Chapter Thirteen: Collateral Damage
Sunday, 19th September 1999.
Natalie woke to find the room no different to normal. The light was there but not overwhelming to her tired eyes. The bed was still comfortable beneath her, no matter the position she found herself in. Her daughter still perched in the chair beside the bed reading from a datapad like she had since the girl had become old enough to hold a book in her own two tiny hands.
She smiled at the sight, happy to see the woman that her daughter had grown into, though still a little sad she had missed so much of that growth. So many missed birthdays, not for want of trying, but due to timing.
That thought sent her mind whirling for a minute as she tried to lock down the errant thought that was bugging her all of a sudden. Her eyes chased the thought about the room as it tried its utmost to remain elusive.
"Mum?" Hermione's voice sounded from beside her and allowed the thought to slip away as her head still throbbed slightly.
"Hello, poppet."
"Really, mum? Poppet?"
"No matter how big you get, you'll always be my little girl, Hermione. And I will call you poppet and pumpkin and sweetie and every other nonsense baby name I can think of until you go red in the face. Yes, just like that." Natalie grinned to herself as her daughter blushed. "What are you reading?"
"It doesn't matter. How are you feeling?"
Natalie just stared at her daughter for several long silent moments until the girl sighed and gave in.
"I'm doing research on Lantean medical technology. So that we don't have to keep running to our former school nurse for help every time we skin a knee. Or…"
Hermione's eyes drifted to the left side of Natalie's face and she smiled at her once more. "Yes, that seems wise. With what I've heard of your adventures with Harry."
Hermione blushed deeper and Natalie knew she was going to give Harry a talking to for outing all their school time adventures to her parents. Why the girl was embarrassed was beyond her understanding. Time and again she'd proven why they were so proud of her. Which finally allowed her mind to catch the errant thought from before.
"It's Sunday. What time is it?" She asked.
Hermione looked slightly confused but checked her remote that had now taken the place of her old watch. "It's a little after six. Why?"
"At least I didn't miss it entirely. Sorry I didn't get you anything."
Hermione began to look even more confused and Natalie sighed. "Please tell me you haven't gotten so lost in your reading you've forgotten your own birthday. I have an excuse." Natalie pointed to the bald side of her head. The once more reddening cheeks gave Natalie the answer she needed. "Hermione."
"Things have been a little busy lately. I'm sure the others forgot too." Hermione's face dropped and she pretended to be reading her datapad again. A habit she'd also had since she was a small child and wanted to avoid a topic.
Silence filled the space between them for several long minutes as Hermione avoided her gaze. Natalie was about to speak when a knock at the door drew the girls' attention. Harry was standing there with a tray of food.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's getting late and I thought you might be hungry."
"How thoughtful. Any cake on there?" Natalie asked the boy pointedly as he placed the tray over her legs, hovering in place. His eyes flicked to Hermione for a moment and Natalie smirked.
"Sorry, I didn't have all the necessary ingredients for a cake on hand today. Not many Tescos in Antarctica."
Harry shuffled around to Hermione's side of the hospital bed as Natalie checked the steaming vegetables laid out beside the most perfectly cooked steak she had ever seen. She was so distracted that she almost missed Harry's hand stretching out and dropping a small package into Hermione's lap. The elder Granger grinned at the tiny gesture and turned to her meal to give Hermione a moment of privacy to open it.
"This looks incredible, Harry. Where did you learn how to cook like this?"
Harry looked slightly bashful as his eyes flicked to her daughter, who was once more going red as she tried to hide the package in her lap. "Hermione taught me, on the camping trip from hell. And I've practised a lot in the past year."
"Natural talent then." Natalie winked at Hermione who finally gave in to the embarrassment and stood.
"I'll let you eat." The girl eked out before dashing from the room.
Harry looked like a deer caught in the headlights, now alone with Natalie without the buffer of Hermione or Richard to keep him safe.
