Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dark Angel

Chapter 3: Slow Progression

July 26thth, 2006

London, UK

Ames White was not a happy man. Shortly after the transgenic filth had escaped from Edinburgh he and his team had left for London. A car stolen the same night from Edinburg was found in London two days later. It was the only lead they had to work with but he had been unwilling to take chances so he had left a handful of men behind in Edinburgh to continue the search there.

Presently, he was pacing the office he had commandeered for their use during the search. The walls were covered with maps of London that had been divided up into search grids. Later today he would be meeting with local police. His status as an FBI agent would come in handy. Ames was going to let it be known that the two transgenics were material witnesses to a murder back in the US and were to be detained if they were found. He didn't think the police would find them, but it should help to keep the transgenics from settling in anywhere making them easier to find.

A cold cup of coffee and a stale bagel sat on his desk in front of him along with some tips and leads on unconfirmed sightings here in London. Ames had just started to going through the latest sightings when the door to the office opened and his second in command walked in. The man was tall, a good 6'2 in height with thick back hair that was slicked back. He had dark eyes that never showed emotion and despite his heavy muscular build was able to move quickly and silently. All in all, Christopher Heitter was not someone to take lightly.

Despite all this, Ames put the man in place with a menace filled gaze. "Do you have anything to report Heitter?"

"We have three full teams of familiars now operating in London. Another two are on their way from the States and and should be here within the day."

"Have any of the sightings panned out?" Ames asked coldly. He was still frustrated at the amount of time it was taking to assemble the teams. With 5 teams though, he would have more than enough men to take out the two transgenics and deal with anything that Manticore might throw into the mix.

"Yes, we think we have a confirmed sighting at a Marriott hotel. The desk clerk and some of the hotel staff recognized both of the animals from the pictures. They were quite positive that they were the same as the pair that had been staying in one of their suites for a few days before abruptly checking out."

"When was this?"

"It was three days ago sir." Heitter was waiting calmly for the inevitable explosion.

Ames didn't disappoint him, the coffee cup was sent crashing into the wall where it shattered. "This is worthless then, they could be anywhere by now!"

"Sir, they were seen leaving with an elderly couple. There was no security footage of the transgenics which isn't surprising. I'm sure they intentionally stayed in blind spots or ensured that their backs were to the cameras but the elderly couple made no such efforts." Heitter opened one of the file folders he was carrying with him and removed a photo.

Ames practically snatched it out of his hands in his eagerness to study the picture and see if he recognized the people. A frustrated sigh was his only reaction, he didn't recognize either the man or the woman. "Have there been any sightings since they checked out of the hotel?"

"No sir and that's what concerns me. We have the airports and ports covered, they could not escape the country."

"Yes you're right, get Richards in here. Perhaps his magic will be more use this time." White had tried to use magic after that first night but Richards wasn't able to get any result. It turns out that magic can be affected in a similar manner to electronics in a magical environment. Only high powered spells will work in a heavily technological environment. The locator spell that Richards used is not a high powered spell so if the transgenics were in a city it would most likely not function. Ames was hoping that they had left the city to a more rustic area and thus would be vulnerable to the spell.

"Right away sir." Heitter turned on his heel and left the room.

A short while later, Heitter returned with Richards. Unlike Heitter, Richards would never by physically intimidating. He was of average height with soft features and light brown hair. Despite his appearance, the man was a professional and always willing to do what was necessary to accomplish the objective. Ames had worked with him in the past a few times and had never been disappointed with the results.

"Ames White, what can I do for you?" Richards said affably.

"I want you to try the locator spell again. I'm hoping that the targets have left the city."

Richards needed no further explanation. He pulled his wand from an inner pocket on his suit coat and began waving it a series of controlled movements while concentrating on the pictures of Harry and Alec. Soon enough, he finished casting the spell and all three men watched as the photos of the two transgenics began to glow with a soft yellow light. Slowly, a map began to form showing the UK, within the map a location was glowing brightly, much brighter than the rest.

Richards stared at the map for a moment in surprise before stating "They have somehow found their way into the wizarding world. The two X5s are currently at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry."

Ames swore under his breath, he had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with the descendents of the traitors but now it looked like he wasn't going to have any choice in the matter. Moving quickly, he snatched the photo of the elderly couple of from his desk and handed it to Richards. "Do you recognize either of these two people, they could be the ones that took them into the wizarding world?" It was unlikely that either of the X5s had any experience with the wizarding world despite their training. Manticore would never have let them off the leash long enough to go somewhere the handlers would have no power.

