeter guards. Zeta followed soon after him, but not before she pressed an apple into his hands with stern instructions to have some snacks. Alpha promised he would, though he had to wonder where she had been hiding the piece of fruit.
Once he was finally alone, Alpha pulled out the papers that Thorgeirr had given him earlier and then seated himself at his desk. He flipped over the first page and then started to read. It wasn’t good information, good news. This was something he was going to need to bring up with Gamma, see if he knew anything more. He had a scheduled meeting with Gamma in the next few days so he’d be able to verify it then.
Then, once Gamma had unfortunately verified the information, Alpha called a meeting with the entirety of the camp. There was a skeleton crew at the most important stations, but Alpha would relay the information to them once they had been covered at their duties. Everyone else gathered in the meeting hall.
“As you all know,” Alpha started once everyone had settled. “The Assembly’s lawmaking power is divided between three departments. The Lawmaker’s Cabinet, the Court of the Peoples, and the Council of Magical Law.” The Lawmaker’s Cabinet was where laws were introduced and passed by a majority. It was made up of the remaining members of the former Wizengamot. The Court of the Peoples was supposed to be the voice of the common people of magical Great Britain, elected officials as representatives from cities and villages all over.
Once a potential new piece of legislature was given to them from the Cabinet, the Court had to pass a law by majority before it could be put into place. The Council of Magical Law was a judiciary branch tasked with upholding this legislature. It was within the Council where individuals would stand trial if they did not hold up to the letter of the law. So, while the Council did not take part in passing the initial laws, they were often brought forward to interpret said laws. Both on an individual level and on a national level.
There was a murmur of agreement through the gathered camp as they all had come to know the Assembly very intimately. Though he could not hear it, he could see the way their lips moved and the way they moved restlessly within their spots. Alpha inclined his head. “However, Nicanor has the power to push through laws under the pretense of wartime support. It has come to our attention that Nicanor is establishing another department under the reach of the Auror Office.” He could see the resignation on their faces that mirrored the feeling in his gut. “Officially, it will be called the Imperium Corps and its goal is to keep the peace. Individuals can be taken into protective custody under a pretense of keeping them safe, where they’ll be taken to a still undisclosed location. Civilians will be urged to nominate friends and family if they think they would be in danger from unrest within the public. This will include those they call Muggleborns, who often are mistreated by those who consider themselves Purebloods.”
Alpha clasped his hands behind his back. He hated speaking verbally still, but it was easier for him to address a large crowd like this. “The intel we gathered suggests that they will be announcing the new Corps after a demonstration. We believe that they will be manufacturing a staged assassination of a high profile individual who is outspoken against the new regime.” There were a number of new movements happening. Some had the approval of the Assembly and were supported by the government. Others had popped up in opposition, but few had yet to gain real traction because of quiet efforts to suppress them.
A hand raised then, so Alpha nodded to the mercenary. “Do we know who it is that is to be targeted?” The man asked as he stepped to the front while using his hands to relay his question. Alpha appreciated how much care the camp put into accommodating him.
However, the young man shook his head in response to the question. “No, unfortunately we have been unable to uncover the answers to that. We do not know who or when. We do not know where these people will be taken and held, but I will keep you all updated as we learn more. We have uncovered very little information as it currently stands, though I already have a team dedicated to uncovering more information.” And hopefully before Nicanor announced his new Corp. “Until then, you are all dismissed.” As one, they all saluted him before they started to trickle out of the tent to return to their various duties. They did what they could, but sometimes all that could do was play the waiting game.
Notes:
Sorry I disappeared for a little while there, but life has been busy. I hope the chapter was worth the wait!
Chapter 39
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“We have to come up with a way to secure funds,” Alpha said as he leaned back against his desk, the flow of his hands grim. The Letter captains were seated in various places about his office and Thorgeirr was leaning against the table in the centre of the room. They were in the middle of their weekly gathering. Alpha glanced at each of them as he continued to speak. “As you all know, I used the fortune left from my parents to fund the camp so far. However, that money is not limitless.” Though it had been a sizeable fortune.
Alpha had discovered that his grandparents on his father’s side had been immigrants from Egypt. His grandfather had descended from a long line of Egyptian court sorcerers while his grandmother’s family had originated near Iraq before they had made the journey to Egypt. When they were newly married, they had immigrated to England and had taken new English names. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. Alpha hadn’t yet discovered why they had made these decisions, but it wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps he would dig further into the details if he survived the war. But what he did know was that his grandfather had made a fortune in potionmaking, which he had left to his only son upon his passing. James Potter had invested a good deal of the fortune into Dumbledore’s Order, but he and Lily had died very young by any standard. They’d had no chance to recover any of the fortune they had invested.
Alpha had taken the entirety of what was left and had invested it into the camp. Some of it he had set aside in a secure location, though that was reserved for rebuilding in the future. He had kept none of it for himself and had instead used it to buy supplies, to pay salaries. Some of the others had donated funds as well as they joined the camp, but Alpha didn’t want to rely on that as a source of income. People were there of their own volition, but they had still given up their lives to join in a war. He would not rob them of whatever wealth they may have. So, they needed to find a new means of income. “We have, barring any emergencies, funds left for three months more of operations.”
Epsilon raised her hand then to grab Alpha’s attention. “We are a large camp and most of us are mercenaries by trade or have worked with mercenary teams before. Why not take on missions?”
It wasn’t a bad idea, one he had already toyed with. They had grown quite large, each with their own reason for being there. However, it wasn’t like there were constant open battles with their enemy. They were fighting a silent war, one that was fought through information and politics. There would be open fighting one day, they had no doubt about that, but Deatheaters had since gone into hiding and they hadn’t gotten into any major skirmishes with the Assembly yet. They were certainly on the Assembly’s radar, but it hadn’t blown into all out war just yet. Not one that they would admit to openly at least. So, they had teams that were integral to day to day operations of the camp, integral to their work within the boundaries of the UK. They also had teams whose specialty was combat, but had little more to do than train together and rotate their guard duties.
However, if they did take on outside missions, it would provide the source of income that they were looking for. It would also give the opportunity for the mercenaries to stretch out and use some of their energy. The Letters knew as well as the rest of them that they would get restless if they sat for too long and did nothing. Also, missions would provide a chance for teams to learn how to better work alongside each other.
Alpha gave a nod and then motioned to the others. “Who’s in favour?” Immediately, both Beta and Delta raised their hands in agreement.
Thorgeirr had his arms crossed across over his chest, but uncrossed them so he could Sign. “What better idea than to put your skills to use? And you’ll have the ability to choose ones at your own discretion.” He paused then and gave a little nod. “I can put you into contact with a few of my connections.”
At the offer, Alpha offered his adoptive father a little smile. “I would appreciate that.” He looked over to Epsilon then. “Do you want to take charge over assigning missions? Since you were the one who suggested it, I wouldn’t mind giving you the responsibility. The only condition I have is that you keep me in mind for the occasional mission with Zeta and Theta.”
“I would be honoured, A,” Epsilon said immediately before a little smirk curved the edges of her lips. “But only once you have been cleared by your healer and doctor. That is a condition that I know Zeta and Theta would insist on anyways.”
As much as he hated it, Alpha inclined his head in agreement. He knew that if he pushed himself before he was cleared, he ran the risk of injuring himself worse and pushing back his recovery. He ran the risk of a permanent injury that would completely sit him out of the game, so to speak. He refused to remain stationed behind a desk. And, just because he was deaf, didn’t mean that he was useless. He could adapt. He would adapt. It wasn’t a career ending disability, so to speak. So even though he was getting restless, he would wait until he was cleared. And that would take until at least April, perhaps even June. He’d have his first evaluation in a few weeks.
Alpha nodded to Epsilon. “I leave it in your hands then.” He turned his attention over to Delta next. “Your report on Bravo Site?” He’d already received it, but now he wanted to announce it to the rest of the Letter leadership.
Delta stood up from his seat and strode over to the map. The other Letters quickly gathered around the table as Thorgeirr turned around. Delta then focused the map on a particular location. “Here, in Perth and Kinross is a loch named Loch Rannoch, or Loch Raineach in Gaelic.” He tapped the spot on the map. “Beneath the waters is an abandoned estate belonging to the wizarding family of Dicey, whose magical line died out sometime in the early 1800s.”
The young man pulled out a device from his pocket then, a piece of crystal plate with etchings on it that made it look like it wouldn’t be out of place in a computer. He then slid it into the slot on top of a circular device that was passed over to him by Beta. He twisted it until it clicked and then set it down on the edge of the table. It powered up with a soft hum in the next moment and projected an image in the air above it. The image showed a still lake with sparkling blue waters, mountains rising above it. Next to the shore was a half collapsed archway made up of stones.
“This is the entrance to the estate,” Delta explained. “It is visible only to those with magical blood, or have been added to the wards. I was able to stabilize the portal into the estate and it is the only access point. We’ll be able to hide it and make it unplottable while also layering other protections.” He clicked a button on the side of the device and the image changed. “This is the estate itself.”
The image taken must have been from the entrance gates. There was a cobbled path, overgrown and in some disrepair, that led through wild gardens until it reached the main house. Preservation charms kept it standing, though the failing charms had allowed nature to reclaim it even under the waters as it was. The image showed the estate was protected by a large translucent dome, the light a shade of green as it filtered through the waters of the loch. The greenery that had run wild was likely a mix of wizarding and mundane flora, but that would be easily taken care of.
The main house was a three storied manor with many windows and an attached conservatory with broken glass. There also appeared to be other buildings on the grounds as well. “Aside from the main house, there are four other buildings,” Delta explained as he clicked to the next picture. “We believe this was a stable at one point, though the stalls are quite large.” It had probably housed a magical creature opposed to a normal horse. “The next is the summer kitchen.” It had likely served as storage more than any real need to keep a separate cooking space. It wouldn’t have been necessary even in the heat of the summers given the magic that was at a wizarding family’s disposal. And an estate beneath a loch would be naturally cool all year round because of the waters around it.
“There is also the groundskeeper’s cabin,” Delta continued. It seemed that even though the family had once had house elves, beings that were no more than slaves, they had still employed a human groundskeeper. The groundskeeper had likely been the one to look after the animals in the stable, though most labour would have been done through the use of magic. Though there were exceptions, Alpha had found that most mages, especially those who claimed supposedly pure blood, were incredibly lazy.
Delta flipped to another picture that showed the inside of a building. “There is also what appears to have been a potions’ lab on site. Most of the equipment has been stripped, but there are still heavy wards that cover the building and its storage rooms.” That would be a useful building, Alpha thought.
“How is the state of the main house?” Alpha asked with his hands for the benefit of everyone else after he had rapped his knuckles against the table to get Delta’s attention.
The Letter captain flipped to another picture that showed an entrance hall overrun with wilted vines. “There was some sort of magical strain of ivy that ran wild in the conservatory. It has since died out, but the glass of the conservatory is mostly destroyed. The rest of the house survived due to its preservation charms, though I did spot a bit of mold in the attic so the preservation charms have started to fail. Give it a couple of years and the dome will collapse if we don’t strengthen them. But I’m already weaving a solution.”
Alpha nodded and rapped his knuckles on the table again. “Delta will gather a team to get Bravo Site in order,” Alpha began, but was cut off by flashing lights to announce an arrival. The Letter quickly dropped his hands and looked over to the entrance. The man who entered was one of the radio corps. “Dahlin?” Alpha spoke verbally, his voice feeling raspy.
“Sir!” The man saluted and then strode over quickly when Alpha motioned to him. “We received communications from Lupin and Black just moments ago.” He held out a sealed letter envelope, which Alpha accepted and then dismissed the man.
“We’ll conclude our meeting here for now,” Alpha said as he unsealed the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper inside. He frowned as he read over the short message and then looked up, seeking out Thorgeirr’s attention. “Ástríður Gunnardottir is the Alpha of the Ulfheðnar and she is requesting an audience with me along with the Alpha of the only English pack not under Thief’s sway.” It made him nervous in a way that he didn’t like. Alpha knew he wasn’t cleared for duty yet and, while he knew nothing was likely to happen, the risk was not one he wanted to take.
Luckily, his adoptive father had learned to read him quite well. “She wouldn’t expect you to go alone,” the older man said with steady hands. “I’ll come with you along with Theta and Zeta.” None of them had magic at their disposal, but that didn’t matter in the long run. Alpha still felt safe with them and knew they would watch his back. “When does she want to meet? And where?”
