CHAPTER 4- Inertia
The day after-
HOGWARTS GROUNDS- 0930H
If anyone told Private Simmons that his first deployment would be at an English boarding school in the ass-crack of Scotland, he would've smacked him. Lo and behold, here he was, doing a routine patrol all over the castle grounds. Ever since the Contingent arrived in the British Isles, many of his battle brothers have been wondering what in the hell they had gotten themselves into. The realization that magic existed removed a dark curtain over their heads; this was real and extremely dangerous.
Needless to say, the Western war machine required that they all exercise reasonable restraint when dealing with 'magical beings,' and that gave birth to the infamous "no-fraternization policy." For a relatively few weeks, things were pretty quiet in Wizarding Britain. The locals mainly kept to themselves and the only incidents they've had prior to the beginning of the '96 school term were from a bunch of drunk privates getting into a brawl with some 'squaddies' in Hogsmeade. Afterwards, it was decided that the Muggle Contingent be banned from any wizarding establishment that sold alcoholic beverages.
The relative quiet was short-lived when the bodies of five American servicemen were recovered from the Forbidden Forest. It was a stark reminder to all of them that they were brought here for a reason: and it wasn't to mingle. This world was at war with extremists, not exactly a foreign concept for the Muggles at Hogwarts, hence, readiness and response levels were raised and patrols were increased three-fold in both size and frequency.
Which brings us to now: Simmons' squad had been tasked with daylight patrols together with this world's elite Auror Corps, and a squad of British 'Paras.'
It was a very interesting assortment of allied personnel, thought Simmons silently as the patrol made its way towards the Quidditch Pitch. Contingent Commanders, along with the Headmaster, insisted in joint patrols with Ministry personnel, as it would help with familiarity and unit cohesiveness should both magical and muggle be engaged. It was a valid point and surprisingly, many of the Americans were eager to work with magical folk. Some of the NCOs and senior officers were apprehensive of the arrangements, but kept quiet.
The patrol reached the Quidditch Pitch, but were to remain outside as they were barred from the facility by a witch named Madam Hooch, who managed to convince Dumbledore that the Pitch was only for Hogwarts use and that allowing Muggles into it would cause some disturbances during practices and games.
The young private's musings on his experiences were cut short by the patrol leader. A burly, grizzled Auror named Jenkins called for a halt.
"All right, lads. We've reached our first marker, Command says to take the route leadin' the outskirts of the forest, and then we make our way towards the Gamekeeper's Hut for the second marker. We should reach marker three by 1200H." He looked at the muggle map that was handed to him and let out a sigh. He turned to the men,
"Let's move."
The men made their way towards Hagrid's hut. His dog, Fang, greeted the patrol.
AUF AUF AUF!
"Down Fang! Down! You ruddy l'il mutt."
"Hagrid, how goes?" greeted Jenkins.
"Oh, jus' fine Jenkins. I'm getting ready for me next class. We're doin' Flobberworms fer the first years." He replied, cheerfully.
"Ah, good old Flobberworms." The burly Auror reminisced.
The patrol took this opportunity to rest as their lead Auror began conversing with the half-giant. Simmons let out a sigh as he knelt on the ground, scanning the tree line for any suspicious activity. This was his first patrol, though it wasn't a combat patrol as expected, he wanted to do it right. He looked at his squad-mates and saw them performing their own scans, weapons ready. He noticed the Aurors looking alert despite the friendly conversation taking place before them.
'Hmm, they got themselves squared away. Elite indeed.' He mused.
After several minutes, Jenkins ended his chat with Hagrid and called for the patrol to proceed to the next marker.
As they trudged their way back up to the main entrance of the castle, they were met by a gaggle of first years, staring at their weapons with apprehension and…undisguised contempt?
"Oi, off you go, then! Your Care of Magical Creatures lesson is about to start!" yelled one of the Aurors.
The first years hurriedly moved away from the patrol, except for one, who Simmons noticed was the only one not staring at them with a grimace.
The first year student spoke in the most irritating drawl he'd heard from an eleven year-old.
"What are you supposed to be? You're not from here. And what are those things you're carrying? Don't you have any wands?" he finished.
