"General, are you sure this is-"
"I've heard your protests, Orobus. There is no need to repeat them," General White lectured sternly, casing the female guardian to duck her head in reluctant acquiescence. The man turned to Raven, who merely looked on impassively. "Your thoughts, Raven?""Orobus brings up several valid points. That you were poisoned by such exotic means as to slip Orobus' detection, along with several contingencies for your assassination, not least a car bomb, a gas leak and a sniper, is extremely concerning. Especially when it is only those we know of.""And how much of this was avoidable?" The General questioned. The air had a tension to it, and Raven could feel Orobus squirm slightly, even if White's attention remained unilaterally focused on his answer.
"I inspected the poison with standard procedures along with subset 3 and 8, none of them showed anything wrong. The components react to heat, which would have been provided by your body. In the same position, I would not have been able to detect it either. It is my opinion that Orobus cannot be blamed, General," Raven answered. He could see a flash of gratefulness in Orobus' eyes, though the General merely snorted.
"Strange how you would immediately defend your partner when that wasn't the explicit parameter of the question.""I understand your desire to blame, but the fact remains we were fortunate to escape a series of well planned attacks," Raven shrugged. The tension amplified as the General sucked in a breath, and even Orobus was visibly stunned at his implicit rebuke.
"Blunt as always.""I trust you to handle the truth. To use false platitudes is a waste of both our energies.""Very good. What are the chances we are attacked in Hogwarts?""Without sufficient parameters, impossible to determine," Raven frowned after some consideration"Speculate," White insisted. Raven's frown increased, making several mental calculations before nodding, taking in a breath. Both White and Orobus looked extremely curious for his answer.
"More likely than unlikely. The sniper was magical and trained in high level occlumency. Given enough time I could have breached them, but still a remarkable feat." The general seemed taken aback by this admission, but waved for him to go on. "The relatively secretive nature of the wizarding world and our limited assets in there are likely well known by any capable enemy, and by induction of the competency demonstrated we must assume the enemy is capable."
"And how prepared are you to deal with this threat?" White challenged."I believe we're sufficiently prepared, even if I dislike the uncertainty.""Elaborate," White ordered after a moment to absorb his answer."Both Orobus and I are proficient in magical combat, however without much exposure to the fighting styles of various magical cultures outside of the own patchwork developed within the union through experimentation, our methods remain unproven. Were this the only issue I believe it could be mitigated by Orobus' sufficient knowledge in muggle weapons given the insular nature of the wizarding world, but seeing magicals proficient in the use of muggle tactics and weaponry during the sniper assault raises questions that I am unprepared to answer in a satisfactory manner.""Elaborate on the unknowns.""We have limited methods to detect magical poisons, for instance, given our lack of familiarity. Even if we identify them successfully, we are not equipped to counteract. That is just one example.""Very well, your concerns are noted," White mused, rubbing his stubble. "But I will not be denied this opportunity to see Hogwarts for myself."
"One more thing, General." Orobus lightly shook her head trying to stop this, while White raised a delicate eyebrow. "I believe I need a muggle disguise. Given my origins…""It is possible for you to be identified," White finished knowingly. "Very well, take the rest of the day off and get it sorted. Have you sent the briefing back to Moscow?""Along with my recommendations, sir.""Excellent," White gave a pleased smile. "Security has been amped up since the incident, the Americans and British looked quite the fools. I do not believe you will be needed today.""Yes sir." Recognising the dismissal, he gave a nod to Orobus before leaving to complete his task.
-Break-
"Welcome to Hogwarts, General White," Supreme Mugwump of the ICW Albus Dumbledore, greeted, extending his hand. The General shook it firmly, while eyeing the woman and man behind. "Allow me to introduce deputy headmistress Minvera Mcgonagall and potions master Severus Snape. Come, we've prepared the tour just for you."
"Thank you," General White replied in flawless English, surprising the two professors while Dumbledore merely turned and led them towards three boats. Sensing the general's intent to speak with Dumbledore alone, they reluctantly each got onto one of the flanking boats, accompanied by one of the professors each.
