Disclaimer – Fanfiction both Battlestar Galactica and Harry Potter belong to other parties.
Currently Unbeated, but thanks to CosmosGravitation for pointing out several issues with it.
Next Lord of Kobol
Chapter 16 – The Grim Marauder Comes to Town
(Eight years, Seven months, and Twenty days before the fall of the Twelve Colonies)
The wreckage of the Mark II shuttle TC18745, once known as the Gemmenon Clipper, came in on a series of six flatbeds. Harry watched as one of the dayshift workers, who stayed for this, used autocrane's electromagnet to unload the burnt and broken pieces of what used to be a military transport shuttle.
When Mr. Kelso had first told his workers that they had won the scrap contract, Harry went onto the grid and viewed the crash. At half a kilometer above the landing zone a tylium rupture caused both primary engines to go offline on low fuel pressure. Two kilometers higher and the pilots could have gotten the engine relit and perhaps survived.
Instead, two hundred and ten soldiers along with eight crew members perished in a fiery explosion that split the vessel into twelve ragged parts. It reminded Harry of the film he'd watched in his history class back when he still went to school with Dudders about a German blimp that exploded when attempted to land over in America.
The fact that Harry couldn't recall the name of the airship bothered him. It wasn't The Bismarck, that had been a battleship. Harry felt like he was forgetting Earth, losing his heritage. Occlumency helped his recall, but really that was limited to the things he'd started learning during his years at Hogwarts. Most of his muggle knowledge had been stale for several years before Dumbledore and Sirius got his mind where it needed to be.
Then again, if it was a choice between remembering the name of some famous wreck and how to conjure water, Harry knew which he would choose.
The first of the blackened hunks of metal from the shuttle hit the ground. Anything that was very valuable probably didn't make it this far, but that wouldn't stop the scrappers. Harry might even slip over there and see if he could find something. After a week of letting the scrappers crawl over it, Mr. Kelso would turn the cutting torches on the salvage. The reclaimed metal would be carted away and sold at market price.
While the electromagnet connected with the next load, Harry wondered if he'd see the ghost of Zoe Graystone again. He enjoyed the company of Dobby and Winky, but the ability to talk about his life with someone else appealed to him. Other than that one pilot who seemed to have a touch of Legilmency, Zoe was the only proof he'd seen that any magic existed on Caprica.
On the grid, he'd watched some historical clips about the Borrellian Nomen. They were a group of nomads who lived in a mountainous region of Gemmenon and rejected technology. Harry wanted to travel there one day and see if there was anything to the legends of Anamagi, oracles, and people who spoke to spirits.
(TNLoK)
Maggie laughed as she throttled the rental bike around the track. The grid just couldn't compare to reality in this case. This was a reward to herself for her good grades so far. She needed her transfer package to look incredible. If she wanted to go back to Virgon, this was her golden opportunity to go back to the planet she considered home.
She'd thrown herself into her studies with a savage vigor. Her sisters noticed and word had filtered back to her mother, who seemed pleased with that but less so with how Maggie's relationship with Harry had progressed to the point where they had virtual sex. She had the threat of one of her sisters forcing her to tell her mother about that, and it went as well as Maggie thought it would.
One of the things she wasn't certain of was where she stood with Harry. Breaking hard to make the turn, Maggie put some thought into her boyfriend. Harry left her in somewhat of a quandary. Whenever they were together or at least connected on the grid she had a really good time with him, but by the same token young man really didn't sit anywhere in her life or her future plans. The whole situation was starting to bother her. She really wasn't sure what to do about it.
I suppose I can wait and see if my transfer application to Virgon is approved, she thought. Who knows? We may even drift apart by that point in time. Naturally, if she had told her mother or her sisters about her future plans they would be chiming in with conflicting advice. Her mother would no doubt be irate with her and see this as the ultimate betrayal. There would be so much water under that bridge that it would probably washed out the bridge. Ultimately, her mother would probably cut ties with her and insist that she not drag Harry along for the train wreck Nancy Edmondson would try to say would be the result of all this.
Kelsey would be the easiest one to get advice from. The more cheerful hand upbeat of her sisters would simply say do whatever makes you feel happy.
"Like I'd even know what that was," she muttered accelerating down a straightaway.