Richards had barely glanced at the picture when he replied "The man is Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. He is a prominent wizard in the British wizarding world though his influence is somewhat less outside of the borders of the UK. The woman I don't know but I assume she is Minerva McGonagall, the deputy Headmaster. I'm not sure why they would help two transgenics though. What names were they going by?"

"Harry Potter and Alec McDowell…do you recognize those names?" Ames asked when he saw Richards pale slightly.

"This mission just became a lot more difficult. Harry Potter is famous for defeating a powerful dark wizard, Voldemort when he was a baby. I don't know how we're going to do this without risking exposure."

Ames White couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the situation. Harry Potter, a transgenic targeted for death was responsible for helping to thin the ranks of the wizard traitors from the breeding cult. Both Richards and Heitter stared at him with confused expressions on their faces until he explained.

Once he had regained control of himself Ames asked "Have we made contact with the any of the families in the wizarding world?"

"Many have been wiped out or are imprisoned for crimes they committed while following Voldemort. But, we have initiated contact with one of the higher ranking families that managed to escape more less unscathed."

"Who is it?"

"The Notts, they have a son that is currently attending Hogwarts, so we may be able to use them to gain access to the school."

"Good. Setup a meeting with him, I want to find out what his assistance is going to cost us. Heitter, bring in the men from Edinburgh, no sense in leaving them up there. Assemble the other teams here in London and begin training against magical attacks."

Heitter was about to leave the office to begin recalling the teams when Richards raised his worry about the mission. "Sir what about the threat of exposure? If the transgenics are at Hogwarts than we run a big risk if we eliminate them."

Ames didn't even try to stop his grin this time. "I've already been told that exposure is not a concern. Once our primary mission is accomplished, we are to eliminate the traitors and anyone who has had contacts with the X5 vermin."

July 30th, 2006

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, UK

Harry and Alec had been at Hogwarts for over a week now and they were slowly becoming accustomed to being in such a foreign environment. Harry in particular was finding that he had to adapt more to keep his background a secret because apparently he was a celebrity in the wizarding world. Alec had still not stopped laughing at him when he learned that Harry was a hero at the tender age of 15months.

To date, the only reason that either boy could think of for his survival was his altered genetics. It could be that something that Manticore had done had given him some sort of immunity or partial immunity to the killing curse. Unfortunately, it was not something they could test out. If he was at least partially immune, it did not extend to other spells because he had been injured or incapacitated numerous times during his training with the hit wizard.

The heroic nonsense as Harry thought of it began almost as soon as they arrived at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and Minerva took some time to give them a tour of the school. Exclamations of awe and wonder were expressed even if they weren't really felt. There were aspects that the boys found fascinating, such as the moving portraits but the staircases, candles, and other oddities left them asking the question, why bother.

After their tour was complete, Albus introduced them to the other staff members that were on hand. The professors were gushing over his return, falling all over themselves in an effort to shake his hand and thank him for saving them all those years ago. Albus took pity on the boy and offered to show them to their quarters. It was a long walk through winding corridors but neither Harry or Alec would have any problem navigating their way back to the Great Hall as both had been gifted with near photographic memory by the geneticists at Manticore.

Their quarters consisted of a shared dorm room with two beds and a sitting room with a large fireplace. The floor was covered by a pale blue plush rug and there was a sturdy wooden sofa with dark green coverings and a pair of wing chairs with similar coloring. Before leaving the boys to settle in, Albus told them he would be by later to pick them up for dinner in the Great Hall.

Harry and Alec spent the time unpacking their belongings and making plans. One of the first things they found was that their laptop was not working. Deciding to ask about it over dinner, they moved on and discussed their first impressions. Neither was particularly impressed with the professors. They were so undisciplined compared to their trainers back at Manticore. This segued into what they would do about their own training. Given the ample grounds around the castle and the fair weather since it was the middle of summer, they would simply use an open area. Since they did not have any spare ammunition at the moment there would be no shooting practice. Hopefully their martial arts practice wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

Now, a week had passed and they were on their way to dinner again. As usual, the meal started with food appearing on the table in front of them. Despite the options offered to them, Harry and Alec frequently stayed with fairly simple health food avoiding the sweet desserts in particular. Neither had ever really developed a taste for sweets and Manticore certainly wasn't in the habit of offering something so unhealthy.

"Albus, do you know why our laptop doesn't work?" Alec asked curiously. It had taken the other professors a little time to adjust to hearing two 16 year olds refer to the headmaster by his first name.

