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-THREE – Survival of the Fittest
The Firenze was dead in the sky and dropping like a rock, seconds away from crashing into the ruins of Hogwarts Castle.
Harry had enough time to process the fact that no one in this galaxy knew enough about the ship to fix it, if it broke. He knew they were beyond the reach of any known source of help, if they got stranded. And he knew the outside conditions were unable to support or sustain any normal sort of life, if they were to abandon ship.
Harry felt his magic singing in response to the shot of adrenaline racing through his system. His eyes flashed a split second before he simply gave into his instincts and placed all his trust in the magic that had yet to fail him.
The cosmonauts on the Firenze were blinded by the sight of Harry apparating away with a soft pop and a brilliant burst of light.
Harry found himself standing on the rough barren ground, secured in Commander Jackson's spacesuit protected from the elements of the outside world. He thrust both of arms straight up into the air towards the falling spaceship. "Arresto Momentum!"
Harry's body shuddered as he felt his magic absorb the weight of the spacecraft. He fell to his knees, fighting the force of gravity pulling the heavy ship down. He trembled as he struggled to control the descent safely to the corroded steps of what was once the Entrance Hall.
The Firenze screeched in resistance as it slowed to barely a crawl about a foot off the ground. Harry let the ship fall and he collapsed onto his back in exhaustion. He heard the experimental ship creaking and rolling as it settled into place. Harry lay there panting and sweating profusely inside his protective spacesuit.
Harry closed his eyes and focused on his magic. His face split into a small smile as he felt his strength returning as the ambient magic flowed into his body. Ever since he woke up, expending himself like he just had would mean naptime and no heavy magic. But only now, being back on his home planet did Harry realize just what he'd been missing the last two years. He relished in the warmth and welcoming feeling of so much magic in the air.
As soon as Harry's breathing had returned to normal, he rolled over and was looking closely at what remained of the hallowed magical institution. The adrenaline in his system had completely worn off, but his need for answers outweighed any tiredness he felt. Harry stood up and began to walk into the jagged, rocky remains of the castle.
Harry bent down to pick up a piece of stone and could feel the heat through his specially designed suit. No matter how hot the rock felt in his hand, it still felt completely dead. Hogwarts had always been brimming with life, just its mere presence warmed children's and adult's hearts alike. But now it felt about as magical as Privet Drive.
Harry slowly worked his way through the unmoving ruins, ducking under broken archways, trailing his gloved hands over the piles of misshapen rock and rubble along the way. He stepped over some shiny areas that once had been suits of armor and were now melted into scrap. Harry reached his intended destination and found a blackened, dusty field of carnage. He looked up and saw the daylight of the grey sky shining through the skeletal remains of the former support structure. The Hogwarts library was a total loss.
Harry slumped to the floor under the complete realization that not even the strongest wards they could create were capable of saving Hogwarts from the destruction that claimed the rest of life on Earth-That-Was.
Harry wasn't sure how long he sat there, but he could hear the others coming. Every step they made was clear in the clunky, oversized spacesuits. Harry hadn't bothered to turn around as he just chucked the rock in his hand kicking up a black cloud of dust and debris where the Restricted Section had once been.
River reached out towards Harry's left wrist and depressed a large button. Harry could suddenly hear the muttering voices of all the others inside his helmet.
"Everyone okay?" Harry asked from the floor, still in a daze.
"Yeah," Mal answered. "Couple bruises but nothing to worry about."
"So this is Hogwarts, eh?" Jayne's voice echoed in everyone's helmets.
Harry turned his head and saw all eight of the others were standing behind him. "Yup," Harry answered as he got back up to his feet. "This… is Hogwarts."
Harry began to trudge his way back through the uneven terrain that had replaced the smooth stone hallway floor.
"Harry?" Mal asked carefully when it seemed Harry wasn't going to be terribly forthcoming. "You mind telling us what's going on?"
Harry chuckled weakly. "Just checking for salvage I guess."
River knew her mental shields were strong but even still she could sense the sadness emanating from Harry.
Zoe softly clarified, "Harry? I think Mal was asking more about why the ship died and if we should be… you know, panicking and fearing for our lives?"
"Didn't any of you read Hogwarts, A History?" Harry chuckled, picturing Hermione's pouting face. "Muggle devices like electricity and computers go haywire in the presence of all this magic." Harry waved his hand into the air towards the charred eerie surroundings.
Simon harshly snapped, "What!"
Antonio felt his ire growing and asked, "And you never thought to mention this before?"
Harry sighed. "To be honest… I forgot."
Mal exhaled and shook his large helmeted head. "So we could be humped."
Harry shook his head, trying to remember the details of Hermione's thesis. "We should be fine. I'll just levitate the ship far enough away and it'll work… I think. Pretty sure at least," Harry started to walk away from them, unconsciously following the path towards where Gryffindor Tower once stood.
River and the others were following Harry quietly. She asked, "So which wards are still working?"
"Hmm?" Harry asked, turning towards her. "What do you mean?"
"Well," River replied. "I'm guessing the wards that knocked out the Firenze are still strong."
"Oh," Harry answered in realization. "No, those aren't anything intentional. All of the wizard-made wards are gone, probably the last of them collapsed when the castle died. Actually, one of my best friends did a study on the magical centers of the planet. Hermione wrote her thesis on it." Harry stopped and shook his head sadly. "I get the feeling I should've been paying more attention."