Simmons just stared at the child, wondering what he was playing at. Just when he was about to retort, a fellow British soldier in his patrol approached the child and told him off. The child scampered away and the soldier turned back. He looked at Simmons and said,
"Don't mind them, they're an impressionable lot. Turns out a lot of those kids from that house called Slither, sly-, Slytherin aren't exactly fond of non-magical folk. I just told him to mind his own business and fuck off." The soldier said amusedly.
This made Simmons chuckle. Even in non-regular human societies, prejudice still existed.
'Some things never change.' He said to himself.
1230H- Courtyard
"All right lads, debrief time. Squad leaders, I want your reports on any security gaps noticed along the grounds, improvements for the next patrol, and the usual shite. The rest of you, hold up here while I gather your squad leaders' reports. Another patrol will be set for the evening at 0830H, this time inside the Castle. Looks like you'll be the first Muggles to patrol the interior. Hooray." Auror Jenkins finished unenthusiastically.
He continued, "So get off your arses and fuck off. Assembly time is 30 minutes before the actual patrol. Got it?"
"Yes sir." The men replied in unison.
Jenkins nodded at gathered the squad leaders' reports. He then dismissed them and the squad leaders took their man back to their barracks near the Black Lake.
As they made their way to their barracks, Simmons couldn't shake the feeling of curiosity and fascination in his thoughts. Non-magical personnel were barred from entering the Castle and he wondered what changed. He felt giddy all of a sudden, a thrill shot through him as he went to his camp bed. As he set his weapon and kit beside him, he asked himself for the hundredth time what he hadgotten himself into.
1600H-Gryffindor Common Room
Harry was dealing with a Transfiguration essay when Ginny decided to sit beside him. This jolted him out of his concentration as he stared at the youngest Weasley before him, a small smile graced his lips.
"Hey." She greeted him almost breathlessly.
"Hi. You look like you've run a marathon. Have you been flying?" He asked her as he took in her appearance.
She smiled at this and shook her head.
"No, I actually came from the library with Hermione and Luna. We were in a bit of a rush and some third year dropped a case of flying doxies. Luckily no one got bit." She finished.
Harry scrunched his brow. She mentioned the library.
"What were you guys looking for? Was it related to…last night?" he told her in a whisper.
She looked around the Common Room and put her head near Harry's, "Yes. We were looking for any texts in the Restricted Section on how Tom survived that night at Godric's Hollow, but it turned out that none of them were there. It was bloody aggravating, especially with Madam Pince watching us like a hawk. Hermione's guess was that it must have been some really dark magic that the school didn't want anyone knowing about it"
Harry nodded in understanding at this and rubbed his hand over his face. They needed to know about the kind of magic he used to stay alive. Plus, he had the additional task of getting Slughorn's memories, which Dumbledore said held the key to Voldemort's defeat. He was getting a bit antsy over these lessons, coupled with Quidditch practices and his pre-NEWT study load, he felt like crumbling in his seat and turning into jelly.
'Merlin's left nut if only he was smart enough to uncover shite without having to rely on anybody else.'
He must have been brooding since Ginny put her hand over his right, the lines 'I must not tell lies' partly visible. He remembered last year when the D.A. was subjected to Umbridge's blood quill detentions. It left a permanent mark on all of them; when they realized that nothing would remain the same in Hogwarts.
He felt a surge of guilt rush through him as he looked at her. This wasn't supposed to happen to any of his friends. They deserved better than someone marked by a madman hell-bent on power.
What Ginny said, relieved him of that guilt.
"I know you're thinking back on all of the things that have happened these past few years. I'm telling you now, don't. Don't think for one second that we regret being with you, learning with you. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's like what you said back in my first year; this was Voldemort's doing, not yours. None of it was your fault. If anyone says otherwise, then they'll have us to answer to."
She held both his hands now, imploring him to listen.
"Whatever happens, we're here for you. This wasn't supposed to be a walk in the park. We'll find out what he did, you just focus on learning as much as you can." She spoke to him encouragingly.
Harry looked at her and gave her a small smile. She was right. They'll figure this out, like always.
"Thanks Gin. You know how to cheer a bloke up." He said.
