The Lightsaber
By: Tellemicus Sundance
#12: MagiTech's Grand Opening

Greenwich Borough, London
December 22, 1995

Catching her footing as she landed in the Floo, Tonks barely avoided slamming her face against the ash-ridden and charred bricks of the fireplace. Taking a few short seconds to reorient herself and find her balance, she ducked under the mantle and entered the warehouse's break room. The blinds of the windows were all lowered, blocking the blinding morning sunlight and hiding her magical arrival. With a wave of her wand, she cleaned herself of the ash and dust that the Floo left behind.

"Morning, Tonks," a masculine voice spoke up from the other side of the room. It was Derek Smith, one of the new employees of the factory and a member of the Brotherhood Werewolf Pack that was based here in London. The man was in his mid-thirties and had the appearance of a typical rugged factory worker, seated at one of the tables as he ate a large medium-rare cooked steak and eggs for breakfast.

"Morning," she greeted, trying to keep her partial unease out of her voice and stance. Though she agreed with Harry, Sirius, and Remus on every level of this discussion, the fact that nearly all of their new employees were Werewolves still caused automatic discomfort and fear to rise in her, understandable though it was. She had been raised and taught all her life that Werewolves were bloodthirsty monsters who loved to spread their curse among the innocent, and her training as an Auror only compounded the teachings.

Intellectually, she knew that many of the Werewolves were just as much victims as they were monsters and that most didn't wish to spread the curse. However, such deeply-ingrained antagonistic thinking against them was hard to overcome on such short notice. So, in a way, she was kinda glad when she learned that the Werewolves had decided to rename themselves. They would now and forever after be named 'Lycans'. She guessed that this was their way of separating themselves from the rabid beasts they had been before they'd finally be cleansed.

"Have you seen Harry today?" she asked, trying to override her instinctive unease by focusing on what she had to do.

Smith nodded, pausing in his meal to swallow. "I saw him playing around with the Dursley boy when I got here, back in the R&D section again."

Nodding, she thanked the Werewo—Lycan, and quickly headed for the door. She emerged into a long, high-roofed warehouse building, stretching several hundred meters in either direction, but barely fifty paces to the wall directly in front of her. Lining the center of this vast building were several dozen assembly lines and factory machinery that she had very little idea of what their purposes were. The din of the factory and the many machines was positively deafening for Tonks' simple human ears. She couldn't imagine just how agonizing it must've been for the enhanced senses of the Lycans, even if they were wearing earplugs. Along each of those assembly lines were about ten to twenty Lycan workers who were going about their work with a diligence and enthusiasm that was quite surprising to see in the aforementioned setting. Tonks may have grown up in the Wizarding World, but even she had heard horror stories of just how uncaring, annoying, and monotonous factory jobs were in the Muggle World. So seeing a large group of employees actually seeming to enjoy such a repetitious job was surprising and even a little bit heartwarming.

Turning right, she walked at a relaxed pace along the wall, making sure to stay away from the broad yellow line that was painted on the floor. A boundary line to keep pedestrians out of harm's way of the powered equipment, like the large forklift that drove past her, carrying a large pallet full of what looked like large skateboards or surfboards.

Up ahead was a walled off portion of the factory floor, scarcely taking up a fifth of the overall building. Reaching the door to that section, she typed the simple eight digit code and waited for the red light to flash green. Entering the new section, the noise level was greatly reduced to being just an annoying buzzing and whining sound that was easily ignored. There were scattered tables strewn about the area, each filled with various pieces of gadgets, machinery, or other stuff that she couldn't immediately identify with two or three workers at each station.

Passing quietly by these stations, she headed further back inside to where there was a sudden loud roar of jet engines and strong gusts of wind blowing. Reaching a fenced off observatory, she looked down into a basement-like lower section that ran under the entirety of the main factory floor. Immediately within her field of vision was a ring of machinery circling a central area, numerous wires and cables that connected everything to everything else. But what instantly drew her attention was the brightly colored and armored form that was standing in a slight crouch as he balanced upon the device he was riding. The device was one of those skateboards she'd glimpsed earlier, only larger and quite clearly more dangerous. She could see armor decorating the device, with a couple of unloaded weapon ports, and a reinforced engine attached to one end of it.

