Harry, after half an hour of searching the area of the mountains that all the action had taken place in, had found the ship set down in another levelled out area surrounded by trees.
After returning to the cave where the kidnappers were being held and searching it thoroughly after the kidnappers (obviously) refused to give up the location of the key, he'd found it and returned to the ship, unlocking it and inspecting it thoroughly before returning to them to help as they were escorted to the ship and then placed aboard.
He'd mostly hung back with Amethyst and Jasper, however, reassuring them that they would be seeing their family and friends again soon.
"We'll soon be back at the rendezvous point. You guys ready?" Harry glanced back at his squad and at Amethyst and Jasper, who were talking quietly, seated next to each other near a window.
"Yeah. And here I was, moaning about the fact that I'd be struggling to write something for the paper on this little survival trip. Now I could probably write a whole damn novel!" Darian called out from his seat near the back of the ship, where they'd stored the kidnappers they'd captured, safely away from their victims.
"I'll say. Maybe I should get Athena to put me in touch with her grandma and see if she could get us published." Aki chuckled.
"Doesn't Athena and Anahita's grandmother only publish fiction novels?" Lucas asked.
"So? She'd know some people from her publishing house, I guess and they don't publish only fiction, you know..." Aki pointed out.
"As if you'd actually do that. If... when the media gets hold of this, they'll write enough articles about this for us to make an entire a book series..."
"What in the world?" Professor Maximus blinked as Harry stepped out of the strange ship.
"Professor, our trip was much more interesting than we had ever anticipated..." Harry started.
"I can see that..." Maximus spoke wryly. "How exactly did you obtain this non Red Fountain standard air ship?"
"Well, you see, we ran into a gang of kidnappers who felt that they could hide their prisoners up in these mountains. Understandably, after Darian, Aki, Lucas and I did something about that, we took their ship along with us..." Harry explained casually.
The other students present started murmuring incredulously.
"These people are properly restrained on board?" Professor Maximus asked.
"Yes, sir. Their victims are also being kept in a separate area of the ship, away from them, naturally..."
"Indeed." Maximus nodded. "Roger! Evan! Orett! Bradley!" he called out to four random students from different squads amongst the bunch. "Follow Harry and I on board!"
Harry led the way and soon they were inside the ship.
Maximus stood at Harry's side while the four students he had called in spread out behind them.
Huddled in one corner in their seats were Amethyst and Jasper, under a single, thick blanket, staring out the window at their surroundings.
"Holy Great Dragon. Aren't they the De L'Or children?" One of the specialists Maximus had called- a platinum-blond haired teen of average height- stopped short at the sight of them. "Their disappearance has been the biggest thing in news back home for over a week!"
Amethyst and Jasper looked up, eyeing the newcomers warily.
"They are, Orett..." Harry nodded. "The culprits are in one of the rooms over there in the back..."
"I will go and see them. I will have to commandeer this ship with the students I called out and I want two from your squad with me." Maximus said.
Harry nodded. "Aki, Lucas..." he inclined his head towards the professor and they nodded in understanding, showing him towards the area where the prisoners were being kept.
"That will leave us to take Amethyst and Jasper to Magix City on our ship. Straight to a hospital to be checked out. Along with you, Darian..." Harry mused. "I will be flying the ship, by the way..." he narrowed his eyes at Darian, who had suddenly perked up. "...because you fly like a lunatic and one of your arms is well hurt. How are you supposed to operate the controls like that? You'd fly even worse with your arm in that state!" Harry pointed out.
"You're no fun at all..." Darian rolled his eyes.
"This isn't supposed to be fun. This is supposed to be about us not dying a horrible, fiery death." Harry walked off to double check his plans with the professor and after receiving his approval, sat and explained what was going to happen to the rescued children.
"You'll see them soon. We'll be in Magix City proper soon. As soon as Professor Maximus gets to the police station, they'll take those... people into custody and he's going to call your parents in as soon as he's able." Harry explained.
"Magix City... Red Fountain... your school is near there, obviously, but Alfea College is there too..." Amethyst spoke quietly.
"Indeed it is. What's your point? Is there an Alfea staff member or student you'd want to see that should be there now?" Harry asked.
