Chapter 4: The Assassin of Flash
Harry leaned back on his hands at the edge of the cliff by Professor Kozumi's house, his feet dangling lazily over the edge. He'd honestly been startled when he first put on his new glasses, he knew his previous pair hadn't been perfect for him, but he hadn't thought the world was that different from what he'd been able to see. It had taken a lot of self-control to not stare at everything like a wide-eyed little kid.
Finding out that Doctor Kimura was a wizard had caught him by surprise, but the man was nice and professional about meeting Europe's (unwillingly) famous Boy-Who-Lived. It turned out his reputation wasn't as big a deal in Japan as back home. The only reason Dr. Kimura even knew about him was because of his cousin, who had been working on his medical degree in England instead of Japan. The man had even offered to put high-level protective charms on Harry's glasses, so long as Harry gave him his signature (written and magical) so he could pull the money for it from his Gringotts account without alerting Kozumi or Dr. Gilmore.
He could only hope the charms were strong enough to withstand cyborg-level combat. Not that he had any plans to test that.
The first time he'd seen his reflection he almost hadn't recognized himself.
Apparently, the Black Ghost scientists had done more than just make him a cyborg, they'd somehow made him look old enough to pass himself off as being "of age" (Among wizards at least. He was pretty sure 21 was the legal age for non-magicals), and like he hadn't spent his formative years being starved by the Dursleys. He looked healthy for once!
He could only guess that they felt having too many "under-age" (or unhealthy-looking) cyborgs would hamper their ability to sell them off as weapons. He couldn't decide if this was a good thing or a bad one.
He was still pretty short though, standing at roughly 167 cm [5ft 5in] (he'd snuck out of his room a few nights ago to find out, it was one of those nights where he couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried), but it was better than nothing. He still had all his scars, like the bite he'd gotten from the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and the cut on his right forearm that Pettigrew had given him while reviving Voldemort (he suppressed a shiver at the memory).
A small, depressing side of his mind was glad for this, since it kept him from forgetting that he was a wizard. Something easy to do when you were surrounded by people without magic and weren't using it on a near-daily basis.
Harry closed his eyes, listening to the water crashing against the rocks below, not caring that the new clothes he'd gotten during their last trip into town (a plain, grey long-sleeve shirt with a dark green, collared, zip-up vest thrown over it and dark blue jeans) were getting dirty.
He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed.
Part of him felt guilty about being able to enjoy this peace when he knew the Wizarding world could be suffering from Voldemort's return, but there wasn't anything he could do without revealing himself as a wizard.
He doubted they would take it well if he just walked up and told them that not only was magic real, but he could use it, and that the British magicals were on the cusp of war and that he had a key part in it. It was hard enough trying to dodge Dr. Gilmore's attempts to study his magic (not that the scientist knew it was magic) without arousing too much suspicion.
Although 004 seemed to understand that Harry had his reasons for not wanting to reveal too much about his natural powers, and would usually help him escape the determined doctor.
How would they even handle the thought that magic existed? Let alone that he was a wizard? Would they react like Creevey's parents and just accept that he was different? Would they react like Hermione's family and just have this unspoken tension between them all? Or would they react like the Dursleys and reject him for being able to do things that they couldn't do?
He let out a sigh, trying to ignore the twinge of pain in his chest at the thought of his new friends (Companions? Acquaintances? Something else?) hating him for something beyond his control.
And that wasn't even touching the mass segregation between those from magical and non-magical families. That would be an invitation for disaster, considering the era four of the other cyborgs were from.
He could faintly hear 002 complaining about something from the balcony above him (the red-haired American did that a lot, he'd found. Complain, that is), but he paid little attention to it. He probably wanted to try and mount an assault against Black Ghost, again.
Honestly, did he think defeating people like them would be easy?
Professor Kozumi was such a kind man, letting them stay with him for so long without asking them to help or do anything for him. He seemed happy about having them there. Maybe he missed having his family living with him, he'd mentioned having one. So far, they'd been living with him for nearly three weeks straight, but the man had yet to complain about their presence. Harry opened his eyes and paused.
