Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 11: Return of the SA-X
12-31-2005
by Grey-X
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .
This fic is dedicated to Razor Knight and CubedCinder128, whose support gave me the confidence I needed to write this thing.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Samus walked through the dungeon's corridors, hundreds of thoughts going through her mind at once. It had been several hours since the attack on Snape, goading Dumbledore and the others into finishing up whatever they were working on. But to complete their work anytime soon, they apparently needed her help. McGonagall had told her that the Order's members were busily working in a room magically hidden on the lower levels, and that was where Samus was headed.
It's now more important than ever to take the fight to the X, thought Samus acidly. Samus was one who liked to confront a problem head-on, and all the mystery surrounding the X's location, and who it was that had brought them here, tested her patience unlike anything else the last few days. The only thing that seemed certain was that Voldemort was, in all likelihood, not the culprit. But at last, it sounded as if they would get answers soon.
HP-X. I can't believe it, Samus thought as she continued to walk. Harry and I are a lot alike, and now he has his own dark twin. And if he really escaped... She stopped when she reached a suit of armor with four arms. She looked directly across from it, and saw a painting of a two-headed troll, which was busily picking both of its noses. Suit of armor, painting... alright, that's what McGonagall said to look for. So where's this secret room?
"Samus, down here," came McGonagall's voice from directly below. Startled, Samus looked down. A circular hole had magically appeared in the dungeon floor, and McGonagall's head was sticking out. "Hurry up and climb down, before someone sees," she said urgently.
"Alright," replied Samus as she stepped closer to the hole. McGonagall's head disappeared, and Samus could see the top of a ladder.
"Oh, wait a minute, I forgot," came McGonagall's voice again. "You can use a ladder because..."
"Yes, I can," said Samus sternly as she positioned herself to climb down. "Just get clear." And with that, she carefully lowered herself. The fact that she was wearing her suit underneath her robes posed no problem, since she could carefully stick the muzzle of her arm cannon between the rungs. Within seconds, blackness filled Samus's vision, and she had no idea how long she spent climbing down. But eventually, faint light, possibly from a candle or wall sconce, illuminated her surroundings, and Samus reached a small room at the bottom. There was a wooden door there, and McGonagall was waiting beside it.
"We had to conduct our little operation in a place we knew we wouldn't be discovered, namely by Umbridge," explained McGonagall as she opened the door.
"But just what are you..." Samus began, but her voice trailed off when she entered the secret room. Several desks and tables were scattered all across a very spacious room, which was illuminated by several wall sconces. But what was on those tables, Samus hadn't expected. The desk nearest to her had several books piled on top of them, but not the ancient books from the library. On just about every other desk and table were what looked like primitive computer parts from the current era, connected haphazardly by wires. "You're working with technology? B-But I thought you didn't know how. And I thought that at Hogwarts, machines couldn't..."
"It's true that Muggle machines are usually rendered useless in places with a lot of magic in the air," came a man's voice, which startled Samus. Then a balding man with glasses stood up from behind a table, prodding a computer chip with his wand. "However, Dumbledore has put a ward around this room, blocking out all that interference, so we can work."
Samus stared at the man for a moment, then noticed that what hair he had left was fiery red. "You must be Arthur Weasley, Ron's father," she said. Arthur then lifted his head, seeing Samus for the first time. A second later, a surprised smile crept across his face.
"You... know my son?" he asked, sounding pleasantly surprised.
"Yes, I've met him. And any friend of Harry's a friend of mine," replied Samus.
Arthur then put down his wand and computer chip and walked over to Samus, hand outstretched. "Well then, I'm very pleased to meet you, Ms. Samus Aran. It's not every day we get to meet a time-traveling Muggle bounty hunter."
Samus stared at Arthur's hand for a second, then grasped it and shook it firmly. "I'm not here by choice though, remember. We still have to find whoever's responsible," she said.
"Right right, of course," said Arthur as he rubbed his hand; obviously he hadn't expected Samus's grip to be so strong.
"So... what's the plan? Why are all these computers here? What exactly are you and Dumbledore trying to do?" Samus asked impatiently.
"Dumbledore's plan is to enchant Muggle machines used for surveillance and imprint locating spells onto them. Specifically, he wishes to transfer them to the ones Muggles launch into space... satellites, I believe they're called," spoke up McGonagall. "In theory, he believes that such machines, if imbued with the most powerful locating and revealing spells, could amplify their power and find these X parasites, regardless of whatever enchantments are being used to hide them. Even if they're somewhere Unplottable."
"That's what all this stuff is for," added Arthur. "Dumbledore's been at it the last two days, and I arrived this morning to help. His plan is to... what's to word? Oh yes... UPLINK with these Muggle satellites, transmit enchantments to them, and use them to scan all of Earth. We've got these 'satellite dishes' up on the roof, Disillusioned of course, to do just that once we're ready."
Samus looked over to McGonagall, then to Arthur, who was once again busily tinkering with computer parts. In her mind's eye, she tried to picture Earth's surveillance satellites being enchanted to work in that manner, using what knowledge she picked up about sorcery. "It... sounds like a good plan, on paper," she said at length. "But I'm curious, why not try using the scanning equipment on my ship? I've been sending it up into orbit to scan Earth's surface for days, don't forget."
"Dumbledore feared it would be too advanced for us to make any sense of," said Arthur offhandedly. "Mixing magic and machines is a delicate business, and few wizards ever attempt it. That's why he summoned me here," he said with a hint of triumph in his voice.
Samus looked over to the desk with books piled up on it, realizing they were books about computers and technological research. Obviously, you still have plenty to learn. Out loud, she said, "And why wasn't I told about this earlier?"
"Please forgive us, Samus, but at first Dumbledore thought that you wouldn't know enough about magic to be of much help," said McGonagall.