"Rainer of course! We want to see Rainer!" Jasper exclaimed.
"Before your own parents?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"She, her sister and her parents are like family to us! Plus she's right here in Magix right now! Please?" Amethyst and Jasper looked up at him with big, puppy dog eyes.
Harry looked at them sternly for a few moments, but then relented.
"Fine. I'll call her when we get there. Or rather, call Roxy and have her hand over her phone to Rainer, since I don't have her number..." Harry relented.
"Oh! Princess Roxy is your girlfriend and Rainer's roommate, isn't she? We hear all about that stuff in Isis too!" Jasper exclaimed.
"Yes, yes. Roxy is my girlfriend..." Harry rolled his eyes.
"That's a pity..." Amethyst said quietly, but Harry still heard her.
"Enough of this. Let's go." Harry motioned to Darian and with his help, they led the children over to the ship they'd actually arrived in through the crowd of their fellow students, who had respectfully parted and let them through easily.
Roxy sat at the desk in her room putting the finishing touches on an essay while Rainer idly played with a small storm cloud she'd created as she lounged on her bed.
Across the desk, Roxy's phone rang and she reached out to grab it.
She raised an eyebrow, not recognising the number displayed on the screen, but answered it anyway.
"Hello?" she rested down the pen she'd been holding as she put the phone to her ear.
"Hey Roxy." she heard Harry's voice and immediately perked up.
"Harry! Hi! Did you just get back in from that trip up to the mountains? How was it?" she asked.
"It was... rather eventful. I'll explain it to you later. I promise." Harry said.
"Okay then..." Roxy raised an eyebrow at the phone. "Why are you calling from that number anyway? Whose phone are you using? Is yours busted?"
"I'm at the Magix Central Hospital- and before you ask, I'm fine. I just need to speak to Rainer for a bit please..." Harry said.
"Rainer? Why would you need to talk to her?" Roxy blinked.
Rainer sat up and dispelled the small storm cloud she'd created when she heard her name mentioned.
"I... well, you said you'd explain later, so... I guess so..." Roxy held out the phone towards her roommate.
"Rainer, it's Harry. He wants to talk to you for some reason..." she explained.
Rainer looked just as confused as Roxy felt when she took the phone.
"Hello, Harry. You said you needed to talk to me?" Rainer fell quiet as she listened to what Harry was saying.
"Your family friends Amethyst and Jasper Del Mar are safe now. Here in Magix City. My squad and I happened on them on the mountains we were sent into for Professor Maximus trip and rescued them. Their parents have been notified and are on their way, but the children are asking for another familiar face. You. Their parents have said it's okay for you to come, so..."
"No. No way, Harry. Really? You're not lying to me, are you now? I'll seriously hurt you if you are... That is such wonderful news!" Rainer squealed a squeal of excitement that was so loud that Artu, who had been dozing in his pet bed woke up with a start and covered his ears with his front paws, whining, while their other three dorm mates came bursting in to see what the matter was.
"I'll be down there as soon as I can. No wait. I'll be there right now!" Rainer glanced up at their clock- a simple white, circular one with black hands and numerals. "Damn! The bus into the city won't be back again for twenty minutes! Screw it. I'll fly there if I have to!" Rainer jumped up and down squealing.
"Okay. Okay. I'm going to calm down now. Deep breaths, Rainer. Calm down, Rainer Haizea Del Mar. I'm handing the phone back to your girlfriend now. Bye!" As Rainer handed back the phone, she practically bounced on her heels.
"Gotta go, girls. I'll see you around!" Rainer rummaged under her bed and pulled out a dark purple cardigan, putting it on hastily before bolting out the door.
"Um... Harry, Rainer just ran out of here as if you told her that she'd just won the biggest lottery jackpot in history. What the hell did you just say to her?!" Roxy asked, looking up at her remaining dorm mates, who merely shrugged.
"Remember when I said that my trip was eventful? Well, it was eventful in the sort of way that I and my squad stumbled onto Amethyst and Jasper De L'Or being held prisoner up in the mountains and rescued them..." Harry explained.
