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Posted February 23, 2012.
-CHAPTER 48-
A CRIPPLING BLOW
Or, consequences make themselves felt
The pair landed in the middle of the sphere, and Harry was surprised to find it was like landing on a bed of feathers, rather than the hard ground. The images were again swirling around him, although the image of the Icarus was pulled away from the rest. Equally, a second window was lined up directly beside it, this one now showing the interior of the trunk. Home, Harry realized.
"Fucking hell." Harry did a double take, realizing he'd accidentally brought a passenger. Mace was staring wide-eyed at the room around him.
"Merlin's pants!"
"Up to now... I was still not completely convinced. Now... you've sold me."
"And I didn't mean to bring you back here. I swore up and down no more strays—"
"Hey!"
"I mean, not that I didn't enjoy your company, but you don't belong here. Just like I didn't belong in your world. C'mon, let's get you back to the Icarus II. Take my hand."
"Sure." Mace was completely sold at this point, and so took the offered hand. Harry reached up to touch the picture of Icarus II, but it zoomed away from him.
"Great. Just great. I don't have time for FUCKING GAMES, ASSHOLES!" Harry roared, trying to snatch back the picture. Instead, another portrait slammed into his outstretched hand. He instinctively let go of Mace's hand, and as expected, was sucked into the picture. Mace only stood there, mouth agape. 'That did NOT just happen,' was his only thought.
Harry returned a few minutes later, looking like he'd been attacked by a pack of wild dogs. He had a strange cylinder tucked under his arm, and he looked about ready to murder someone.
"C-c-c'mon, we're going back to my house for a minute. G-g-get patched up, maybe explode a few heads in the process." Harry offered a hand again, and Mace cautiously accepted it. Even he could feel the angry waves of energy rolling off the young wizard. This was definitely someone he would want to stay on the good side. Harry reached up, and touched the portrait showing the room. They again vanished, with an even louder CRACK.
"Harry? Merlin's beard, what happened to you?" Sirius had been in the common room, and had just finished a floo call.
"R-r-run-in with a pack of wolves. D-didn't appreciate me intruding their den."
"Who's this?"
"Right. Sirius, Mace. Mace, this is Sirius, my godfather." The pair shook hands, while Harry dispatched his clone into the bedroom. He was determined to limit Mace's exposure to his world as much as he could, and so no summoning one of the house-elves. "Mace isn't staying long, since I now know how to get him back where he belongs. Same as Lucas and his family."
"You unlocked the strange devices you've been collecting."
"Finally this morning."
"He was studying all those papers he has with him all yesterday," Mace threw in.
"Unlocking the hub was a large piece of the puzzle. Still need some time to read the rest of the notes... it's like finally receiving the manual. It should have been included with the product up front." Harry glanced up at the clock. It was going on seven, meaning breakfast would be out soon.
"Harry? Gods, what happened?" Cedric looked gravely concerned, rushing over to be with his mate. His clone followed moments after, along with Bill and Matt.
"Stand still," the clone ordered, and began casting healing charms.
Mace simply stood back, his mind in total overdrive. Clearly they were all wizards, and the energy about was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It was borderline intoxicating. Mace knew, however, his place wasn't there. Harry was right. He belonged back on the Icarus II, a place where things made more sense. Even seeing it with his own eyes, the idea of magic was alien to him, an abstract concept outside of his realist process. He certainly felt no ill toward Harry and his friends, but he certainly felt out of place, a fish out of water.
"That should do," said the clone.
"Merge, then."
"Cheerio." The clone vanished, and Harry momentarily winced at the influx of memories, although they were brief.
"Okay. I'm returning Mace where he belongs. Bill, I need your collar."
"Where's yours?"
"Left it on the Icarus II."
"What the hell for? Harry, they shouldn't know about us in the first place!" Bill scolded, as he removed his radio.
"No time for arguments." Harry clipped the collar back on. "I wonder—"
BANG. The entire trunk shook, and the flames in the fireplace roared black for a moment. Mace did a double-take. Flames DO NOT turn black, right? A second loud BANG was heard, along with the slamming of several heavy doors.
"And there go the wards. AGAIN." Bill muttered.