"His mistake, then," said Samus regally. "Don't forget, during the summer, I killed time by reading for hours on end. Just because I can't use magic doesn't mean I can't gain a partial understanding of it. I mean, if I had a cauldron and ingredients right here, I could whip you up a passable Draught of Living Death." It was true that she absorbed a good deal of knowledge during her months at Hogwarts. Even with amnesia, the love of knowledge the Chozo had imprinted on her was alive in her psyche, despite stumbling upon knowledge that clashed with her scientific know-how.
McGonagall stared back at Samus for a moment, her face full of regret. "I see your point," she said at last.
"Well then, let's get cracking," said Arthur enthusiastically. "Working together, I'm sure we can get this up and running in no time..."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Raindrops forcefully slammed into the windows of the library, creating a plangent, irritating din that made it impossible for Pansy Parkinson to read. The skies had been clear all day, but now thick rainclouds had blown in and cast a foreboding gloom all over Hogwarts. She had tried using Imperturbable Charms on the windows, but still hadn't quite mastered the spell, and the noise continued to reverberate throughout the library, unabated. You'd think someone would've put Imperturbable Charms on the windows for us, she thought sourly.
"BLEA-CHOO!" Pansy let out another explosive sneeze, splattering the pages of the book. It was bad enough that the weather took a turn for the worst, but she still had a lingering chill, thanks to whatever that Muggle did. And then, an impossibly loud clap of thunder punctuated her sneeze, making her jump. Oh, the hell with it. I'll go back to the common room, thought Pansy, finally giving up and shutting the copy of Advanced Potion Making she borrowed from a sixth-year.
She stood up and looked around the library. Aside from her, the only occupant around was Vincent Crabbe. He was slouched in an armchair and silently reading another comic book, though he looked half-asleep.
Another thunderclap resounded throughout the library, making both of them jump. Pansy looked out the window, noticing it was almost pitch-black outside. Pansy wasn't sure why, but she felt as if that blackness foreshadowed something. Oh, I'm just imagining things. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has already risen again from what Draco tells me, and there's no one more dangerous than him, Pansy thought with a sigh. She thought about Draco, and how eager he sounded to serve the Dark Lord. Then she let out another sneeze.
"Urgh," she grunted, pulling out a handkerchief to blow her nose. But once she finished doing that, she heard something besides the incessant rain. It sounded like the noxious burbling of a slimy, viscous potion.
"Hey Crabbe, did you hear..." Pansy began as she turned around. But the rest of her words caught in her throat when she saw Crabbe lying unconscious on the floor. Out the corner of her eye, she saw something else, something with the vague outline of a man. Turning, Pansy saw someone pointing at her, gasping when she recognized his face.
And then bright, blood-red light filled Pansy's vision. A second later, she slumped to the floor and blacked out.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Samus squinted at the computer monitor, her mind working at light-speed. At the same time, her left hand was furiously punching in commands into a keyboard by her side. She had been at it for at least ten minutes, but it still felt awkward for her. When it came to hacking into computers, Samus realized she'd been spoiled. Samus was used to using her helmet's visor to hack into computer systems for her. But for now, the best option seemed to be to do things the old-fashioned way. Fortunately, she had learned all she needed to know about mathematics from her Chozo benefactors. And she was a fast learner, adapting to using the primitive human instrument quickly.
Samus punched in a few last commands, and squinted to see if her efforts bore fruit. "Good news, people," she suddenly said. "I think I've bypassed the last few security lockouts, and the people of Earth are probably none the wiser. I think we're ready."
"Excellent. This is the part that had stumped Dumbledore and I for days," said McGonagall enthusiastically. "It's obvious that the Muggles don't wish to have anyone tinkering with their machines, and we couldn't figure out how to get around their safeguards."
"I'm curious, though. How come Dumbledore couldn't just use some spell to get past the lockouts?" asked Samus. When McGonagall and Arthur told her what they required of her, she assumed that a simple charm on their part would defeat the security lockouts as easily as Alohomora would open a door lock.
"Unfortunately, no such spell yet exists that can unlock computer programs as easily as we can unlock doors," came a calm voice from the door. Samus looked up to see Dumbledore standing there. "Regrettably, hardly any wizards believe that it is worth putting the time and effort into inventing spells that will work on such rather astounding Muggle creations, so we've had to invent them on the spot. Arthur has been very helpful with that today," he finished with a kind smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Samus thought she saw Arthur crack a small smile of his own.
"OK, I see your point," said Samus. "Is everything else ready, though?"
"McGonagall and I... yes, I think we're done," said Arthur. Samus looked across the room to see Arthur glaring at his own monitor, his expression unreadable. McGonagall was waving her wand in front of one of the computer towers while flipping through one of the books about computers.
"Splendid. Hopefully then, we will have the enemy's location within moments," said Dumbledore, though his voice sounded a little less cheery than before. "But first Samus, I would like to ask you something."
"Huh?" gasped Samus, surprised and suddenly nervous. "What?"
"McGonagall told me what she overheard in Snape's office a few hours ago," said Dumbledore in a heavy voice. "It seems that being infused with the DNA of a Metroid has changed Harry Potter to a greater degree than you thought. Do you think you could explain exactly what's happening to him?"
Samus quickly looked away, hoping that Dumbledore wouldn't see the pained look on her face. Learning that Harry gained new abilities made her uneasy; she knew that Harry hated feeling different, and couldn't imagine what he was going through now. "Yes, I have been giving it some thought," Samus said at length. "The only explanation that I can think of is that, somehow, he's absorbed some of the abilities of a Space Pirate."
"A... what?" exclaimed McGonagall.
"Space Pirate. A race of alien aggressors I've dedicated my life to fighting; they're like the Death Eaters of my time," explained Samus. "The X that attacked Umbridge was mimicking one."
"So? What's that got to do with Harry?" asked Arthur.