Albus just looked at the other professors quizzically before turning back to Alec "I'm not sure what a laptop is, is it some muggle device?"

Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes and after taking a sip water from his goblet he nodded his head. "Yes, it's a portable computer. We were hoping to do some research but it won't turn on."

Albus swallowed a bite of tart before answering. "That is your answer then, muggle devices frequently do not function in a heavy magical environment."

Harry set his goblet down with a thunk almost spilling the water. He stared at them dumbfounded "Is that why everything here is so…so…primitive?"

Professor Sinistra who while not a sympathizer of Voldemort's did not see that the muggle world had anything to offer them asked somewhat snidely "What do muggles have that could possibly be better than magic?

Alec practically choked on his food. He glared at Harry after being pounded on the back much harder than was strictly necessary. "Are you serious? Our laptop could probably hold the entire contents the library and still have room to spare. You'd be able to research topics across the entire range of books in minutes."

Alec went on explaining about the internet and the range of information that was available from sources all over the world. Most of the professors were amazed that something like that had been created by the muggles. The closest thing they could think of that existed in the wizarding world were self-updating books but the idea of trying to link them to an infinite number of sources was out of the question.

Sinistra had been trying to deny the usefulness of something like a laptop or the internet but if the boy was not exaggerating its capabilities, it far surpassed anything that could be done with the tools that existed today in the wizarding world.

"What do you use for research?" Harry asked curiously. "Computers are an integral part, storing data, performing analysis, running computations, that kind of thing. Computers have been used to map the human genome, giving us a better understanding of the basic structure of our DNA." Yeah, he and Alec were perfect examples of that better understanding he thought a little bitterly.

The professors were even more confused now. Many had heard of the terms that Harry had mentioned but there was no real understanding of their meaning or the science behind them. Alec went on to explain that the knowledge was used to target cures for diseases, correct birth defects, and gain a better understanding of how the world functions.

"Surely you must have something similar, how are new spells created?"

"Alas, very few people go into spell creation now days. Frankly, the wizarding world has become very lazy content to live in the world without pushing boundaries."

Harry asked "What about the wizards and witches that come in from the outside? How well do they fit in?"

"Many leave once their schooling is done or move to the United States where there is more of an intermingling of the wizard and muggle worlds." Albus answered somewhat sadly.

The conversation continued on in this vein for quite some time. Alec and Harry were careful to take note of everything being said so they could go over it again once they were alone. Soon enough dinner was over and Harry and Alec returned to their room.

The door to their room clicked as the lock latched into place. Neither boy was convinced there wasn't some type of surveillance in place but they had not found anything and the few detection spells they knew came back negative too.

"So what do you think? Alec asked.

"I think that if these professors are a typical example, than the wizarding world is one fucked up place."

"I can't argue with you there, I mean from what we have seen magic is capable of some pretty incredible things, but it is just stupid to ignore everything that is non-magical too."

"I almost started laughing when they described the Death Eaters and their pure blood only policy. It sounds like farmers raising a prize pig. They have no idea about genetics or the fact they will breed themselves out of existence if the pure bloods have their way."

Alec nodded in agreement before adding "This no technology thing is going to complicate things if we stay here. We're going to need to have someplace where I can work if I'm going to crack the security on the data. If it's going to be our bargaining chip we better know what's in there."

"We need a fallback position anyway. This place may be a castle but it certainly isn't secure. I don't care what wards do or how strong they supposedly are, there's so many avenues for someone to get in or out it's a joke."

"It is a school and not a fortress." Alec laughed.

Harry shook his head, a smile on his face "I know and it's good enough for now but I won't be comfortable until we have somewhere to run to. Unfortunately, to do all this, we're going to need resources we don't have at the moment."

Alec laughed again. If they wanted to they could rob this place blind but finding someone to sell everything to would be a different matter and it would also add to their ever growing list of enemies. By now, they both were certain that Manticore had sent a team after them.

Harry and Alec stayed up late that night planning out things that would need to be done. It was decided that they would need to get an apartment away from the school that they could retreat to. They would use the excuse that there were things they needed to do on their laptop and thus needed a non-magical environment to work from. It would also give them some opportunity to try and find the local black market, their ammunition would not hold out long and they would need a supplier. While they were growing more comfortable with magic, both wanted to have a backup.

Before going to bed for the night, Harry brought up one more topic. "What do you think about staying here and taking Dumbledore up on his offer of schooling?"

