Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., Bloomsbury, and Scholastic respectively. Star Trek is owned by Gene Roddenberry, CBS, and Paramount Pictures. All canon characters, plots, and situations are not owned by me, and I make no profit from this story.

Many thanks to my beta, amazing Insanity-Red, for all the help with this chapter.

Chapter 10

Stardate 2258.42 – U.S.S. Enterprise

Doctor Leonard McCoy had just walked through the sliding doors that led onto the Bridge, when he looked at the view screen and saw three torpedoes emerge from within the multi-limbed malignity that was the Narada – heading straight towards the Enterprise.

"Mr. Sulu, do something!" he shouted, his voice full of apprehension and eyes bulging as he held onto the railing with a tense and white-knuckled grip.

"Don't worry about it," responded the helmsman calmly, throwing a quick glance at the doctor and continuing to tap away at the screen of his terminal.

"Don't worry about it?" echoed McCoy in disbelief.

Instantly, he had a flashback to the most recent Kobayashi Maru test, when James Kirk said the exact same words in response to a report about two Klingon vessels locking onto them with their weapons targeting systems. But this wasn't a simulation. This was real. There were tangible, powerful, and very deadly torpedoes flying straight at them at this very moment – but everyone on the Bridge was as cool as a cucumber.

"Don't worry about it?" McCoy repeated. "Are you out of your sushi-fed mind? There are damn torpedoes about to blow us all to high heaven and you're saying, 'Don't worry about it'?!" he finished in panic, his voice rising in volume as he gesticulated wildly at the view screen. "I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to meet my maker yet."

"It's okay. Just watch," smirked Sulu, nodding towards the screen.

McCoy braced himself for the impact . . . but it never happened. Just before the weapons hit the ship, they disappeared. And if the information displayed on the screen was to be trusted, the torpedoes had reappeared harmlessly on the other side of the ship, leaving the Enterprise safe and sound.

"What the hell just happened?" asked McCoy, confused.

"Weren't you listening to Granger earlier?" explained Sulu. "It's all this Fidelity Charm, or whatever that spell was called. They've fired about a dozen torpedoes by now, and every single one has gone straight through us."

"Ve are simply not zere," added Chekov. "It's magic!"

His skepticism stretched almost too far in the span of one day, McCoy nodded – his mouth still agape with incredulity. Even though he now believed in magic, to see it in action like this was something else.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said simply. "She definitely made a believer out of me. Joanna will laugh at me, if I ever tell her I believe in magic . . ."

Stardate 2258.42 - the Narada

The Narada's design was more complicated than any vessel Kirk had ever seen, whether in classes, simulations, or in real life. It seemed to have been built with absolutely no regard whatsoever for logic, common sense, or efficiency.

Kirk and Hermione were inside a maintenance tunnel, carefully threading their way through inch-deep water or some other liquid, as they followed the otter.

"James, it's probably best if we split up," Hermione whispered. "Are you sure Captain Pike is this way?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Kirk whispered back. "And why do you want to split up? Got tired of me that quickly?" he added, sounding slightly insulted.

"Don't be ridiculous, James. I am merely looking out for your safety. The Romulans probably can track my Patronus . . ."

As if to prove Hermione's assumption, incoming footsteps and the sloshing of water echoed off the walls of the tunnel. A few moments later, the duo was greeted with two Romulans, one of which held his rifle at the ready as his partner intently examined the screen of his hand-held device. The two were taken out by phaser-fire before they knew what hit them.

"See? What did I tell you? You'll get to Captain Pike faster and with less of a chance of encountering the enemy if I'm not around."

"If you think I'm going to let you wander around this ship looking for Potter alone – while you're being tracked, no less – you're nuts. It's not happening. Come with me to get Pike, then the Enterprise can beam him back while you and I continue looking for Potter –"

"Time, James. Time. We might not have enough of it before –" She was interrupted, as two more Romulans came out of nowhere and started firing at them.

"– shit hits the fan?" supplied Kirk helpfully, firing back at the enemy and neatly taking them out.

"That's not what I was going to say, but that would be an apt description of the situation, I suppose," she said.

Hermione took a deep breath and hastily began to follow her otter into another tunnel, Kirk following right behind.

"Well, according to your little otter Pike and Potter are in the same direction. So, I don't see a reason why we can't go together," Kirk said softly, taking the lead.

That seemed to convince Hermione – or least persuaded her to stop arguing for the moment. They continued down the tunnel in silence, intently listening for any more footsteps and scanning the area for more enemies.

