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Almosts Lost to Time
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Ron left the room for a moment, mumbling something about picking someone up.
"Aunt Ryn." Teddy came bursting into the room unannounced, making the Rynan jump, though, Natasha had no reaction like she had expected him to come. She probably did, Rynan thought enviously.
"Ron didn't say what happened, just that you needed my bracelet! Are you fine, did you find him?" he started sprouting off questions faster than Rynan thought possible.
Rynan cut him off before he could get anymore questions off, "Yes, I'm fine. No, we didn't find him. Now, why exactly are you out of school?" She tried to scold him but failed to see his deep concern for her. She noticed Ron failed to return, the coward.
"McGonagall let me leave after my last class and gave me tomorrow off. Alex is going to take notes and all the professors are okay with me turning my work in later." He waved away her concerns, green eyes today, looking over her in worry. The only times she was ever admitted to the hospital was when she was seriously injured. He knew something was wrong the moment Headmistress McGonagall pulled him out of class to her office. When he saw Hermione there, his heart dropped to the floor, fearing the worst. There were no words to describe how he felt in those seconds, thoughts running wild with all the possibilities. He was distracted the rest of the day, unable to focus in class, thoughts still running through what could've happened to his godmother.
"That's Professor McGonagall, Teddy." The familiar reprimand fell from her lips on habit alone. It was almost a contest between the two, one of wills Teddy was still pushing.
"I'll let you children sort this out. I'll text you when I'm back." Natasha drew attention to herself as she got up from her chair.
"See ya, Nat!" Teddy called without taking his eyes off his godmother.
"I'll be here." Not like she hadn't seen enough hospitals in the last few years. She may as well invest in her own.
She had been cleared to leave that evening after the doctors failed to find anything in her blood to indicate what drugs her kidnappers had pumped her with. Her wounds were cleared and restitched, no major organs having been damaged. Thankfully, she had potions at home that would take care of the cuts and nothing required anything serious like last time; she had needed physical therapy for a few weeks to get normal function back in her arm.
"маленький монстр." Natasha smirked as her scrutinizing gaze shifted from his godmother to him.
"Mali – milan key monster?" Confused eyes turn to Rynan and she had to hold back her chuckles. His eyes all scrunched up, looking confused, was an adorable look. Instead of answering her godson, Rynan turned her attention to the retreating woman.
"I'm not sure you can appreciate the full irony of that name. And do you need to keep calling him that? He's not exactly 'little' anymore? "
And he wasn't. Teddy was about a half a head shorter than her at the moment.
Without turning around, the humor-filled response came, "Да." She paused at the doorway one last time, "And contact your sidekick. He's been harassing SHIELD agents for the last two days looking for you."
/
"Damn, what happen to you!?" Sam looked her over when she walked up to her door, having been waiting since she called him an hour ago.
"I pissed off the wrong people." She pulled her face from his hands as he tried to look her over, "Stop, you know I can take care of myself."
"Someone's got to watch your troubled ass while you're here." Sam turned his attention to Teddy, "I thought he was at school…in Scotland?"
Teddy bounded up to the door, unlocking it and holding it open for the adults, "Heyya, Sam! I just got in, took a portkey from Hogwarts to get here."
Rynan froze at the door, not daring to look at Sam as confusion spread across his face, "Y'all got the weirdest names for stuff."
Mouth shaped in an 'oh' form, Teddy clamped his teeth together and pulled his lips back, turning to his godmother, "I thought you'd told him!" he hissed out after their guest entered the house.
"No, I didn't tell him!" Taking a deep breath, Rynan calmed her racing heart, "Just go to your room. I need to talk to Sam alone." She wasn't mad at Teddy, he really hadn't known, it wasn't his fault. If they were lucky, they could brush it off as cultural difference.
Sam didn't waste any time setting in on her once Teddy was upstairs, shoulders squared, and eyes narrowed.
"This has to do with those people you were telling me about, doesn't it? You promised you weren't in danger; you said you'd tell me!"
She could tell he was hurt and he had every right to be. She had lied to him, to his face. There was no way she could argue with him on this which was why she invited him over, so they could talk about it. So he knew what exactly he was getting into. If he was skilled enough to engage SHIELD, he was already on HYDRA's radar.
"It wasn't supposed to go down like that. They caught me unaware." It was a pretty weak excuse on her part but it was all she could offer him at the moment.
"So this entire time…were you lyin about that too? You were happy, Rynan! You were out."
And that was what got him. She had gotten out and was finally happy, focusing on herself for once, putting her needs and wants ahead of others. To discover it was all a lie –
Rynan knew that and was devastated about what had happened. It was just another reminder that she could never have what she so craved. She didn't know why she bothered anymore.
"I made a promise."
"A promise that has almost killed you! Do you wanna die?! Cuz you're doing a pretty banged up job of trying to stay alive!"
They were both standing in the living area, Sam with his hands gripping the back of the sofa and Rynan standing vulnerable by the fireplace.
What kinda question was that? Did he think she was suicidal? That was the thing about Sam that made him so effective; he didn't need to raise his voice to make a point. He could rip your emotions out with barely a word raised.
"Yes, I want to live. I love my life, the people in it..."
In all her years, she had seen so much this world had to offer, the good and the bad. She knew there was still so much more yet to see. Being confined to her island nation wasn't enough anyone. There were people out there that she could help, places out there beyond imagination. She wanted someone to share that with. She averted her eyes from the mantle where her cherished pictures sat, reminding her of the adventures she had undertaken with her godson only a few short years ago.
"Then why can't you see that there are people here that care for you?! Who would be devastated if you died?" It was unspoken that he was one of those people.
She struggled to answer, to straight out deny his accusation but thinking about it, she had been careless with her life recently, throwing it away like it had no meaning, and she wasn't sure why, "I'm not – It's not that easy."