Samus hesitated for a moment. "That X infected Harry, and then he absorbed it after the DNA transfusion. Somehow, he must have absorbed some of a Pirate's abilities. As Moody found out, the Pirates are extremely swift and agile, and can jump like I can. Not only that, they have energy weapons fused into their bodies. They've been trying to reverse-engineer my weapon systems for a long time. They've progressed so far that they now outfit all their troops with organic-based pulse cannons that are fused into their arms and interconnected with their biophysical structure. I can't explain how, but somehow, Harry can focus a sort of energy through his wand, sort of mimicking their weaponry."
There was a silence in the room for a moment, but it was broken when McGonagall cried out in an exasperated voice. "Are you telling me that Potter will take on traits from any other creature the X mimic, like dementors or doxies or..."
"Don't worry," said Samus sharply. "Usually, that only happens when taking in an X-Core. I don't know how Harry gained that power from a normal X, but I don't think we have to worry about him growing wings and extra arms, or sucking out anyone's soul. It's probably a one-time deal, so long as we keep him away from any more X."
Silence lingered for a few agonizing seconds, but Dumbledore spoke up at last. "Thank you, Samus, for shedding some light on that mystery. But now, I believe we must turn our attention elsewhere. It's time to use those Muggle satellites."
With that, Dumbledore walked over to McGonagall and stood side-by-side with her. They waved their wands in front of one of the computer towers, muttering so softly that Samus couldn't make out their incantations. Meanwhile, Arthur continued to type commands into a keyboard, though very clumsily, and occasionally he looked up at the professors. Samus sat and silently watched them work, and minutes slowly ticked by. Samus considered herself to be a patient woman, but for several minutes it seemed no progress was being made, and she began to grow restless.
Just when Samus felt she would lose all patience, a bright beam issued forth from one of the many machines resting on the tables, aimed at the center of the room. It made Samus think of a big holo-projector, and soon her first impression proved rather accurate. All of a sudden, a huge, shimmering representation of Earth burst into existence, tilted on its axis and slowly rotating. "Well, it seems step one is complete," said McGonagall suddenly. "Now to begin using the charms and searching for the X."
Samus looked at the wizards again, but soon focused her attention back on the magical display of Earth, her patience renewed. During her time at Hogwarts, she had come to respect both Dumbledore and McGonagall for their kindness and obvious wisdom. Now she respected their determination and courage as well. As much as she preferred working alone, she felt fortunate to have such capable people on her side. Any second now, this thing'll show me where I need to go, she thought hopefully.
After a few more minutes, though, there was no visible change in the magical projection. Samus found herself growing impatient and edgy again, but as the projection continued to turn and Europe came into view, she noticed a white, blinking dot on the surface. It was situated somewhere within Europe, on one of its islands. "Here!" she said as she stood up, pointing. "Whatever your spells found, it's indicating a spot here!" Arthur quickly ran to her side to see where she was pointing, but when he saw it, the color suddenly drained from his face. "What's wrong?" asked Samus, now a little nervous.
"Merlin's beard... it's right here!" shouted Arthur, his body shaking. "That dot is right over Hogwarts! They're still here!"
Samus stared at him with a look of utter disbelief, terror sweeping over her. "But... that's impossible! I got rid of the X in the Chamber of Secrets! How can..."
At that instant, Severus Snape burst into the secret room, clutching a piece of rolled-up parchment. His face looked paler than usual, and his eyes lacked their usual piercing glare. "Draco Malfoy just gave me this, something he found in the library," he exclaimed, holding up the parchment. "Two of my students were taken. That little bastard... this HP-X is back."
xxxxxxxxxx
Harry Potter sat by the window in the Gryffindor common room, watching the raging storm outside. His mind wasn't on the terrible weather, though. He was too busy thinking over everything that happened in the last few days. I thought my life was complicated before, he thought sourly. And I thought my life couldn't possibly get any worse... that there wouldn't be anything worse than Voldemort to worry about. Boy, I was dead wrong. Why does the universe keep screwing me over? No reply came to Harry's silent queries, but a loud thunderclap made the window rattle, making him jump in surprise.
Harry looked out the window again. Glad I'm not out there, he thought. That rain... ugh, I'd be freezing. His thoughts drifted back to his battle against the HP-X, and how he found out that, like the Metroids, he could no longer tolerate cold temperatures. I don't know how I'll survive the winter now, if that's the case. It's part of my DNA now, no curing it.
He looked down at his hand, thinking about the changes he went through. It didn't look any different than before, but as he stared, he thought about how all the cells in his body now contained completely different genetic information. He wasn't anywhere near as knowledgeable about genetics as Samus, but he understood that his altered genome made him different from every other human on Earth. And no matter what Malfoy and Snape always insisted, Harry always hated standing out, being different from everyone else in the Wizarding world. Now, he was no longer entirely human. And here I thought Umbridge couldn't hate me any more than she does already. If she found out I'm a half-breed too - and a half-alien at that - her head would spin.
Harry then looked down at his other hand, which had his wand. He concentrated, feeling energy being focused into it like before, making the wand glow and vibrate. A soft whirring came from the wand, steadily growing louder. But he stopped himself before too much power built up, and stared out the window again. They're still out there, Harry thought morosely. These X parasites... I got a bad feeling whoever's controlling them plans on unleashing them soon, and now we can't count on Snape's potion anymore. I'm sure the Order's doing their best but... this isn't the sort of thing they're supposed to deal with! They're supposed to fight Dark wizards, not aliens! Samus is really the only one who can stop them. Her and her alone.
Alone. Harry thought about all the things Samus revealed about herself. They were alike in many ways, but there were profound differences as well. Unlike him, she had grown up with people that cared for her, and raised her as one of their own. But after learning that he was a wizard, Harry found a place among the best friends anyone could ask for. But once Samus grew up and left the Chozo, she had become isolated, not even able to get along with her own kind. The people of the galaxy in her time looked to her for hope and revered her, thinking of her as a hero, but she still felt isolated and alone.