Alec asked curiously "What do we have to gain by staying here?" He wasn't against staying but he wanted to hear Harry's reasoning.

"Besides a free place to stay, even if it isn't secure, I think there is a lot that was left out of our training. Sure most of the crap we've seen here is useless but the underlying magic could be useful."

"I don't think Lydecker really knew much if anything about magic so he didn't know what to have us trained in." Alec agreed. "If I'm right, then Manticore probably doesn't have any way to find us in the wizarding world either."

"I was thinking the same thing. We can hope that the Breeding Cult is similarly ignorant but we shouldn't count on that."

"If we're going to stay, I think you should be the one to approach Dumbledore. After all, you're their hero." Alec finished in a simpering tone as he moved onto his bed and dodged the incoming pillow. He was lying on his back with his hands behind his head as he stared up at the canopy above his bed.

Harry was still puttering around, changing his clothes and putting some items away before he climbed into his bed. "Sure stick me with the creepy old man but he does seem to have some guilt complex or something going on. I can probably exploit that and fall back on my celebrity status if necessary."

"See if we can keep our own room because I don't want to be sharing a room with a bunch of normals." Alec said half jokingly. "Seriously though we are going to need some special privileges . You need to make sure we can leave without having to sneak out all the time."

"Our own room isn't a bad idea. I'll see what I can do. It wouldn't hurt to get someone to show us more of the wizarding world too." Harry paused looking at Alec critically. "We need to start training again, you're starting to look a little flabby."

Alec snorted and threw Harry's pillow back at him. "Hey, I'm not the one who got shot. Still, if you want to get your ass kicked I will be more than happy to oblige. In fact, I'll beat your ass tomorrow morning, outside near the stadium if you have the guts."

"I know your mouth is in shape anyway." Harry quipped good naturedly. Ignoring anything else Alec had to say, Harry rolled over and went to sleep.

------

Elsewhere in Hogwarts, Albus was having a conversation regarding Harry Potter and his friend Alec McDowell.

"Albus, I'm worried about Mr. Potter. I'm not sure he will adapt well to the wizarding world." Minerva said, her normal cool tone breaking slightly with her worry.

If it had been anyone else, Albus would have dismissed that but he placed a great deal of weight on Minerva's impressions. "Why would you think that?" He offered her a cup of tea which she gratefully accepted before sitting down in a plush chair.

"It was the questions he was asking tonight. I'm afraid neither Harry or his friend left with the best opinion of the wizarding world. There is much the wizarding world has to offer but I'm not sure they will stay to find out or if they do whether they will accept it." She had been impressed by the caliber of the questions posed to the professors during dinner and she was ashamed to admit that more often than not the only real answer was that it had always been done that way.

"Yes, we did not have very good answers for many of their questions. Sadly, we have become quite insular here. Perhaps Harry, with his status in the wizarding world, can be a force for change."

Minerva set her cup down on the desk and leaned forward. "In order to be a force for change, he must be here. Those boys need more contact with the wizarding world than the handful of professors here this summer. A visit to Diagon Alley wouldn't hurt either."

Albus beamed at Minerva "That is an excellent idea. I had been considering inviting some of the students here to meet Harry along with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. I'm sure he would like to learn more of his parents. And a trip to Diagon Alley could be the perfect ice breaker."

Minerva nodded in agreement now that some of her concerns were addressed. "Do you think he will stay for the school year?"

Albus' face lost some of its exuberance and he held his tea cup before him. He gazed into it contemplatively like he was hoping the tea leaves would hold his answer "I do not know. I'm not sure what they have to return to in the muggle world. But I'm curious to see what they have learned from their private tutors."

It was Minerva's turn to look pensive now as she considered how to phrase her next question. "Albus…" She paused again "What do you think those two are running from?"

Albus was silent. His tea sat before him untouched. What little he knew of Harry Potter was running through his head. "I don't know and until we earn his trust, I don't think we will know."

Minerva was by no means a stupid woman and she proved it once again when she mused aloud "Whatever it is, I think it started back with James and Lily."

"What makes you say that?"

Minerva was now lost in thought as she spoke almost absently "Have you ever heard of a charm to hide being pregnant? Of course a glamour might work but Lily never moved or acted like she was pregnant, even at the end. Even magic can't help with that."

"Do you think that Harry is not their child?"

Minerva snorted in a very unladylike fashion "No, he is obviously there child but when you combine Lily's mystery pregnancy with the circumstances of his custody following their death, there is something going on that we don't know about."

