WELCOME TO AMERICA, HARRY POTTER!
Chapter 3: Trouble Comes Calling
As I headed for the kitchen there came a knock on my office door. The door opened before I could go to it and there stood Murphy.
"Hi, come on in!" I said then continued on to the kitchen.
She blinked in surprise at the visitors, Bob had wisely vanished at the knock. With a frown on her face, she followed me to the kitchen.
"Harry, there's been an explosion just a mile from here. What makes it odd were the reports of green flames seen. You know anything about it?"
I was filling glasses with water and looked over my shoulder at her in puzzled confusion. "No, I can't say I do."
"I need you to come with me and check it out. By the way, who are the kids?" She asked as she followed me back to the living room.
I handed Harry and Hermione their water, Ron was just returning to the room and eyed the stranger uneasily as he sat next to the girl.
"Ahh, I'm just sitting them for a friend." I said lamely, not able to come up with anything better and, anyway, you could say that was exactly what I was doing, though I wouldn't call Morgan a friend.
I turned my attention to my unusual guests. "Guys, I have to leave for a bit. Please stay out of things and I'll see you in a little while." I told them, then grabbed my jacket.
As I was pulling it on and made for the front door, it suddenly opened and to my shock there was Morgan again, his face grim and he was openly holding his sword.
'What the heck?' I think, but before I can demand an answer, right behind him is another warden and he's carrying....Ancient Mai?!!!! Oh god, when it rains it pours trouble and it always seems to drop in my lap. Two more wardens follows behind the first and the last one in slams the door behind her.
"Dresden, check your wards!" Morgan suddenly barks at me.
"Hold it right there! Drop your....uh....sword?!" Murphy barks, holding her gun before her, pointing at Morgan.
I quickly hold up a hand, "Murphy no! It's okay, they are the good guys!"
Murphy frowns at me in confused irritation but lowers her gun but doesn't put it away.
"Alright, just what is going on?" She demands.
"Say nothing!" Morgan spats sharply.
Oh fun! Murphy isn't supposed to know that the wizard world really exists but how the heck do I keep it from her with Morgan standing there with a real sword in his hands and an obviously injured party held by others that are also armed and dangerous.
"Well, I don't see just how......." Again I'm interrupted when the world outside my door suddenly goes black as night despite it being nine in the morning.
"What happened to the lights?" Murphy asks uneasily.
Meanwhile on the couch, the three wizard children stare at the gathering darkness in bewilderment. If I was to ask them, I would have found out they could feel the malevolent energies surrounding them and were scared witless about it.
Morgan and I move closer to the door and stare out. It's black as pitch but, occasionally, you could see somethings in the dark. I felt uneasy but, again, before I could try to find some answers, one of the wardens sees something. He calls out a name then dashes out into the dark before we can stop him....a scream is heard.....but there is no sign of the young man.
That's when I slam the door shut. I turn on Morgan angrily.
"Alright, what is going on, Morgan?" I demand.
"Say....nothing....." Ancient Mai rasped out, her face pinched with pain.
'How did she get hurt, she looks exhausted and barely able to stay awake.' I wonder worriedly.
I grit my teeth but say, "Take her upstairs to rest." I tell the one holding her. He just looks at Morgan instead.
Morgan nods. "Go ahead and take her up. You and Amber stay there to guard her." They obey and go upstairs immediately.
Murphy is angry and afraid.....not a good combination. We move back to my living area. The kids are huddled close to each other but Harry apparently is angry as well as afraid. He jumps up and squares off with Morgan when we arrive to stand near them.
"What is going on? Why is there a containment spell around this place?" He demands.
Morgan sucks in a breath, his face going stony with anger. "You would do well to hold your tongue young man." He growled.
"No, he's right! I want to know what's going on too. What's all this blackness around us when I know its morning? What happened to that other guy?" Murphy broke in, her face just as stony as Morgan's.
Grimacing, Morgan finally answers her question but you can tell he isn't happy about it since it violates Mai's order.