Alpha handed the paper over to Thorgeirr. Beta raised a hand then to catch the Letter commander’s attention. When Alpha’s eyes shifted over to her, she gave a little salute and then told him that she’d send in Theta and Zeta. Alpha nodded his thanks and turned back to Thorgeirr. “In a couple days,” he said with a nod to the paper. “Near Gunnister in Shetland.” It was known for its heritage sites to the mundane communities, but still housed a wizarding village hidden beneath wards. From what Alpha knew of the Shetlands, their magical populace had ties to both the Northern communities and the UK ones of Scotland.
“Then we’ll leave tonight,” Thorgeirr said with one handed Signs as he echoed the thoughts in Alpha’s mind. Yes, he wanted to get there early so they had a chance to stake out the surroundings. He had no doubt that the others would be doing the same, so it would become a stand off until each side officially met with each other. This was quite normal so Alpha didn’t worry about it. Not when he would have Thorgeirr and his squad by his side. “We’ll make preparations. There are no major operations scheduled for the next week, so the others know how to handle the camp in our absence.” Alpha wasn’t worried about that either.
When the lights flashed again, Alpha lifted his head to greet Theta and Zeta as they entered together. “Beta said you wanted to see us, A?” They must have been nearby.
Alpha nodded and motioned them closer. “The Alpha of the Ulfheðnar requested a meeting,” he informed them. “You will be accompanying me as my bodyguards, so be prepared to leave tonight. The meeting itself is in two days.” It wasn’t the first time they had been on a mission like this, so he didn’t need to explain to them the details. “Theta, requisition us one of the camper trucks in addition to your other preparations. I’ve got the form.” He handed the sheet over to the sniper, who saluted as he accepted it.
“You got it, A!”
The camper trucks were modified military vehicles. The truck beds in the back had been converted into wizarding spaces by Fred and George. A few of them were mobile command units, but they also had a few that had been designed to be lived out of for an extended period of time. The trucks had been outfitted with alarms and magical camouflage, among other things. It would make camping for an undetermined amount of time much easier. “We’ll leave tonight just after dinner.”
Both Theta and Zeta saluted him then before they turned on their heels and disappeared back out the door to take care of preparations. Alpha grabbed a stack of paper then and scrawled out instructions on it. He tore off the page and it immediately folded itself into the likeness of a phoenix and flew off in search of Beta as she was next in the line of command while he was gone. The paper pads had been designed by the twins to deliver memos around the camp. Once they were read, they would burn themselves into ash to erase all trace of them.
With that taken care of, Alpha left with Thorgeirr and then parted ways with him. Alpha had things to pack and gear to prepare. He first stopped by the radio corps and had them pass along a message that they were accepting the invitation. He then disappeared down into the silo to first head to his bunk. He pulled out a duffle and packed it neatly with a few changes of clothing as well as some toiletries. He didn’t expect to be gone more than a few days. Still, he also tucked a book into the duffle, a book on Ancient Runes that Bill had recommended to him. When he needed something to occupy his mind, he enjoyed studying runes and other magical writing systems. Delta, Bill, and he would sometimes gather together to lightheartedly discuss the topic. Alpha knew that Delta and Bill would sometimes meet without him, bonding over the shared interest in warding and cursebreaking. He approved.
With his duffle packed, Alpha went to the armoury to pick out the equipment he wanted to bring with. From there he met with Beta to go over a few questions she had, then went with her to dinner where they met up with Thorgeirr and his squad. Once they had finished eating, Alpha helped pack up the truck they had requisitioned and then they were off.
By the time they finally made it to the location, it was well into the night. No one else was around, though Alpha expected to see the other parties during the next day sometime. They took the time to set up the camouflage around the vehicle as well as wards to alert them of any changes. The four of them then went to their beds to get in at least a few hours.
Alpha barely slept that night, though that wasn’t usual for when he was out in the field. He was sure that Theta and Zeta would be the same as well. He rose from bed in the early morning before the sun had even risen and made his way outside of the camper to do his stretches in the fresh air. As he worked his way through them, he could sense movement down the hill away from their small camp in a little patch of trees. The other parties had arrived.
Eventually, Alpha climbed up into the bed of the truck and through the door into the wizarding space. The room he entered was set up like the bed of a truck with benches on either side. This was on purpose to hide the secrets further within. Alpha strode towards the back and pushed aside the canvas to reveal a door. He unlocked it by pressing against a specific panel and then pushed open the door to reveal a simple gathering space. There was a table where they could eat meals, a kitchenette off to the side. There were an assortment of couches and storage crates as well. Along one wall was a spiral staircase that went up to a second floor. The second floor contained a dorm style bathroom and five small bedrooms. Each bedroom had a simple bed, a trunk for storage, and a small desk with a chair. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it would keep a warm roof over their heads.
Near the kitchenette, Zeta was fiddling with a coffee pot. She gently shook the pot at Alpha in question, so the young man made his way over to her. “Enough for both you and Theta,” she told him before she pressed a thermos into his hands. “He’s up in the nest. I’ll have breakfast in a bit too.” Alpha nodded in thanks and then made for the stairs. He passed by Thorgeirr who had set up some papers that were scattered about the table in front of him, so Alpha gently squeezed the man’s shoulder as he moved by him. He then jogged up the stairs and to the second floor. At the end of the short hallway was a set of ladder stairs that went out a hatch. The top of the truck was a platform where Theta had set up shop. The platform was encased in a small hunter’s blind and provided Theta some protection.
Alpha sat down next to Theta and gently tapped the sniper’s shoulder with the thermos. When Theta looked over, Alpha shook the thermos a little. “Coffee?”
“Sure,” Theta mouthed as he sat up. “Took the long way up?” He smirked then when Alpha only rolled his eyes. “I still find it so trippy how the dimensions work for the wizarding space. Useful, but so very bizarre.” Alpha had unscrewed the lid off of the Thermos and poured some of the coffee into the cap. He passed it over to Theta, who accepted it with a nod of thanks.
“They know we’re here?” Alpha asked as he glanced over to the two camps in the distance. He then focused back on Theta for the reply.
Theta set his cup aside after a small sip, his rifle laid across his lap. “I think they suspect it,” he reported. “I’ve already seen two patrols, one from each camp since they arrived not long ago. They gave us a large berth and the patrol from the Ulfheðnar camp circled us from a distance. I think they know something is in our location, but they might not be able to pinpoint it exactly.”
“They’ll let us be for now,” Alpha said as he took a sip from the thermos himself. Theta nodded so Alpha turned his attention towards the camps. The Ulfheðnar camp was the largest of the three camps, though Alpha hadn’t been able to sense more than ten individuals. The other camp, housing the UK’s only unaffiliated pack, was occupied by only five individuals. This meeting of theirs would be quite small, but that was necessary if they wanted to keep it quiet.
The day passed by quickly then as the four of them took shifts in observing the other camps from the nest and took turns in providing meals for their small group. Theta wasn’t a particularly good cook, but food was food. Alpha much preferred Zeta’s cooking. And Thorgeirr’s. But it was only fair to divide chores equally.
On the second morning, before dawn, they dropped the camouflage on the truck. They continued to observe the other camps as they were not scheduled to gather until midday, but had an otherwise quiet morning. Just before they were to meet up with the other groups, they prepared themselves for the meeting. They had decided to leave their rifles behind, but Alpha had hidden a number of knives on his body along with one handgun. He knew that the others had done the same. Once they were ready, he led the way toward the Ulfheðnar camp where one of the werewolves was waiting for them. They were led then to a tent in the centre of the camp.
The small tent ended up being much larger on the inside, but that had come at no surprise. What was the surprise was the form they had chosen to give the space. Alpha supposed that it was traditional to the Northern communities, though he couldn’t tell from exactly which region specifically. The various communities did share commonalities between them, but they were not carbon copies of each other. Perhaps it was a subject to look into if they were to work more closely with them, but that was something that remained to be seen.
The meeting space appeared like a long hall. A large firepit was the centrepiece of the hall where there was already a roaring fire to keep back the chill that clung to the air. There were shields displayed on the walls and Alpha had to wonder what the symbols on them represented, if anything. But that was a question for another time. He focused instead on where there was a large table set up that ran the length of the hall, benches on either side of it. The table was laden with food, some familiar to Alpha and some not. The rest of the Ulfheðnar camp was already assembled, but they stood in greeting.
The largest of the Ulfheðnar was a woman who stood at the middle of the table. She spread out her arms then and gestured them closer. “Come, come. Join us,” her lips said. She motioned then towards the end of the table where Black and Lupin both stood. “They tell me that you cannot hear. Come, you shall sit next to me so our conversation will be easier.” She then placed a hand against the centre of her chest, her amber eyes flashing in the firelight. “I am Ástríður, Alpha of the Ulfheðnar. It is a pleasure to meet you, the one whose name and title is Alpha.”
As Alpha approached the table, he realized how tall Ástríður was. She was nearly as tall as he was and she was broad shouldered. Her red hair was shaved on one side and braided intricately along the other, the intricate knotwork of a tattoo etched eternally into her scalp. Her presence was a strong one and he could see how she had earned her spot as Alpha of the Ulfheðnar. He almost wished he could hear her voice and the brightness it must contain. He pushed aside the longing however and took his seat next to her. Theta took his other side as he was going to act as Alpha’s interpreter when needed.
“Do you know who Fenrir is?” Ástríður asked suddenly once they had settled into their seats. She was facing Alpha so he could read her lips, though he had to take a moment to understand her question. “And I do not mean Greyback, who is so famous in the UK, but the Great Wolf.”
Alpha had heard the name before, but not in the context of what she was asking him. So he gave a shake of his head. “No, I am not sure who you mean,” Theta said for him.
Ástríður smiled and brushed her fingers against the tattoo on her scalp. “Our people never had a unified religion. Even now you won’t find two people with the exact same beliefs even if they are neighbours. And, our spiritual lineage was broken. Even among the magical community there was a period of several hundred years where we stopped believing in the Gods. However, there has been a resurgence. The Gods never went away, but were simply waiting patiently for us to return to them. However, we have lost a great number of stories about the Gods. What we do know comes from Christians who recorded oral stories and they were not always faithful to what the people might have actually believed. They had a tendency of demonizing certain Gods or dismissing them. We have passing mentions of Gods, but missing context and their stories. But we still worship them and are rebuilding our relationships with them.”
Ástríður spoke slowly so that Alpha could keep up, grateful that she was giving him the consideration. “Fenrir, in the lore of our communities, was the first wolf, the one where all werewolves are descended. So we honour him.” She paused then and offered Alpha a drink. Once he accepted, she continued as she poured him some mead. “In the modern tellings of the myths, Fenrir was bound because of a prophecy that he would have a part in Ragnarok, the twilight of the Gods. However, we have good reason to believe that much of the tales of Ragnarok are both Christian inventions or are mashed together pieces of older myths and so have lost their context. There is very little truth left in them of whatever the original myths might have been, so we dismiss Ragnarok completely, And, we believe that Fenrir is different from how these myths portray him.”
Alpha wondered why she was giving him this lesson, but he listened quietly. It was an interesting topic and he was curious what her point would be. So he accepted the drink she poured for him and took a drink of it after a whisper of magic to be sure it was safe. Luckily she didn’t call him on it, likely understanding even if the action could be considered rude.
“Not all werewolves are Ulfheðnar,” Ástríður said suddenly. “In the past, not all Ulfheðnar were even wizards. That is still the case and there are several of our number that are not werewolves, though a good majority are. We are the outcasts on the edge of society, but we are also the guardians. That has never changed. Just as Fenrir is, we are capable of great brutality and we do not trust easily. However, we trade with our local communities and we are gifted comforts that most outlaws are not. In return, we offer them protection from other outlaws of society or even magical beasts that prey upon magical villages. There are a great number of creatures that non-magical humans are not aware of, ones that will attack those with magic because they are drawn to it.”
The Ulfheðnar alpha gave Alpha a grin that was a touch too wide. “As I said, not all werewolves are Ulfheðnar. However, all packs are under our protection. And that includes the packs here in the UK. However, the Dark Lord poisoned the minds of many of them and so they have forsaken our protection.”
Theta sharply tapped something on Alpha’s leg then and the young man turned his attention to the doorway. He’d sensed the approach of a small group, but Theta alerted him in time for him to see them enter. The largest of their number was a man with broad shoulders and silver hair. “The Dark Lord has a honeyed tongue. But there are some among us who wish to reforge an alliance. And that is why you have called us, yes? Though I struggle to understand why you have called upon non-wolven humans to be here. Are they to be mediators?” Alpha could not hear the inflection in the voice of the speaking man, but he could easily read his expressions instead. There was a note of derision in the man’s face, the look of a man who had been burned before and did not trust easily.