"Good morning mister…" Mcgonagall prompted as the boat moved forward.
"Raven," he replied, "but perhaps it would be easier for you to call me Sergei."
"Very well, Sergei," she acknowledged, allowing the conversation to lull in silence. Raven scanned the surrounding, before noticing faint distortions in the water. Withdrawing his pistol, he began concentrating, trying to find the source. "Sergei! What is the-"
"The distortions in the water, what are they?" he demanded.
"That would be the giant squid, it's very friendly, I assure you," she reprimanded with pursed lips. Uncaring, he held his pistol lazily to his side, refusing to stow it. "Perhaps you should look up, you'll be getting your first view of the castle."
Reluctantly, he turned his attention away from the water surface to see that the faint mist had parted, allowing him a view of the castle proper for the first time. Tall towers connected by long battlements wrapping around the body of the structure like a cocoon.
"How...lovely," he mused monotonously, causing Mcgonagall to wilt slightly. She made no attempt for further conversation until the boats docked at a small dockhouse, at which point Raven stepped off, did a quick visual check, and nodded to the General and Orobus, who then stepped off.
"Alex, I assure you that Hogwarts is very safe," Dumbledore frowned.
"Forgive my security, they take their jobs very seriously. Just yesterday, they thwarted three attempts on my life, so they are very...observant," White defended politely. Orobus rolled her eyes, a motion only he caught, causing his lips to twitch up slightly.
"I see," Dumbledore brightened, leading them up the stairs. Orobus took the lead, several steps ahead, while Raven remained behind, sandwiching the General and the rest of the entourage between them as they ascended the narrow steps and into the castle proper. "Alas, I believe professors Mcgonagall and Snape must return to their lessons, but I do believe I will be a sufficient guide."
"Of course," General White smiled politely. The two professors quickly left to their own devices, while Orobus and Raven stood side by side, seven steps behind the General and the Supreme Mugwump to offer some semblance of privacy.
"Not impressed by the castle?" Orobus began in way of conversation.
"Reminds me of a gulag, large and depressing," Raven shrugged, causing Orobus to snort.
"Only you could joke about that. I find it quite...quaint.""If you say so, guardian.""Back to titles, cadet?""Names have power, I would rather not give them out freely in enemy territory.""So paranoid," she tutted amusedly. "I think I'll keep you around.""You could always ask the general to transfer me to your command.""And get myself whipped? I'm not suicidal, everyone knows that you don't touch his star. Even Sparrow is envious.""Sparrow?""Another talented cadet much like yourself. Deadly with blades and all manners of weapons, expert in magical combat, beyond even yourself in wanded magic, I daresay.""I don't have a wand," he responded dryly, causing her eyebrows to raise in surprise.
"So...everything you do…""The general does not want me to have such an obvious weakness," he shrugged.
"Well I can't argue with the results...are those moving staircases?""So it seems," Raven responded dryly, causing her to pout.
"You're never surprised by anything."
"Nothing yet, at least.""At least you're somewhat humble," she flicked her hair, allowing it to flow freely with the slight invisible breeze. Leaping over the trick step, she smirked challengingly at him. "Bet you didn't spot that.""It was in your way, not mine," Raven shrugged, his lips curling up. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"You don't look good in blonde," she mused after a few minutes of silence, neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. He let out a snort of bemusement. "No seriously, why did you have to pick blonde?""Because it annoys you," he teased, causing her to furrow her brows before giggling.
"You're funny.""I wish I could say the same about you," he responded dryly. She smacked his shoulder. "Case in point.""See if I'm so nice in the future, then," she growled playfully, elbowing him in the ribs. They followed the tour around the great lake, continuing their banter until the General stopped, pointing towards the forest. The two saw the Supreme Mugwump frown, and the two entered a conversation before the older man sighed reluctantly and began leading them inside.
The two guarded the rear, ensuring an escape path was always open should an attack occur, trusting, reluctantly, that the renowned Supreme Mugwump would be able to defend the general should anything happen. As they ventured deeper into the forrest, the aura of darkness grew, and they sensed several eyes watching them hungrily.