"Accio map," Harry intoned, summoning the larger map he'd created over the summer. He activated it, then gave it a quick glance. No, the problem wasn't in Pandora. A problem at Hogwarts, then? He summoned the smaller map, and activated it.
"What is that?" Mace dared ask.
"It's a map of Hogwarts, the school I go to."
"Harry, look." Matt put a finger on a label circling about the Gryffindor common room. Harry was not surprised to find it labelled 'Delores Umbridge'.
"She's trying to breach the door."
"And she's got company. Dots with no names."
"That could only mean... unspeakables. Harry! The door that connects to it in here, you need to destroy it. Now!" Sirius barked.
"Got it." Harry drew his wand sharply, and directed it at a door in the nearby hallway. "REDUCTO!" A red blast of magic erupted from the end of his wand, and the door splintered into thousands of tiny fragments. Mace was astounded, as the wreckage simply fell off the wall, leaving the space behind it unblemished.
"Even getting rid of the connection, they may still be able to trace it. Harry, you really need to be elsewhere. We'll see to things here," said Sirius.
"No, I'll—"
"Harry, go! Take your friend back where he belongs. Last thing we need is for the ministry to get hold of you. You can't fulfil your destiny locked away in Azkaban."
"I'm coming with," Cedric decided, but Harry shook his head. "No, no one's coming along. Get a message to Dumbledore. Don't care how. Cedric and Matt, take anyone non-magical to Hell's Gate for the day. Bill... help protect things here if you need to... get whatever help you need... but be careful... For fuck's sake, all of you be careful."
Mace watched as each of Harry's mates said good bye. The four of them obviously loved each other. Sure, Mace had feelings for others, but decided that sort of thing was frivolous, and unnecessary for the job he had to do. Even being friends was... something far less important in his process.
"Right. Let's go." Harry gripped Mace by the shoulder, and the pair vanished, to reappear practically an instant later back in the device hub. At that instant, a stranger's voice came over Harry's radio. "Harry?"
"Kaneda?"
"Is Mace with you?"
"Yes sir. We're coming back to the Icarus soon as I can find the right picture. Bear with me."
"Picking up more passengers, are we, Harry?" came Jiro's voice.
"Shut it, Jiro. It was an accident," Harry muttered, mostly to himself, while he searched through the endless stream of images for the one with Icarus II on it.
"An accident, I don't blame you for it," said Kaneda, "But we've got a little bit of a problem and I do need my engineer back."
"Harry? What's wrong with the trunk?" came Fred's voice.
"Umbridge attacked it again. She brought Unspeakables into the school, so stay away. Or yet... guys, go find Professor Dumbledore. They break into the trunk, we're fucked royally. And someone collect the artifacts. Take them to Hell's Gate."
"Already got that covered, Cub," came Remus' voice.
"Harry, get yourself to a secure location," Sirius ordered.
"Captain, you mind having a guest for a few hours?"
"We could use your help."
"Harry. There." Mace pointed at a frame that was fast approaching. Harry reached out and pulled it forward. The image had changed slightly, as the sun looked a little bigger than it had hours earlier. It was truly astounding how fast the Icarus II was travelling.
"Ready?" Mace only gripped Harry's shoulder, and the pair of them vanished into the frame.
An ear-piercing alarm assaulted Harry's senses as they reappeared in the airlock.
"Great. What the hell is that?"
"Come on!" Mace grabbed Harry about the shoulder, and the pair of them took off through the narrow corridors. They arrived minutes later to the flight deck. Kaneda arrived a moment later. "What's going on?"
"I screwed up!" Trey, the crew member responsible for navigation answered. His face said it all: he was mortified.
"It's not you that screwed up. Icarus, silence the alarm."
"Yes, captain." The alarm was instantly silenced.
"I'm responsible. In order to change the route I had to manually override Icarus. So I made a whole of calculations myself. And I double and triple checked them. They all worked out. So, I set the new coordinates and put us on our way." He wrung his hands, and looked about ready to bang his head against a wall.
"Here." Harry fished out another calming draught from his pockets, and pushed it into Trey's hands.
"What is it?"
"Make you feel better."
"I don't WANT to feel better!" Trey protested.
"It's either that or I stun you," Harry insisted. Trey consumed the potion, and like the others, gagged at the awful taste. The effect was practically immediate, as he felt a calming sensation wash over him. He nodded appreciatively.