In the distance were bright red clouds. Normally, as it was evening, this would be a good omen. "Red sky at night, sailor's delight" as the saying went. But something about the way the scarlet clouds twisted angrily against the sky in the distance, looking like vicious claws, sent spirals of anxiety through Harry's body and sent his nerves on edge. He couldn't help remembering a phrase he'd always heard in the world of magic and found himself whispering it out loud.
"Something wicked this way comes."
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~MAGICA~CYBORG~009~~
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The afternoon passed quietly into the evening, which only served to make Harry even more anxious as he waited for the storm to finally hit. Even the other cyborgs were starting to pick up that something was off, though none of them knew what.
Harry leaned against the wall next to 004, fingering the makeshift wand holster hidden under his shirt sleeve (ah, duct tape, truly its uses were endless) and watching 002 pace angrily in front of the drawing-room balcony like a caged tiger. The redhead turned to the room with a snarl.
"How long do you plan to sit around here, doing nothing? Tell me that!" the American said, his voice a mix between angry and frustrated. "We have the means. We've already stolen one of their warships. It's armed and ready to go, let's use it to our advantage! Let's find Black Ghost's headquarters and attack!"
Harry stomped down on the urge to roll his eyes at 002's determination to take the fight to Black Ghost. He would talk about it at nearly every chance he got. He could understand that the American wanted to go out and do something other than wait for the danger to come to them, but they didn't even know where to start looking!
"I don't want to fight anymore." Came the soft, strained voice of 003. She hunched slightly in her seat, her shoulders shaking with suppressed emotion. "Why do we have to fight anyway? Is it because we're cyborgs? Is the world so helpless that it can't even defend itself?"
Harry couldn't help remembering all the times he'd asked himself that when he was at Hogwarts.
It's not that we're the only ones who can fight, it's that we're the only ones who know that there's a need to fight. Harry thought to himself as 003 started crying. It's never fair, but that's just how it is. People won't see what they don't want to see.
"Let somebody else be responsible for once! I'm tired of this!" 003 sobbed out, dropping her face in her hands.
"I feel the same way." Said 007 with a sigh, tugging at his already loose tie. "But all we're doing right now is planning our strategy." The actor paused, before nervously asking, "Uh, by the way, what was it?"
002 'tsked' in frustration.
"Let's stop talking and do something! Alright?" He looked around the room, obviously waiting for someone to jump up and agree with him. No one moved, their heads down and voices silent. Harry could see him gritting his teeth in frustration, his hands clenching at his sides. "Fine, I'll go out there and take on the Black Ghost myself!"
"I'll be sure to send flowers to your funeral," Harry muttered, his patience worn thin by both his nerves and 002's complaints. Unfortunately, the redhead heard him.
"What was that 009?" snapped the red-head, his brown eyes fixing onto Harry's green ones.
In the past, Harry would have immediately backed down upon being confronted, too used to bowing down to the wills of others to bother fighting back. But this time, he felt himself straightening his back and digging in his heels. He needed to at least make sure 002 knew the risks of his plan, before needing someone else to race after him to keep him alive. (Like he always had to do with Ron.)
"Use your head 002, how much do you think one person can accomplish against the veritable army Black Ghost has? The only result I can think of is becoming a martyr. And considering that most people don't even know that Black Ghost exists, that won't do any good." He could tell by the look on 002's face that he'd caught him flat-footed.
"009's right, attacking blindly is pointless." Said 004. "We're only going to be effective if we have a solid plan."
002 seemed to shake himself off before snarkily responding to 004.
"And what plan have you two developed in those empty spaces you call brains? Come on, tell us. I'm sure it's something brilliant!" He said sarcastically. Harry started bristling at 002, green eyes narrowing dangerously in frustration. He faintly registered the vase near him rattling in response to the spike of magic alongside his anger.
"It's Moo-Goo-Pao-Pan!"
Harry jolted in surprise, whipping around. There stood 006, brandishing a large, steaming pan of what looked to be fried rice topped with veggies, chunks of meat, and shrimp, all of it slathered in a thick sauce. He wasn't sure what it was but smelled delicious. The cook chuckled pleasantly at the look Harry gave the pan.
"In English, that means it's something hot and gooey cooked in a pan!" He was sure 006 was kidding, but that didn't stop the food from smelling good. The rest of the room was either quiet or staring 006 with blank expressions. "Wow! Tough room. I think I better serve this later."
