CHAPTER 1:
DRAGONFLIES AND SPIES
A tall man, with golden-brown hair with bangs and small oval shaped tinted glasses, was running through the forbidden forest, chasing some kind of creature. The man's daemon was a panther running at his side. The creature flew into a tree and the man his in a bush near it. He was wearing robes of light sliver that made him stick out in the green vegetation that was the forest. However, the creature was no longer in the tree, but 3 miles away. Instead out of the tree jumped the mans son. An 11 year-old boy with an uncanny resemblance to his father except for the fact that he had his mothers shiny lime green eyes, instead of his fathers dark blue eyes. His daemon was a small falcon on his shoulder.
"Anthony Bryan Halliwell!" Scolded the man. " I thought I told you to stay put!"
"Mum sent me. She caught that things partner."
"Really? Where?"
"Spying in the headmasters office."
"Good. Come along then." Beckoned the man to his son. His name was Phoinex Wyatt Halliwell. He led his son through the forest back to Hogwarts, where they went straight to the headmasters office. Inside, were his wife, Selena Halliwell, and his daughter, Fiona Halliwell. Selena was a jet-black, wavy haired, slender woman, with a sweet smile. Fiona, on the other hand, had light blue eyes with dark blonde pigtails, and her mothers smile. Selena's daemon was a white tiger at her side and Fiona's was currently a mouse in her pocket. Fiona ran over to her father and he picked her up.
"Well, Mr. Halliwell, did you catch him?" Asked the headmaster, Dumbledore.
"Unfortunately, Professor, no. He got away, nasty little bugger, tried to sting me. But from what I hear, you seem to have had better luck?"
"Yes, indeed we did. Mrs. Halliwell caught his partner, Salmakaia. She's down in the dungeons at the moment, if you'd like to see her."
"I think I would. She must have some valuable information for us." He walked out of the room, with a slight bow from the head to Dumbledore, and took off with his family down into the dungeons. In the first one, he found two small glass boxes that had been apparently enchanted to fill with air. Inside the first was an electric blue dragonfly the size of a sea gull. In the other was a woman, no larger then Phoinex's hand. Her hair was oddly dark green and she was wearing a dark blue shirt that had no sleeve on one side and a long-sleeve on the other with a below knee silver dress. She had no shoes, and her feet had tiny spurs on them. She was a Gallivespian spy.
"Salmakaia?" Asked Phoinex.
"Yes? Where's Tilayas?" Tilayas was her partner, the one that had gotten away from Phoinex. Anthony was intrigued by the small creature and couldn't help but glare. She took no notice to this.
"He got away. In the forest. Now you, on the other hand, may have some information that I need."
"I know nothing."
"You know something. Something to do with Lord McKnight?"
"Maybe, maybe not. What I do know is that you're keeping me captive. Let me know and I'll tell you all you want."
"Last time I believed you, you escaped. I'm not letting that happen again. Selena, you take the kids, I'm going to visit our old pal, Professor Snape." He handed her Fiona and took off deeper into the dungeons into the potions lab where Severus Snape was marking F's on the Gryffindor students tests. His dark green snake daemon was on his shoulder.
"Professor Snape, good to see you haven't lost your ways." He said with a fake smile.
"Hmm… no. No, I haven't. Not what do you want Halliwell?"
"A bit of that veritaserum you keep in your robes." Snape's face when pales then usual.
"What for?"
"Confidential. All you need to know it that it'll help a great deal."
"I don't have to give you anything."
"I'm afraid you do, if this considers Lord Voldemort." The reluctance in his face weakened dimmed and was quickly replaced with surprise.
"Fine. But only because this is of the highest manner." A grin broke out of Phoinex's face. He walked over to the desk, (he had been leaning against the doorway the entire time) and took the crystal, clear colored bottle and walked back to the room containing the Gallivespian.
"This will make you talk, spy."
"You'll never be able to give that to me. I'll sting you if you try."
"What if I were to tie you up? Sound's good to me, let's try that." He took his wand out of his jean pocket, pointed it at Salmakaia, and said, "Parvus Funis!" And instantly tiny ropes sprang around her legs, making her perfectly harmless.
"Oh! I'll get you for this! Tilayas will give you a full sting, and then you'll be sorry!"
"Alright, if you give me your honor as a Gallivespian, I'll let you free but you still have to answer my questions. From there you're free to go, and not to come back and harm us. You nor Tilayas."
