Harry need not ask the senior officers about their mission and their background after all. He had been talking to Crewman Cutler, Dr. Phlox's assistant in Sickbay. He had discovered that they have come from the year 2154, to be exact. There has been an attack on Earth, by the species called the Xindi, among other revelations.
"How fast can Warp 5 go? How big is Starfleet? Really, with all the ships Starfleet has, it only sent one into this Delphic Expanse?" Harry asked excitedly as he helped Crewman Cutler feed the animals in Sickbay. Somehow this activity reminded him of Hagrid, whom he missed so much.
"Not everyone in Starfleet believed the Captain, Harry." Cutler dropped some meat into a cage that soon shook violently. She turned to him and smiled.
"Well, how did you guys come back here, in 1995?" Harry sprinkled some powder into a little aquarium that contained a number of brown leeches.
"We've had help. The Captain says that we've been caught in the middle of a…Temporal Cold War."
"Is that the war where many…aliens are messing with history?" Harry asked.
Crewman Cutler nodded. "You must be missing your parents."
"Yeah," Harry muttered. Evidently, the story of his miraculous survival reached the entire crew of Enterprise, all of whom he'd reckon are all Muggles, both human and alien. All but one. Lieutenant Reed's face popped in his mind.
"It must also be hard for people not to believe who you are, is it too?" Cutler added.
"What do you mean?"
"Most people here don't believe in magic, Harry." Cutler revealed. "We never saw magic. All we knew about are warp drives and making contact with alien species. In fact, I'm quite surprised that Subcommander T'Pol believed in magic herself before the rest of us did."
"But that's because she saw it." Harry explained.
"Yeah, she might not have if she didn't go down there." Cutler shrugged, and turned to feed the Edosian slugs. "I'm just saying I'm surprised that she believes in it because she's Vulcan." She gave Harry a sidelong look and smiled, "Another alien."
Harry remembered T'Pol's pointed ears distinctly. "What's with being Vulcan got to do with believing in magic while Mugg-, while most humans don't?"
"Vulcans are a logical species, Harry." Cutler explained. "I thought that they'd be the last people to believe in magic spells and magic potions, because magic, it's not even logical to us humans."
A loud beep ringed on the Captain's quarters. Jonathan was sitting, petting Porthos. "Come in."
T'Pol appeared. She stood before the Captain. Porthos retreated to his little bed in the corner.
"All tactical systems have already been repaired. We shall have weapons within thirty minutes."
Good news. "Bring them online."
"If I may make a suggestion," T'Pol added, "We should start repairs on the hull plating."
Archer nodded. "Make it a priority." He could only wonder what kind of effect hexes and jinxes and curses would have on the hull plating. That, with the Xindi Reptilian ships firing at them too.
"Captain, if I may also make an observation."
"Go ahead."
"You seem troubled."
Pause. Archer faced his Science Officer.
"We have lost two phase-pistols on the surface."
"Lieutenant Reed is currently working on retrieving them." T'Pol assured.
Pause. Archer sat down. The stare T'Pol gave him meant that there was something more.
"What happened to them?" Archer muttered.
"I beg your pardon?" T'Pol asked.
"The magical community." Archer continued. "They're so secret, even from Starfleet."
"Are you implying that if Starfleet had known of their existence, they could have made good use of their technology, particularly in combat?" T'Pol sounded careful. It may seem that the Vulcan High Command would also find the technology of Harry Potter's people very…useful.
"Yes," Archer paced, "But it's more than that. I think I'm starting to understand more about the cultural contamination this society might have inflicted if they aren't so secret."
"That if the human society started to rely on this technology, there would be no warp drive?" T'Pol asked.
"No warp drive, no Starfleet, no Enterprise." Archer added, with a hint of worry in his voice. "But what if we'd discover warp drive anyway? I wonder how fast humanity would have progressed if these magic people started to cooperate with the rest of society."
"If I may recall, you have also observed the same phenomenon among us Vulcans back in the medical exchange."
"What do you mean?" Archer looked at her.
