Disclaimer: I own nothing; Harry Potter and the elements of his universe all belong to J.K.Rowling. Firefly/Serenity and the elements of its universe all belong to Joss Whedon. I'm just borrowing the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – Weatherby's Wicked Wheezing

"So this Weatherby character," Mal asked. "You think he's going to help you?"

Harry shrugged. "If I have to, I'll Imperius him."

"What's that mean?" Zoe asked.

"It's one of the worst relatively common curses. Takes away a person's free will completely and the caster has total control over the victim. Just using it warrants a lifetime sentence to a magical prison. Nasty stuff."

River chuckled. "Nothing's illegal when there are no laws or people to enforce them, eh?"

"Exactly," Harry grinned. "Although I seriously doubt I'll need to use it. If Antonio's got any semblance of Weasley in him, he'll be willing to help us."

"And he's going to get you the answers and information on the hyperdrive?" Mal clarified.

Harry had been hoping Mal might warm up to the idea but it still seemed to be Harry's answers, not all of their answers. "He's got the answers or at least will lead us to them, yes."

"Fair enough," Mal agreed. "How much backup you want with you?"

Harry glanced over and said, "I was thinking perhaps just River and I should go. Though it's possible I may kidnap him and bring him back with me." Harry's inflection rose at the end, half-asking for permission.

Mal took a breath and nodded. "You do what you have to. I'd rather not get us all messy, but if you gotta keep an eye on him, I understand. This is your show and so far, I don't want no part of it."

"Thanks Captain," Harry grinned, knowing he was trying Mal's patience.

Simon seemed to be fighting his brotherly instincts but was staying silent.

"I'll be fine," River assured Simon.

Harry grinned at Simon and tried to put his mind at ease. "I don't need any backup, and there's no danger here. I just think the reason the Alliance woke me up," Harry said jerking his thumb towards River, "may open his eyes to the need for occasionally circumventing the establishment."

Simon relaxed a bit and gave Harry a curious look.

"Plus she can be really freaky sometimes," Harry added with a grin.

Serenity landed in a public docking area near downtown Londonium. Harry turned to his co-pilot. "You got the cloak?"

"Check."

"Shields up and strong?"

"Check."

"You undressing me with your eyes?"

"Check."

Harry smiled to see River took the jibe without even blinking. "Alright, Frank. What's the word?"

The handheld communicator in Harry's hand replied, "He arrived home just twenty minutes ago. He's alone in his apartment."

Harry was surprised. "Do I want to know how you know that much?"

"His complex has a very secured and regulated system." Mr. Universe explained happily.

"Coordinates?" Harry asked.

The screen on Harry's device shifted and turned into a blueprint map overlapping an aerial view. Harry studied it for just a moment and held out his hand towards River. "Put the cloak on and grab hold of my hand."

River disappeared from view and Harry felt the cloak fall over his wrist as she grabbed onto him. Harry made himself invisible and with a barely audible pop apparated the pair of them right in front of an apartment door. Harry stood their invisible for a moment and asked, "Uhh… Frank? Any cameras around here?"

"I've shut them off," Mr. Universe replied. "They'll need to be manually restarted once it's noticed they're down."

"Lovely," Harry said allowing himself to become visible. Harry turned towards River and put his finger to his lips indicating quiet. "Just follow me in and stay hidden until you feel like joining us."

River nodded from underneath the cloak smiling excitedly.

Harry snickered at her grin and pressed the doorbell that made a pleasant deep boing sound.

"Coming," was the muffled call through the door.

Harry waited patiently, and tried to show no surprise when the solid door retracted in four different directions opening in a fast spiral motion.

"Err, hello," Antonio greeted. "How can I help you?"

Harry cleared his throat and made a show of looking down the hallway both directions. "Can we talk inside? It's important."

"What is this about?" Antonio frowned not recognizing the young man before him.

Harry leaned forward and whispered. "It's about the hyperdrive."

Antonio's eyes bugged out and he quickly ushered Harry in, River following directly behind him. Harry was pretty sure she'd not meant to bump into him, but at least he knew she'd followed him in.

"How do you know about that!" Antonio hissed angrily once the door had closed and he'd activated some security features.

Harry shrugged. "How I know is of little consequence. What does matter is that you need to realize the field test is going to be hijacked."

"What?" Antonio gasped. "Who? When? How do you know this?"

Harry smiled and saw River was making no noise as she walked around inspecting the barely furnished apartment. "When and how remains to be seen, but who… well, that would be us."

Antonio gulped and suddenly took a step back. He considered his options and decided to try and act nonchalant.

"Harry," Mr. Universe's voice just spoke up from Harry's pocket. "He just tripped a silent alarm."

Harry shrugged, "Well that's not surprising." He was enjoying the confusion on Antonio's momentarily triumphant face. "I'm assuming you intercepted it?"

"Captured it in fact," Mr. Universe replied. "May want to use this thing later."