Ástríður responded, though Alpha only knew because Theta tapped it against his leg. “No. They are not to be mediators, but to be our shield brothers and sisters. I will explain in time. Come and join us at the table so we might feast together as equals. This beside me is Alpha-...”
“You would call another alpha? And such a young pup too.” The silver haired man interrupted and Alpha could feel his companions shift restlessly. Ástríður too showed some disquiet, but Alpha raised a hand to stop her before she said anything. He could defend himself.
“You are Fenrir Greyback, aren’t you?” He asked verbally, his voice likely as gravelly as it felt. However, he would not give the man a perceived weakness to use against him. “Just as you have earned the title of alpha amongst your pack, I have earned the name and title of Alpha amongst my peers. It is just as much my name as it is a title.”
“I will reserve my judgement for now, pup .” From the way his companions shifted at Greyback’s words, Alpha could guess that the man hadn’t used the name in any positive way. This was going to be a long meeting.
Notes:
I’m sure you all noticed, but I am playing around with Harry Potter’s family history. Just a little fuck you to Author-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (not the first time I’ve done that, but the first time I’m actively announcing it haha)
Also. For anyone not aware, I am a Norse Heathen (I think I mentioned it in a different story of mine). One of the many things I despise about the Author-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is that she took the name Fenrir and gave it to an evil character within canon. I will always redeem Fenrir Greyback within my stories if he becomes part of the writing.
That all being said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Leave me some love and let me know what you think?
Chapter 40
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Forty
They hadn’t made any progress. Alpha wanted to rest his elbow on the table and his head on his hand as he watched Greyback and Ástríður argue. All of them had eaten and now sat around the table still, drinks aplenty before them. Theta was translating Ástríður’s words while Alpha watched Greyback speak. The two alphas had been arguing for a good hour now and it mostly seemed to be about Greyback’s pride. Alpha had to hold back a yawn.
“You broke your oath, Greyback!” Theta tapped against his leg and drew a frown from Alpha. Greyback had visibly flinched when Ástríður made the comment. “You turned your back on the Ulfheðnar and broke the oath you had sworn. You became worthless.” There was something heavy about the word as Theta tapped it against his leg. Greyback had shrunk back and there was something vulnerable in his eyes. It was barely there and he had hardly moved, but Alpha had been watching him closely. The concept of worth was something highly important to them, that much was obvious.
Theta told him then that Ástríður had deflated some and had breathed a heavy sigh. Body language was just as important as spoken words after all. “You broke your oath, Fenrir. You know what that means. It’s not something we take lightly.”
“I know,” Greyback spoke, a harsh twist to his lips that appeared more self deprecating than anger at Ástríður. “I was young and stupid. I thought I knew better than your Grandfather.” Alpha thought that it was difficult for Greyback to speak these words, but it seemed like they might finally be getting somewhere. “But I’m here, aren’t I?” Greyback continued. “I can’t turn back time and change what I did, but I can make up for it. I will rebuild my worth.”
“Very well,” Ástríður said finally. “I did invite you here for this reason, to give you this chance. But there won’t be a second one, Greyback.”
The man’s face was tight, but he gave a sharp nod in reply. Alpha leaned back a little to adjust in his seat without it being too obvious. Finally they could move on with the meeting. Greyback’s eyes immediately fell on him, however, but Alpha met his gaze without fear.
“You said Alpha is both your name and title, that you earned it,” Greyback addressed him. Alpha only gave a small inclination of his head, curious to see where the werewolf was headed with his question. “How?”
At the demand, Alpha could feel the way that both Theta and Zeta tensed even if they were careful not to show it. He even spotted the way that Thorgeirr’s hand had tightened around his copper cup. Alpha raised a hand to placate them as he continued to watch Greyback. “When I was five years old, I had what was left of my family stolen from me. I had my memories stolen from me,” he said evenly and without inflection. “It may seem like a small thing, unimportant, for a five year old to no longer have their memory. A child that young has barely lived, right? What would it matter? However, it stole my entire identity away from me and made me malleable to the ones who had found me.”
He did not pull his eyes away from Greyback’s, though he could see how the other werewolves from both packs were shifting restlessly in his peripherals. “I do not know how many of us there were over the course of seven years. I know there were many before me as well, so the true scope will never be known. I don’t even think even Capitán kept track. Once we were dead, we were useless to him and so forgotten. There are probably hundreds of children in shallow graves around the world that will never be found. And the only names we ever knew were the numbers we were given as designations. I simply knew myself as Thirteen.”
There was a shift in the air around him that raised the hair on the back of Alpha’s neck. Theta told him that many of the wolves appeared to be angry, their energy shifting as they growled even in their human skins. Alpha knew they weren’t angry at him but it seemed almost incomprehensible that they would be angry on behalf of the Letters and the ones they had lost.
“When I was twelve years old, there were one hundred and twenty-three of us. Then Capitán dropped all of us into the jungle after announcing that only twenty-four of us would remain,” Alpha continued, his voice monotone and controlled. “I had to assassinate my fellow companions, the brothers and sisters I had been raised with. I did it because I would end up dead myself if I didn’t and I rationalized it by telling myself that I was saving them from this life.” He was laying himself bare to Greyback and the other wolves. He didn’t dare look at Lupin or Black, the friends of his late parents. He was focused solely on Greyback. The silver haired man appeared taken aback, his eyes wide even if the rest of his face was carefully impassive.
Alpha paused briefly, Theta’s hand firm on his thigh. Not even the hint of a tremor. “Those of us who survived that trial were given new designations. They became both our ranks and our names. As I was Capitán’s prized champion, I was given the rank of Alpha and I captained a team. We saw more missions than the other squads and I have a lot of blood on my hands.” And he remembered each one of their faces. “We got out. We shook free of Capitán’s shackles. And since then I have taken on many names. However, Alpha is the name that I earned. I have claimed it for my own.”
There was a light in Greyback’s eyes. Something that even Alpha couldn’t recognize. “How old are you, pup?” The man asked then.
“Nearly eighteen,” Alpha responded easily. Greyback’s lips twitched briefly as the Letter studied the older man. “I am not a child, nor have I been one for a long time.”
“No,” Greyback agreed in what must have been a quiet voice. The wolf hadn’t drawn a deep breath to speak. “No, you are right. You are not a pup.”
“Good. Then let us do what we came here to do,” Alpha said before he looked between the two alpha wolves. “The magical community of the UK is in crisis. It has been for a long time, but things are coming to fruition now. The Dark Lord, or Thief as I have taken to calling him, is temporarily defeated.” That didn't mean not a threat. “We have reason to believe that he has found a way to tether himself to life. He is likely little more than a shade at this time.” He frowned slightly and took a breath. “However, Thief isn’t our immediate concern.”
“It’s the Assembly of Mages with their leader Eminence Athanasios Nicanor,” Greyback interrupted grimly as he swirled his cup. Alpha nodded simply in agreement.
Greyback took a drink from his cup and then set it down again. “I met Nicanor once. It was when I was still in service to the Dark Lord.” A smile twisted his lips, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Those two men were similar in their charisma, but yet so greatly different. Nicanor is well spoken and magnetic. He’s the type of man who could convince you wholeheartedly that murder isn’t wrong. He could convince a crowd not just to follow him, but to actually believe everything he sold as truth.”
After a shake of his head, Greyback continued. “The Dark Lord on the other hand? He had charisma, too, at the beginning. No doubt about that. But I think it was more that the Purebloods followed him because he wasn’t afraid to flaunt his power. And he had a great deal of it. He promised change, something that the UK wizarding community had desperately needed for a long time. I’m ashamed to say that it swept me up too. His promises seemed to be too good to pass up.” He gave another smile with an unhappy twist of his lips. “I was in too deep before he finally revealed the extent of his madness. It wasn’t just about politics anymore. He was actively setting out his followers to spread terror through any means necessary. And that included killing innocents. I tried to get out but he threatened my pack. I did what I could to quietly save anyone I could on those damned raids, but I fear it was never enough. But then he disappeared.”
His eyes turned to Alpha then. “When the Dark Lord returned again, I refused to answer his call. I had finally been getting my pack into a better place, recovering from how it was ravaged by the first war. I couldn’t afford for all of my efforts to be ruined, not when we weren’t even properly recognized by the Ministry.” His expression hardened. “But I can’t sit back anymore with how the Assembly has been moving lately. Their legislature and propaganda has become very dangerous, more than it has been in the past. We can’t stand idly by anymore. We shouldn’t have stood back at all.”
Theta tapped his leg then to let him know that Ástríður had started speaking. Alpha looked to her then to see her wide grin that showed too many teeth. “And this is why I called this meeting,” she stated. “I do wish to offer my support, Alpha. However, there is only so much that I am able to do. I can help receive refugees from the UK, especially those who the Assembly deem as lesser blood, but I cannot do much on UK soil itself.” She nodded towards Greyback. “However, Fenrir can. And he’ll have information that can help you. If he is willing.”
“I am,” Greyback replied, according to Theta.
Ástríður grinned then and raised her cup. “Good! Will you tell us then what your operation looks like, Alpha?”
At her question, Alpha inclined his head. He was willing to share a little. “We run a large camp of professionals,” he told them. “Many of them have some sort of connection to the magical communities of the UK, though they abandoned it in favour of the mundane world because of prejudices they had faced. And that’s why they’ve returned to help. To set things right.”
“Why do you fight?” Greyback asked him, so Alpha turned his head to face the man when Theta relayed the message. “You were not raised in this community.”
Alpha took a moment to regard the werewolf as he debated on his answer. Finally, he gave a little nod. “No, I wasn’t raised here. And I do not have any blood family here any longer.” He didn’t even spare Lupin and Black a glance, though he could see Black move from the corner of his eye. “But. I have fought in wars for nearly as long as I can remember. I have seen atrocities that most could never even dream of. I’ve participated in atrocities that will be sanitized in history books or never spoken about again, buried and lost.” He didn’t even flinch as he looked the older man in the eye. There was something like understanding in Greyback’s gaze, acceptance and no judgement. They were both doing this for similar reasons. It was their penance, but they also did it to save those they cared about who were affected by the war. Greyback nodded, the lines around his eyes softening just a fraction.
With Greyback appeased, Alpha turned his attention back to Ástríður to return to her question. “So far we have been mainly intelligence gathering. We’ve been monitoring their radio communications and making preparations for the future.” He kept things vague for now, but could elaborate if pressed. However, there were some things he would keep secret for the safety of those who were involved. He was sure the wolves would understand.
“You’ve faced off against the Deatheaters a few times, haven’t you?” Ástríður stated more than she questioned him.
Alpha nodded. “Yes. We also faced Thief at Hogwarts.”
The woman gave him a fierce grin. “I would love to fight alongside you myself one day. Once we have won this war and it’s all over, I want to invite you to my home so that we might hunt monsters together.”
How could he tell her no? “I look forward to it,” he agreed.
“Good!” Ástríður said before she made a motion towards Black and Lupin. “I will keep your ambassadors with me for now,” she told him. “They will be able to relay messages for me.” She smirked then and spared Lupin a glance. “And there are a great many things that we can teach even an old wolf.”
They would need to set up a new secure line of communication, but that was something he could get the twins to work on. Until then, Alpha did not mind leaving Black and Lupin with the Ulfheðnar. Especially if they could teach Lupin a thing or two. He looked like he needed it. “I will leave them to your care then,” he said before he turned his attention back to Greyback.
Alpha regarded the man for a moment before he spared Zeta a glance. Theta was tapping against his leg and Zeta gave a small nod of her head in agreement. With their approval to a plan he hadn’t even needed to outline to them, Alpha met Greyback’s eyes. “We will host your pack,” he announced. “We have a secure base where we will operate out of in the future. If you are willing, I would like to add a squad of your wolves to the rotation. You yourself would be a strong ally.”
“Yes,” Greyback said slowly, though Theta had to help translate as the man’s lips barely moved around the word. He seemed to give Alpha a thoughtful look before he gave a resolute nod. “Yes,” he repeated. “I will take you up on that offer. And I shall join you, see the base for myself first.”
Alpha understood that Greyback would want to be sure that he wasn’t sending his pack into an ambush. It was the same thing he would have done if the situation had been reversed. “I would be honoured to give you a tour,” he said evenly.