When they emerged on the other side, slipping through a tangle of wires and some debris, they halted. Nero was standing on the platform directly opposite them, a menacing and insane look on his face. Kirk quickly pushed Hermione behind himself, and then gripped his phaser in both hands, making sure it was on its 'kill' setting.

Yes, he wanted Nero dead. For killing his father and depriving him of the life that he could have had, had both of his parents been alive. For causing his mother enough pain that it eventually ended up ripping apart whatever remained of their family. For all the lives lost on Kelvin and on Vulcan. For all those people who had been unfortunate enough to be aboard the Farragut, Mayflower, Antares, Truman, Wolcott, and Hood – the Federation ships that had been sent to Vulcan on a rescue mission; the ships that Nero had destroyed. The crews of those vessels had contained senior cadets from the Academy, just like the Enterprise. Kirk personally knew many of them.

Kirk felt fire light up in his chest until it spread throughout his entire being, a blazing inferno that would put the Sun itself to shame – fierce, protective, full of vengeance.

Kirk was a good shot, and an energy bullet moved faster than Nero ever could, even at the distance that separated them . . . Despite his own instinct toward mercy, Kirk took aim and fired without warning – after all, billions of innocent lives had already been lost because of Nero, and billions more would die if the madman wasn't stopped.

The shot missed. It wouldn't have, had Nero not decided to jump down from the platform he was standing on a second too soon.

Kirk took aim once more, but in the same moment, Ayel silently came out of the shadows behind a distracted Hermione and struck her in the head. She collapsed onto the floor like a rag doll, dropping her phaser, which then slid out of reach towards one of the nearby service tunnels. Kirk turned around at the noise, just in time to have Ayel hit him hard across the face with the butt of his gun. Kirk slammed to the ground, his phaser sliding out of his hands to fall over the edge of the platform. Groaning, he turned to lie on his back. He looked up with now-blurry vision to see Ayel standing over him and sneering, a disruptor rifle in his hands.

With thunderous footsteps, Nero made his way towards the trio, jumping from platform to platform with enviable ease. He looked at Kirk with hatred, but then knelt next to Hermione, his expression altering to something strangely soft as he gazed at her face. He reached out to gently stroke her cheek. She looked almost disturbingly like Mandana – his wife – in human form; Mandana, whom he still loved even after twenty-five years.

The image of his Mandana, forever ingrained in his memory, floated to the forefront of his mind again.

[Dark brown eyes, curling brown hair – both shining with gold in the sunlight – high cheekbones covered by soft skin . . .

"That is the look that tells me my husband is about to disappear for another three months," she said – her voice soft and musical, her features clearly indicating concern – as she walked into their bedroom where Nero was sitting, hunched over and holding his head with both of his hands.

"Nero? Talk to me."

"I was chosen to represent the Miner's Guild during the Senate meeting," started Nero, standing up, taking a deep breath, and pacing before his wife. "Ambassador Spock proposed a plan to eliminate the supernova by using Vulcan Red Matter to create an artificial black hole. But the Senate refused to believe the Ambassador's warnings and rejected his plan.

"How can they be so blind! How can they be so incompetent!" exclaimed Nero, throwing up his arms in frustration.

Mandana studied her husband for a moment and said, "But you have already made up your mind, have you not?"

"You know me too well," replied Nero, stopping dead in his tracks and giving his head a slight shake. "Decalithium is needed to create the Red Matter – something that we currently do not have. If I can persuade my crew to go with me and Spock to the neighboring Kimben system, we can acquire it there. However, I am risking my career over this decision . . ."

Mandana stepped closer and took Nero's face into her hands, "Do what feels right. Trust your heart."

Nero nodded, "Come with me."

"No!" Her features turned hard, as she let go of her husband. "I will not give birth to our child in the freezing cargo hold of a mining ship!"

"Please –" started Nero, gently taking hold of Mandana's hands.

"You'll be back soon enough."

"You'll be safe on the Narada," Nero didn't give up so easily. "Just come with me. Ambassador Spock thinks that we have enough time, but if we don't –"

"We will," she interrupted firmly. "And I will be safe here. In our home, where our baby belongs," she continued, placing Nero's hands on her abdomen. "Where we belong."]

But the Nero in that memory was long gone. Everything that was once good in him had since been twisted by hate and rage. This, no doubt, was aided by the fact that he had spent twenty-five years as a slave in the darkest hole in the galaxy, Rura Penthe, where he had taken up a vow of silence and became known as 'the one who does not speak'. Twenty-five years of pain and torture and despair. And all thanks to the Kelvin's George Kirk, who had smashed his ship into the Narada – somehow managing to engage the warp drive at the moment of impact, which had ultimately caused catastrophic damage to all systems, disabling their weapons, warp drive and shields. It had very nearly torn them apart. Who could have known that such a small ship could cause so much damage? Enough damage to make the Narada easy prey for the Klingons . . .