"Relax, Harry." She chuckled before settling into her dinner. "I'm glad someone remembered and got her something. I'd have done so myself if I wasn't wrapped up in here."
"I'm so…" Harry started before being immediately cut off by a vertical knife being held aloft in his direction as Natalie swallowed.
"I'm with Hermione on this one, Harry. Do not apologize for the actions of others. You did not attack me. You did not force me to go to that planet. And you certainly didn't drag me along unwillingly to any of this. We've wanted to be more of a part of our daughter's life since Minerva first arrived at our house. If anything, you've given us that chance. Hermione seems committed to this new paradigm and so are we."
"Even after what happened?" Harry asked, sinking into Hermione's chair.
"Especially after what happened. The world is a dangerous place. One can be hit by a bolt of lightning or a car out of nowhere. Why should the galaxy be any different? Living life is what is important. For too long we weren't doing that properly. Going to work, coming home to an empty house, going back and throwing ourselves deeper into work to soothe the missing piece of our world. Now we're going to other planets."
"Sometimes you remind me so much of Hermione." Harry smiled and Natalie gave him a glowing one of her own in return.
"Why thank you, young man. From you, I cannot think of higher praise."
Harry blushed even deeper than Hermione had and Natalie decided to give him a break and focus on her meal instead. The silence was oddly comfortable as she soon finished off the wonderful food, giving Harry a wry grin as she licked the plate clean.
"Thank you, Harry. That was delicious. If you see my daughter, please ask her to pop back before she goes to bed."
Harry took the plate from her and gave a slight nod as he headed for the doorway. He paused for a second, glancing back at her before he seemed to change his mind and kept walking into the hallway. Natalie couldn't help but laugh at the pair and their easily embarrassed natures. Maybe what she was seeing was the wishful thinking of a parent, or simply a wonderful friendship, but she was beginning to think otherwise.
ϟ
Monday, 20th September 1999.
Harry sat at the table, sipping at the drink Luna had handed him a few minutes before with no idea what it was. His mind was uneasy with the presence of the dangerous prisoner they held in captivity. He could feel evil emanating from the cloud that reminded him of the worst of Voldemort and he shuddered at the memories such a thing brought forth in him.
He was distracted from his thoughts by a wide white beam across the table which deposited Hermione standing beside her seated mother. Natalie looked a lot better than she had for the last few days, though Hermione had not yet aided her in regrowing her hair.
Harry noted that the others had all arrived as well during his stupor and with Merlin shimmering into place across from him, they were ready to begin.
"Before we start," Natalie stated, drawing all eyes. "I am fine. And no, I don't want to talk about it."
The woman's eyes flicked to her husband and daughter, who looked down at the contact and Harry grinned slightly.
"Agreed," Luna added, before turning to the hologram seated at the circular table with them, something Harry noted with mirth given the hologram's original creator.
"Very well. I'll get straight to it then." Merlin said. "Your return from Camelot with the entity was a surprise. We have been very fortunate with it so far. Had you not already been researching the Sangraal and by extension ascension with notes from a former ascended being, we would not have the knowledge required to have built its current prison."
"We're lucky Luna thinks outside the box." Harry corrected. "My plan was to keep shooting it until it went away for good."
The others chuckled and Luna blushed slightly. "Indeed. Dropping the portable scanner into the bag and resealing it was also fortuitous thinking, Mister Longbottom. I hate to ponder the damage that thing could do if it got loose in this facility."
"From my research," Luna chimed in, "Anubis has always sought out the most powerful weapons and technology he could find. This place would be his nirvana. Beaming tech, powerful weapons that can easily penetrate shields, and a database full of information on the people who built the Conmeatas…"
"Myrddin's research notes have been the most useful so far. His detailed information on the way ascended beings manifest in this dimension has been key to not only building the box but powering it. The shielding on the Lab in Glastonbury was a start, but the Mantle has been invaluable in maintaining his prison. He has ceased trying to physically force his way out for the time being, but we must remain vigilant.