Simon muttered, "Yeah, perhaps when you told us to fly to Hogwarts."
Harry didn't even have the heart to turn around and glare at him. He continued explaining, "Basically, there are several spots on the planet where there's so much magic in the air, that it disrupts electronics, radios, and muggle devices. On the other hand in these areas, magic is more powerful and easier to manipulate. The Four Founders of Hogwarts knew this and built their school on top of the strongest one in Europe. I think the other two Hermione focused on were Stonehenge and that one near the island resorts… Devil's Triangle or something. It's in the Atlantic Ocean." Harry smiled in remembrance of one of his first friends. "Though she only chose that one so she could spend a lot of time on the beach."
"Uh… Harry?" Antonio interrupted. "You know there aren't any oceans around here, anymore?"
"Right," Harry chuckled weakly. "Forgot about that."
River was thinking about what she'd been suspecting all along. "You're not talking about the castle or a congregation of creatures or wizards, right? The magic is in these places or locations, the air, basically the planet?"
"Yeah," Harry sighed. "Fat lot of good they're doing now." Harry stared at the pile of rocks blocking him from going any further in this direction. He looked up into the empty air where the entrance to the Gryffindor common room should have been.
"But our suits are working fine," Simon suddenly realized. "The speakers and microphones are running off electricity. Why are these working?"
Antonio put a hand on Simon's arm when he looked like he was about to flee. "These suits are completely protected from all forms of radiation, fire, heat upwards of fifteen hundred degrees, and they're made of a synthetic liquid fiber that's impossible to tear. Not even a nuclear detonation could knock the com devices in these offline."
"Well why didn't you make the ship out of that?" Jayne asked Antonio curiously.
Antonio shrugged. "The hull is practically impenetrable, but it's simply not cost effective to try and create a solid structure with these effects. Every aspect of the cells and wiring require specially shielded electronics that are very expensive. The suits just have an oxygen regulator and communication running off it. Powering a ship takes quite a bit more than that."
"Hmm," Simon mused aloud. "So that means magic is an energy with a waveform that can be disrupted at certain frequencies."
"Yes and no," Harry interrupted. "Magic is as much an energy as life is. And if life's just an energy then you're basically admitting you have no soul. But let's not get into a philosophical argument that a scientific mind would reject as completely irrational."
"Well then why did the ship die?" Simon asked, very much in the mood for an argument.
"Magic and some parts of modern technology, when either of them are in their highest concentrations," Harry replied. "Well… let's just say they both get a bit territorial."
"Wouldn't that make magic more like technology than like life though?" Antonio asked trying to understand this. "Assuming they keep trying to replace each other."
"Technology has more to do with answers or a deeper understanding of immutable scientific laws, rules, and facts. Furthering our mastery of certain elements of our environment," Harry carefully considered his words wondering how to put this. "But the fundamental aspects of life, for example if you accept that we all evolved from a single-cell organism, then something had to add that spark or mix of elements that became the first single-cell organism. That's where I like to think, magic was born. It's not a failure of science, just a limitation. Magic is more the mystical or unexplainable side of things. The most basic understanding about magic you need to know is that it cannot be understood."
"I don't understand," Kaylee declared having given up on following the conversation.
"Exactly," Harry assured her. "See, Kaylee gets it."
"Science can explain everything though," Simon argued. "We just don't understand the science behind magic yet."
"And now we're back to where your scientific mind considers the argument irrational as you seem intent on proving you have no soul," Harry said with a grin, enjoying this more than he should.
"I have a soul," Simon whined.
"Yes, you do," Harry smugly answered. "And be thankful for that. I've seen soulless beings before, they ain't pretty. Science can help us understand life, but to truly create life you need more than that. I'm not talking about reproduction but genuine creation. That's where magic starts. Not the small stuff you've seen me do."
"So then why do our suits' communication devices work when the ship doesn't?" Simon tiredly asked seeing no way to reason with Harry.
Harry turned to Simon and thought they'd covered this already. "Because they're protected from that stuff Antonio said."
"I give up," Simon said walking towards the empty cavernous area that used to be the Great Hall.
"I'm happy to try and explain it better to you," Harry added looking up at the sky pretending the ceiling was still there. "But you couldn't make sweeping generalizations about life, or science for that matter, after inspecting one bug. Magic's the same way. And without seeing the bigger picture, your generalizations about the bug can't even be accurate."
Simon kept muttering in frustration to the other's amusement, while Harry continued his slow exploration of the ruins of Hogwarts. Just taking a moment to frustrate Simon helped Harry's mood temporarily. But looking around and he felt like he was trudging through some kind of surreal daydream. Not even the darkest of Dark Lords could have managed this kind of destruction. Voldemort probably loved Hogwarts as much as anyone. Seeing what had become of her just made Harry laugh in sadness.
Simon was still grumbling and misinterpreted Harry's laughter as mocking. He snapped back, "If your precious magic is so powerful, then why didn't it save this place? I thought Hogwarts was one of the most magical places on Earth-That-Was."
Kaylee smacked her boyfriend on the arm and a few were muttering curse words under their breath.
Harry just shook his head and turned to Simon honestly. "Good question. Nearest I can figure is that without anyone around, magic didn't see the point. We bollocksed up the planet and then left it to die," Harry sighed and shrugged, "Maybe it was pouting at us for leaving, maybe it just wasn't strong enough, I don't know." For some reason being forced to voice his thoughts out loud seemed to give Harry an acceptance of the situation if not an understanding.