Albus cast a quick charm to reheat his tea and took a sip. "I fear you may be right. We can only hope that he comes to trust us while there is still time to offer help."

"At least he isn't alone. Whatever is going on, both Harry and Alec are involved. They certainly remind me of the Marauders minus the pranking." Her tone had taken on a wistful note at the end.

"I will speak with Sirius and Remus tonight to see what can be setup. Regardless, Sirius has a right to know that Harry has returned."

Manticore, Gillette, WY USA

There was no other explanation for it. X5-494 and X5-701 had gone rogue. This was a mess, not quite as bad as the escape years ago but bad none the less. To make matters worse, this morning Lydecker had received orders to terminate the two X5s in question. There was to be no retrieval operation, his orders were to deploy wet works teams to eliminate the threat the two X5s posed to Manticore. Any normal that had been exposed was to disappear quietly. Manticore's existence could not be compromised.

Now, he was sitting in the Ops room planning out a missing to remove the threat posed by two of his X5s. "What's our status?" He asks of the men sitting around the table. The men include representatives from training, psi ops, and the wet works team.

Marcus had been in charge of training all the X5s so he was intimately familiar with everything they had been taught and the strengths and weaknesses that had been shown. "It's been more than a week since we lost contact with the X5 units." He never referred to them as boys or children or even as people. To Marcus, the X5s were nothing more than weapons in the US military's arsenal. "They've gone to ground and are going to be difficult to find."

Hess was the lead agent working in psi ops. "It may be easier if 701 lets 494 take the lead. 494 is less focused more prone to distraction. 701 if he takes charge will keep them moving and focused on evading our teams. His weakness will be 494, 701 forms attachments too easily and would be reluctant to leave 494 behind even if it meant his own capture."

Privately Lydecker wondered if that weakness wasn't a result of 701 living with his parents for close to 1 ½ years. It was too late now, but there were already clones being grown of 494 and 701 with the X6 gene sequencing to ensure that they would be more tractable. "If that's the case, than what can we do to slow them down?"

"I might have the answer to that little problem right here." Smith said. It was a little unnerving that the most dangerous man in the room had the most innocuous name. Smith and his team had never failed to eliminate their targets and they often lived up to their wetworks title. He passed around a series of photos and newspaper clippings.

Lydecker and the others took a few moments to read the stories and review the photos. As he read, Lydecker began to frown. The frown became more pronounced when he read the description and saw the photos of the primary suspect and the barcode on the back of his neck. "It's X5-493, he's killed those men in New York and probably elsewhere too. I fail to see the reason for sharing this now."

"I'm sharing this now because we can use it to force 494 & 701 to move before their ready. 494 & 493 are twins, the only difference is their barcode. How many people outside of Manticore will be able to tell the difference? None!" He finished sharply.

"Ahhh…you want to ensure that the photos and the story ends up plastered all over the British media. It would certainly hamper their movements. 494 would become a lead weight around 701's ankles."

They spent some more time working out the logistics of the plan before Lydecker dismissed them asking only Smith to remain behind. "Smith what are you going to do if they have managed to make it into the magical world?"

For once Smith didn't have an answer. He grimaced when he said "That could cause a problem. We have no idea where it is or what protections are in place. I've read your files on their training and the intelligence from those few you were able to coerce into coming here."

"I agree and it's one I suspected we could run into as soon as the X5s fell off our radar. I have put out feelers offering ridiculously large rewards for any information on the magical world. As soon as I have a taker, I will give you the information."

"Good. I'll start working with the my men as well. We're going to have to prepare for non-standard tactics. Our weapons are effective against magic but the direct approach probably won't work once their surprise wears off."

"I'd offer you the X6s but they are still too young to be of any use to you. If necessary, we can make some of the earlier X series units available." Lydecker offered.

"I'd prefer not to go that route. They may be reluctant to hunt their own kind." Smith looked speculatively at Lydecker "Why are you being so supportive of this? You've always argued against termination for any of the other escapees."

"494 and 701 are unique. Their magical ability makes them too much of a liability. After this incident, I wonder if their magic also helped them resist some of the conditioning they were put through. As valuable as they are, the risk is simply too great to ignore."

Smith studied him while he pondered Lydecker's answers. It all made sense, but he couldn't help but feel that there was something personal behind Lydecker's motives. Perhaps he had grown attached to the units and felt betrayed by their escape. It truly made little difference, nothing could change the fate of 494 and 701 now. "This is likely to be messy and if it makes it into the magical world, I'm likely to need additional men."

"We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Dismissed."