"Feel better now?"
"Thank you."
"Now what's the problem? The trajectory's wrong?"
"No, the trajectory's good. But it changes our approach to the sun by one-point-one degrees," Trey explained. Capa understood at once. "You didn't reset the shields to the new angle."
"Jesus Christ, Trey," said Harvey, the ship's communications officer and second in command.
"That's not helping. Stop blaming each other. Is your ship damaged?" Harry questioned.
"Even better, why the fuck did we change course in the first place?" Mace questioned, crossing his arms.
"We're making a little detour first. We've picked up a distress beacon from the Icarus I," Kaneda explained.
"Right. And in doing so, jeopardize the entire reason we're out here in the first place. Whose brainy idea was it? Yours?" Mace cast a hateful look at Capa.
"Guys! Not helping!" Harry snapped, "Stop behaving like ickle firsties!" That earned an evil glare from Mace.
"He's right," Kaneda agreed, "The fact is we are still alive. A hole hasn't burned in the side of the ship. We don't have a ten-thousand degree climate, so what's the actual damage?"
"We don't know. Icarus tried to reset the shields independently when the alarm went off but all the sensors are burnt out," said Harvey.
"So the only way we know is if we go out there," Mace summed up.
"Okay. I'll get suited up."
"It's a two-man job, captain."
"And as second in command, you're not going anywhere." It was an order.
"I volunteer," Trey spoke up, but Mace cut in saying, "No, I volunteer."
"Fine."
"I volunteer Capa."
"Sure. I'll do it," said Capa, getting up. It was Harry's turn to cast a hateful glare at Mace. Mace actually shivered, realizing he had just earned the young wizard's ire.
"Wait." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out two galleons. "Portus." He intoned, while thinking of the present location. "If things go pear-shaped, think 'Back to Harry'. It'll pull you straight back here."
"Sort of like when we went to that weird room?" Mace guessed.
"Exactly like that. It's a port key. You have to put on heavy gear to go outside, right?"
"Yes, most definitely. Come this way," said Kaneda, leading Harry and Capa away from the flight deck. Mace stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then quickly caught up.
"Put the coin in the palm of your hand before you put gloves on. Remember, the activation phrase will work at any time, so don't use it unless you need to."
"Simple enough."
"Capa. Here. You'll need it, you're shaking like a leaf, mate." Harry held out another calming draught, which the young physicist accepted without hesitation. "Captain?"
"No, I will be well without it."
"Only have a couple left."
"How do you keep so many things in your pockets?" Kaneda questioned.
"Expansion charms, and shrinking charms," Harry explained. Most of what you see is wandless and non-verbal. When I'm looking for something I have to summon it and resize it."
"Fascinating. The possibilities are endless!" Capa was finally coming to understand the implications of their visitor.
They stepped into the airlock, the place at which Harry had landed the first time he found himself on the ship. Cassie was already there, pulling gear out from their stowed locations against a wall. Mace immediately set out to help, as both Kaneda and Capa started putting on an inner layer for additional protection.
The suits themselves were something that might have been produced in the magical world, at least by appearance. They were borderline scary. Harry grimaced at the thought of having to put one of those on.
"These things look terrifying to actually have to wear."
"You get used to it after a while," answered Kaneda, as Mace helped him into one of them. Cassie was helping Capa into his—the guy looked much calmer than he had been a few minutes earlier. The calming draught had exactly the intended effect.
Harry made sure both men had their port keys in their hands before putting their gloves on—he had a bad feeling about this particular job, and every part of him hoped it was just that—a bad feeling. However, he knew how things usually ended up. He was starting to care for these people. Just as he cared for Jake and Tsu'tey, Matt and his friends, Zachariah, and somewhat, Jiro... whether he wanted it or not, these incursions into other spaces and times left an impact, for better or for worse.
"C'mon, let's get back up to the flight deck," said Cassie. She gave Capa's gloved hand a squeeze, and was gone.
"Good luck guys, and don't forget, shit hits the fan, use your port keys." Seeing Mace was about to follow Cassie, he simply grabbed his shoulder, and the pair of them vanished with a soft POP.
They reappeared on the flight deck, and Mace had to once again regain his bearings.