"Fine, human. Now untie me."
"Give me your word, first."
"I gi-"
"Show your hands so I know you're not lying."
"A Gallivespian wouldn't lie on their honor, but if it helps." She held out her arms for him to see and said, "I promise you on my Gallivespian honor I wont escape and will answer your questions truthfully." At that, he used his wand to remove the ropes and opened the box for the spy to climb out. He closed it again and she sat on the top.
"Tell me all you know about what Lord McKnight intends to do."
"We know absolutely nothing about Lord McKnight's plans, except that he's joining forces with The Dark Lord."
"Hmm… so it's true. What about of his location?"
"Another world."
"How'd he get there?"
"He used the methods Lord Asriel did thousands of years ago, only better. He closed the opening so the world wasn't affected like when Lord Asriel did."
"Are his machines still in the north?"
"No, he had his servant destroy it all."
"Do you know of any way we can get into that other world?"
"No."
"Is there anything else you know about him that you can tell me?"
"He's gathering an army."
"Is that all you can tell me?"
"Yes." Phoinex opened the box containing the dragonfly and said, "Alright, thank you. You're free to go."
"Thank you. Goodbye. I'm sure we'll meet again." She got on the dragonfly and flew away. Phoinex walked back to Dumbledore's office and explained what he had just learned. Everything was quiet when he was done.
"How are we going to get into that other world, Professor?" Dumbledore's daemon was a snow leopard that had been roaming in the forest and now was at his side.
"I don't know, but there is a way."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure you'd be willing to, but I was thinking maybe you could try the alethiometer."
"Professor, you know I haven't done that since I was a child, and probably won't be able to."
"Then why do you carry it around with you?"
"Well…. For comfort, I guess. I'll try though." He took out of his pocket a compass like thing, wrapped in a velvet cloth. It had 2 needles and 30 or 35 symbols around the rim. Phoinex tried to get into a relaxed state of mind and within a few minutes succeeded. He turned one of the needles around the object and stopped on certain symbols asking the question: How do we get into another world?
The other needle moved around and stopped on certain symbols quickly just as Phoinex had done. Phoinex carefully calculated the movements ending up with the answer: A knife, in another world can cut openings into other worlds.
Phoinex moved the needle he used the last time and asked: How do I get into this world?
The answer came quickly: A doorway is hidden in the forest. Find the spies and they will accidentally lead you to it. Phoinex told everyone of what the alethiometer told him.
"Well, looks like you have to go now. Don't take too long. Fare well and good luck." Said Dumbledore. The Halliwell's said their goodbyes and took off toward the forbidden forest. Phoinex's head was in a bit of a dizzy spin from his concentration on the alethiometer, but he kept going. Fiona was the first to spot Salmakaia's dragonfly's electric blue color and the family followed as fast as they could. The Gallivespian spy led them to a clearing where her comrade, Tilayas. Was waiting on a rock. He was just as tall, with brown trousers and a yellow shirt with a red jacket on top and a black to hat on his head. Also with no shoes because of the deadly spurs on his feet.
"Are you alright? What did they do to you?" He worriedly asked as his partner landed.
"The woman caught me and then her husband question me."
"What did he ask about?"
"Lord McKnight. I pretty much told him everything we know about him."
"They'll be after him then. We should move on and report to Lord Parry." He whistled a tiny squeak and a red and yellow striped dragonfly came to him, the same size and Salmakaia's. He got on and flew up, but the odd thing was that he disappeared into the air just 5 feet above the rock.
"Tilayas? Where are you?" Bursted Salmakaia.
"I'm right here. I don't think I'm in that forest though. I'm in some kind of city. It's empty." Came his voice from the spot where he had vanished.
"Well, how did you get there?"
"I don't know. There's some kind of whole in the air. Fly up to where you no longer could see me." Reluctantly, she flew up and disappeared in the exact same way.
"Dad, how'd they do that?" Puzzled Anthony.
"I'm not sure, but we're going to have to do what they did." He came out of their hiding place and was followed by his family. Up on the rock he stood waving his arms around in the air where the two spies had gone into that other world. His right arm suddenly went right through some gap in the air and Selena gasped. Phoinex didn't pay any attention to it and threw his body through the window in the air vanishing just as the Gallivespians did. He was in a city, by the sea. An empty city with old buildings that seemed to keep being rebuilt. A few moments later, Anthony came through followed by his mother and Fiona. There they stood, and marveled at their location. They were in another world.