"From where I'm standing, it is." Sam was a tough love type of person when he needed to be. You had to want to make yourself better in his opinion. No one could fix you. He wanted her to see that it wasn't okay, it wasn't healthy what she was doing. Obsessively putting herself in danger for someone. It was fine for her to want to save James but not at the expense of her life. She had to see this and if no one else would call her out on her bullshit then it was up to him. It hurt him to see her close to tears but it had to be done. "You have to want it."
"I don't want to die!" She stated as convincingly as she could, tears close to spilling from her eyes, "I want to live. I want to see the wonders and beauty of this world. I want to see my family grow and be happy. I want to see Teddy have a family of his own. I want to know that everything I did, everything I've sacrificed...it means something!" She breathed hard at the revelation, as her desires spilled forth as if spelled out of her.
Silence followed. Sam letting her take the moment to compose herself and reflect on what she had just said.
Her eyes remained fixed on the mantle, taking in each picture, voice barely audible as she spoke her next words, "But how can I want when I can't even help one person? How can I want more when I already have so much?"
Little 10-year-old Rynan Potter would never believe she could have so many people she cared for and who cared for her in return. The 10-year-old her had been resigned to living a life utterly and completely alone. No one ever wanted her and no one ever showed her an ounce of love or affection. With so much now, how could she ever ask for more? What if, like everything else, she found that little extra and it was ripped from her like every other person she ever loved? Why wasn't what she had enough?
"Wanting love and happiness isn't selfish." What had she been through that she didn't believe herself worth love or happiness? That other people were more important than her?
"…But what if I try and I just get hurt? I don't think I'll survive it."
"And what if you don't? What if you think about yourself for once and you find happiness? Everything you've been lookin for?" He moved closer to her now, standing on the opposite side of the fireplace, keeping eye contact the entire time, Rynan helpless to look away.
"I'm broken." Broken in ways one couldn't even begin to explain, nothing but jagged edges and mismatched pieces.
A smile crossed his features, "I look at broken as a chance for something completely new." He pointed to the stained-glass window seated above the door, "Those pieces of broken glass were nothing, but someone saw potential in them and because of that, their brokenness became beauty and together, with other broken pieces, they became something beautiful, something to admire because despite what they thought, what everyone else said…they mended their broken edges and became something new, something better."
Her lip quivered and her nose flared as she struggled to keep her tears at bay. No one had taken the time to ever tell her exactly why she could be something more than broken. It was always just said to be something she would have to deal with and move on from.
Her tears spilled over, streaming down her face before she could react.
Sam looked unsure for a second before he made up his mind. He stepped forward and took her into his arms, keeping her in his embrace so she knew someone was here for her. He would be that someone for her if he had too.
Once she calmed down enough, Sam decided that was enough for one day and looked to break the mood, looking around her living room as, surprisingly, he had never been in there before.
"You were one hellofa cute kid." He had found the picture Hagrid had taken of the trio after their First Year Potion final. Rynan and Ron were so happy they didn't have to see Snape for the next three months while Hermione was stressing about a question she just knew she had messed up.
"Those were easier times."
"Like your time with James?" he inquired, placing the picture down as his eye caught another, this with an older Rynan and Teddy with an unknown man, one he assumed was James. "When you find him, what then?"
Rynan never really took notice of how everyone always said 'when', their conviction so strong in her they didn't believe she would fail despite years having passed. He asked a valid question though.
"I never really thought pass getting him back." There was never any reason to plan pass getting him back, assuming their lives would just fall back into place. But could they? Who knows what had happened to James since she'd last seen him. What if…what if…
Seeing her struggle, Sam intervened with another question, feeling slightly bad for taking advantage of her emotional state to get her to open up, "What makes you happy?"
"Helping people." It was a knee-jerk response, something she had been saying for years when people asked.
"Naw, I ain't gonna take that answer. That's like saying 'World Peace'." He cracked a smile, shaking his head.
"-That wouldn't be bad either," she huffed in frustration, the weight of the day finally settling as exhaustion began to take over. "I can't do this introspection thing with you tonight; I don't have the strength to do this."
"Fine, fine. Just make sure you lock up!" He knew he had pushed too far. It wasn't his intention to upset her, he just wanted her to see she had a life outside of fighting. He grabbed his jacket as they made their way to the door.
"Night." She called out to him as she shut the door, body sagging against the wood, his question still flowing through her mind. What made her happy?
Going to the bathroom to remove the hospital bandages and take the potions she had stocked up, she stared at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out how her life had gotten so complicated.
…Who was she kidding, her life had always been this complicated. But was she being too reckless? Her pale, bruised reflection was answer enough. She was arrogant, overconfident, reckless in her decision. And if it hadn't been for the portkey locked to her magical signature, would she have ended up like James? She'd lost two whole days with no recollection of what had taken place, if she had even been conscious. It was terrifying. At least under the Imperius Curse, you remembered what you did. With this, there was nothing. She felt like she was losing her mind, that bits of memory were slipping away no matter how hard she clung to them.
Fingers clenched at the porcelain sink in frustration as tears streamed down her discolored face.
"Aunt Ryn?" Teddy called hesitantly from the doorway, body hunched in, unsure of what to do.
Startled, she frantically wiped at the tears, hoping he hadn't seen them. "Ya –" she cleared her throat, voice catching of the vowel, "Yeah?"
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, eyes scrunched up in concern.
He was back to his brown hair and light eyes. This was his appearance, no changes, no additions, just Edward Remus Lupin. It was in these instances that Rynan knew he was most sensitive. It meant he was worried, insecure, frightened.
"Of course, Teddy. Why wouldn't I be?"