Harry stomped down on the urge to pout. That food smelled good, and now that he was finally getting used to eating healthy meals regularly, he wanted some.
"Wait. Try to calm down, 002." Dr. Gilmore said, standing up. "You're never going to get close enough to the Black Ghost to eliminate him, I can assure you of that."
Harry knew that too. He'd seen the man that must've headed the Black Ghost, Skull as Commander Scarl had called him. The one who could appear and disappear like an illusion.
"I was part of the Palace Guard, so to speak, and in all that time I never once saw him in person. His personal security's very tight."
"We don't have to worry about going after them." Said 004, leaning back against the wall. "They'll come after us. We betrayed them, and that isn't acceptable. They'll want revenge."
Harry stuffed his hands into his pockets.
He hated this kind of thing. He hated knowing that there was danger out there, aimed at him or people close to him, but being unable to do anything but wait for it to come. It was like his second year all over again but without the accusing stares of his classmates or the pompous fop claiming to "help" him with his fame.
The lights in the room flickered, quickly and efficiently catching Harry's attention. Once, twice, three times, then they went out. Harry's gut wrenched, as 006 muttered something about a power failure. He felt 004 shift next to him, raising his gun hand. He started fingering the tip of his wand, bracing to whip it out and counter-attack if it was needed.
The handle of the closed door behind 006 rattled slightly, setting the room on edge. Abruptly, the door creaked open, the light of a candle drifting through the widening crack, eerily illuminating Professor Kozumi's features as he stepped into the room. 006 yelped in surprise, accidentally throwing the food he'd made into the air, sending Moo-Goo-Pao-Pan all over the place, and somehow getting the pan to land on his head. This time Harry did pout over the loss of food.
"Oh, Kozumi!" gasped doctor Gilmore, a hand resting over his heart. Clearly, he wasn't the only one on edge right then. The bearded man chuckled.
"Sorry about the lights. The wiring's pretty old in here."
"Jeez," muttered 002. "We almost jumped out of our skins!"
"Or from the frying pan into the fire." 006 said forlornly, looking around at what remained of the group's dinner. He wiped some of the rice from his nose and licked it off his finger. "At least it was good while it lasted."
Harry let out a small chuckle.
A powerful gust of wind blew the balcony curtains open and sent 007's manuscripts flying about the room. 003 jolted.
"Someone's coming!" she gasped and Harry felt his insides vanish. Lightning flashed momentarily, lighting the room as he finally removed his wand from its hiding place, but kept his arm down so it wouldn't be noticed.
"Did they find us?" asked 008, leaning closer to 003. The blonde put a hand to her head.
"I'm not positive, but something's wrong. I'm sensing danger nearby!" She said, a touch of franticness in her tone.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised," Harry said, his voice soft, his insides had returned full of lead. Dread coiling in his gut.
"How many are there?" asked 004.
"And where?" asked 002. "Which direction are they coming from?"
003 closed her eyes, one hand lightly pressed against her head.
"They're coming from the southwest. About 1,200 meters. Wait, I'm sensing two- no, only one." 002 let out a short laugh.
"Just one? That's hardly worth our time. I'll get rid of him." 002 said with a self-confident chuckle. He turned to the open balcony.
"Ah, 002!" called Dr. Gilmore. With a leap, 002 kicked on his leg thrusters and took to the air, undoubtedly headed to take on their mystery foe. "Wait! You don't know what's out there!"
"You can't talk sense to him when he's like this, Doc. You stay here, we'll bring him back in." 004's crystal blue eyes met with Harry's emerald ones and the two shared a nod. The black-haired teen plodded after the German, silently listening as the others followed after them.
Speed changing into this cyborg uniform, Harry hurried after 002. For someone like Skull (Black Ghost, whatever) to only send one person meant that either he was underestimating them, or this one person was incredibly powerful. Harry had learned that much from his struggles against Voldemort. People like them only struck if they fully believed that they could win. Or were egomaniacs who thought they were invincible.
The wizard sprinted ahead of the rest of the group, knowing that there was no way this would be an easy battle. Green eyes widened in shock and worry when they landed on the red-haired figure lying prone on the rocky ground.
"002!"