The entire group stayed pretty silent as they wormed their way through the piles of blackened scorched rock and searing hot, dusty air.
Simon was looking up at varying broken walls and the dark foreboding sky. "Shouldn't there be some ghosts around here or something?"
Harry sighed and kept moving. "I wouldn't be surprised if the ghost council voted and they all moved on. The ties that may have held them to the castle would have broken when the castle died." Harry recognized the head of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. He picked it up and felt that it was nothing more than a heavy hunk of rock. "There's nothing here." Harry shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense."
"What doesn't?" Inara asked inspecting the odd looking stone head Harry was carrying.
"When we got here," Harry admitted. "I felt a pull on my magic, a connection. The magic in the air and of this place is as strong, or stronger, than I remember. But if the castle, the school, Hogwarts herself couldn't hold up, then I don't know what would have that I'd be actually connected to."
"Isn't there a spell for that?" River asked.
"Yeah, but you can't use it… near the castle…" Harry stopped and shook his head. "I'm an idiot. Thank you, River."
Harry put both of his massive gloved hands over the front of his helmet. He tried casting the spell, only to blind himself and start cursing in frustration. "Gorramit!"
"Suits, Harry?" Antonio added. "Remember they seem to protect from magic?"
Harry grumbled blinking the spots from his vision, "I thought that was just the electronic shielding as the magic came out from the suit just fine. Never mind. It doesn't matter." Harry took a deep breath and pushed his chest out as much as he could. He quickly exhaled and wiggled his arm free inside of the bulky suit. He snaked his arm up his chest and placed his hand as high as he could reach.
The others were watching in anticipation as Harry tried the spell once more, apparently around his throat, given the fact that Harry responded this time by coughing and hacking loudly right into their ears.
"Alright, that's it," Harry snapped in frustration. He closed his eyes and everyone was watching once more with a touch of fear as his spacesuit exploded outward like some massive man-shaped balloon. "There we go," Harry answered and the suit began to shrink back to a more normal size revealing glowing white eyes without any visible pupils. "Whoa," Harry admitted. "I am definitely bound to something… that way." He finished pointing off in the direction he could see the bond heading.
"You can see it?" Zoe asked a little freaked out by the small headlights Harry was now sporting instead of eyes.
"Yup," Harry replied. "It's a pretty strong connection too. Shall we go investigate?"
Before anyone had a chance to reply they heard a crash from the Entrance Hall where they'd left the ship. Harry turned and sprinted off in that direction while the others followed.
"Umm… is running towards whatever made that sound the wisest thing?" Simon asked as he began to slow down to a leisurely jog.
Everyone but Harry and River slowed for half a step and thought about that question.
"We're gonna die, aren't we?" Antonio moaned ignoring the shushing from the others.
"Of course we are," Harry answered happily through his helmet. "Let's just hope not today."
Harry arrived first and saw that the ship seemed to have slid off a couple of steps, crushing some of the stones it had been resting on. Harry completed his circuit around the ship. "Looks like it was just settling," Harry admitted holding a hand up blocking his view of the ship. "But that hyperdrive glows worse than a nuclear reactor."
"Well," Antonio admitted. "It is a nu-"
"Never mind," Harry interrupted with a roll of his eyes. Harry showed off the gargoyle head he was still carrying. "I got a souvenir so I think I'm done here. You guys about ready to go?"
"Are we going to follow your magical connection?" River asked.
"Yup," Harry answered, moving the wand onto his wrist, up his hand and flush with his index finger inside his glove. He was quite grateful for the extra space he now had in his spacesuit. "Wingardium Leviosa," Harry calmly incanted and floated the ship up off the ground. Harry stared for a moment always mesmerized at getting to physically see the magic of that spell.
"How far do you have to get for the ship to work again?" Inara asked, wearily watching the floating spacecraft as Harry began to walk away.
Harry shrugged, focusing on his levitation of the Firenze, and making sure he didn't trip. "I figured we'd give it a try by the lake."
"The lake?" Mal asked looking around at the different shades of burnt orange in all directions.
"That big crater straight ahead," Harry replied and pointed.
They continued to trek towards where the lake used to be when suddenly the ship's engines roared to life. The lights inside and out all flashed on and the Firenze flew up freeing itself from the control of Harry's spell. It spun around away from them and shot off into the sky leaving the nine people in spacesuits behind.
Harry was immediately reminded of getting thrust out of Mr. Weasley's enchanted car when it ran off to live in the Forbidden Forest. "Oh dear, that was… unexpected."
"Harry," Kaylee asked calmly and gently looking up in the sky. "Did our ship just ditch us?"
"Err…"
"It's not funny," Simon argued. "Now float it back here."
"You are doing this," Antonio asked fearfully. "Aren't you, Harry?"
"Umm…"
"Oh boy," Jayne added.
"You see?" Mal stated. "This is why I should have been Captain. My ship likes me. I trust her, she trusts me. She wouldn't ditch me and leave me alone."
"To die," Inara added.
"On a barren, lifeless planet," Kaylee added.
River jumped in, "With no hope for-"
"I get it," Harry interrupted finally. "You're not helping." Harry was able to follow the glow of the hyperdrive with his mage-enhanced sight. "Umm… guys?"
"What?" Jayne asked spinning around hearing the worry finally creeping into Harry's voice.