As they came to an agreement, Theta told him that Ástríður observed them with something akin to pride. “That’s settled then!” Theta relayed what she said in the next moment. Alpha was just pleased that they had finally gotten something productive done. The tension that had been building in the hall had finally eased too, the others content to just watch their leaders’ discussion. Alpha was glad for it as he didn’t have to focus on multiple conversations.
Ástríður had a few more questions for him, but finally things started to wind down. Alpha had to hold back a sigh of relief then as the woman stood up and offered a hand to him. He stood as well and grasped the offered appendage. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Alpha. I look forward to a friendship between us and I will be in touch with you soon.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us, bring us all together,” Alpha said in response, glad that the meeting hadn’t dragged on. He then turned towards Greyback. “We shall meet you outside to discuss our next steps.” When Greyback agreed, Alpha nodded and then led the way out of the tent. The fresh air was desperately needed and he took a deep breath as he wandered away from the camp to wait for Greyback to join him.
Thorgeirr eyed him critically, but then gave a sharp nod and squeezed Alpha’s shoulder. “I’ll meet you back at the truck,” he told the young man once he was sure he was watching him. He spared him another look, but then took the trek back to their camper.
Theta frowned a fraction and made a motion with his hands.
“I’m fine,” Alpha murmured in response. It wasn’t really a lie. His senses were in high gear, and had been for awhile, but he would survive. He had been on worse missions before and that had been before he had even lost his hearing. Theta glanced over his shoulder at something then, but Alpha already knew that Greyback had exited the tent. He turned towards the werewolf and then made a motion with his head. “Follow me.”
“After you,” Greyback agreed with a little smirk.
As they walked away from the small camp then, Alpha came to a decision. He had to take a risk. “I’m deaf,” he stated firmly. If Greyback was going to come back with them, then he needed to know.
The man stopped short and Alpha was sure that he had shocked the thoughts right out of him. He had to fight not to smile in amusement as Greyback had to physically rein himself in. “Deaf? You cannot hear? At all?”
Alpha inclined his head. “I lost my hearing completely,” he confirmed. It was something that Greyback needed to know if they were to work together. If it ended up getting out, that was just the risk that he was going to need to take.
Greyback swore and rubbed a hand over his mouth before he smirked faintly. “You’re good. I never would have guessed.”
“I feel the need to protest this, Alpha,” Lupin interrupted suddenly as he stepped into Alpha’s field of vision. There was a hard edge to the man’s expression that Alpha had not seen before now. Alpha raised an eyebrow at him. Lupin shifted a little beneath Alpha’s stare, but did not back down. “I agree that we must make alliances. It’s why I volunteered to be an ambassador. But you do not know Greyback. I recommend you do not bring him with you.”
Before Alpha had a chance to say anything though, Greyback grabbed Lupin’s attention. When the scarred man looked over to Greyback, Alpha shifted his gaze to the white haired wolf as well. “I owe you an apology,” Greyback said to Lupin, his expression a little pinched. Lupin just appeared flabberghasted, so Alpha remained quiet as he watched. “It’s not an excuse, just an explanation. But, I was young. Stupid.” He gave Lupin a wane smile then. “For a man whose family name comes from the Latin root for wolf, whose name means wolf, and who named his son after a mythological figure with connotations associated with yet another wolf, Lyall Lupin was very outspoken against werewolves. He accused me and insulted me. In my rage, I ruined your life.”
Greyback made a vague motion towards the camp that was slowly being taken down. “We would all be the first to tell you that lycanthropy is not a curse in the way that it is so often used. However, I should have known it would be a curse to you. It might be no comfort to you, but I think part of me had hoped that Lyall’s love for you would outweigh his hatred for non-humans. That he would be able to adapt his thinking for you. But I was wrong and I apologize for my hubris.” He gave a small bow, but quickly straightened. “I fell for the Dark Lord’s honeyed words, his promises for equality. For payback. I will atone for everything I have done.”
Both didn’t say anything for a moment, but Alpha could see that Greyback looked like there was something else he wanted to say. Sure enough, he opened his mouth again after a few seconds. “I do want you to know that my actions were exaggerated too. A campaign by the former Ministry to sully my reputation because I was so high profile. I did turn a couple of children besides you, but it was only ever that. A couple. One of them was an orphan and abandoned in the streets. He’s now a valued member of my pack, a surrogate son. The other was an ill child that was at death’s doorstep. Their mother pleaded with me to save their child, so I did. The kid survived and is also a valued member of my pack because their father was much like your own. Their mother sent them to me for their safety and they have been in my pack ever since. I would have accepted you into my pack as well, but your father hid you from me and I respected his wishes because I didn’t want to make things worse for you. Perhaps I should have tried harder.”
Lupin’s expression was conflicted and it was then that Black chose to join them. He gave Greyback a glare when he noticed his friend’s expression. “What’s going on? I know we’re trying to work together, but this is a bad idea,” he said with a twist of his lips that might have been a growl.
Alpha had enough. “You and Lupin return to the Ulfheðnar,” he snapped out. Lupin and Black both flinched at his sudden voice while their eyes darted to look at him. Alpha lifted his chin a little. “I understand your uncertainty, but the decision isn’t up to you. Return to the Ulfheðnar and I look forward to your next communication.” He’d be taking Greyback and his companions to Bravo Site anyways. The camp would have started repairs to the estate while Alpha and his squad had been at the meeting. He didn’t trust Greyback enough yet to bring him into the heart of their operation, but that was why they had Bravo Site. There was a lot of work to be done on it, but they still had the location available.
Black opened his mouth to say something, but Alpha narrowed his eyes. “You’re dismissed,” he said sharply.
Once they were gone, Greyback mouthed a thank you to him. Alpha only gave a small nod and then turned to face him more fully again. “How did you arrive here?”
“Apparition,” Greyback responded with a small grimace.
Yeah, that wouldn’t do. “You’ll ride in the back of the truck with Thorgeirr and Zeta,” he told them then as he nodded towards the truck. “We’ll be taking the roads to the first safe house. Theta will return the truck to camp and the rest of us will make our way to Bravo Site.” They would be hopping safe house portals to throw off any potential tails as was their standard procedure. “We’ll be leaving in a half hour.”
“We’ll meet you before then,” Greyback promised with a nod and then led his companions away. Alpha watched him for a moment, then turned sharply on his heel to make his way back to the truck.
When they arrived at the vehicle, Thorgeirr hopped down from the back and then brushed off his hands. “I sent a transmission ahead to the camp,” he informed Alpha once he was sure he had the young man’s attention. “Let them know we have guests.” Alpha nodded his thanks.
Shifting his stance then, Alpha looked Thorgeirr over. “You’ve been quiet. What do you think of Greyback?”
Thorgeirr looked at Alpha with a raised eyebrow before he gave a shrug and crossed his arms across his broad chest. He uncrossed them a moment later to use his hands in Sign instead. “He’s a flawed man,” he said simply before he gave a wry smile. “But all of us are flawed to some extent, right? I don’t have the right to condemn him for his choices. Especially if he is trying to make up for them.”
“We all have blood on our hands,” Alpha replied back with his own hands, relieved to give his voice a break. He still hated speaking and being unable to hear his own words.
With his awareness spread out so he wouldn’t be snuck up on, Alpha felt when Greyback approached them again. The werewolf looked between Thorgeirr and him curiously before he turned towards Thorgeirr. Alpha did appreciate that the man still made sure that Alpha could see his lips, however. “You speak with your hands? I’d be grateful if you would teach me how to speak it as well. I’m a quick learner.”
When Thorgeirr glanced over at him, Alpha had to stop himself from smiling. He gave a little shrug then before he nodded to the truck. “Let’s load up. I’ll be sitting with Theta in the front, the rest of you will sit in the back.” It was up to Thorgeirr if he wanted to teach Greyback how to Sign, but it did give the werewolf some brownie points at the fact that he was willing to learn.
Greyback nodded then before he started to bark a few orders at the companions he had brought with him. As they loaded up their few bags into the back of the truck, Greyback came to stand next to Alpha. “The members of my pack here with me are Rieka, Neoma, Alaric, and Ridley,” He introduced quickly as he pointed out each of the wolves. “I’ve already sent a message ahead to my pack to let them know there was a change in plans. They’ll handle things in my absence.”
“I look forward to meeting them,” Alpha responded. “Let’s get a move on and we can talk more once we’ve arrived at the Site.”
“Of course,” was all Greyback responded and then they were on their way minutes later.
Theta drove them through the roads with the usual maneuvers to avoid checkpoints. Once they arrived at the first safe house, they parted ways with Theta so the Letter could return the truck to the main camp. Alpha then led the way through the portal to the next safehouse. He moved them through safehouse to safehouse quickly so they wouldn’t be able to get a good handle on where they were. He then led them back out onto the road network. After a quick walk, they exited again for the last time in front of the archway that would lead them into the estate. Thorgeirr entered first and Alpha followed after him. Greyback was quick to join him and each one of the other werewolves. Zeta pulled up the rear and then quickly strode off to find Delta.
There was something like awe on Greyback’s face as they stood to the side of the gate. Bravo Site was a flurry of activity as a team was there on site to begin repairs of the estate, make it liveable as a base camp for operations. It seemed like quite a bit of work had been accomplished in the short amount of time since they would have started repairs. Still, each of them took time to salute Alpha as they made their way through, backs straight and professional. They all eyed the werewolves appraisingly. It wasn't suspicion or fear, just a neutral examination. It was a look that Greyback and his companions seemed to appreciate, understand.
Alpha spared Greyback a glance and spied him mouth something about ‘home’. It made Alpha want to smile but instead he made a motion with his head. Delta and Zeta had arrived to show them the way to where a meeting place had been organized. “Follow us,” he instructed. He led them towards the space that had been set up in the old groundskeeper’s cabin. It had been cleared out completely and a desk had been settled in what had been a combined kitchen parlour room of some sort. The other Letters who were currently on site were already waiting for them. They had come to Bravo Site specifically to meet with Greyback after all.
“This is Fenrir Greyback,” Alpha told the Letters once they had all settled in the space. “He has worked underneath Thief before and has now pledged to aid us. He is the leader of the UK pack.” He nodded to the man. “He brings with him Rieka, Neoma, Alaric, and Ridley.” He introduced each of the werewolves with Greyback while they each nodded as they were introduced.
He turned his attention to the werewolves then. “As I mentioned before we arrived, this place is designated as Bravo Site.” For now at least. Alpha was sure that the location would earn its own nickname before long.
Alpha noticed then that Greyback had his eyes on Lambda, his gaze curious. “Lambda,” he called out and grabbed her attention. When she nodded at him, he tilted his head ever so slightly. “Can you sense anything?” He asked her with his hands. Alaric shifted in some unease at not knowing what was being said, but Greyback shot him a glance. The older man seemed curious as he watched the interaction between Lambda and Alpha.
At Alpha’s question, Lambda looked over the new individuals before she gave a little nod. “Yes,” she Signed. “They feel wild. Like predators. There is something familiar about the feeling.”
“Do you want me to mention your condition?” Alpha responded back.
There was hesitation from Lambda just for a beat and then she nodded. “If you think it best.” He raised an eyebrow at her. That wasn’t what he had asked. Lambda’s lips twitched in the ghost of a smile. “I am not opposed to it, commander.”
He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, but turned to face Greyback again. “When we faced Thief’s forces at Hogwarts, he had feral wolves with him.” He held a hand towards Lambda then. “This is Lambda. It was not the night of a full moon, but she was injured by one of the feral wolves. She has not turned, but there were lingering effects from the bite.”
Greyback’s eyebrows raised in surprise before he stepped closer to Lambda. “The werewolf curse, as some would call it,” Greyback began as there was a ripple of laughter from the wolves that had come with him. Alpha realized it by the shake of their shoulders. Greyback shot them an amused smile and then focused back on Lambda as he finished what he was saying. “Yes, quite. The werewolf curse isn’t actually affected by the moon. That’s just a myth. Misinformation spread by those who don’t know any better. Were you fully bitten by a wolf? Or was the wolf in his human skin?”
Lambda looked up at the large man and shifted her stance. She looked relaxed, but Alpha knew that she was ready to defend herself if needed. “He appeared human though his eyes were that of a wolf. He bit me.” She lifted her sleeve then to show off the scar on her forearm. She motioned to the scars on her face. “His nails were sharp, like claws.”
