Steel sighed. It had been three years, and the others were looking healthier than ever. Although they still didn't like using muggle technology, they were incredibly powerful in all fields of magic. Steel was unable to teach them how to channel elemental energies though. Despite the fact he tried to replicate his circumstances, nothing happened.
"Neville" he called the formerly pudgy man. "We're going back. Today is the day…I can't stand what they are doing any longer."
Neville had seen how Steel had changed since he was at school, and knew that it wasn't even the same person anymore, in a way. He had been through too much. Although Ginny had refused to get over him, he still thwarted her advances repeatedly, saying that it was for the best.
However, he knew that this was the day that they separated forever. He couldn't live with humans anymore. And there were certain secrets he could not share with anybody. For example, his possession of the famed sword Excalibur, or another, more disquieting fact he didn't like to think about. But it was time to return to England, and he did.
The Dragonfly sailed through the air, setting down in the middle of Diagon Alley in the early morning mists. The four departed from it, then Steel banished it from the plane into a nearby, pocket one. They took up their posts in front of Gringotts, standing silently and quietly, four figures in armor. One in black, one in red, one in blue, and one in white. They stood like statues, generating an aura of unnoticeability. As such, they were ignored as the earlier patrons of Diagon Alley filtered in, getting ready for a days work, or perhaps a very early morning shopping trip.
They stood there, like silent sentinels, as ministry workers came to the front of Gringotts and set up a stage and podium, the bank being the most imposing building in the Alley, and therefore the location from which speeches were made.
They stood there quietly, as people started to arrive for the important speech, waiting for the leaders of their world to come.
They stood there as the top ministry employees, all members of the Order, filed to the back of the stage.
They stood there while the ministry dug it's own grave, and Harry simmered.
A newer order member, John Ridgensmit, had been voted in as the Minister of Magic. Previously being head of the department of finances, he was a desk weenie, and a pawn to Dumbledore.
He started speaking to the assembled crowd, still no one noticing the leviathan size armor behind him.
"I hope you're having a good morning all, and that this announcement will make it better! In light of the Dark Lord's defeat, three years ago this day, we have been trying to pass certain laws that would make it harder for a new one to rise! Finally, these laws have gone through Wizengamot, and I can say, with pleasure, that they are effective."
The crowd clapped for him, and a few people cheered.
"Now, the first of these laws, is a new, stricter, Werewolf Control Act. In effect, all werewolves must now have a wolf head tattooed on their hands, forehead, and back. Additionally, they will be living in specific camps with silver barb wire fences. We are doing this deprive a new Dark Lord from possible forces."
Steel growled primally, the others looking at him, but still not changing their location.
"Also, all use of defensive and offensive spells will be monitored heavily, and the content taught at Hogwarts will be censored. After all, we don't need such spells in everyday life, and in doing this we can deprive dark wizards and witches from knowledge."
A greenish aura appeared faintly around Steel, but only to the trained eye (his friends). It rapidly switched through all colors of the spectrum before he managed to get it under control again.
"Lastly, the ministry will carefully monitor communications, to prevent dissent and revolution, and to keep the peace. Thank you ladies and gentleman, that will be all."
The crowd went wild, most of them a typical wizard or witch who never learned a spell after Hogwarts, had never dueled for their life, weren't affected in the slightest by the new rules. Some of the others cheered because they were sadistic bastards. Others cheered even though they hated the new rules, but didn't want to be lynched.
As the order members, including (besides the minister), Albus Dumbledore, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and a heavily cloaked individual Steel could not identify, started to leave the stage, Steel twitched his head, and all four of the giant suits of armor stepped forth, breaking out of unnoticibility, and drawing attention to themselves.
Unidentifiable in their Leviathan Armor (designed by Steel himself), Steel growled.
"You complete and utter fools!" He boomed, "You are becoming like Adolf Hitler. Imprisoning innocent people. Censoring information. Stopping the flow of information. You are all fools. You showed me that 4 years ago, and have only reinforced it now."
The minister started to step up, before Ron Weasley cut him off. "Who are you to talk like that to us? We rule Magical England. We're the ones who decide what's right or not."
The man in the black suit of armor laughed. "Like you decided Harry Potter was guilty? Like you decided not to tell everyone that he disappeared under your noses at least three years ago? That you left him in a cell, and no one checked up on him, and he left? Like I said, fools!"
The man in blue joined in "Like you decided that Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood were traitors? I agree with Steel! You are fools."
Weasley growled (fairly pitifully, I might add). "Aurors, arrest them!"
All around the yard invisibility cloaks were summoned to Steel's hand, and Aurors fell to the ground unconscious, before the red suit of armor appeared behind them, right hand glittering wetly with some liquid on the sharpened finger tips.
Ron looked fearful for a moment, before deciding to attack on his own. As he started to cast a spell wordlessly, Dumbledore and Hermione said the same thing
"Ron, don't!"
"Mr. Weasley, don't"
The grayish hex slammed into Steel's Leviathan armor, and disappated. Shields flickered into life around it, growing a very small bit, before disappearing again.
"You wanted to know who I was, Ron old buddy? I know you've been worrying about where I've gone. So let me ease your mind."
The suit of armor drew it's 8 foot long sword (still in the sheath) and threw it high up into the air, spinning madly. The chest plate of the armor slid up rapidly, and Steel slid out. He span wildly for a moment, before Excalibur slipped back into it's spot on his coat. This morning, he was wearing the same style as before, but black clothes, and red tinted glasses. His hair was cropped fairly closely. He had grown to an impressive 6'5", and cut an imposing figure in general. With all of these changes, no one recognized him, except for one.
Kingsley Shacklebolt looked startled for a moment, before exclaiming "You're Black Steel, the expert bounty hunter! That must be your crew, the Cutting Edge."