He wasn't buying her act. The uniqueness of their relationship was that they could read each other fairly easily. Teddy had always been a bit too mature, more attuned to others, something both of his parents possessed. That meant he picked up on all of her habits and since he enjoyed spending time with her, they were very close even as he entered his teenage years, he knew all of her habits. If she was a stronger woman, she would dare to call him her son.
"Is your mind okay? You're not forgetting things are you?"
And his worry for her wellbeing made perfect sense. Despite how young he had been, he still remembered those years with James and the bond they had shared. He knew the horrors James had faced, how he lost chunks of his life, memories hidden away, some lost forever. He was frightened the same had been done to her.
"No," he leveled her with a look Remus had perfected in catching her out in a lie, "Yes."
This was not a conversation to be had in the bathroom doorway, the fluorescent light heating her skin.
Letting out a long sigh, one that seemed to do nothing to release the emotions building up inside of her. But she persevered and led him back to his room where they could have this discussion more easily.
Seating him on the edge of his bed, she followed, being careful not to stretch her healing skin. Her eyes found the room already messy, with his clothes from today thrown in the corner and his bag spilling its contents across the floor by his desk. She could feel Teddy's gaze boring into her, waiting for her explanation.
"The doctors couldn't identify the drugs in my system but they affected by brain. They said the memory loss should subside by tomorrow," hopefully she added in her head. "For now, they prescribed rest and suggested I remain somewhere familiar in case there are unexpected side-effects."
Teddy sat there, absorbing everything. He didn't understand what was wrong with her, the extent of his knowledge with memory loss being the concussion he received last year during the Hufflepuff-Slytherin game.
"So, I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me. That's my job," she finished with a forced smile, knowing there wasn't much to convince Teddy that she was okay. He could be a worrier sometimes, so she was thankful McGonagall had given him the rest of the week off so he had time to see for himself that she was going to be okay.
Speaking of the Headmistress…
"You know I got a note from McGonagall the other day and I know she sent one to Andy as well." Teddy's back straightened and he looked away, finding the signed poster of his 'aunt' in her full Quidditch gear very interesting, already knowing what she wanted to talk about. "Why did you get into a fight, that's not like you?"
He waited a moment to see if she was really expecting an answer before blowing out the air he had been holding when she continued to give him the 'look', "He was talking about you, saying how you abandoned us. He called you pathetic." A scowl took over his face, cheeks crinkling as he remembered the incident. "He called me pathetic for thinking –."
He cut himself off, as if realizing who he was talking to. Rynan fully turned to him in curiosity, wondering what had made him cut off so abruptly.
"Thinking what? That's not like you Teddy. You don't get into fights for no reason, what did he say?
The Hufflepuff remained silent, mulling over if he should tell her. Gentle fingers carding through his messy hair had him relaxing, leaning into the touch. No matter how old he got, he would love his godmother with everything he had. They had had their fair share of arguments but nothing that wasn't talked about later. Even Victorie had commented once on their closeness and how she had started butting heads with her father and mother over Christmas break.
But Rynan, Rynan was different. She wasn't the perfect parent, she made her fair share of mistakes, even with his grandmother there helping. But he never doubted her love for him and her willingness to give everything up for him. He knew she had given up major opportunities for him and he knew it couldn't have been easy for her to take custody of him at 21 and the whispers that had followed about how shameful it was for her to be a single teen mother. Those comments were barely a blip on her radar though. He was never a burden and other people's opinion never bothered his godmother. She may not be his biological mother but she is the only mother he needed.
…so maybe it was time to tell her that.
"For thinking of you as my mother."
She froze at that six letter word as if it was cursed. "Teddy…we've talked about this. I could never replace Tonks."
"But that's what you can't see. I'll always love her, and the sacrifice my parents made, but you've been everything a parent should be. I have enough love to call both of you mum. Because you are more than my godmother and calling you Aunt doesn't encompass how much you truly mean to me. I've thought of you as my mother since I knew what the word was."
"A good parent wouldn't put you in as much danger as I have."
Teddy gave her a weird look, raising one eyebrow, "Are you talking about James and all of this?" he waved his hand haphazardly to indicate the mess she was in now. "Because you've kept me out of all this. If anything, I worry more about you. I can't lose you too."
Rynan looked up in defeat, knowing Teddy wouldn't have been able to resist eavesdropping on her conversation with Sam earlier. She maneuvered them back to rest against the headboard, pulling the covers over their legs.
"What I do, I do because it's the right thing. Something I've learned in all my 32 years, is that if you don't, who will?" Teddy pressed his cold, feet against her legs, sagging in defeat when she failed to react. "What Sam said, that's not the whole truth. I would never purposely leave you alone."
Silence descended over them, both letting the conversation sink in and dissecting the events of the past 24 hours. The silence of the house almost oppressing, just the two of them in darkness and what felt like an ocean between them.
Teddy broke the silence, sleep audible in his voice, "Why don't you talk about them anymore? You used to tell me all kinds of stories."
Rynan pulled the covers further up his body, taking the moment to think over the question. She knew who he was talking about but she didn't really have an answer.
"I guess…the memories just got too painful." She whispered into his hair, her lips lingering as she gave him a kiss goodnight.
He rolled to his side, curling up into his pillow, "Granma says that even painful memories can bring us happiness."
Rynan lay there for a moment, letting his words sink in…of course Andromeda would say such wise words. She had lost as much as her in the war. Any memories of her husband and daughter would be painful but she wouldn't want to forget them. She had to suppress a snort when she realized Andy would most likely hex her if she knew she wasn't talking about her family anymore. Curling up on her side, careful of her stitches, she watched the rise and fall of Teddy's chest, her breath mimicking his unconsciously. She reflected on their conversation and despite her efforts, felt heat blossom in her heart at the thought of him calling her mum. She already thought of him as her son but to know he thought of her as his mum and has since he could talk…it made the crappiness of the entire day completely worth it. She'd gladly go to war again to keep him safe.