She shouldn't have to feel alone, thought Harry. That's why I really want to help her fight these X. It shouldn't be another private war for her. But Harry knew Samus would never allow it. According to her, soon the Order would figure out where the X were hidden, and she would be off to stop them, and there was no way she would let him tag along. But I changed my mind. I want to now! Harry thought resolutely. I don't know how or why, but it's like fate threw us together for a reason, and we even have the same alien DNA now. That means I'm the only other person who's immune to the X, and...
"Hey, Harry, I was wondering," came Ron's voice. "For the next thing I add to this bloody dream diary, is it OK with you if I use something about what's going on? Say that I dreamed that I was breathed on by these 'sheegoth' or something?"
Harry turned away from the window and looked at Ron. He was seated the table closest to the window, his dream diary open. Hermione was seated in a nearby armchair, reading Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, and Crookshanks was nestled in her lap. And at a table in the far corner, Neville and Ginny were playing Wizard's chess. "Yeah, go ahead," said Harry nonchalantly, then stared out the window again. But a second later, Harry heard the sound of a book being slammed shut.
"Harry, what's wrong?" he heard Hermione ask. "You've been staring out that window for over half an hour. Something's obviously on your mind."
Harry let out a sigh, and then there was another thunderclap. How could someone with more brainpower than the rest of the students combined say something so idiotic? "Oh, gee I dunno. You think the thought of there being an army of alien parasites out there might be making me uneasy?" he spat, his voice full of sarcasm.
"Err, well, yes, I can understand that, especially since Snape's potion is probably useless now," said Hermione timidly, sounding hurt. "But worrying yourself sick over it won't help matters any."
"Besides, with Samus Aran on the case, we have nothing to worry about, right?" asked Ron delicately. "From what you told us, she deals with this sort of thing on a daily basis."
It was true that Samus completed seemingly impossible tasks before, but he had a nasty feeling this time would be different. "That's just the thing. I'm worried about her, too. You two saw what she was like before, always shy and isolated. She's always been like that, always feeling alone. And the only reason she trusts me is because she felt only I can understand what's she gone through." Harry turned back around, seeing Ron and Hermione staring at him with scrutinizing faces. "I don't want her to do this alone," he went on. "Once she finds out where the X are, I want to go with her."
"Harry, no!" cried Hermione, now sounding fearful. "It'll be way too dangerous, even when factoring in these strange new powers you've got!"
"And besides, Samus made you promise her you wouldn't try hunting them by yourself, didn't she?" added Ron.
Harry looked from one friend to the other. It irritated him to hear them be as overprotective as Samus and all the Order members, but he still felt grateful to have friends who cared about him deeply. If only Samus met more people like this. Sure, she met Adam, but he's a bit of an arse, he thought as he turned back to the window. "Yes, Ron, she did, but..." His words trailed off as he noticed something outside the window that didn't quite belong there. "Uh, people, we may have another situation here."
Ron and Hermione came to the window, and a few seconds later, Ginny and Neville crowded around Harry as well...
Outside Gryffindor Tower, soaring across the castle, was Samus Aran's blazing, spinning body, using the space jump to fly to some unknown destination.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Atop the very tip of the highest tower of the castle, which rose into the gloomy sky like a spire, stood the HP-X. His arms were folded, standing as motionless as a statue, heedless of the cold rain drenching him and the impossibly loud thunderclaps. Such things couldn't possibly distract him; all that concerned him was the eventual arrival of the enemy. Samus Aran's foolhardy sense of heroics would no doubt goad her into launching a rescue attempt. HP-X had kidnapped two of the students and left a note, saying that Samus was to meet him outside the castle, alone, if she wanted them back alive. The HP-X had no doubt other Order members would be watching and lying in wait, but they wouldn't be able to do anything in time...
Thanks to the sentience and intelligence gained from sampling and copying a human, HP-X was able to feel a swell of pride completely independent of the will controlling the rest of his species, and a small grin actually formed on his face. Soon, it would be time to recover something crucial, and that would mean something invaluable to the X, though no one else could truly comprehend how...
All of a sudden, HP-X tensed up, hearing a whirring noise over the sound of the rain. He turned to his left, and saw Samus space jumping up toward the tower. The grin on his face grew wider. The time was at hand...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Samus ascended and flew toward the tower, she could barely make out the outline of the HP-X; his blackish-blue skinsheath made him blend in with the gloomy, cloudy. Just like his note said, thought Samus. This is obviously a trap. But I can't leave those kids in his clutches, no matter how full of shit they are. But then she realized that they may have already been assimilated by the X. Now that they knew the HP-X had indeed escaped, Samus and the Order had to assume that Snape's potion could no longer be counted on. But still, I have to try, AND try to survive whatever he'll throw at me.
As Samus got closer to the spire-like tower, though, the HP-X made no movement. Of course, he could be whipping up some sort of spell without moving, thought Samus. And just how can he use magic without a wand?
At last Samus reached the tower. She grabbed the edge and pulled herself up, carefully planting her feet on the shingles. But the tower's roof was too steep, and Samus realized if she wasn't careful, she could easily lose her footing and fall. She looked up and took aim at the HP-X, who still hadn't moved. For a second, Samus hesitated, being close enough to see just how much this thing resembled Harry. But then, several shingles popped off of the tower, and Samus saw them reforming into razor-sharp shuriken. Samus jumped straight up as all the shuriken spun toward her, then locked onto the HP-X and fired a missile. HP-X pointed at it to fire off a curse, but he was too slow. The missile's impact knocked him off his perch, and he fell behind the tower.
But as Samus struggled to regain her footing after touching down again, she heard a horrible buzzing noise that mixed with the din of the rain and thunder. Looking around, she saw the HP-X glide through the air, coming across the tower to approach her from her right side. He had sprouted huge, insectoid wings that resembled a dragonfly's, and she was instantly reminded of Chykka's adult form.