"Get away from her!" grunted out Kirk angrily, trying to stand up, and interrupting Nero's thoughts.

Nero was snapped out of his memories and whipped around to gaze at Kirk, a crazy look back on his face. He looked back at Hermione again, this time with disgust. How dare she look like his Mandana? This was an impostor! His Mandana was dead, and Nero had died with her. There was nothing left for him but revenge.

Nero angrily made his way towards Kirk, picked him up by the shirt, and threw him effortlessly onto another platform.

"I know your face from Earth's history," he spoke, as he walked towards Kirk.

He picked the human up again and started raining punches down on him, attempting to release all of his pent up anger and rage – at what Harry and Pike had done to his ship, at Spock, and at the Federation itself as a whole.

Kirk had no time or chance to even try to respond with a punch of his own – he hardly was able to catch a breath, gasping for air.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could I have missed?! he thought, angry at himself and at fate.

"James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man," continued Nero as he wrapped his hands around Kirk's neck. "He went on to Captain the U.S.S. Enterprise. But that was another time, another life. A life I will deprive you of, just like I did your father."

Kirk was starting to turn blue from lack of oxygen – but then Nero's communicator beeped. He ignored it at first, but the beeping persisted, so he dropped Kirk unceremoniously on the floor and impatiently picked up the device.

"What is it?" he snarled out.

"Captain, the Vulcan Starfleet officer was spotted on a deck above Hangar 8," announced a voice on the other side somewhat hesitantly, sensing the Captain's rage. "He is leaving a trail of bodies behind, and we think he's heading for the Vulcan ship."

"SPOCK!" bellowed Nero, snapping his communicator shut, his features contorting with rage. "SPOCK! I WILL KILL YOU!"

He then turned to Ayel, and nodded towards Kirk, "Finish what I have started. Kill them both," Nero ordered, shooting once more a hateful look towards Hermione before jumping away from platform to platform with frightening agility.

"Gladly," Ayel smirked, making his way towards Kirk with the promise of a slow and painful death in his eyes. He could deal with the woman later – she was no threat to him at the moment, if at all.

Like hell, thought Kirk as he forced himself to rise to his feet.

Kirk's eyes darted around, quickly assessing his options – only to realize he didn't really have any. A voice somewhere in the back of his mind told him that this was futile, that the Romulan in front of him was three times stronger – that Kirk himself (despite being top of his class in advanced hand-to-hand combat, survival strategies, and tactical analysis) currently wasn't in a position to efficiently fight back . . . But he was the same James Kirk who didn't believe in no-win scenarios, and so, stupid as that might seem, he got ready to fight.

A brawl broke out, with Ayel delivering blow after blow, as Kirk did his best to block or evade them – all the while trying and sometimes succeeding to deliver a few of his own punches. Finally, Ayel knocked Kirk down, before casually dragging him up by a harsh grip on his throat and suspending him over the gaping chasm below.

"I was right. Your species is weak and pathetic," Ayel sneered in slight amusement, observing Kirk's struggle with disdain. "You can't even speak."

Why does everyone want to strangle me today? Kirk thought wildly, the oxygen and life draining out of him for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

At that moment, Kirk vaguely heard Hermione shout, "Stupefy!"

A flash of red light hit Ayel squarely in the back, and he suddenly went unconscious, releasing Kirk, and toppled over into the abyss below. Kirk was barely able to catch the edge of the platform.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Kirk, who had been struggling to pull himself up onto the platform after being nearly murdered again, floated through the air until he came to rest by Hermione.

"Thanks," Kirk choked out, his throat burning.

"No problem," replied Hermione as she knelt beside him, scanning the area for any more Romulans. They seemed to be alone. For now.

"You . . . shouldn't be . . . using your . . . magic," Kirk uttered with great difficulty, coughing.

"Well, I couldn't just let you die, could I?" Hermione responded, putting both of her hands gently around his neck and murmuring diagnostic and healing spells.

Kirk felt warmth radiating from Hermione's hands, accompanied by a tingling sensation that spread to his entire body. Kirk stared at her, unable to take his eyes off her face. He didn't know if it was his concussed brain, or lack of oxygen to said brain, or the dim lighting of the ship, or something else entirely – but she seemed to glow.