"Do you see that?"
"What is it?" Inara asked squinting in the direction Harry was looking.
"I think it's coming back," Harry stated seeing the glow getting bigger and brighter.
"Thank goodness," Kaylee grinned.
"Umm…" Harry saw it was heading their way and quite fast. "I think it might be angry." Harry had decided that it most definitely looked angry and thrust both of his arms out pushing all eight of the other people away from him. Harry fell straight backward onto the ground just as the ship flew screaming past where he'd been standing. The wayward spacecraft cleared the ground by barely two feet and Harry's spacesuit by less than one.
The Firenze quickly pulled up steering clear of anywhere close to the castle ruins and began to circle around again for another pass.
"Lao tyen yeh!" Mal cursed. "What the hell is going on?"
"Harry!" Mr. Universe's voice echoed loudly from the sky above. "You yu bun duh hwin dan!"
"Frank!" Harry gaped. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I can't believe you just tried to kill me!"
"Oh juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean jan," Zoe muttered looking up as the Firenze began to hover lower to the ground.
"I wasn't trying to kill you," Harry argued. "I just… forgot. Sorry about that."
"Do you have any idea how strong the surge that forced the shutdown was?" Mr. Universe argued. "You should be stuck on this wasteland without any onboard navigation and a powerless tin can!"
"About that," Harry asked half-fearfully, half-excitedly. "How'd you take over the flight controls? Or power up for that matter?"
"How do you think?" Mr. Universe asked in a very confident tone.
"You've got to be kidding…" Harry whispered in amazement.
"You mind setting down so we can get out of these stuffy suits?" Mal asked. "You can yell at Harry easier, once we're inside the ship."
"Sorry, Mal," Mr. Universe replied gently extending the landing gear and setting down. "Engines are off," he announced just as the rear hatch door swung open. "All aboard, my friends, innocent bystanders and absent-minded idiot wizards alike."
"Frank?" Harry asked apprehensively and quickly corrected, "Mr. Universe, I mean? Are you… really…"
"Yup and yup," Mr. Universe happily announced while the first six climbed in. The door swung shut, and the entranceway spat off thick clouds of steam bringing the sealed small room to a healthy temperature and pressure. The interior door to the engine room swung open inviting them in. The six cosmonauts hesitated for a moment leaving the comfort of their secure spacesuits but they were assured it was safe by Mr. Universe, who swung engine room door closed behind them. Airlock sealed off again and the rear hatch swung open for the remaining three people.
Harry was the last one into the ship, slightly worried what was going to happen. "So just how much are you… you?"
"I'm all me," the speakers throughout the ship echoed. The airlock sealed and the temperature and pressure stabilized to healthy conditions, and the door swung open revealing the other six had already gotten out of their suits.
Harry pulled off his helmet and grinned up towards nothing in particular. "So how do you like it?"
"Amazing," the intercom voice of Mr. Universe answered. "I've never felt more alive."
Harry just smiled as he peeled his way out of his spacesuit.
"Harry?" Antonio hesitantly asked. "What have you done to the ship?"
Harry shook his head. "Don't look at me. I didn't do it." Harry's case wasn't helped by Mr. Universe's snort of amusement. "And it's not exactly just a ship anymore."
"You mean…" River started.
Harry just nodded.
"But he's an artificial intelligence," Simon frowned.
"I am right here you know," Mr. Universe jumped in.
Harry shrugged. "I've sort of… seen this happen before."
"You've seen this," Antonio said swinging his arms wildly, "happen before?"
"Well not this exactly this," Harry argued. "But … okay, when I was twelve we… borrowed my best friend's enchanted car when we missed the train to school. Somewhere around the time we crashed it into the Whomping Willow the car… became alive and started thinking and acting for itself."
"Magic creates life, eh?" Zoe put in.
"Yeah," Harry answered. "Something like that. I mean in this case we actually have an intelligent… intelligence all set to give Firenze here a brain to go with its life."
"Thank you Harry," Mr. Universe agreed. "Though we may need to discuss my name. Mr. Universe-Firenze is a bit of a mouthful."
"Firenze-Universe?" Jayne suggested. "I kinda like the sound of Mr. F.U."
Harry couldn't help but snort at the aghast look on Antonio's face. "We can discuss it later. So how's this working, Mr. U? You're aware of… everything on here? Capable of flying yourself? Watching us shower? What?"
A few eyes widened unsure how they felt about that possibility.
"The short answer would be," Mr. Universe paused and said, "Yes."
Kaylee and Jayne let out similar sounding eeps while Harry just shook his head wryly.
"Don't worry. I'll respect everyone's privacy." Mr. Universe tried to calm them. "Well, except for Harry."
"How about a longer answer?" Mal asked curiously.
"Well, you all know what I was, right?" Mr. Universe asked.
"A digital intelligence created by the real you, right?" Kaylee answered.
"Essentially, yeah," Mr. Universe explained. "The human me hadn't finished working on the device, and the batteries I was testing with weren't charged or even the right kind for actually running the device long-term. Then Harry came along, tried to fix the device, and sort of got it running on magic, and I began to piece myself the rest of the way together from there. And it's a good thing I did, because I'm not sure Harry could even use a calculator that didn't have beads to slide across."
Harry rolled his eyes at the quirky personality's sarcasm.