Samus took aim again, but HP-X flew backward and reared his hand back. It looked like an ice beam blast was being charged up in his hand, and a second later, HP-X hurled the wintry blast her way. Samus jumped up to where HP-X had been perched moments before. Looking down, she saw half of the tower's roof was coated in ice. It must've grown more powerful, Samus realized.
But now, the HP-X was flying toward another part of the castle. Samus could've easily fired missiles to home in on him, but Samus decided against it. He wants me to follow him, she reasoned. Maybe if I do, he'll lead me to where those kids are. But she also realized HP-X could be leading her into whatever horrific trap he had set up for her. Either way, she made up her mind.
She quickly took a look all around her, hoping to spot the other Order members that were flying around as well. But thanks to the gloomy darkness, she couldn't spot any. Doesn't matter. They're here only for backup. The responsibility's mainly fallen on me. She shored up her confidence, then jumped off the tower's roof, space jumping after the HP-X.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Pansy Parkinson struggled against the magical ropes binding her, but it was no use. The ropes were too strong, and they merely dug painfully into her skin. Tears mixed with the rain splashed onto her face. She wanted to scream for help, but she was gagged as well. Pansy turned to her side, and saw Crabbe hadn't had any luck freeing himself either. And the two of them had been left on top of a roof, hundreds of feet above the ground and exposed to the harshness of the storm. The cold that plagued her since that unfortunate run-in with that freaky Muggle servant had grown exponentially worse. The rain mercilessly battered her body, and her wet uniform clung to her like a second skin.
Out the corner of her eye, Pansy saw another bolt of lightning light up the evening sky, making her shudder with fright. Seconds later, a booming thunderclap could be heard. But once that sound died away, Pansy heard another unsettling noise: a horrible buzzing sound, making Pansy think of a giant doxy. She looked around, and then felt a wave of cold that had nothing to do with the rain. Harry Potter, still covered in that ugly black skinsheath, was FLYING back to the roof, having sprouted bug-like wings. If she wasn't gagged, she would've let out a terrified shriek. Why's he doing this? she thought panickingly. What'd he do to himself? And does he hate us THIS much? We only joked to Rita Skeeter about him being dangerous and power-hungry last year, but now...
He landed a few feet away from her and Crabbe, and then walked by them, his pointy toes noisily scraping against the roof's tiles. Pansy saw Crabbe squirm violently, and judging from the look on his face, all sorts of obscenities would spew from his mouth if he wasn't gagged.
Harry continued to ignore them as he kneeled down, reaching for something. Turning to get a better look, Pansy saw a simple backpack had been left on the roof as well. Harry reached into it, and pulled out a large jar filled with some strange, glistening, clear liquid. What is that? Veritaserum? Pansy wondered. But whatever it was, she knew it wasn't good news for her, or anyone. She feared that Harry would use this potion on her. But he walked past her again, almost as if she wasn't there.
More claps of thunder pierced the night. After they subsided, Pansy heard yet another strange sound: a sort of whirring, crackling noise. But somehow, in a way she didn't understand, this sound filled her with an unexplainable swell of hope. Looking around, she saw something coming from the same direction that Harry did, a sort of blazing, spinning something, hurling down toward them...
And then, whatever it was, it uncurled and landed on the roof. It looked like a human, clad head-to-foot in some kind of armored suit, which glistened in the glow from the lightning and the raindrops splashing on it. Some sort of huge cannon was welded onto the right arm, and it was pointed directly at Harry. Somehow, though, its shape looked familiar. Wait a minute, thought Pansy, realization sweeping over her. I saw that before... we ALL did this morning! Is that...
And then Pansy noticed that Harry was hiding the potion jar behind his back, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Samus kept her arm cannon aimed at HP-X, anxious for her chance to blast him into oblivion. But she knew she had to bide her time. Hostage rescues were always tricky affairs, and she had no intention of failing due to impatience.
"Let them go. This is between you and me," demanded Samus, edging closer to HP-X. But HP-X didn't move or so much as blink. Why did he lead me here? What's the point of all this? And most importantly, why did the satellites pick up only HIM? Are the rest of the X hidden that well?
Then, on the peripheries of her vision, Samus noticed the girl named Pansy Parkinson suddenly squirm violently, wide-eyed with terror and glaring at HP-X's back. She kept inclining her head toward HP-X. Samus realized Pansy was trying to warn her about something. After returning her attention to HP-X, she noticed he had one arm behind his back.
Samus armed her missile launcher, but it was too late. HP-X threw something directly at her. Samus heard and felt a glass container shatter against her chest plate. Looking down, she saw a clear liquid that was definitely not water spread all over her suit. But she didn't feel any pain, and her visor wasn't flashing any warnings, so at the moment, it seemed she was safe. But what's this stuff supposed to do? she thought, suddenly fearful.
Suddenly, bright light cascaded all around her. Looking up, he saw HP-X had both hands outstretched, and he was sending out some kind of energy beam at her. However, she still felt no pain. She aimed at HP-X again...
And all of a sudden, she felt a tugging sensation rip throughout her entire body, and it steadily grew worse. She tried to fire at HP-X, but found her body wouldn't heed her commands anymore. The pain grew worse and worse, and if her fusion suit was being ripped right off. She had only felt this sort of pain once: when the remains of Metroid Prime had forcibly torn the Phazon from her power suit.
The tugging got worse, and Samus just stood there, paralyzed by pain. Then, Samus saw crystalline, blue goo spewing forth from her chest plate, as if it was being extracted and pulled out. It took a few seconds, but eventually she remembered where she saw that before. Oh no, that's the color of... no, it can't be! Not THAT!