Ginny gave him a smug grin. "Well, if anyone knows how The Chosen One ticks, why not the one who's spent the first ten years of her life listening to bedtime stories of him saving the world." She jibed back amusedly.
Harry chuckled at this and replied, "Well, I'll be sure to expect a singing get-well card after our first match of the year. The Hospital Wing's practically my second bedroom here anyway."
Ginny blushed at his mention of that terrible singing card and jabbed his shoulder lightly.
"Prat, it's not my fault you fell off your broom in the middle of a thunderstorm."
"Ah well, a bloke can dream. It was flattering, you know. I got to see you blush like a tomato."
"Shut it, you specky-scrawny git."
"All right, Ickle Gin-gin."
"OI!"
The rest of their afternoon was spent teasing each other like twelve-year olds, essays and homework forgotten. Their fellow Gryffindors, minus Dean who looked murderous and left for the dorms, watched them in amusement. The gossip mill started churning on who'd start jumping on who. A bunch of fourth years even began betting on when these two nutters would get together. Looking back at this moment, it was clear that Harry would never change a thing. He hoped that she felt the same way.
2000H- Hogwarts Interior
Luna Lovegood wasn't your typical Hogwarts witch. Many of her fellow housemates tend to stay away from her. Luna never minded though. In fact, it could have been said she preferred the quiet. Her father always said that noise usually attracted unwanted Nargles in your eardrums; better to be lonely than deaf, was the mantra her father instilled upon her.
All of that changed when she met Harry and his friends, except for Ginny, she's been a friend of hers for ages now. Her fourth year was something she could never forget: The D.A., learning new spells, rebelling against Umbridge; even the battle in the Department of Mysteries was an exciting time for her, though she sobered at the thought of Sirius Black's death. It turned out that he was Harry's godfather. No wonder Stubby Boardman looked familiar to her.
That year proved to be a life-changing time for Luna. She was much more confident now and she even learned that make-up was a fun thing to try on her face. When she showed herself to Neville, she wondered why he looked away blushing like a Bubotuber. Maybe it was because she used horse radish instead of garlic cloves for the exfoliation cream. Either way, she was rather overjoyed that Neville called her pretty. It was a strange feeling, being called pretty by a boy. She never experienced that before. The only other person to call her pretty was her father, yet it didn't have the same effect as that of Neville's. Neville's remark made her feel bubbly inside, she couldn't really decipher it. She was usually the most perceptive of the bunch, but Neville confused her. She remembered seeing him mooning over Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff. Luna then continued on a hopping jog as she passed by a tapestry where a witch was currently busy in the act of snogging a wizard behind it. She wasn't entirely sure why people moan a lot during kisses. She wasn't sure if kisses were supposed to taste like something. She often wondered how Ginny handled it with her past boyfriends. She did mention it was nice enough, and that she had experienced a mind-blowing snog with Dean once, but many other times it felt empty if you weren't doing it with the 'One.' It was probably why she broke it off Dean last year. Dean was nice enough, but Luna thought that he wasn't really compatible with Ginny, especially since Ginny's mind was occupied by something else; the Nargles in the redhead's brain would increase sevenfold whenever Harry was within the vicinity. Luna saw how their relationship started happily; kissing here and there was definitely evidence of that, yet it ended in one of the most painful rows in the Gryffindor common room. Ginny however, held firm and refused to back down, showing herself as the girl that grew up with six brothers and survived countless horrors no one else should have seen. Time and time again she proved to be much stronger than any of the other girls Luna knew in her year. It was Ginny's strength that Luna admired, and she hoped that she could be like her someday.
*OOF*
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING LOONY!" an irate witch shouted at her.
Luna fell on her bum and rubbed her forehead. It wasn't pained, but her bum did feel like it needed an ice pack. Luna looked up to see who she collided with and saw Cho Chang on the floor, haphazardly gathering her things. It appeared that she had been from the library, seeing as she looked flustered and frazzled with notes all over the place.
Luna got up and brushed off the dust from her clothes.
"I'm very sorry, Cho. Let me help you with your things. Oh dear, there are Wrackspurts all over your hair. You should have that checked-"she was cut off by Cho's enraged growl.
