Chapter 16
MUTANT MENACE HAS BEEN CONTAINED AT HOGWARTS! MINISTRY OFFICIALS WILL DEMONSTRATE THE LATEST IN MUTANT PROTECTION!
Read a headline in The Daily Prophet that was written by none other than Rita Skeeter herself. The blonde witch looked over the first page of the newspaper with disgusting pride. If a yellow journalist such as herself was assigned a hue of yellow, it would be a mix of mustard and canary. Skeeter dealt in the business of lies and gossip and made these available to the masses through the various newspapers of the Wizarding World. Her writing had all of the trimmings a sunbaked carcass would have for a pack of starving vultures.
Ever since the terrorist attacks at both the Quidditch World Cup by Death Eaters and the Cape Canaveral Missile Base by the Brotherhood of Mutants, Skeeter did her part in assuring the masses would stay afraid. When word of the Tri-Wizard Tournament being canceled reached her ears, Skeeter personally ensured that a jungle-full of dishonesty surrounded the mostly secretive story.
Skeeter sat at her writing desk in her home, allowing her vile imagination to wander about. Until a loud knock on her door. At the door stood Dolores Umbridge and Maline Serras.
"Welcome, and thank you for responding to my invitation," Skeeter greeted as she escorted the two inside.
"The pleasure is mine. That was a wonderful article you wrote, Ms. Skeeter. No one seems to understand how dangerous these times are," Umbridge said in faux cheerfulness.
Maline remained silent as she followed her superior. Umbridge was grating to Maline, but she had the means to carry out the plan. Maline made sure to be the exception to how Umbridge usually treated underlings.
"Miss Serras, if you will hand Ms. Skeeter the programme," Umbridge commanded.
Maline dutifully handed Skeeter the parchment programme. On it read:
PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION OF THE NEW ANTI-MUTANT AUTOMATONS WILL OCCUR ON OCTOBER 30th AT 9:00 AM, FOLLOWED BY A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SESSION AT 10:00 AM, THEN A PUBLIC RELATIONS LUNCHEON AT 11:00 AM.
Skeeter gave a slimy grin upon seeing the programme.
"I take it that I've got picked to write the exclusive on this demonstration?" Skeeter asked rhetorically.
"Just be sure to 'inform' the masses and be ready to take center stage on Monday," Umbridge requested of the reporter.
Maline also handed Skeeter another sheet of parchment.
"Here are some notes on the machines. Be sure to review these carefully-"
"Hm-hm," interrupted Umbridge.
"Sorry, ma'am," Maline apologized.
"Forgive my assistant, she's effective but gets a little too eager at times," Umbridge told Skeeter.
Maline was indifferent to Umbridge's 'polite' insult. She will deal with her superior later. Right now, securing the public trust and acceptance of the Sentinels was top priority. There had also been a couple of setbacks in the magical augmentation process too.
The trouble was with the power system. The electricity interfered with the charms, and the best that could be done was to magically harden the armor. Nonetheless, learning how to control the machines was at least achieved. Granted the robots were unarmed, but it was only a matter of flipping a switch.
Overall, overstepping her bounds was of little concern for Maline Serras. Soon, her goal would be met. Even Umbridge would not argue the results once they were achieved. However, little did she know that there were going to be more setbacks.
Ron Weasley patiently waited outside of Xavier's office, trying to think of how to put into words his idea to assist the X-Men with stopping the Sentinels. His dad worked for the Ministry after all and may know something about the Sentinels due to his expertise in Muggle technology. He had written a letter but was hesitant about sending it to his dad. He wasn't sure about how to explain the purpose of the school and the fact that Ginny and Harry were mutants, not to mention their other classmates.
However, Ron knew that this would give the X-Men someone on the inside, and on Hermione's advice, he decided to talk with Xavier. Plus it was the right thing to do considering what Jubilee and the others have told him about what Sentinels do. Ever since coming here, Ron was no longer afraid of mutants. He realized how foolish he was at the beginning of the school year, and he knew now that mutants were like everyone else. So, by writing this letter Ron felt that he could do something to help them.
Xavier's door opened as Agatha Harkness, Wolverine, and Gambit exited.
"Come in, Ron," Xavier said.
The redheaded teen entered Xavier's office. The office was lined with an impressive set of bookshelves and antiques. What drew his attention the most was an old antique chess set near the window. The pieces appeared to be carved from wood or ivory. Ron quickly turned his attention to Xavier, who was sitting at his large mahogany desk.
"Hello, Professor. I was wondering I could talk to you sir," Ron said, a little nervous.
"Certainly," Xavier said, motioning Ron to take a seat.
Ron sat down in the surprisingly comfortable chair and placed the letter he wrote on Xavier's desk.
"Well sir, my dad works at the Ministry as the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. I was thinking that he may know something about the Sentinels," Ron explained.
Xavier examined the letter closely.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Ron. This is indeed very helpful," Xavier reassured Ron.
"I wanted to do my part," Ron continued.
"That is very admirable of you, Ron," Xavier replied.
"The only trouble is that I'm not sure how I can explain everything to him," Ron said, a little defeated.
"I have an idea," Xavier said and continued their discussion.
Meanwhile, Harry was showing Sirius the grounds. The leaves had begun to change colors, being the vanguard of fall. Sirius found the old Dutch style mansion and grounds deserved to be the pride of Salem Center. The Japanese rock gardens and the many flower beds were worthy of any master artist's brush strokes. There was a powerful feeling of strength and resilience that engulfed the grounds. No doubt a result of the talented individuals who lived here and their purpose.
