Disclaimer: I don't own a frakin' thing.
A NEW POWER
THE CROSSROADS OF DESTINY
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Chapter 1
The Dark Day
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"Do you have the spell?"
"I'm working on it, Hope. I'll never get it down if you keep asking me if I'm done every five minutes."
"I'm sorry, Paige. I've just got a bad feeling about this."
"Damn it, Hope," Catherine said, handing Danielle a piece of chalk. "You've got a bad feeling about this? Come on, that's right up there with 'What could possibly go wrong!'"
"She does have Phoebe's powers," Elizabeth commented. "It makes sense that's she'd…" She broke off when she noticed the look on Paige's face.
"I… I'm sorry; I know how much Phoebe and Piper…"
"It doesn't matter now." Paige said, her eyes not leaving the half written spell in front of her. "They're gone, and we will be too if we don't hurry. Anyway, I'm fairly certain this is the right spell. We should end up right where we want to. Of course, there is a possibility that we could arrive somewhere in South Africa, in Berlin, Germany in 1944, The Lost City of Atlantis, or the middle of deep space." Noticing the odd looks on the other's faces, Paige said, "What? Time-travel is tricky."
"Yeah, well we're only getting one shot at this." Danielle said, laying down the chalk and glancing at the Triquetra she had drawn on the wall for them to use as a portal to the past. "It had better work."
"Don't worry," Elizabeth said. "We'll be fine… unless Grindelwald decides to attack us, that is." Six columns of fire erupted near the attic doorway and a hail of fireballs shot towards them from the newly-arrived demons.
"You had to say something, didn't you?" Catherine asked, glaring at her older sister. Danielle hurled several fireballs of her own back at the demons. She vanquished three of them, but four more appeared in their place.
"Uh, guys… We need to go, right now!" Danielle exclaimed, ducking behind the table she was using as a shield. Paige, who was also hiding behind the table with Danielle, tossed a slip of paper toward Catherine.
"Go!" she shouted. "We'll hold them off!" Catherine shook her head.
"No, you won't stand a chance!"
"You have to go!" Danielle exclaimed. "You're the only hope for the future. Get out of here. Get back and stop all this before it begins!" Catherine unfolded the paper and gathered Hope and Elizabeth around her. Together, they read the spell.
"Hear these words, hear the rhyme. Heed the hope within my mind. Send me back to where I'll find, what I wish in place and time." The Triquetra Danielle had drawn began to glow. A bluish portal appeared on the wall and Elizabeth and Hope hurried through it. Catherine made to walk through it as well, but turned to look at Paige and Danielle. Paige was hurling potions at the advancing demons, while Danielle unleashed a hellish barrage of fire and energy balls.
One of the demons threw a fireball in her direction and Catherine took a step backwards, turned, and darted into the portal. It remained for a short moment, and then vanished. An arrow struck Paige's left shoulder, knocking her to the floor. Danielle took two more demons down and hurried to Paige's side, quickly removing the arrow.
"Paige, we've got to get out of here. I know a place we can go, but…" Danielle had held fire a moment too long. One of the demons plunged a foot long blade into her lower back. She collapsed on top of Paige, who gently stroked Danielle's long, dark hair with her right hand and gazed blearily at the demon above her. Paige closed her eyes and gripped Danielle's hand, which was still warm. Paige sighed as she felt the poison finish its deadly work. She never heard the demon ignite a fireball in his hand.
Magic School, Present Day.
"I don't mean to be rude," said Ginny as she and the others followed Catherine, Elizabeth, and Hope into the Great Hall of Magic School. "But could one of you please tell us what the hell is going on? Why did we have to leave the manor so quickly?"
"Alright," Catherine began, once everyone had found seats in the Great Hall. "I take you all already know about Grindelwald. He's been preparing all this time. During the war with Voldemort, the years leading up to the war with the Source, he's been getting everything ready. If, as you said, he vanquished the Source, it clearly means his plans are complete."
"Just what are his plans?" Hermione asked.
"Well, Voldemort and Grindelwald are two very different people. Voldemort used force in his bid to conquer. Grindelwald isn't going to give us a chance to fight. He has constructed hundreds of…. towers, I suppose you would call them. What they do is collect Dark Magic and then release it with devastating results. Anything within a five miles radius of the device will be utterly destroyed. Any living being within a fifty mile radius will lose their free will. They'll be corrupted with Dark Magic. They will become mindless servants of Grindelwald."
"And where are these devices now?" Ginny asked.