"Watch out! Stay back, he's on top of the ridge!" Harry stopped, turning his eyes upward to the almost glowing figure standing on the rocks above them. The wizard bristled at the red-eyed gaze staring down at him from a glowing, pale face. 003 rushed past him, kneeling by the injured 002.
"Who are you?" He called. A sinister smirk curled the lips of the strange person.
"Who am I? I'll tell you, I'm 0010!" He proclaimed loudly.
"So… You're like us. Another Cyborg." Harry said, his voice low.
"There are more 00 cyborgs out there that we don't know about?" asked 008. Harry wasn't too surprised by this. Megalomaniacs like Black Ghost had a habit of planning for just about every scenario. The other cyborg, 0010, chuckled.
"That's right. Strictly speaking, I suppose you could say we're like brothers."
"Like brothers?" whispered 003. "If we're brothers, why are we fighting? We're not your enemy! We were generated from the same place. There must be a way we can work this out!"
Part of Harry wanted to point out that being family didn't stop some people from trying to kill each other but kept his mouth shut. He felt the air shift and the glow around 0010 brightened.
"Watch out!" 004 shouted, but it was too late. A streak of lightning shot from 0010's body and hit 003, who screamed in agony as she was blasted off her feet. Harry gasped and dove for cover.
Harry watched as the others attacked 0010, only for each attempt to end with them being injured by the enemy cyborg.
0010 had a terrible advantage over them. He could use electricity as a weapon, and part of their bodies were made of metal. Meaning any time 0010's attacks hit them, the damage was doubled by the make-up of their bodies. And not to mention it messed up the electric flow in their bodies, both natural and unnatural.
He gritted his teeth, wincing when 004 was hit (the German man had the most metal in his body compared to the rest of the group, which meant he'd probably taken the most damage. Especially since he was hit twice), and raced over to check the man's vitals. They were faint, but thankfully still present.
Harry knew he was good at planning, but how could he pull a win from this?
His magic could only do so much, and there was still the chance he may hurt one of the others (or even himself) if he used it. Magic wasn't supposed to work well with technology, even if it hadn't caused him any problems thus far.
"You're the only one left."
Harry turned to face his opponent, eyes narrowed in fury and concentration. He refused to lose this fight, he would not allow the lives of the others to be taken. He hit the acceleration switch in his teeth and moved.
"Go ahead!" laughed 0010 with a vicious grin on his face, and suddenly he was right beside Harry. The wizard stomped down on the urge to curse. 0010 had an acceleration switch too.
It seemed magic was his only option left, it was the only thing Black Ghost couldn't mimic.
But he'd have to time everything just so. He yanked out his blaster and fired, hoping to make an opening in 0010's guard. The electric cyborg dodged and struck him with a bolt of lightning.
Harry couldn't stop the scream of pain that tore from his throat as he felt the electricity rip through his body. Skidding across the ground on his back, he was acutely aware of the rocks digging into him. He could feel his magic kick into overdrive to mend the damage enough for him to get to his feet again. The wizard heard 002 weakly call his number, only to groan in pain as 0010 stomped on his hand.
"No matter how hard you struggle, none of you can beat me. And here's the reason why," said 0010. A small part of Harry was surprised by how un-mocking 0010's tone was. "I took your data from the file and overcame your strengths by developing each one more efficiently. Truly, I'm your brother from hell!"
"Doesn't it mean anything at all that your masters don't care what happens to you?" 003 asked weakly. "Are you aware of how cruel and vicious the Black Ghost organization is? These people have no mercy. They even kill their friends when they no longer serve a purpose! How can you be loyal to someone who doesn't care about you?"
Harry had to admire her determination to talk sense to 0010, to save him from himself. But something told the wizard that it wouldn't work, 0010 felt incomplete. Like something was missing from his energy.
"What an annoying creature you are! Trying to appeal to my humanity when there's not a shred left!" snarled 0010, as something about his demeanor seemed to twist dangerously. "You're useless! I'll end you first! Do you have anything to say to your friends before I vaporize you?"
"Yeah, ever play Field Hockey?" Harry shouted, hitting the switch in his mouth. Then, praying that his insane idea would work, he hit the switch a second time. He knew 0010 had heard him and hit his own switch, yet he was still moving at a crawl. Good, that meant his insane plan did have merit. Harry pulled his magic up as a shield against 0010's electrified body and used his speed and weight to body-check the cyborg away from 003.