For the first time in a long while, she allowed herself to remember her time with Sirius and the summer she spent with him and Remus. She let the tears fall as she was lured to sleep but instead of tears of sorrow, these were of happiness. Happiness that she had had this time with them, however brief.
Her dreams fought off the nightmares that night.
/
Life was pretty boring after getting kidnapped and experimented on by HYDRA.
Fury wanted her away from everything for the time being, a chance to clear her head. He was very considerate, all things considered. Didn't even take the time to rub it in her face how disastrous her plan ended up being (even if it worked exactly how they wanted it to). It didn't bother her that much. Natasha and Clint were both out on assignment, leaving her alone in DC with time to spend with Sam.
That night at her home wasn't forgotten but Rynan knew Sam was right and she vowed to do better. She needed to focus on herself more, find what makes her happy. While she wouldn't say she had wasted her life focusing her efforts on other people, she knew she wasn't okay. There was no denying that anymore and if she wanted to be a role model for Teddy or girls like Quinn, she knew it was time to change.
Her first step, rescheduling the last three lectures. She wanted to make sure these kids all had the opportunity to learn something from her, something that could one day save their lives. While she hadn't gone back to take her NEWTs, she had spent months traveling and learning from various magical societies across the world. She felt well versed in her defensive magic, something that always came naturally to her.
Life could fuck you over but it was your duty to get back up, to never give in. That someday, someone out there will give a damn enough to help you along.
It was the first Friday of May and she had just finished her morning lecture with the fifth-year students and was out with Sam, treating him to lunch. He knew she had taken up a guest lecturer position but gave up getting any information out of her when she refused to part with any details. Instead, he had fun spitting out random jobs he thought she could get into once her current project was finished and she stepped aside.
It was a warm day, spring finally in full bloom and they took full advantage of that by finding a patio café to take in the nice weather. They only had their drinks at this point, a soda for him and an orange juice for her, and Sam was quickly running out of optimal ideas and just going for whatever would make her laugh.
"You could be a life coach!"
Rynan rolled her eyes, biting back a smile. "Sure and all I'd have to say is 'Do the opposite of everything I do'."
Sam gave her that, "You do seem to piss a lot of people off." Understatement of the century. He rubbed at his two-day-old stubble, hmmming and ahhhing. "A TV commentator would be the perfect job! They live to piss people off!"
She actually did snort into her juice this time, coughing roughly to get the feeling of burning, acidic pulp out of the nose and throat. "The last thing I want is to be watched by millions of people."
"You could always open a business? You should open a bakery, that way I can get free food whenever I want and not have to wait," he said, swinging his hand in emphasis of their absent lunch.
She made a show of looking him over carefully, quirking an eyebrow, "I think you eat enough sweets as is. You should rethink those runs of yours."
Her laughter washed over the outside patio, drawing many looks in their directions but not for long as their attention turned back to the television everyone was gathering around.
Sam looked at her in betrayal, making a show to flex his biceps to show his bulging muscles, "This is all muscle, baby. Nothing but pure dedication and commitment to the –," he trailed off, attention going to the screen like every other person in the café.
"Sam? Hello?" Rynan waved her hand in front of his face, snapping her finers once, trying to get his attention. Following his gaze, she found herself transfixed on the screen as well, cold horror creepin down her bones.
It was a battle and if the scrolling across the bottom was to be believed, it was New York City. Rynan pushed people out of the way when she saw a flash of red hair and the glint of an arrow. She hadn't noticed Sam follow her, apologizing to those disgruntled patrons she had pushed out of the way. He looked at the screen closely as well, picking up on what had caught her attention, besides the obvious.
"Ain't that your friend from SHIELD, Natasha whats-her-face – the hell! What are those things!?"
Rynan stood, locked on the screen, her mind blank.
Worried that the scene may be causing unwanted flashbacks to her past, Sam moved to navigate her back to their seats but she refused. She brushed his hand from her elbow, hand moving to her mobile, eyes never leaving the scene less she miss something. What was going on? What had SHIELD gotten itself into now? That was midtown Manhattan and that building was Stark Tower.
The camera finally got a good angle of Natasha and the man with her who was definitely not Clint. She stopped breathing, unable to believe the sight in front of her. Sam was able to verbalize both their thought, "The hell? – is that Captain America?"
There was no denying who the man was as he shot Natasha into the air. That shield had been lost with Steve Rogers almost 70 years ago. For this man to have it…Natasha's comment all those weeks ago finally made sense. Fury had gone to New York because of this man. This man who was supposed to be dead just like his partner.
Steve Rogers, James Barnes' best friend, was alive.
The camera became static as the last image imprinted on the observer's brain: the aliens were overrunning New York City.
That was enough for her. She had her time to process, now was the time to act.
She brushed by everyone, her movement the cue for a mass panic to being as everyone began running out of the restaurant. Rynan grabbed her bag from their table and hopped the little patio fence, her necklace bouncing on her chest from the motion. She needed to get somewhere isolated. Woolworth Building wasn't located far from where that weird portal in the sky was. She needed to check on MACUSA and get the word out to the ICW if it hadn't already been sent.
Sam jogged next to her, pushing people out of their way as they made the familiar trek to her home.
Rynan held her mobile up, impatiently waiting for the ringing to stop, for someone to answer.
"Now is really not a good time, Potter!"
Of course, it wasn't Fury, "That's a bloody understatement, Hill! What the devil is going on?"
There was yelling coming through the other end, Rynan pulling it away from her face for a moment so she didn't hurt her eardrums.
"We have a team trying to contain the threat. We're not getting help with this." Hill voice was barely concealing her emotions, Rynan could hear the fear lacing her words. Shouting took over again before static and a dial tone.
She knew what she had to do.