Sue, on the other hand, would trot out her semi-informed opinion of a social worker trainee and do her level best to leave Maggie in a more confused state then when she first started talking. Since Maggie knew what all three of them would say, Maggie figured there was no point in asking. Just like with her boyfriend there was no need to discuss the future unless she had a definitive answer from the University on the planet that she truly considered home.
Harry is getting his new gridbox in the next few days. I should try and catch one of his games. I wonder if using an Enigma Seven will improve his game that much. It kind of bums me out that he won't be using my old gridbox anymore, but I can see why he is switching. He's never going to get anywhere in the higher tournaments unless he does.
In a manner of speaking, Maggie realized that her life was much like the circular racetrack she currently sped around. It felt like she was getting nowhere fast, but eventually it would be over.
(TNLoK)
"It's frakkin beautiful," Freddie said, looking at the electronic device in Harry's hands. "You are going to kick so many asses with that thing."
"It's going to take some getting used to," Harry replied as he connected into the gaming center's power supply and went through the power on sequence. The Enigma Seven hummed with energy and even the sound effects made it sound more menacing than previous models. "I'll have to play in a bunch of local tournaments to adjust my gaming style. I'll take it out to see Zak in a few days and we'll try to get a full guild practice match together."
"Have you talked to Zak about getting me into the Huskers yet?"
"Yeah," Harry said. "He says thy're full right now and not taking new members, but there are some members who haven't been doing their fair share and a couple of them are on thin ice."
"Thin ice? That's an odd way of putting things."
Harry cringed. It wasn't an expression used on Caprica, but was common back on Earth. As his speaking has improved, he'd run into this on a few occasions. "Makes sense to me."
"You're an odd one, Harry. Any idea what you're going to do with your old box?"
"I hadn't thought about it. Your Enigma Five is better. I might put a notice up on the board." The gaming center had the Caprican equivalent of a bulletin board where people sold things they no longer wanted, or needed.
"My mom can sell it down at the flea market. She's real good at selling stuff. I know she'd split the cubits with you. I can check with her if you want."
"Go on and ask her. I could always use the cubits," Harry said. Freddie reminded him of a cross between those Creevy brothers who used to follow him around and his good friend Ron Weasley. His family was poor immigrants from Libra and the job market in Delphi wasn't all that promising. Freddie's mother was trying to scrape together the necessary money to get her accountant's license on Caprica and get back into the field she used to work in. Freddie's father was a very quiet man, who had spent time in prison for a matter that the young boy didn't care to speak about. Harry had a feeling that the reason they left Libra was for the fresh start they could get here on this planet. He had visited the flea market several times recently because it was situated near the train station and Harry was keeping an eye out for the ghost of Zoe Graystone. So far, it had been two days and she hadn't appeared.
"I'll let you know what she says," Freddie continued. "She's really good at that kind of thing."
The flea market was a bazaar where people showed up with tables and sometimes tents during rainy days to sell anything and everything. People would ride the trains into Delphi to go and haggle at the flea market. In truth, Harry brought all his produce there before his crops came in and it was where he had met Freddie in the first place.
"So are you ready to find out just how strong Burning Riddle is going to be now?"
"Actually, I'm changing my name."
"Aw, Gods! Why? I thought it was cool."
"New gridbox, new me. I've decided to be The Grim Marauder," Harry answered. Sirius would have enjoyed everything about Caprica and Harry would rather celebrate his godfather's memory than be thinking of the miserable piece of shit he burned alive back in the Department of Mysteries.
"Ok. That's a pretty cool name. Now how about we get in on the toaster ass kicking!"
"I agree," Harry said. "Let's see if this was worth all the cubits I put into it."
The images inside the game were much sharper. Harry expected that from when Zak had let Harry borrow his Enigma Seven. Bringing his Occlumency up proved to be slightly more difficult than unusual because Harry had to fight his own sense of excitement. As the others waiting for the game to start chatted and generally ignored the "Gods and Colonies" speech from the NPC, Harry tested how well his movements flowed and adjusting to the missing milliseconds of lag that he no longer experienced. It would mess with his timing until he became used to it.
Freddie flashed him a smile. His avatar was much bigger and looked the part of a marine. "Ready, Burning ... I mean Grim."
