Chapter 51- Home Sweet Home
The trip through the wormhole was comparatively swift, looping and zigzagging while the occupants of the starship held their collective breaths. Suddenly the ship burst out of the wormhole and they hovered above what appeared to be a very large blue marble. It was Earth.
"No sign of twentieth century space stations in sight. Or signs of our being pinged by their radar." Ensign Harry Kim called out as he studied the scanners. "It seems like the Q has brought us –not only into Earths upper stratosphere but we are hidden from view due to some magical interference."
"Excellent!" commented Captain Janeway, "It makes everything much easier when our presence is made unnoticeable. Less chances of having the timeship Relativity arriving and having to deal with questions of our being out of our own timeline."
"Earth looks... Amazing from this distance." exclaimed Dumbledore fervently as he watched the planet on the large computer screen. "To see how muggles will have advanced in the future..." He gazed wordlessly in awe as the view on the screen morphed into a view of The Ministry of Magic and then Hogwarts and the land surrounding it. He didn't even have to say anything as a tear of sheer happiness upon seeing her told the story.
"Yes it certainly does." Captain Janeway agreed as Maragas Grandfather Vincere silently gazed with wonder at the planet which he was intending to stay on, as did his Granddaughter and the young wizard who most likely would be marrying her after they came of age for the remainder of his life. He had been a Magistrate back home.. at least on the old planet and had worked hard with his fellow Magistrates to keep everyone safe and well protected from the oncoming disaster that had taken place but now he sensed that he and his loved ones would be stepping into a possibly unnerving situation in which he had not enough knowledge to be able to do much. That in itself was frustrating.
"Muggle Magic. It is in a class of its own." Draco said almost reverently as he watched the big blue Marble on the screen. "Being that it is tech-nol-ogy from the future though means that there is much to be done before it becomes a reality. It is going to take quite a bit of persuassion but maybe father can be convinced to invest in the Muggles Space progarms."
"How would that work? asked Sirius as he turned to look at the blond teenager. "Your family isn't exactly Muggle friendly if you know what I mean."
Finding Maraga's blue green eyes set firmly upon him, along with Starfoot, Vedeion, Moger, Pollax, Leonia, and Dulcis'- Draco took a breath and answered, "No—at least not yet, but If Father can't be convinced then some day when I am of age I do intend on channelling the Malfoy Money I inherit into the development of resources to enable space travel. I have learned quite a bit about myself and muggles while on board Voyager and now I want to make sure this peak into the future that I was granted by the Q becomes a reality."
"It had better become the reality or where would any of us be otherwise?" stated Vedeion as he clip clopped forward and looked up at Sirius, "I really like this feeling of freedom that came about thanks to the efforts of the Q and those aboard Voyager who came to the aid of those of us on Venificus Magus."
"You saw how we were surviving on our planet—waiting for the end of our world and looking for rescue." A serious look flashed across Mogars face then he smiled, showing small sharp teeth. "I think it is time that your world also has its own miracle."
"I will stay with the youngsters while you and Albus go down to the planet... Earth as you call it." promised Magistrate Vincere who had had a very long discussion with Albus about the advisabilitly of getting involved in the war against Voldemort.-Or re-involved in Albus' case.
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"And I suppose they have been ordered to to destroy any of the muggleborns who come back this year?" Minerva spat in anger.
"I believe that is part of his plan." agreed Q/Snape, "But there are other plans we can put in place that should alleviate the problems which he has given us."
"Such as?"
"The Friar mentioned that there is a warren of passages, corridors, rooms, doorways, and staircases, spaces and gaps that have been created because of the different architectural styles added over time."
"Oh—I see,We can play 'cat and mouse' with them by hiding students who are endangered. Minerva looked to Q/Snape for conformation that her assumption was correct. He nodded ever so slightly.
"It is fortunate that the magic holding everything together is powerful enough to keep the castle from collapsing." Minerva McGonagall nodded, in agreement. "There is quite possible more rooms than even we know existing within the structure."
"plus the various rooms and spaces in the castle tend to move around which is a fact that we can use to our advantage.".squeaked out Filius Flitwick as he put his mind to work on what charms and incantations he could employ to keep the youngsters safe if it came to hiding them. After all they wouldn't wish to misplace a single student due to the castles tendencies to reform itself.
"Now for the Carrows, we will eventually need to do something about them without alerting Vol Day Mart." Q/Snape scowled in thought, "You must understand that there is still a little unfinished business to be done before they can be dealt with."
Slughorn huffed and puffed as he came into the room. "Sorry I'm late but I have been busy helping Madame Pomfrey with the re-stocking of her Medical potions."
"Quite all right." responded Q'Snape , "There will be no telling how much will be needed before this war against Vole- Day-Mart will be over. Anyway subterfuge and camouflage is going to be needed for possibly the next couple of months,"
Slughorn looked quizzically at his fellow Heads of house as he mouthed "Vole-Day- Mart?"
All three nodded and shrugged.
"The. Next. Couple. of. Months?" Minerva said slowly and effectively, "You do know there are ten months to get through before..."
"Yes Yes I know. " Q/Snape waved his hand dismissively, "But I really don't think we will need to waste our time with such antiquated ideals that this wanna be wants to force upon the magical world."
"Severus..." Bewildered, Slughorn glanced warily at the new Headmaster, " I think you've forgotten who exactly we are up against."
"No... believe me I haven't forgotten." The strange twinkling lights that emulated from within the dark eyes caused Slughorn to quickly move back—away from the theatrically dangerous smirk that crossed the new Headmasters face.
