The Madness Within: Chapter 3
by
QuantumPhonetics
"Finally, you have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the "falling domino" principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences." Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. 'Public Paper Of The Presidents', p. 382, April 1954.
London, Green Park Station, 4:37 P.M April 22nd, 1941
As the heavy metal doors slid open with an ominous creak, the dim lights of the maintenance tunnel were obscured by a thick blanket of smoke. Almost instantly the damp chill of the tunnel was replaced by a stifling heat. The dry air that invaded the tunnel felt as if it were from a blast furnace; quite a contrast from the usually mild weather in London this time of year. Harry cautiously took a few steps forward amid the tendrils of smoke, which soon wrapped around his form greedily.
Harry wiped his sweaty brow and looked back toward Appoline. "How far away did you say the hospital was?"
"Well…it was toward the east…" Appoline trailed off in confusion as she tried in vain to see past the wall of smoke. In the distance the sound of muffled explosions reverberated softly against the concrete walls.
Peter stepped forward and light up a cigarette, the thin trail of smoke slowly being absorbed by the thick black wall. "Don' worry. I know Picadilly like the back of my hand. My old man always took me mum to the Trocadero back in the day. Dunno if it's still open though…"
As Peter trailed off Appoline tore her gaze from the increasingly dense smoke and nodded. "If we can find a landmark it will point us in the direction of the medical facility. Their floo network should still be secure."
Peter grinned as he grabbed Harry by the arm and started to drag him into the swirling smoke. "Aye. We'll be back in 15 minutes. I'll take your boy and we'll check out the square."
Harry twisted out of his grasp after a few feet and snarled. "Oy! Let go of me you old fart!"
Peter glanced at Harry with an annoyed look. "Oh the brat's got some cheek ey?"
"Who did you call a brat you-"
"Cher Seigneur! Tu es incroyable…" Appoline exclaimed in exasperation as their voices abruptly died.
The two mutes continued to gesture widely at each other as she lowered her hand. She stared at the two males with an aggravated expression.
"This is not the time! Now you boys play nice…or else."
With her hands on her hips and with an actual visible aura; the nonverbal stance simply complimented the deadly look she was giving them. Harry stared back in shock as her sudden avian features softened slightly. Even some of the normally silent children gasped as the young French witch returned to her normal form.
Yeah…she's definitely a Delacour…
Both Harry and Peter winced and nodded sheepishly toward Appoline. She sighed slightly and her avian features disappeared completely. With a wave of her hand the silence charm faded.
Peter coughed lightly as he touched his throat delicately. "Point taken. Lets go br…err…Harry."
Harry bit back a retort and simply nodded. "Let's get this over with. If we aren't back in 15 minutes then try to find another route."
"Don't start any trouble," Appoline suddenly gazed at Harry with an indecipherable look. "Just be careful, ok?"
"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me." Harry flashed one of his trademark Potter grins at Appoline and turned toward the city square.
With the last syllable on his tongue Harry and Peter slowly began to walk through the black smoke. Within moments their forms became obscured by the smoke and they vanished entirely from view. As they carefully walked among the rubble that littered the street Harry began to let a bit of his magical essence seep into the surrounding area. It only took a few moments of concentration before he shook his head in exasperation. The air held such a concentration of magical energy that detecting any single magical signatures would have been a futile attempt. Sighing heavily Harry strained his eyes to detect any type of movement among the oppressive smoke that hung heavily on his form.
Glad I don't have those coke bottle frames anymore.
The thought of his old frames brought back Sirius' smiling face to the forefront of his mind. His now perfect eyesight was a gift that had been given to him shortly before his godfather's untimely demise. The two of them had begun to explore the depths of 12 Grimmauld Place a few months ago and had stumbled upon an enormous cache of potions ingredients. The amount and quality of the ingredients was truly astounding; no doubt Snape would have given both his greasy hands in exchange for the treasure trove that existed underneath the manor.
In retrospect the Potion of True Sight was actually very easy to produce, yet the ingredients needed in its preparation were truly rare. Then again nearly everything in the manor was rare or special to a certain degree, including the numerous tomes and spellbooks that lined the Black family library. It was here that Harry first unearthed the mysteries of the strange red stone he once held. His hunt for knowledge regarding the stone had eventually even led him to the hidden subterranean library in Hogwarts.
"Restricted section my ass…" Harry mumbled under his breath as the pair continued to walk forward through the thick smoke.
Peter looked at him with a confused expression. "What did ya say?"
"Ah…nothing. Just thinking about the past," Harry replied with a sad look in his eyes.
