Chapter Eleven: Back From The Dead

November 5th, 1984 / Byers House, Hawkins, Indiana

"Harry,"

"Eleven,"

The two rushed towards each other, meeting in a large hug that made Harry smile all the more. He pulled her close, taking in the smell of a new perfume he knew she hadn't worn before. She had never worn perfume before. But he wasn't going to complain, it smelled nice. Nice? When had that become such a major word in his vocabulary? He summed it up to his new mind and body and pushed it away as he continued the long hug. But it ended too early, with El pulling away from him. She grabbed both of his cheeks, gazing into his eyes as she entered his mind. Harry was surprised for a moment but soon smiled. She had been practicing from his lessons book, which he had left behind in the Hopper Cabin the day he had faked his death. He had left behind lessons for her Legilimency and Occlumency, though he was only sure she could practice Occlumency. But it seemed she had manipulated her telekinesis in a way that allowed her to make a connection to his mind. It was great.

"You're here," She spoke again.

"I am,"

"You died,"

"I faked it,"

"Why?"

The heartbreak behind her eyes broke Harry's heart. He pulled her into another hug, placing his lips right beside her ear. "I needed to keep you and Hopper safe. I couldn't do that if I was with you. Apparently, I'm destined to make life miserable for anyone I come across. But don't worry, I'm not leaving again," At this, she tightened the hug, burying her face into his neck. He returned the hug, entirely aware of those behind him that wanted to greet Eleven. After all, she had been dead to all of them but him and Hopper. But he had done one very large - yet dumb - selfless act and felt he was entitled to a selfish moment between the two of them. And she seemed to agree with him, given how she didn't let go of him until Hopper moved forward to greet them. Mike joined him, pulling Eleven into a tearful hug. But he soon pulled away. "I never gave up on you. I called you every night. Every night for -"

"353 days...I heard,"

"Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" Mike asked.

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper spoke.

"We," Harry clarified.

Hopper ignored him and moved towards El. He took in her new appearance with a disapproving look. Harry was examining her as well, taking in the whiplash he had received from the change of style. The most notable change was her hair, which was combed and gelled back down to her neck. Then there was the large black overcoat, which while looking like it was twice her size apparently fit her perfectly. And underneath it, she wore a black t-shirt, blue jeans, rolled down white socks, and white sneakers. The bottom half of her attire hadn't changed, but everything above her waist had changed drastically. "The hell is this? Where you been?" Hopper asked.

"Where have you been?" Eleven shot back. Harry frowned. Clearly, there were some communication issues going on here. But Hopper pulled El into a one-armed hug. Everything would be ok. Until Mike opened his mouth. "You've been hiding her. You've been hiding her this whole time!" He shoved his hands into Hopper's back, sending the man forward slightly. The kids turned to Harry to see what he would do, but he wasn't paying attention anymore. He was focused on more important things than Mike's hormonal and emotional discharge of anger. What he cared about was how to close the gate leading to the Upside Down, and how he could kill the 'Mind Flayer' once and for all. Nancy and Johnathan seemed to see this shift in attention and joined him at the table alongside Harry's team.

"Ok. We have three goals. One; close the gate to the Upside Down. Two; liberate the Lab and Hawkins of Demodogs before they spread beyond reasonable control. Three; kill The Shadow. If we're lucky, we can do all of these things by simply closing the gate to the Upside Down, which is what we're doing. But the question is how we would be able to do it," Harry explained.

"I'm assuming from the planning that you can't just teleport in there and close it?" Johnathan asked.

"While I can displace myself or even apparate into the building, I wouldn't be able to close the gate. I'm not...connected...to the Upside Down," His gaze fell on Eleven and Will, his smile broadening as everyone else at the table turned as well. Johnathan shook his head, ready to argue, but Harry spoke. "I'm not suggesting going into the Upside Down. But we've established that Eleven and I aren't capable of fighting it alone. And if Eleven can close the gate, then she'll need all the power and support she can get. I'm a powerhouse waiting to explode, and Will's connection to the Upside Down is still there. Deeply rooted in his soul like mine. Only his is stronger," Harry explained. "If we want to end this here and now, we'll need to do it together,"

"Right," Johnathan spoke, swallowing deeply.