"I have modified the walls of the larger room to share the traits of the box, just in case," Hermione added and the others glanced at her. "He is not escaping. He has to pay for what he has done." Her eyes flicked to her mother once more and Harry well recalled just how vicious Hermione could be in defence of her friends and family from Hogwarts. Marietta still wouldn't show her face in public even after Hermione removed the curse.
"Agreed." They all concurred.
"To that end, I suggest following our current goals," Merlin explained. "If he is truly a partially ascended being, then the best chance we have at permanently defeating him is the Sangraal."
"Wouldn't triggering the Sangraal here wipe out the ascended Altera as well?" Natalie asked.
"The shielding of the box and room should prevent that. But we have limited options. He is made of energy. We have no current means of directly counteracting a being made of energy besides the containment we're already utilising."
"He cannot be allowed to survive. Not only for what he tried to do to us, but if my research is right, he was banished by the Goa'uld for being excessively evil. The Goa'uld. They do things daily for fun that would have made Voldemort blush. And even they found his actions distasteful." Luna noted.
"And if he has formerly ascended," Richard said, "there is no telling what advanced knowledge he might have. If he gets out, it could doom the entire galaxy. Especially with what he would learn from this base in the process."
"I don't think anyone here disagrees that Anubis must be destroyed?" Neville asked, glancing at the gathered faces and getting a nod from everyone. "Then we keep looking for the device. Where are we on that?"
Merlin shifted slightly and Harry marvelled once more at its design. "The information from the library has been very useful. In the 'quest' for the grail that Myrddin and Arthur went on, they visited three other planets. Taoth Vaclarush, Valos Cor and Verus Gen Bree."
A hologram appeared over the table of a small piece of the galaxy, a bevy of stars dotted about the place. As Merlin spoke, three stars, in particular, lit up.
"What the hell?" Hermione said, glaring at the image. "That cannot be right."
"And yet it is. The position of these three planets in space forms an equilateral triangle." Merlin stated. "And that is not all. If you add Camelot."
The hologram shifted around the lit stars and a fourth grew in brightness as well. Thin lines extended out from the dots and the group gasped at the perfect pyramid now hovering over the table.
"How is that possible?" Natalie asked.
"Something has clearly altered these systems so that no matter the movement of the galaxy, they remain in this perfect formation. I doubt the clavi on these planets have undergone a correlative update since this happened. And finally, checking the database of this outpost, I found one more incredible coincidence."
A final dot was highlighted and Harry was beyond gobsmacked. It lay in the exact centre of the pyramid, equidistant from all the other dots.
"The Altera had the power to do something like this?" Richard asked.
"No. This was beyond even them. Pre-ascension." Merlin stated smugly.
"You think whoever interfered with Myrddin's research did this?" Luna queried.
"I do."
"Without earning the ire of the Others? How is that possible?" Harry growled. "Myrddin's notes are clear on their feelings about messing with the lower planes. Especially interfering with planets with sentient creatures."
"The how is far beyond my programming. I was not built to calculate such things. Perhaps with sufficient time, I could ascertain how it was done. But the point isn't how. The point is that the planet in the centre is not only perfectly in the centre of a fixed geometric shape moving through space, but its Porta address is made up of symbols from the three bottom planets' addresses. It is so far beyond coincidence that it must be intentional."
"You think it was left like this on purpose," Hermione noted. "That whoever interfered with Myrddin's research left it as a clue?"
"Correct. One does not alter the natural galactic orbits of five planets to this degree without purpose. Even for an ascended being that is overkill. Things like this are the reason that I have transferred all data on the Sangraal to the Lab's database and have remodelled it to reinforce its ascended-resistant properties. While I calculate this was intended to be a roadmap of sorts, I will not jeopardize the data on that hunch."
Neville looked upset at the oddity. "But if they wanted the weapon destroyed, why leave such a trail behind?"
"Perhaps they came to see the danger, but only after they had interfered." Luna offered. "It would actually explain some of their actions. Deleting information, but leaving the rest of the Lab and its trials intact."