His gaze shifted to her full pink lips, and that is when he realized that she was actually saying something to him, ". . . and almost fractured your larynx and hyoid bone." She removed her hands from his neck and continued, "This should help with the internal injuries, but Dr. McCoy will need to have a look at you when we get back, just to make sure that –"

"You're beautiful," Kirk slurred, cutting her off, eyes still on her face.

"Um . . . right. I think all that lack of oxygen to your brain is starting to affect your mind. And how hard did you hit your head?" Hermione said, now placing her hands on either side of his head to examine it.

"I mean it," Kirk said seriously, snatching both of her hands and eliciting a soft, surprised gasp from Hermione at his abrupt movement.

"Erm . . . thanks," she replied, removing her hands from his.

She stood to make sure that there were no nearby enemies – but also to hide the flush that had appeared on her cheeks.

"But we really ought to go. So get up, James," she added holding out her hand to help him.

Kirk nodded, accepted her hand, and rose to his feet. Then he suddenly stepped to the right, pulling her into the cradle of his torso and out of the way of disruptor fire. He looked over, and saw that it was coming from a Romulan who had suddenly appeared a platform over from them. Grabbing Hermione by the hand, he ran with her towards the nearest tunnel, keeping low and quickly bending down to pick up Hermione's fallen phaser as he went – all the while dodging the deadly streaks of green light. Once they took cover, Kirk picked an opportune moment to come out of his hiding place and neatly took out the offending Romulan.

"You okay?" Kirk asked softly, still scanning the area for more enemies.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," Hermione whispered back, realizing that she would be dead by now, if Kirk hadn't pulled her out of the line of fire.

"No problem," Kirk responded with a small smile, meeting her eyes.

His smile, however, quickly disappeared, when he saw blood now trailing down Hermione's temple.

"That sonofabitch!" he muttered angrily, referring to Ayel, and reached out a hand to wipe off the blood.

"James! Language!" Hermione whispered, scandalized.

"What? He is!"

"Leave it, James, it's nothing," she said, pulling his hand away. "We've got bigger things to worry about right now than a bit of blood. Now, where did my Patronus go?"

"You mean, your shiny little otter? I think it went that way," said Kirk, pointing towards the tunnel branching off to the left. "Although, I can't be absolutely sure."

Hermione nodded and started in the direction pointed out by Kirk. After a few moments she halted and raised her wand, putting one finger to her lips.

"What?" he mouthed, listening intently.

"Someone's coming," she said barely audibly.

Kirk heard water splashing as someone came down the water-logged tunnel towards them.

Phaser and wand at the ready, the duo stood very still in anticipation, hidden in the shadows as the sounds got louder and louder. A few moments later, Hermione's Patronus emerged from around the corner and gamboled towards her, illuminating her face. With a wave of her wand, the otter disappeared, leaving Kirk and Hermione in the shadows again.

"Hermione?" asked a voice quietly. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Harry?" asked Hermione, stepping forwards into the dim lighting, scanning the area for her best friend, and not finding him.

Harry then removed the invisibility cloak from around his face, the rest of his body still hidden.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, running towards her best friend to firmly embrace him, almost knocking him flat on his back in the process.

"Ow! Blimey, Hermione!" complained Harry, wincing.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry, Harry. Are you hurt?" she said, pulling away and removing the cloak to give her friend a quick once-over.

"My shoulder . . . I think it's dislocated. I might have a few broken ribs and a slight concussion, but I'll be alright," said Harry, putting away the cloak into his pocket with his good arm.

"It's good to see you again, Potter," interjected Kirk. "How did you find us?"

"Hermione's Patronus. It found me. And then I sort of followed it."

"Well, now that you are here, we need to get Pike and get the hell outta here."

"Er . . . About that . . ." started Harry uncertainly. "I lost him. I don't know where he is."

"I do."

"You do? Where?"

"Not far from here."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then tensed again. "Hermione, my wand. I lost my wand after the explosion. I tried summoning it, but I might be a bit low on energy for wandless magic after all the fighting and spell casting I had to do earlier. Can you summon it for me?"

"Of course, Harry –"

"Hey, you shouldn't be using your magic, remember?" interrupted Kirk, addressing Hermione sternly.

"What's he talking about?" inquired Harry, looking between Kirk and his best friend in confusion.

"Nothing," responded Hermione, giving Kirk a look that clearly indicated that he should shut up. "James, I think you should contact Spock and warn him about Nero," she said icily.

"Spock? He's here too?" asked Harry.

"Yes. He went to get the ship with the Red Matter. James, you need to tell him to leave as soon as possible."

