Chapter 12 – Firefox
"Stand Down Commander." The Brig muttered with authority as Harry was reaching for his gun…well guns.
In one part of Harry's mind he was taking in the situation, they all had their guns or whatever pointed at him. All of them he could see had the safeties on.
"Sir." The Commander saluted and motioned his men, Harry realised there were women also pointing guns at him which didn't make him feel too much better. Another part of Harry's mind thought it was good that they weren't discriminatory and were equal opportunity like. Another part was working out where he was.
"Where…?" Harry turned to look at the Brig.
"We won't be here for long. Sergeant, put us down just outside Night Wolf's outer perimeter.
As he was about to ask, Harry felt the world fizz out of existence again and suddenly realised that this was how a bottle of butter-beer felt like.
Then he was standing on the outskirts of a forest.
"Let's walk and talk shall we Harry?" The Brig was motioning Harry towards a road, pulling out a large torch as he did so.
Right.
"Fine, as long as you don't try to kill me." Harry shrugged still holding his wand.
"I won't, last thing from my mind. I expect you have questions." It was a statement not a question.
"Yep, that pretty much sums it up. But let me set some things out first." Harry looked at the Brig for a moment, saw a nod so continued.
"You just helped out fighting Death Eaters. Therefore you're probably not one of them. You're not from the ministry or the order. You know what or who people who have magical ability are." He was interrupted at this point.
"I thought you liked to refer to yourself as wizards and witches."
"I've recently discovered that you don't necessarily need to be a wizard to do magic. Which brings me to your weapon, obviously magic, that was a Stupefy or something like it. We just went through something which was neither apparating and it wasn't a port key. So yes you could say I have a few questions, but it will help if they come with answers."
"I'm glad you're magically inclined Harry. Otherwise this would involve a long series of forms classifying all of this under the official secrets act. It still will, just warning you in advance…" The Brig paused, Harry shrugged and nodded. "Do you know who U.N.I.T. is?" Seeing Harry's blank look he continued. "United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. We deal with the unexplained, the odd, any threat, any location, no matter how far it takes us. Alien Invasions, outbreaks of interplanetary viruses, scandals and things not of this planet. Also magic, not to the extent your ministry deals with it of course. I was in charge of and part of UNIT UK for some years when it started before scaling back…."
Alien invasions… Harry's mind was working in over time to process it all.
"I'm telling you this because we know about Voldemort."
"Ah ha, so I don't need to explain myself then."
"Your reputation precedes you and all of that?"
"Yeah."
"No. We know about Voldemort we know bits about you, I didn't know what you looked like, so I never recognised you." The Brig was pulling out a piece of paper and looked at it and then at the time, and wrote something on it, then pulled out a large what looked like Navy telescope but seemed to have extra pieces on it.
"Here read this and then look straight up." Harry looked at the piece of paper he was given it read 'The R.S.C.S Firefox will be at …' Harry finished reading it before he looked straight up and through the scope. He saw dark sky, and then it shimmered to reveal what looked like a dark oddly shaped thing a space craft.
"The Fiddelus Charm."
"Yes, nifty bit of work. That's where you were." The Brig continued walking down the road before stopping and waiting for Harry.
"There." The Brig pointed at a large castle in he middle of a lake or it could have been a large moat. "UNIT Night Wolf."
"A castle?"
"UNIT research and development more than top secret… It's carried out from Night Wolf. It's a hub of information training, development and creativity."
"Brigadier, while I'm fascinated, state secrets and all. Why bring me here?" Harry stopped and looked at the castle trying to work all of it out in his head, he must have been furrowing his brow or something because the Brig turned and smiled, a warm non-twinkling smile.
"I'll let the Birmingham answer those questions. Suffice it to say I know enough about your world to worry about Voldemort, and you. Would it make you feel any better if I told you Birmingham has worked in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry must have made a noise when he only heard Department of Mysteries.
Finding his voice Harry tried to say something but ended up nodding.
"Good. Well I, actually none of us went looking for you. But we accept all sorts at Night Wolf, and you Harry are just the sort. Birmingham said he might be able to help you. He said 'While you're out testing it look out for trouble, it usually follows certain people'. And in this business trouble only follows people who do things. Coming?" The Brig indicated a path.
"Have you done 6 impossible things before breakfast?" Harry muttered to himself as he followed the Brig.
"Sorry Harry?" The Brig turned around studying him.
"Just contemplating a visit to Milyways."
"Milyways?"
"The restaurant at the end of the universe." The Brig thought for a moment before chuckling.
They were at the water's edge when Harry stopped to look at the castle, it was more fortified and imposing than Hogwarts, there was no draw bridge, no visible way of getting across.
"So Brig, how do we get across to the castle?"
"Generally we have a boat, a bit low tech, but stops most people from coming over." The Brig was pulling out his radio.
Harry was pondering, playing with his wand thinking.
How can you get across water?
A bridge?
A tunnel
Walk!
Harry moved as close as he could before pushing a great deal of power into his wand.
