Types of Iron
Secret Santa gift for tellmesomethingnew-shiverpass *this was previously posted on Tumblr under the title "Almost Like Me"
Theme: Sci-fi, adventure, forbidden romance
Summary: Magic/Sci-fi blend AU.
Rating: M just to be safe
Warnings: violence, death, language, involuntary self-harm,
"As technology advances in complexity and scope, fear becomes more primitive"
Don DeLillo
"Hermione!" Ron cried from the castle window. "Hermione, they're getting closer!" Ron summoned his panicked falcon, Chudley, back inside the stronghold where the small group of Order members were hidden.
"The wards I put on this place will hold up long enough for Harry to finish his repairs," she told him confidently, but glancing over at Harry she wasn't so sure. The circuits in his right arm were still fully detached, and the humanoid skin on his face was damaged, splitting his face in half between the still human looking part and the exposed metal and wires.
Mouth pulled tight and grimacing, Harry grumbled, "I need more time," gesturing to his twitching right arm on the stone table, he explained, "I lost my wand arm and my wand."
"Just worry about your arm for right now. I'll take care of your face while Neville checks for an extra wand." Hermione ruffled the boy's hair and began to cloak his mangled face with concealing charms. It would do for now when they were on the run, but if anyone intelligent caught them, they would be captured and killed.
But Ron was pacing nervously by the window, terrified of what he had seen through Chudley's eyes.
"There were at least 20 Knights of Walpurgis riding in from the Forbidden Forest on horseback. Bellatrix, Snape, Dolohov, both Malfoys, and . . ." he hesitated, "I thought I saw Ginny." Everyone in the room, even Harry, paused at this.
A year before Hermione and Harry had crossed over to the Old Realm from the Metal World, there had been a special tournament and festival held in honor of Lead Sorcerer Dumbledore's tragic passing. His replacement, the mysterious Lord Voldemort, has used the week long event to recruit for his army, which he would quickly use to replace the naive King Cornelius Fudge and start his anti-technology monarchy. One of the many youths Voldemort had recruited was Ginny Weasley, who seemed like at the time an unsuspecting ten year old girl.
The Weasleys were a poor family who worked in animal husbandry - with twin brothers Frederick and George running the shop and William managing the books. Each family member had an animal they handled best - the second oldest, Charles, had been apprenticed to a dragon trainer. Arthur was best with the cows, Molly with the chickens, William with the hunting dogs, Fred and George with exotic animals like parrots and monkeys, Ronald with falcons and hawks, and Ginerva with horses.
Their father, Arthur, had once been part of the advisory board to King Fudge, but he was stripped of his position once Counselor Voldemort revealed that he was a robot sympathizer and enthusiast. Being labelled a "technophile" left Arthur Weasley and his family destitute and reviled, but not bitter. However, a deep rift split the family when Percival, the third and stern child, renounced his family's views and became a squire to Knight Yaxley.
Ginny had entered the tournament in the eleven year old category and had wowed the crowds in the joust, dueling, and archery. Shortly after being awarded first place for her age group, she and the other winners were seized by Lord Voldemort's knights. And as Ron had confided to Hermione in private, he remembered Ginny never fighting against it like the other children. She just stood there numbly, almost in a trance.
"I think she was possessed," Ron had whispered to her one night soon after her arrival. "Like Voldemort had wiggled his way into her mind."
Neville was the first one to break the tension, trying to be a source of calm. "It may not be her - no one has seen her in ten years."
"It was, I know it." Ron swallowed dryly, "More scarred and with darker hair, but it was her. And she was riding right behind Bellatrix." Ron stroked Chudley nervously.
"She was the most powerful sorceress in our age group," Luna commented thoughtfully, "If I were a totalitarian ruler, I'd want her on my side." The odd witch went back setting the trap she had constructed in front of the wooden doorway - a backup in case they needed extra time to escape.
"We don't have much time, Hermione, they're near the moat." Hermione stiffened as she heard the sounds of swords and dark magic plinking against her shields to break them down.
"Got Harry a wand!" Neville shouted over the growing noise from below.
"Harry, you done yet mate?" Ron asked with clenched teeth - outside, the shield had begun to deteriorate.
"My arm isn't fully reattached, but it will do." Harry tugged his tunic sleeve back down and grabbed his wand. "I can finish making the repairs when we get to the next safe house." Given that Harry's speciality was electrical magic, Hermione was assured he would be okay.
Just then, the shield broke, and the drawbridge was opened. "We're coming for you, Potter!" The Knights screamed in various war cries. Hermione distinctly heard the shrill cackle of Bellatrix Lestrange as she raced her way up to the tower where the Order hid.