"That is true. If they truly wanted the weapon gone, and were willing to change planetary orbits to achieve it, they could have simply levelled the Tor." Harry stated.
"I'm afraid we may have to cut this short," Merlin noted, as a second hologram, flickering red, joined the first. "We are receiving a visitor."
"A visitor?" Natalie asked.
"Yes. The Astria Porta just activated. I detect one life sign having stepped through and a piece of advanced technology."
Merlin shimmered away and Harry cracked loudly from his place at the table, reappearing instantly in the conscensa, ready to act if needed. Before him was an Asgard standing beside a red and cream pod quite a bit larger than itself. He smiled and allowed his body to relax, having feared the worst given their conversation and the proven powers of the Ascended.
"Welcome to Fundamenta. My name is Harry." He stepped forwards and extended his hand to the tiny grey figure.
It looked up at him oddly, tilting its head from left to right as it observed him. "I am Idun," it replied, its voice far higher than any Harry had so far heard.
"Greetings, Idun. A pleasure to have you here," Harry said, as Idun took his hand.
"Yes," Luna added, from behind Harry. "Penegal mentioned you would be arriving soon. How are you?"
Harry's smile widened at Luna's habit of asking everyone and everything how it was. "I am well. Not to appear rude, but I am unfortunately on a tight timetable. I have come to collect Famrir's cloned body. It could be the key to vital research I am currently overseeing."
"Of course, I assume the pod will assist in some way?"
"Indeed. It is capable of portable short-term stasis. It will allow me to return with the body without allowing degradation."
Luna nodded and turned to her side indicating the doorway with her outstretched hand. "Lovely. This way."
Luna didn't wait for Idun to move before she headed for the door herself and Idun glanced at Harry before heading off in the same direction, the pod humming gently as it hovered along behind her. Harry easily kept pace with the shorter legs of the alien as they headed through the hallway back into the main chamber.
"So, how are things back in Ida?" He asked idly.
"Not well. The link has been installed, which I am sure you ascertained by our ability to dial your new Gata." Harry looked slightly confused at the word for a moment and Idun must have noticed. "The Stargate? Ah yes, Astria Porta. Thor mentioned you spoke Lantean. It slipped my mind."
"Right, Gata. I like it. Have you found anything useful yet?"
"A few pieces of information that we had obtained from a damaged repository were proven to be incomplete, and the new data has cleared up some old debates. But it is very early in our assessment of the information. The knowledge of the Lanteans was vast before they left this galaxy the first time. It is possible we may never find the information that we seek."
"I'm sorry. We had hoped it would be more useful for you. If you need help with your search, we will be happy to assist more directly."
The trio stopped as they arrived at the stasis pod and Harry glanced between the two Asgard. The one in stasis was far taller than Idun, and while the skin tone matched, its underlying veins and organs were less visible through its more opaque colouring.
"Perhaps we will take you up on that offer. But for the time being, the High Council wishes to do so alone."
"Of course," Luna noted. "Our offer of friendship still stands. If you're ready?"
The blonde glanced at the Asgard as she stepped to the controls for the pod and Idun tapped the two unevenly sized stones on the right-hand side of the pod. The canopy opened and Idun looked up to Luna and nodded.
Luna tapped the controls and the pod began to glow, the ice-like filling pulling back and allowing the tall Asgard within to move, tipping slightly forward before a beam of light surrounded it and transferred it into the pod. Idun checked several of the responses on the pod's surface before tapping the stones again and the three watched as the pod once more covered over the still form.
"Remarkably well preserved, though obviously physically ruined. Ra must have mistreated it severely during his possession. And yet, I had expected far more degradation over such a time frame. I will be sure to check on the stasis technology in my studies. Asgard stasis pods would have aged the body far more than these have."
"I'm glad to hear that." Harry paused as Idun looked at him with her head slightly cocked again. "I mean glad to hear the body is well. Not that your stasis might be…"
He glanced up at Luna for help and the blonde smirked at his discomfort. "Before you leave, there is something I think you would like to see. A being we encountered off-world a few days ago."