Waving her hand, Rynan ran into her house as the door swung open, ignoring Sam as he halted in shock. Grabbing a piece of parchment and floo powder, she jotted down a quick message and instructions before throwing it into the fire after the powder. That done, she finally turned her attention to Sam who was staring at her in disbelief.
"I'm going to be completely honest with you right now, Sam. Magic is real, I'm a witch, and aliens are attacking New York City." She threw on her dragon-hide jacket and boots, standing straight to address her friend, "I know this is a lot to take in but right now I need you to go down to the VA. There's going to be a lot of people who need your help. I'll explain everything when I get back, I swear."
God bless Sam and his absolute commitment. She knew she had lucked out, finding him as a friend. With a threat that this conversation wasn't over, Sam was out the door, already talking with fellow counselors about getting to the center to set up emergency services.
Finally alone, Rynan paused, remembering her conversations with Teddy and Sam only a few days before. She couldn't be reckless, she needed a plan. But she was never good at plans, they always blew up in her face. Urghh, what should she do!?
"Don't do it Rynan…Don't do it. Fury has it handled, don't get involved." She honestly wasn't sure what she could do to help. But she also knew she couldn't just sit back as aliens attacked their world. If the team Fury sent couldn't hold them off, the rest of the world would be defenseless. She couldn't let that happen.
Screw it, she was going to Woolworth and she would plan as she went. Gripping her holly wand and storing the Elder wand in her wand holster, she apparated into what she hoped was the basement of MACUSA. If the antiapparation wards were still up, she would appear in front of the building. She was prepared for either.
'CRACK'
Feet smacking the concrete, body jerking forward, Rynan threw up a hasty protego just in case anything unsavory was in the vicinity. Pausing long enough to assess her surrounding and conclude there was no immediate danger, she let out a breath, not relaxing in the slightest. If she had learned anything from Moody, it was constant vigilance. You never knew what was lurking, prowling for the perfect opportunity to strike. She would not give her enemies that chance.
She had been successful in apparating to the basement, something she didn't celebrate as this meant the wards were down around the building. She could feel the ambient magic as it crackled and pulsed, pushing for that last breaking point to release the tension. Not only could she feel the chaotic magic around her, she could see the dimensional shifts like a shimmer that caught one's eye. The magic separating the two worlds in this building would tear it in half if not outright blow it up. They would merge and everyone in the building would die of spatial dimension displacement, similar to splinching oneself only immensely more grotesque and fatal. It was essential that MACUSA survive this, that they come out with scrapes and cuts but alive.
Grabbing hold of the nearest pillar as a tremor went through the building, Rynan knew that the structure wouldn't last much longer. Praying, hoping, that a few people were as idiotic as her and remained, her voice rang out, begging for survivors to answer her.
Another tremor rocked the building, this time not from the unstable magic. Something heavy had hit close by outside. Chucks of ceiling, of carved stone, rained down in yet another threat she would have to face.
"Dammit!" she cried out as she barely dodged another section of stone. "Protego Maxima!"
It was the only spell that would come to mind and it did its' job. The ceiling still shook but nothing fell. She could feel the strain on her magic already though. It felt like she was holding the entire weight of the building, that she was Atlas with the world on her shoulders, of all the lives still in these four walls, it was her suffering that made her strong and with a conviction unheard of, she mustered another spell with the elder wand slipping easily into her hand like it was always supposed to be there. It sung in pleasure as her magic coursed through it for the first time in fourteen years.
"Cave Inimicum!" Columns were transfigured from fallen debris, erecting up from the floor, driving into the ceiling, into the very foundation, spreading her magic in hopes of bringing the building just a little bit more time.
There was no time to let out a sigh of relief when the magic held as it took all her concentration to hold tight her magic.
A voice rang out as she heard running footsteps approaching her direction. Sweat was gathering at her brow at the strain on her body and magic, condensing together to form droplets that ran down her face. Her hair whipped around her face as the magic laid heavy in the area, creating a physical manifestation of its presence.
"Down here, Bernie!" She croaked out, recognizing the voice. The older man came into view and Rynan could see that the man must've been in parts of the building that had begun to collapse as he was covered in dust and blood. "Is anyone else here? Have the creatures gotten into the building?" she bit out as she felt the magic falter, pushing her further to her knees.
Three more aurors appeared behind him, looking slightly better off.
"The President –," Merlin, he hadn't been killed, had he? "He's ordered an evacuation of the building. Every worker is to evacuate to Boston IWC." one of the Aurors informed her.
She moved her eyes to Bernie's, hoping what his partner said wasn't true. Searching them, she could tell they weren't lying.
"What?" she breathed out in disbelief. "What about the people out there? We could help them." Another tremor hit the building and she could feel the wards beginning to fracture, pushing her further into the ground, one knee bracing as she pushed more of her magic through the Elder Wand. "The wards are about to break and when they do, this entire building will explode from dimensional instability. People within a mile radius will die, MACUS will be lost and Quahog sent the best fighters and warders away?!"
The building shook again, visible cracks appearing in her shield and the transfigured stone pillars.
"The no-maj can protect themselves, we can't risk exposure." An Auror responded, taking a place in one of the four corners with little prompting, realizing Rynan couldn't hold the building up by herself.
"Can't risk–?! People are dying out there and instead of doing something, your President runs and hides!? What about the witches and wizards out there in the middle of this battle, dying!?" Rynan's eyes blazed with anger. Of all the cowardly things…they could've done something!
"We've done what we can Rynan. Our priority now is to stabilize the wards." Bernie directs her anger towards himself, knowing she wasn't pissed at them but the situation. "Everyone take a corner and repeat after me."
The other two followed his directions, holding both wand and hand up. Rynan conceded this battle, prioritizing the reconstruction of the wards before her anger at the injustice of the situation. With her as the center pillar of concentrated magic, they reconstructed the wards around her, using her power to create the magical network and weave the matrixes of the dimensional magic and layering them with reinforcing spells. It was rudimentary and quick, not at all up to standards, but it would hopefully hold the building until such a time the warding department could return and reconstruct them correctly.