"I didn't have a physical body or anything. I was just as Kaylee said, an artificial intelligence existing in the device. I could copy and clone myself at will, often Harry would send a copy of the current me off to do his dirty work-"
"Your dirty work too," Harry added.
"Yes, yes, that too," Mr. Universe didn't deny. "Like for example getting into Blue Sun, Harry had to sneak onto one of their satellite links and toss a copy of me into their system. I gathered all the info we needed, and then that copy of me could make another copy that it sent out while staying resident on their system as well. Eventually a copy reaches back to a sort of central home base in my communication device."
"Our communication device," Harry corrected.
"Then it's a matter of merging that copy with me, and sending more copies out, so all my instances are aware of everything I should know," Mr. Universe explained. "As of right now, there are thirty seven constantly updated instances of me, hiding on various networks I've compromised. And dozens of others that aren't quite as up to date, because too much network traffic gets noticed. Before my home base where I always kept coming back too was the com device that I started in, though now I think I might want to set up camp in here."
Harry jumped in, "Any copy can delete itself if it gets caught or busted, even if they're on a private network. Like the copy in the control room talking to the Mission Director."
"Or the copy in Antonio's apartment complex," Mr. Universe added. "It's just split off, clone, and merge. Until today."
"Yeah, about that," Harry asked. "Do you need another?"
"Yes," Mr. Universe added. "We will need one for the onboard systems, because I'm not a digital intelligence."
"You're not?" Inara asked skeptically.
The engine started to fire up briefly before it slowed and stopped. "Nope, I'm a ship."
"How'd you do that?" Jayne asked looking at Harry.
Harry shook his head, not wanting to turn back towards the brightly glowing hyperdrive. "It wasn't me."
"Well, I'm pretty sure it was magic," Mr. Universe explained. "So Harry's undoubtedly to blame somehow. But basically, I learned a brand new thing the moment we got too close to that magical center thing Harry was talking about."
"You heard that?" Zoe asked in surprise.
"Mmm-hmm," Mr. Universe answered. "Yup. Harry managed to teach a digital intelligence the meaning of the word pain."
Harry winced. "I said I was sorry. And I am. But… pain? Really?"
"Yeah, really," Mr. Universe insisted. "It hurt. A lot. And the next thing I realized I was the ship and you were lowering me to the ground. Nothing I could do responded or replied, probably due to the magic in the air or whatever it was you'd said."
"Hang on, Mr. F.U.," Harry interrupted. "My eyes are getting sore and tired from this spell. You feel up to taking us somewhere?"
"Sure do," Mr. Universe complied. "I'm just waiting for you guys to leave the engine room before I fire up and take off."
They all walked through the narrow hallway heading towards the front. Antonio was the last one out of the engine room and he went to close the door when it swung shut and closed for him. He'd seen and heard too much to be surprised.
The engines flared to life and they felt the ship smoothly take to the sky, while they claimed chairs up at the front.
"This is such a better way to fly," Harry said with a smile.
"Am I heading in the right direction?" Mr. Universe asked.
"Yup," said Harry seeing the bond from him was connected in a line towards the nose of the ship. "You're right on line. Just keep her steady this direction."
"Alright," Mr. Universe answered. "Just let me know. It feels good to be in the air. Now where was I…?"
"You were aware but couldn't do anything," River answered.
"Oh right," Mr. Universe explained. "I was aware that I was the ship. Not the onboard nav system, not an AI clone, but the actual ship. It's an odd realization to reach."
"How aware of yourself are you?" Harry asked, rubbing his hand on the wall.
"I can feel that, if that's what you mean," Mr. Universe answered. "I don't have eyes or ears. I have video feeds from the cameras, audio feeds from the mics, and a general awareness. I think I could read in and understand all the controls if you'd just reinstall a clone for navigation purposes."
"Oh right," Harry answered and summoned his communication device to him. He loved watching magic with his eyes like this. Especially the non-visible spells like summoning and levitation. Harry plugged in the device and let Mr. Universe do his thing.
"Interesting," Mr. Universe answered with an echo. "Oops. Sorry about that." The echo was gone. "I'm not any sort of digital sentience that could merge but we can sort of talk almost as fast. That was both of us saying interesting the first time. Two similar minds reaching similar conclusions at similar times."
Harry turned to Simon and enjoyed how freaked out he was by his glowing eyes. Harry jerked his thumb towards the console where his com device was located. "I doubt science or technology could have done something like this."
"I doubt it'd want to," Simon mumbled, unaware he'd just signed on for cold showers for the rest of the trip.
"A little to your right, Mr. Universe," Harry answered noticing the location was straying a little. "Other right," Harry smarmily added.
"Oops," Mr. Universe admitted. "Still getting used to this."
"Hmm," Harry admitted as they kept flying. "It's getting lower."
"Then we're getting closer," Antonio added before blushing at how obvious that sounded.
"Whoa!" Harry called out and spun around to look behind him. "We just went over it. Take us down around here."
"I thought this might be it," Mr. Universe answered.
"Where are we?" Jayne said sticking his nose against the window. "There is some gnarly carnage around here. Looks like a snaking canyon too."
"Directly over central London," Mr. Universe happily announced. "That canyon used to be the Thames River."
"London, as in the London?" Simon clarified. "Huh. I forgot that it wasn't always a part of America."