The werewolf nodded with something like understanding in his gaze. “Feral werewolves have lost themselves to their natures and the instincts that each one of us wolves has,” he explained as his eyes glanced towards Alpha. The man was facing him enough so Alpha could read his lips. He appreciated the level of care that the man already took in making sure he’d be able to follow the conversation still. “Lycanthropy is carried by a magical virus. There is a lot of lore to its origins, but it may have started as a curse meant to be passed down. The magic contained within the virus changes the DNA of the host. There is always a risk that someone can be infected if they come into contact with the bodily fluids of a werewolf. However, the strength of the virus is much weaker in our human skins. Something to do with the magic. You likely exhibited a few changes, but the biggest thing is that you are now a carrier of the lycanthropy virus. It’ll be weak enough that you won’t be able to infect anyone through your bodily fluids, but you will pass it down to any children you may have in the future. Any kids you have will be wolves.”
“Not even sure I can have kids or would even want them,” Lambda said flippantly. “I appreciate the information, however. Is there anything I need to watch out for?”
Greyback nodded his acceptance before he stepped back with a small shrug. “Wolves have an allergy to silver. It’s due to the magical associations of silver with purity and that lycanthropy was originally a curse. The allergy doesn’t make sense except as a magical one. So, you might have inherited the allergy, but likely not to the same degree. I’d expect injuries made by silver weapons will heal slower than normal.”
It wasn’t something that would likely cause an issue, but Alpha made a note of it just in case. “We’ll keep it in mind,” Alpha said as he leaned back against the desk. “Now, this is a new base.” It wouldn’t be a great loss if they lost it early on like this as they did have back up locations. It was just the risk they had to take, one they knew would happen. It was why they had been looking into secondary sites originally anyways. “Accommodations will be a bit rough, but we will do what we can to welcome you.”
Greyback shook his head in response. “We’re used to roughing it when we’re not at home. A roof over our heads will be a luxury,” he said with a slight grin. “And we can help with the repairs.”
They were already there, so Alpha wouldn’t turn down the help. “We’ll gladly accept the offer,” he said with a little nod. He looked over each of the wolves then. “For the foreseeable future, if any of you want to leave, you’ll need to be escorted by one of us. This is because of the nature of the wards. You’ll be able to freely leave, but will be unable to return. The entrance and this estate are both unplottable, along with other measures to keep it hidden. When we’re able, we’ll have keys made to give you access to Bravo Site on your own.” And it would be access to Bravo Site alone.
“Understandable,” Greyback agreed.
From the corner of his eye then, Alpha spotted Delta as he motioned to get his attention. Alpha turned his head a little to see him better and gave the other Letter a nod. Delta immediately signed something, so Alpha straightened up. “Good. I know it will take time for all of us to settle in together, to get used to this arrangement.” He held his hand out to Greyback then, who grabbed it with his own to shake. “I look forward to building a relationship with your pack.”
Greyback smirked and nodded his agreement. “I agree. So be sure to call me Fenrir.”
“Fenrir, then,” Alpha said as he let go of the man’s hand. “Join us for a meal. We can talk more there.” Bonding over food always seemed to work out well in Alpha’s experience.
The white haired man looked over everyone gathered and then spared his companions a look. “Could never turn down food. It’s an excellent way to get on our good side if you’ve got good food.”
Alpha didn’t stop the snort at the comment. “I can’t make promises on it being the best thing you’ve ever eaten, but it will be warm and it will be filling.” He could see the other wolves relax a fraction as their shoulders shook with laughter. Good. Alpha did hide a smile then before he made a motion. “Follow us to where we’ve set up a mess hall.” As they made their way over to where a tent had been set up, Alpha had to smile to himself. He still didn’t know what the future held, but he had a good feeling about Fenrir’s pack.
Notes:
Sorry it took so long to get this chapter written! I had a bit of trouble with it, but I think it turned out okay. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter though!
Leave me some love and some comments?
Chapter 41
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Forty-One
The day of their meeting with the ICW had finally arrived. Already ready to go, Alpha looked over the gathered team. Zeta and Theta were his ever present companions, but he had also hand picked a few of the other Letters to come with. Epsilon stood at his other side, also fully prepared to leave. Alpha could see the movement of lips on several of the gathered mercenaries, so knew there was easy chatter amongst them. They were prepared to go meet with the ICW representatives, and none of them had nerves over it. He felt proud of them. Mercenaries were sometimes seen as lowly individuals, rough and sometimes even criminal. Not all mercenaries were the same, but he would trust each of them there. And he knew how strong they were, how they had each fought to get to their positions in life. And that wasn’t just his fellow Letters.
Alpha adjusted his grip on his weapon as he waited for the others to finish. Weapons weren’t allowed into the neutral zone where they would be meeting the ICW delegates, but they weren’t about to leave them behind completely for the trip to Switzerland. Even in countries that were not war torn, one never knew what might happen on the road. Even on the magical highways. It never hurt to be prepared.
“We’re ready for your orders, Alpha,” Epsilon said in the next moment after she had caught his attention.
Alpha gave a nod and looked over the assembled team again. Epsilon was his second command for this conference. Of the other Letters coming along, there was Theta, Zeta, Upsilon, Chi, and Sigma. It was Sigma’s first big mission back in the field after his injury, but he had been fully cleared by the medical teams. They didn’t expect to do any fighting so it was a good mission to ease him back into the field. Of the other mercenaries, Alpha had assigned Benedict James, Okuma Mio, Ranjeet Nadkarni, Henri Laurent, and Aurora Hansen to join them.
Theta and Zeta had stepped away from him to join the gathered group instead as all of them stood neatly in lines and waited for Alpha to give out orders with Epsilon still at his side. He rolled his shoulders back then and took a deep breath. This was it. “I have handpicked each one of you to represent Guiding Star,” he told them. “As you know, The ICW has their eye on the UK’s magical community.” He paused briefly. “The ICW was founded to maintain peace and humanitarianism between the magical communities across the globe, as well as safeguard the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. With the Assembly’s recent movements, they have turned their eye to the UK. However, they do not have any reason to step in, not yet.” Bureaucratic red tape and bullshit tied their hands. But there were ways around it if they were careful about it. Becoming allies with the ICW would go a long way in giving them power and means to stand against the UK magical government.
“The object of this conference is not to gain their support on paper. That will come in time. Our goal is to represent Guiding Star, leave a good impression. Anything else will be an added bonus.” He saw the ripple of laughter that the mercenaries couldn’t quite hide so didn’t hide his own smile. “Yes, it’s a low bar. But these things take time.” And they all knew that. The fact that the ICW would meet them at all was a good thing, but they couldn’t expect anything major to come of it. “So, be on your best behaviour and let’s move out!”
The assembled crew all saluted Alpha. He could see their lips move around the same words: “Yes, sir!” He saluted them back and then turned on his heel to lead the way out of the warehouse.
As he led the way towards where the two trucks were waiting for them, Alpha held back a smile when he saw the group that had assembled to see them off. He spotted Luna, Theo, and Blaise among them. He even saw Hermione, though she seemed to be in deep conversation with the person next to her. She had been a loner at Hogwarts, but here she seemed to have blossomed. People had gathered from all over the world and none of them cared about race. She also wasn’t the only genius that had joined the camp. There were plenty of individuals who could keep up with her and were more than happy to debate whatever topic had captured her mind that day. It was good to see her blossom, though they hadn’t spoken much recently.
Alpha pulled his eyes away as Luna approached him. She held something out to him then and, when he held out his hand to take it, she dodged it to clasp a bracelet about his wrist. He could feel the gentle warmth of magic so looked up at her in question. “A charm,” she told him with her hands. “A gift from Theo and me. It will vibrate in the presence of anyone under concealment magic.”
He would spread out his magic so he would not be surprised, but he still appreciated the gesture. “Thank you,” he told her as he slipped the bracelet beneath the sleeve of his jacket. Luna leaned up on her toes then so she could press a kiss against his cheek. Alpha felt the tips of his ears warm, but he offered her a smile. As she stepped back then, Theo caught his attention next.
“Stay safe,” the young man signed carefully, his expression creased in his concentration. Alpha thought that his chest felt warm as he watched Theo with fondness.
“You know I will,” he signed back slowly and whispered the words. Theo was getting better at Sign. Still slow, but he was doing better. Theo raised an eyebrow at him, an elegant curve above his eye. But there was warmth in the smile that curled the edges of his lips. “Besides, you just need to check the necklace to feel if my heart still beats,” Alpha added. A blush bloomed across Theo’s cheeks as his hand darted up to wrap around the pendant he wore on his neck. Alpha hadn’t taken his own off since it had been gifted to him. There really was something comforting about being able to feel their heartbeats. Especially in the middle of nights where sleep wouldn’t find him.
Theo took a deep breath then and let out a little laugh. “You got me there. Alright. Good luck, Alpha.”
Alpha gave him a playful little salute and gave Luna a wink. “Let’s move out!” He yelled out to the others and then hopped into the lead truck where Theta already waited. Within minutes the small caravan was on its way.
As the main base was not even in the UK, they were able to bypass the country entirely and make it onto mainland Europe without trouble. It was a good thing too as Nicanor had been smart enough to keep a better eye on traffic in and out of the country at the borders, something that had been historically lax in the wizarding community. They made it to Switzerland without any trouble, the ride smooth.
And once they arrived at their destination in the late evening hours, the University of Bern in Switzerland, they had hidden their trucks and met one of the delegates at a predetermined location. They had then been guided to a hidden magical wing of the main building to avoid detection. They had entered through a hidden doorway that seemed to appear from nowhere, a brief pulse of magic its herald.
Alpha felt out of place as they stepped into the antechamber before the meeting hall. The delegates from the ICW had already arrived and were loitering about the chamber, but they stopped their conversations when Alpha stepped through with the rest of his team. Each of his mercenaries were dressed in crisp black fatigues, but the ICW representatives wore neatly pressed suits. It made him sure in his belief that he belonged on a battlefield, not in a position of power. But, even with this belief, he was still there. A necessary evil, so to speak.
“Welcome, Guiding Star,” they were greeted by a woman who stepped forward and drew Alpha’s attention. “My name is Agent Anja Einhorn and I will be your head liaison with the ICW. I look forward to working with you.” Her smile was polite as she opened her hands wide in greeting.
“It is an honour,” Alpha said evenly, a polite smile on his lips that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “My name is Commander Alpha.” Agent Einhorn held out a hand, so Alpha stepped up to give it a firm shake.
The woman gave a polite nod then and motioned to a table that was set up to the side of the chamber. “There is still time before the meeting officially starts, so feel free to help yourselves to the provided refreshments.” Alpha thanked her, though he doubted any of them would trust the drinks until properly checked. Laurent was a wizard, so he would check for any potions or poisons first. Subtly of course.
So, as the pleasantries were over, they were left to mingle before the meeting officially started. Though, in reality, it was a way for both sides to observe each other and there wouldn’t be much intermixing between the two sides. With the need to prepare himself, Alpha leaned back against a wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He was watching Theta from the corner of his eye as the man used his hands to relay information. The other Letters had wandered to various spots about the chamber and were passing on information to Theta. Theta stopped however as one of the delegates approached them.
The man was taller than Theta, but not as tall as Alpha. He had sandy brown hair and familiar brown eyes. Alpha’s gaze narrowed as he observed the wizard. As an ICW representative, the young man wore the insignia on the lapel of his pinstriped three piece suit. His leather shoes were polished, and his half cloak neatly pressed. He was well put together, as even the strands of his hair were jelled back neatly in place.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Alpha asked, his voice feeling raspy.
The man kept his posture straight and his expression was carefully controlled. Impressive for a man that looked only a few years older than him. This was likely his first big mission. Still, there was something in his eyes as his gaze flickered over to Theta. He clasped his hands in front of him, but Alpha spied the way that he worried his gloved thumb over his other. The man was nervous, hesitant. “My name is Agent Clayton Barnes,” he introduced himself finally, his voice firm and controlled. He was nervous, but at least he could remain professional.
“And I am Commander Alpha. Is there something I can help you with, Agent Barnes?” Alpha asked again.
The man’s eyes shifted over to Theta again. “Forgive my forwardness, but… is your name Francis?”
As soon as the name formed on Barnes’ lips, Alpha felt the energy subtly change. “My name is Theta,” the Letter responded and Alpha could almost feel the harshness that must have been in Theta’s voice. “Why do you ask?”
Barnes’ feet shifted so Alpha knew that the man had felt the change as well, his expression becoming veiled with caution. “I am an orphan,” the man said slowly. “But I had a younger brother that I was separated from years ago. He was five years younger than me and I haven’t seen him since we got separated. I was picked up by the MACUSA later that year and entered into foster care. Attended a magical school.” Barnes stopped suddenly and appeared to clear his throat. “Excuse me. It’s just. You look like what I always imagined Francis would look like when he was grown up. The splitting image of our late father.”