"Are you always this bossy?" asked Kirk, much to Harry's amusement, pulling out his communicator.

She didn't say anything, just gave him a look, and then waved her wand and said, "Accio Harry's wand!"

Kirk flipped his communicator open and pressed a button to Spock's frequency, even as his eyes continued to scan the area. "Spock, how are you doing there?"

"I am just entering the vessel, Captain," responded Spock evenly, and Kirk heard the hiss of opening doors as Spock entered the cockpit of the Jellyfish. "I foresee a complication. The design of this ship is far more advanced than I had anticipated."

"Voice print and face recognition analysis enabled," announced a feminine voice. "Welcome back, Ambassador Spock."

Oh, crap, thought Kirk, as he also heard the automated greeting.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kirk saw Hermione waving her wand at Harry's left arm – bandages sprung out of nowhere and bound the wizard's left arm tightly to his body to prevent any movement.

"Computer, what is your manufacturing origin?" inquired Spock.

"Stardate 2387. Commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy."

"Captain, it appears that you have been keeping important information from me," Spock sounded upset.

"Spock, Nero is on his way to you," Kirk decided to ignore Spock's comment. "You need to get the ship and get out of there. You're gonna be able to fly that thing, right?"

"Something tells me that I already have," replied Spock neutrally, accepting that now was not the time to discuss the issue.

"Good luck," Kirk said and was about to terminate the connection, when Spock's voice stopped him.

"Jim."

It was the first time young Spock had called him by his first name. Kirk was somewhat caught off-guard.

"Have you found Captain Pike and Mr. Potter?"

"We found Potter . . ." stated Kirk, and then corrected himself, "or he found us. And we're on our way to get Pike."

"In the event that I do not return, please tell Lieutenant Uhura –"

"Spock!" Kirk cut him off softly but firmly at the same time. "It'll be fine. And I'll see you soon. Kirk out."

Kirk, putting his communicator away, looked up at Harry and Hermione and was somewhat startled to see Harry's wand come flying towards them at that exact moment.

"Um, okay," he said, giving his head a slight shake. Would he ever get used to all this magic? He continued resolutely, "Let's go get Pike."

The trio took off towards the deck above, leaving the maintenance tunnel behind and weaving their way through computer terminals, tangles of wires, and other pieces of unfamiliar equipment. Thankfully, the Romulans they encountered along the way were easily dealt with.

Finally, they reached the chamber where Pike was being held. There were two Romulans standing over him. It took total of two seconds for Kirk and Hermione working as a team to take them down. Pike, who was strapped to a very uncomfortable-looking metal table, stirred at the sound and opened his eyes.

Kirk's face was the first one he saw as he muttered, barely conscious, "Kirk? What are you doing here?"

"Came back, sir. Just like you ordered," responded Kirk, holstering his phaser and unbuckling one of Pike's restraints.

Hermione came to his aide, unbuckling some of the other restraints, while Harry stood guard and took out another Romulan that came barreling into the chamber with a rifle.

"Harry?" asked Pike weakly.

"I'm right here," confirmed the wizard.

Pike sighed in relief as Kirk and Hermione hauled him to his feet, supporting him on either side. It was time to leave this blasted place.

"Enterprise, now!" shouted Kirk into his communicator, flipping it open with his free hand.

Threads of golden light enveloped them, and they left the Narada behind.

As soon as the connection with Kirk was terminated, Spock seated himself in the rotating pilot's seat. It turned on its own to slowly face the controls.

"Fascinating," he uttered, initiating the ship's startup sequence.

At that moment, the doors to the ship were blasted open and an enraged Nero came barreling inside, shooting at Spock. However, Nero's aim, hindered by his rage, was far from accurate. The Romulan missed Spock and blasted a large hole in the front of the ship.

Fascinating, thought Spock, briefly wondering what kind of weapon Nero was using to achieve this kind of result.

"Ship's integrity is compromised," announced the automated voice.

Spock, taking a temporary cover behind the pilot's seat, fired back at Nero, who was quick enough to hide behind one of the ship's walls. Spock used that second of reprieve to roll forward in one fluid movement towards the nearest curving wall. They fired back and forth for a few moments, turning the interior of this once elegant, futuristic ship into a mess of scattered sparks from the broken circuity and scorched, smoking metal – there were even holes riddled everywhere, thanks to Nero's weapon.

Spock noticed his communicator on the floor between the pilot's seat and the place where he was currently hiding. The device must have fallen out of his pocket when he moved to take cover. Realizing that he could no longer confiscate this illegally obtained ship, and that he would not last much longer against Nero's superior weapon, Spock did the only logical thing remaining.