"Good thinking," Harry replied with a smile as Antonio continued to pale in fear. "Relax Antonio. I'm not here to hurt you. Have a seat." Harry waved towards his couch while he settled into the recliner facing the young man.

"Wh- wh- what do you want?" Antonio stuttered as he sat down, obeying without question.

"A number of things, but mainly your assistance on a little project," Harry explained. "Before we get too far though, I think a reintroduction is necessary." Harry pressed his fingers to the areas he'd tied his glamour to and revealed his real face. "Remember me?"

Antonio had been paling before, but now he was white as a sheet. "You!"

"It's been a couple of years."

"You're real!" Antonio gasped.

Harry nodded. "That I am."

"I thought I'd dreamt you or something," Antonio mumbled franticly.

Harry's eyes were twinkling as he glanced over Antonio's shoulder, "You wouldn't be the first." He saw River sticking her tongue out hidden under the invisibility cloak.

"Was… was that magic?" Antonio asked slightly less fearfully. "That thing with your face?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, it was. What do you know of magic?"

"Nothing," Antonio said shaking his head. "Just my grandfather told me it was real, and that you, Harry Potter, were a wizard."

"True and true," Harry admitted before reapplying the glamour charm that he felt naked without. "But what I'm here to determine is whether or not you really are a proper Weasley."

"What's a Weasley?" Antonio asked curiously, unconsciously relaxing a bit despite his present situation.

"Just a family name," Harry admitted thinking fondly. "And the best one I ever knew. Weasleys weren't hung up on who had the most money or power. They just believed in doing what was right, even when it wasn't what was easy."

"Of course I believe in doing what's right," Antonio argued.

"Do you?" Harry asked. "You support destroying people's lives? Hiding genocide? Experimenting on children?"

Antonio's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you remember of the situation you chose to wake me for?"

Antonio was trying to recall all the details of the mysterious events. "Not a lot," he admitted in frustration. "But I didn't know that much to begin with."

Harry nodded, "I figured as much, but tell me what you do remember and I'll fill in the blanks for you."

"I remember both Chancellor Griffin and Chancellor Donald asked me to help them with a situation they'd already lost an Operative on," Antonio mused out loud. "They knew the story my grandfather had told me and wanted to try an alternative solution to a problem. I remember being surprised when I realized it was River Tam."

"Why were you surprised it was her?" Harry asked noticing River was slinking her way up behind Antonio.

Antonio straightened himself up and explained, "Well because, this is not particularly well-known, but in the upper echelons of law enforcement she became the number one most wanted criminal. She was known to be vicious, psychotic, and extremely dangerous."

"Vicious, psychotic, and extremely dangerous?" Harry said with a smile finding it hard to disagree with the veracity of that assessment. "Do you even know who River Tam is? And what made her so dangerous?"

"Well… no." Antonio paused and shook his head. "But if she could defeat an Operative it is quite worrisome. They are the most disciplined and well-trained officers of the Alliance."

"Let me tell you a bit more of the story," Harry explained noticing River was rolling her eyes under the invisibility cloak. "River Tam was an extremely gifted young woman. To call her intelligent wouldn't even be accurate because she simply learns things instinctually at a rate no one could match. She could hear a song once and play it better on the piano than the composer who wrote it. She could see the truth in people and objects at a depth that our minds let alone eyes could barely understand. A prodigy in every sense of the word."

Antonio was looking shocked but intrigued and listened intently.

"It's true she is a reader," Harry continued. "But even without her limited psychic abilities, she could tell when you're lying just by the number times of you breathe in a minute or how much your pupils dilate when you make eye contact. She was accepted into a program for gifted children where she thought she might have some actual challenges that Gen. Ed. could never provide. This was run completely by the Alliance and several of the foremost scientists in their fields. Sounds perfect, right?"

Antonio nodded, not sure where Harry was going.

"Unfortunately the program was far more sinister than it appeared," Harry explained noticing River's melancholy smile. "They drugged her constantly. They cut open her brain numerous times, going so far as to completely strip her limbic system."

"What?" Antonio gasped.

"Yes," Harry admitted. "They were forcing her to feel and sense everything. To do that to a person is unimaginable but to a reader the effect is compounded and multiplied. They actually forced memories into her head that weren't her own, in an effort to train her and control her."

Antonio was dismayed. "I had no idea…"

Harry nodded. "She was a clever girl in spite of everything they were doing to control her and keep her sedated. She hid codes in letters to her older brother, mentioning things about their past that never happened. He did his best to keep in touch with her, but the Institute never let him visit, and his parents were so sure everything was fine. Never once doubting a government sponsored program. Eventually her brother unraveled the code and understood the simple message in them. It said 'They're hurting us. Get me out.'"

Antonio frowned, "How do you know all this?"

"Hang on," Harry said stopping Antonio. "I'm getting there. Anyways, it took her brother two more years before he'd managed to come up with a plan and break her out. He was a well-respected doctor, with a brilliant future ahead of him and he threw it all away to save his little sister." Harry paused appreciating the smile on River's face.