"I do not have much time." Idun returned but followed the already moving Luna as she headed toward the brig.
"It will only be a moment. It attacked us as we were leaving the planet known as Camelot. A few of us sustained minor injuries, but it wasn't until we got it back here and were able to run detailed scans that we realized it is a being composed almost entirely of energy." Luna explained as she led them into the room containing the shining cell.
It was only as he turned to allow the pod to pass that Harry noticed it was not with them. He assumed that Idun had instructed it to head for the conscensa.
"Pure energy?"
"See for yourself." Harry turned and indicated the cell where the dark cloud of energy could be seen hovering.
It shifted closer to the walls as Idun approached and she held up a small stone that emitted a scanning beam of energy into the chamber, running up and down the shade inside.
"Most interesting. The signature is quite similar to that of a being in our distant past, known as Ran. And yet, I also detect goa'uld within the makeup as well."
"That was our assessment," Merlin commented, coming from around the far side of the cell. "Our records on Ascension were extensive enough that we could construct a holding cell. If your people have knowledge about such a creature, we would welcome the advice."
Idun stepped out into the corridor, the others following closely as the door sealed behind them. "I can ask, but as you have seen, the High Council is currently divided on whether to aid you further."
"May I ask," Luna began, kneeling to be at head height with the diminutive Asgard, "why are they so reluctant to interact with us? We are asking nothing more than what you have already given."
"And that is the problem. Many on the council are wary of those who offer much but ask for nothing in return."
"You have already provided all that we needed."
Harry spoke up. "And I think you may underestimate just how much aid you provided."
"To my knowledge, all we gave you were some material supplies from Gata we had no use for, a small amount of data on the former Alliance and your own species development and that of the goa'uld, and a rudimentary lesson of Asgard Beaming Technology."
"Exactly. As I'm sure you know, Earth lacks most of the minerals used by the Lanteans. Including those required to build a stable and reliable Astria Porta. Not only did you provide those minerals, but the Asgard beaming technology also has several benefits over our own. The Lantean tech can beam instantly between emitters, and in a contained space can store and then restore large quantities of material in the buffer with minimal power usage.
"But, it cannot transport material from outside its short range. To utilize it here we would need to construct emitters all over the planets' surface, and still, the range would be severely limited. Your version, however, has no limit provided you have advanced enough sensors to pinpoint your target. Also, while our tech can create matter from the buffer, it is slow and meticulous work. Combining the two together has allowed us to manufacture all we needed and more in a very short time. Far faster than we would have been able to had we been stuck with only Lantean technology."
"Fascinating. Is this mixed technology now stored in your database?"
"Yes. Merlin keeps everything up to date."
"I will be sure to advise the Council to look into the combination when I return. Which I must do post haste."
Harry nodded. "Certainly, I'll walk you to the Gata."
Idun glanced at him oddly once more before giving what he assumed to be a smile. "I would welcome that."
Harry looked over to Luna who appeared to be chatting with Merlin a few feet away, but he could see her shoulders moving with laughter as she faced away from him. He ignored her and gestured the way forward for Idun.
"Seems this has been a productive trip for you. Hopefully, we can be of service in other areas in the future. Feel free to contact us over anything."
"You truly offer your friendship freely? I think I am beginning to see what Thor sees in you. His word carries much weight with our people, and you left quite the impression on him."
"He left quite the impression on us as well. You all have. Less than six months ago, we thought we were alone in the universe. Meeting your people has been a revelation to us all. And gives us hope as we set out to achieve our mission and maybe one day bring the Alteran civilization back to this galaxy properly."
The pair stopped beside the pod containing Famrir and Idun looked at Harry carefully. "Hope. A wise choice. Farewell, Harry Potter. I hope to speak with you again sometime."
"And I you. You're welcome here anytime, Idun."