"I know you want to protect him, Johnathan. But look at it this way, I was doing much more dangerous things at his age and I'm still alive," That got a grin out of the young man. And it was true. Fighting a giant serpent at the age of twelve was scary. Much scary than a bunch of evil wide-mouthed dogs. Nancy smiled between the two, before bringing forward her own thoughts. "So you will go with Eleven and Will to the Lab in order to shut the gate, while a group of us stays here. What are we supposed to do while you're gone,"

"Cause a distraction," Dr. Huber spoke. All eyes turned to him. He shrugged. "It's classic warfare tactics. Cause a distraction to draw away enemy attention, and then sneak a special ops unit to do the job. Once they're done, you extract them and get out. The same thing applies here. Mr. Potter and his associates will go to the lab to shut down the gates, the group staying here will cause a distraction that will draw the attention of the remaining Demodogs, allowing for Mr. Potter and the others to get in unobstructed to complete their task,"

"Were you in the military or something?" Johnathan asked.

"Marines Special Forces. Served a tour in Vietnam," Huber replied.

"Right. Thank you for your service, Doctor. But we need to stay on topic," Harry spoke. Huber nodded, fixing his posture as he turned his attention to Harry. It made Johnathan and Nancy glance towards Harry. It wasn't every day that you saw an ex-marine scientist old enough to be your dad suddenly divert his whole attention to a young boy. But Nancy had made a good point earlier. Harry wasn't a young fourteen-year-old anymore. He was a nineteen-year-old man stuck in the body of his fourteen-year-old self. It was a tad bit confusing, but the two brushed past it to listen to Harry as he spoke. "Dr. Huber is correct. We've established that The Shadow is a hive-minded creature, meaning that when the vines feel pain, so do the Demogorgons, Demodogs, and even The Shadow itself. So you'll go down to the tunnels and do whatever you can to draw the Demodogs and Demogorgons to you. But once you do, get the hell out of there. I don't want to see anyone hurt,"

"Right. We'll figure out something," Nancy agreed. It would be up to her, Johnathan, and Steve to cause a distraction capable of drawing the Upside Down creatures away from Harry, El, and Will. She wasn't sure if she could do it. But she would most certainly try. "So when do we leave?"


An hour later, Harry sat at the table once more. Only now, it was occupied by himself, the kids, El, Hopper, Joyce, Bob, and the older teens. The doctors had all moved to set up shop in Joyce's room, where they had put the backup equipment that had been stowed away in 'Firebolt-1'. They had been discussing the mission to Hawkins Laboratory, and the plan to close the gate using El, Harry, and Will. Joyce had refused at first, but after Johnathan expressed his trust in Harry's ability to protect Will, as well as Harry's promise to die before letting harm come to either El or Will, she decided to let it go. After all, Harry had saved her son's life and his creation has helped her save her other son. She trusted him to protect them.

Hopper stated he would be joining them on their trip to the Lab, and Harry didn't argue. It was smart. If anything happened to Harry or El, Will would be defenseless against anything The Shadow threw at him. He would need Hopper. So it was decided. Just like they had a year prior, the group split into teams. Only this year there were three. Team One; Harry, Hopper, El, and Will. Team Two; Nancy, Steve, Johnathan, Dr. Huber, and a few members of his squad. Team Three; The remaining doctors, Joyce, Bob, and the kids. At this announcement, they began to complain that they couldn't sit on the sidelines. Not while they waited for their friends to come back alive, injured, or worse. They wouldn't.

"You will. It's not safe," Harry spoke.

"Says who?" Mike asked defiantly.

"Says the person who faced a Dark Lord a half-dozen times, killed a sixty-foot snake, killed someone at the age of eleven, fought off a hundred soul-sucking monsters, survived an entire wizarding war, and fought and killed a genetically mutated monster designed specifically to kill me. So I'm pretty sure I'm the king of knowing when something's too dangerous," This seemed to silence the kids, but Mike was still visibly frustrated. Harry ignored the kid and focused on the task at hand. He readied himself, trying his best to focus. But it became increasingly difficult as fear began to spread through his body. Harry didn't want to die so quickly after being reborn. But despite the fear running through his mind, Harry's exterior showed nothing but calm. Something that seemed to help the others push past their own fear and nervousness.

Nancy joined him on the couch after several moments. "So what are the doctors doing while we're gone?"

"They're well informed on extraterrestrial and magical biology. They'll be examining one of the Demodogs remains to determine a way to kill them all in one fell swoop. That is if shutting the gate doesn't do it," Harry explained. His gaze fell on his team, who had the dead Demodog positioned on the dining table. It would take a few hours to perform the autopsy in such a condition, but they had time and nowhere else to do it.

"How are you so calm?"

"Calm? I'm absolutely terrified," Harry replied with a slight smile. She returned it, but Nancy clearly had questions. But they could be asked and answered at a later date. It was time. Slowly getting up from the couch, Harry addressed the three teams. "The job is simple. We split up and get this done as quickly as possible. Dr. Huber and Dr. Owens each have mirrors tethered to my own, so we'll be able to stay in contact with each other. When we've reached the Lab, it will be up to Team Two to cause the distraction. Once the Demodogs are gone, we'll close the gate and end this,"

"Mirrors?"