At last, just as suddenly as it had began, the pain stopped. Samus slumped down to her knees, feeling exhausted and weak, and almost slid down the slick, wet roof. She expected HP-X to blast her off the roof while she was vulnerable, but for several moments, nothing happened. Looking up, she saw the massive mass of clear-blue slime had taken a vague humanoid shape, and was beginning to transform. Within seconds, what looked like a tall, muscular, blond woman stood a few feet from Samus, naked and soaked from the rain. She was staring listlessly in front of her, with glowing, yellow-green eyes and a face that looked EXACTLY like her own. Then, the HP-X waved its hands, and white, magical sparks flew out and swirled around the new arrival.
Samus could only watch in horror as this thing was suddenly levitated off the ground, caught up in the vortex of magical energy. Then, yellow-green blobs seeped from her skin. Within seconds, that parasitic slime took shape. Metal plates of red, orange and gold spread out and covered her like armor, glistening in the light supplied by the sparks and the lightning strikes. Whereas Samus's armor looked sleek and organic, the armor forming on this copied humanoid looked bulky, mechanical, and hauntingly robust. Two huge, globular shapes were forming on her shoulders, another arm cannon took shape on her right arm, and a helmet suddenly formed around her head, this one with a smaller, green visor.
Samus recognized its shape all too well. This was the most powerful form of the gift she had received from the Chozo, but had been stolen and perverted for ill. It was now worn by something that haunted her worst nightmares.
The SA-X had risen again.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
The SA-X, reborn and more powerful than ever before, was slowly levitated back down to the roof. As for the HP-X, his task was now complete, and he started to hover a few feet off the roof. Now that the SA-X was brought back to full power, it was time to turn their attention back to Samus. The SA-X aimed at Samus with her arm cannon and HP-X reached out with both hands, but Samus, still kneeling and rooted to the spot, didn't look at all ready to resist. Whatever the HP-X did, it had drained almost all of her suit's precious energy; it wouldn't take much to finish her off.
So the great bounty hunter had been rendered helpless yet again. It was time for others to act.
"Not so fast!" came a frenzied cry from nowhere. "It's payback time, you little wanker!"
Before HP-X or SA-X could even blink, a flying motorcycle (and a Harley-Davidson, no less) on which Snape was seated came barreling through the stormy night sky. The front tire slammed into HP-X. The motorcycle was moving with so much momentum, it knocked HP-X silly, and Snape continued to fly forward, smashing Harry's parasitic clone into a nearby wall. I hate to admit it, but Black certainly created a remarkable flying device. It handles better than most brooms, Snape thought as the motorcycle backed away from the wall to let HP-X drop to the ground. It was a good thing that Arthur Weasley decided to use this to fly to Hogwarts. It's coming in handy.
A second after Snape knocked HP-X out of the sky, another wizard flew in. Dumbledore sped down on a broom, his wand aimed at the SA-X. There was an explosion of white sparks and a loud FTANG. SA-X's helmet popped off her head and fell out of sight. SA-X flailed about and backed away, completely taken by surprise. Meanwhile, Dumbledore continued to soar toward the roof. He soared past it, but as he did, he waved his wand and suddenly Parkinson and Crabbe were levitated off the roof, as if having been lassoed by invisible ropes.
HP-X had been knocked out of the sky by Snape, and Dumbledore had rescued the hostages. That left Samus and SA-X alone on the roof. The quick thinking of the Order gave Samus just enough time to recover. Her suit's energy was almost gone and her entire body ached, but she intended to stand her ground and fight. She stood up and aimed at SA-X just as she recovered from Dumbledore's sneak attack. Her doppleganger raised her arm cannon as well...
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was obvious that it would take more than an impact from a flying motorcycle to take out the HP-X. After a few seconds in freefall, Harry's double recovered and flew back up at Snape, his wings filling the air with an incessant, noxious buzzing. He fired off a Killing Curse as he ascended, but Snape expertly piloted Sirius's motorcycle to evade them, and returned fire with Killing Curses of his own. Unfortunately, HP-X proved to be just as adept a flier, easily dodging the deadly green beams.
After a few moments, however, HP-X tried something else. He waved both his arms, and suddenly, the raindrops cascading all around him formed into thick chunks of ice, the size of Quaffles. One after another, they were magically hurled toward Snape with deadly speed. Snape did his best to avoid them, but one caught him in the shoulder, almost breaking the bones there. The motorcycle hovered around aimlessly as Snape nursed his injured shoulder. Snape was wide open.
HP-X hesitated for a second, as if something was holding him back. Then, small, bat-like shapes began fluttering all over his face. HP-X screamed and his hands rose to his face, as if to forcibly pry the mysterious things off.
"Oh, I'm good," came a self-satisfied, high-pitched voice that cut through the sound of the rain. Snape turned in the direction of the voice to see Ginny Weasley, flying her brother's Cleansweep and smiling triumphantly.
Another voice rang through the stormy night. "Ginny, stay with Snape! Time to bring alien boy down to Earth!" A second later, Ron Weasley came flying straight down, riding Harry's Firebolt. As he flew past HP-X, he yelled "Carpe Retractum!" A yellow band of energy shot out of Ron's wand and wrapped around HP-X's torso, pulling the parasitic clone of his friend down with him. A split second before Ron would've crashed, he pulled up and disengaged his spell, leaving HP-X to slam into the muddy ground of one of the castle's interior courtyards.
HP-X staggered as he got back up, his skinsheath and wings coated with mud. But he wasn't given long to regather his wits. Looking up, he saw Neville Longbottom about twenty feet away, approaching timidly. Neville threw what looked like seeds over at HP-X, and they all harmlessly fell into the mud. Then he raised his wand, shut his eyes tightly, and spluttered out a series of incantations that HP-X couldn't hear.
HP-X pointed at Neville, ready to strike him down. But before he could do anything, what looked like thick, brambly vines erupted from the muddy ground and tightly wrapped around him, holding him in one spot. HP-X desperately tried to tear them apart with his talons, but whatever plants Neville was magically controlling were too resilient to be phsyically ripped apart. Also, the thorns secreted a toxin into him, making him queasy.