Alpha knew that Theta was too well trained to leave his post, so to speak. As much as the Letter probably wanted to escape the situation, he didn’t let an ounce of his emotions appear on his face. He didn’t waver as he stared up at the man. He wouldn’t compromise the mission. Alpha tapped his finger against his arm, though. What did Theta want to do?
Theta twisted his fingers a little in response. He would handle it. “This is hardly the time or the place for personal matters, Agent Barnes,” Theta said, his expression even.
At the dismissal, Agent Barnes’ eyes rounded a little. He quickly collected himself though and then gave a short bow. “My apologies. I shall see you in the meeting hall, then.” He then quickly walked away and seemed to start up a conversation with one of his colleagues.
Alpha glanced over to Theta and made a small motion with his hand. Theta only nodded sharply, so Alpha brushed his fingers against the other Letter’s elbow. No weapons had been allowed and there were heavy wards over their venue, so they were not confined to the antechamber as a measure of trust. They had a bit of time before the conference started too, so Alpha led Theta from the room and went in search of an empty one for them to use.
Then, as soon as the door to the unused classroom was shut, Theta broke down into laughter. He wrapped his arms around his waist and shook with it, but his expression was twisted in something that wasn’t mirth. Alpha waited patiently as he spread his magic over the door so they wouldn’t be disturbed.
Once Theta finally recovered from his hysterical laughter, he straightened up and faced Alpha again. “For years I’ve occasionally given thought to my brother, wondering if he had survived. If he lived a better life than me.” He dragged a hand through his hair roughly, an action that Alpha had never seen Theta do before. “The universe has a sick sense of humour, doesn’t it? I’m a wanted criminal in multiple countries, a mercenary by trade. I’ve killed more people than I’ll ever really know. And him? Clayton? He’s been blessed by magic.” Theta paused and something twisted in his face. “But the best thing? He’s a magical cop.”
As he decided to take a chance, Alpha stepped closer to Theta and dragged the smaller Letter into a hug. Theta fought him at first, but quickly deflated as he wrapped his own arms around Alpha. “Barnes doesn’t matter,” Alpha said verbally, his voice rough. “You’re my brother and that’s what counts.” Theta jerked a little, something that vibrated in his chest. Alpha thought it might have been a laugh.
Alpha pulled back then as Theta tapped his fingers against his back. The shorter Letter dragged his fingers through his hair again, fixing the mussed strands. “I apologize, A. I’m alright now. We should get back.” The Letter commander looked his brother over with a critical eye, but then gave a sharp nod. The meeting would start soon so they needed to return to the others. When they made it back to Zeta’s side, she gave Theta a look but then relayed that they hadn’t missed anything.
Theta made a quick motion then and Alpha turned his head to see that a door had opened. A man stepped through then and gave a short bow before he straightened. “Attention all delegates. You may now proceed into the meeting hall.” The ICW representatives filed in first, so Alpha led his crew in after them.
The meeting hall was a grand room that must have once been a lecture room. It had likely been renovated since it was first built, but there were still grand arches in the white stone. It was brightly lit with magical fire that burned merrily in their sconces and reflected against the tall windows that showed the night sky beyond. The rows of circular seating looked down at the centre of the hall where a glowing crystal hovered over a stone disk. Alpha descended the stairs and took a seat at a spot that had been reserved for him. There were some empty scrolls and a quill, along with a goblet of some sort of drink. Alpha ignored it as he watched the ICW delegates across from him take a seat.
“Welcome, Guiding Star,” Agent Einhorn greeted them again. She stood at her seat directly across from Alpha. The woman motioned towards the crystal then. “Do any of you know what this is?” When Alpha remained silent, she gave a small nod and then explained. “It is known as simply a Truth Stone. With it activated within these chambers, none of us will be able to tell a lie. However, unlike the potion Veritaserum, it will not force you to answer questions. So, rest assured that it will not be used against you. It is merely a way for us to build trust with each other.”
Alpha inclined his head, his face impassive. “I understand,” he said evenly. “Thank you for inviting us here. Shall we begin?”
“Very well, Commander Alpha. You may have the floor.”
At the permission, Alpha turned his head slightly. “Zeta?” From his side, Zeta stood and picked up a stack of packets. She rounded the table then and approached the ICW delegates to pass them out. As she did, Alpha started speaking. “As you are aware, the UK has been in an ongoing war over bloodline prejudices. A skirmish that has been exacerbated by the rise of their self proclaimed Dark Lord. For reference in the future, with the Taboo he placed upon his name, we have taken to calling him Thief.” He saw a flicker of amusement on the faces of those gathered.
As the delegates took the packets handed to them, Alpha stood to draw their attention. “We conducted some research and found that most of the misinformation about blood purity can be traced to two separate studies done by the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Mysteries in the years 1798 and 1814. The 1798 study was called Origines Magicae, or The Origins of Magic, and was published by the Head Unspeakable of the time. We were able to uncover his identity as Maximillian Rosier, younger brother of the then Head of the Rosier family. The second study published was the Momentum Sanguinis et Magiae, or the Importance of Blood and Magic, by Rosier’s successor Edwin Rawley.”
Agent Einhorn flipped open her packet with a frown and then lifted her eyes to Alpha again. “Both of these studies were banned at the ICW Conference of 1816,” she observed. “Independant studies outside of Great Britain showed that they had used flawed premises and the pool of observation was statistically too small. Their results weren’t reproducible. Among other things.”
With a nod of agreement, Alpha glanced at his own notes that Theta had laid out for him. “Yes. However, the studies were used as references in a series of papers written by Enoch Brokenshire in 1815 just before the original studies were banned. Brokenshire expanded upon the ideas in the papers with his own supposed studies. Further investigation from my researchers shows that a lot of what he wrote was invented whole cloth to fit the narrative he was trying to preach.”
“Why do I know that name?” Agent Einhorn likely muttered the question, but Alpha could read the words that formed on her lips.
“Caelestis Liberalis was a disciple of Brokenshire’s teaching,” Alpha said grimly. Liberalis had been a well known politician within the English wizarding community, loved by many during his tenure. However, a great many misdeeds done by the man had been discovered posthumously. However, even with the corruption that had been uncovered, Liberalis still had a lasting legacy within the former Ministry of Magic. “Later on in life, Liberalis and Eminence Athanasios Nicanor were close acquaintances.” It was one of the few things they had managed to dig up on Nicanor, a notoriously secretive man.
Alpha flipped the page then. “Starting on page four, you’ll see a list of Nicanor’s legislative proposals during his time in the first war against Thief. We’ve made notes where his work has echoed ideas within Brokenshire’s theorems.” He paused and waited for them to flip to the aforementioned page. “Most notable is item number seven, where his proposal cites Brokenshire’s Treatise on Magical Bloodlines.” In more modern terms, magical eugenics.
Agent Einhorn’s sharp gaze flickered to him for the briefest of moments before she dropped her eyes to the paper in front of her. “That is very concerning,” her lips said with a little frown. She then sat back in her seat and regarded Alpha for a long moment. “I will admit, however, that your intelligence gathering skills are very good. It is not easy to find information on Nicanor or his past.” Her lips twitched in a little smile. “I don’t think anyone else would have found the information so quickly.” Alpha had to agree. And that was part of the wizarding world’s problem.
The woman folded her hands in front of her then and tilted her head up a fraction. “Have you noticed any movements within the Assembly that would put the Statute of Secrecy into danger?” Her expression sharpened then as she looked over the Letters and the other mercenaries. “Or have you broken the Statute yourself?” She had likely noticed that most of them were not mages.
But, what a question to ask. Though Alpha did appreciate her straightforwardness. “Each one of my mercenaries are non-magicals who came into contact with the wizarding world through circumstance, or are magicals who turned their back on the wizarding community for one reason or another. I have not broken any rules associated with the Statute of Secrecy,” he said truthfully, unable and not needing to lie. He paused then as he debated how to answer the first part of her question. “From what we know of Nicanor and the Assembly, they seek to further alienate the magical community from the rest of the world.”
He placed his hands against the desk in front of him as he leaned forward. “We know there is value in traditions, both societal and cultural. However. We reserve the right to deny any traditions that bring harm because they are exclusive on the basis of race, gender, sex, religion, and supposed blood purity. These and anything that could be used to exclude anyone.” He said the words firmly, with conviction. “And if Nicanor wishes to alienate the UK magical community, it won’t stop with just separating them from non-magicals. What would it mean for those who do not have magic but are born to magical families? We’ve already seen a taste of what they go through, how they are shunned.”
He straightened up again and spread out his arms. “And what about non-magical families of mages? What would that mean? Will the Assembly steal children from their parents to raise them in foster homes without ever knowing their birth parents? Or will they rip magic from anyone they deem unworthy of the gift, stealing a piece of who that individual is?” They already knew that the Assembly was building state run orphanages. It wasn’t likely to stop just at the orphaned children from the war.
“You’ll forgive me, Commander Alpha, but the ICW was founded to enforce the Statute of Secrecy,” Agent Einhorn said simply.
Alpha didn’t stop the snort that escaped him. “Of course. That was how the ICW was founded,” Alpha agreed. “However, I have dealt with the ICW before and the enforcement of the Statute is not your only mission. Thief might be gone for now, but satellite groups associated with the Deatheaters are still active around the globe in major communities.”
“It is a worry, yes,” Agent Einhorn agreed. “However, they have not, as of yet, declared any allegiance with the Assembly of Mages. The ICW has their eyes on the matter, but there is little we can do about it at the moment. It is up to the local governments to take care of that problem. The Statute of Secrecy still stands.” And yet more non-magicals knew of the wizarding communities than wizards would like to admit. Such bureaucratic nonsense.
For the next several hours, they went back and forth. Occasionally Alpha would call on one of the others with him to explain a point that was in their field of expertise. They hadn’t made much headway in either direction, however, so Agent Einhorn called a recess so they could all stretch their legs and get some refreshments. Alpha and Laurent made sure the food options were clear before the group ate enough to keep up their energy. Then it was back to hours of debate.
Finally, as it neared nearly noon after the meeting had drawn on through the night and into the morning of the next day, the two sides seemed to have gotten what they wanted from each other. The ICW still claimed their hands were tied, which they technically were, but Agent Einhorn had agreed to a compromise of sorts.
“In the spirit of getting along, I propose that I send one of my agents to return with you,” she announced. “Sort of like an inter-agency loan. The ICW will earn the ability to get a closer eye on the situation that is unfolding within Great Britain, while Guiding Star will be able to continue to prove your merit. My agent will not be interfering in the politics of the UK wizarding community so the ICW will not be overstepping its bounds. Yet, we will be providing the means to potentially grow our relationship in the future. Is that acceptable to you, Commander Alpha?”
It was honestly more than what he had expected really. So, Alpha hummed softly in agreement. “As long as you understand that we intend to hide the location of our base, so your agent will be checked for tracking spells and will be blindfolded before we leave. We take the security of our camp very seriously.” The camp wards would keep the location secret once they arrived within its barriers.
“I can understand the intention, so I will agree to the terms,” Agent Einhorn said as she leaned back in her seat and shifted. She was probably sore from sitting for so long. The seats were not comfortable, after all.
“Agent Einhorn, I would like to volunteer to act as the personal liaison between Guiding Star and the ICW,” a voice spoke up from further in the back. Alpha was only aware because Theta tapped him harshly on the leg.
Alpha lifted his eyes to see that it was Agent Barnes. He had to fight back a smile as he lightly tapped his finger against the table in response. Barnes was as stubborn as his younger brother it seemed. And they really couldn’t turn it down if Agent Einhorn accepted Barnes’ proposal. Well, Barnes would be in for a rude surprise once he met the other Letters. They wouldn’t make things easy.
“Is that alright with you, Commander Alpha?” Agent Einhorn asked him after Barnes volunteered.
Alpha paused a moment before he answered, but then gave a small nod. “I will defer to your judgement, Agent Einhorn.”
Agent Einhorn stood up then with a sharp nod. “It is settled then. Agent Barnes will be on loan to Guiding Star for the foreseeable future until such a time as the ICW decides how to proceed. Agent Barnes will send me weekly reports. With that, the meeting is adjourned. It was a pleasure to meet you, Commander Alpha.”