"Okay, Dudley!" one of the techs yelled from the side, barely heard over the engine's roar. "We've reached the engine's maximum stability rpm! Ease up and come down!"

The rider just gave a mute thumb's up with one hand. A few short seconds later, the roar of the engine began to quiet down to just a dull rumble. A few moments later, the device began to lower down out of the air, clearly following the mental commands that the rider was sending to it via the special helmet and armor he was wearing. It landed with a surprisingly dainty grace upon a rack that stood underneath it.

A sudden and familiar sensation of a warm breeze washing over her was Tonks' only warning before an equally familiar figure leaned into the railing next to her. "Too bad the engine is still so loud. I'd love to be able to take one of those out for a spin one of these nights. Give it a thorough flight test."

"Then I'd actually have to arrest you, Harry," Tonks pointed out, grinning at the teenager next to her as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Or at least I will have to until you've actually had your little 'grand opening'."

Harry just laughed out, glancing at her with those shining green eyes that she'd come to adore in recent weeks. "That's assuming you could even catch me, Auror. And I'll have you know that I was almost untouchable in the air, even before my Sorcery!"

"Your competition must've been pretty lousy then," she quipped back.

"True," Harry admitted, nodding. "But that doesn't change the facts any… So, why're you here?"

Tonks glanced again at Harry with a deep pout on her full lips, mock-tears forming in her now large blue eyes, and her hair turning long and black to reveal her 'sadness'. "Awww, that just hurts, Harry. I couldn't have just come by to see a certain somebody? I have to have a reason to come and visit this drastic and blatant violation of the Statute of Secrecy? You've gotten so mean lately!"

"You know," Harry said in a nonchalant voice. "That might have had more of an effect if I couldn't sense your deep amusement and anticipation."

"Phooey!" Tonks cursed, grinning good-naturedly as her hair returned to its usual bubblegum pink. "Foiled again!" As she looked back down into the pit below, Tonks couldn't help but ask, "Could you please explain to me again just how you guys managed to create these…hoverboards?"

"Oh, it's a very long and complicated explanation but the simple version is we figured out that we can use electricity to generate and sustain magic," Harry explained easily. "Even a simple AA-battery-powered electric motor, turning a runic wheel, can and will provide a long-lasting and renewable charge of magic. That magic is then channeled through a series of wires and electricity-to-magic adapters and converters into another rune array in the engine that creates a weak version of the Flight charm that's used on brooms. To give the hoverboard riders more options, we can even add in small 'jet engines' for extra propulsion and height."

"Wow," Tonks said, once again awed by the sheer simplistic brilliance of it all. "Magic and electricity. I've always been taught and thought that they were incompatible with one another."

"Only in areas of high magical density, like Hogwarts or very old magical homes," Harry said, returning his gaze down to his cousin as he finished picking apart his carbon fiber flight armor. The armor was as much protection for him against the 'military-grade' hoverboard they were testing as it was for actual live-combat simulations they were planning on having in the up-and-coming testing phase. "And the hoverboard is only one of the products we're going to be selling."

"Whose idea was all this again?" she asked.

"Dudley may have started it," Harry answered, smiling at the memory. "He wanted me to make him something he once saw on the telly. But it was Sirius who organized all this…well, Sirius and Mr. Weasley, with a lot of help from the Lycans." Harry still didn't know just how Sirius managed to convince Arthur to agree with helping him on this 'endeavor' but the Weasley patriarch has long-since wholeheartedly embraced it and his passion of tinkering and combining Muggle gadgets with magic. Unsurprisingly, Arthur was the lead researcher of the Research and Development Department, having officially retired from his job in the Ministry of Magic.

Tonks nodded, making sure to remind herself to have a long discussion with her Black relative about doing questionable things like this again in the near-future. Losing interest in what was happening down below now that the flight test had ended, Tonks turned to fully face the fugitive teenager next to her. Seeing that she was finally getting serious, Harry also turned to face her as she reached into her pocket and pulled out something. Opening her hand, there rested a softly glowing blue crystal. Between her duties as an Auror and participating in several missions of the Order of the Phoenix, the construction of Tonks's lightsaber had gone very slowly in the past month since Harry felt it best that she actively takes part in it, rather than him doing it all for her. The only thing now missing from its completion was the focusing crystal…but not anymore.