"Now you might think that having this horrible crime exposed is what the Alliance feared," Harry continued. "But you'd be wrong. If it got enough press it could look bad, but mentally she was a complete mess. They'd get it all thrown out or hushed up as the words of a crazy person. No, the problem was that a number of highly ranking members of Parliament had observed River's progress. They periodically checked on her. And like I said, she is a reader."

Antonio's brow furrowed in confusion.

Harry smirked. "In all that mess inside her head, there were some secrets that those men knew, and her gift could pluck right out of their unprotected minds because she could read them like books. In particular there was one secret, they couldn't let get out. River was such a mess she didn't know what they were worried about because there was too much going on inside her head to make sense of it. But it was only a matter of time until she caught on to the one secret they were most afraid of."

"Reavers," Antonio gasped suddenly realizing the massive conspiracy that had broken.

Harry nodded. "Exactly. She knew the government had experimented on changing an entire colonized planet of people, killing somewhere near thirty million. And mutating about thirty thousand of them into monsters. It was that little piece of information that made her dangerous… to the Alliance."

Antonio frowned and wasn't sure what to say.

"They sent an Operative out to hunt her down, hoping to bring her back, but if not then to kill her. As you know that Operative was unable to prevent the message and truth about the planet Miranda from getting out. He had caught up with her, just as it got broadcast. The Operative didn't know about Miranda or anything like that. And when word spread, he knew he had failed in his mission. The primary objective for silencing River was no longer an issue. So he stopped his pursuit and let her go."

Antonio thought this sounded possible despite not matching his understanding of the situation at all.

"The Operative was shortly thereafter killed," Harry explained noticing River taking off the invisibility cloak, "by the Alliance for failure. It wasn't River or anyone else who went out of their way to kill him, merely an unforgiving institution. That is why River was no longer so serious a threat, just merely an embarrassment to the Alliance. That's why they didn't want to risk more Operatives and instead had you use me to try and get me to hunt down River Tam. To capture or kill this young woman they'd already tortured and nearly broken for several years."

Antonio sighed and sat back. His faith and confidence in the establishment had been waning ever since the story of Miranda had been exposed. And even before then he was aware there were some ruthless elements of the government and he'd become quite disillusioned with a number of his superiors. "Are you sure about this? Because I mean… your story fits and all but it is pretty hard to believe."

"Yes, I'm sure," the soft gentle voice answered from directly behind Antonio.

"Ahh!" Antonio shrieked jumping away from the girl he never knew was behind him.

"Antonio," Harry smiled at River's innocent little expression as she rested her chin on the back of the couch. "Allow me to introduce River Tam."

Antonio had backed away from the second intruder and was brandishing a remote control in front of him to protect himself. He just looked from Harry to River and back to Harry.

"You could say hello," Harry suggested to Antonio.

Antonio wasn't sure how much more he could take. "She's not going kill me, is she?"

River tilted her head to the side and replied, "Haven't really decided yet."

"River," Harry warned.

"Fine," she pouted. "I'm not going to kill you."

Antonio wasn't sure hearing that made him feel any safer.

Harry reached over and took the remote from Antonio's clammy hands. "Relax, Antonio, neither of us are here to hurt you." Harry snapped one of his wands into his hand and with a wave conjured a worn-looking rocking chair.

River immediately recognized it as her grandmother's old one that Harry had commented on inside her mind. She sat down and began rocking back and forth with a smile.

Harry thought River may have been playing the crazy angle a bit strong but was fighting back his own grin. "Sit down, Antonio. We still have much to discuss."

Antonio sat back down on the couch as far away from River as possible, and oddly enough quite near to Harry. "So what now? Are we going to spread River's story to the press?"

River frowned but kept rocking back and forth.

"Naw," Harry replied. "River's been through enough I think. No, like I said, we're going to hijack the hyperdrive field test."

Antonio's eyes widened and looked back at Harry and realized he was deadly serious. "Right. Forgot about that."

"So what can you tell me about the hyperdrive?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Antonio warily answered, still reluctant to release top secret details.

Harry inclined his head forward, the way he always did when he was forced to punish students. "I mean, Mr. Weatherby, when does the field test leave? How big is the ship? How many people are going? How difficult and technical is operating the ship? What is your role on the project?"

Antonio gulped and suddenly felt much smaller. "Aren't you going to regale me with some gruesome details of the corruption of this project? Convince me on how helping you would actually be the right thing to do?"

Harry leant back and saw River was smirking at him. "You know I'm a wizard. You know I can make you completely forget having even seen me this evening. You may have some idea of what I'm capable of, but I assure you, I can do much worse than you can imagine. I am going to hijack the field test. That goes without saying. You are going to help us. That also goes without saying. Whether you're forced to help us, because I make you and I take your freedom from you, or you do so because you can see reason. That is still to be determined."

Antonio gulped. "You said you weren't going to hurt me."

