Chapter 37

After arriving at their destination, all five of them regretted heading out so quickly. None of them had bothered to research their destination. They had been transported to a beautiful plateau where green plants and trees colored the lands and a clear blue sky was painted above them. Shades of purple colored the bottom of the sky and the horizon, each lighter than the previous.

The majestic nature of the mountains surprised them, and not a word was spoken as they took in the sight that lay ahead. Finally, Ed looked at the map they were provided with.

"Okay, so we go straight here, through some kind of winding path to the next plateau and then make a right. After that we go up the mountain and we're there," he rolled up the map, and with a flick of his hand, it disappeared and he began to walk in the direction he had indicated.

"So, how long are we supposed to walk this path?" Alan asked. The excitement of receiving their first assignment had worn off after the first hour. Now it was simply a task they were being forced to complete.

"Till we get to the next plateau," Grey answered.

"This is a rather degrading mission isn't it?" Harry asked pulling out the tear from his pocket. "I mean six year olds could carry a damned stone from one place to another," he took a second to examine the stone for the first time since he had received it. It was very smooth and had a perfect elliptical shape. It shared its hue with the purest of oceans and seemed to carry its own pulse, which he could feel in his hand. This single stone was worth more than the house he resided in. It was simply too outlandish to believe.

"I can sympathize with your belief that this is a abasing task unbefitting the talents of anyone out of school, but rather than bewailing our predicament, we must realize the downsides of our position," Alan said formally. Everyone stared at him.

"Alright, I'll ask; what the hell?" Grey asked

"I bought a thesaurus," Alan answered; no one stopped staring. "And I read it!" He added. A chorus of "oh!s followed.

"Hey look, a polar bear!" Suki said pointing at the creature. As soon as everyone turned to look, it turned tail and ran. "Those aren't supposed to be here!"

"That wasn't a polar bear you idiot, it was a patronus," Ed said as if explaining things to a four year old. "Come on, we have to hurry!" he added and began sprinting. "Which one of you has the tear?" he asked.

"Better only the person who has it knows!" Grey yelled. "Do any of you feel a breeze?" she asked, curiously. Indeed, they all felt a wind getting stronger and stronger. The waves of air pushing against the group, making it harder to move, were becoming intense. Plants were uprooted and dirt rose up in a swirling tornado, and the teams view was totally blocked.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Alan yelled over the roar of the tornado, and just as suddenly as it began, the tornado stopped. In its place stood twelve people, adorned with ripped clothing and scars.

Then more and more of the sort came until the five were surrounded by what appeared to be a gang.

"Give us the stone," One of the men grunted rudely.

"Like hell we will," Grey answered, her temper flaring. A man emerged from the crowd, quite different from the others in the gang. He was dressed in a deep red suit, and had a glass of wine in his hand, which he took a small sip of.

"This scenario can play out in two ways. I can give you double what that stone is worth and you can be on your merry way and tell the Creed it was stolen or we can take it by force. As idiotic as you may look, I'm sure you can see you're outnumbered forty three to five," he said. His voice was suave and filled with confidence. He moved, and overall behaved as a man of class- a gentleman, yet it was clear that his motives were barbaric. He would do anything to get what he desired.

"Please move out of our way, or I will personally see to it that you die," Ed stated calmly. The look in his eye was downright frightening, and Harry knew he wasn't bluffing. He would kill each and every member of the little gang if he had to.

"Very well, we'll do it your way," the man said with a condescending smirk, and with a whirl of his wand, he disappeared. His goons were however still there- all forty two of them. One smiling, approached the group, but before he took his fifth step, he was beheaded by a beautiful looking sword held by Ed. The all hell broke loose. Every single goon attacked all at once.

Harry pulled out his wand and cast spells in every direction. Soon, the goons began to return fire, casting much more deadly spells than Harry. It was time to act fast. Within seconds, a giant serpent made of plants and soil rose amidst the battle and unleashed its wrath upon the awry thieves. Shrieking, it used its fangs, made out of sharpened shrubs, to impale a troll-like attacker who was about to attack Harry. Controlling his marvelous creation the way Dumbledore taught him, Harry ordered the serpent to kill the few thieves left. The rest had been crushed by its magnificent tail or destroyed by some combination of fire and brute force.

But that wasn't the end. Something was up, and no one put their wands down.

"Start walking, keep alert," Ed said gruffly, his sword held in both hands with vigilance. Sparks of white flame flew from Grey's fingertips. Suki, Alan and Harry all had their wands out, scoping the area with their eyes. Something was different. Suki was the first to notice.

"Where did the path go?" she asked, realizing they didn't have a clue which way to go.

"The tornado must have destroyed it," Alan reasoned. "It disoriented us too. I have no clue where we came from"

"That way, I can feel a large magical presence," Ed said concentrating.

"And if it's those people again?" Harry asked sharply.

"We'll take our chances," Grey said dismissively. And so the continued on the dusty path, or at least what they thought was the path.

"Something's wrong," Harry said immediately. Before anyone could react, a giant pillar rose from the ground, a lone figure standing on it. Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed it was a skinny looking man with a top small top hat dressed in conductor's clothing.

"What the hell is that?" Al asked looking at the pillar. The pillar began to bend, targeting the spot where the five were standing. They all apparated out of the way just in time.

Dust flew as the pillar touched the ground, blinding them all and causing them to cough. Before they could recover, they were encircled by stone bars which intertwined, making a cage. Alan leaned against the wall, still rubbing his eyes. As he made contact, a shock leapt through his body and he fell to the ground, unconscious or dead; not a soul could tell.

They opened their eyes to see the conductor like man standing at the bars of the cage, a wicked toothy smile on his face and wand twirling in his hand.

"Welcome to your new abode," he said with a glint in his eye. Alan leaned against the wall, still rubbing his eyes

A/N: First let me address individual questions and comments

Blah: Yeah the atmosphere did change, my transition was sloppy, and I'm sorry. I was under a lot of pressure, and the story kept evolving in my mind so I did what I could. It's up to u if u want to read or not.

Ramafan: Yeah, again story evolved and its more real than other stories. Most people do not marry their "first love" or first girlfriends or whatnot, except in very idealistic fanfictions and JK rowling books… I'm making this as realistic as possible.

Legend3881: Thanks for feedback, I will be accelerating the story by a few years if its okay with everyone. If I have the patience, there will be 2 sequels.

SO what did you guys think, I know it's been a long time since a real chapter came out and I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to review…

BYE!