"You sense it?""Of course," Orobus answered uncomfortably. "Why must the general put himself in such danger?" Suddenly, they were surrounded from all four sides by acromantulas descending from the treetops, thick enough that neither could have seen the spiders through them. "Grab the general, I'll hold them off."
Walking even deeper, they were greeted by a hoard of centaurs, though a lone one approached Raven from behind. "Mars shines brightly, young one."
"Blood and death then," Raven shrugged, his knowledge on divination and astronomy limited. The centaur nodded gravely.
"There are many paths...only one to salvation. Choose wisely, foal." With that, the centaur retreated along with his pack. Raven shrugged off the warning, following as he always did behind White as they left the forest.
"I was wondering, if you had time to join us for lunch, Alex. Hogwarts is, if I might be so bold, known for its food amongst many."
"How could I deny such an invitation," the General smiled, causing Dumbledore to hum merrily. They entered through the double doors of the great hall, which revealed a hall full of chattering students seated in four long rows of table. Many fell silent at the sight of the guests, though all three Soviets remained impassive, with only Dumbledore offering a beaming smile as he conjured up three chairs for them. While General White and Orobus took a seat, Raven remained standing on guard.
"Sir is there a-"
"My guards do not eat at the same time," White explained apologetically, causing Dumbledore to 'aah' and dispel one of the conjured chairs. Two seats across, professor Snape sneered, muttering darkly under his breath.
With that, Dumbledore stood up to the podium with a bright smile. "Hello students, as you can see, we have some very special guests from magical Russia."
Orobus bit down a snort at the General's grimace. "They will be leaving shortly after lunch, so I ask you to show them the utmost respect and not disturb them with any unnecessary interruptions. That is all."
With that, he held his hand out, and the food appeared on the table. Raven frowned for several moments, before humming to himself, sensing the lingering elf magic. A very nice visual trick for those who weren't aware. Staring at the food, he felt a slight hunger, though that was easily quashed in favour of staring impassively at the professors and teh students. Most students pointed and gossiped obviously, and even several of the professors couldn't help but chance glances at him, though he remained as though oblivious, all the while scanning the surroundings for threats.
In front, Orobus ate at a pace that might be considered impolite despite her perfect etiquette, subtly passing along each dish as she finished a bite along to General White, who acted without a care in the world as he conversed with Dumbledore, occasionally nudging a dish he wanted to taste towards Orobus.
When the meal ended, Dumbledore quickly dismissed the students, who scurried out of the hall undignified, several still eyeing them curiously. The professors retreated to a side exit, leaving only Dumbledore to escort them to the ministry of magic.
"Well, it was a pleasure as always, Alex. I hope you enjoyed today's tour."
"Very much, Albus," the General replied with a smile. "You must come to Moscow sometime. I still haven't managed to get you to watch the ballet. It is truly something one must experience in their lifetime."
"Of course, of course," Dumbledore replied happily. "Perhap next month? After the ICW meeting in Moscow, I'm sure that I can clear my schedule for an old friend."
"That would be lovely," White nodded, clasping the older wizard's hand firmly in a gesture of respect before entering through the portrait that led towards the muggle prime minister's office.
-Break-
Raven looked down to see his torso had been cut open, and much flesh removed to reveal his internal organs. A needle was slowly inserted into the scepter of his heart, right between the two chambers, before the doctor pressed the button and the fluid began to inject itself, forcibly making its way into the cells, tearing them apart and reconstructing them. He felt his heart slowly expand, larger and larger, the heartbeats growing slower but more powerful, before the needle was removed.
"You're still awake?" the doctor replied astounded. Raven could not respond, on the account of his lungs being pumped full of liquid, though he did roll his eyes, which had already been modified prior and now merely required some getting used to. "We're almost done. Just the stomach and finally the skin."Taking his silence for agreement, the man called for his assistant, retrieving several scalpels and laying them in front of him. He looked down to see a small incision being made into his stomach, and a vat quickly brought forth to allow the stomach acid to pour out, leaving a sensation of emptiness in his stomach. Despite the foul stench, the doctors continued professionally, injecting several needles into the walls of his stomach, while also brushing a paste onto the inside.
