Chapter 13.
Forward Unto Dawn
After a quick jog in the woods, John decided to sit down on a calm April 1st night. Funny how quickly the months had gone by. Something did not feel right this cloudy night. A cool wind blew through the trees. Outside the Dawn sat the Master Chief, gazing up at a spectacular commotion. In the window of the headmaster's office, the Chief could see with pure clarity using his visor and enhanced eyes what was unfolding. It appeared that Umbridge and the Minister were attempting to arrest Harry but then turned to Dumbledore. From the Chief's angle, he only received bits and glances of what was happening. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the window.
Cortana commented with a measure of worry, "I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Something feels off," Master Chief responded
"Be careful."
A few moments later, a note appeared in front of the Spartan from thin air, it simply read, "Stay vigilant good friend, Aurors coming in soon," as a side note it also requested to keep the bodily harm to a minimum.
Meanwhile in the headmaster's office, Fudge and Umbridge looked over the long sheet of parchment. The first time Umbridge looked at it she had only skimmed it for young Potter's name. Now thoroughly analyzing it, they noticed something
Dumbledore's Army
Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter
Hannah Abbott, Lavender Brown, Katie Bell, Susan Bones, Terry Boot
Cho Chang, Michael Corner, Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Marietta Edgecombe
Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, Angelina Johnson
Lee Jordan, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ernie Macmillan, Padma Patil
Parvarti Patil, Zacharias Smith Alicia Spinnet, Dean Thomas
Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Seamus Finnigan
Master Chief.
There it was a professor's name on the list, and not just any, one of the biggest threats to the Ministry, the Master Chief. Something had to be done. For Fudge, his position and the ministry could be ruined if the Chief was colluding with Dumbledore. For Umbridge, it was a chance for revenge.
"Oh dear... What do we do? He might be Dumbledore's ally at this point! He's too strong we can't take him!" exclaimed Fudge
Umbridge seeking her chance reassured Fudge, "Yes we can't take, however, I believe a large squad could. There's no way a single muggle can overcome a group of trained Aurors, no matter how strong he is."
"Right, we gotta put an end to this quickly! I send a letter to the other available Aurors around the Ministry," Fudge said.
Several minutes later, multiple Owls were sent out to bring in Aurors to take down the Master Chief
The Forbidden Forest
As the reinforcements arrived promptly the following morning, Umbridge exuded an air of unwavering confidence, accompanied by a contingent of seven Aurors excluding Kingsley, seemingly preoccupied with other pressing matters. Umbridge pressed forward along the empty dirt trail, a path that had marred her cherished pink sweater. This unfortunate circumstance only fueled her determination to see the wretched muggle incarcerated in Azkaban.
Eventually, they arrived at the imposing metallic structure, only to find it devoid of any signs of life. It seemed that their quarry had cut and ran, evading their grasp. However, just as they began their approach towards the Dawn, Umbridge heard a faint, muffled groan. A cold feeling settled within her heart, compelling her to cast a wary gaze to her right, revealing the absence of one of the Aurors. Perplexed, the remaining members of the group huddled closely together, maintaining a vigilant watch over one another. The situation rapidly spiraled into disarray, with a young auror succumbing to a paralyzing fear, evident through his trembling boots.
A green blur had knocked Dawlish upside his head launching him 8 meters away. Amazingly he was still conscious but was immediately knocked out by a Humbler Stun Device. Holding a black stick with a glowing electrical end, Chief looked back at the Aurors. The young fella immediately pissed his pants. Umbridge took a slow and cautious step forward to speak, "Due to your...disreputable actions and your association with the former headmaster, Dumbledore, I, along with these esteemed ministry personnel, have received explicit orders to arrest you on charges of conspiracy," she asserted with a smug demeanor, confident in the numerical advantage against the outnumbered Spartan.
She then gestured to the Dawn, "Your ship too will be claimed as ministry property, as well as any other belongings,"
Master Chief looked at all of them coldly, "I don't think you understand," Chief said, cracking his knuckles, "The Dawn isn't yours to take, and you sure as hell aren't taking me,"
In an instant, crimson jets of light streaked through the air, encircling Master Chief with a swift and vibrant display. Reacting swiftly, Chief hurled his Humbler at the foremost Auror, who crumpled instantaneously against a nearby tree. The impact caused the Humbler to launch straight up into the air. The Spartan propelled himself forward in a 30mph sprint, deftly evading the cascading scarlet onslaught. A lucky strike grazed his shoulder, marginally depleting his shields to 85%. Undeterred, Chief slammed the second Auror, hurtling him through the air until he collided with a nearby wall, emitting a resounding THUD, and slumped over.