"So want to hit you right now. For fuck's sake, at least warn me before you do that!"
"What'd he do this time?" questioned Harvey.
"He, I dunno, grabbed my shoulder next thing I know we're here."
"Apparated," Harry explained. Cassie arrived just then and hurried to a seat at the flight controls, already flipping switches and pressing buttons on the consoles in front of her. "Okay, Icarus. I'm gonna be taking control over here for a little while."
"Okay, Cassie."
"I'm gonna be cutting speed and I'm gonna be rotating us so the damage is facing away from the sun. Do we understand each other?"
"Yes, Cassie." Harry moved out of the way and watched, as the crew took their places. Mace took the seat beside Cassie. Harvey was studying a computer model of the ship.
"If we rotate by that much we're gonna lose comm towers three and four."
"Well, it's a good thing we don't need them, then," said Mace, without emotion.
Harvey looked apprehensive, watching the computer model. A section was extending into a bright yellow zone and turned red—likely the appendage they were talking about. "We don't need them now but we're gonna need them to go home."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime I'm gonna try to give them as much shadow as I can," answered Cassie, evenly.
"All right, guys, I'm opening up," said Mace, as he activated a set of switches on his console.
Harry simply stood back, listening to the chatter going on between the crew, as they set out to repair the damaged heat shield. He weighed the idea of giving everyone port keys. They had all been more than kind to him, so why not return the favour? The answer came straight back at him. Much like he was locked in a destiny to destroy Voldemort, this group of people were all here for a reason. They had a job to do. Interfering in it was not his place. In a way, he'd already done too much. Then again, he had offered help, and they had accepted.
The ship's alarms sounded again, complaining about the now destroyed communications towers, and Cassie immediately silenced them. Harry only looked up briefly, having dug out the stack of parchment again, choosing to pick up where he had been reading.
Forced Teleportation: Sending Others to the Chamber or Hub
This can be cast at a distance. Without knowing anything about the target, the range is limited to 956 cubits-
"What?" Harry pressed a finger to his radio set. "Hey guys. Anyone know what a cubit is?"
"A what?" came Jake's answer. A few others answered with similar comments.
"Very old measurement," came a much more local answer, courtesy of Trey. "A cubit was used in ancient times, right up until the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1916. It's point two-five-three meters, or roughly the length of one's forearm(1)."
"Thanks. Never mind, got the answer." He released the finger from his throat piece. "Nine-hundred fifty-six cubits."
"Four hundred, nintey-nine meters repeating," Trey answered, getting a blank look from Harry. He at last grinned, and returned to his reading.
-limited to 956 cubits, and visual sight is necessary. Firmly focused on your target, holding the image of the hub in your mind, speak the phrase 'extra retracto'. It is similar to casting it on yourself, except that in this case, you are casting it on someone else. This spell may also be done through touch, although that may be redundant.
For someone who is known to you, the range is virtually limitless. However, there are two firm rules in place. You must know the person personally. The type of relationship does not matter, only the fact you have made some sort of connection with the individual in question, whether it be positive, or negative. Secondly, the spell will only work on the version of the person you know. It is not possible to cast this on the same person in a different dimensional construct, as you do not know that version.
Having the person firmly affixed in your mind, speak the words, "Intro Retracto". Like the previous spell, this will send the person instantly into the hub. It is not recommended you leave an individual in the hub unsupervised, unless control access is restricted. See the section: "Hub controls" for details about how to configure controls.
Harry flipped the papers back over, looking at the front. Sure enough, there was a new heading. It was as though the book were forcing him to discover things on his own. He mentally cursed the individual who assembled it, and flipped to the correct section.
The Frames: Windows to Other Constructs
Each image being shown in the hub is a window into a different temporal container, which contains its own time stream. Every time stream is different, and it must be clearly stated, a given time stream may operate faster or slower than that you may be used to. What may seem like only seconds in your own dimensional construct, may stretch on for days in another.
Entering a different construct is as simple as touching the image itself. You will land as close as logically possible to the location shown in the image. Returning is covered in more detail in the section labelled "Returning to the Temporal Hub".