Harry snapped his wand towards Antonio and whispered out, "Imperio!"

River's eyes widened and she stopped rocking finally. She leaned forward to watch what was going on.

Antonio's eyes were glazed over and he heard a voice in his head, telling him what to do. He began to speak. "The mission lift-off is scheduled for 8:00 AM Sunday. It's a crew of five cosmonauts and I am the official mission Documentarian. I will be preparing the reports and briefings for all mission commanders and authorized personnel both during and once the test is complete."

Harry fought down the slight guilt he felt and released the curse as he sat back, "That didn't hurt a bit, now did it?"

Antonio shook himself and suddenly felt like he was waking from a daydream. "What was that!"

Harry shrugged while River was looking highly impressed. "A small piece of magic to encourage your assistance. Alternately, I could have pulled the information straight from your thoughts, but I know for the time you are under that particular curse it feels quite good, doesn't it?"

Antonio looked at Harry in fear and confusion.

Harry gave Antonio a pointed look, "Most people who get put under that curse are kept as slaves to their own mind and the caster's will for days, weeks, months or even years at a time. I'm informing you that I am hijacking that field test, and if you'd prefer to be controlled it is an option."

"And this is supposed to convince me to help you?" Antonio snapped back.

"No," Harry replied calmly as River started to rock back and forth again. "This is to show you, I'm deadly serious that I will be taking this field test. I'm offering you the option of being in control of your own body, as well as letting you continue to document the project. When it's all over, I expect the hyperdrive ship will be returned, and we can turn you into something of a hero. Perhaps you'll save the five kidnapped cosmonauts, or maybe no one will ever know it wasn't them on the trip. It all depends."

"You're not keeping it?" Antonio asked in surprise.

Harry shook his head. "Not worth the trouble. I doubt it runs on any sort of simple fuel you can pick up at your local Blue Sun Superstore."

"Heavens no," Antonio insisted. "The tachyon accelerators rely on a delicate balance of fusion and fission-"

"Antonio!" Harry interrupted. "Please. Speak English around me. Not science, and definitely not Chinese."

"English? As in Old English?" Antonio asked in confusion.

"He means American," River helpfully added.

"Why?" Harry moaned in mock distress. "Why must you take everything from me?"

"Your old books are in English," River conceded. "But the modern vernacular is American."

"Stupid Yanks," Harry mumbled.

River smiled deviously at Harry and added, "According to most history books, England was probably the most important European state of America."

"The muggles agreed to that," Harry argued pointing at River. "The wizards never did."

"Oh?" River asked. "You have some books on wizarding history proving this?"

Harry caught her eye and viciously pulled up her feelings when she'd first seen Harry's real face. He could feel her burning embarrassment and still every bit as strong a desire at the thought of a distinguished gentleman. Apparently her carnal urges vacillated between young, strapping, and muscular and older, experienced, and muscular.

River broke eye contact and pushed him out, strengthening her shields instinctually. "That wasn't fair. You cheated."

"What?" Antonio said rapidly whipping his head between Harry's glowing eyes and River looking away with her eyes clenched shut. "What happened?"

"Of course it wasn't fair," Harry admitted with a grin. "And if you must know, Antonio, I just pulled up a few memories from River's head in an effort to test her mental defenses and control."

Antonio turned to look at River in fear once again. "Is she a wizard?"

"Nope, though the word would be witch," Harry replied. "But she desperately needed some order and control in her mind. And the technique is the same even if not supported by magical strength. Then again reading itself is a magical gift," Harry admitted. "But purely mental and mind arts. Not the same as wand waving or the usual… magic. Still she's not a witch."

"The usual?" Antonio asked. "There's more of you?"

Harry sighed and after a moment's thought answered, "Let's hope so."

River was still smarting over her shield not keeping Harry out and jumped in, "Harry here hasn't found any yet. Part of the reason it's so important that he takes this trip back to Earth-That-Was."

"River," Harry said warningly. "Perhaps it's time for you to disappear."

Antonio saw River frown in a playful way rather than respond to the threat.

"Anyways, Antonio," Harry said with a smile. "I need to know if you're in."

Antonio looked back over towards River and saw she had in fact disappeared. He was franticly snapping his head all around his apartment and back towards Harry. "Where'd she go?"

Harry smirked. "She's making faces right behind you, actually."

Antonio leapt off the couch and spun right around seeing nothing.

"Come on Antonio," Harry said louder. "You really need to relax more. We've got less than a week. Are you going to help us?"

Antonio uncertainly sat back down on his couch thinking quietly for a minute or two. For a moment he could have sworn he saw one of the picture frames on his wall moving back and forth, but he was considering his situation. Finally, he admitted, "I'm in with a couple of ground rules."

Harry was immediately reminded of the far more mature and scheming Percy Weasley who had become Minister of Magic. A man Harry never could have seen coming from the straight-laced Ministry lackey Percy had been in his youth. "Rules?"