The wizard firmly planted his feet, pulling his wand from its hiding place in his sleeve, but holding it in his left hand, while his right held onto his ray-gun.
"You're just postponing the inevitable. You can't stop me, 009. Just surrender to your fate."
"009, don't! If you accelerate anymore your body will fall apart on you." 003 said from her place on the ground, her tone heavy with worry. Green eyes narrowed and a grim smirk pulled at his lips while he pointedly ignored the way his body shook.
"Thanks for the information, 003. But, if I'm going to die, I'd rather go out with a bang than a whimper. Just don't expect it to be easy, 0010." A strange look came over 0010's features, but he nodded.
"Then you'll be the first, but certainly not the last. Are you ready to go?"
Click! The switch was hit, and they were off.
"It's a waste of time! I told you before. My power far surpasses yours. I can easily keep up with you without even breaking a sweat." Harry smirked.
"Yeah, but can you do this? BOMBARDA!" The blasting hex tore through the accelerated space, only just missing 0010, but ripped apart the ground where it hit. Red-eyes widened in shock. Harry knew that, technically, his spell wasn't very high-powered, so he was going to make up for it by pushing as much power as he could into the spells on his own. It would cause him to burn out quickly, but hopefully, he'd be able to beat 0010 before then.
"How- ah yes, your power. I read about that, too, but it won't help you!" Harry didn't respond, firing off another overpowered hex instead. A cutting hex this time. Again, 0010 moved to dodge it, only to be struck by the magnum shot fired from Harry's ray-gun.
The pale cyborg cursed, wrenching away from Harry, gripping his now injured shoulder. He glared at Harry, eyes glowing. A bolt of lightning shot out.
"Pretago Maxima!" A pale, somewhat crystalline shield appeared between Harry and 0010's attack.
To Harry's relief, the spell withstood the attack, though he could feel the strain it was under. 0010 launched himself at Harry as soon as the barrier dropped, but was thrown back by a banishing charm. The Cyborg snarled in frustration.
He smirked suddenly. 0010's glow sharpened, and Harry threw himself back, expecting to dodge an attack. Instead, the electric-powered cyborg gave off a flash like a signal flare, temporarily blinding Harry. Once he finally blinked the spots from his eyes, the wizard realized 0010 was gone.
"What?! Where could he…"
Harry froze, a chill going down his spine, and twisted to look behind him. 0010 gave him a cold smile from a scant few feet behind Harry and blasted him in the back, sending him sprawling at the edge of the cliff. Slowly, he pushed himself up. He groaned in pain as his aching body protested the movement, his magic fighting to mend and maintain his body.
"You're a brave fool, 009. Your powers are impressive, but your acceleration power is limited. Especially if you use it continuously. Didn't the professor mention that to you?" Panting heavily, Harry raised his wand. 0010's body lit up and blasted the wizard with lightning before he could defend himself, sending him over the edge. Harry felt the wind rush past him, barely able to remain awake.
Why am I always falling from high places? Wondered a small, unfocused part of his mind. Every year I'm sent falling from some dangerously high place. Though usually, I'm playing Quidditch when it happens.
Pain rushed up his spine as he hit a hard, flat rock at the base of the cliff, spurring another cry of agony from him. He laid there, struggling to regain his bearings. Feeling the spray of water as the tide splashed against the rock he was laying on.
"Well, well. I see you survived the fall." Green-eyes cracked open to look at the speaker. 0010 stood over him, a frown on his face. "Too bad you won't survive our next encounter."
Harry huffed weakly, trying to push himself up. He felt something cold and wet hit his cheek.
A raindrop. Then another fell. And another.
The skies seemed to open, as a steady shower of rain fell from above. 0010 hummed in frustration, his perpetual glow fading.
"Luck seems to be on your side today, 009. But I'll be back to finish you." He vanished.
Harry flopped down onto his back, looking up at the cloudy sky high above him.
"Thank you, Gaia…" he whispered, and darkness finally claimed him.