"I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" Neville cried out jubilantly, thrilled that his knack for Herbology proven useful to his friends. "Hermione, he's all yours!"
Hermione ran across the courtyard and yelled, "Glacius!" Soon, the HP-X was enveloped in subzero mist. Neville's plants could resist a sudden cold snap, but the rapid temperature shift was debilitating the HP-X. The HP-X howled in impotent rage, but then realized if the vines were resistant to cold, perhaps extreme heat was the answer. With a one gesture, the vines ensnaring him burst into flames, and at the same time, Hermione was blasted off her feet..
But it was a short-lived victory. A shrill blasting sound filled the air, and a microsecond later, a bright ball of yellow energy smashed into HP-X, knocking him flat on his back. He quickly stood up, and saw Harry Potter advancing and charging up another blast.
One-on-one, I'd probably lose against you, I admit it, Harry thought as he continued to build up power in his wand. Thankfully, though, I don't have to fight alone. I've got friends to fight with me, and you can't beat all of us. It took a lot of arguing to convince them I wasn't going to stand by and let Samus fight alone, and after they realized that, they insisted on coming out with me. What would I do without them? He fired his second blast, and HP-X was knocked into a nearby window, almost shattering it. Harry then heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw that Ron and Hermione take up positions at either side of him, their wands raised. He smiled, then looked back at HP-X, who was just getting up. He charged another blast...
"Glacius!" bellowed Hermione.
"Stupefy!" yelled Ron.
The blast of red energy and rush of freezing air made HP-X stagger again, but he quickly regained his composure and pointed at the trio. But Harry's blast was ready, and he released it...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The SA-X fired another super missile at Samus, but since she lost her helmet so soon after her rebirth, she couldn't make it home in on her target. Samus carefully jumped aside and it sped past her. It detonated against one of the castle's many towers, causing chunks of masonry to plummet to the ground. Samus then released her charged-up blast at her doppleganger, but she jumped straight up, and the three swirling bursts of heat and electricity passed underneath her. SA-X then fired another super missile down at the roof, and Samus barely jumped away in time. That part of the roof caved in thanks to the explosive impact.
She's quicker now, and her weapons - the super missiles and ice-spazer combo - they seem more powerful too! Samus thought fearfully. This won't be as easy as last time.
SA-X landed a few feet away - far too close for comfort - and the ice-spazer at Samus. Samus once again dashed aside, and then fired an ice missile directly at the SA-X's midsection. The missile's freezing effect encased the SA-X's legs in ice, and ice formed on part of the roof as well. Furthermore, the detonation caused that part of the roof to weaken and break off, taking the trapped doppleganger down with it. However, the SA-X lashed out with her grapple beam. It wrapped around Samus's left arm and she was dragged down with her.
While they were in freefall, the SA-X gave her grapple beam a good yank and Samus sped toward her. Then SA-X lashed out with a vicious left hook, and Samus felt the impact through her helmet. It took a few seconds for Samus's vision to come back into focus, and when it did, she saw the SA-X's face up close for the first time. It was indeed just like hers, only with no trace of emotion whatsoever. She also saw the ground was coming up fast.
Panicking, Samus quickly went into morph ball mode, and she heard the SA-X do the same. She quickly rolled away, in hopes of putting some distance between the two of them. When she unrolled, she found they were now standing in one of the courtyards. Also, she spotted Harry and his friends standing nearby, and they were all attacking the HP-X, who, for the moment, was rendered helpless by their onslaught. Damnit Harry! You did it again, and this time you dragged your friends into it! she thought, filled with indignant fury. Well, so far you and your friends are holding your own. That's something.
But that fleeting moment of pride she felt for Harry soon turned to terror when she saw a super missile streak toward the trio. Thankfully, they all saw it and scattered, and it detonated against a far-off wall. However, this meant that the HP-X was no longer held at bay. He turned and pointed at Samus, and used Avada Kedavra.
And his aim was perfect. Samus was blasted about ten feet into the air and came crashing back down onto the muddy soil, and she didn't move after that.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"NO!" Harry screamed. He suddenly felt dead inside, but soon, his sorrow was replaced with all-consuming rage. "GODDAMN YOU!" he cried, turning back to the HP-X and firing off the blast he had readied. But the HP-X jumped up and began hovering again, then formed more chunks of ice from the raindrops, hurling them down at Harry and his friends, forcing them to scatter. They tried to curses his way, but HP-X seemed to have gotten his second wind. He flew about too swiftly, and whatever attacks connected didn't seem to faze him the slightest. Even worse, they now had a new arrival to contend with...
Harry watched in horror as the SA-X slowly advanced, arm cannon raised and missile barrel opened. One look was all Harry needed to realize that, somehow, Samus's own parasitic clone was back as well. We're dead, thought Harry. There's no way any of us can fight BOTH of them...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
But just as everything looked hopeless, Snape suddenly flew back down into the courtyard on Sirius's motorcycle, and he was flanked by Ginny and Dumbledore. Snape sent out a Killing Curse at HP-X, who barely swerved in the air to avoid it. Ginny then performed yet another perfect Bat-Bogey Hex, this time on the SA-X, and Dumbledore followed up by sending out a bright beam of white light that blasted her off her feet.
HP-X flew above the courtyard for a moment, looking from one enemy to the other. Samus may be dead, but he seemed to realize that Snape and Dumbledore were still deadly forces to be reckoned with. Furthermore, Harry's growing power could no longer be ignored, and the fact that four of his friends were backing him up didn't help his situation any. Even with the SA-X revived, it would be pointless to stay and fight. Dumbledore could easily fight the SA-X by himself, leaving him to fend off six wizards at once.