"Computer, execute General Order Thirteen," he ordered.

"General Order Thirteen. Self-destruct sequence confirmed. Ambassador Spock, if the ship's self-destruct is armed, the Red Matter will be ignited."

"Understood," Spock acknowledged coldly, with determination.

After all, if it must be so, this wasn't such a bad way to die. He knew that without his communicator he couldn't contact the Enterprise to beam him out. He also knew that since this ship was designed to be specifically operated by him (or rather, a future version of him), only he would be able to stop the ship's self-destruct once it was armed. And Spock had no intention of giving the 'abort' command.

"Activating self-destruct in 59, 58, 57. . ."

"A captain cannot cheat death," he had told Kirk earlier during the hearing at the Academy.

Now he realized that he might have been wrong about that, after all. Maybe a captain could cheat death. James Kirk was proof of that, along with the other 800 survivors of the Kelvin attack. George Kirk had died in line of duty, but he had saved all those lives in the process. It all depended on how one looked at it. It was all a matter of perspective.

Spock further realized that the Kobayashi Maru test held yet another flaw; every cadet going into the simulation was always aware that it was just a simulation, and therefore the purpose – for a prospective captain to experience fear in the face of certain death – was impossible to achieve. At least, not fully.

No simulation could have prepared Spock for what he was feeling right now – the myriad of emotions that he had experienced upon his planet's destruction only several hours ago . . . and more. Fear was among them, yes, but also anger, revenge, fierce protectiveness, and unflinching determination. His death would not simply be a murder committed by a raving lunatic in the name of vendetta that made no logical sense whatsoever – Spock had made the choice to sacrifice himself to save others.

Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Spock reminded himself.

Or the one, he supposed, since he had calculated the successful departure of his comrades from the Narada to be at 91.72%.

This must have been what George Kirk was feeling when he had sacrificed himself to save the remaining crew of the U.S.S. Kelvin – his wife and newborn son among them. Maybe both George and James Kirk were onto something when they refused to believe in no-win scenarios. For the universe did not operate according to simplistic notions like 'success' and 'failure' – there was always a spectrum of perspectives in-between to be considered. It all depended on how 'success' and 'winning' were defined.

All these thoughts went through Spock's head with lightning speed as he faced both his end and the murderer of his people. He fired towards the wall Nero was hiding behind until the Romulan's scream of pain indicated a successful hit. The weapon fell out of Nero's hands with a rather loud thud. At the same moment, familiar golden threads enveloped Spock and he found himself in the transporter room of the Enterprise once more, the sound of Nero screaming his name in rage ringing in his ears.

Stardate 2258.42 – U.S.S. Enterprise

After spending time inside the dimly lit Narada, being back aboard the bright and welcoming Enterprise physically hurt Kirk's eyes. He quickly glanced around to confirm that Spock had returned with them before seeking out Scotty behind the terminal.

"Nice timing, Scotty!" he congratulated the engineer, stepping off the transporter pad with Hermione – the barely conscious Pike limping between them.

The engineer laughed joyously in response – two other red-shirted technicians next to him similarly giddy – and said proudly, "I've never beamed five people from two targets onto one pad before!"

At that moment, the doors hissed open and McCoy, Uhura, and several people clad in white sprinted inside the room.

"Jim!" McCoy exclaimed in relief.

"Bones!"

"I got him," said McCoy, taking Kirk's place to support Pike.

Someone else from the medical team slotted into Hermione's place, and the captain was rushed towards the Medbay.

"Nurse Chapel!" shouted McCoy as he continued on his way towards the medical.

A blonde woman with striking blue eyes approached Harry and Hermione and addressed them respectfully, "Sir, Miss, I am to escort you to the Medical Bay and look after you. Doctor Bennet is expecting you there. Doctor McCoy's orders."

"Thank you, Christine," smiled Hermione. The two of them had worked together earlier, when Hermione was helping in the Medbay. "Please, do call me Hermione. And this is Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry," said Christine with a warm smile.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," responded Harry politely.

They turned towards the Medbay, while Kirk, Spock, and Uhura headed for the Bridge.

"Keptin, ze enemy ship is losing power!" announced Chekov with a smile from behind his terminal as soon as the doors to the Bridge slid open, admitting Kirk and Spock with Uhura following closely behind. "Zeir shields are down, sir."

"Hail them now."

"Aye!"