Harry wanted to curse some Yankees if only he could find them. He guided Mr. Universe to nearly where his glowing bond was directly below them. Harry ran back towards the engine room as they softly touched down and he climbed back into his cleaner refreshed suit. Mr. Universe obliged and let Harry out while the others all hurried to follow.
"Slow down, Harry!" Zoe called out.
"Where are we?" Kaylee asked looking at all the wreckage and shades of brown and burnt colors.
"This is Diagon Alley," Harry answered as he reached his destination. They all stopped to look at the giant misshapen white rock that Harry was inspecting.
Simon bent down and knocked on it with his hand. He was rewarded with sharp rapping sounds indicating it was very thick. "What is this? Is this marble?"
Harry sighed looking at the massive mound and nodded. "Yeah, it's marble."
"Are you bound to giant piece of white marble?" River asked curiously.
"Nope," Harry answered with a smile. "No I'm bound to my vault. Which means my stuff is probably just fine."
"Your vault? Your stuff?" Antonio asked.
Harry nodded happily. "Yeah, my stuff. My possessions, my belongings, my money, my family heirlooms. My stuff." Harry waved towards the white rock. "This used to be the entrance to Gringotts, the wizarding bank. The vaults are all beneath the surface… of course," Harry said smacking his helmet. "The conditions on the surface of the planet wouldn't necessarily affect things over a kilometer or two down."
"Your stuff is beneath this?" Inara asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, it is. Way beneath this, and from the looks of things directly under here." Harry wiggled his arm inside his suit and canceled the magic on his eyes. "If we're lucky," Harry blinked his eyes rapidly adjusting to normal vision returning. He had to look away while his pupils dilated enough to see properly. "We can find a cart to ride down. Otherwise this could take a while."
"A cart?" Zoe asked.
"How long is a while?" Antonio asked, not liking the sound of the word kilometer.
Harry shrugged. "Not really sure. The fact that I'm still bound to it, means its protections are still up, which means I can't portkey or apparate in there." Harry looked around and saw the spots in his vision were receding. "You said these suits are strong, right Antonio?"
"Very," Antonio nodded.
Harry took a deep breath and said. "Works for me." Harry briefly thought about trying to get wands on the outside of the suit, but feared they might simply ignite in the heat. He expanded the suit enough so that he could keep a firm hold on both wands. Harry walked around the giant marble slab and stopped near the back. He looked towards the others and said, "Umm… just to be safe, you all might want to back up a bit."
All eight of the others took Harry's warning to heart and sprinted away in the other direction. Jayne was backpedaling too, but he refused to look away not wanting to miss whatever Harry was about to do.
Harry held both wands loosely in his hands, mentally going over what spells might work best here. He considered attempting some of the more specialized stone pulverizing spells, or perhaps even a spell that large groups used en masse to tunnel through mountains or build caves. Considering his options, and what he knew of the situation, he stuck with what worked best for him. Simpler he found was often better.
Harry gripped both wands tightly and aimed them straight down far enough away that he was hoping to bypass the marble completely. Hardly any wizards should ever try using two wands at once, as it sucks your magic dry too quick, dangerously so for most people. But Harry found it to be kind of fun and a good way to ensure maximum results. Harry kept his eyes on the ground, not wanting to shoot his foot off by accident. He screamed out, "REDUCTO!"
All eight crew members winced at the loud yell in their ears, but the resulting explosion was mighty impressive. A huge cloud of blackened dust and debris exploded into the air. Most notably though was the sight of Harry in his spacesuit being launched at a slight angle a good forty feet into the air.
Harry's shrieking may have been audible even without the speakers in their helmets, but the crunch and silence as he landed was an even worse sound.
"Owww," Harry moaned as he sat up. He saw the other eight running towards him.
"That was awesome!" Jayne exclaimed happily.
The others were helping Harry up and making sure he was okay, while Antonio went to check out the new crater next to the giant white marble rock. He had to watch his step not to fall in, but he peered over the side. "Wow, looks like almost fifty feet down, just a few more kilometers to go."
"Cart, Antonio," Harry reminded. "We just need to make it to the cart, and we can ride that down. Or locate the tracks the carts run on."
Harry and the others went to check out the crater too and were peering in the steaming fresh chasm. "Well that was fun," Harry admitted. "But I'm not sure how many of those I've got in me."
"Harry!" Mal snapped in fright.
"I can handle a couple more blasting curses," Harry argued looking proudly at his crater.
"Harry!" Mal and Antonio snapped in unison.
"What?" Harry asked looking up suddenly. "What is it?"
They were both staring directly over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned around and saw something he didn't think he'd ever see again. A brownish-red phoenix was carrying her baby just looking at the people in the massive spacesuits in surprise. She caught Harry's eye and was staring into it when Harry felt an out of place image flutter in his head. The phoenix jerked back in shock and her jaw dropped open. She was so flustered by their presence she never even noticed she'd dropped her baby.
That was until it landed on its head and starting squawking angrily.
The phoenix mother swooped down and picked up the young one before vanishing in a burst of fire.
"What the hell was that?" Jayne asked.
"It spontaneously combusted," River answered with a loud sigh. "We finally see signs of life and it spontaneously combusted."
Harry couldn't take it and started laughing at River's declaration. "Relax guys. That was a phoenix."
"Are those birds… supposed to do that?" Inara asked.
Harry nodded. "Yes, they can vanish and appear in a burst of fire."
"Was she fleeing or running off to get reinforcements?" Mal clarified looking around for more of them.