"Their enchanted," Harry replied. He pulled out his own small mirror and spoke. "Dr. Huber," At once, the mirror within Dr. Huber's pocket began to vibrate, only stopping when he removed and answered it. Everyone gathered to look and was shocked to see that they could see each other through the mirrors. "These have been spelled after the mirrors my father and his best friend used during the first war. They can be used from any distance, so you don't have to worry about connection issues," Harry explained. They all seemed to understand, though a few had caught onto his saying 'first war'. The kids and Hopper knew about the Second Wizarding War that had technically begun at the end of Harry's fourth year, but he hadn't told anyone about the First War. "So...everyone ready?"


Team One / November 5th, 1984 / Hawkins Laboratory, Hawkins, Indiana

With a swirl of black and a faint 'POP!', Harry Potter, Eleven, Hopper, and Will Byers appeared within the Hangar of Hawkins Lab. The Demodogs were gone now, but there were a few that could be heard in the stairwell. Harry loaded them into the Firebolt-4, entering the pilot seat as he shut the doors behind them. It was a new part of the plan, but he was genuinely curious to see if this would work. Eleven took a seat in the co-pilot seat, while Will and Hopper strapped into a seat in the cargo bay. "What are we doing, Harry?" Eleven asked. Harry answered her question a moment later when the enchanted mirrors appeared in front of them, revealing the outside. El's amazement at the display only increased when Harry pressed the blue button on the center console.

Everything began to shift and change, and before they knew it they were the size of a small rock. They sat still in the center of the hangar, but now everything appeared gigantic. It had worked. Eleven's scared expression only made Harry chuckle lightly as he went into an explanation. "This is our latest model. I outfitted it with exterior magical runes that powered a massive shrinking charm. With the push of this button, I can shrink and enlarge us. I'm not sure if it enlarges from the base form into something bigger, but I'm sure we'll have time to test that eventually," With a turn of the gear and step on the pedal, Harry lifted the ship off of the ground. They flew out of the hangar with ease, flying up the stairwell. The presence of artificial gravity seemed to ease El and Will's mind, seeing as there were no G's pushing down on them as they flew upwards within the stairwell.

"Why are we going up?" Will asked.

"This stairwell is designed to get down to the hangar. We need to get to the second-floor stairwell to get down to the gate," Harry replied, leveling the ship as soon as they reached the large door labeled '2'. It was open, which wasn't a good sign, but Harry pushed on further. He pulled them up to the ceiling, being careful to ensure that the Demodogs below them could not just jump up and swallow them whole. Of course, he would be able to get out if they did, but it wasn't something he wanted to see through the enchanted mirrors. "Status Team One," Dr. Huber called out through the mirror. Hopper answered.

"We're in the Lab and are on the way to the gate. What about you guys?"

"We've just reached the tunnels with Mr. Potter's portkey, and have decided that a fire should do the trick. We're repelling now and waiting for your signal," Dr. Huber replied. He turned the mirror around and showed them the tunnels, where there were a dozen of Huber's guards standing around several tanks of gasoline. It seems they came prepared. Then the connection ended, and Hopper returned the mirror to his bag. Harry continued flying, reaching the second-floor stairwell. Only it wasn't open. And the radar caught almost fifteen Demodogs within the stairwell. If they were swallowed by one, sure he could get out. But Harry wasn't sure how the ship would handle being eaten more than...five times.

"Hey, Hopper. Any chance you know how to fly?"

"What's the plan?"


Harry Potter jumped out of Firebolt-4 with a parachute strapped around his chest. From this height with the shrinking of both him and the ship, he wasn't sure if he would regrow outside of the ship's wards and runes, or if he would have to regrow himself back to normal height. It looked like the former. He shot back up to his former weight, falling face-first onto the floor as the parachute pressed into his back. Harry couldn't help but let out a groan in pain. This wasn't fun. But he quickly got to his feet, discarding the chute with ease as he readied himself for a fight. The Firebolt-4 was still hovering beside the door, waiting for it to open. And at Eleven's size, there was no way in hell she was opening something so large.

He quickly opened the door, keeping it open only long enough for the ship to get through. Harry then took a step down the stairs, black orbs returning above his palms as he took each step slowly and carefully. Then it happened. A dozen Demodogs all swarmed up the stairs towards him, while more jumped up the middle at high speeds using the railings. Harry didn't waste time and opened fire. He hit two of them on their way up through the middle, kicking them back into those behind him. They fell all the way to the bottom, a yelp of pain running through the air. Six down, thirteen to go. He tossed a ball of fire towards the closest, before firing a green curse he knew all too well at another.