The one controlling the rest of the X apparently felt the same way, and HP-X felt a sudden command, telling him to retreat. Besides, if all went well, soon they would all be theirs anyway. ALL of them.
HP-X turned and flew away from the courtyard, and the SA-X, having quickly recovered from Ginny and Dumbledore's hexes, bounded and began space jumping out of the castle grounds. Within seconds, they were both standing well beyond the walls. There could be no doubt that Snape and Dumbledore would try to follow them, but that was of no concern...
HP-X's wings retracted into his back, creating a disgusting slurping noise as they did. After that, he jumped up onto the SA-X's back, wrapping his arms around her armored torso. Once he did, she began to run into the Forbidden Forest, just as Snape and Dumbledore closed in (Ginny, of course, had not been allowed to pursue them) .
The two wizards flew even faster, trying to close the distance. But the SA-X continued making her way through the forest, deftly swerving through the trees, and slowly, she began picking up more speed. Her armor began to give off a strange, glowing energy as her speed increased, and four ghostly images of her body trailed behind her, copying her every move. Eventually, she reached a velocity that far exceeded the top speeds of Dumbledore's broom and the flying motorcycle Snape borrowed, and left them far behind.
SA-X continued to run through the forest, with the HP-X riding on her back. At one point, a unicorn had been unfortunate enough to be in their path, and the SA-X ran through it, instantly killing the creature and splattering its precious blood all over the trees, the ground, and her own armor. The fact that they had accidently slaughtered such a pure creature meant nothing to SA-X and HP-X. Soon, they were dozens of miles away from Hogwarts, almost at their desired destination...
Suddenly, the SA-X crouched and skidded to a halt along the ground. Her armored body glowed even more fiercely, and a shrilling, tacking sound could be heard for miles. It was as if her armor just stored some incredible form of power, one begging for release...
The SA-X righted herself, and then, her body rocketed straight up like a missile being launched, taking the HP-X along with her. Thanks to the power of the 'shinespark' maneuver, her body continued to shoot upward, unhindered by gravity or any other force, until they were finally out of the sight of anyone in the forest.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Harry stood in front of Samus's motionless body, staring down at her. He wasn't aware of the cold rain that continued to soak his clothes, or the fact that his four fellow Gryffindors were standing beside him. All that was on his mind was seeing someone else die in front of him, someone that, even though he only know her for a few days, felt closer to than almost anyone else he ever met.
It was Ginny who finally broke the painful silence. "Is... is she really... did the curse really... you know?"
"But, wouldn't her suit... protect her from the curse somehow?" asked Hermione quietly.
"But Harry said her suit's like a living thing," Ron pointed out, sounding just as horrified as Harry felt. "Somehow, I doubt it'd protect her if that's the case."
Harry wasn't listening to any of them. He was too overwhelmed by grief and a sickening sense of dread. Not only had his newest friend died, but all hope of defeating the X may have died with her.
"Harry!" Neville suddenly cried out. "Her hand... I think I saw it move!"
Harry's heart skipped a beat, but forced himself to take a calming breath, then looked at Samus's hand. At first, he didn't see any movement, but after a few seconds, he saw that the fingers were slowly being flexed. He couldn't control himself. He knelt down beside Samus and shook her violently. "Samus? SAMUS?" he cried out desperately.
"Uhnnn, urgh... Harry," he heard Samus mutter incoherently.
"Oh Samus, you're alive!" exclaimed Harry as he grabbed Samus's left arm, trying to hoist her back up onto her feet. Of course, her armored body was oppressively heavy.
"Don't kill yourself, mate," said Ron suddenly, then he grabbed Samus's other arm and began pulling her up. "Let us help."
"Urgh, Harry... where are..." Samus began as she slowly came to.
"Gone," said Ginny. "Those two... things, they took off. Dumbledore and Snape went after them."
For a few moments, silence lingered in the courtyard again, broken only by an occasional clap of thunder. Eventually, though, Samus managed to get more words out. "All of you, get clear. I need to heal up."
Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville all looked from one to another, unsure of what she meant. Harry, however, had a feeling he knew what Samus planned to do. "OK, back away, all of you," he barked, leaving Samus to stand on her own and shooing his friends away from her.
Looking back, Harry saw that Samus had gone into morph ball mode and laid a power bomb. A second later, it went off and enveloped her in a bubble of thermonuclear energy. But this time, he could see a silhouette of her unarmored body, hovering in a squatting. "Wh-What's she d-doing?" spluttered Neville.
"Crystal Flash," stated Harry flatly. "It's a trick that lets her refill her suit's energy completely."
Eventually, the field of thermonuclear energy faded away, and Samus was standing in the middle of what looked like a sizzling impact crater, back in her armor. "Samus, how did you survive?" asked Harry as he walked back over to her. "It looked like the curse HAD killed you."
Samus took off her helmet and gazed down at Harry with compassionate eyes. "It almost did. What the HP-X did to me... it drained almost all of my suit's energy, and that one curse almost depleted the rest. And like I told you, once that energy's gone, it's game over."
Harry didn't want to think anymore about how easily Samus could've died, and changed the subject. "Uh, what DID he do? What happened?"
Samus sighed, then launched into an explanation. When she finished, Harry and his friends stared at her dumbly, paralyzed and shocked. "It's gone from bad to worse. Not only has Dumbledore's plan apparently failed, but now MY doppleganger's back as well."
Harry shuddered from a wave of cold that had nothing to do with the rain. Now both he and Samus had dopplegangers on the loose, the deadliest additions to their unseen enemy's arsenal.
As Harry stood there trying to make sense of it all, Samus noticed something lying on the ground. Looking down, she saw the SA-X's helmet lying in a puddle of mud. Gritting her teeth, she fired her beam at it, forcing it to revert to parasitic slime. "I swear, I'll put you back where you belong, I don't care how long it takes me," she spat as she slammed her foot down onto the slime, absorbing it.