No one on the Bridge really understood why their Acting Captain had made a request to face their enemy one last time – especially when the Narada's destruction was imminent, given that they could now see the results of the Red Matter particles igniting. There was now a spinning disk of pure black right in the center of the once deemed-indestructible enemy ship, tearing it apart deck by deck. Kirk's request to contact Nero was especially confusing when taking into account his earlier order to 'haul ass' if the Red Matter ignited.

However, no one questioned the young Captain's order – not when his earlier decisions to accept Hermione's help and go after Nero had resulted in victory. And if he wanted to face the murderer of his father, the legend who had made the Kirk name known to everyone in Starfleet, one last time – then so be it.

"This is Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise –" started Kirk with firm authority, standing before the image of Nero in the view screen – Spock stood next to him in the typical position of a second-in-command.

"Where is your ship?" demanded Nero, interrupting him. "Show yourselves!"

"You aren't exactly in a position to make demands. And our location is for us to know and you to never find out," was Kirk's arrogant response. Then he continued, "Your ship is compromised, and too close to the singularity to survive without assistance – assistance which we are willing to provide."

Spock turned his back to the screen and asked Kirk quietly, bewilderment registering in his voice, "Captain, what are you doing?"

"Showing them compassion may be the only way to earn peace with the Romulus," Kirk murmured in response, also turning his back to the screen to converse with his science officer. "It's logic Spock. I thought you'd like that."

"No, not really," Spock confessed. "Not this time. He destroyed my home planet. As a human might say: to hell with logic –"

"I would rather suffer the end of Romulus a thousand times," interrupted Nero – the transmission getting more and more choppy as the Narada was consumed by the black hole – making Kirk and Spock turn to face him. "I would rather die in agony than accept assistance from you!"

"You got it!" smirked Kirk, before he and Spock turned as one to move towards their stations. "Arm phasers. Fire everything we've got!"

"Yes, sir!" Sulu confirmed, his fingers dancing around the terminal in order to lock on his target and pull up the weapons controls.

The Enterprise's phasers hammered relentlessly against the weakening Narada, tearing it further apart as the enemy ship began to disintegrate and collapse into the nothingness of the black hole. As soon as the Narada was swallowed completely, the alarm blared and a warning message lit up on the screen, flashing red – 'Gravitational pull'.

The Enterprise was now being slowly sucked in towards the black hole.

"Sulu, let's go home!" ordered Kirk.

"Yes, sir!" Sulu responded, his hands already a blur of frenzied movements across his terminal.

The Enterprise shook all around them, her engines and nacelles roaring and blasting at full power. But instead of tearing through space and seeing the stars churning past, they remained almost perfectly static.

"Why aren't we at warp?" demanded Kirk over all the noise.

"Ve are, sir," responded Chekov.

"Kirk to Engineering. Get us out of here, Scotty!"

"You bet your ass, Capt'n!" Scotty shouted back through the connection. A few moments later he reported, "Capt'n, we are caught in the gravity well! It's got us!"

"Go to maximum warp!" ordered Kirk. "Push it!"

"I'm givin' 'er all she's got, Capt'n!"

Cracks began to appear on the ceiling of the Bridge, lights flickering in and out as the already stressed-out officers, white-knuckled and frantic, did everything in their power to keep the ship from following the Narada into the void.

"All she's got isn't good enough!" Kirk yelled over the cacophony of sirens and the chaos of sounds. "What else you got?"

"Okay, if we eject the core and detonate, the blast could be enough to push us away," Scotty shouted out his desperate idea. "I cannae promise anything, though!"

The view screen, made of several inches thick transparent aluminum, fractured. Multiple cracks spread across its surface, the whole thing threatening to fall apart completely under the stress.

"DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" shouted Kirk urgently.

Scotty didn't waste any time. He ordered the area clear, ejected the warp core, and primed it to ignite within the black hole.

The explosion was silent, but very powerful. A wave of pale-blue fire erupted from the epicenter and engulfed them from behind, pushing them forwards on a wave of pure force.

Everyone – numb, wide eyed, and exhausted – watched through the cracked view screen as they put more and more distance between themselves and the explosion that was now consuming the black hole. After a few moments, a collective sigh could be heard on the Bridge as everyone slumped back in their seats in relief.

Kirk spun the captain's chair to face Spock, who offered a nod of solidarity in response. Kirk then spun back to exchange a smile with Sulu and Chekov, and chuckled softly. The Acting Captain's reaction seemed to be contagious, as small disbelieving chuckles resounded throughout the entire Bridge.

"That same crew emerged victorious many times when faced with crises," Kirk remembered Spock Prime's words.