Steel laughed "Just call me Steel. But that's not what you used to call me, old buddy, old pal. Eh?" he had a twisted, wicked expression on his face at this point, and had winked at Hermione and Ron.
Hermione stared in horror. "No…It can't…It can't…" she fainted.
Ron glared heavily at him. "What did you do to my fiancée!"
Steel laughed "She realized who I was".
Ron stared in consternation, being the only one on the stage who hadn't realized who Steel was yet. "Who the hell are you then?"
Steel laughed, spread his arms to the sky, and twisted. Mid twist, his hands snapped down, snagging his Desert Eagles, and pointing them at the stage. "Only your…good…friend, Harry Potter."
Ron looked pained "No…"
Albus Dumbledore roared, finally speaking up "Get him!" and plainsclothed Anti Dark Magic Force (an organization formed after the Dark Lord was dead…a sort of special operations for wizards) ran towards him shooting spells. Steel just laughed again and holstered one gun, before batting the spells away with his left hand, and shooting the wizards with frozen energy with the other. They fell back, certain parts of them or their entire body, frozen.
Ron had recovered his mojo, and strode up to Steel, confidant as can be, with his wand drawn. "Well, you defeated them, but you can't beat me, Harry. I'm better than you are. And you know what, I always was."
Now, after Harry was suspected of his crimes, which we will cover eventually, Ron immediately supported the accusations, dragging Hermione into it along with him. He did this as a way to rationalize Harry being better at everything than him, and Hermione rationalized her actions being seeing only parts of the truth. She loved Ron more than Harry, after all.
Over the four years since they had imprisoned Harry, Ron had somehow managed to convince himself that he was better than the other boy. This came back to bite him in the metaphorical ass now.
Steel reached out with his left hand, making an overlapping circle shape with his thumb and first finger. Ron asked "What are you going to do with that? Flick me?"
That's exactly what Steel did. He flicked Ron right in the center of the chest, and the man flew back twelve feet, skidding to a halt, next to his "love".
Albus Dumbledore stepped up, stretching his hand imposingly at Harry. "You will give this up now Harry, and come into custody. If you don't, I can't speak for your safety."
Steel just laughed once more, with real amusement in his voice this time. "My safety? Give me your best, old man."
Dumbledore drew his wand, making patterns in the air, and a three dimensional seal appeared around Steel, before shrinking in. As soon as it touched his skin though, it fragmented, shards of magic spiraling away like broken glass. Dumbledore stumbled, doubled over.
Steel looked to the crowd, the Order, the soldiers. "I am leaving forever." He ignored the gasp from Ginny behind him. "I leave these three to watch over you, to make sure that wizarding Britain does not overstep it's boundaries. All creatures have rights. Don't be stupid. Don't make this mistake again, for I will not be merciful if this happens a second time. 'Ware my wrath"
He looked at the two aurors on stage that had come with the Order. "I know that you had to do this to keep your jobs, to keep your living. But there are other countries, and you are both experts. Grab Moody, the rest of the…respectable aurors, and go to America. I have jobs lined up for you. You'll find information in your pockets."
He looked at the cloaked Order member. "A dark spirit…to warn you of others, I suppose. Very stupid. Like your seals could contain him?" Steel reached out his left hand and started to close it into a fist, white and green light squeezing the figure. It exploded out of the cloak, a shadow trying to reach its destroyer. However, it imploded with the light, and the energies of life and death cancelled each other out.
The crowd gaped, realizing that the upholders of their "nation" had used very dark magic, summoning a tortured soul as an early warning device. All of a sudden sheets of paper fell from the air, appearing as Steel snapped his fingers.
"Another matter. Those papers have lists of evidence, where to find them, and other things. All combined, it will not only prove my innocence, but that of my companions."
Ron had gotten his courage up again, and sneered "And just who are they?"
The red armor laughed bitterly. "You should know who I am, brother dear." The chest plate slid open, and Ginny slid out. The order gaped at her for a moment, before the other two suits had the chest plate slide open as well, and Neville and Luna slid out of the blue and white suit, respectively.
Everyone there felt their jaw drop as they saw three who were assumed to be dead.
Steel smirked. "I leave these, the Cutting Edge, to watch over you in my stead. You are no longer bound to me, my friends. You are now sentinels." As the three others turned to him, and Ginny whispered "No…" before sobbing into Luna's arms, Steel back flipped onto the back of his Sentinel. It strode to the center of Diagon Alley, facing away from Gringotts. Echoing each other, Steel and the suit brought their hands up as if holding a sword. A sword of black crystal shimmered into view in the sentinels hands. It reversed it's grip, rammed it into the ground causing the sentinel to raise up on a pedestal, and stopped moving.
Steel saluted everyone. "Perhaps I'll contact you all later. I'm sick of you right now, and I must take my leave. Adieu!"
Steel relaxed in his chair on his island. It had been twenty years since that day, twenty years since he had left humanity. Sure he still ventured out, but he couldn't form any real relationships.
He had spent the last twenty years building up his ability to channel power, studying all the branches of human knowledge, making new spells, seals, enchantments, and other things that were not pure elemental energy, but fine, delicate weaves.
Many things had changed. The entire European magical community had merged, the Sentinel group expanded into a worldwide phenomenon, fighting supernatural menaces, and threatening governments. The Leviathan class armor was never replicated, but they did manage to make somewhat less efficient and less powerful armors called Olympic armor. Steel was happy with his own, the Black Potential armor, a design that grew as he did.
You see, Steel still had a long life ahead of him, even though he was already forty one. Another side effect of the pure, untapped elemental energies forcing themselves through his body was that he had an overabundance of life energy. A never ending supply of it.
Steel was immortal.