"Yes. Zak said if you want in, you're going to have to work at it. So, show me something that I can go back to him with."
"You're on!"
Taking a deep breath, Harry drew his weapon and centered himself as the NPC died. "Let's go get some."
(TNLoK)
"So I take it that your new gaming console is a winner?" Maggie shouted over the roaring music as they visited a dance club virtually. It was one of the many all Caprica holiday dance parties taking place across the grid at the same time. One of the more popular bands on the planet, Time Squall, carried the stage with one of their famous hits.
"It's taking some getting used to," her boyfriend replied. "But I think I'll have it down before the next major tournament. I did manage to get Goldie once already with it but that might have been due to the people I was playing with not being very good. This might finally get me into a level 3 tournament."
"That's good to hear," Maggie said, gyrating to the pounding beat. It was ladies choice for date night and she had chosen accordingly. Harry didn't really like the nightlife, but she knew that he would suffer through it just to spend time with her. He tended to pick more private settings virtual games for their dates. Even though, she could tell that he wasn't very comfortable in large crowds.
Also, Maggie wasn't certain that she wanted a repeat of their last date which ended in virtual sex. While she enjoyed it immensely, she feared that her boyfriend would be reading more into it than she was and if her transfer to Virgon really happened, it would lead to a rather uncomfortable breakup. What she needed to do was stick to her original plan and keep things casual without either of them becoming too involved. Otherwise she knew they would Crash and Burn for certain. Maggie was convinced that she would be okay, but poor Harry didn't really have that much life experience and she figured he would be devastated.
"Maybe for our next date we can go visit Virgon virtually."
"I've heard it is your favorite colony," Harry mused.
"Well that's because it's the best," she replied, dismissively as if there was no question in anyone's mind. "There is so much to show you there from the Royal Palace to the historic Gardens of Artemis."
Harry looked round and Maggie followed his gaze to where several people's avatars where causing a disruption. Idiots, Maggie thought. Even in the virtual world, I am surrounded by Caprican idiots!
"Do you want to go somewhere else, Harry?"
Her boyfriend looked torn. "Actually, I probably need to go get something to eat in the real world so if you don't mind I am going to drop off. You can stay here if you want. I know I can be a stick-in-the-mud sometimes."
She wasn't entirely sure what a stick-in-the-mud was, but she got the gist of it. Harry often said things that didn't always make sense and for the most part, Maggie let it slide.
Harry smiled nervously at her and said, "In a few days I will be visiting Zak and Cap City did you want to meet up or are you too busy with school right now?"
"I think we can but let's play it by ear. Okay now give me a kiss and get your butt out of here!"
She watched him disappear from the grid and shook her head. At least he was concerned enough with her feelings to ask if he could visit first. Two months ago, he would have just came and made her feel guilty when she wouldn't be able to spend much time with him.
It didn't take too long for another guy to jump into Harry's spot and immediately start trying to hit on her. This was another instance where her odd relationship with the young man from Delphi became apparent. Outside of the gaming venues Harry still treated the virtual world as if it had the exact same consequences as the real world. Oddly enough, he would be more forthright in the real world with her.
Maggie was still taking a wait-and-see approach with Harry. Until then, there was a party that needed her presence.
(TNLoK)
Harry didn't like breaking off his date with Maggie so abruptly, even if he didn't really care for the crowded V-Club and all the people around them, but Dobby's insistent prodding left him little choice. He hoped she would make time for him when he was in Cap City giving Zak Adama the basic meditation techniques to organize the mind and focus. Harry couldn't be sure how much Occlumency a person without magic could learn, but the fundamentals really didn't involve any magic whatsoever.
"What is it Little D?"
"The great and powerful Harry Potter asked lowly Dobby to watch for the ghost at the train station!"
"Is she there?" He assumed the answer to be yes, but Harry knew that with Dobby that he could never be entirely sure. Sometimes the elf would just look for reasons to speak with him. He was getting better about it, but Dobby definitely had attachment issues.
"Yes! The ghost lady is at the train station!"
Grabbing a few cubits to pay for a ride back to the junkyard and his invisibility cloak, Harry checks the time and figured that he had more than enough time to apparate there and speak with Zoe Graystone before his shift started.