The Humbler stick gracefully descended back into the awaiting hand of the indomitable 117. Its radiant tip forcefully connected with Umbridge, rendering her unconscious. The Spartan's arm lunged towards the third Auror, a fresh-faced recruit. Despite his rather frightened composure, he still had his wits about him as he swiftly conjured a shield charm, mere milliseconds before Master Chief reached him. John swiftly shifted his attention to the fourth Auror, seizing the ill-fated sorcerer and propelling him into the shield, shattering it and leaving the young recruit breathless from the impact. Maintaining his hold on the fourth Auror, Chief effortlessly hurled the 180lb wizard towards the fifth Auror, effectively incapacitating them both.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The Spartan-II swiftly turned around, only to be met with a sickly green bolt hurtling towards him, leaving no time for evasion. Reacting instinctively, Chief raised his right arm in a futile attempt to block the curse, which struck him with relentless force. Instantaneously, his shields faltered and failed, emitting sparks and sputters. The impact left a smoldering crater embedded in his armor. A chilling numbness coursed through the Chief's entire being, particularly the point of impact. His gaze fixated upon the origin of the malevolent spell: Umbridge. Summoning his last ounces of strength, Chief mustered a final burst of energy, disarming her with a swift motion of his hand. Umbridge, who was not unlike a cornered and desperate creature. Her eyes were wide open as Chief took her out using the Humbler. Noticing that the third young auror was stirring, he limped toward them, conserving his meager reserves of energy.
"Boo," Master Chief uttered, a concealed smile adorning his face beneath his visor.
Overwhelmed by sheer terror, the young author's head lulled backward as he fainted, prompting Chief to chuckle softly to himself. He proceeded to load all his enemies into the Warthogs and issued the command for the vehicle to return them to Hogwarts. Finally, he settled wearily upon the dirt floor, succumbing to fatigue.
UNSC Infinity
April 3rd, 2561
After a long journey, the Prowler finally landed. Within the hangar, the crew ran to unload the ship. In it, there was a single large package. Accompanying it was Doctor Halsey escorted by the ODST troopers on board. The crew quickly brought the heavy load onto a tram. After a while, they reached the Science department, where Lasky and many of the scientists awaited. Lasky glanced and nodded at the crewmen who had just come with the package. The men quickly saluted him and walked off. Lasky looked back at Halsey who appeared quite bored from the whole flight. The package was unveiled, revealing a slightly modified GEN-3 Mjolnir Armor System. Notably, the forearms of the armor featured vacant blue capsules, their purpose remaining enigmatic.
"You mind telling me what these are?" Lasky inquired.
"That, Lasky, is the new PHOENIX or Portable Hex Occurrence Electro Nullification Intergrated External System. Once Cortana uploads some of her magic to the new armor it should better utilize it. The already improved GEN-3 Shields should see a 40% boost. It will also magic proof many of our systems, against spells like Expelliarmius. As far as the 'killing curse' I have yet to find a complete way to counteract it." Halsey informed.
"So, we have nothing against it?" Lasky asked
"Only conventional means can somewhat block the spell. With Chief's new armor and shielding I believe he should be able longer unlike last time, but he will still be heavily suspectable to the curse."
Lasky paused, "I guess he'll have to make do,"
Soon after that conservation, the crewmen loaded the armor onto a crate alongside updated UNSC equipment. It was then loaded onto pod-like capsules. Hours later they crashed down near the Dawn using their navigation and thrusters.
The Forbidden Forest
The rain fell heavily on Master Chief's visors. The small water droplets fell, wetting the ground. It was almost dark as John's eyes fluttered open as he heard Cortana's voice desperately calling him, "Chief wake up... I need you..."
Instantly he jolted straight up as he realized Cortana was sobbing, sitting down burying her face between her hands and legs, "How long was I out?"