"First," Antonio said firmly. "I'm coming with you. And I'm not sharing my bed on the Firenze with anyone."

"Firenze? That's its name?" Harry gaped in momentary surprise. "Are you serious?"

Antonio nodded. "Yes, Dr. Cole who designed and stabilized the engine chose to name the ship after his wife."

"His wife's name is Firenze?" Harry asked picturing a particularly unattractive woman.

"No," Antonio replied. "Her name is Florence. And can you agree to that first rule?"

Harry was ignoring River's antics from under the cloak and replied. "If you come, it's going to make it a bit trickier explaining your presence."

"But far from impossible," Antonio sniffed haughtily. "After all you are taking me against my will."

"Fair enough," Harry nodded indicating Antonio should continue his list of demands thinly veiled as rules.

"Second," Antonio stated. "You will not use any magic on me taking away my free will or forcing me to do something I'd rather not. This is willing assistance. Period. Not willing for the most part, until you disagree with me."

"You do realize I could simply force you into most of these things, right?" Harry pointed out.

"Yes," Antonio admitted, hiding his discomfort. "But my conscience won't allow me to merely submit myself to being your puppet at your whims and helping you willfully all the other times."

"You're acting more and more like a Weasley," Harry grinned. "And yes, I can agree to that. It's what I would like too."

"And in exchange," Antonio continued pleasantly. "I will assist you on this in any way I safely can, without risking my life, excessively risking my job, nor risking the purpose of the field test."

Harry was smiling brightly. "River?"

A pouting voice from right behind Antonio answered. "Yeah, he's telling the truth."

Antonio managed to not jerk in surprise, but he did appear to be sweating a bit more.

"Quite right," Harry agreed smiling victoriously. "Oh honestly, Antonio. Do relax a bit more. You don't even look like you're having fun."

It didn't take long for Antonio to wonder if he was doing the right thing.

Zoe wiped her watery eyes and went to track down the Captain.

"Sir?" Zoe asked carrying the biography with her.

Mal looked up at his first mate and best friend. He couldn't help but to feel betrayed by her lack of loyalty in the current situation. "What is it, Zoe?"

"You like Harry, don't you?"

Mal sighed. "I like a quiet life. I like staying in the sky and doing a little business when it's called for. And yes, despite all of that, I do like Harry."

"You enjoy a spot of trouble just as much as he does," Zoe argued. "And you know damn well, if he'd fought by you in the war, you'd be doing everything in your power to help him."

"Zoe," Mal wanted to snap at her, but if anyone had earned the right to throw things like that in his face it was her. Mal took a deep breath, "We were doing just fine before we met him, and whenever we part ways with him, we'll do just fine then too."

"Fei hua!" Zoe raged. "We've not been the same since Miranda. I'll never be the same, and you know it. Harry's the best thing that's happened to us in the last two years and sometimes I feel like he's the first good thing to happen to us."

Mal opened his mouth but didn't have a chance for a rebuttal before Zoe continued. "Do you even realize the only reason I'm still here is because when my man died, it meant something. We were all big damn heroes, especially you and especially Wash. We lost the Unification war, but getting that wave out was one battle that we won. I will always think the costs were way too high but we beat them. And in that moment, you showed me once again, the Sergeant I was proud to serve with." Her voice was cracking thick with emotion.

Mal couldn't ever remember seeing his first mate so passionate before. He found himself hating her for caring so much about this, but knew he had to be careful with his words. He realized it was a lesson Harry had been helping him to learn and that just was making him angrier.

"You need to think about just who you are," Zoe said quietly and dangerously. "Because my friend, the man I respect second only to my husband, wouldn't be trying to take the coward's way out of this one." She thrust the biography into his hands and was pointing at the place to start. "Just read this section, if not the rest of the book."

Mal's face never wavered in his anger as he accepted the book. He held his tongue, fearful of what might come out if he opened his mouth now. He watched her storm angrily away and suddenly realized what she said, second only to my husband.

He sat back on his bed and grabbed the bottle of whiskey he kept in the nightstand. After five minutes of quiet contemplation he looked at the book and began to read.

In 2055 the International Confederation of Wizards in conjunction with every major muggle government agreed that all magical governing bodies and peoples would abstain from World War III. No wizard or witch of any nation was allowed to take part in the political games that were ravishing the lands. There was some discussion that they feared Harry Potter's involvement, especially after the fallout from his defeat of the Dark Lord Vin, just three years earlier.

No matter though, as the wizards and witches of the world were more than happy to avoid the conflict and continue going on with their lives. Harry, himself, was one of the most vocal supporters of using the magical world to negotiate a peaceful solution if all sides were in agreement that no wizard could actively participate. He feared the inevitable devastation of a long, drawn-out conflict. This war was not like previous muggle World Wars fought with front lines and armies of soldiers. It was a continuous game of positioning and maneuvering eventually leading towards brief but massive destruction.