Idun lifted the small stone she had used to scan Anubis and the Porta activated. Instead of the ring of energy pushing towards the middle as it did when they activated the wormhole, this almost filled like a cup, a flat wave of white starting at the floor and quickly sweeping upwards to the top of the ring, leaving behind the typical event horizon. Harry smiled as he considered the different styles of the four races, and wondered what it looked like when the Nox and Furlings attempted to do so.
With a tap on the smaller of the two stones on the pod, Idun sent it hovering through the portal and nodded to Harry once before she turned and followed it through, the wormhole dissipating and leaving him alone, staring at the empty space where it had been. His mind running over the information he had learned during the most recent interaction with the advanced race.
ϟ
Wednesday, 29th September 1999.
Hermione focused on the diagnostic that Merlin was running on the newly designed global sensor package. The design incorporated the most advanced versions of both the Asgard and Alteran designs they had access to and would allow them to make much more thorough scans of the surface of the planet.
So far the scan had revealed additional detail on all of the tiny traces of naquadah they'd detected on their first scan. Several of the artifacts detected would need to be recovered, purely for safety's sake, given some of them were of truly dangerous Alteran former technologies.
"That's odd," Merlin noted as the scans over the United States continued.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, checking her own display.
"Alien life signs."
"We've detected alien signatures before."
"In the air?" Merlin asked, turning to face her.
Hermione checked the output and noted a trio of signals coming from an airborne source. Some form of plane. "How many total?"
"Over a hundred. Most contained within the mountain. Apart from those aboard the aircraft, I count another thirteen currently spreading out from the SGC. Based on my scans of the mountain in the past, I do not believe this is a visiting party."
"You think they've been infiltrated?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"It's plausible. I'm running the math now." Hermione watched tensely as the computer ran its assessment. "Confirmed. The number of new alien signals perfectly matches the number of unmoving human personnel in these three rooms."
The screen changed to show the mountain at a much closer level of zoom. Hermione noted three highlighted rooms on the twenty-third floor.
"Are those…"
"Apparently suspended from the ceiling. Certainly higher than that many signals should be able to stand without assistance. And there is definitely alien technology and material in the room with them."
"Sound an alarm," Hermione demanded, using her wand to switch her normal clothes for the outfit Luna and her mother had designed for off-world journeys. They were much more tight-fitting than the usual casual attire they wore about Fundamenta, with plenty of hidden pockets for concealing equipment.
A klaxon ran through the normally quiet air of the outpost and within a few minutes, the others had all gathered in the control room with her.
"What's going on?" Her father asked as Hermione stepped up to him and switched his outfit to match.
"It appears an alien species has invaded the SGC. Two of the three airborne signals have gone dark, so I think we can assume a force will come to the base's aid from there. But there are more and more filtering out from the base as well." Merlin explained to the assembled group as they changed and prepared to move out.
"We should remain unseen if possible, but whatever these things are, I get the feeling they aren't friendly," Hermione added.
"Update, the Astria Porta just activated and even more alien signatures are arriving."
"Definitely not a good sign," Harry noted as he checked the weapon at his hip and secured his wand in the pocket at the tip of his left sleeve.
"About time we had something to do again." Natalie hummed happily and Hermione walked over to the woman, noting someone had changed her outfit as well.
"Mum…"
"Don't even think about it. I've been cleared by Poppy. And I'm going stir crazy sitting in that bed. I am coming." The woman stated matter-of-factly as she prepared her own gun and stared back at Hermione.
"Fine," Hermione growled, "but when we get back I'm preparing you a hair tonic."
"No need. I kind of like it." Her mother said, tucking the hair over her right ear and running her fingers over the smooth skin on the left.
Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed as she turned to see Harry and Neville looking at the results on the display. "Looks like a few are in transit out of the city. Probably heading up the chain of command looking to further their invasion." Neville narrated as he worked.
"I'm more worried about these ones. Heavily populated civilian areas." Harry pointed to the two places with the highest concentration. "What do we do with them if we take them down?"