His destination was a rooftop that overlooked the station. Zoe spoke about a magical spirit called an incarnate. Harry had never heard of such a thing and wanted to get as much information as he could on it to see if it fit a theory he'd kicked around in his mind several times already.
All of Harry's searches on the grid showed no indications of any magical creatures. There were a few legends of unicorns, thestrals, and even one from seven hundred years ago about "Apollo's Firebird" which was most likely a phoenix. All of those were from a long time ago there was nothing even remotely current. No magical creatures meant no components for magical wands and without wands there just wouldn't be any organized magic throughout the colonies; instead there were a smattering of soothsayers and oracles that probably made his old Divination teacher look gifted, and a small handful of individuals who could claim to be gifted by the Lords of Kobol with unusual powers during stressful moments or do an odd trick on the talk shows.
The one woman on Libra, who could keep a coin spinning in the air between her two index fingers for as long as she wanted, was certainly interesting. Most people seemed to think she had some magnets surgically implanted in those fingers or that her body produced a weak electrical field, but Harry had seen his charms teacher do something similar back in Hogwarts while the Professor waited for the students to finish their quizzes.
Using the grid, he'd made note of thirteen people he might be able to approach at some point.
Harry added that to his ever growing list and tried to follow the advice of his deceased mother about trying to keep problems down to manageable chunks. Of course, that begged the question of what Harry would do if he could find these people. He wasn't exactly equipped to create a Wizarding School on Caprica, or anywhere else for that matter. A pitiful few months of teaching a rogue defense club didn't really qualify him to become a founder of a magical school. Still, he had to start somewhere and there was always too much work to be done.
Scanning the bazaar below next to the train station, Harry looked for the pale, translucent figure of what was once a young, beautiful, talented, but deeply troubled young woman who died in a horrific explosion along with Zak Adama's grandmother and aunt. He also searched for a safe spot to apparate to where no one would notice him and the security cameras didn't have any coverage. The entrance to a unisex bathroom was his best bet. He still found that part of Colonial culture peculiar and had experienced more than a couple awkward situations at the various gaming center. Of course, Zak agreed with Harry that the time Ellen just happened to be in there adjusting her bra was completely staged.
An opening didn't immediately present itself, so Harry went with a backup - one of the support columns for the train platform. Storing his cloak in his bottomless bag, he waited as a train unloaded and apparated to the back of the crowd as they passed by the column, and fell in step with the rest of the commuters without missing a beat.
Sirius would be proud; Harry thought and began searching the crowds around the bazaar for Zoe.
He stopped by one of the stalls and exchanged a few words with Freddie's mother, Annabeth.
"I spoke with Freddie at length," she said. "He won't be bothering you again about selling your old gaming console."
"It's no bother," Harry said. "I don't mind splitting the profits with you. It was originally a gift, so I'm not looking to get much for it and he speaks highly of your ability to get the most cubits for anything."
The woman wasn't terribly attractive, but she had a kind smile. "Freddie is a dear boy and he is trying to help out as best he can. Don't think I don't know that you've been paying his entry fees into those tournaments either, Harry."
It reminded him slightly of the way Ron and his mother would get about money and although Harry didn't have nearly the wealth that had once been in his trust vault, he could afford a few gestures of kindness to one of the few friends he had in the city.
"Your son's friendship is more valuable than a handful of cubits, Ma'am. He's a really good partner in the game and always has my back."
In the virtual world, Freddie didn't hobble on his injured leg. He could run and jump, doing all those things that the real world denied him. Harry suspected that was the biggest reason his mum put up with Harry's "line of credit."
"It does my heart good to hear you say such nice things about my son, but please make sure you're not spending too many cubits on him. He looks up to you. Take something off the table as a token of my thanks.
Harry smiled; he wasn't battling dark wizards or saving the world, but Annabeth made him feel like he was making a difference. Glancing around, he picked up a few of the knickknacks she sold. The hand painted resin model of a Viper caught his eye.
"Go ahead," she said and patted his hand with hers.
"Can you sell anything at your stand?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I have a small greenhouse," Harry said. "I grow more fruits and vegetables than I can eat. I also make chairs and occasionally a table or two. They're not much to look at, but comfortable. Every once in a while, I try and repair something at the reclamation center. If I brought those things down to you, could you sell them for me and split the profits?"