With a window focused, it is then possible to further control the where and when you are actually seeing. Simply touching the string of numbers at the bottom of the window reveal the advanced console, which will let you fine-tune what you are looking at, and equally important, the particular moment in time in that dimensional construct-
Harry was pulled out of his reading by a collective cheer from the astronauts he'd tuned out for the past while.
"Great job," said Mace.
"They fixed it?"
"One down, but it's do-able." Mace turned around and smiled at Trey. "Hey... Don't kill yourself, man. We got this, okay?" He'd no sooner got the words out of his mouth, when the entire ship began to shake, much like it had not long before. Icarus II was changing position again.
"What's going on, guys! Cassie, the ship's moving," came Kaneda's voice.
"Shit! I think we're venting O2!" declared Corazon, the only other female astronaut, responsible for the ship's oxygen garden and life support systems. She was fixed on her own console on the opposite side of the room.
"Resuming computer control of Icarus II," came the voice of the computer, in its cold, uncaring tone. Harry understood at once what was at stake.
"Negative, Icarus. Manual control," Cassie answered, firmly.
"Negative, Cassie, computer control. Returning vessel to original rotation."
"WHAT?" It was Mace's turn to be upset.
"Icarus, override computer to manual control."
"Negative, mission in jeopardy. Override command statement to manual control removed," came the computer's voice.
"Why?" Mace demanded. 'Malfunction?' Harry wondered, already thinking very carefully of the information he'd just read. If this ship was about to go up in flames, he wasn't sticking around, and under no circumstance was he leaving anyone behind.
"Negative, Icarus, negative! State reason immediately!"
"Fire in oxygen garden."
"NO!" Came Corazon's strangled cry.
"Point me, now!" Harry shouted.
"This way!"
The pair of them flew through the tunnels, as the panicked voices carried over the internal communications systems. Cassie and Kaneda were having a heated debate about retreating back to the air lock. But the fire was more important. They arrived at a section of frosted wall.
"Stand still a minute." Harry gestured at Corazon's face, and cast a bubble-head charm, along with a strong shielding charm.
"I'm gonna vanish the glass and fill the room with water. Understand?"
"Just hurry. It's..."
"I know." Harry produced his clone.
"Two wands are better than one. Water or foam?"
"Better thought. Transfigure the air into carbon dioxide. It would kill the fire in a heartbeat, right?"
"Makes sense." Harry looked back behind him to make sure the door was sealed. It was. "Right. Ready?" Corazon gave a nod, and the twins gestured sharply with their wands. A panel of glass vanished, and a thick cloud of smoke immediately filled the small corridor. Another gesture and it was vanished, along with the rest of the smoke in the room. Corazon couldn't see exactly what they'd done, but the fire indeed suffocated within a matter of seconds.
Unfortunately the damage was still extensive, with over half the garden destroyed.
"Once it's safe for me to return to my home, I'll bring back a selection of plants to replace what was damaged.
"I don't know what to say... you're a life-saver, more than you'll ever know, Harry." Harry only reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's what a friend does, right? Ask if we're still venting O2."
"We still venting O2?" Corazon asked.
"Negative. Whatever you did, it worked," came Cassie's voice. Harry gave a sharp nod, then spelled the missing panel back in place. "Right. Back to the flight deck, or staying here?"
"I will be staying... We have to start somewhere."
"I will stay and help," offered the clone.
Minutes later, he entered the flight deck. The drama was clearly not over.
"Ninety four percent of shield in full sunlight," Icarus droned. Harry could see the activity on the monitor in front of Mace. On one side, Kaneda was grappling with some sort of mechanism on the backside of the enormous panel still stuck in the open position.
"Captain, it's Capa." Capa's view showed exactly what Kaneda was doing at least from his point of view.
"You must leave now."
"Captain!"
"Ninety seven percent of shield in full sunlight."
"Final panel closing, the shield is secure."
"Guys! Get the hell out of there!" Mace insisted. The pair of them turned around, making for the edge of the giant heat shield. 'Why don't they use their coins?' he shouted in his head.
It was like watching a train wreck about to happen. Ugly as it was, it was like a flame to a moth. Of course it made perfect sense in a way. Capa refused to leave Kaneda behind, and it was actually as things should be. They looked out for one another. Once again, Harry found himself sending up a prayer to the Great Mother. "Don't let them die."