"I followed the directions you gave me," Tonks said unnecessarily. She couldn't understand it, but showing Harry her crystal felt somehow…intimate, though she didn't know why. "I even did a bit of experimenting with this last night and found something interesting."

"Oh, what'd you find?" Harry asked, clearly interested.

Smiling deviously, she closed her fist on the crystal as she brought her other hand up and forward. With a muttered word, she conjured a yellow rose in her empty palm. Her devious grin only widened as she saw Harry recoil in surprise and astonishment, staring at the flower she'd conjured. "I can use my crystal in place of my wand."

"Incredible!" Harry gasped out, eyes shining they bounced between the rose, her crystal, and her face. "Why didn't I think of that?! You're brilliant, Tonks!"

"Aw, do go on!" she said, positively preening under his praise. Neither of them realized just how close they had gotten to one another as Harry leaned closer to examine the flower and Tonks wanted to better see his expression.

"Am I interrupting something?" a teasing voice called down from above them, causing both Tonks and Harry to flinch back away from one another in surprise. "Apparently I am." It was Sirius, clean-shaven, freshly-groomed, and dressed in a Muggle business suit (which gave him a very odd, but still quite handsome, appearance) standing upon a balcony that led into a nearby office. "Harry, get up here. You've got a visitor. Tonks, don't go seducing my godson while he's on the job."

"What?!" both of them cried out, both equally surprise, embarrassed, and appalled by Sirius's blatant accusation.

"You heard me!" Sirius barked, grinning down at his young relative and godson before turning and strutting away proudly.

After a moment to recollect themselves, Harry finally turned to Tonks with a strained grin. "Sorry about him…Um, if you're looking for your hilt, I left it in your locker in the break room. Also, please don't use the saber until we've had time to practice with it. I don't want you to hurt yourself accidentally."

"Right…" Normally, she'd have followed up his concerned recommendation with some light teasing, but Sirius had riled her up in several ways that even she didn't want to admit to. She was so not trying to seduce Harry! The kid was like ten years younger than her! "I'll keep that in mind. See you later, Harry."

Sirius's Office, MagiTech Factory, London

"Harry Potter sir!" a loud, happy voice cried as a small figure flung itself upon his legs and hugged him tightly. "Dobby is happy to see you again, live and well!"

"D-Dobby?!" Harry stuttered out in surprise, recoiling and almost tripping for a moment before catching himself. Smiling awkwardly down at the House-elf, Harry patted the little creature's bald head tentatively. "It's nice to see you again. How are you doing?"

"Dobby is doing well, Harry Potter sir," Dobby answered, looking up at the teenager with wide and shining eyes. "Dobby was worried about Harry Potter when he was forced to leave the school after bad wizards attack him. This is first chance Dobby was allowed to leave to find his friend. Dobby happy to see Harry Potter sir is in good health."

As the elf was speaking, Harry had gently pried himself free, kneeling down and drew the elf into a hug. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I didn't have a choice but to leave in a rush. The Minister of Magic has been wanting to imprison me ever since I told him about Voldemort's return. And now he probably thinks I'm some kind of super-Dark Lord trying to conquer Britain."

"This is true, Harry Potter sir," Dobby agreed, nodding his head against Harry's shoulder. "Dobby has seen many bad things starting to happen in Hogwarts. Many bad things."

"Bad things?" Harry asked, sitting back so he could look at Dobby's expression. "Like what?"

"The bad woman professor is trying to control school," Dobby said, looking very unhappy at the mention of whatever Umbridge was clearly up to. "She creates very strict and mean rules, bad punishments, refuses students to practice magic, and is using potions to learn bad stuff about them."

"That is…bad," Harry managed to say, his anger obvious in both his voice and his expression.

"On the positive side, the little guy brought a few letters for you from your friends," Sirius spoke up from where he was leaning against the edge of his desk, watching to two friends reconnect. The aforementioned letters sat in a little wrapped bundle on the desk.