As per the required agreements, the magical government of Britain was informed of an impending attack on British soil. They were bound by oath and unable to contact anyone within the British muggle government, but they were able to evacuate most in time. St. Mungos was in danger and they quickly began to empty the hospital, beginning with the nearest and most critically injured. The Derwent Wing for children catered to not only magical children, but also some muggle ones in special circumstances. It was for this reason that they were putting off the evacuation of that wing for last, if at all.

Harry Potter became aware of the situation and found this unacceptable. When the first charges went off, the entire building shook, the wards wavered, but they held and snapped back into place. Harry had sensed his opportunity and managed to slide through the wards in the brief lapse, but once he was in the wing, the wards flared back to normal as strong as ever.

The children were all scared and crying having been locked in the wing alone. Twenty-four young boys and girls ranging from the ages of three to nine were trapped. Many of them had been members of the ward nearly their entire lives. Before Harry could do anything else his intuition warned him of the immediate threat.

Exactly what happened and how it was accomplished is still debated to this day. The Empty-A Bomb, or Empty-Atomic Bomb, explodes with a power that cannot be replicated or even comprehended by most wizards. It does not detonate with as much wild power, nor does it cause radiation sickness the way the original nuclear bomb does. It merely demonstrates the threat of an actual nuclear detonation as a show of power and strikes terror at what could have been. And it completely obliterates all within its tightly controlled area with a radius of about two hundred meters.

The Derwent Wing was a hundred and sixty meters from the source of the blast.

When the wizards went to search through the rubble, hoping to hide the existence of the magical world from muggle emergency rescue personnel they found the unconscious but alive bodies of six children and Harry Potter. Two other children, furthest from Harry, were physically unharmed but did not survive. The remaining sixteen children were only accounted for by the stain patterns.

The Bunker Shield is the strongest known shield to wizardkind and only the most powerful wizards can even cast it. Even today the Department of Mysteries has been trying to replicate this feat, and they have been unable to successfully cast a Bunker Shield that would encompass two people. Harry explained it as the same sort of uncontrollable emotions that drive accidental magic provided him with the ability to save as many as he could. He had defied all convention and managed to protect six innocent young souls, but all Harry could think about was the eighteen children who he was unable to save. Harry managed to not cast one large shield but several individual ones all around the people nearest to him at the moment of impact. The two children furthest from him were protected from the blast, but suffocated from lack of air inside the smaller shields surrounding them.

In an effort to prove that stupidity is truly limitless, the British Ministry of Magic placed Harry Potter under arrest for his actions and tried him in front of the Wizengamot. His crime was defying the laws of the United Kingdom and involving magic in the muggle war. Nearly every nation in the International Confederation offered him an exemption, and perhaps the British Ministry was expecting him to accept one, thereby granting him a reprieve from the law in these circumstances. Harry respectfully denied them all and elected to defend himself in one of the most notorious criminal cases this century.

Harry admitted to doing exactly what they accused him of, willfully using magic to defend not only himself but others including two muggles. A brother and sister who had lost their parents to a dark wizard and had their development stunted due to exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. Harry ended his case with these closing remarks:

"A brilliant man often reminded me to look at the difference between what is right and what is easy. That did not factor into my decisions that day. This was a simple matter of right and wrong. I personally find it disgusting that we must question whether saving the lives of innocent children is right or wrong. All of the children were aware of the existence of magic. If they weren't, would I have done the same? Absolutely. If faced with the situation again today, would I do the same? Absolutely.

"If you're deliberating on how much to fine me for my flagrant disregard of the law, please make sure to consider that not everyone is as wealthy as I. If the next time it is your children whose lives are threatened, the aurors and hitwizards will need to factor in the extra time it takes them to check their wallets. Of course, I suppose for them saving children would cost them their job, so it's not a terribly fair position to put them in the first place. Tough break for the kids, eh?

"I personally don't give a kneazle's left nut how you vote in this case. I know I did the right thing. Everyone with a conscience knows I did the right thing. My only fear is that one of those innocent children will see the pathetic attempts at justice in this courtroom. That they will think you were debating just how much punishment their lives are worth. Because those children have suffered enough. And no one should have to see mindless politicians opening their mouths merely to imitate arseholes spewing crap, let alone children. Thank you."

His words didn't win him very many votes though they certainly made for some interesting editorials. The effect of his words was that they chose not to fine Harry Potter at all. Instead they laid an even bigger log, and in conjunction with the muggle authority of the Great Britain, banished Harry Potter to exile from the country 'permanently.'

Harry chose not to appeal and did his part to see that his sentence went into effect immediately, accidentally tearing down the apparition wards in the courtroom in his hasty exit.

The next two years of Harry's life were some of the best, as he toured the world with his beautiful, vivacious, and brilliant wife. When another Dark Lord rose to power in England, the Ministry of Magic exonerated Harry completely and begged him to come back and help combat the new Dark Lord. Sadly, Harry couldn't hold a grudge half as well as his wife and he answered the call without delay.