They'd done it. It was over. Mission was accomplished. Nero and his threat were no more.

As soon as Harry and Hermione walked through the doors of the Medbay, they were greeted by Dr. Andrew Bennet. He guided them towards two nearest empty biobeds and got to work on Harry's injuries immediately, while Nurse Chapel helped Hermione. There was no sign of Dr. McCoy, and they were told that he was in surgery with Captain Pike.

The witch and wizard, feeling completely drained – to the point where they probably couldn't even manage the simplest of spells – watched as the Medical Bay buzzed with activity, doctors and nurses tending to their patients as the ship rattled and shook violently. People shouted back and forth over the noise, running here and there, while several objects fell to the floor – some with a thud and a clatter, some with the sound of shattering glass.

Despite the general atmosphere of chaos, the personnel continued performing admirably.

Once things calmed down and Dr. Bennet – a man of a very few words – and Nurse Chapel had finished with Harry and Hermione and moved on to their next task, the two friends were left alone. They were seated side by side on Harry's bed, located somewhere in the less busy part of the Medical Bay, holding hands.

"I'm not sure if I like this space travel," Harry said quietly. "Doesn't seem very safe, you know?"

"Says the man who flies on a broomstick and chases after criminals – the very definition of 'unsafe' for me," chuckled Hermione softly. Her expression turned serious as she asked, "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"I feel fine, actually. Whatever they gave me for pain is working really well. I'm just tired. Very tired. And you?"

"Yes, I feel like I could sleep for several days after this," she responded with a warm smile, looking into his green eyes.

She then suddenly turned to give Harry a bone-crushing hug, whispering furiously into his ear, "Do you have any idea how worried I was, you prat!"

"Ow," he winced, and Hermione immediately let him go.

"Erm . . . I have an idea . . ." he smiled sheepishly, but his expression became slightly worried. "Er . . . Hermione, how are we going to get out of this one? We didn't just travel to a different country. We seem to have travelled in time, as well as in space! How will we ever get back?"

"I don't know yet, Harry," she responded tiredly, putting her head on his uninjured shoulder. "We'll figure something out. We always do, don't we? Now isn't the time for that though."

After several moments of comfortable silence, she got up from the bed, "Why don't you rest for now? You're barely keeping your eyes open."

"And you?" he asked, allowing her to guide him into a reclining position. "You need rest as well."

"My bed's right next to yours."

"You aren't planning on going anywhere, are you?"

"Of course not, Harry," she let out a small laugh. "We're on a starship! Where do you think I could go?"

"Oh, I don't know. A library? If there is one on this ship?" Harry suggested, shrugging his shoulders, and winced at the pain.

He suddenly snatched Hermione's hand into his, "I know this might sound terrible, but I am glad you are here with me."

"And why would that be so terrible?"

"Well, I somehow managed to drag you into this now. It's my fault . . ."

"Listen to me, Harry Potter. If it is anyone's fault, then it would be Dolohov's! And the Death Eaters'. But not yours –"

"Hermione, if I didn't hesitate, if I just . . ." Harry trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I'm an Auror, Hermione. I'm authorized to use the Unforgivables. And I just . . . If I had done it, you and I wouldn't be here right now. So, you see, it is my fault . . ."

"Stop, Harry!" said Hermione, taking hold of both of his hands. "Just stop! You need to stop doing that to yourself! You can't know for sure what would and wouldn't have happened. We might have still ended up here anyway. . . And you can't dwell on the past – it's done, you can't change that. You can only change the future. So, consider this as something to learn from . . ."

Harry nodded, and smiled fondly at his friend, "Everything is a learning experience for you, isn't it?"

"As it should be. For everyone," responded Hermione firmly.

Then her features softened as she continued, "Harry, people change. They've got to. If they didn't, they would spend the rest of their lives making the same mistakes and fighting the same battles over and over again. Just remember one thing, though. You've got a good, kind, brave, and loving heart, Harry. And that's something you don't want changing."

A small blush appeared on Harry's face, as he nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

He let out a sigh and said, "Well, at least I didn't drag Ron into this one."

At the mention of Ron, Hermione's heart clenched painfully, and she looked down at her engagement ring. A new idea began to form in her mind, but she decided to keep it to herself for now – at least until she could do more research and verify her assumptions. It wouldn't do to give her friend any false hopes.

Instead, she pulled the blankets over Harry and said, "It'll be alright, Harry. You'll see."

"Will you stay close to me?"

"Always, Harry. Always," she said, removing his glasses, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes, and kissing him gently on the forehead. "Now close your eyes and go to sleep."