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~~MAGICA~CYBORG~009~~
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Albert wasn't sure how long he'd been out, after being blasted by 0010. He just knew that, when he'd come around, everyone was laying battered and beaten on the ground and both 0010 and 009 were missing. Rain fell steadily around them, slowly rousing everyone from unconsciousness.
"003…" he whispered weakly. "Where's 009?"
The French woman looked over at him.
"I-I don't know. He was fighting 0010 and led him away from us, but I lost sight of them just before the rain started." She said, her voice trembling with worry. He stomped down on the urge to curse.
That wasn't good, not at all.
They had to find 009, he couldn't take 0010 on alone and expect to win. A hoot cut through the rain, drawing their attention to one of the rocks high above their heads.
Looking imperiously down at them, was an owl. Snowy white feathers glistening in the darkness, the bird stood out sharply against the dark sky behind it. It hooted again, swooping to a rock closer to them. Albert could faintly see a red and gold collar of sorts wrapped around the owls' neck.
Did that mean it was someone's pet?
He'd heard of people having exotic pets, but owls were a new one to him. The others were slowly pulling themselves off the ground, either trying to find some sign of 009 or staring at their feathered guest with curiosity in their eyes. Albert let out a sardonic chuckle, still looking at the owl from where he was sitting.
"I don't suppose you know where 009 is, do you?" he asked with tired humor. He heard 002 snort, but his attention was on the owl. The owl let out an almost thoughtful sounding hoot, then bobbed its head at him. As if it were nodding. The group had gone very quiet. I can't believe I'm doing this, but if this bird really can understand me… "Can you lead us to him?"
The bird bobbed its head again and took to the air, gliding past the cyborgs and landing on the ground. It hobbled forward a few steps before looking back at them. He could swear it looked like it was saying "Well? Are you coming or what?"
"That isn't an ordinary owl." 005 said shortly, hauling himself to his feet. Albert followed his lead, forcing himself up and stumbling after the Snowy owl.
"Where are you two going? There's no way some bird could lead us to 009!" 002 snapped. He looked back at the American.
"It's better than just sitting in the mud hoping 009 will show up on his own." 008 nodded grimly.
"Yeah, besides, I don't want to be here in case 0010 decides to come back." This time the owl took to the air and stayed there, occasionally looping back to ensure they could keep pace with it.
Suddenly it dove, landing at the edge of the cliff and picking up something in its beak. The bird looked back at them, and Albert saw the strange stick he'd seen 009 carrying around being carefully gripped in the owl's beak.
003 raced forward, kneeling to safely look over the edge. She gasped.
"009!" The German man could feel his heart plummet.
0010 had knocked 009 over the cliff? Was he okay? Did 0010 finish him off? He saw 002 use his thrusters to fly over the edge and, presumably, down to where 009 was. He felt a weight land on his shoulder and heard a muffled hoot in his ear. He turned his head to the owl, who'd perched himself on his shoulder.
No, make that "her", she'd perched herself on his shoulder.
At this range, he couldn't pull his eyes from her large, intelligent, amber eyes. She hooted at him a second time, then brandished the polished stick at him, making him blink in surprise. Gingerly, Albert took it from her. Whatever it was, it seemed important to 009, so he'd hold onto it until the teen could take it back from him.
"Danke, fraulien eule." He murmured to the owl. She seemed to preen slightly at his thanks. He looked back at the cliff-edge as 002 shot up from behind it, 009 hanging limply in his arms.
"Is he okay?" asked 008.
"I can't tell. He looks pretty roughed up, but it doesn't look like he's gonna bite it yet."
"We need to get him to Dr. Gilmore. We don't know if he has any internal injuries from fighting 0010." He said, his metal fist-clenching, while his flesh hand kept a careful grip on 009's strange possession. "002, you're the fastest among us right now, take 009 and fly ahead of us. We'll meet you at Professor Kozumi's."
The redhead nodded, adjusting his grip on 009 and taking to the air. He looked around.
"Come on, let's go."
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~~MAGICA~CYBORG~009~~
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~~EXTRA~~ (because this chapter isn't long enough for my satisfaction)
~Hermione's Plight~
Hermione slammed a book down on a table in the library, muttering a half-hearted apology to Madam Pince. The woman watched her for a moment, a sad look on her face, but for once she didn't reprimand the girl for her rough handling of the school books.