"You have observed the High Command's persecution of Vulcan minority participating in mind-melds. It may well appear that you and the crew are subjecting Mr. Potter and his people to a similar unfair treatment."
Archer looked at her incredulously.
"Maybe." He growled, "Maybe not. In any case, assuming that this society exists until our time, where were they when the Xindi attacked? Why didn't they use some magic spell? Where were their magic tricks? I'm starting to think that they really deserved to be persecuted."
"The Xindi attack was a surprise. It may have been too late for them, as it had been too late for us." T'Pol offered.
"Their…magic might have improved dramatically by then." Archer contested, "Maybe they have seen it coming. But did they do anything? It's just another 'Muggle' problem to them, is it?" He spat, hating that term. "They're humans too. They've the responsibility to help preserve humanity."
"We can't be certain that they think that the Xindi attack is entirely a...Muggle concern." T'Pol offered. "In any case, Mr. Potter and his people belong to another time, and therefore they do not deserve you and your crew's persecution, if it exists."
Archer glowered. As he tried to cool himself, he did not want to add that the Vulcans did the same to humanity-holding back their technology-letting them stumble.
"Perhaps…persecution, not cultural contamination, is the reason why they have kept their society secret in the first place." T'Pol finally said.
"Phlox to Captain Archer."
Archer reached to the com by the door. "Go ahead."
"There has been a medical emergency. Mr. Potter has fainted. Please go here to Sickbay immediately."
The Captain sped off, T'Pol after him.
The Captain ran to Sickbay to find Mr. Potter (who had changed into Muggle clothes since his night in the guest quarters) lying peacefully in the bio-bed. "Report."
"Mr. Potter has received a massive neurolytic shock." Dr. Phlox pointed to the overhead screen showing the cross-section of Harry's nervous system. "It's the magic."
Archer scowled, the mind still afresh from his debate with T'Pol. Phlox immediately continued.
"The magical residue on Mr. Potter's scar has often been giving his central nervous system extra stimulation, particularly in the hypothalamus. Just recently, I've detected an energy surge around his scar while he was assisting Crewman Cutler with feeding my animals." Phlox smiled at this, then continued. "Cutler said he had been complaining of an increasingly burning sensation around the scar tissue before falling down unconscious."
Archer's face was filled with worry, "Is it safe to wake him?"
Potter's eyes suddenly opened, face obviously filled with shock. He made to sit up.
"Don't hurry sitting up, you're alright now." Phlox touched Harry's chest with his hypospray. Harry sat up gently, still wincing with the scar burning on his forehead.
"What happened?" Jonathan immediately asked.
"It's Voldemort, he was very happy. The aliens…I think they're aliens, they said they've found your ship." Harry said between gasps.
"Bridge to Captain Archer." The com sounded, it was Ensign Mayweather's voice.
The Captain pressed the com, "Go ahead."
"One of the Xindi ships just went into orbit. They're on intercept course."
"Go to Tactical Alert." Archer barked to the com. "I'm on my way."
Immediately after reaching the Bridge, Ensign Sato told Archer that they're being hailed. He nodded to put it up.
A pale man appeared onscreen. This must be the terrorist. Although Harry told him that he is definitely human, he did not look like one. The man had no nose, instead it only had slits. The eyes are a terrible blood red, the skin looked slippery, pale, and sick; and no hair was seen anywhere. No hair, no brow, no beard. Nothing.
The terrorist smiled, giving Archer and the Bridge personnel the disgusted creeps.
"You have the honor of addressing Lord Voldemort, Captain Jonathan Archer."
Archer stood before his chair, staring at the terrorist. Three Xindi Reptilians stood behind the Dark Lord, along with a brown-haired, heavy-lidded woman and a man with white-blond hair. Both humans are clad in black and had the ugliest pallor on their skins, despite the beauty of the woman's sharp features and the elegance of the man's clothes.
"You and your crew need not bear pain, Captain." Lord Voldemort spoke in a high, airy voice, "Give us your warmest welcome aboard your ship, and then give the boy to me."
The heavy-lidded woman laughed a derisive, crazy cackle.
"I don't think so." Archer glowered at Lord Voldemort.