Rynan could feel the magic flowing through the air, twirling and wrapping around her, lightening her load as she pushed her knee off the ground, the strain becoming lighter and lighter until she was able to pull her magic back completely.
Another tremor shook the ground but nothing happened with the building, their magic holding it up. The five let out sighs of relief as they slumped forward. It was a draining process but Rynan wasn't done yet. She had come to help and with the building stabilized, she had to move on.
She replaced the Elder Wand back to her wand holster, brushing her hair out of her face, hand coming away with drops of blood. Putting her hand back to her face, it came away with more blood: her nose was bleeding.
Brushing off that detail, she made her way to the exit, Bernie stepping to block her path, determination etched across his face hoping to be the convince her away from her endeavor.
"President Quahog has ordered the evacuation of every MACUSA worker to Boston. I can't stop you if you want to stay and fight but we can't send in reinforcements. You'll be on your own," the old Auror explained. He knew what she was planning on doing and he knew he couldn't stop her but she had to know no one was coming to help, she would be on her own.
"I'd rather die doing something than live doing nothing." Her black hair whipped around her as she turned to the lift for the first floor. Bernie watched solemnly as the doors closed on the magical warrior, her power visible in that very instance, bringing forth the stories he had heard told of her during their war. He desperately hoped that that warrior was still in there, having caught glimpses of it earlier, and that she would return alive. He had learned early on, people like Rynan Potter were not long for this world. Their spark burned so bright and powerful that there was not enough to keep them going. Chaos calls to them and in chaos, they meet their demise.
The metal creaked and groaned as it pulled the lift up the single story; adrenaline pumped through her veins the closer she got, the anticipation building as the thought of what awaited her outside those doors drew nearer. Moving cautiously out of the lift to the exit, she could hear the explosions and screams and gunfire. A shiver of fear coursed through her body before she hardened her skin and raised her head in determination. Casting a disillusionment charm over herself, she stepped into a war zone.
It was so much worse than she imagined. She was struck, paralyzed, at the sheer devastation of everything. How could this be New York?
Those creatures were truly ghastlier in real life. They were everywhere: on the ground, in the sky, on the buildings. Their flying machine patrolling the airspace, hunting, searching for a new target.
Swallowing what little salvia she could produce, she took off in a random direction, feet pounding against the slabs of concrete as she had to jump across spaces, dodging large piece of building, and using smashed cars as propellants forward.
Cries to her left caught her attention, not bringing her to a halt, merely changing her course of direction. It was a group of high school students, her mind supplied as they were still in uniform, backing away from one of the advancing creatures. They were pinned down, no way forward and their exit cut off behind as the building was on fire. There was no thought in the attack, the spells flowing instinctually from her wand.
A flame-freezing spell was her first action. "Flipendo." Her next spell sent the kids through the cool flames, away from harm, while a well-placed diffendo managed to direct the creature's attention to her but because she was under the disillusionment charm, it couldn't tell where the attack came from. Capitalizing on its brief moment of confusion, she sent out another severing charm.
The spell did little damage on the armor but she did see the cut on its arm. Good, their skin wasn't impenetrable. Running towards it, she sent off another chain of spells. "Brachiabindo. Confundo. Confringo." The creature didn't stand a chance once she aimed for its exposed neck. Falling over, Rynan was surprised by the lack of blood. Moving closer to inspect the corpse, kicking away its fallen weapon, she was filled with confusion. There was clearly blood but there was also destroyed machinery, circuitry running along the exposed bone almost as if it had its own artificial nervous system. Feeling herself about to be sick at the thought and sight, Rynan turned away – she didn't have time to get sick over this: there was plenty more to take its spot. And like clockwork, they appeared, moving in on her together. No caution or reserve…and that would be their death as they underestimated her.
"Impedimenta. Incendio." The resulting inferno incinerated the corpses and using the momentum she had gained, Rynan pushed off the surrounding debris until she found herself out of range of the heat and about four meters up on a fallen piece of building. Eyes scanning the area, she concluded that the immediate threat had been eliminated. Her disillusionment charm having been broken during her first assault, she turned too wide eyes staring at her in reverence.
Eyes raking over their forms for injuries, there were none, she motioned them urgently forward, "Quickly! There's a path up ahead were officials are directing people out of the city."
The seven teenagers took the orders and rushed in the direction she pointed out, desperation clear in their movement but also a bit of hope, the thought that maybe someone or something was looking after them. Rynan observed them, noting for any movement that indicated they were in danger. She saw nothing.
"Miss?" Rynan looked down, startled, having expected all of them to have made a run for safety. It was a young girl, probably 14 or 15, covered in dust and blazer missing a sleeve. But the way she looked at Rynan like she was her hero, had her eyes turning soft for a brief moment. "We won't tell no one."
It was only five words but Rynan knew, she just knew the girl understood. And with her bit said, the girl ran off to her friends who had stopped to wait for her. They threw one last look over their shoulders before they took off to safety.
Turning her attention back to hand, she had a clear vantage of the next few blocks, able to identify police officers evacuating people into building while others ran in the opposite direction of the fighting. To be honest, there weren't many places for the people to run. The creatures had a clear advantage with their aircraft but if they could get out of sight, it could buy them time.
She flinched as above her, windows shattered as something large smashed into the building and in a flash, it was taking off again at one of the nearby aircraft.
Movement caught her attention, diverting her focus to a creature advancing on a trembling figure, prompting her into action once again.
"Molliare." Cushioning her fall, Rynan sprinted off, apparating the small distance, her left hand casting a freezing spell when she appeared again while her wand slashed, obliterating the creature. She didn't even spare the body a glance as she gathered the figure into her arms. It was a little boy, maybe 5 or 6, crying out for his mom.