“I hope to do more business with you in the future, Agent Einhorn.” And it was the truth, if only to continue their relationship with the ICW. They just might need their power one day in the future.
Notes:
Another chapter already?? I might have had a bit of inspiration. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Leave me some love and kudos! I love reading the comments everyone leaves me!
Chapter 42
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter Forty-Two
Alpha shifted and leaned back to avoid the fist that flowed past his face. As he moved, he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the knife strapped to his thigh. He slid it free of its holster and sent it flying with a flick of his wrist. It went a little wide, but Theta didn’t seem concerned as he sidestepped the weapon as if he had expected it and darted in again. Alpha ducked and then caught Theta’s punch. He twisted the man’s arm, but Theta rolled with it and broke free. Without missing a beat, the sniper immediately went for his side but Alpha smacked it aside.
Back and forth they went as they traded blows. Alpha noticed immediately that Theta was trying to use the weakness in his right side to his advantage as many of the sniper's attacks were aimed more for that side. In a way, Alpha did appreciate it. It forced him to adapt, to figure out how to move. He could tell it sapped his strength faster than it used to, but it helped him to know what he would need to work on. He wasn't the top of his game, but he still came out the winner. He got Theta pinned face down with one arm twisted behind his back and one of Alpha's knees pressed into the other Letter's lower back.
Alpha glanced back at Cathi then, who grinned and held up her hands to Sign. "Good! Let me see," she said so Alpha released Theta finally. He could feel the young man let out a relieved breath as he did so, so he patted his brother's shoulder and then helped him up as Theta rolled over. Once he dropped Theta's hand, Alpha then approached his therapist. Cathi looked him over critically and had him go through a range of motions. "Good," she said finally as Alpha watched her sign the words. "How does it feel after the workout?"
Alpha pondered her question for a moment before he gave a little shrug. "I can tell my right side is weaker than my left," he noted. "It's still a bit stiff, but I don't feel any strain."
The woman gave a nod and then held out a hand. Alpha held out his right one and let her manipulate his fingers and wrist a little. "How's the hand?" He knew she could see the tremor. It was always worse after activity.
Alpha gave a little shake of his head and Cathi let him take his hand back so he could Sign. "It's still weaker than my left," he said. "Even with the exercises and the cream. Some pain, but it's mostly a numbness or a tingling."
At his words, Cathi gave another little nod. "I want you to keep up those exercises and the cream, so let your healer know when you need a refill so you can get a prescription. But I think you're free of me finally." She gave him a grin and then reached up to pat his good shoulder. "You know to reach out to us if anything changes, right? We'll do some monthly checkups for now, just to track your progress. But, it's your medical team's opinion that you're free from our clutches." Alpha saw her laugh, though he felt light with relief and could only smile in response. His right arm was still weak, though his shoulder was fully healed finally. Bit of mundane medicine laced with magical healing. Luckily it hadn't been hindered by the corrupted nature of the magic that had caused his injuries, though Alpha thought it had been Bill's help in that.
But, while his right hand had improved, Alpha had a feeling that he would always struggle with some weakness in it for the rest of his life. He would just have to adapt, something he wasn't worried about. But the biggest thing that he'd have to continue to adapt to would be his hearing. He was deaf and there had been no improvement at all. He tried not to be too disappointed as it was a big handicap after all, but he was learning to live with it and a big step in that had been recognizing that he wasn't broken. Yes it was a hurdle and he would have a harder go in life than other mercenaries, but he had learned how to work around it and still be the best he could be.
Cathi's hands moved then, so Alpha focused his attention back on her. "Still take it easy, commander," she said with a teasing smile though there was steel in her eyes. "We've agreed that you're cleared for missions, but let's not go all out, yeah? Ease back into it."
Finally, Alpha chuckled and inclined his head. He might be cleared for real missions, but he'd still probably spend most of his time between the bases. "I'll be careful." It was something that Thorgeirr had drilled into him in the few short years he had known the man. His adoptive father.
"I know you will be," Cathi said with an easy smile. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. We trust you." She gave him a nod then and leaned over to grab his water bottle. Alpha took it from her with a soundless word of thanks. Theta stepped towards him then as Cathi walked off with a little salute. Alpha nodded after her, but focused on the other Letter's approach.
Alpha took a drink of his water and then offered the bottle to Theta. "Thank you for your help," he said once he had accepted the bottle back.
"Oh, please," Theta signed with an amused twist of his lips. "I'm always up to sparring with you, you know that. And even with you having to compensate for your right side, you still handed my ass to me."
Alpha snorted and took a drink of water before he set it down on the nearby bench. "Yes. Even with you trying to take advantage of my weakness," he Signed the words with a light flow to his hands, an amused twist to his lips.
At the comment, Theta blinked innocently and waved his hand as if to say, "What are you talking about? Who, me?"
The sniper's expression suddenly shifted in the next moment, just as Alpha felt the approach of someone new. A small pulse of magic told him that it was Barnes. "Came to spy on us, Barnes?" He called out verbally, his tone light even if his voice was rough from disuse.
Theta subtly signed Barnes' reply. "Oh, just call me Clay," the man said as he stepped up to them. Alpha turned his head then so he could see both Theta and Barnes. The ICW Agent gave them both a nod in greeting. "I just happened to stumble upon your match, so I stayed to watch. Most wizards don't put much effort into physical martial arts. Not even the militaries. Instead, there has always been a focus on magic and dueling first and foremost. The ICW does have us understand the basics in case we can't use our magic for some reason, but it doesn't hold a candle to how you've been trained." There was something bittersweet in Barnes' eyes as he glanced towards Theta.
"I joined the ICW so I could find my brother. It was always my biggest regret getting separated from Francis. Though I used to call him Frankie," Barnes said, a wistful curve to the way his mouth formed around his words. There was a twitch in the corner of Theta's mouth at the same time, small enough that Alpha only noticed because of how well he knew the sniper.
"What makes you think that I am Francis?" Theta cut in. Alpha wondered if he should leave the two to have a private conversation, but Theta glanced at him and made an absent motion. So Alpha stayed to lend his support. "The Letters are my brothers and sisters. I don't have any other family." Alpha knew that was a lie, that Theta had wondered what had happened to his brother. Had looked for answers. But the Letters weren't used to having family outside of the other Letters. They weren't used to trusting. Many of them had been betrayed by family in the past, sold off to Legio. If Barnes wanted to be family, then he would have to gain Theta's trust.
A flash of hurt passed over Barnes' face, but there was also understanding in the man's eyes. "I would recognize my brother anywhere," Barnes said with a softness to his voice, something even Alpha could see. The agent's shoulders sagged a little then. "But. I do understand that I haven't been in your life longer than I was in it. And you have been though more than I could ever imagine." He took a deep breath. "Theta, right? That's what you're named now. I can respect that. I just want a chance to get to know you again. If you don't want to be family again, that's okay. I'll settle for knowing that you're still alive and that you're doing well. I won't force my wants on you, but give me a little chance. I'll back off though if it's really what you want. I promise."
Theta let out a explosive sigh, one that heaved his chest and dropped his shoulders. "Honestly, one of the things that kept me going was remembering my big brother. The lanky and knobby kneed kid that always seemed to be covered in bruises because he'd stand between me and the monsters. I wanted to be like him, take care of my own demons once we got separated. And there were a great many of them." Barnes' face was stricken, but Theta's was composed. "You'll have to remember too, that I've had to become a monster myself. I've done things just to survive."
"I can't fault you for what you've had to do," Barnes said quickly. "It wasn't you."
Though his face had been clear until that point, Theta's expression suddenly darkened. Alpha had to hold back a sigh, knowing exactly what was going through Theta's mind. But instead of saying anything, the sniper turned sharply on his heel and stalked away. Barnes took a step to run after Theta, but Alpha snapped a hand out to stop him. Barnes opened his mouth, but Alpha gave a sharp shake of his head. "Leave him be," he said roughly. "And maybe think about what you said. It cheapens what we went through."
He made sure that Barnes wouldn't follow and then left as well, left Barnes to his thoughts. Theta had found a high perch at the top of the camp, but asked to be left alone when Alpha went to check on him. "Come find me if you need company," Alpha ordered gently and then left as well. But he found his thoughts centered around the past and specifically his time at Legio. He made his way to his office, but couldn't focus on any of the work in front of him. He was lost to his thoughts until the lights flashed to announce someone's arrival. He glanced up to see Zeta, so nodded in greeting.
"What are you thinking about?" Zeta asked.
The commander gave a wane smile and a little shrug of his shoulders. "Seven," he told her. "He was the first one I ever killed and it was another Number. I hadn't meant to. I still don't know what happened exactly, though I've dreamt of that moment many times. It was during that game of capture the flag, that first war game I ever played. Just a moment of inattention and he was gone." Alpha shook his head. "He made me promise that I wouldn't let Legio win, made me promise I wouldn't forget him. I still dream of him sometimes, wonder how far he could've gotten if it wasn't for me."
"I remember him," Zeta responded when Alpha's hands went silent and grasped at something in his lap, a softness to the motion of her own hands. It made Alpha's heart squeeze as he spotted understanding enter Zeta's eyes.
Alpha turned his gaze away and down to the shield that he had clasped in his hand. A relic of his time with Legio. "You kept it," Zeta's hands said, just barely in view from the corner of his eye.
Alpha couldn't stop a small snort. "I know you've kept your own," he told her as he tucked the shield away into a pocket once more. It felt like it burned where it rested, an amulet that couldn't be ignored. Though perhaps it was a curse even though he knew no real magic flowed through it.
"A trophy. Proof of the hardships I suffered and that I survived them," Zeta said with a gentle flow of her hands, a proud look in her eyes. Alpha only nodded and leaned back in his chair. Zeta observed him for a moment and then gave a small smile. "We're almost half-way through June," she announced suddenly in a change of subject. "Can you believe the time has flown? Feels like it was just the New Year."
At the announcement, Alpha blinked and then frowned slightly. "Theo's birthday is soon," he observed. "Blaise said it was mid June sometime." He needed to find out what day exactly. Birthdays were important things, weren't they? He wanted to get Theo a present. He had gotten Blaise a present when they had passed his birthday in May, a book on spell theory that Bill has recommended. Earlier, in February, he had given Luna on her birthday a book on magical herbs she had mentioned wanting.
"I believe June 21st is what Luna said," Zeta said with an expression of innocence. Alpha narrowed his eyes slightly as he examined Zeta. "I discussed this with the others already and we decided, with Theo's blessing, that we will have a combined birthday party for you and him at the beginning of July."
Alpha wasn't sure if he wanted to sigh or laugh. But, a party would be something fun for all of them to enjoy. A break. So, Alpha gave in with a small sigh and then a little chuckle. "Alright," he said. "I'm sure you got everything all under control then?" He would only have to worry about getting Theo a present.
"You know us too well, A," Zeta said with a little twitch of her lips. Her expression softened then as her eyes glanced to the pocket that he had stashed the Legio shield. “Don’t worry about the future. Figure out how to survive the present.”
That was the motto that they had lived by for a long time. "No," Alpha said with a shake of his head. "We know how to survive the present. Now we build towards the future." Zeta nodded her agreement.
Before their conversation could continue, however, the lights of his office flashed and Alpha spotted someone enter at a run from the corner of his eye. "Kovacs?"
The mercenary came to a halt and saluted Alpha. "We have a situation, Commander," the man said hurriedly. "There's been an incident at a rally in Aberbain."
Alpha quickly snapped a command out to Zeta, who saluted and then took off out the door. The young man then focused back on Kovacs again. "Continue," he spoke sharply.
"Beginning at 0800 hours, the Mage Coalition of England held a rally in the wizarding village of Aberbain. They were protesting the treatment of mundane born wizards as well as those classified as intelligent creatures." There was a twist to Kovacs lips as he spoke the words, but didn't dwell on it. Alpha gave a nod to show he understood. The camp had been tracking the appearance of various organizations, especially protest groups. The Mage Coalition had been one that had been gaining traction lately with outspoken leadership. They had even been using some of Hermione's talking points from her broadcasts.
Kovacs took a breath and then hurried to continue. "The Assembly has been monitoring the rally and a sudden call came over their radio waves just a few moments ago. They reported an attempt on Speaker Roseanne Tyrrell's life. An Auror unit was dispatched and we're tracking the situation now."