Roxy blinked and walked slowly out of hers and Rainer's room and onto the balcony of their dorm via the living room.
"You... you did what?" she asked.
"It's just what I said. The kidnappers decided to hide them there, we happened upon it, we couldn't let that go, obviously, and we decided to step in to save them and we did! They're here at Magix Central Hospital now! I'm standing in the office of the doctor checking them over, making this call to you- and her!" her boyfriend elaborated.
"Wow. No wonder she looked so happy!" A smile began to spread on Roxy's face.
Looking down at a sudden commotion in the courtyard, she saw that Rainer had already reached down there and was running towards the gate.
When she was almost at it, she transformed mid-run and flew straight through the gates without a pause.
"Uh..." Roxy blinked.
"What just happened?" Harry asked.
"Rainer ran out of the dorms at sprint speeds, then when she was near the gate, transformed without breaking her stride and flew right out of them. Trust me. Judging by the expressions on my dorm mates' faces as well as what I can see of the general Alfea College populace, I'm not the only one shocked by her antics..." Roxy answered.
"I... see. How fast would flying be to Magix City be anyway?" Harry asked. "It's already half an hour away from Alfea via the bus..."
"I have no idea. I've never actually tried it. Rainer's actually one of the faster fliers in our year though. Probably up in the top five. Shouldn't take her too long, especially if she's really pushing herself to get there as quickly as she can..." Roxy stepped back inside the room.
"Anyway, I have to go now. As you can guess, there's going to be a lot to do now in regards to this. I will call you as soon as I'm able to and tell you everything. I promise." Harry said.
"I understand." Roxy smiled. "Go do what you have to do, Hero."
"I will, Princess. I'll chat with you later." Harry hung up.
Roxy stood out there on the balcony for a few more minutes before going back inside the dorm, where she found Krystal, Athena and Anahita waiting on her.
"So... what was that all about?" Athena was the first to speak.
"Well, you know how Rainer's been telling us about the missing De L'Or children from Isis because her family is really close to theirs?" Roxy asked.
"Yes..." her three remaining dorm mates answered in unison.
"Well, let's just say that thanks to Harry and his squad's little trip into the mountains and subsequent events, those children are no longer missing..." Roxy explained.
The three other girls all made exclamations of delight at the news.
"That's so wonderful! No wonder Rainer went speeding out of here to see them! Harry called you so he could talk to her and inform her, right?" Krystal asked.
Roxy nodded. "Yeah. And he promised to tell me everything he could as soon as he was able. As you can imagine, he's really busy right now..."
"For real. You think there's been mutterings about your boyfriend now, wait until this hits the press!" Krystal exclaimed.
"Oh dear. He's not going to like that at all..." Roxy suddenly looked concerned for her boyfriend.
"He'll be fine." Athena waved dismissively. "If he can face down a so-called dark lord several times and live, among other things, surely he could face down a few members of the mass media..."
"You would be surprised, Athena..." Roxy murmured.
"He had fame he didn't want in his home world for something he doesn't remember and would rather have not had occur. This time though, this is for something he remembers, actually did on his own and I think he'd rather have rescued them than have the potential negative endings for that situation occur..." Anahita pointed out.
Roxy stopped in her tracks. "I don't know if he'll see it that way..."
She flopped into a chair. "Let's just keep this bit of news to ourselves for the moment though. I don't think anyone involved is ready for this sort of attention yet."
The other three fairies nodded. "Understandable. "
"I think we should get started on the group project we got today. Rainer already did a bit of it, so we can forgive her for nor being here... Does anyone else want to come with me?" Anahita asked.
"Yeah, sure. Let's get to it. I'll go get my stuff..." Roxy left the group and went into hers and Rainer's room to retrieve her supplies.
"Please don't leave us!" Amethyst reached out for him as Harry made to leave the hospital room she'd been admitted to.
There was an IV and a monitor hooked up to her and a bandage wrapped around her right arm.
Jasper, who was in the bed next to Amethyst and had been taken to surgery earlier for some injuries that Harry and his friends had only merely patched up, was still unconscious from the anaesthetic and didn't look like he was going to wake up anytime soon. Bandages covered his forehead and right arm and left shoulder, while a cast was on his left leg.