Mal sat the book down and looked around his empty room. "Gorramit!"

Harry and River returned to Serenity alone. Mr Universe made sure the ship was still in the same spot, and they apparated right back onto the bridge with a near silent-pop.

"That really feels weird," River commented. "Like for a split-second gravity is a lot stronger."

Harry stopped and looked at her. "I've never quite heard it put that way, but that sounds about right."

The pair walked back towards the dining area and found Kaylee, Simon, Mal, and Zoe all chatting quietly.

"Hey guys," Kaylee greeted as the first to spot them.

"River!" Simon gasped. "Are you okay?"

River rolled her eyes. "I lost both legs, but I'll live."

"I'm going to miss those legs," Harry admitted. He bent down and was running his hand down her leg. "I magicked her this pair of fakes ones though. You can't even see the seam!"

Simon at first felt like he was being made fun of, but then wasn't quite so sure. The one thing he did recognize though was his sister holding her breath and her cheeks flushing as Harry ran his hand down her leg.

"You two need to be alone?" Mal asked Harry with a smile, making it apparent to Harry what the odd wizard was doing.

Harry on the other hand knew very well what he was doing and was counting on the presence of the others to put River off balance. He'd barely been able to pound his way past her defenses earlier in the evening and took advantage of her slight fluster. When he made eye contact with her, he immediately sought out the memory of her youth and a boy named Kevin. A few images of a twelve year old boy flittered past featuring a much younger River Tam. He then picked up a couple memories with Kevin's voice but no visuals. He saw a ten year old River with a mirror all alone on her bed, and heard Kevin's voice again when he was summarily ejected from her mind.

Harry staggered away from her, clutching his own throbbing head. "Ouch," Harry admitted closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

River on the other hand wasn't taking this personal invasion quite as calmly as before. She had no hesitation in cold-cocking Harry right in the jaw. He never even saw it coming.

"I think an audience is just what they need," Simon answered Mal's question that had been left hanging.

"Was that really necessary?" Harry whined rubbing his sore jaw, forgetting his throbbing head.

"Of course it wasn't necessary," River mocked imitating Harry's attitude from earlier. "I understand you need to test my defenses. I understand you're trying to catch me off-guard." She took a step towards Harry and began poking him hard in the chest. "But if you try to emotionally manipulate me and take advantage of my unstable hormones, you had better be prepared for the violent mood swings."

"Mood jabs and uppercuts too," Zoe helpfully added.

"We going to get the story on what just happened here?" Mal asked.

"No," River answered quickly.

Harry saw River didn't take to the Legilimency too well, but wondered if she understood her previous affect on other people a little better now. "Anyways, Captain, Antonio's in. He had a couple of demands but nothing unreasonable."

"Demands?" Mal asked not liking the sound of that.

Harry nodded and was reminded of his headache. "He's coming with us. And he's not sharing a bed."

"How much room is there?" Simon asked not liking the images 'sharing a bed' currently brought to mind.

"Field test mission is for five," Harry admitted. "And I'm reluctant to use an extensive amount of magic to expand things considering the situation. Antonio gets one, which means we can bring everyone, as long as we don't mind sharing two to a bed on the other four."

River jumped in, "All five cosmonauts will have suits and backup suits that can withstand empty space as well as the current conditions on Earth-That-Was."

"Alleged conditions," Harry interrupted her.

"Alleged current conditions," River corrected while twirling her finger intimating that Harry was delusional. "So there's enough for all of us and two instances of our usual brand of luck."

"One instance," Harry corrected. "You're not counting Antonio."

Mal nodded and stated, "I figure I can bunk with Jayne, and Zoe and Inara can share." Mal grinned and said, "Simon, I think you should pick whether you want to stay with Kaylee, River, or Harry."

"You're coming with us?" Harry said looking at the Captain and the horror on Simon's face. "Both of you?"

Mal just nodded giving no explanation.

Harry turned towards Simon. "Looks like it's you and me, Doc."

"No it's not," Simon replied not feeling that comfortable with the weird old wizard yet.

"Oh?" Harry grinned. "So am I sleeping with your girlfriend or sister then?"

It was not a decision Simon was prepared to make just yet. He was considering paying Jayne everything he owned to bunk with Harry, but really didn't want to think about this. Deciding to put off the impossible choice for later, Simon asked, "So was Antonio supposed to be one of the cosmonauts? Or how will he explain his disappearance?"

Harry shook his head. "Naw, he's documenting the entire project and the mission. That was one of his other demands; he still gets to document everything. But we've got it all covered. Tomorrow, Antonio is going into work as normal, and he's going to connect his own personal com device with his workstation. Frank's all set and ready. He'll spread from there and destroy the trail leading to Antonio."

"It was actually one of our better ideas," Harry admitted smiling at River. "Antonio's got a note from his Dr. Tammy."

"I voted against that name," River interrupted when she saw her brother's fearful look.