With a sharp nod, Alpha dismissed Kovacs back to his post and then grabbed a smooth metallic orb from his desk drawer. The orb's surface was etched with lines that lit up in a light blue with a pulse of his magic to activate it. Though he couldn't hear it, the camp's speaker system let out a quick tone to catch everyone's attention. He cast a quick glance at the nearby marker board to check the rotation for the on call squads before he announced, "Squads Eleven and Fourteen gear up and be ready for debrief in ten minutes. Squads Eleven and Fourteen gear up and be ready for debrief in ten minutes."
Alpha pulsed his magic again to deactivate it and slipped it back into his desk. He was on his feet in the next moment before he took quick strides out the door. He slipped a compact mirror out of his pocket then and then tapped on one of the runes. The image rippled before the face of one of the doctors at the Bravo site clinic appeared. "Commander?" The man greeted with a salute.
"I'm sending out two squads to respond to an incident that may see a clash with the Assembly," Alpha explained briefly. "Be prepared to receive injured." It may not be necessary, but one could never be too careful.
The doctor's expression hardened and he gave a sharp nod. "We'll be ready and waiting, Commander."
Alpha clicked the mirror shut as the surface cleared with another ripple and then tucked it back into his pocket. He arrived in front of the Portal just in time to meet the squads as they appeared at the disembarkation field. Squad Eleven arrived first and fell into their customary lines while Squad Fourteen wasn't far behind. Once they had assembled, they saluted Alpha and waited for their orders. Those who were off duty were gathered around the boundaries of the field, their faces grim.
Alpha took his spot in front of the Portal and clasped his hands behind his back, his back straight and shoulders relaxed. "It has come to our attention that there has been an assassination attempt on Speaker Roseanne Tyrrell of the Mage Coalition of England. The Assembly has responded to the incident. Your destination is Aberbain and your objective is to assess the situation. Captain O'Kelly, I am putting you in charge of this mission." Aisling O'Kelly saluted Alpha in recognition. Alpha gave her a nod. "If the Assembly has not taken Speaker Tyrrell into custody, then escort her to safety. The infirmary at Bravo site is prepped for you if it comes to it." He paused and glanced over their faces. "You have your orders! Move out!"
"Yes, sir!" He could see their response, returned the salute they gave him. Aisling pulled up her face mask to cover her lower face, the rest of the squads following her read. The Letters had masks with a red snarling wolf motif while the other squads had the motif in white.
Behind him, the Portal flared into life and Alpha stayed where he was as the two squads jogged past him. Now all they could do was wait and prepare in the meantime. So, as the Portal closed, Alpha strode off quickly back towards his office where the Letter captains waited for him. Thorgeirr would have been there too, but was currently at the Bravo site with Greyback. Or, rather, Fenrir as the man had insisted on being called.
"I have reason to believe that the catalyst for the announcement of the Assembly's Imperium Corps has happened," he signed grimly. "Charlie site is going to need to be operational. Delta?"
The captain nodded with a small grimace and unfolded his arms. "I'll have the wards finished by the end of the week. I'll get Bill to help me with them," he stated with sure movements of his hands. "The rest of the camp is ready to be staffed."
Charlie site was their third base, situated deep in the ancient forests of Scotland. It was an old homestead, abandoned long ago and all but forgotten. Fenrir had helped to discover the place and his pack had done a lot to help prepare it as a refugee camp. They would help move people out of the country if it was necessary, but not everyone had the means to start a new life somewhere else. Not everyone had a place to go. So, they had established Charlie site. Cabins had been erected and layered with magic to create wizarding spaces. Each cabin could house ten families with suites that contained one or two bedrooms, a three piece bathroom, and a living room with kitchenette. There were not elaborate, but contained basic furniture and the basics.
The other buildings on site were a greenhouse attached to a community hall, a medical clinic, and a barracks for the on site mercenary squad that would act as a guard for the refugee camp. So far they had erected thirty cabins with Fenrir's pack's help, though there was space to build more if it was necessary. They had plans for more refugee camps too if needed, not wanting to overwhelm Charlie site with too many people. Though hopefully it wouldn't come down to that.
Alpha gave a nod of his head. "See to it," he instructed. "It's our number one priority right now."
"Yes, sir."
That was one thing taken care of. Alpha turned his attention over to Beta. "Instruct Hermione to prepare a broadcast for once the Imperium Corps is announced," he told her. "The Imperium is not to be trusted and the people need to know this."
"Yes, sir. I will help her construct something so it's ready to go," Beta answered promptly.
Alpha gave a nod and then dismissed her so she could get right on it. They had no idea how fast the Assembly would move, so had to move quickly themselves. "Have Squads Two and Five ready for deployment," he ordered next and then dismissed the captains. Alpha returned to his desk as they left and pulled out several documents. He wanted to review what little they know about the Imperium Corps while he waited for the two Squads to check in.
Then, when the squads finally returned, they were alone. The two captains, O'Kelly and Wesson did not even take the time to clean up before they found Alpha in his office. O'Kelly glanced at Wesson with a small frown before she focused on Alpha. "Speaker Tyrrell had already been taken away by the time that we arrived," she reported. Wesson nodded in agreement as he shifted slightly in his spot. "An Auror team was still on scene, as well as one of the Vanguard." Alpha narrowed his eyes slightly. One of Nicanor's personal guards was there? That was new. "Most of the Coalition had already fled, but we were able to interview a few witnesses before we had to retreat."
O'Kelly paused a moment to gather her thoughts and then continued with her report. Alpha waited patiently as he leaned back in his chair. "No one was able to give me an exact time, but it seems not long after Speaker Tyrrell started her speech, there was a commotion in the crowd. A couple of witnesses identified a Wilhelm Blake. His family has owned a local farm for generations, their crops magical herbs." O'Kelly shifted a little, a small frown on her lips. "The Blake farm was one of those destroyed in a Deatheater raid before Thief's death. They lost everything." She glanced over to Wesson then.
The captain frowned a bit and gave a little nod. "There were rumors that Blake had fallen victim to a Wyrmdust addiction," Wesson reported as he adjusted his stance. Alpha made a note that they might have to take a serious look into Wyrmdust. Addiction cases seemed to have increased in the past months. "More than one witness stated that they had seen Blake in and out of local watering holes, raving that it was the muggleborns that were at fault for the loss of his family's farm." There was a lot of that sentiment being drummed up lately. Those that weren't considered pureblooded were being blamed for all sorts of things. The rising price of food and necessities. The recent outbreak of Scarlet Rot, a magical illness that caused lesions and high fevers with hallucinations.
"What did Blake do?" Alpha asked then as he focused his thoughts.
O'Kelly shifted to grab Alpha's attention before she answered. "According to the witnesses, he was mostly just yelling slurs and profanities at Speaker Tyrrell. Mostly incoherent, but then he drew his wand and attempted to curse her. His magic failed because of his inebriation, and he was subdued by a couple of acting guards in the Coalition. The Assembly Aurors arrived not long after, commanded by one of the Vanguard."
Alpha leaned back in his seat with a small frown. "They were watching closely."
"I believe so, yes," O'Kelly agreed. "Blake was immediately taken into custody while Speaker Tyrrell was escorted away from the village."
Wesson took over then after he raised his hand briefly to gain Alpha's attention. "My Squad and I attempted to follow after the group escorting Speaker Tyrrell, but they were careful to cover their tracks. We lost them after three jumps." So they either knew they were going to be followed, or they were getting smarter.
"Anything else?"
O'Kelly shook her head. "No, sir."
It wasn't a lot of information, but it was enough. "You're dismissed then. Good work," he told them. Once they had left, he sent a memo off to R-TAC to get in touch with Thorgeirr.
Once the man had arrived, Alpha explained the situation and then requested that he look more into Wilhelm Blake. With all the contacts that the older man had, it was only natural that he be the head of their intelligence network. Thorgeirr had handpicked an entire team just for that purpose. He had always acted in that sort of position since they had started the camp, but now it had become official and with an actual dedicated team. Before Thorgeirr left, Alpha added on, "And look into Wyrmdust." Thorgeirr stared at him for the span of several heartbeats, but then agreed. He was gone in the moment and Alpha let out the sigh he had been holding back. Gamma was scheduled to report in soon, so they would have a lot to talk about.
The next evening, many of the camp gathered around in the meeting hall to watch as Nicanor gave a speech. More magical technology had been released by the Assembly and this one closely resembled a small crystal orb that projected a transmitted real time image from any linked device. It appeared to be like a television, though only transmitted Assembly permitted programs since it's launch just a handful of weeks ago. The camp had gotten their hands on one, though hadn't yet managed to crack it so they could transmit their own messages across the network. Unsurprisingly, the Assembly had so far only allowed carefully curated news programs or official speeches from Nicanor.
Alpha stood towards the back of the hall to be out of the way and Theta had taken up a spot in front of him so that he could help translate. They were recording the speech as well, as they had done for all of the broadcasts since they had begun, but Alpha didn't want to miss anything in the moment. With a fanfare of trumpets that Alpha was grateful that he could not hear - based on Theta's wince - Nicanor appeared.
The finely dressed man stood behind a podium and his expression was carefully curated, the line of his mouth firm and his brow creased together. He shifted then and took a breath as his dark eyes seemed to stare through each one of them, though Alpha knew the image only went one way and Nicanor could not see them. Alpha cast the useless thought aside and instead focused on the way that Nicanor began to speak.
"Many of you may have heard by now of the incident that befell Aberbain," Nicanor began. "Wilhelm Blake, a man not in his right mind, attempted to take justice into his own hands against a perceived slight. His target was fortunately spared, though we have taken the Speaker into protective custody so that such an event will not happen again. Though we live in a time of much upheaval, we ever strive to build for our bright and golden future. That future must be protected at any cost, especially if we hope to leave our children with a better world." Alpha made a note that Nicanor did not mention Speaker Tyrrell by name, likely in an attempt to suppress her movement. No one would even remember the incident, just that something had happened and the Assembly had taken action.
Nicanor straightened fully then. "So, it is my pleasure to announce the formation of a new department whose goal is the protection of the greater good." A curtain behind Nicanor rose to reveal the waiting guard behind him. Nicanor raised his hands in a grand gesture. "May I introduce to you the Imperium Knights!" Theta told him that there was applause through the broadcast, so Nicanor had paused in his speech. Alpha took the time to study the Knights as he waited for Nicanor to resume.
The first thing he noticed was that the Knights wore uniforms that were not unlike the Vanguard's, though they had different insignia upon their caps. The image wasn't terribly clear, but Alpha thought it looked like a dragon with a crossed knife and a wand behind it. But the largest difference was that the Knights each wore a mask in an effort to conceal their identity. It was a full face mask that was black in colour and no other discernible marks. Alpha frowned some as he glanced at the others all gathered about the room, to gauge their reactions. Many had their arms crossed over their chests, their expressions grim or filled with anger. Alpha understood their emotions as nothing good would come of the Imperium.
Nicanor started to speak again, so Alpha quickly concentrated back on the man when Theta alerted him. "Just like any chivalric knight, the Imperium Knights' mission is to safeguard the good of the nation." Alpha narrowed his eyes as thought that Nicanor was being purposefully misleading. He wasn't very knowledgeable about the subject, but he was aware of how knights had been romanticized in the modern era. By calling the Imperium as Knights, Alpha thought that Nicanor was trying to mold a certain image. He was trying to build a positive association while it wasn't actually anything good.
"We are fighting for a brighter future, for that bright golden new age," Nicanor continued. "But there will be bumps along the way. There will be those who are resistant to change, will want to take their justice in their own hands just as Wilhelm Blake has done. So that is why I have gathered the Knights, for they will be the champions of those without a voice." A smile lifted Nicanor's lips, though did not quite reach his eyes even if the expression had been carefully practiced possibly a hundred times. "But we, the Assembly of Mages, cannot do it alone. All of you can do your part too, to help protect the new dawn of our future. The Knights welcome any tips that you might have. If there are any you know of that need a voice because they might be discriminated against, then alert the Knights. They too can be taken into protective custody until such a time that it is safe. They will be cared for in comfort in a secret place for their protection."
Alpha crossed his arms over his chest and took a breath to steady himself. Nicanor's smile seemed to widen a fraction, something that looked like victory and made Alpha want to snarl. "If there are any concerns at all that each of you might have, that you think you know of someone who might hurt another, then reach out to the Knights. We shall build our new dawn together. As one!" Theta alerted him to more applause as the broadcast focused in on the Knights and the statue of Aurora Fortuna behind them.
Notes:
I want to give thanks to all of you who have stayed along for the ride! I know my posting schedule is not consistent at all, but I hope that you all are still enjoying the story even when you've had to wait!
Leave me some love and some comments? I love to know your thoughts!
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