"Wee metal baby is all tucked away," Bellatrix laughed.
"Grab Harry and apparate to the next point," Hermione commanded to Ron. "We'll take care of the Knights."
"I'm not leaving you," Harry insisted. She saw the sheer will in his eyes and nodded, knowing that she couldn't say no. After being on the run together for ten years playing at older sister and younger brother, it would have been difficult not to view him as family.
"So what's the plan?" Neville asked.
"Fight until we can't and then get Harry to the next destination," Ron stated in his bravest voice, trying to hide the quivering of his hands.
"What we always do Neville," Luna laughed lightly, "improvise."
And then, the crazy witch was at the door, banging against it with all her might. "You're not going anywhere Pinocchio," Bellatrix jeered. "You may think you're a real boy, but you're just a metal puppet. A broken gift." Hermione shuddered at the term - a broken gift was slang for a sorcerer with technological aids or parts. Thus, the gifted were plain old sorcerers, the ungifted where thus without magical abilities, and stolen gifts was the horrible and incorrect term for an android capable of magic.
"Open the door!" She ordered one of her lackies - and just as the door was about to smash open, Luna's poison trap sprang up and killed the henchman. Bellatrix, having caught some of the fumes, coughed at her underlyings, "Don't just stand there, do something!" A few men in ill-fitting armour made their way through the splintered wood and corpse to attack, but Luna's traps were quicker. Spraying the men with some of Neville's plants, they swayed on their feet before losing consciousness. But more knights stormed in to replace them, and everyone began to duel. Neville and Ron were double teaming the Malfoy family, while Luna combatted Dolohov. Harry was battling Severus Snape, who seemed to be going easy on the cyborg boy for some unimaginable reason. Meanwhile, Hermione was face to face with Bellatrix.
"Ah, you're baby metal's protector. How sweet," Bellatrix smiled through yellowing and cracked teeth. "Bye bye technophile!" Bellatrix shot out the Killing Curse, but Hermione narrowly dodged it. "You don't belong here, metal lover, so cross back over to the other side," Bellatrix hissed, sending a bone crushing hex her way. It grazed against her left arm directly at the joint. Hermione seized in pain, almost falling to the floor in utter agony. Instead, she knocked against Harry's work table, injured arm leaning on the various tools of repairing androids and cyborgs. Adrenaline kicked in though, and Hermione managed to send out one of the worst spells she knew.
"Sectumsempra!" It hit Bellatrix square in the chest, and blood began to spray from everywhere. It seemed to be leaking from her every pore, but the spell had sent deep cuts at her. The room paused to watch the transaction. Bellatrix's soldiers looked appalled - no one had taken her down this badly before. Snape, in particular, seemed startled by the spell.
"What did you say?" Snape asked, looking back at Hermione with squinting eyes. Bellatrix cried out vulture like screeches, pawing at her skin to try to make it stop. Just as Snape was about to stride over to his dying commander, Harry snapped a levitation spell at him, sending the cross man feet first against the stone ceiling. The battle surged again, but the Knights fought half-heartedly, knowing their leader was bleeding out on the floor. Hermione grabbed a screwdriver from the table and stalked over to Bellatrix's pulsing body.
The blood had begun to seep out of Bellatrix's eyes and ears. "Harry Potter will die - My Lord and Liege shall take the broken metal gift and rule both the worlds." Hermione crouched over her, the screwdriver pressed into the madwoman's temple.
"He's not going to lay a hand on Harry," Hermione hissed as she drove the screwdriver into Bellatrix's skull. The witch let out one last final scream before the light faded from her black eyes.
"Freeze!" A high pitched voice shouted from the doorway. Hermione attempted to glance up at the source of the voice, but found she could not. She and everyone else in the room had been petrified. The owner of the voice, a woman, Hermione thought, kneeled by her leader's corpse, fists clenched. While her hair was an auburn compared to the Weasley trademark pumpkin orange, the freckles gave her away. "You killed her," Ginny declared, rising to her feet.
Of course Ginny would have the ability to petrify people, Hermione rationalized. She was the most talented witch in her year, and no doubt Voldemort has turned her into a powerful weapon. Hermione made note to not underestimate the young woman.
"My Lady, you are now first lieutenant in Bellatrix's passing. We must complete her orders and kill the boy," the elder Malfoy hiccuped from the corner he had been pressed into by Neville, a wand still held against his pale skin.
"You forget, Lucius, that before your loyalty to your family is your loyalty to our king. We are taking them all alive, and I will not be questioned." Ginny raised the hilt of her sword and smashed it against the back of Hermione's skull, and her world was suddenly engulfed in dizzying darkness, darker than Bellatrix's eyes or Lord Voldemort's soul.