Cortana looked up as she wiped her tears out of her eyes, "Three days, I think. I almost lost you on the first,"
Master Chief comforted Cortana "It's all right, I'm here, I don't think they'll try that again,"
Cortana laughed softly, "Not after the scare you gave them. Still, they might come back sooner or later."
Master Chief nodded in agreement. Chief asked Cortana what happened while she was out to which she informed, "According to your helmet cam, nothing much fortunately. However, a few hours ago I noticed a meteor crashing down about north of here. Could be that UNSC package they promised."
Master Chief got up and then looked over to the north and hopped into a Warthog. After an hour of driving, he noticed an impact crater. He soon pulled over and investigated it.
"I'm seeing thruster burns around here, definitely UNSC," Cortana noted. There was also a small but visible trail leading away towards Hogwarts. Master Chief followed the wet trail, and a couple of hours later after some light jogging, Umbridge and her seven Aurors were there. With them, two large metal pods were lifted by invisible forces. Chief walked slowly up to Umbridge and everyone. Immediately they fired a round of red jets which barely did anything but annoy the Chief. All the aurors though healed looked wounded and afraid. Umbridge most of all looked unhinged. After they stopped firing Chief spoke up, "I believe that would be mine?"
Umbridge marched forward to give her usual ministry bull, "As according to Ministry protocols any possessions from a fugitive belongs to the Ministry for study,"
Umbridge seemed more unhinged than usual, vengeful for her defeat, with her hair unusually messy "So I ask that you leave the damn premises or I'll- I'll!"
"Are you really sure you want a repeat of last time?" replied Master Chief
Umbridge turned to the Aurors as she began pointing at the Master Chief, " Arrest him! Arrest him dammit! Get that bloody muggle!" she screeched manically. To her surprise, none of her lackeys listened. They simply backed off in fear.
"Look he's right we can't take him, at least not right now," explained Dawlish.
Umbridge looked at Dawlish and the rest. It became apparent that she was the minority in this vote.
"Fine," she mumbled. Her face was now red from embarrassment. It was a rude awakening for her. She had no authority or power over this one muggle. Soon the aurors backed out leaving Chief with the crates. Satisfied Master Chief tied the packages to the back of the Hog and drove back. Upon arriving at the Forward Unto Dawn, he analyzed the smaller package saving the larger one for later. It contained two of every kind of UNSC weaponry. He picked up a new assault rifle, the MA40, along with a few others. He then dumped them into his bottomless backpack for storage. After Chief was done with that, he turned towards the Spartan-sized crate behind him.
John placed his hands on the crate's door and pried it open. Standing in front of him was the gleaming shiny new GEN 3 Mjolnir armor system. The first thing Master Chief noted was its slight size increase from his own and the presence of some empty blue emitters. Master Chief wasted no time in his suit-up as inputted the instructions for suit-up onto the crate's side panel. Immediately the box unfolded, as Chief entered to armor up. After a few minutes, the final piece came on and Chief took a few steps.
"Wow, feels like a new car doesn't it, John?" Cortana said excitedly.
The Chief nodded in agreement as he noticed the blue emitters glowing. They had an almost mystical feel to them, "Cortana you have any idea what this could be?"
"Seems to be some magic containment systems, I just uploaded what I had into your systems," Cortana said. Suddenly a curious look emerged on her, "I wonder... Chief hold out your arm let me test something."
Complying with her directive, the Spartan followed, only to be interrupted by an unexpected spectacle. A fiery burst materialized from his hand, courtesy of Cortana, who, utilizing the innovative PHOENIX system, had discovered a means to manifest her stored magic. Granted, her proficiency in the ways of a witch was crude and rudimentary at best. Nonetheless, utilizing her available resources, she could modify the suit to fit their needs. Furthermore, several subsystems of the GEN-3 armor were enhanced by the PHOENIX system, some more so than others.
It was clear that Umbridge had little chance of winning her tiny war, especially against Master Chief's upgraded arsenal.
Thank you for all the reviews. They helped a lot. Please don't be afraid to add new ideas to the fray as they provide me with some options and stuff for the story. Notable reviewers would be Statess, Rancorlover, Starkiller215. Your feedback helped. I'm considering whether to add any UNSC enemies into the fray or not. Kinda like the original story by Lord Caldrin which I think was heading in that direction before he dipped. I'll have a poll for it so if you've read it go onto my bio for the poll.