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The three teens promptly removed themselves from the street and when Harry tapped the front door with his wand. There was sounds of ancient locks groaning in protest as they opened and several chain clattering as they slid away from the door which creaked as it slowly opened.
"I have a very strange feeling that there is something not quite right Harry." commented Ron, as they entered the forbiddingly dark empty house that had once been the home of Sirius Black and now Harry's.
"I really got to get rid of those house elf heads." answered Harry distractedly as the old fashioned gas lamps lining the hallway lit up.
"I agree, they are rather disturbing." responded Hermione as she looked with distaste down the hallway at the heads as they cast gloomy shadows up the staircase.
"I think somebody is already here... Could it be Mad-Eye?" Ron nodded his head toward the far off drawing room where there were sounds of somebody muttering to themselves and a series of thumps as if a staff was alternating with a wooden leg.
The three teens drew out their wands at the ready in case the intruder wasn't who they thought he was.
"Possible but as Mad-Eye has drilled into our heads time and time again ..." Hermione started to say as suddenly the door to the drawing room slammed open and a familiar voice roared out.
"CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" the old Auror clumped out of the drawing room into the hallway with his wand drawn. Noting that the teens had their wands aimed at him he smiled. But the effect was not exactly comforting as his thin lips twisted in a grimace that shifted his face into a caricature of a normal human face.
The Portrait of Mrs. Black started to screech and bellow.
"Filth, Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers-"
"Shut yer trap ya Harridan." he spat at the portrait as with a flick of his wand the heavy velvet curtain swung shut covering her back up. "And you three, about time you lot got here! That is if you really are Potter, Weasley and Granger!"
"Well we can prove who we are by saying Draconus was at the Burrow and had bypassed the wards easily." answered Harry with a smirk. "With what he calls Q power that had been bestowed upon him back at Hogwarts before the term ended."
"Okay you are who you appear to be." Grunted Mad-Eye as his magical eye kept moving about looking into every corner of the old decrepit house and beyond. "Meanwhile I wonder- where is that other miscreant, Draco Malfoy? There is definitely something weird about him. Are you definitely sure he is on our side?"
"That's our Mad-Eye all right." Ron said to Harry softly with relief.
"Yes, just as paranoid as ever." Harry whispered back.
"Yes sir, we are positive he is on our side, just how we can prove..." Hermione responded to Mad-Eyes questions.
Suddenly to the surprise of Mad-Eye and the three teens a beam of sparkley light dancing in front of them and within the light two familiar figures formed and solidified as the beam faded away.
"It is great to be back home on Earth." the familiar voice of Sirius Black announced to the utter astonishment of Mad-Eye and the teens.
"Definitely, but it was a grand adventure while it lasted, was it not?" answered Albus Dumbledore who first offered Sirus a lemon drop and then calmly popped a another one into his mouth.
"SIRIUS?" Harry's mouth gaped open in shock as he looked at the wizard who he was positive he had seen fall through the ancient doorway and disappear behind the veil at the Ministry the year before. "Is IT really you?" He inquired in a softer hopeful tone of voice.
"HEADMASTER?" Hermione and Ron both uttered the same time.
"MERLINS BEARD! " Mad-Eye roared, "This isn't Platform 9 and 3/4s, Prove to us that you are not impostors!"
Sirius and Albus then looked directly at the three teens and the old ex-Auror with their wands in hand pointing toward him. Suspicion obvious within his glare.
Anxious to keep from being sent to his death for real Sirius started to speak swiftly as he looked at his Godson.
"Harry I said to you last year that you're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are."
Harry was thunderstruck but felt a welling of joy with in his heart as he knew that this really was his Godfather.
Sirius turned to Mad-Eye who was still eyeing him and said, "Mad-Eye This is my parent's house. I offered it to Dumbledore as headquarters for the Order. It was about the only useful thing I had been able to do since I was still considered a criminal in the eyes of the ministry..." He took a deep cleansing breath and continued
"I suppose they think I am dead now since my rather nasty tempered cousin Bellatrix that I have no love for struck me with a spell that caused me to fall through the veil of the death chamber in the Department of Mysteries but this Q fellow decided that I should find myself on some muggle starship called Voyager." answered Sirius. "really and I even saw Draco Malfoy there with..." Sirius paused, "I suppose I shouldn't say..."
"His descendants who haven't been born yet." completed Harry with a wide grin adorning his face.
"How... Never mind. After what I have seen... " Sirius gasped as he glanced at Albus who was looking quite amused. " I forgot that Draco mentioned his.. Grandson Draconus was taking his place here. I take it you met Q?"
"You got it in one." Ron chortled with relief himself.
"And you Headmaster?" Mad-Eye asked, "You can prove you really are Albus Dumbledore?"
Albus's twinkling baby blue eyes settled on Harry, "You Harry are in possession of my wand, as I have the wand that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin." Albus told Harry calmly then looked at Mad-eye with understanding.
"As for my disappearance, well I too ended up on Voyager. It was a very fascinating adventure and a great opportunity to meet up with Professor- Oh right he is now Ambassador Severus Snape who has to deal with some very interesting folk..." Albus looked gleeful, "I even got to speak with Merlin himself!'
"This. Can't. Be. Happening." Mad-Eye slowly lowered his wand. "But. It. Is."
"Lets go make ourselves comfortable with a bit of refreshments in the kitchen where we held the meetings would be most appropriate I believe . Further explanations from all of us can wait till then." Albus suggested with a merry twinkle in his eyes.