"The note explains that he'd like Antonio to continue working, in spite of the disruptions from leaking fluid and random moments of extreme pain. If by Sunday, Antonio hasn't passed the not one, but two kidney stones then they're going to use shockwave lithotripsy. For the sake of co-workers and unpredictable screaming though he's going to be working from home."

The others glanced at Simon who shrugged. "That's actually pretty plausible."

Harry nodded. "Dr. Tammy thinks that continuing his work throughout the mission will give Antonio something else to focus on, other than excruciating groin pain. And Frank's already got him mission clearance to setup diary drops from the cosmonauts to Antonio's secured home system. This way he'll still be documenting the mission, and few people will want to try and question a situation involving a man's urethra, blood, and extreme pain."

Zoe asked, "And what happens when someone tries to contact him?"

Harry shrugged. "Frank can fake it. He's already got an instance in Antonio's apartment complex security system. Sampled his voice, he just needs to moan and wheeze in pain, maybe mention changing a bloody diaper-"

"Antonio voted against that excuse," River reminded.

"It's up to Frank," Harry said with a shrug. "But we just relay an audio wave of Antonio, and they won't question it. As well as explain that he's getting the lithotripsy, thus missing the historic field test launch, which they know he was very interested in."

"Alright," Mal nodded. "Please stop mentioning… those words. So how's the rest of this going to work?"

Harry nodded. "Unless something changes, they're expecting five male cosmonauts so we figure that's what they should get. Just before they suit up, we're going to be knocking them out and taking them with us. Then they'll see the five of us board the Firenze and take off."

"Take them with us? And what about us girls?" Kaylee inquired.

Harry winced a little and saw River wasn't smiling. "I'm going to be transfiguring the four women into something small and unnoticeable, maybe beads on a necklace. That's also what I'm going to do with the five cosmonauts, who are assumed to be on this mission."

"Cool," Kaylee grinned. "You can just turn us into a little bead?"

Harry nodded. "I can. It's perfectly safe, just not something most people voluntarily are comfortable with."

"Where's the Documentarian?" Dr. Cole asked. "Weatherby, wasn't it?"

The Mission Director, Jack Stewart, cleared his throat. "He's uh… he's working from home."

"Working from home?" Dr. Cole asked. "Why in the verse would he miss this?"

Director Stewart looked uncomfortable. He leaned forward and whispered into Dr. Cole's ear.

Dr. Cole's face went from curious to surprised to horrified. "Dear God! Give that man some time off!"

Director Stewart shook his head. "Right now, being able to focus on work rather than… other things is probably helping him to keep sane."

Dr. Cole nodded in painful sympathy.

"Now if you don't mind," Director Stewart grinned. "It's show time."

Dr. Cole stepped back to let the Director do his job.

"FRANK, status check," Director Stewart said loudly.

The frustration in Mr. Universe's voice was barely noticeable. Of all the systems in all the worlds, they created a very simple human interface for the field test. And for its limited purposes towards this mission and the need for human interaction, it was named Field Research Analysis and Navigational Knowledge. Or FRANK for short.

Mr. Universe blamed Harry.

"All systems go, Director," Mr. Universe replied.

"Commander Jackson," Director Stewart asked. "How are we looking?"

Harry reached over and slapped Jayne in the arm. "Quit fiddling with your helmet, Beckford." Harry put extra emphasis on his fellow cosmonaut's supposed name.

"It's itchy," Jayne whined.

"It's also charming," Harry insisted, "if you remember our earlier conversation."

Jayne stopped fidgeting and nodded from inside his uniform.

"Commander Jackson?" Director Stewart repeated in confusion.

"Director Stewart," Harry replied loudly. "We're locked and loaded, floating in the black, waiting on your word."

"Initiate level one," Director Stewart ordered happily.

"Initiate level one," Harry repeated.

"Level one initiated," River replied.

The entire small vessel began shaking back and forth.

"Standby level two," Director Stewart ordered.

"Standby level two," Harry repeated.

River grinned beneath her charmed helmet. "Level two, standing by."

"On my mark," Director Stewart anxiously began. "Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Engage."

"Engage," Harry repeated as the mysterious new technology began to fire. "Engage Mackenzie, engage." The vibrations were getting stronger and louder as even the shuttle chairs were shaking violently.

"Gos se! Gos se!" Jayne began chanting as he gripped the sides of his chair.

"Engaging, Commander," River responded before insubordinately adding, "Quit whining like a baby."

"Look, if you're gonna," Harry began before finishing by screaming, "YEE-HAW!"

Screams and shrieks from the rest of the five man crew were the last bits of audio the command center heard as the ship disappeared in two crisscrossed exploding arcs of light.

Dr. Cole looked at the slightly baffled Director. "Did Jackson and Mackenzie seem a bit… off to you?"

Director Stewart nodded, uncertainly adding, "I think Beckford may have been crying."

The small spacecraft Firenze's hyperdrive engine fully fired and its journey back to the planet Earth-That-Was had begun.