He continued throwing spells as the Demodogs drew closer until one came too close. He was forced to remove a knife from his belt, slamming it into the underside of the Demodogs neck as it let out a loud roar. He then kicked it away, watching as it too fell to the depths of the stairwell. With the Demodogs solely focused on Harry, Firebolt-4 took a nose-dive down the center of the stairs, reaching the lower levels easily. He just hoped they made it to the gate with no trouble while he made his way to join them. Conjuring a burning whip of white flames, Harry swung towards the stairs below him, watching with joy as the whip cut clean through the concrete staircase. With another whip, the section containing most of the Demodogs crumbled and fell, producing more painful yelps as they fell to the ground below.

Taking a page out of their book, Harry lept over the railing, soaring down the middle of the staircase before he caught himself on a lower railing. He swung his legs forward, letting go as he was sent flying through an open doorway leading into sub-level three. Harry sprinted forward, getting deja-vu of his running through this corridor a year earlier. But this time he wasn't running away. Harry was sprinting towards the problem that haunted this town for over a year. And he would finish his goals this time. He wouldn't fail them again.


Team Two / November 5th, 1984 / Upside Down Tunnels

Team Two appeared just over the tunnels with a loud crack, appearing within the Upside Down along with all of their supplies. The team consisted of Dr. Robert Huber, his squad of eight guards, Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, and Johnathan Byers. They all carried their own jug of gasoline, while the security squad was outfitted with the Lab's flamethrowers. It had been the only thing the team could think of that would cause damage to the vines, and thus cause damage to the Demodogs and The Shadow. So they readied themselves for the signal, waiting in silence as his team worked on repelling more fuel down from the trucks that had been left behind the night before. It had been a long day, and they hadn't slept. Robert was sure the day would last even longer.

After several minutes of waiting, Robert pulled out his mirror and contacted 'Mr. Potter'. "Status Team One,"

It was Chief Hopper that replied. "We're in the Lab and are on the way to the gate. What about you guys?"

"We've just reached the tunnels with Mr. Potter's portkey, and have decided that a fire should do the trick. We're repelling now and waiting for your signal," Robert turned the mirror up towards the hole in the ceiling, where they were repelling the fuel down. Robert didn't receive an answer as the mirror shut off, the connection ended. He placed the mirror back into his pocket and took a look around him. Wheeler seemed distressed and was being comforted by the eldest Byers child. And the Harrington boy was clutching his nailed-bat with white knuckles. But his team was calm and collected. Something that was gained from years of military expertise and training. But even with his own training, Robert couldn't help but be a small bit afraid. This was something they had never faced before, and Robert wasn't sure what to expect. Anything could happen.

"Team Two? This is Team One, we're in position," The voice of Chief Hopper spoke.

Robert retrieved the device once more and replied. "You got it, Team One. Team Two is in position. Just waiting for the go-ahead,"

"Do it now," Hopper called out. Robert didn't need to be told twice. He motioned for those of his men that didn't have flamethrowers and the kids to begin to dump their several gallons of gasoline all over the large hub area. And while they did that, those who had flamethrowers began to burn into the paths leading away. It soon started the chain reaction they were looking for, seeing as each path soon caught fire. The entire underground was filled with wild screams as the vines either died or pulled away towards safety. "They're coming!" One of Robert's men shouted. And they were. Hundreds of shadows could be seen around the corner, and the shadows only grew larger and closer until the first Demodogs rounded the bend. They were sprinting right into gunfire and a blaze of flames.

"Evacuate now!" Robert shouted. But when he turned back to the hole, he began to panic. The rope had been cut. They had no way out.

"What the hell?!" Steve Harrington exclaimed, swinging his bat into the head of one of the few Demodogs that had broken through the fires. Robert picked up one of the spare rifles, and fired out towards the boy, putting three rounds into the thing's head. The boy seemed grateful, but the two soon turned back towards the army of Demodogs sprinting towards them. He had lost three men already, and there were still more coming. They wouldn't last more than a few more minutes down here without some sort of way out. Robert had to find a way.


Team One

Harry jumped down the large opening that had become present within the large lab room. The makeshift elevator had already been taken down, meaning that they were already in the process of closing the gate. Once he spotted them below, Harry banished himself into the wall, tendrils firing out of his back as they shot into the wall. He skids to a stop, his tendrils digging into the wall as he gazed at the sight in front of him. The elevator was positioned in front of the massive gate. Eleven had her right-hand outstretched, while her left hand clung to Will's right. Hopper was searching their surroundings with a rifle in hand. With a great leap, an 'Arresto Momentum', and a bit of accuracy, Harry landed softly on the elevator, surprising Hopper and Will.