"Mr. Soto was drawn into the other world by the ghost of his lost girlfriend and immediately torn apart.." He said as if relaying the weather.
"Other side?" Murphy asked, staring at him skeptically.
I moved to her side and tried to explain. "The other side is where souls go. Nothing living can exist there."
"You mean hell!" Hermione suddenly says, her face tight.
"Well, some call it that." I admitted. "But most know it as 'death'."
"But why is it here?" Harry ask, insistently.
"I don't know. Morgan what happened to you guys? You all looked like you came from a battle, so what's going on?"
"We aren't allowed to speak of it. You heard Mai." Morgan said stiffly.
"I'm sorry, but the horse has left the barn. It's a bit too late to close the door. Come on, Morgan." I badger him.
His eyes narrow and lips tighten. "No!" After making that firm declaration, he goes upstairs.
Sighing in frustration, I go to my office area. I need to do something. Murphy follows me as do the three kids.
"Perhaps this will answer your question, Murphy." I say quietly as I take my staff and activate my wards. Runs glow a reddish color as I activate them to check my warding spells. My protections are still in place which hopefully means they can hold the darkness off. Everything looks tight and I release my magic, the room returns to normal.
Murphy stares at me in shock. "So what you do is real......wizards and magic really do exist." She finally says in an awestruck voice.
"Yeah." I say softly.
"And you're not allowed to tell ordinary people like me." She stated that as a fact rather than a question. I just nod. She sighed then frowned as she stood staring at the darkness outside my windows then she turned to me. "We're in a trap."
I sigh. I'd already guessed that. "Yeah, it is."
"A trap? But who set it?" Harry said sharply.
Murphy turned and stared hard at Potter. "Who are you? You seemed to be a bit too familiar with all this instead of as shocked as I am."
The three kids look at each other uncomfortably then turn to me for some kind of guidance.
Things are just getting more and more difficult. I sigh, things are just happening far too fast and I've not had time to process any of it. How do I tell her these kids are wizards in training. Answer....I don't. No one is supposed to know they are here and it wouldn't help Murphy to know anyway. Before I have to make up yet another lie, Morgan comes back into the room.
I turn on him, "You brought this here! It's your fault! You are going to help me try and dispel it!" I growl.
He watches me as I storm toward my small storage area and retrieve a few things. I take them to my front door, open it and set up a small alter with a focal piece.
He looks at it and frowns. "It's not the right kind of thing......" He starts to object.
"It's all I have so it will have to do." I snap. He shrugs.
"Alright, let's do this. Everyone stay back." I order as I bring my staff up and Morgan does the same with his.
"Wait! We can help you!" Harry shouts.
I look over at the three staring at me with determination in their eyes and their wands in their hands.
I shake my head. "No way. This is too dangerous and I'm supposed to keep you safe until you go home."
"How are you going to do that with this......." Ron waves his wand toward the darkness, "....... surrounding us. We're not helpless and our energies might make a difference." He said flatly.
I'm still not happy about it but finally nod. Morgan looks even more unhappy than me but doesn't say anything. So soon all five of us are pointing our staves of power at my alter.
"Alright, focus.......now!" I shout.
Five flares of energy strikes my focal piece, it glows like a furnace that gets brighter and brighter as we pour all our energy through it. It seems like were succeeding then.....boom..... we're knocked completely off our feet.
Many groans fill the air as we slowly get back to our feet.
"Well that didn't work!" I say unhappily, reaching out and closing the door.
"So now what?" Ron says bitterly.
Suddenly there is a low rumble.
"Look out!" Hermione shouts turning and running out of the room, her friends on her heels.
Morgan and I don't waste any breath as we too rush from the room as behind us the darkness suddenly swallows my office.
We run into the living room. Murphy and Amber turn to stare at us in surprise.
"What's happened?" She demands.
"The darkness has taken my office." I say in frustration.
Author's Note: This little piece is taken from the episode, 'A Bump In the Night' Dresden Files.