"I suppose," the woman said. "Bring some of your stuff by tomorrow or the next day and I'll take a look at it."
Harry agreed and thanked her again before saying goodbye. His chamala running wasn't bringing in nearly the cubits he hoped, only doubling his meager income from working at the junkyard and his magically expanded greenhouse was quickly being filled by product that he struggled to move. Looking around the bazaar, he realized that he could transfigure or even conjure simple things. He could make money and it would help him refine his spell craft at the same time.
It occurred to him that he could carve a weak rune promoting harmony on the underside of the table, or comfort runes on the chairs. Making permanent things took a good deal of strength, but right now, he wasn't really doing much with his strength anyway. Magic was how someone like Molly Weasley could raise seven children on Arthur's salary. She did it with a smile on her face and wore her thriftiness like a badge of honor. He would figure out how the Weasley matriarch made it look so easy and do his best to replicate it.
Another ten minutes were spent wandering and Harry was seriously considering calling off the search for the evening when he spotted her standing outside of a clothing store staring at the latest fashions.
Approaching, he pulled his mobile from his pocket and began speaking. "Yes, I'm here in the bazaar looking for my new friend, Zoe. I think she's close by. My gut says I'll run into her any second now."
The ghost looked away from the items in the window and gave him a sideways glance. "Hello."
He turned and looked at her, continuing his ruse. "It's good to visit with you again. I need to get a ride back to the reclamation center where I work before my shift starts. Hopefully, Zoe will follow me there and we can have a chat."
The ghost nodded and Harry began walking through the crowded toward where the vehicle drivers waited.
"Mommy! Mommy! Do you see the pale lady? Do you? Do you?" A young boy pointed behind Harry and gestured wildly.
"Randall Andrews! I don't see anything. Honestly! What did we say about seeing things? We need to hurry if we're going to catch the train to Macarow to see your grandfather."
Harry saw the crestfallen expression on the boy's face at his mum's admonishment. He noted the Onitas Preperatory School for the Gifted uniform on the five or maybe six year old, along with the child's name. As he walked by the child, he whispered just loud enough for the boy to hopefully hear. "Don't worry, I see her too, kid."
Hearing a sharp intake of breath behind him, Harry grinned and tried to commit the boy's name and face to memory. Make that fourteen people I might be able to talk to in the future.
The ride to Harry's job ate up the credits in his pocket, but he had the model of the viper to show for it as well as a ghost. She took in the sights of the city as they rode along, just barely making it before Harry's shift started. Mr. Kelso was standing at the camper Harry supposedly slept in, knocking.
"I went down to the train station, sir." Harry offered, walking up from behind.
"Cutting it a little close there, Harry. You were almost late."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Kelso. Are they cutting on the shuttle debris tonight?"
"No, there's rain in the forecast. Just you out here tonight, but walk the area near the wreckage a couple of times tonight, just in case."
"Okay. Tell your wife, thanks for the brownies, they were very good."
"I will. Have a good night, young man."
"I think he's suspicious about you," Zoe Graystone commented as the man walked to his truck.
"Yeah," Harry said. "I have a greenhouse hidden up in the jungle where I spend most of my time. He's been by a couple of times when I've been there and I have to apparate here in a hurry. I need to expand my ward line to give me a bit more warning when he's getting close by."
"Ward line? More of your magic?"
Harry opened the door to the camper and stepped inside just long enough to ask for Dobby.
The elf appeared and, if possible, scared the ghost. Sirius would be laughing at his little prank if he were here.
"Dobby, can you bring my lunch here? This is the ghost of Zoe Graystone. Zoe, this is Dobby. He's one of my elves."
"Hello Miss Zoey Lady," Dobby said and disappeared with a pop. Five seconds later, he returned with a bag lunch and bowed to Harry.
He accepted the lunch and said, "Thanks, Little D. Now off you go."
"What was that?" Zoe exclaimed.
"House Elf. He's a magical servant and a good friend. He and his ... well, I guess you can call Winky his wife or mate ... anyway, they followed me from Earth."
"You did that on purpose," she accused as she followed him inside the main office.