Peter glanced at Harry with an unreadable expression and took a deep drag of the cigarette between his lips. "Never forget about the past brat. It may hurt but it makes you who you are."
Harry stopped and turned to Peter abruptly with a sour look. "What? How would you know anything about that?"
Peter grimaced slightly and took one more drag of his Gauloises as he leaned up against destroyed edifice. "More than you know."
At Harry's inquisitive look Peter shrugged and flicked the butt into the swirling smoke.
"Yeah…I know. Would have been easier to find a pack of good ole' brit fags but these Frenchies always make me think of my brother."
Harry gave the man a confused look. He hadn't even noticed what brand of cigarettes they were but the man seemed to have become nostalgic all of a sudden.
"Your brother?"
Peter had his face pointed up with a faraway look in his eyes. "Aye. Started out in the RAF flying against those damned Luftwaffe Junks."
Harry once again sported a confused look upon his face. "Junks?"
"Junkers. Those models are part of the main German attack force," Peter intervened softly. "Ya must have heard the shriek of the engines as the bloody Luftwaffe flew above London."
"Wait…what's the Luftwaffe?"
Peter shook his head violently and suddenly punched a hole-ridden wall with his right hand. The sound of his meaty flesh impacting the concrete reverberated for a few seconds before it was enveloped by the smoke. Harry stared in silent shock as Peter hung his head low, his hand still resting upon the rough wall as small flakes of paint continued to lazily float to the ground.
After a few silent moments Peter dropped his hand and he tilted his neck and Harry could see the angry snarl on his grizzled face. "God damn it…those bastards! They shot David down over France…he wasn't even 19 yet!"
Harry simply stood in shock as the brown haired man hunched over the remains of the concrete wall, droplets of blood falling from his hand onto the dusty ground. After a few moments Peter sighed softly and brought out his slightly crumpled pack of Gauloises. Within a few moments Peter stood up and lit another cigarette. He took a deep drag and turned back toward Harry.
"Ya have any siblings? Brother? Sister?"
Harry looked away sadly and kicked a piece of concrete haphazardly into the billowing smoke.
"I've…been alone for almost my entire life."
I'd hardly call the Dursleys family anyway…
Peter gazed at Harry from his peripheral vision yet made no reply. Both men stood there in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, the wind beginning to pick up as the sound of explosions continued in the distance.
After a few seconds the silence was pierced by the sound of falling rubble collapsing from a nearby building. A burst of wind began to sweep across the square and the smoke momentarily lifted.
Holy shit…
The morbid sight that lay in front of them would not have been out of place in a contemporary war film. The entire square lay in ruins; the only noticeable landmarks were the massive craters that dotted the landscape. Harry could even feel the residual magical energy that wafted from each crater as they slowly walked among them. As his eyes swept over the square he noticed an abnormality among the destruction. A few meters ahead the tail fin of a white and black checkered missile sprung from a noticeable smaller hole. Harry slowly approached the crater and could feel the latent magic that surrounded the monstrosity. Curiously, the majority of the magical saturation seemed to originate from the cone on top of the missile, which was now protruding from the dark soil. On the damaged cone there was a small amount of indecipherable German, the most prominent of which was a mark that he didn't need any translation to understand.
Harry squinted against the blowing wind and cupped his hands over his eyes. "V-2….Vergeltungswaffe 2/Magische Prototyp? What the hell…is this?"
Peter gazed at the towering missile with a shocked look. "Mag…magical prototype?"
"Wait…You can read it?!"
Peter shifted uncomfortably as he continued to stare at the large emblazoned swastika on the side of the monstrosity. "Aye…but not much. Enough to know that this is a German weapon. Magical too."
"I thought the muggles didn't know about magic," Harry replied with a slightly confounded expression.
"Aye. But why in the hell are muggles using magic weapons?" The question remained unanswered as both Harry and Peter lapsed into nervous silence.
After a few moments of silent observation Harry concluded that the rocket was no longer dangerous. Although there was a noticeable amount of magical energy surrounding the device, it seemed to lack the ability to detonate. Glancing once more at the German lettering on the surface of the rocket he turned back toward the maintenance tunnel. Now that the square was relatively safe they needed to figure out which direction pointed east, toward the medical facility Appoline mentioned earlier.
"Hold up. I've got an idea," Harry softly intoned as he stared at his faintly glowing hand. Dumbledore had taught him a navigation spell a few months ago, yet Harry hadn't used it in practical situation. If he placed his wand in the palm of hand and used this particular spell the wand tip would rotate toward the north, similar to a simple muggle compass. Without a wand however, the results of the spell could be an entirely different outcome.