They moved with snail-like slowness toward the edge of the heat shield, the sun's deadly rays gaining on them with every step. And then... A whirl of shiny metal, and the two astronauts landed in a heap on the floor of the flight deck.
"Oh my god!" Trey was the first to notice it. One of them was missing his leg, about mid-way down the shin. The edge of the suit was still smoking, and a terrible scream filled the room. Harry wasted no time banishing the ruined suit, and stunning the man inside.
"Fuck me sideways," Mace said, staring at their now crippled captain. Harry was already kneeling beside him, as was Searle.
"Fuck, we've got some pretty decent medical equipment, but nothing to fix this."
"I can do a little. Not re-grow his foot, but I can make him comfortable and stabilize him." He was already using his wand to close up the severed veins and arteries, while the others looked on. Capa was still in his suit, but Trey had pulled off the helmet and gloves. The Chinese man was clearly not doing well, seeing this unfold before his eyes, and also considering he still blamed himself for starting the events unfolding in the first place.
"You've had to do this before," Searle stated. It was not a question.
"More times than I can count. In the last days of... In the last battles I was involved in... if this was a friend, I wouldn't bother. Sounds cold, but... toward the end... they were better off dead. I have much blood on my hands."
"But he can live without his foot!" Cassie protested, but Mace only nodded. "All about the mission."
"Something like. But a better example. Let's say, this was the end of a fight. The bad guys are gone, but... there are many more of them than there are us. Kaneda here has information the other side wants. Information that would guarantee my capture, torture, and death, but more importantly, the other side's victory. He's already whispering in my ear... 'Kill me, Harry.' What do you do?"
"NO! It wouldn't be right!" Capa was incensed by the suggestion.
"Who said anything about right?" Harry responded, as he continued to banish the blood from the floor and clean up the horrible injury.
"But, who... what right do you have taking someone's life—even if they're asking for it?"
"Because it's all about the mission, Capa. He was expendable, just like we are," Mace answered, "Sounds cold, but all of us... all of us here know that's the shit of it. The only thing that counts is the mission."
"Exactly. Here and now I'm not suggesting we get rid of him-" Harry gestured to their prone captain, "-but in the end, even though it tore my heart to shreds, the guy was right. His death... ensured I survived. He smiled at me when I cast the killing curse." He sent a quick message to his clone, 'Return to the flight deck a moment.'
"What kind of mission was it for you?" Mace dared ask.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...(2)" Harry quoted, "My fate. My mission. What infuriates me—"
"You needed me?" questioned the clone.
"Help Searle get Kaneda into the medical bay. We've had an incident."
"An incident? Bloody hell." The clone surveyed the carnage, then levitated the unconscious captain.
"I'll... just follow you then," said Searle, once again surprised at Harry's magical ability.
Harry watched his clone leave with the doctor, and blew out a breath.
"Could... someone help me out of this thing?" Capa finally spoke up. Harry simply gestured with a hand, banishing the bulky suit.
"Where does it go?"
"Back where it belongs, of course," Harry answered. He gestured again, and Capa felt like he'd just had a hot shower and a change of clothes. His admiration for Harry's abilities just went up a notch. He cracked an honest smile, and Harry grinned right back.
"Fuck, that was close though. They could have died," Mace admitted, getting up. "Harry, you're amazing." He clapped the young wizard on the back.
"Glad I could help."
"So about your mission..."
"Right. As I was saying. It was one thing to have that sort of destiny heaped on my shoulders as it was. Now imagine having to do it all over again."
"For real?" Mace arched an eyebrow.
"For real. Everyone who died the last time... died for nothing. Because someone wanted to send me on some cosmic treasure hunt, and make my sound like a fucked up broken record that should be stored in the room of hidden things at Hogwarts... gah, I so want to strangle those old farts with their own beards. Imagine, you carry out your mission... deliver your package, get back to earth, and you're told, 'Woops, we made a boo-boo, you have to go back and do it again.'"
"Yeah, I'd be pissed, too."
"I did my job already. I punched my ticket, expecting to see mum and dad. Instead, I'm sent hurdling backward in time, back into my fourteen-year-old body. I was twenty-five."
Mace only shook his head. "Definitely not astronaut material, Harry."
"Fuck, how are you even sane?" asked Capa.