"I have to, Amethyst. You're safe here now. There's regular security all over the hospital, plus a few people they sent over just for you and your brother. I have to go meet Rainer outside. They won't let her come see you unless I bring her in..." Harry explained gently.
"But I'm scared!" Amethyst cried.
"I know you are and I understand that, but I really must go..."
"You won't be gone long?" Amethyst asked softly.
"No I won't. Rainer should almost be here by now..."
"I... okay then. Please come back quickly though!"
Harry sighed to himself as he shut the door and nodded to the guard outside the door, who nodded back.
Making his way through the corridors and after a short trip in an elevator, he stood outside the main entrance to the hospital, waiting for Rainer's arrival.
Not a minute after he stepped outside, a lilac and silver blur flew up to him and when it stopped just a metre away from him, the blur turned out to be Rainer in her fairy form.
"I flew here as fast as I could, and, well... here I am!" Rainer exclaimed, shrugging as she willed away her transformation.
"I see..." Harry noted wryly. "I think you've possibly beaten the bus here..."
"Good. Then my flying time has improved." Rainer rolled her eyes. "Now to the more serious matter at hand..."
Harry looked around them at the various members of the public and staffers of the hospital milling about.
"Just walk with me..." Harry motioned for her to follow him.
They walked in silence until Harry came up to the point where he had to clear security for Rainer, talking to the doctor he knew to have led the small team working on the De L'Or children's care.
"Almost there..." Harry said as they entered the corridor where their room was.
"I can't believe it. I hadn't seen them since a week before I left for school and then this happened and I didn't know if I'd get to see them again and now I am..." Rainer rambled.
"Oh, sorry! I'm rambling! I don't normally do that! Just so you know..." the Androsian fairy looked embarrassed.
Harry chuckled and Rainer narrowed her eyes at him.
"Anyway, they're here, they're safe, they're not exactly in the best shape... don't look at me like that. They're not dying!" he added the last part hastily on seeing Rainer's upset expression. "But they're not completely healthy either. They got some injuries during the whole ordeal. I will tell you all about it later. But for now," Harry stopped outside their room's door. "It's time for you to go in there and see them. They need a familiar face, after all of this."
Rainer straightened herself up and took a deep breath. "You're right, Harry..."
"Well then," Harry unlocked the door and gestured to her to go inside. "Go ahead."
"Oh I will. But first..." Rainer kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."
She darted in and quickly shut the door behind her.
Harry stood there for a moment, then shook it off.
"Roxy's not going to kill us for that is she?" Harry thought worriedly. "No, she wouldn't she's not the jealous type. Or is she? I've never tested that and I have no intention of doing so..."
Sometime later, Harry, who had fully taken over guard duty outside the hospital room's door, glanced down the corridor and saw a couple heading in his direction, escorted by a pair of guards and a doctor.
The woman was olive sinned, petite and had ear-length, tightly curled light brown hair and silver-grey eyes, while the man was tall, with paler skin, light blue hair and olive green eyes behind a pair of thin, rectangular-shaped glasses.
Although both of them were dressed in clothing that practically oozed expensiveness to Harry, they both looked extremely hassled and tired; their clothes looked as if they hastily put them on, their hair was just slightly out of place and there were bags under their eyes from an obvious lack of sleep.
Harry nodded to the De L'Ors as they approached.
They gave him a weak smile as they stepped inside the room and for the briefest amount of time it took for Rainer to sidle out of the room and close the door behind her, they heard a loud exclamation of "Momma! Daddy!" from Amethyst.
Rainer stood on the other side of the doorway from Harry and turned to him, smiling.
"You're pretty damn incredible for this, you know." she said.
"It's not just me. You should well know that Lucas, Darian and Aki helped out too..." Harry pointed out.
"So modest." Rainer giggled. "Roxy is lucky to have you."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You're angling for a date with me now?"
"I retract my statement about your being modest. I'm happily single and do not want to go on a date with you. At all." Rainer rolled her eyes.
"And I'm happily dating Roxy. No, I will not be giving you any details about that. A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Harry retorted.