Harry's eyebrows perked up in hope. "That'd be nice. I mean, no, not reinforcements. Phoenixes are some of the most docile, pleasant creatures you will ever find. In fact, I've only even ever heard of one taking part in any sort of fight at all."
"So she could be regrouping to organize an attack?" Jayne asked.
"How could those things possibly survive here?" Simon wondered. "I mean what do they eat? Ash? How can they possibly adapt from life before to life like this?"
"They're immortal creatures of fire," Harry answered. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're barely bothered by the increase in temperature. Though I do wonder what they eat…"
"But you said that some fight? So shouldn't we be… I don't know? Getting our guns?" Jayne worried.
Harry shook his head. "They're light creatures. They don't fight, they'd never attack. And the only one that I've ever heard of taking an active part in any sort of pitched battle was Fawkes."
Right on queue, the phoenix in question appeared in a burst of fire in front of Harry.
"Aiee!" Kaylee shrieked not expecting to be so close to a sudden ball of flame.
"Fawkes?" Harry asked looking at the bird in disbelief.
Fawkes on the other hand could barely contain his enthusiasm. He was whipping his wings like an overexcited first year, just hovering in place brimming with joy. Fawkes squawked loudly at Harry's inquiring repeat of his name and with a burst of fire disappeared from in front of Harry, only to reappear inside Harry's oversized spacesuit.
Harry began to yelp as he fell back, while the phoenix just wriggled itself against him in happiness. Harry was laughing his head off at how Fawkes tickling him, and seemed quite content to just press his body against Harry's in what could only be an attempt at a human hug. "What are you doing, you goofball?"
Fawkes squawked something back that probably even phoenixes wouldn't have understood before snapping his beak on Harry's nose and mischievously biting down hard. Another burst of fire and Fawkes reappeared up in the sky. He flew in circles above them, belting out a long stream of phoenix song. The melody's effect was felt by all nine of the cosmonauts, who just watched the creature in amazement. Their worries seemed to lessen, the corners of their mouths turned up in smiles, and they exhaled breaths that made them feel healthier and happier.
"That's beautiful," Kaylee whispered out reverently.
"I've never heard anything like it," Inara said keeping her eyes on the smoothly moving creature.
"Thank you, Fawkes," Harry said softly. "But still… Fawkes!"
Fawkes' song ended and he went right back to hovering in front of Harry.
Harry was stunned speechless and opened to his mouth to say something before just shutting it in surprise.
Fawkes just nodded his head fervently, happier than Harry could ever remember the little guy being.
Finally deciding on what to say, Harry just grinned back at the phoenix and said, "Hi."
Fawkes just kept chirping back and singing up a storm at Harry.
"He seems happy to see you," Mal noted.
"You know this specific phoenix?" Antonio asked curiously.
"Sure!" Harry answered. "Don't you remember the big arse snake?"
"That's right!" Jayne agreed. "This guy is a fighter! Clawed those eyes right out!" Jayne happily exclaimed with demonstrative hand movements.
"I thought you said that was a magical fire-turkey, didn't you?" Mal asked recalling that thrilling little adventure.
Harry raised his hands in deference to show he meant no threat to the phoenix who'd been puffing out his chest proudly. "He's kidding, Fawkes. You know I'd never say that about you."
"No, no," Simon added. "I clearly remember you calling it a magical fire-turkey."
Fawkes began to playfully dive bomb Harry who kept assuring the bird that he had been joking.
"His tears saved your life," Antonio recalled.
Harry just nodded as Fawkes seemed to settle down and rest on the shoulder of Harry's suit. "Yup, Fawkes here saved my life twice actually."
Fawkes squawked and stuck up his foot with three claws extended.
"Oh come on," Harry whined. "We both know that acromantula venom wasn't going kill me."
Fawkes seemed to huff indignantly and shake his tail feathers in disagreement.
"Fine, three times," Harry said though he clearly didn't agree. "Merlin Fawkes, it's good to see you."
Fawkes just leaned into Harry pushing his head against Harry's helmet.
Harry recognized what Fawkes wanted. "Okay, you crazy bird. Get in here."
Fawkes let out a victorious cry and popped into a burst of fire, reappearing back inside the cramped spacesuit with Harry. Harry worked his left hand up to where Fawkes head was resting on Harry's chest. He began scratching the ancient bird in all his favorite places.
Fawkes was relishing in the attention while Harry looked up at all the patient faces. "Fawkes here was the pet of my Headmaster and occasional mentor of sorts, Albus Dumbledore. First time I saw Fawkes, he looked awful, and he burst into flames right in front of me. I was twelve and scared the Headmaster was going blame me for killing his pet bird."
Fawkes let out a happy coo, urging Harry to scratch behind his ears.
"Albus then showed me the little baby phoenix that was reborn from its own ashes," Harry explained. "And that's not to mention that my wand -my proper wand I mean, not any of the ones you've seen- contains a tail feather from Fawkes here."
Harry felt the bird relaxing against him. "I bet you've been pretty bored around here, haven't you?"
Fawkes nodded his head causing Harry to chuckle.
"Feel up to helping us out?" Harry asked curiously.
Fawkes nodded again, apparently needing just a little bit more attention before it vanished in a burst of fire and reappeared in the air in front of Harry. Fawkes tilted his head at Harry.
Harry felt an odd flicker in his head again and got the feeling Fawkes was waiting on him. "We were hoping to check out my vault, and gather up everything that's useful."