"The desert base," Luna stated without warning, drawing the attention of the group. "It's where most of the alien tech is researched. It would make sense for them to try and gain access. We can stun them and leave them in an unoccupied hangar on the base."
"Good thinking," Richard said and Luna beamed in the man's direction. "We'll need to split up. Harry and Luna can take these mobile ones. You're best on the broom and will be able to catch them easily. Neville and Natalie can take these few. Padma, Hermione and I will take care of this big batch."
"Any objections?" Harry asked, stepping over to Luna as the others split into their smaller groups. "Alright then, be careful."
Hermione glanced at him for a moment as the beam energy filled the air around them and within moments, they were outside once more. She glanced about and noted the thick green trees shielding the bottom of the enormous red rock from view. Her neck craned back as she noted the large formation rising up into the air.
She recalled the name of the park they found themselves in from the display. It was a popular area called the Garden of the Gods. "It is going to be hard to find them here." She whispered to the others, noting they were currently clear of other people.
"We should disillusion ourselves. To be safe." Padma noted as she pulled her wand and tapped her head.
Hermione agreed and silently drew her own wand, tapping her father on the head as he drew his blaster. "Remember, stun if possible. We don't know for sure they're unfriendly. And we really don't want to hit a random person by accident."
Her father nodded as he vanished, only his distorted outline being visible against the environment she could now see through him. Hermione cast the spell once more on herself and felt the uneasy slimy feeling run down her body.
"They shouldn't be far." Padma's voice sounded to Hermione's right.
"True, but stick close together." Hermione headed for the nearby covered area where she heard several voices. She assumed them to be tourists but felt it wise to check regardless. As she weaved between the trees, she noticed several airmen gathered in a circle looking at the ice cream one of them was holding up.
The faces they were making seemed odd to her and she started as she felt a tap on her shoulder. A distorted shimmer stretched over her shoulder and pointed behind the covered seating area and Hermione saw several still figures on the ground there. She tapped the arm in return and drew her weapon as well as her wand, keeping one held tightly in each hand.
"I think that's them. There should be another two nearby." She whispered to the shimmers beside her and noted nods from the shapes.
Padma silently shifted to the right, heading between the trees to set up a better angle to catch the five with the ice cream. Hermione indicated for her father to take her position behind the tree and mirrored Padma's move to the left, twisting through the narrow spaces as she found a good spot slightly above the area, but with a clear line of sight under the roof of the covered seats.
She quickly tapped a countdown into her wrist device and it gave three short vibrations. On the last, Hermione let loose, her left finger rapidly pulling the trigger on her gun as she cast stunner after stunner down into the small crowded space.
The first figure was hit in the face by a shot from her father's direction, dropping to the ground immediately before the two furthest from her position were clipped by fire from Padma. Hermione's aim had been less accurate and her two had begun to duck the onslaught coming at them from outside the pavilion.
An otherworldly scream came from the pair as they drew weapons of their own and began firing randomly into the trees. Hermione let her magic well up within her and cast the most powerful shield she could in the trees between herself and her father, hoping to prevent any stray fire from hitting innocent bystanders. With the shield up she dropped to her knee and put down her gun, aiming tightly down her wand as she lined up one of the two remaining figures.
The stunner launched from her wand and struck the nearest one directly in the chest and it went down immediately. As she turned to draw a bead on the last one, two more jumped into the pavilion from behind, weapons drawn, only to be taken out by her two concealed allies. Hermione took a deep breath and fired another powerful stunner that took care of the final figure, sending him tumbling to the ground as well.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she hit three buttons on her remote and a small hologram of the area shimmered above it, indicating the immediate area and showing all seven of the targets they had been searching for were now unmoving in the covered space. Her eyebrows shot up at the efficiency with which they had dispatched the aliens and she holstered her pistol before moving down the slight slope heading for the unmoving figures behind the complex.