"Well, you did come all this way to hear more about magic. I figured you could use a little more proof. I was worried you weren't going to come."
"I almost didn't," she confessed.
"Why not?"
"I was still concerned it might be an elaborate ruse to capture me, but no incarnate has ever had something like that."
"Oh good, so are you convinced yet?" Harry asked and checked the cameras.
The ghost shrugged. "I'm getting there. Not completely sold on you yet."
"Fair enough," Harry replied. "As to your question earlier, a ward line is a bit of magic that will trigger on a certain event. In this case, it picks up when a person is next to the little camper and it is tied to a bell at my greenhouse."
"Like a perimeter alarm?"
"Yes. I'm not great at warding and rune carving, but I get by. If I was trying to defend the camper, I could use the trigger to activate something a little stronger like a confusing causing spell all the way up to lethal magic."
"I follow you, like a landmine."
"Pretty much, but that wouldn't be very neighborly." Harry almost mentioned the one ward Sirius told him that was a Black family secret that would strip the skin off a person's body. That wouldn't make the kind of impression he was hoping to make. "Come on! I'm going to walk around the scrapyard and along the way we can talk more."
"First tell me what you really want out of me, Harry."
He sighed. Zoe was demanding for a ghost and reminded him of Pansy Parkinson and some of the other Slytherin Girls, Bultstrode and the pretty one named Daphne something or other.
Greengrass? Greenfield? Greengrapes? Oh well, not so important. She had a cute friend named Tracey Davis. I remember her because she was one of only three halfbloods in Slytherin. Tried to have a conversation with Davis once. She might have been the only halfblood there, but she wasn't the only bitch.
"Well?"
"Oh sorry, just thinking a little. Well, for one I can talk to you without hiding what I am. For another, I can ask you questions about the Colonies and not have you look at me like I'm a moron. Most importantly, if I ever want to pass the High School exit exams and get a better job, I am going to need a tutor and everything I've read about you says you're a genius."
"What do I get out of it? Can you make me alive again?"
"No, not even magic can do that," he said knowing that it wasn't necessarily true but he seriously doubted Zoe had a horcrux tucked away somewhere. "But what I can do for you is give you a place to stay where these incarnates can't get to you. I can buy you books and magic them to turn by themselves, or set up some kind of grid access. Dobby or Winky could be your hands if you wanted to do some programming stuff that the grid says you were really good at."
Zoe weighed Harry's offer. "How do you know the incarnates won't be able to find me there."
"There's a bit of magic that is so powerful that unless I specifically tell you where my greenhouse is, you'll never be able to find it. The other thing is if you're with me, then they have to go through me."
Zoe gave him an appraising look. "Don't take this the wrong way, Harry, but you don't look very intimidating."
"It's always the harmless looking ones," Harry said. "Trust me on this one; you'll be surprised."
"I'll think about your offer. If this magic can really do what you say, I will seriously consider it," she said. "In the meantime, let's walk and I want to see more of this magic before I agree to anything."
She's just as nervous as I am, Harry thought and began considering what spells he could demonstrate for her.
(TNLoK)
Author's Notes – And yes I am alive. Things are very busy right now. On my professional side, I have a big announcement to make as soon as I have the other party's permission to do so. Guess it will have to wait until Chapter 17.
Also with my Amber Cove Publishing company, I've published novels by 3 authors since the last update to this fic, To Beat the Devil by MK Gibson, The Secrets of Supervillainy by CT Phipps and The Eighth Day by Michael O'Neal. If you are so inclined, check them out. As an author, I released Horror, Humor, and Heroes Volume 4 containing a compilation of my short stories and a novella that ties into my D-List Supervillain novels.
Back to this story, I actually have chapter 17 finished. The story is back in my head and I'm eager to push it forward some. Maggie's arc for now is drawing to a close and we'll only see infrequent updates to her story as she transitions to Virgon. I expect her to be pretty much gone by chapter 19 at the earliest and 20 by the latest. As you can well imagine, her golden life there will hit several bumps in the road. One thing that always fascinated me about Racetrack was her presence on the suicide run with Boomer at Kobol. Obviously Boomer was there because she was suicidal and they made a big deal about Adama asking her to go. What about Racetrack? Why was she prepared to die on that mission? She always seemed like such a complex character.