"Oh, Dobby does have good news!" the House-elf said, perking up suddenly.

"What's that?"

"Horse-man in forest ask to speak with Harry Potter sir, very soon," Dobby said. "He say it very important…very soon!"

"Horse-man?" Harry asked, somewhat confused.

"You mean the Centaurs?" Sirius asked, standing up straight from his slouch as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, Sirius Black sir," Dobby nodded to the man before returning to stare up at Harry. "He say come very soon!"

"Okay," Harry said, nodding. "Can you take me to him?"

As Dobby was nodding, Sirius quickly spoke up, "Be careful, Harry. Centaurs are very aggressive and proud. Merely dangerous at the best of times. Keep your guard up."

"I'll be fine," Harry reassured his godfather. He understood why the man wasn't trying to include himself. With Dumbledore kicked out of the school and unable to give some much-needed protection, the danger of Sirius returning to Hogwarts was now at an all-time high, even the Forbidden Forest was too close for even a passing visit. "Don't worry, I've got Dobby to watch my back after all."

Dobby's happiness and beaming smile easily matched the brightness of the morning sun outside at that statement.

– Inspired by Thatdude2106's "Jedi Knight" –

Forbidden Forest

"Firenze?"

Harry looked around, trying to find his mentor and the one he assumed had called for him. Dobby had kept his eyes open and his head spinning as he looks around for the centaur and any potential dangers to the young Sorcerer. After only a moment, a presence makes Harry turn around, cautiously reaching for his wand that was strapped to his waist. Harry moves in front of Dobby as the House-elf stays behind him, still looking around any hidden dangers while giving the occasional glance at the duo with a curious look.

A figure comes out from the tree line making Harry tense further. "Bane," grits Harry, knowing the Centaur didn't really like him or any human for that matter. "What have you done with Firenze?"

Bane walks forward. The centaur comes to a stop a few feet from Harry. Emerald and silver eyes stare at one another. Neither is willing to back down from the other. Dobby reaches out, grabbing Harry's hand and preventing him from drawing his wand. "Don't worry, Harry Potter sir. This is the Horse-man who asked to see you." Harry looks at him in surprise as Dobby gives a reassuring smile. Relaxing, Harry lowers his arm and breathes slowly, fighting to keep his emotions and unease in check.

"Harry Potter, I have come to speak with you on friendly terms. I have come alone," says Bane.

Harry can tell that Bane is speaking the truth. "What do you want to talk about?"

The Centaur grits his teeth before Bane takes a deep breath to calm down. "My people are dying. The once proud race of the Centaurs is fading away as time goes on. In another century or two, the Centaurs will be no more." Harry hides his surprise at hearing such words. To think that the leader of the Centaurs would admit so openly to him this knowledge, it makes him wonder what Bane's true intentions are for coming to him. "As leader of the Centaurs, I refuse to allow such a thing to happen. The stars foretell of a grand magical war that is coming, that will bring about much destruction and death. A war among wizards and witches and Sorcerers and Muggles that will bring about a change to the magical world… Centaurs do not get involved in such affairs. It is not our way to get involved in the matters of others. However, to save my people, I believe it is time to change our traditions."

"What are you saying?" asks Harry. "You want to fight with us?"

"No," replies Bane. "We will fight with you."

"I don't understand…"

Bane gives a knowing look. "Harry Potter, this war that is coming is focused around you and a dark one of immense power. Should you win, this world will be saved. Should he win, the Centaurs will be destroyed, along with the rest of the world."

Harry stands tall with an unwavering resolve. "I will defeat Voldemort."

A frown forms on Bane's face. The Centaur gives a look of respect. "The future is unknown, even to my people. But what we do know is this: the one called Voldemort is but a mere child in both power and ambition. The dark one that must be stopped is far greater and more dangerous than you can possibly imagine."