"Shh shh," she tried to soothe him. "I'll get you out of here and then we can find your mummy." His brown, puffy eyes looked at her in fear. He was so scared, tears streaming down his face as sobs racked his body. His hands gripped her dragon-hide jacket, as she readjusted him so she could move more efficiently, his sobs spurring her forward.
The world exploded around her as creatures began pouring down from the buildings, dropping off from the airship she had noted before. Her arms instinctively encircled the boy, taking the brunt of the attacks. Her protego came a little too late but it protected them from the remaining assault that rained down upon them as she used her body as a shield. Getting up from the ground, keeping the boy behind her, her hand clenched her wand a little harder. There were too many! At least fifteen were already on the ground, advancing towards them. They seemed more cautious than the ones she had faced before, her display of magic having taken them by surprise. It didn't last for long as they knew they outnumbered her.
She couldn't outrun them, not with the weapons they had but she couldn't just stand there, waiting for her death. Switching out her wand for the Elder Wand, she had her left grasping out for the boys smaller hands, squeezing it to reassure him. Eyes steeled, smirk on her lips, she threw her most powerful bombarda maxima at their approaching forms not wasting any time from when the spell left her wand to twisting her body and pulling the small form to her chest, instructing him to wrap his legs around her waist and his arms around her neck as she made to put distance between them.
He complied easy, his grip a bit too tight as it took her a moment to catch a breath but that was irrelevant as her legs began to move. She heard the explosion, the limbs once again tightening as the head buried into her neck to hide his face, but she dare not look back to see the damage. Waving her hand, she cast a wandless levitation spell to put some objects between the attacks and themselves, small pieces of debris floating up into the air to create a barrier of sorts.
Her body was beginning to protest the movement. She had used too much magic in a short amount of time and there were consequences, even for her. The Elder Wand was the source of much of her power now.
She didn't make it far before a pair jumped down in front of her from a nearby building, effectively cutting off her exit. They were trapped in the street section the nearest intersection a ways away. Not seeing a way out, she coaxed the boy's head from her neck as she came to a stop. She found herself looking into his eyes, so innocent and scared as they put their trust in her to keep him safe. Her heart clenched as she was reminded of Teddy; they shared the same look. Her resolve strengthened – he would get out of this alive.
"It's going to be okay. I'll get you outta here, I promise," she spoke softly in a rush, her necklace biting into her skin where it was trapped between their two bodies. Blindly unclasping her watch, she rushed a muttered portus. Placing him on the ground, a quick glance to see how close their enemies had gotten, she pushed the portkey into his trembling hands, giving him swift instructions as they didn't have much time.
"Hold on tight, do not let go, no matter what! This will take you somewhere –." She had to pause as she moved to dodge a beam shot from one of those creatures' weapons. Throwing up a protego in response, Elder Wand outstretched, she hurried to give the rest of the instructions. "Say Rynan Potter sent you. And you'll be fine."
Her body was weak, all her power going into maintaining the shield that was now protecting them from beams on all sides. Pulling at the deepest parts of her core, trying not to break her concentration on the shield, she brought forth the magic needed to activate the portkey. If she let the shield fall, they were dead for sure. She felt the shield fracturing as she poured more magic into it, trying to find an opening to activate the portkey. An explosion sounded above them. Startled, Rynan turned her gaze upwards and saw that one had physically attacked the shield from above. She stared in horror as the fractures grew.
Knowing it was now or never – she had to buy him three seconds, that was all he needed to get out of here – she gathered what little remained of her strength and threw out her hand towards the watch, activating the countdown just as the shield shattered, not strong enough to hold up against the attacks anymore, sending her to all fours.
He only needed three seconds…
Frightened by the explosion of the shield, the boy startled, dropping the watch as he brought his hands to shield his ears. Her eyes grew wide as the next second she watched the watch disappear without the boy.
"No." It was a whispered plea as his frightened eyes were cut off from her as the creature that had been on top of the shield landed between them. It was turned towards her, its weapon already aimed and ready to fire as its allies fired up their weapons as well. There just wasn't enough time now, her wand lying where it had been dropped when she had fallen.
She stared defiantly at it, not afraid of what was to come, saying a silent goodbye to Teddy in her mind.
She resisted the urge to close her eyes as she saw the finger move to the trigger, not knowing if it would be a painful death, as 'quick as falling asleep' as Sirius once claimed.
Just as she accepted her fate, that this was the end of the road for her, the creature was taken out by a green mass which pummeled it into the ground, leaving a sizeable crater in its' wake. Roaring in triumph, shock froze her as those terrifying green eyes so different from her own turned onto her. Not daring to move, her survival instincts telling her to remain still, its' hulking body easily dwarfing her as it readied to pounce once again, easily dismissing her. Flinching as the earth shook, indicating he had landed behind her, she dared not look back, picking herself up without thinking, collecting the boy, and running as fast as her exhausted body would let her. A path seemed to open in front of her as the beast drew the surrounding creatures to him in a challenge.
The boy was crying again, she wasn't sure about what this time but she couldn't blame him with everything he had seen today. She looked for the policemen she had seen evacuating civilians earlier. A cry escaped her lips as they came into view, one of them running to her when they saw her with a child. A voice penetrated the surrounding noise of destruction, drawing her attention. It was a man sprinting towards her, yelling a name, "Roman! Roman!" The boy's head moved as he began to struggle from her embrace, kicking out and releasing his hold on her, tears turning into hiccups. "Roman!"