"So what do you think Sirius?" Harry asked his godfather.
"This place is a far cry from 12 Grimmauld Place. It's a place worth defending," Sirius answered.
Sirius was told by Rogue and Psylocke the purpose of the school and of Xavier's Dream. It reminded him of his days with the Order of the Phoenix. It was a rare sight to find such a concentration of nobility and honor in one place. The two continued toward the garage, where Scott was getting ready to run some errands off-grounds. Sirius quickly took note of the Aston-Martin.
"Looks like Scott's going out for a bit," Harry said, noticing the direction Sirius was looking in.
"I have to say, he does have a great taste in vehicles," Sirius said.
As Scott pulled away, Harry thought about talking with Sirius about Scott and Jean's offer to adopt him. At the same time, Harry wasn't sure if he should for fear of offending Sirius. Sirius quickly took note of the teen's confused look.
"What's on your mind, Harry?" Sirius asked.
Harry took a deep breath and decided to try and be as tactful as possible.
"Well, right before you came here, Scott and Jean offered to adopt me since the Dursleys are dead now. However, I don't want to hurt your feelings or…"
"Say no more Harry. I'll be honest, I am a bit upset. Not because of their offer, but because I can't do the same. Whatever you decide, I will stand by you," Sirius said confidently.
Harry needed to hear that, and his mind was made up.
"Thanks, Sirius. Another plus is that you'll be able to stay here without having to worry about dementors causing you any trouble," Harry said, trying to make Sirius feel better.
"True. I'm sure those soul-suckers wouldn't stand a chance," Sirius replied.
The two continued onwards to find Hermione in the training yard. She was practicing a few fighting techniques she had learned from the X-Men's training sessions. Hermione was dressed in training clothes, consisting of a tank top and sweat-pants. Her hair was tied up and was keenly focused on the training dummy. Given how much she was sweating, it could be safe to say that she had been at it for at least an hour. Overall, Hermione was certainly a distraction for Harry.
Sirius nudged Harry, who had a small blush.
"May want to say hello before she knocks the living daylights out of us," Sirius joked.
" 'Mione!" Harry called out.
Hermione quickly turned around and saw Harry and Sirius. It was at that point her face went from pale to stop-sign red in an instant.
"H-hello," Hermione said, looking at her feet.
"Practicing the kick-boxing Logan showed us this morning?" Harry asked sheepishly.
"I'd hate to make you mad Hermione," Sirius said with a laugh.
"Sirius! It's good to see you," Hermione said, happy that Sirius interrupted the awkward moment.
"Same to you Hermione," Sirius replied.
Soon, the two teens were summoned by Xavier:
Would you please join me in my office?
Sure thing, Professor, the teens responded in unison.
Harry turned to Sirius.
"Professor Xavier has summoned us to this office, want to come along?"
"Sure thing," Sirius replied and followed them
In the land of the ancient pharaohs, Voldemort and his entourage had made it to the ruins. Apocalypse awaited them as he stood outside the man pyramid. They had a relatively easy trip, although they had to fight a sandstorm. No doubt a possible test by Apocalypse, given the storm's ability to 'follow' them. Voldemort himself was protected by the levitating, armored carriage provided by Malfoy. Alongside the dark lord was Nagini, Wormtail, and Lucien Malfoy. There were several minorly ranked Death Eaters surrounding the carriage acting as a guard unit. They weren't as fortunate as their lords, having to take the brunt of the sandstorm.
Upon seeing the black and silver carriage, Apocalypse laughed to himself. Such an elegant item was nothing to the ancient lord. It was a pathetic indulgence that would be stripped away. Armor was a sign of weakness, but not one that couldn't be dealt with. This step was but the first in removing all of Voldemort's weaknesses. Soon, the fragile body of Voldemort was being carried by the enhanced Wormtail up to the steps of the pyramid.
"That is far enough. Voldemort will crawl the rest of the way to me," Apocalypse commanded.
Without hesitation, Wormtail dropped his 'master' onto the fiercely hot sand below him. Malfoy was about to protest but was suddenly silenced by Apocalypse.
"NO! You will remain. If your master wants his new body, then he must prove it to me," Apocalypse boomed.
"Stand down, Malfoy," Voldemort said in a rasp.
Malfoy simply nodded but kept his gaze locked on his master as Voldemort clawed his way to meet with Apocalypse. The sand burned and cut into his form. In Apocalypse's eyes, this was no different than when an artist shapes a piece of clay. Within minutes, Voldemort had reached Apocalypse. Each minute of this proving extended into infinity. The visible suffering pleased the mad lord as he gazed upon Voldemort. Apocalypse announced:
"You are indeed strong, Voldemort. Let us begin."
With a snap of his fingers, Apocalypse summoned Sinister and a stretcher to deliver Voldemort to his destiny. As Voldemort was placed upon the stretcher, he saw the sands consume the minor Death Eaters and the armored carriage. Malfoy was stunned by Wormtail, who proceeded to drag him behind Voldemort's stretcher.
"What have you done to my Death Eaters?!" Voldemort demanded, like a spoilt child.
"You have no need for such weaknesses. Malfoy will be transformed like your other slave. If any remain who are worthy, they too will be transformed," Apocalypse boomed, putting the fragile creature in his place.
Voldemort began to see the sort of power Apocalypse wielded over him. It inspired and sickened him.