I can't believe them! She thought furiously. Harry's been missing for nearly a year now and they still haven't launched an investigation! How could they just act like nothing's wrong?! And that horrible Umbridge woman! What on earth is the Ministry thinking?
It was a small comfort to know that she wasn't the only one questioning the Ministry anymore.
When the wards around Privet Drive had gone down, Hermione was among the first people to hear that Harry had gone missing. The Order of the Phoenix, a resistance group founded by Professor Dumbledore during the first war against Voldemort, had taken her in earlier in the summer. "For her Protection" since she was a muggleborn and one of Harry's friends.
She'd felt so frustrated when the Headmaster had essentially put her, Ron, and Harry on an information lockdown. They couldn't even tell Harry that something was being done!
Then that idiot Mundungus Fletcher left Harry unguarded so he could buy a bunch of stolen cauldrons (How could Dumbledore have ever trusted the man?) and Harry was attacked by Dementors! (Dementors! In Little Whinging!) Why hadn't anything been done?
Mrs. Figg, a squib who'd lived in the same town as Harry since he was a baby, had even seen them!
She'd said that right after Harry had chased off the Dementors using his patronus, a black car (which, with Hermione's help, they had found out it was a 1995 Lincoln Town Car, fresh off the market with how clean it was) pulled up to the end of the ally between Magnolia Crescent and Privet Drive and two men dressed from head to toe in black had stepped out.
According to her, they'd grabbed Harry, put some sort of mask over his face, and pulled him into the car. Rather forcefully, if Mrs. Figg's description was anything to go by.
She'd hoped that, upon entering Hogwarts, someone would give her good news regarding her missing friend. But it wasn't so. All she'd heard from her fellow students were disses and insults aimed at her missing friend and a growing rift between Ron and herself.
This was made worse by the ministry plant known as Dolores Jane Umbridge, who subtly encouraged the dislike towards Harry. And her quiet plotting had worked, until one quiet, little Ravenclaw girl suddenly walked up to Hermione and loudly asked, in the middle of school dinner, why Harry hadn't been seen for nearly two months even though the school had started and it was well known that he didn't like his muggle relatives. Hermione, her worry, stress, and hurt finally reaching their limit, told her about what she had been told at the start of August.
She could remember the great cacophony of sound that erupted from the hall at her words, and the disappointed look that Professor Dumbledore had given her. She hadn't been able to find it in her to care.
And now it was coming up on the last few months of the school year, and still, there was nothing on Harry's location. But nowhere fellow students were beginning to question the honesty and integrity of their ministry, which was being compounded by Professor Umbridge's harsh, near archaic, punishment of students using illegal Blood Quills. The reputation of Fudge's cabinet was falling fast.
Personally, Hermione hoped Madam Bones would become the next Minister of Magic, she was so much more sensible than the other candidates.
She shifted the books on the table. It was time to start her own search.
If they're not going to search for you, Harry, then I will. Hermione thought, opening the first book, 'Searching for the Lost: A Magical Guide to Search and Rescue' by Ignatius Prewitt, and starting to read.
AN: This isn't as long as the other chapters, but I feel like I made more progress with this than the last chapter. Oh, and for those of you who haven't noticed, usually when I post a new chapter, I also post edited versions of my previous ones. So if you notice something seems to've changed from the previous chapter, that usually means I realized I'd made a mistake and went back to edit them.
In this one, we get to see what's been happening in England via a Hermione-centered Omake. I got the idea for Hermione's book from hearing that Molly Weasley's Uncle, Ignatius Prewitt, was a curse breaker (though at the time it would have been grave robbing). I'd imagine that people going missing was pretty common during their work, so having spells to find their missing teammates seems practical. And now that it's actually considered a profession, I wouldn't be surprised if there really were books of that nature in the school. (he could have donated them since he probably went to Hogwarts himself.)
And Hedwig has appeared! (I love that owl!)
Also, guys, I need a little help. I can't decide when the cyborgs are going to find out Harry is a wizard. I have three points in mind but I can't figure out which to use. So I want you to tell me! The three points are 1) During the search for the Professor; 2) While the group is in England, and finally 3) While the group is fighting Skull. Please tell me which you think is best!
2021 Edit: It is done and here.