Her suspicions were confirmed when the now identified Roman began shouting for his mom. Placing him on the ground, she watched as he was collected into the relieved arms of his mother. Tears turning into ones of joy as he was finally reunited with his family. Exhausted, hurting, and emotionally exhausted, Rynan knew it was totally worth it to see this. To see this family reunited. Her arm spasmed as she tried to move it forward, the muscles locking together causing pain to radiate down to her fingers. Damn it, she thought that wound had healed. Sure she had been in physical therapy for it but she had been progressing nicely the last few weeks; she hadn't any pain or discomfort and was back to normal functions. With everything going on today, it must've been too much for her still strengthening muscle. Putting the pain in the back of her mind for now, she focused on the people in front of her.
"Thank god you're alright! Thank god!" His mother cried into his son's hair, gripping him as tight as he could. Satisfied Roman was in safe hands, Rynan made her way back to the fighting, ignoring the police officer's demands for her to follow them to safety. She had one more place to check, doing what President Quahog was too cowardly to do. Before she departed, Bernie had told her to check the New York Underworld, with the nearest entrance being about three blocks away at Chambers St Subway Station. It was set up as a shelter of sorts for those with magic to go in the event MACUSA ever fell and they couldn't escape the city. It was heavily warded and situated to protect the inhabitants from surface attack.
Those people seeking shelter deserved to be informed that their government had failed them, choosing to save their own skins. Yeah, she was still fucking bitter about the entire situation. It was their job, their sworn duty to protect these people.
Pushing on despite her injury, those few moments of rest had given her magic time to settle back, not enough for her to get into another fight like before but enough that she could fire a few freezing spells at the creatures crawling on the buildings, gaining satisfaction seeing them fall. They didn't move but Rynan didn't stop to check if they were alive, hoping the fall had killed them. She would think about the stickiness on her arm later, for now, she created a makeshift sling with her jacket and rested her arm there.
Next time, next time she was bringing potions with her, she swore, maneuvering around pieces of fallen building.
Before she could get to Chambers St, the creatures around her – and she assumed the city – dropped to the ground unexpectedly, unmoving. Tense, unsure of the meaning, she shifted her gaze to the sky where she saw the portal begin to close, the energy keeping it open having vanished. So Fury's team had done it, they'd actually won.
With the creatures taken care of, Rynan ran without care the quarter of a block to her destination, careful not to jostle her arm too much.
Bernie was right. The people that could escape, they had come to the Underworld. It wasn't just people, the magical creatures of New York were gathered there as well. All eyes shifted towards her when she entered the shelter. Worry, fear, confusion, and anger…those were the emotions reflected in the eyes she observed. There would be calls for President Quahog's removal after this. Leaving his people helpless while he ordered his Aurors to Boston.
With little difficulty, in light of what she had just witnessed, she announced that the attack was over, they had won.
People moved near her, some reaching out to help when they noticed the blood on her clothes and face. Murmurs spread at her announcement, one or two 'cracks' resounding as few moved to validate her claim. Gasps rang out as she pushed her grimy, sweat-soaked hair out of her face, revealing her famous scar. The murmurs turned to shouting which turned to cheers as they were able to identify their hero.
She gained a new title that day, one, if she was being honest with herself, she didn't quite mind: Rynan Potter, the woman who defended New York while Hoggy disappeared like a coward.
So it wasn't the best title but she had made a difference. She'd saved lives today.
And that was a good day in any book. Now, she really just wanted to see Teddy.
/
This was the longest the Asset had been out of Cryo. He was on standby for missions as his handlers prepared to move. Their position in SHIELD was fragile, what with Fury hot on their tail and the finding of Steve Rogers. They thought it advantageous to withdraw for the time being.
He was under constant supervision as the scientists didn't know the effect of the mind wipe not being used as often, if the effects would last that is.
The Asset was sparring an agent, easily beating him, when a memory flashed before his eyes. Instead of the 6'1" man, pinned under him was a 5'5" black haired women.
"That's not fair James! You have a super arm!"
"Еще раз." He shook the memory away. It was irrelevant.
This time the agent had a knife to his throat, his dark green eyes showing a flicker of fear. Another pair of green eyes were staring at him, these one's emerald.
"James, you promise to be back for Teddy's birthday? He's been talking about it nonstop."
"It should only be a few days, I promise." He could hear the pain in the voices speaking, like this was a common occurrence.
"Aunt Ry! Don't let James leave yet!" A ball of turquoise blue shot into the memory.
Blue…Blue hair…blue eyes…blue uniform…
The knife pressed a little further as he struggled to push back the memories and emotions that were beginning to flood his mind.
"Еще раз." He was brutal. The fight didn't even last five seconds before it was over.
"Again."
Each fight was as brutal as the next. He was on autopilot, going through moves that were as natural as breathing for him.
His gun was in his hand ready to shoot before anyone knew what happened. The intruder, Rumlow, calmly entered the training area.
"We have a mission."
This broke the onslaught of memories, switching to mission mode. The Asset stood, gathering his weapons and gear before following Rumlow out.
·
You don't know how excited I am that we are finally here, at this point! I loved writing this chapter so much and at over 10k, this is the second longest chapter so far. And it shows with how much was crammed in here. Sam and Rynan got a little carried away with their scenes and might have moved past platonic
There were a crap ton of revelations in this chapter, let me know which one was your favorite! It's hard for me to pick so let me hear your opinion!
-Response to the Guest Review on Chapter 10:
The reason she doesn't use truth serum and obliviate spell is because of the sheer size of SHIELD and the fact they don't have the authority to do something like that which would no doubt expose the Magical world. If they could do it to the entire organization in a single day, that might be possible but the fact that they have people stationed all across the world...yeah, not really going to happen.
The fallout of HYDRA will be different from the movies.
Concerning Teddy and Sam, hey, the boy just wants to see his godmother happy. I don't see him as a kid that would tell her she couldn't date. He knows the difference between wanting James back (and the possibility of that never happening) and seing his godmother happy be it friend, boyfriend, etc.
Hope that clears it up!