For the Hogwarts Assignment #6: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Patronus Charm (write for the AU that corresponds to your patronus determined by Pottermore).
I have three accounts, so I went with Crossover!AU because two out of me three patronus are land mammals (nebelung cat and wood mouse).
This is a crossover with The 100, a story about humans living in an orbiting space station (The Phoenix) because of a nuclear disaster almost a hundred years before the start of the story. Any crime (from murder to stealing toilet paper) is punished by death unless the criminal is under 18. They are locked instead, to be executed when they turn 18.
Word count: 938.
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Harry has waited for his whole life to see this moment when they finally come down to Earth and live in their righteous home again. The irony is hilarious; in the Phoenix, he's a criminal. He has been locked in a cell since he was fourteen because he heard something he shouldn't have. The secret of the Phoenix failing, of the life support to thousands of people, is sent to Earth with him.
That is why, when the door of the drop ship opens and the resplendent light of the sun comes in, he grins. He is not the first to go out and adventure himself into the wilderness –the radioactive wilderness– of the ground, but when he does step over the warm soil and looks up, he is amazed.
The trees are unlike those from his dreams; the trunk goes higher than he has ever believed a tree could go and the foliage is greener. The white light of The Phoenix's light bulbs can't be compared to the soft light that filters through the treetops. This –the Earth– is lovelier when seen from the ground.
"Beautiful," he says to no one.
"It is, but we can't stay here," a girl says. "You know that, Harry."
He has known Hermione for all his life but in that moment he doesn't want to talk to her. She's a traitor who sold his father only to be called the perfect daughter once more. But she's right and they can't stay.
Harry looks around and sees how each of the other ninety-eight boys and girls are joyful and happy. They are touching the trees and the dirt, picking fallen leaves from the ground and breathing the fresh air he has longed to have inside his lungs without even realising it. His body is made for this; for the sunlight, the fresh air and the taste of freedom.
"Hey!" he yells, getting their attention. Some are painfully obvious in their discontent at being there by Hermione's father's orders, and won't be happier knowing Harry is among them. "We need food and shelter before nightfall. You all heard what the Chancellor said. We need to get to Hogwarts. We will be safe there until the rest comes down here."
"Who put you in charge?" says a boy older than the rest. He looks angrier than the rest, too, and his arms crossed on his chest tell Harry he isn't about to cooperate. "What makes you think we will obey you here?"
Many of the other kids are retreating behind this boy. He has a degree of satisfaction showing on his face that is barely hidden behind the anger he shows. He's playing with the emotions of those kids, and Harry doesn't like it.
"We were given an order to get to Hogwarts," Hermione insists, crossing her arms too.
The boy –Marcus Flint– only shakes his head, laughing. When his eyes meet with Harry's again, he hides a shiver.
"You were given an order by the Chancellor," Flint says coldly. "I don't follow him. The Phoenix can't stop me now, can they? They sent us here expecting us to die. We are expendable, and they aren't. You're only here to make sure we follow these orders."
Harry narrows his eyes. "The Phoenix is dying."
His revelation shocks many people and makes Hermione gasps. "Harry!"
"What, Hermione?" he says, exasperated and letting his negative emotions take control. "Flint is right. Your father and my mother sent us here to die. They hoped we could find an inhabitable planet but they weren't sure," he then looks over at the confused kids that have congregated at the sides. "The Phoenix is dying and we were sent here to prove that we can live here. Staying by the drop ship won't help us. We have to get to Hogwarts and–"
"And what?" speaks the boy again, reaching Harry in only two steps of his long legs. He is a head taller than Harry and seems ready to kill him. Harry isn't afraid. "And tell the Phoenix we are alright? Then they will come and imprison us again. Is that what you want? Not everyone here enjoyed commodities during their stay in the Azkaban box."
He is silenced, and when Flint turns his back on him to speak to the other kids, Harry knows he's lost them.
"We won't let them rule over us! We were imprisoned because you had fun! Maybe because we used too much toilet paper," the kids laugh and even Harry has a slight smirk. "We will do whatever the hell we want and no one can stop us."
While the boy's words are pronounced quietly, they are full of a reckless kind of freedom and an unnerving sense of exhilaration. Before he knows it, the fight is lost and the kids are repeating the boy's words with their fists in the air.
From above them comes a sound Harry has never heard before. It's strong and powerful, and when the rain comes down from the clouds Harry is amazed. He looks at Flint.
"It's better for all of us if we get those supplies," he reasons with him, noticing the intense stare as he listens to what Harry says. "Hunting is a skill we learned, but how good will we be in the real world?"
Harry is surprised when the boy smiles, stealing a heartbeat and leaving him breathless for an instant. "We will have to see, won't we?