He watched this patiently, as the process took several hours to complete to the doctor's satisfaction. The incision was stitched together, pumped with a growth hormone, causing it to knit together by itself, allowing for the removal of the stitches. A vial of blue liquid was poured down his throat, and he felt his stomach churn, no doubt producing stomach acid to replace the lost fluids.
The doctor reluctantly switched his scalpel, looking up at him and shrugging. "You make an art of it, I admit I'm envious at how you manage to peel the skin. Perhaps you can give me some advice after this."Internally, Raven sighed. This was going to be a long procedure. He had been here for thirty six hours already, with three shift changes between the doctors. His eyes, brain, liver, kidneys, bones and muscles had all been pumped full of magic beyond the limit already. With the fluid slowly being drained from his lungs, he found the ability to speak again as the oxygen tubes were removed.
"Cut deeper, doctor. You want to go at least twenty cells deep," he instructed. THe man startled in surprise, before giving him an askance look.
"I was joking, you know.""Then you can work on your sense of humour after you improve your carving skills," Raven jibed, causing several in the medical room to laugh before silenced by the doctor's stern glare. "Now cut!"
-Break-
The music crescendoed, and the ballerinas all were on their tip toes. It could not be sustained, neither the rising cacophony of the orchestra not the ballerinas pushing themselves ever higher, as though trying to reach for the skies.
Finally, the music peaked before suddenly silencing, and the ballerinas fell to their knees in a semicircle, arms reaching up to the roof as a floating platform lifted the lead ballerina and her male counterpart in the air, allowing them to hover as the music ended in a solemn, yet authentic tune of mourning, lamenting a love that never could be.
All waited in bated silence, glancing up at the box of the general secretary Gorbachev. As he stood up, many tensed, only relaxing and joining in when he began clapping. No doubt, many relieved sighs of the performers were drowned out by the loud applause and cheering from the crowds. Even the normally stoic General White appeared truly moved, his eyes slightly watery at the beautiful performance.
"That was beautiful," he mused happily, turning to an equally teary Dumbledore, who merely nodded in agreement. Raven opened the door, checking both sides before nodding discreetly to the General that it was safe to leave. Allowing the two wizards to depart first, he followed at a sedate pace behind them, looking out for any threats. He exchanged curt nods with several other members of the security detail discreetly stationed around, frowning when the two men stopped atop the stairs.
"That was truly a wonderful experience, Alex, I must thank you for sharing that with me," Dumbledore mused happily. "It is a shame that such beauty is not shared more widely."
Sensing the bard, he eyed with slight curiosity the General, who merely nodded, smiling. "Indeed, though perhaps in the future, all across the world will be able to enjoy it."
"One can dream," Dumbledore nodded happily. The two men bade farewell as a chaperone escorted the Supreme Mugwump to a waiting executive car, leaving the General to walk to his car. Raven, performing a quick visual inspection, opened the door, allowing the General to go inside, shutting the door before hurriedly walking to the driver's seat and stepping on the pedal, entering the Moscow streets before the majority of other officials arrived at their cars and causing an inevitable traffic jam.
"That was wonderful, was it not?" the General asked. It took a moment for Raven to realise the question was directed at him, and he nodded.
"As you say sir."
"Surely you managed to appreciate that? Even one as stoic as you should at least be...impressed?" the General scoffed.
"Sparrow performed well," Raven shrugged, causing the General to startle before chuckling. "Her movements were slightly too fluid, she was trying too hard. A normal ballerina restrains themselves to balance performance with protecting their bodies. Her lack of restraint caused her to stand out."
"I shouldn't be surprised," White chuckled in amusement. "Very few things seem to get past you these days. Tell me your thoughts on her."
"From her report, she's sufficiently trained to be an excellent operative. Her strengths in physical and magical combat are noteworthy. I've sparred with her a few times during training, and I respect her abilities."