"Oh dang. Such a gentleman. Roxy won't tell me anything either..." Rainer pouted briefly. "Still, that's just more proof that Roxy hooked herself a nice one. You're not my type anyway. Don't kid yourself, Harry.
"Is Lucas your type?" Harry asked teasingly. "I know you talk, but I think he really does have a thing for you."
"Really? Rainer raised an eyebrow. "You'd never know. He's always so damn serious about everything. If he actually has a thing for me, he hasn't shown it. In fact, he doesn't show much of anything at all..."
The two of them went silent after that.
"So..." Rainer broke the silence. "What was it like up there, rescuing them?"
Harry gave a brief summary of the whole adventure.
"You really were in the right place at the right time, weren't you?" Rainer smiled. "Thanks again for saving them..."
"Just doing my job." Harry shrugged.
Rainer rolled her eyes. "I have to tell Roxy how lame her boyfriend is!"
"Weren't you just saying how wonderful I am?" Harry asked.
"And now you're lame." Rainer shrugged. "People change..."
The door opened just then.
"Mr Potter?" Mr... Sir De L'Or peeked out, "We'd like to talk to you, please..."
Harry looked at Rainer for a moment before following the older man into the room.
"You saved my children. My babies. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much..." Lady De L'Or pulled Harry down to her level with a surprising amount of strength, startling him, then hugged him tightly and kissed him on both cheeks- leaving them wet with the tears of relief and joy she had obviously been crying.
"That's two other women that have kissed me today. Roxy's going to be so ticked off at me..." Harry muttered.
The De L'Ors chuckled. "Not after she hears the full details of your heroics in these past few days, Mr Potter..." Sir De L'Or said.
"Call me Harry, sir. If you don't mind..."
"Call me Garnet then." Garnet smiled weakly.
"Please call me by name as well, Harry. Call me Topaz..." the woman was still sniffling somewhat, but was trying to compose herself.
"Thank you for saving our children, Harry. They're worth so much more to us than any riches we may have or any degrees or research projects or fashion designs and fashion shows we have done." Garnet took Harry's hand and shook it firmly.
"It was no problem, sir. Any right thinking person would have done the same if they were able. Plus I didn't do it alone. My squad was instrumental in Amethyst's and Jasper's rescue as well. I could not have done it without them, after all..." Harry looked a bit sheepish.
"And he's so modest too! As well as brave!" Topaz exclaimed.
Amethyst giggled, while Jasper, having just woken up, simply smiled, still woozy from the medication he was on.
"Where is the rest of your squad anyway?" Garnet asked. "We would like to meet them as well, obviously..."
"Darian is getting patched up somewhere else in this place and Lucas and Aki are with others... taking in a... let's just say that they're dealing with a certain group of people..."
Garnet's face was like stone for a brief moment. "Ah. I see..."
They shook off the awkward moment.
"So, who are you really? I want to know about the young man who helped save my precious babies. I have heard rumours about an Earthling wizard from a hidden magical community there attending Red Fountain that has done incredible things. Other than that, I do not know much else about it..." Topaz said.
Harry sighed. "How much of that did you hear from Rainer?"
Garnet chuckled knowingly. "Ah, Masika and Ahumai's younger daughter. She is... she knows quite a lot of things about what seems like everyone, doesn't she?"
Harry chuckled. "That she does, Garnet. From what I hear of Roxy, she's generally okay, if not a bit... lively..."
Both adult De L'Ors chuckled at that description. "Indeed she is. Now, about you..."
"What exactly do you want to know?" Harry asked.
"Everything you are comfortable in sharing. What was it like for you growing up in a hidden magical community on Earth? How do you find this dimension generally? How do you like Red Fountain as compared to your former school? Things in general that you like?" Topaz said.
"If I'm not mistaken, our children want to know too." Garnet glanced at them knowingly. "And it will help keep their mind off things for now and help us learn about one of their saviours..."
Harry paused for a moment. "I suppose so. Fine then. How about I tell you about my school there? It was... certainly an interesting life that I had while there..."
And with that, Harry started telling them tales about Hogwarts- while leaving out the darker, more negative details.