After a moment's hesitation Harry thrust his hand out in front of him in a grand gesture and yelled the spell at the top of his lungs.
"Magnetio Focali!"
His hand immediately started vibrating and the small shards embedded in his hands began to glow brighter. Although he could feel a minute drain on his magic nothing was occurring. As he was about to drop his hand it spun him viciously in a circle and he nearly lost his balance. Now his entire arm was pointing straight in the opposite direction and he could hear a faint humming coming from his hand. A few moments later the bright light faded from his hand and it fell to his side unceremoniously.
"Wicked…" Harry Potter breathed out as he continued to stare at his hand in fascination. If anything the effect of the spell was even stronger than if he had used his wand.
Peter was even more surprised as he gaped at the red glow emanating from Harry's right hand. "What…what the ruddy hell was THAT?! You don't even have a wand!"
Harry simply grinned and turned back toward the vicinity of the maintenance tunnel. As he started to jog back toward Appoline and the children he heard Peter fall into step beside him.
"You're an unusual brat. And I expect to hear about what the bloody hell that was. "
"Deal." Harry smiled slightly at the grin on Peter's face. "…old man."
A small trail of smoke obscured the maintenance entrance and Harry covered his eyes as they burst through; the tendrils of smoke momentarily trailing after their fast moving form. As he lifted his arm the surprised faces of the group stared back at him.
"Merde! At least let us know if you are approaching!" Appoline was staring at the two with a gaze that would have put Medusa to shame.
It was only then that Harry noticed the scared looks the children were giving him as they huddled behind the French witch.
"Damn…ahhh…well I know which direction we need to go," Harry stammered underneath her gaze.
Appoline's face slowly morphed into a determined grin. "Well…just make sure that you do not scare the children again."
Harry nodded sheepishly. "Yeah…I understand." Almost instantly Appoline's demeanor shifted and a small smile shifted onto her flawless face. Unbeknownst to Harry a similar grin began to emerge on his face as they glanced at each other.
Peter smiled slightly at the young teens until his face shifted into a determined visage. "Oy! You two stop eyeing each other and get moving!"
Harry and Appoline both looked away suddenly and a crimson blush erupted on her cheek.
"Perverted old man…,"Harry muttered as he whipped his head toward Peter and glared at him with a venomous look.
Peter simply raised his arms in a placating manner with a bemused smirk. "Just making sure ya two are ready. Well lad…the show's yours. Me and the misses will take up the rear."
Although Appoline glared at Peter at his choice of words she nodded as well. "I shall keep the children close by. Let us make haste!"
Harry gave a final nod and turned to the wall of smoke. "Stay close and follow me!"
With his last few words echoing on the walls of the tunnel he burst through the smoke with his impromptu group in tow. Within a few moments Harry had cleared approximately forty meters. The group hung back quite a distance behind, obviously in disbelief at the state of the city square. Within a few moments their collective eyes switched back to his impatient gaze.
"The bridge will come up soon, according to the transit maps in the Tube!" Harry shouted to them as the group made it way over to his position.
They joined him a few seconds later as they all burst through the small walkway onto the main avenue. In the distance the bridge stood stoically among the trails of smoke, the darkness of its metal wires occasionally illuminated by the sporadic fires that raged upon its length. Although the bridge seemed intact Harry slowed his jog until he was walking at a cautious pace. As he passed by the first burnt husk of a car his instinct screamed at him to get away from the open ground. The group followed diligently and they soon reached the zenith of the bridge. The skeleton of a larger car still smoldered brightly on their left and cast ferocious shadows upon the metal railings as they passed by.
"So many innocent lives…," Harry mumbled as he kicked a rusty mangled Rolls Royce hood ornament that might have belonged to the car they had just passed. As it rolled to a stop a few meters ahead he noticed that what he thought was rust was actually old coated blood.
The majority of the attacks are being targeted toward innocent civilians…but how?
Harry was jostled out of his thoughts by a sudden increase in magical saturation in the air. He halted abruptly and noticed that once again the air had become deathly silent; the only sound that remained was the wind whistling through the metal frame of the bridge. A few meters ahead Appoline slowed to a crawl as her attuned Veela senses noticed the change in magical pressure. As Harry's eyes traced the dark sky he noticed a collection of bright lights that streaked across the horizon. Even as he traced their trajectory he noticed that they began to curve toward their location.
It almost seems like they are actively following something…
His confused look changed into horror as he suddenly realized what these pinpoints of light really were. Harry quickly turned to the French witch, who had also noticed the strange lights in the distance.