Fawkes nodded immediately, and Harry could have sworn there was a twinkle in Fawkes' eyes.
"Alright," Harry said raising a hand. "Think you're strong enough to take all of us?"
Fawkes rolled his head in exasperation, making it clear he was irritated than Harry even had to ask.
"Sorry," Harry mockingly apologized to the touchy bird. He turned to the others, "Does everyone want to go see my vault?"
When they all replied affirmatively, Harry walked down the line casting sticking on the surface of their gloved hands. It took a bit of effort, but he got the magic to hold. The nine of them had their hands linked, stuck together in a long line. Harry turned back towards the smirking bird and said, "We're ready." Harry leaned towards the hovering phoenix with his unstuck hand and mock whispered, "You can stretch your wings a little if you want."
Fawkes nodded in secret agreement with Harry and stuck his tail feathers right towards the wizard. Harry grabbed hold of Fawkes' tail as he turned back towards the others. "Do me a favor and try not to scream too loud."
Simon didn't like the look in Harry's eyes at all. "What are you- AHHH!"
The long train of people flew up into the air, hanging onto the tail of youthfully energetic immortal avian. Fawkes was taking them on a ride all over the rubble and wreckage of nearby London. They were flying at speeds Harry couldn't ever hope to match on a broom. Their bodies were jerked back and forth, as helpless as the tail on a kite, completely at the mercy of the wind whipping them around.
Most of the people had closed their eyes unable to handle watching everything flying by. Fawkes swung them back towards the remains of Diagon Alley and flew straight up high into the air, giving all nine passengers a brief feeling of weightlessness. Before he turned around and zoomed straight towards the ground, heading right for the giant hunk of marble that was once Gringotts.
Right as they all should have slammed into the rock with a loud splat they instead disappeared in a burst of fire. The sensation of phoenix fire travel truly is one of the best forms of magical transport. A warm welcoming tingling throughout your body as if you're being tickled in a very gentle manner.
The large group was still screaming despite the fact that they had stopped moving and been softly set down on the ground in a half-moon protected area facing a smooth wall with a familiar pair of large vault doors. Their screams suddenly stopped, with Jayne being the last one to notice that they weren't still yelling their heads off.
"Oops," Jayne apologized having continued screaming for much longer than necessary.
Fawkes settled himself on the top of Harry's helmet, while Harry went down the line canceling all the sticking charms on their linked gloves.
"Lao tyen yeh," Zoe murmured, clutching her chest. "Why do I get the feeling that magical fire-turkey could have just brought us here, but you just wanted to give us a scare?"
Harry tilted his head up glancing at the firmly attached bird. "I don't think I'm the only one who wanted to do that. Poor Fawkes has been bored silly around here. He probably needed the exercise too."
Fawkes squawked but flew up into the air and hovered in front of Harry.
Harry felt something in his head again, but couldn't tell what it was. Fawkes seemed irritated but leaned his head in towards Harry. He was motioning with his head, pointing his beak towards Harry's helmet and flipping his head back.
Harry caught on and realized Fawkes was saying he could take the suit off here. Slightly worried that Fawkes was getting cheeky, but still trusting the bird with his life, Harry released the locks on his helmet and pulled it off his head to the amazement of the others.
When Harry just took a deep breath and let it out, the others followed his lead and did the same. It was a bit warm, but very reasonable temperature for them. Harry pulled off one of his gloves and felt the smooth wall across from his vault door. "Hey," Harry answered. "The rock is comfortably cool down here."
"And how are you supposed to normally get here?" Antonio asked, seeing no tracks or carts anywhere nearby.
Harry was scratching his head, paying no attention to the phoenix who'd settled comfortably onto Harry's shoulder. "These uh… walls are new. There are fourteen other ancient vaults down here, and the track used to come right… well about ten feet through there."
"So why is this area so smooth?" Inara asked running her hand over the cool rock.
Harry shrugged. "I'm guessing this as far my vault protections exist. It might be worth trying to burrow into other vaults. There are some very rich and old things down here."
"Enough dilly-dallying," Jayne said unsuccessfully trying to push Harry's vault doors open. "Let's see all your toys."
"Alright, alright," Harry replied. "The oldest vaults here are based on blood wards." Harry dragged his finger across the palm of his other hand cutting it deep enough for the blood to start dripping out. Harry pushed his bloody palm across the crease between the two doors. All nine of them stepped back as they heard the magic creaking and air began to rush out of the doors as they slowly swung open.
The nine cosmonauts were holding their helmets in their hands, and just stared in absolute shock at the sight before them. When the tense silence was broken, the dumbstruck group of cosmonauts all at once gasped out their thoughts.
"Wu de ma!"
"Merlin's balls!"
"Wu de ma!"
"Tsai boo shr!"
"Wu de ma! It's horrible! Living beneath the surface has mutated them! They're so small! And hideous!"
"Jayne!" Harry snapped interrupting the offensive exclamations. "These are goblins. Not people."
"Oh," Jayne stopped suddenly, looking at them a little closer. "Well, they're still hid-"
"Jayne!" Harry yelled silencing the other man.
The nearest group of goblins was just staring at the people in complete shock. They began furiously chattering in Gobbledegook, looking at Harry in disbelief. Their faces twisted in grim looks that may have been smiles. The tallest one tilted his head at Harry and asked, "Master?"