"Yeah, I'd like to know, too. Point being, I have to do everything again, and on top of it, there's the strange devices I've been forced to collect. Every place I've been with one exception, has resulted in chaos of some sort... just a little while ago being a glaring example."
"Now that's bullshit. Don't blame yourself for shit that happens here. Shit, if anything, you saved our asses today in more ways than one," said Mace, "Fuck, had that fire burned out of control, we would have lost the oxygen garden altogether. Hell, the oxygen tanks could have blown up, taking us with it. Point is, we all owe you." Harry felt a shiver run down his spine, knowing Mace's words were true. He bowed his head, knowing he had just collected another eight life-debts. How many was that now? One was too many, never mind the dozen or so.
His collar seemed to spring to life, shouts being heard on the other side. "EVERY AVAILABLE WAND INTO THE TRUNK, NOW!" A string of 'copy', and 'confirmed' answered followed. What the hell was going on?
"Bill?" Harry questioned.
"Stay where you are, Harry! I mean it!" came Sirius' voice, snapping harshly, while something exploded in the background. "Radio silence!"
"Merlin no," Harry whispered, as his fifteen-year-old self reasserted itself. Everyone he cared about was in grave danger. A simple word flashed into his mind: consequences.
"To hell with consequences!" Harry bellowed, making everyone jump. The world faded to white.
"You knew this sort of thing must happen eventually, Harry." The same lady stood before him, in white robes. Her face looked much older than before, but her voice had not lost its melodic form. Harry simply glared at the deity, but she continued, "Things have fallen out of balance. Although you have done so much, much more than we could have ever hoped, you have at the same time incurred a debt of your own, which we must regretfully collect on."
"I don't get a choice, at least?"
"I'm sorry, love, that is not how it works. Everything must balance in the end."
"What... what have I done?"
A scene flashed before his eyes, of only a few days before, when Mo'at and the clan helped Cedric to recover. "Please," he heard himself say, "Don't let him die." It was followed immediately after, by his words of only a short while earlier, pleading for the life of Kaneda and Capa.
"You must understand the power you wield. By forcibly overriding the will of the time stream, you incur a debt that must be paid later on."
"Is there a chance?"
"For no loss from your party? Perhaps, but the chances are most slim. You must see, this has to be done. I do feel your pain, Harry, and it does sadden me deeply to know the hurt this causes."
"I... I can't-" but the white world was already fading.
He found himself balled up on the floor of the Icarus II's flight deck. The crew members were each kneeling beside him, a look of concern on their faces.
"You all right?" Capa dared ask. Harry realized he was shaking, and attempted to sit up. He felt sick.
"C'mon, let's go see Searle," Cassie suggested, but Harry waved her off. He got into a sitting position, and finally stood up. "Just... going to the... where you guys eat." His mind was becoming cloudy, and he was feeling more and more detached. It was far easier to accept, perhaps. He felt someone grip his arm, and was somewhat bolstered by the offer, allowed Capa to lead him to the mess hall.
"I—I'll stay here," said Cassie, returning to her seat.
"Same here," Harvey added.
Harry barely registered sitting down. He was running on autopilot at this point. A calming draught was what he needed at this point, and he mentally groaned as he reached into his pocket. He'd given his last one to Capa. "Kreacher," he spoke, weakly, although he strongly doubted it would work.
Incredibly, through time, space, and dimensions, the little elf heard him, and appeared with a noisy POP. Ignoring the startled crew members around him, Harry smiled. It vanished as quickly as it came, seeing the grave look the elf had.
"Master Harry! Dark wizards, defiling the trunk, they are! Dobby is being injured. Master Sirius not well—Oh master..."
"Where is Sirius?"
"Kreacher did not see where they took him. Wesleys fighting them off, but wizards are strong." Harry instantly pressed the button on his radio. "Sirius?" No answer. "Sirius!"
"Harry, please. We're doing-"
"I want. To hear. From SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed. It seemed like everything in the room started quivering in place, in a raw display of magic.
"Harry? What... whatever you're doing, you gotta stop," Capa pleaded, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder. He yelped, snatching his hand back, as it felt like he'd gotten a nasty shock.
"Harry," Remus' voice came over the radio, "Just stay calm. We're working-" silence.