"Glacieer." A snow white spell shot out from his wand hitting the freezing it, Harry angled his wand keeping the spell going so there was a bridge wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The Brig was a little gob smacked, the boffins said that the water couldn't be crossed. Evidently they'd need to go back to the drawing board,
"Come on Brigadier. Lets go before it melts. Dunno how long it'll last." Harry was already walking cautiously across the bridge. The Brig followed gingerly.
Once they were on the shore Harry turned around to look at the bridge. It was slowly turning back to water before there was a bang and it imploded into the water.
"That's interesting, didn't expect that to happen." He muttered to himself as he watched the Brig walk over to a blank brick and place his hand on it, a door way shimmered into existence, a solid looking metal door.
"Come on this way Harry."
The Brig lead Harry down a series of corridors, many of which would have looked out of place in Hogwarts with their large fluorescent lights lighting the way, other corridors that peeled away wouldn't have looked out of place in a factory, Harry just took it all in, not knowing what else he could do and followed the Brig.
-/
While Harry was being led through corridors Dumbledore was busy unpicking the anti-apparition wards that surrounded the town of Tellus.
Moody and Tonks arrived in their capacity as Aurors and quickly ignored any attempts that Dumbledore made to talk to them.
Dumbledore had finished unpicking the wards and let the Magical Law Enforcement people in including the Ministry Obliviators, who currently had no one to Obliviate. There were some muggles who were hidden in their homes, only a few who had been killed.
Moody was surveying the battle scene, his magic eye counting up the carnage.
"Well Tonks?"
"Yes Moody?" Tonks smiled at him looking around.
"What do you think?" Moody swept his hand around at the bodies.
"12 Dead Death Eaters, not all were from spells. There are a few that stand out." Tonks lost all her clumsiness when she was addressed by the senior Aurors.
"Hmmm. The one in the bar, and the two over there." Moody indicated the pub and the two near the church.
"Yeah, and the others which are dead but look like they've been hit with some sort of potion."
Moody was starring at the church, wards weren't his speciality, he could recognise most, but that church looked to contain quite a few of the small village's muggle population and yet it was warded heavily.
"Tonks. I think I need to talk to Dumbledore." Tonks gaped at Moody.
"Why I thought…"
"Yes but I think he's the person to run and test a theory of mine." Moody said mysteriously and hobbled away.
"Dumbledore. Interesting business. I'd suggest you, or one of the order check the church. Good Day." Moody starred at the Headmaster before hobbling away, he felt the faintest tickle on his Occlumency shields but shrugged it off.
Tonks was checking out the two Death Eaters.
"Well?" Tonks jumped.
"Way to go scaring me. Both broke their necks when they fell. Don't know how. I was going to check up there." Tonks indicated the church.
"Let Dumbledore check it out, he's there with two other Order members. I suggest a safe distance." They walked back toward the town square. Still watching the church and Dumbledore's approach.
"Moody, what's going to happen?"
"There are powerful wards surrounding that church, Those two Death Eaters weren't expecting it and got flung backwards, with interesting results. Obviously the anti-apparition field was in place."
"Powerful Wards, but you'd need a wizard in there to keep wards that strong up. Is there a wizard in there?"
"No. Now watch."
"But how…" But Tonks was cut off by Moody pointing to Dumbledore's approach.
Dumbledore was first to breach the wards, the church pulsed with light illuminating the wards for the wizards watching, throwing all of Dumbledore's party backwards. The apparated quickly, landing at Tonks and Moody's feet.
"Why hello Dumbledore. I see you checked out the wards." Moody commented sarcastically at Dumbledore who was on the ground, having not achieved a good landing.
"Yes Moody, they're very powerful, I would think on par with Hogwarts."
"Yes I did think that as well."
"Moody, what do you think killed them?" One of the order asked Mad Eye.
"They're dead, it seems to be a potion of some sort." Moddy said gruffly.
"Moody, would you take a sample for Severus when he returns from his meeting he may test it for us." Dumbledore asked but it sounded like an order.
"Don't worry our resident death eater, I've got a sample, I'm sure Remus can have a go at working it out." Tonks held up a beaker of the potion she'd managed to scrape off one of the Death Eaters.
"Good Day, Luck with the wards." Moody said before apparating out.
Tonks grinned at the remaining shrugged and disappeared with a soft pop.
Leaving Dumbledore and the order. Dumbledore was left staring at the puzzling church.
-/
They arrived at the Brig's office.
"A drink Harry?" The Brig was by his decanter.
"Yes a large one I think it's going to be one of those nights. I'm not even surprised anymore, just mildly awed." Harry said casually looking out the window which seemed to look in on a courtyard.
The Brig chuckled at his comment sitting opposite Harry near a fireplace.
Harry had a couple of dozen questions, but decided to drink his questions rather than voice them. Letting the fire slowly warm him.
"Please don't kill me if I fall asleep." Harry mumbled before passing out or falling asleep, an empty glass on the table.
"Don't worry, all questions will be answered in the morning." The Brig patted his shoulder softly as he rose.