Bane walks forward and holds out his hand. "However, I believe that you can and will prevail against this threat. You have accomplished some truly remarkable feats already, much more than a normal mere child has any right to claim. Recently, our foreseers have noticed a strange...disturbance in the stars and, especially, the moon. They believe that something momentous with those feral beasts of the full moon has occurred." At this statement, the Centaur looked pointedly down at Harry, who couldn't help shuffling about a bit in embarrassment and was unable to meet the proud leader's gaze. Seeing that his suspicions had been more or less confirmed, Bane continued, "I also suspect that there's so much more that I don't know of and with lots more to come. I, Bane, leader of the Centaurs, pledge my allegiance to Harry Potter. In return, I wish for Harry Potter's help in finding a way to save my people."

Harry stares at the extended hand. He can't believe that Bane, leader of the Centaurs, is offering an alliance to him. Intellectually, Harry knows that a war cannot be won by a single person or even a small group of people. Voldemort and his Death Eaters have many resources, and this 'dark one' probably has even more. In order to defeat them, he will have to work with Dumbledore and many others. Still, he never saw himself as a leader. As a person that people will turn to take them into battle and make heavy decisions. Dumbledore is a leader with great wisdom and power. And yet Bane is not going to Dumbledore for an alliance. The Centaur leader sought him out. The Centaur sees him as an adult and leader. "I don't think I am…"

Bane gains a hard look. "A war is coming, whether you are ready or not. I do not trust Dumbledore or any other of your people." He stares deep into Harry's eyes. "Firenze told me that you are different, that I can place my trust in you. It is why I am here. I will not make this offer a second time. We fight together or not at all."

Harry's emerald eyes harden. If he is really serious about fighting Voldemort and whatever evil steps up to follow, then it is time he steps up to the plate. He needs to believe in his abilities and start to gain allies. A hand reaches out clasping Bane's hand. "I, Harry Potter, will do my best to find a way to help you save your people."

Dobby watches as Harry and Bane shake hands. It would later be seen as the first true alliance that marked the buildup to the beginning of the war.

MagiTech Industries Home store, Newham Borough, London
January 1, 1996

The cold was biting and the snow was wet. Both of these conditions made for a very unpleasant traveling experience on foot or by vehicle. It was in the early afternoon, the various schools and universities had all been largely released and there was swarms of children and young adults walking or riding home. Many of them were heading towards their favorite hangouts or shopping centers that were nearby. It was near one of those shopping centers that the students received a bit of a surprise.

The new building next to the mall that had been under construction for the past two months now had large and prominent balloons decorating the parking lot and hanging off various parts of the building entrance and front. A pair of large and brightly-colored signs with the words 'GRAND OPENING' was hung above both the entrance doors and the parking lot. The building itself was rather standard in overall appearance, square with high-reaching blue-tinted windows. The building had the name of MagiTech Industries; a stylized 'M' that looked suspiciously like an upside-down 'W' and a 'T' that strongly resembled a sword. Both of these letters were laid upon a shield, giving the appearance that they were the family sigil of a medieval aristocratic family.

Suitably curious by the strange new store, the students began gathering in front of it, awaiting for the appointed time for it to open its doors. Not even ten minutes later, an employee approached and unlocked the door. "Please, come in!" the man said, smiling as he beckoned them inside. "If you would please head towards the central dais, we'll be putting on a demonstration."

The store itself had a wide variety of products, both familiar and strange. Most of it seemed geared towards recreational sports and gear, but there was still plenty of other products that could be glimpsed down the aisles. Most of the customers followed the greeter's request and headed towards the center of the store where a large platform had been erected under a large skylight. Standing upon the platform, waiting patiently for the crowd to gather, was a man with shaggy brown hair and a somewhat lean body figure that was hidden in the business suit he was wearing. Next to him were a set of several strange objects and what looked like a surfboard.

"Hi, my name is Remus Lupin," the man greeted with a nervous smile as he held the microphone in one hand. "I'd like to thank all of you for coming to MagiTech's grand opening and I truly hope you'll enjoy what we've created. Trust me, your lives are never going to be the same after this."

That statement drew some muted conversations from the crowd and a lot of disbelieving glances and stares. Ignoring their disbelief, the man grabbed hold one of the devices next to him. It had the same approximate size and shape of a common Walkman 8-track tape player, with a series of wires attached to one side of it, and most notably a strange glowing light inside that somehow seemed to be moving and vibrating.