Hermione was appalled when she arrived to find four unmoving bodies, a small family with two children all completely motionless. The adults both had obvious wounds on their chest and backs from where they had clearly tried to protect the children, but Hermione was nearly sick as she noted that they had been unsuccessful.
"Easy, Hermione." Her father's voice came as a pair of arms surrounded her and turned her from the grisly sight. "Padma is wrapping up the aliens. You don't need to see that. Come on, sweetie."
Hermione turned into the embrace and let her father guide her away from the bodies, but she knew that she would be seeing that in her nightmares for some time to come.
"Hermione? You alright?" Padma asked, shimmering back into view as the two Grangers arrived in the covered area.
Her father shook his head and Hermione was happy to let that be her reply as well. She stared down at the secured bodies on the floor, and her eyes went wide. Three of them had changed form as they fell and now she could see their alien form in all its natural glory. They were covered from head to toe in what appeared to be a hard carapace-like shell. It varied in different rusty hues of red, blue and purple. The heads were topped with another hard shell but the underside still moved, appearing fleshy.
All of them motionless, though none with any visible sign of harm like the poor family had shown. The worst they had endured was that one had worn the ice cream they had been inspecting when their fire had dropped it in place.
"What is it?"
"I think we can categorise them as officially unfriendly," Richard replied, still not visible to either girl as Hermione was not feeling well after what she had just seen.
"Right," Padma noted, brandishing her wand for a moment before casting another fourteen stunners, two more each to ensure their prisoners did not wake. "Let's see how the others are doing."
Padma entered a few messages on the small remote on her wrist and the three waited silently as white light whisked away the seven aliens and left them alone once more. Several beeps on their remotes indicated replies and Padma read quietly.
"Harry is tracking his last one. Natalie and Neville are done."
Hermione tried to settle her frayed nerves and tapped her father on the head, removing the concealment spell from him and then herself. "The mountain?" Her voice cracked as she asked the question.
Padma brought up her own display and Hermione noticed the numbers seemed to be gathering together in a handful of rooms. "Looks like something is going down."
"They're retreating." Her father noted, "heading for the Astria Porta."
The trio watched silently as several of the signals vanished as they passed through the activated Porta. Suddenly the device shut off but a large number of the invaders were still in the room with it.
"Wow, that is a big power build-up," Padma noted as the image showed a huge energy wave inside the room. A bright flash filled the room and they blinked to protect their eyes. When they looked back, almost all the alien signals were gone. "What was that?"
"If I had to guess? Self destruct."
"Let's go home," Hermione mumbled, done with the horror of their day and wanting to find somewhere quiet to hole up.
She felt her father nod as Padma tapped a few buttons on her remote and they vanished in a field of white. As soon as they were reintegrated, Hermione rushed from the room, her father's voice sounding out behind her. It did not take her long to make it to her room and seal the door. She dropped to the floor inside and tucked into the corner of the room, tears falling as she saw the tiny bodies trapped between the larger adults.
She could not help but picture her parents laying there and her friends on the ground with them. And she felt horrible for diminishing the loss that family had endured by making it about herself.
A gentle knock on the door drew her attention and her eyes flicked to the smooth metal. "Hermione?"
"Go away, Harry. I just want to be alone."
"I know. I thought, maybe we could be alone together."
She glared at the door for a moment before she flicked her wand and the barrier slid aside. Harry's eyes found her as he stepped inside and he knelt beside her, eyes full of worry. "I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing for other people's actions." She growled.
Harry nodded as he took her hands in his own and pulled her slowly to her feet. "I'm working on it. Come here."
She draped herself heavily into his arms and he caught her one-handed as she heard the door slide shut once more. Hermione allowed the tears to fall onto Harry's shoulder as she felt him guiding her slowly across the floor of her room. She felt him pull back without letting her go and a moment later with a swoop of uncertainty, she found herself on her bed, still wrapped tightly in Harry's arms as he tossed the blanket over her shuddering form.
Hermione let everything out and Harry allowed her to, simply being there for her as she came to terms with what she had witnessed.