"High praise coming from you," White nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Thoughts on working together?"
Raven took several moments to compose an answer. "Our skill sets complement each other well. Given enough time, and excluding the possibility of any exceptional disagreement, we would form a good team. While her social skills and mind arts training remains inadequate, I would be remiss not to learn more advanced weapons handling from her, something my training has neglected."
"You wish to train with those...muggle weapons?" the General asked, seemingly in surprise. Only spending hundreds of hours with the general, did Raven notice the slight twitch in his lips that belayed his satisfaction.
"Of course, sir. I refuse to neglect any skill," Raven answered monotonously.
"You are not reluctant to teach others? You do not fear being replaced?"
"We're all on the same side," Raven merely replied, causing the General to frown.
"What do you know of politics?""It is not my place to comment. I am an instrument, to be played however the musician demands."
"A wise deflection, but given your reading material, I know you must have formulated your own opinions. I wish to hear them. Let us start with Perestroika, Glasnost, the General Secretary's series of reforms. Tell me your thoughts on them.""Too much too soon. While it is true the Union under Brezhnev stagnated, it did create stability. Radically shifting away in such a short time creates not only logistical problems, but a psychological one. Take the prohibition on Vodka production, for instance. Instead of weaning the population off it, he tried to cut off the supply. The population instead subverted this with illegal home breweries, a far worse alternative given the poor safety standards.""So you agree with his reforms?""In principle. The Union's productive capacity has stagnated, signalling that the capital productive focus is no longer sufficient. Japan has surpassed us by focusing on its consumer markets. The growth under Stalin was only possible because there was a surplus of labour in the agricultural sector and a dearth of capital, meaning capital investment and shifting over manpower made it possible. However, now that we have sufficient capital and a dearth of labour, the economy must fundamentally shift or be destroyed.""The Union has survived for sixty years, why change now?""The Chinese Dynasties survived for millenia, yet it did not stop the revolution of 1912."
"How would you go about it?""Brace for the lower standard of living by reducing the imports of luxuries and use the savings to invest in the agricultural sector to make the country more self-sufficient. Focus on rebuilding industry from the ground up rather than trying to patch up aging and failing industrial equipment. Shift to a focus on consumer goods. Introduce more worker incentives similar to the New Economic Policy.""That would be...controversial.""Marx theorised that Communism would take place in an industrialised and wealthy society, not a backward, agrarian one as it did in Russia. Even Marx acknowledged the rapid growth under capitalism was necessary to create the bedrock of a society before transitioning to communism.""An interesting thought, one I'm inclined to disagree with, but one I can respect. Tell me, what do you know of the syndicalist movements?""A system of governance based on workers unions from the local to national level.""Your thoughts?""It would not work, there would be a deadlock of competing interests that paralyses the state. It is no wonder that it was popular most in France, given their penchant to resist any national government including their own.""A...crude assessment, but not untrue," the General chuckled. "And your thoughts on Glasnost?""Too soon. Openness is beneficial when you are at the top, not so much when you are treading water.""Oh?""The Union is one oil price crash away from disaster.""Once again, crude but fair, I suppose," the General mused, allowing the conversation to lull into silence until they were two streets away. "You are remarkably well read, even given the resources afforded to you.""It is important to understand politics, even if one avoids direct involvement," Raven shrugged, stopping the car in front of the General's Moscow residence. As he made to exit to open the door for White, the general waved him off, opening the door himself.
"Very true. Goodnight, Raven.""Goodnight, General."
Author Note:
Another chapter down. Welcome to our newest followers JustFanboying, dpworld and lorhuckproduction. Your support means the world to me, be sure to leave a comment, even if to say hi! I will admit that I was tempted to have the General cancel his visit to Hogwarts, but I wouldn't want to tease you like that. The limited description is because Harry doesn't really care about the details. Writing from his perspective, he's always going to be more concerned with the pertinent threats. In a future visit to Hogwarts (wink wink nudge nudge) we're going ot see him take in more details. As always, be sure to follow, favourite and leave a comment! Until next time, toodles!