"This little device is called a Rune Spark, run by a pair of simple AA-batteries," he said, holding it out for examination towards the crowd. "It admittedly doesn't look like much, but this little beauty is has the power and energy efficiency to power an entire suburban city block for a month."

That statement drew a lot of laughter of disbelief and declarations of the impossibility of such a feat. "Are you kidding?" One especially loud voice called out. "This sounds like a scam if you ask me!"

Mr. Lupin wasn't the least bit perturbed. "To better demonstrate, this particular Spark is actually responsible for powering this entire store."

He proved this by setting aside the microphone and unplugging the wires that were attached to it. In an instant, all the lights and displays, everything inside the store suddenly shut off and darkness descended, the only light provided was the sunlight filtering through the various windows. Plugging the wires back in, everything quickly switched back on again. With the lights back on, Mr. Lupin smiled somewhat cockily down at the gawking, disbelieving crowd that now stood in front of him.

"Clever timing with the lights!" that same loud voice called. This one was clearly determined. "Anyone can throw a switch at the right time!"

Picking the mike back up, Remus again ignored the naysayer as he set the motor aside and picked up another of the devices next to him. "If you think the Spark is impressive, this one will completely blow your minds."

He held up the device with some difficulty, showing just how heavy it was. It was about the size and shaped roughly like an American football with a shiny black casing hiding its internal mechanisms from view. "This is a Repulsor Drive. While it can potentially work with any electrical device, it is best used in conjunction with the Rune Spark. Mostly because it uses a ridiculous amount of energy to work properly." He quickly set aside the microphone, plugged in a spare motor to the drive unit, and then locking both pieces into the surfboard that had stood next to him.

"What does this drive unit do, you ask? Allow me to demonstrate." He pressed a button and suddenly the entire crowd let out cries of disbelief, joy, excitement, and confusion as the surfboard and its assembly suddenly jumped off the ground and floated a half-meter in the air. Stepping onto the surfboard, Mr. Lupin gave the air underneath it a half-hearted kick, getting the surfboard to start floating slowly to the side in front of the staring and gawking crowd.

"Wires!" someone yelled out, clearly picking up on the other person's disbelieving nature.

"That's right, people!" Remus said, smiling broadly as he continued to floating and giving the air some extra kicks to keep moving. "Boys and girls, allow me to introduce to you the first ever hoverboard. It is not science-fiction anymore! The Repulsor Drive uses a complex series of electromagnets, electricity, and other very technical terms I don't personally understand to give the power of very low-level flight. And this is only with just a set of normal AA-batteries."

Unnoticed by the crowd, the skylight windows above the dais were being opened and moved to the side.

"Of course, what's a hoverboard without a flying car to go with?" Mr. Lupin asked, smiling widely as he looked pointedly upwards.

The crowd stared up with wide eyes as a large, dark shape smoothly slid over the opening and began a slow descent. The car itself wasn't anything special, just a simple Buick. But the crowd all gawked at it as if it was the Second Coming of Christ. Needless to say, the nonbelievers were instantly silenced.

"MagiTech Industries will be happy to 'upgrade' any and all vehicles with a Rune Spark and Repulsor Drive," Mr. Lupin commented, speaking more as a background voice to the crowd as they continued staring. "But we also sell our very own cars, trucks, and…airspeeders. Prices may vary, depending on the installation and conversion needs."

The driver side door to the car suddenly opened and revealed a grinning Charisa of the Glyndwr Pack who waved cheerfully at their customers. She called out loudly, "And remember, MagiTech is the store that has dreams made real."

Smiling proudly, Remus turned to the crowd and said, "I'll be taking any of your questions now."

(Author's Note) Heh, I have to admit that I had a fair amount of fun writing this chapter. Exploring MagiTech and what they can create by combining two otherwise incompatible halves, that's something I think I'll always get a kick out of. Just so everyone knows, MagiTech is selling far more than just hoverboards and flying cars. Those are just the ones that are the most popular at this point.

Big thanks to Fiori75, He-Who-Shall-Live, and Aminta Defender.