"Underground. They rise up and tower over everything else. Terrible, jet black monstrosities, they are. A device has been placed in every major city throughout the world." Catherine checked her watch. "If I'm right, New York City no longer exists. The same will be true for London in about five minutes, Chicago in ten minutes, Washington D.C. in about twenty, Paris in thirty, Berlin in forty-five, and Moscow in an hour. By nightfall, most of the entire world will fall under Grindelwald's control. The parts that don't…. will be nothing but wastelands."
"If what you say is true... millions will die," said Ron. "What... what can we do?"
"There's nothing we can do," said Catherine firmly. "Not for the rest of the world, anyway. Once activated, those towers are practically invincible. There is, however, a chance to save San Francisco. The device over San Francisco will fail to activate properly and Grindelwald will be forced to repair it.
"In our future, the Order launched an attack against it, but without knowing much about the devices, it failed. Fortunately, we've learned quite a bit about them. We should be able to destroy it this time and save the city."
"Then we should get moving," said Harry quickly. "We'll go to…"
"We can't do anything until the devices are activated," Catherine interrupted.
"Isn't that… counterproductive?" asked Ginny.
"Anyone outside of Hogwarts or Magic School will be either killed or fall under Grindelwald's control when those towers come online. Hogwarts and Magic School are protected, but everywhere else… Once the towers are activated and the Dark Magic released, we'll be fine. There is, however, one more thing. Once activated, the devices gather any remaining Dark Magic and send it to Grindelwald. If we don't reach him before he collects all the Dark Magic… he'll be unstoppable."
"Okay, then." Hermione said. "What do you suggest we do?"
"Go to Hogwarts. Try to get everyone possible into the safe places, Muggles and Magic folk alike. It's about survival as a race now, not whether a person is magical or not. Also, call a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and purpose attacking the device in San Francisco. If we succeed in destroying it, we'll need to begin preparing to defend the city from the inevitable counter-attack."
"On that note," Hermione said suddenly. "I've got something that could help immensely. I still need to run a few tests, but…"
"Alright, then." Harry said. "Hermione, you do whatever it is you need to do. The rest of us will go to Hogwarts and find Dumbledore."
"Actually, I'll need Catherine, Ginny and Hope to stay with me." Harry nodded.
"Wait," said Catherine abrupted. "Don't orb, Apparate instead. It's faster and the less time spend outside the better." A series of loud cracks filled the room as the group Disapparated.
"What do you need us for, Mum?" Catherine asked as Hermione led them to an empty classroom.
"Well, you remember when we attempted to have you shield Hogwarts with your power?" Hermione asked, placing the Book of Shadows on a desk and opening it.
"Vividly." muttered Catherine.
"Yes, well since then I've been looking for a way to enhance one's strength enough to keep the shield up for an increased length of time. Unfortunately, I've failed to find one. However, I have discovered another option. I've made a potion, that when combined with a rather dodgy spell, creates a shield with enough power to repel the impact of… well, an object the size of a small moon."
"How does this potion work, exactly?" Hope asked.
"That's the easy part," Hermione said. "As long as the fire remains lit under the cauldron in which the potion is mixed, the shield works. Let it go out, no shield. Now, I was thinking that if we set the cauldron on the roof of one of the tallest buildings downtown, we should be able to protect the entire city."
"And you're certain this will work?" Catherine asked. Hermione hesitated.
"Well, I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but I'm sure I've done everything right."
"You still haven't explained exactly what you needed us for." Ginny said. Hermione scooped up a small blade and extended it out toward the Ginny and Hope.
"I need your blood." she said simply.
"Why?" Hope asked, eyeing the weapon apprehensively.
"Well, you and Ginny both have the shield power," Hermione explained. "I need your blood to finish the potion."
"Great…" Hope muttered, reaching out and grasping the blade firmly. She pierced the tip of her forefinger and allowed several drops of blood to fall into the cauldron Hermione had placed on the desk. She then passed the blade to Ginny and squeezed her finger to stop the flow of blood. Hermione smiled and moved to her daughter's side. She took her hand and a moment later, the wound was gone.
"Thanks," Hope said, examining her cut-free finger.
"You're welcome," Hermione said, watching Ginny add her blood to the bubbling potion.
"Okay, then," Ginny said. "Is that all you needed or would you like us to add our spleens too?" Hermione laughed.
"No, that was it. You can head on to Hogwarts if you'd like. I need to stay here and finish this potion. If I don't get it right, I'll have to start over."
"So, you'd need our blood again?" Hope asked.
"Yes." Hermione said.
"Okay, let's go." exclaimed Hope, Disapparating with a loud crack. Ginny smiled and vanished as well. Catherine moved to her mother's side and gazed down into the cauldron.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked.
"God help us if it doesn't, Kat. Because from the way things are going, there isn't anyone else in the universe that will be able to."