"I don't need your help, Loony. JUST GO AWAY!" She snarled.
Luna was unperturbed and continued to hum. She turned back to Cho and cheerfully said,
"All right then. Have fun."
Luna skipped passed Cho, who growled once more as she gathered her things.
Girls confused Luna. She was a girl herself. She should hang out with the boys next time.
Meanwhile- East of Hogwarts Interior
"Simmons, grab Martinez and circle back here. We need to cover this floor." Ordered Simmons' squad leader.
"Roger, sargn't. Yo Martinez, let's go."
Both Simmons and Martinez then moved to patrol the rest of the floor. They were briefed on the castle ghosts and were told not to mind them.
"This shit is creepy, man. Why the hell do we get to patrol this abandoned-ass corridor?" griped Martinez.
Simmons remained quiet and scanned his surroundings. He noticed some students scurrying about, looking stressed after a long day of studying. They even passed by a broom closet, and heard moans.
'Hormonal teens.' Simmons thought morosely.
"Good thing they know magic. Otherwise we'd have little toddlers flying around the place." Muttered Martinez.
Simmons smacked Martinez' helmet and they kept moving.
They didn't expect the next thing they found.
"Oi Loony, don't you want to know how a real bloke tastes like?" leered one of the boys in the group, who must have been from Slytherin due to the green colour of his school robes.
"Yeah, Loony. You may be weird, but you sure seem like someone who needs a proper man." Jeered another from a different house.
'Yellow. Probably a Hufflepuff.' Thought Simmons.
"I'm not entirely sure what you boys meant by that. Humans cannot eat other humans. That's cannibalism, largely unacceptable in most civilized societies." Luna said serenely, as if nothing serious was happening.
"SHUT IT YOU BINT. IF I WANT YOU TO SUCK ME OFF, YOU SUCK ME OFF! COME 'ERE YOU-"
He wasn't able to finish as Simmons and Martinez struck him with the butts of their rifles. They then turned to the one boy remaining; an enraged Simmons pointed his rifle at the boy's crotch.
"Get the fuck outta here, kid or I'll rip you a new one. You better not let me see you again. Got it?"
The boy nodded, and ran away.
Simmons lowered his weapon and sighed. He looked at the girl before him. She looked calm. Too calm. As if she was used to this. She looked no older than fourteen.
'Goddamn animals.'
"Martinez, tie 'em up and call it in. We're taking these fuckers up for processing."
"On it, brother."
While Martinez zip-tied the two would-be rapists, Simmons took out his personal notebook and pencil.
"Are you all right Miss-"
"Lovegood. Luna Lovegood of Ravenclaw House. Fourth Year."
He wrote down her name, house and year. He began to question her about the circumstances leading to this episode. He then asked for their identities and called it in.
Several British soldiers and an Auror arrived at the scene. They took the prisoners away and would notify Luna of any changes to their status in the school.
Simmons turned to the young witch and spoke to her, struggling to maintain an even tone.
"Miss Lovegood. Would you like us to escort you to your Common Room? Or do you have a fellow classmate you trust who can take you there?"
Luna was humming and threading her locks as she looked at Simmons. She replied serenely:
"Oh, I would be fine on my own. Father says being alone can be therapeutic. You should try it sometime. The Nargles are infesting your earlobes."
Simmons shook his head and cleared his throat.
"Ehem, well. We can't really have you walking around by yourself Miss-"
"Well, by all means, come with me then. You look like you are in need of a nice change of pace. Wouldn't you agree?" she suddenly addressed one of the soldiers patrolling the floor, looking incredibly bemused.
"Uhm, yes?" the soldier replied awkwardly.
Luna hummed cheerfully at this and turned back to Simmons. She took his hand and dragged her with him with surprising strength.
"Woah, hey, wait stop-"
"Go on ahead Simmons. Make sure you get back here in five mikes." The squad leader told him with a grunt. His fellow squad-mates were not finding this hilarious at all.
"R-roger!" he shouted as he was dragged along by Luna; who unknowingly casted a Featherweight charm on him wandlessly.
'I wonder if we'll have pudding tomorrow.' Luna thought silently.