The next day was dark and cloudy, the threat of rain was easily seen in the skies above but Maria felt rather content as she pulled on a jacket to get rid of the chilling winds. The winds refused to leave anyway, as she pouted. Sometimes, Mother Nature was not someone she liked. Following Harry, who was following his owl, she noticed that they were heading out of the skyscrapers and into the more residential areas. They both had seen several of the tripods walking around, always in packs of threes. Harry had called them "Ravagers", a fitting name as they ravaged anything that was left alive.
However, they didn't have any shield like the larger tripods did. However, they had denser armor that were able to tank attacks. They saw a skirmish a few hours ago, the soldiers had heavy weapons and rocket launchers. They were able to knock off a few panels of purple armor, destroy a connection between body and tentacle before they were annihilated by green death. The silence was unbearable but with her companions, it was far more enjoyable than the fear of death handing like damocles sword over their heads.
"So where exactly are we going?" She asked softly, as they watched a trio of Ravagers pass by.
"Well, my Godfather has a house," Harry said, looking around cautiously, "one that was in his family for ages. He also has someone with him, my astrology professor. Seems the Martians can't see through a charm that hides stuff, which is a good thing. Hedwig is leading us to the general location then I'm supposed to read the 'secret' that reveals his home. Hopefully it works."
Maria nodded at this, knowing that magic was crazy in Britain. American Wizards were different as they didn't follow the rigid rules that the Brits followed, but that was some of the craziness was crafted. It was infuriating to think about so she stopped thinking about it, as they walked from shadow to shadow. Hedwig stopped by landing on top of a bush, looking at a large apartment complex ahead of them. On the right was number eleven but on the left was number thirteen, her mind stopped at that.
Where was number twelve?
"I guess we found the spot," Harry muttered before pulling out the letter from his Godfather, reading silently before he handed it to her, "Here, read it silently."
She took the letter and read it, finding a part that stuck out from the rest of the letter.
The home of Sirius Orion Black can be found at #12 Grimmauld Place, London.
She frowned, looking up before her mouth dropped open. Numbers eleven and thirteen were pushed to the side as number twelve seemed to push itself back into existence like it never left, boggling Maria's mind as this happened before her. The front door opened and a disheveled man stepped out, wand in hand. He looked both ways, frown marring his face before motioning to them.
"Better get inside," He growled, eyes never leaving the tops of the buildings around them, "those machines will be back to finish off their work."
Harry took her hand and pulled her into the house, as the man got the door closed behind them. He soon locked it as he turned, pulling Harry into a hug.
"Good to see you're still kicking, pup," the man, Sirius Black she guessed, said before holding him out at arms length, "better have Aurora look you over. Come on, she's better at potions than myself."
"Wait, Professor Sinistra?" Harry asked as Maria stepped in and nearly ran into the back of a dark skinned woman that made her think of warm chocolate.
This must have been Aurora Sinistra had dark hair and a warm smile as she nodded to Maria before the house shook slightly, causing Maira to freeze.
"Black smoke again," Sirius sighed before shaking his head, "they realize something is here but their chemical weapons can't pierce the wards of Grimmauld."
Harry snorted before he was handed a potion from Aurora, drinking it with a disgusted look. Maria snorted before he glowered at her weakly, wincing as his leg slowly healed due to the potion. She turned to Aurora before she thought about something coming to her.
"Mister Black?" She asked, confused, "How are you exactly here?"
Sirius' bark-like laughter filled the room, "I was here for ages while Dumbledore was busy dealing with the fallout of the world until the Martians came. I came out to figure out what was going on before they brought death to London, but I spotted Aurora running so I grabbed her and pulled her into Grimmauld. Probably for the best too, as she was nearly struck by a heat ray blast. Took Daedalus and Emeline in one go, sad to say."
He looked pale as he said, "They disintegrated into dust, clothing flying into the air before the building exploded. The invaders were in many machines that not even the muggles were able to fight, the ones without shields were put down in a few well placed shots but the larger ones with the curved heads and three lights for eyes. Those things were very clearly able to deal out the damage that most of the rest simply couldn't, being dead."
That sobered everyone before the group went silent, as Sirius put a radio on the table and taped it with his wand, "Lets listen to some tunes, yes?"
The music filled the dining room, leaving the four in contemplative silence as the city known as London burned and smoked outside the House of Black. Hours would pass, food given and silence continuing to pierce the air. Soon, they headed to sleep in their rooms that Sirius gave them. The need for rest coming quickening as the dreams of nothingness consumed them. The night crawled across the sky as the unwavering stars shone.
Outside, the machines moved and roamed. Flashes of light coming from their weapons that scorched earth and concrete, uncaring as human lives were lost in the four winds. Anything left of London was nothing more than dust against the roaming steel of Mars. Black smoke choking the streets as the four slept, as the morning would shine a bright fiery red as the smoke of the fires choked the air. Red weed like plants starting to appear as Mars gripped the Island of England in its vice grasp.