"You dare talk to the Dark Lord, you filthy Muggle!" The woman screamed, thoroughly more insulted than the Dark Lord himself. Voldemort only smiled.
"Very well." The Dark Lord chuckled. Then the com shut down.
"They're charging weapons." Reed reported from this station. The ship shook. "Port hull plating's down to 87%"
"Evasive manoeuvres." Archer commanded. "Fire their weapons ports. Then their engines."
Enterprise moved around the heavens as it took particle weapons fire from the Xindi ship. It shot out its phase cannons, its antimatter warheads, its photon torpedoes. The entire ship shook. Back in Sickbay, Phlox and Harry grabbed hold unto something.
"Ventral plating's down." Reed lamented. "They're targeting our engines." The ship shook again.
"Travis!" Archer hollered to Ensign Mayweather.
"Yes sir."
"Sir, I'm detecting bio-signs on Engineering." Hoshi announced.
"Alert the Security. Send some on Sickbay."
Engineering was the nearest place where the enemies can Transport to. A couple of the Xindi bio-signs and the terrorists appeared all over Engineering, shooting spells and particle weapons on Trip and his men. The MACOs have arrived on time. It was a shootout. Their weapons are set to stun.
The Enterprise veered around, doing its best to evade the Xindi ship.
"Get out of their Transporter range!" bellowed Archer. "Archer to Engineering!"
"Tucker here."
"Are you alright."
"We're taking heavy fire, Cap'n!" Tucker shouted. Archer could hear cruel incantations in the background. "They're killing us, Cap'n! We should kill them!"
"No, keep our weapons on stun." Archer replied, and cut the com.
The ship kept shaking. Reed successfully disabled the Xindi ship's forward weapons ports, though they've lost their aft cannons. Archer turned around and was surprised to see Harry running towards him.
"Captain, may I borrow the wand? I can stop them too." Harry asked hurriedly.
"Save your heroics for another time, Mr. Potter, they're after you." Archer denied him. The ship shook again.
"Hull breach on E-Deck, we're venting atmosphere." T'Pol reported.
"Emergency bulkheads!" Jonathan replied.
Harry froze on his feet, feeling stupid. He clung to the T'Pol's station when the ship shook again.
After a lot more tremors and shouts from Engineering and the Bridge, everything went calm again. Enterprise took quite a beating. The ship's aft section had a lot of burning in it. The forward phase cannons have been nicked out. But as the Enterprise's engines were disabled, the Xindi ship was able to escape back into Earth before they could pursue it. Evidently, it retreated because it is no match for Enterprise's remaining weapons. The Captain soon gave orders such as prioritising weapons repairs and hull plating repairs. "And get into higher orbit. I want us to be away from their scanners for the meantime."
"Aye sir." said Travis.
Jonathan and Harry went into Engineering Deck, which was a mess. Tucker scrambled around; putting out fires. Some crew members started welding together some melted pieces of metal. The MACOs put the unconscious Xindi and the unconscious human terrorists on restraints. They took the terrorists' wands. Archer gave the go to put them to the Brig.
It wasn't long before Tucker exclaimed to Harry. "Are you okay?"
Harry, once again, had collapsed, his scar giving him a head-splitting sensation. Everything around him went blurry, and the last thing he remembered before he blacked out was Archer shouting, "Archer to Sickbay!"
"Come in." Archer looked up from his study in his quarters, still tired from the recent attack. The door opened. It was Harry. The wizard boy apparently had recovered from his collapse.
Archer cast him an appraising look.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Yes, sir, thank you." Harry looked shyly, "It's just…Lord Voldemort. He's very angry, sir."
Archer chuckled, a reaction Harry has never seen before. "I'm sure he is."
"Can I help you?" He looked at him.
"Yes, sir, please." Harry replied. "I need to go back to Hogwarts."
Archer gave him a look that told him that it's not going to happen.
"My friends are down there." Harry continued, "And if you let me, I could contact them. We're members of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret resistance against Voldemort."
Jonathan's look went from determined denial to interest.
"They could help you, Captain. I-I could take you to them."