"Appoline! Listen to me! Those lights are the same weapons that caused those explosions!"
She cast a concerned look toward Harry, who had fallen to one knee in pain. Whereas the pain was familiar the intensity was at an even higher magnitude. As he clenched his stomach the pain magnified exponentially, nearly taking the breath away from his lungs. If the pain was any indication then the previous attacks would pale in comparison. As his other hand dropped to the ground for support a slender arm grasped his shoulder.
"It's…it's happening again, isn't it!? Just like last time!" Appoline's normally vibrant silver blue eyes had widened and now stared at him in abject terror.
Harry looked up at her with a steadily stronger green glow in his eyes. "Go! Get them to the hospital!"
"But…you need hel-"
The words died on her tongue as Harry's glowing emerald eyes settled on hers. The look was identical to the one he had given her in front of that church. She felt the intense emotion emanating from his huddled form as his magic began to physically manifest around his right hand.
As he stared at her concerned face the world began to visibly slow down. The world began to turn a familiar red hue as various memories began to flash in his mind's eye. Harry had trouble even distinguishing them until the last few faded, leaving an image of what appeared to be an angry Hungarian Horntail chasing a lone raven haired rider upon a broom around a hazy stadium. As the crowd cheered in his ears the young rider sped away from the people, the dragon in hot pursuit. A small smile formed on his lips as Harry fondly remembered his thrilling chase around Hogwarts.
Wait…that might actually work!
He had noticed on the bridge that the rockets in the distance had begun to change direction based on his location. The only thing that he could think of which would guide the rockets specifically to him was his barely contained magical power. If his idea worked according to plan then it would provide an opening for the group to reach the safety of the hospital. The only place that wouldn't affect any innocent civilians was the bridge itself. The entire structure was devoid of people, which was perfect for what Harry now planned.
Within moments the red hue began to disappear as the world reverted to normal speed.
"…not going to leave you! Do you understand?!" Appoline was nearly screaming at him and was trying to drag him by the lapels of his cloak.
Harry suddenly smiled softly, yet the intense look in his glowing emerald eyes remained. Appoline gasped as the familiar glow in his eyes intensified even further.
"I've got a plan. Just trust me…ok?"
With that last word he cupped her face with his non glowing hand and brushed his lips against hers for the briefest moment. Her shocked expression flashed in front of his eyes as he stumbled onto his feet and began running back to the center of the bridge.
Appoline touched her hand to her lips, which still tingled from the contact with Harry's magic. She took one more glance at Harry's form before it became obscured by the thick smoke on the bridge. Turning on her heel she sprinted the last few meters over to the group.
As she slowed to a halt she caught her breath and looked directly at Peter. "We need to go right now. The hospital is only a few kilometers away from here."
She grabbed the hands of the two nearest children and began to lead them away from the bridge, the group following diligently behind her. She made it a few meters before a rough hand grabbed her by the arm.
Peter was staring at her with a disgusted look on his face. "Oy! What about the lad?! You can't just expect us to leave him there!"
Appoline pulled her arm from his grasp and cast him a sad look. "He said he had a plan…and I trust him."
"Trust?! He's going to get hims-"
Appoline interrupted him with a small shake of her head. "I…I…believe him."
Peter gazed at her serious face for a few moments then sighed deeply with a determined expression. "Fine. But if that brat makes it out alive I'm going to put him into a grave myself."
Appoline only nodded with a defiant smile before turning around and leading the small group through a billowing cloud of smoke in the direction of the hospital. They had almost reached the fortified doors of the hospital when a high pitched screech pierced the night air, followed by a rushing black and white metallic object that sped above them in the direction of the bridge. A few seconds later a group of rockets followed closely after, the trails of white smoke crisscrossing hundreds of feet above the avenue.
"Oh no….the bridge!"
Appoline began to rush back in the opposite direction before she was caught around the waist.
"What are you doing?! All that he has done for us…would you really throw that away?!" Peter was dragging her with a pained expression on his face. They remained the last people caught out in the open as the air raid sirens continued to blare in the background.
She could only watch in dismay as she was pushed into the open doorway of the hospital with the remaining children. The last image she had before the heavy metal door closed was a massive tower of flame that shot over the other surrounding buildings. The door shut with a resounding clang as a massive tremor shook the fortified walls.
"HAAAAARRRRYYYYYY!"
*As always please review so It will give me motivation to complete this story and improve my writing style.
Translations:
"Cher Seigneur, tu es incroyable …"
"Dear Lord you are unbelievable..."
"Merde!"
"Shit!"
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Treyarch & J.K. Rowling respectively). The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.