"We're clear. The diversion worked," Harry spoke. Hopper gave him a firm nod, before turning back to his surveillance. Harry turned towards Eleven and smiled. She was doing it. She was closing the gate. It was slow and steady, but it was working. He grabbed her right hand, pulling it down as he outstretched his own. Eleven understood and began to focus her power on Harry and Will, who both outstretched their hands. It was then that Harry understood what exactly had happened to Will in the other place. He had been gifted with Harry's power. Because while Harry began to glow a faint white color due to the magic radiating off of him, a similar yet far fainter glow appeared around Will. He wasn't sure if Will was intending to or not, but he was channeling magic towards the gate. '

That was astonishing. Did that mean he could give magic and power to anyone as long as they had a previous connection? Or was a connection necessary? Questions flooded Harry's mind, but his main train of thought was focused on the gate. Eleven's power was beyond what it had been many months before. It's as if it had doubled or tripled, and it overwhelmed Harry as she used him as a conduit. But he allowed himself to be used, his hand acting as a guide for Eleven's power as she tried to shut the gate. And they were close. They had closed nearly half of it when The Shadow began to fight back. El took her hand from Harry's, outstretching it just in time to stop the line of shadows swirling towards them in its tracks. Harry quickly grabbed her shoulder to re-establish the connection, they continued to fight.

Gunshots ran out around them, though Harry chose not to focus on that. They were almost done. The gate was almost closed completely and the swirl of black was retreating. Except for a tiny sliver. But everything happened so fast. For Hopper, it took only a second. The Demodogs all went still and fell to their deaths below. Eleven and Will both collapsed onto the floor of the elevator in exhaustion, the gate closed shut, and Harry...Harry was gone. The Shadow had pulled him through. It was the only explanation he could come up with. Harry was trapped in the Upside Down.


Team Two

"We need to get the hell out of here!" Johnathan Byers exclaimed at the top of his lungs as he began to fire wildly towards the Demodogs using one of the many rifles that had been dropped or left behind for backup. By now, everyone had a gun. They were all holding a tight semi-circle below the hole, trying their best to fend off against the Demodogs that continued to funnel towards them. "Hey!" Robert's eyes shot up towards the hole, and he couldn't help but smile. The Wheeler boy was there with his friends, holding a spare rope that had been in the van. He tossed it down, grabbing hold of the top end as the kids began to wait for a pull.

"Tie it to the wench!" Robert exclaimed. He would feel a bit more comfortable putting his weight on the wench than on a bunch of kids. They did so, tying the rope into a knot around the wench. Once they were done, Robert instructed the kids to go first. Nancy Wheeler pulled herself up first, followed by Steve Harrington and Johnathan Byers. Once they were safe above, Robert followed. But that was it. His men were being overwhelmed and it didn't look like they would make it. One of the Demodogs let out a loud roar, and like clockwork, the other Demodogs all roared as well. And then they all collapsed. Everything slowed to a stop. All was silent. They had survived the worst of it all. Team One did it.

"They did it," Nancy Wheeler breathed.

"Yeah. They did it," Robert replied. He pulled out his mirror. "Harry Potter," Chief Hopper replied after a few moments. He wore a facial expression that Robert couldn't make out, but it was clear something was wrong. "Status?"

"The gates closed. But Harry's gone,"

"Gone?" Johnathan asked.

"That...thing took him," Hopper replied.

Mike frowned. "The Mind Flayer took him?"

"Yes,"

"How do we get him out?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know," answered Hopper.

"We need to open the gate and get him," Dustin decided.

"No. Not even an option," Hopper countered. "He wouldn't want us risking letting that thing back out just to get him. It's Harry. He'll find a way out,"

"And if he doesn't? And becomes one of the Mind Flayers slaves?" Mike asked. Everyone stilled at the prospect. Harry Potter as their enemy would mean the end of everything as they knew it. Eleven wouldn't stand a chance, and there was no way that Hawkins Lab or the government could stop him. But even after bringing up that possibility, the team still seemed split. They wanted to get Harry out of there before anything dangerous happened, but there were many who understood the risks. They would be re-opening their world to The Shadow immediately after closing the gate. And several there knew well enough that Harry could take care of himself. After several minutes, a decision was made. They would keep the gate closed, and wait for Harry to return. And in the meantime, they would prepare for the worst.