"R-remus?" Harry whimpered. He looked down to Kreacher. "Bill, Cedric, Matt... here. NOW." Kreacher didn't move.
"NOW, KREACHER!" Two chairs at the middle table overturned themselves, as the lights momentarily flickered. The elf gave Harry a cold look, then vanished with a loud CRACK.
"Harry. Stop it. Whatever you're doing-" Mace said, evenly.
"Fuck you."
"I said-" A glass jug on the small counter disintegrated into a million pieces.
WHACK. Harry didn't see it coming. The lights stopped flickering, the quivering objects lay still, and the room fell quiet.
"Fuck, Mace, did you have to hit him?"
"Whatever he was doing was a threat to the mission. Got it?"
"Right, the mission."
In the medical bay, Searle was startled, when Harry's clone vanished right before his eyes. Perhaps he 'popped away', as he did before. Or not. No, that made some sort of noise.
"Guys? Harry's clone vanished. He okay?"
"Got it in hand," answered Mace. Searle could hear the tone. Whatever happened wasn't good, but he had a more pressing patient to see to.
Back in the crew's mess, the others were still pondering the little creature they'd just seen when he returned with an equally noisy CRACK, bringing three others with him.
"Harry? What... Explain. Now." Mace, Trey, and Capa found themselves at wand-point, the tip of it actually glowing. The holder of the wand in some ways resembled Capa, other than the black shoulder-length hair, and a few other differences. He wore a sleeveless black tee-shirt, and a pair of snug-fitting jeans. The other also raised his wand. He was taller than the first wizard, with sandy brown hair and a chiseled jaw. The third had shoulder-length red hair, and the freckles to match. He also raised his wand to join the others'.
"Answer the bloody question, morons. Unless the lot of you would like to find out exactly why a Muggle should fear a wizard."
"He could have killed everyone aboard, all right! I had to knock him out and I'm sorry!" Mace huffed.
"Accidental magic?" The redhead suggested, to which the brown-haired wizard only nodded, and wands were quickly lowered.
"Guess it made sense. Fuck, Sirius... it's gonna destroy him."
"Where are we?" this from the sandy-haired wizard.
"The Icarus II, destined for the sun," Capa answered.
"Suicide mission?"
"Well, hopefully not, but if that's what it takes, that's what we gotta do," answered Mace, finally getting his centre back.
"Who's Sirius?" Trey dared ask. He himself was having difficulty coming to terms with things that had happened not long ago. Their captain lay incapacitated without his left foot, because of a lapse of concentration.
"Harry's godfather."
"Dead or alive?"
"Dead. Death eaters got him, twice. We patched him up the first time, but his own bloody cousin caught him with the killing curse."
"How the hell did it happen though? Death eaters within the Unspeakables themselves? Kreacher, go get us a whack of calming draughts, and dreamless sleep potions. You have Harry's Gringotts key, right?"
"Of course, master Matty." Kreacher bowed low, and popped away.
"At least they were prevented from getting to Pandora. Harry's gonna be wrecked as it is. The trunk's a disaster."
"The place I visited earlier," Mace assumed, to which Matt gave a sad nod.
"Guess some sort of introductions are in order. I'm Bill, this is Matt, and Cedric. We're Harry's mates, so sorry about the rude arrival... we just—"
"Protective, gotcha," said Mace, understanding at once. "I'm Mace. This is Cappa, and Trey."
"Harry's fucking amazing. Saved our asses twice today, easily," Capa threw in.
"It's how he is. Wants to help everyone... to save everyone." It was at that point that Harry regained consciousness. "Sirius?"
"Harry. It's okay," said Cedric, trying to reassure him. It wasn't working.
"Sirius? No. No, no, no," he moaned, and finally lost it. His cries could be heard throughout the ship.
AUTHOR NOTES: So... magic in space... some may say yes, some may say no. I think magic is a form of energy, and even in the vacuum of space, I think it would still work.
The balance is restored, at great cost. Given Sirius' death is canon, I won't say much more. But this sort of thing was coming, it had to happen eventually. Naturally, this will influence his future decisions, hmm? Just how, remains to be seen.
(1) Research courtesy of Wikepedia.
(2) Taken from p.741, "Order of the Phoenix", Canadian paperback edition.
