89 — Reflections
Castor was impressed and worried by the Embassy Ballroom. It was a magnificent piece of work, with marble walls and a light-coloured wooden floor, with dark wood trim fittings and furnishing to offer a contrast. The lighting could not be seen, but it was as if the ceiling itself were glowing with light. Nothing too bright to look at, but the only shadows were beneath the tables and chairs. The large windows that were one wall looked out over the well-lit courtyard enclosed by part of the building, with the portal-dome and another building further behind it.
What worried him was that he could plainly see that it was bigger than it should have been. The ceiling was higher than a mere second floor extension, which he knew was as tall as it was. It appeared to be much higher than the bottom of the second floor that he knew was above it, reaching to the bottom of the third floor. The gap between the balcony around the room and the ceiling was certainly much larger than the distance from the ground floor to the balcony!
The wall to the back was much deeper, too. It easily doubled the depth room to make it appear as a square thirty meters on a side, instead of the thirty by ten meters that he knew it was.
He hoped no one else knew the dimensions of the room well-enough to detect the differences.
In one corner of the room stood their cancer-cure machine.
It was a horizontal plastic tube, much like the old iron-lungs used in the fifties when polio had been a scourge of the land. There was a bed that slid out for the patient, but the semi-clear plastic was too hazy for details to be seen. The "ON" button just tested the crystals hidden inside a battery case. If they were sufficiently charged, the button lit-up, with a scale for power level on a display above it. The "STAGE ONE" lever completed a set of calming runes. The "STAGE TWO" lever then completed a set of sleeping runes. After a brief pause of five minutes, with a countdown display, the "THIRD STAGE" lever caused a ring of light to surround the patient and coast from their feet to their head. The levers were attached to complicated devices that masked the spell-runes in a system of circuit boards and electronic pieces.
The runes ordered the cancer cells to cease growing everywhere inside the tube — and to die. The cancer was dead in less than a second. Then the dead tissue was removed with a spell. All that remained was for the proper blood cells to attack and remove any debris left behind, moving it to the appropriate waste areas of the body.
It only took ten minutes for the entire operation.
However, they needed to maintain the illusion that technology was at work. To that end, the patient remained inside the tube while the light-ring coasted back and forth the length of their body for fifty minutes.
It also gave time for the crystals to recharge, if they needed it, in a magic poor area. There was a small detachable motor for generating electricity for the electronics, or a power cord to the wall could be used.
The final spell, triggered to start fifty minutes after the STAGE ONE lever was flipped, woke the patient and cast a mild cheering charm on them.
The pony scientists had been quite disgusted, and intrigued, at the British solution to protecting the secret of magic. The first at needing to hide what was a simple series of spells, the second at how well the machine worked at doing that.
If anyone took apart the machine, they would find real working parts, with the electronics that drove them. But unless they exactly copied the design, right down to the logo, it wouldn't do anything.
Beside it was a cancer-detecting device that was a simple platform with a large metal ring that surrounded the patient as it moved up and down. A single light glowed green until it detected living cancer cells, at which point it turned red, and one or more of the series of lights on the ring that were closest to the cancerous area would glow red. It, too, could use either a small generator or wall plug.
It was quite the popular attraction. And discovered three people who didn't know they had cancer. All three were told that once they had confirmed the cancer with their own doctors, that the Embassy would be more than happy to schedule them for treatment at no cost, at their earliest convenience.
It was a wonderful coincidence to prove that what the Equestrians were offering really worked. Even if only to prove they could detect the cancer.
Beside it was a small sign stating that they had solutions to other diseases, such as ALS and Muscular Dystrophy, but they weren't ready for release, yet.
The Equestrians and British had considered having a few "cured" amputees in attendance, but felt that that had the probability of becoming demeaning for the former patients. Instead, they provided a pamphlet showing before-and-after pictures of some of the volunteers.
The true attractions for the politically motivated were, of course, the Equestrians. The women all wore backless dresses so the pegasi could show off their wing-tattoos. The unicorns were occasionally showing off the concentric circle tattoos hidden just inside their hairlines to interested parties.
Prince Blueblood was in his element and working hard to preserve their secrets while making profitable contacts with the world-movers and shakers. Watching the Yanks trying to monopolize his time was humorous, as they kept trying to fend off, and disparage, those that they felt were competition. The Soviet Union, China, Japan, and Germany were their main foes. But India, Canada, and Australia, as members of the Commonwealth were rather smug at their close ties to the U.K. They spent more than a little time discussing with the British Ambassador, and his aides, when they would get their hands on the foreign technology, and what it would cost. They were also making arrangements to supplement British industry with outsourcing.
The ball itself was a tremendous success. All 180 nations with an Embassy or High Commission in London were in evidence. Castor knew his wife would be in teas and meeting with friends for weeks, all of whom would want a blow-by-blow description of the ball and who she had met and seen. What had both his daughter's and his wife's eyes glowing was to meet, in person, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, not to mention the Prime Minister and his wife.
Castor's wife wasn't a social butterfly, interested in people only because of their social standing. Quite the contrary, she was very down-to-earth. Still, very few commoners ever got to meet members of the Royal Family. And personally thanked for their husband's help in looking after the Equestrians.
Blueblood even gave him an invite to visit Equestria for a short vacation before the new year.
Several dozen high-ranking diplomats were taken on a quick trip through the portal to set to rest any rumours that it was all a hoax. Pictures of them on the other side were provided for their home governments to pore over.
The visitors all noticed the massive walls and the soldiers around the portal on the other side. A few noticed the soldiers on the walls and that they were watching both sides, not just the portal. Even though Castor remained on the Earth side of the portal, he was sure they noticed the Earth side of the portal seemed to be designed to keep something in while the Equestrian side seemed to be designed to keep something out.
Of special interest to the American, Russian, and Chinese Ambassadors were the weapons held by the guards. Seeing guards carrying spears and swords certainly threw all their calculations for a loop, Castor knew, as they tried to understand how a people that had such primitive weapons could also have such advanced medical technology.
Nor why the U.K. was so interested in currying their favour.
The post-mortem on the Ball would be long and detailed for all participants.
۸-_-۸
Harry and the fillies were very relieved that Bon Bon and Lyra were keeping their distance. They saw the two in the corridors and their classes occasionally, and sometimes they saw them at meal times, but only rarely. The four students did notice that the two adults had wands, but they never saw the adult Equestrians using them.
A few jaunts through the portraits had revealed that the two adult ponies were keeping a discrete eye on them. And practicing with their new wands. Seeing the two using the wall-walking spell had been a surprise.
Harry and the fillies, as well as Hermione, had forgotten all about that spell. The excitement of finding the lost Chamber of Secrets and then the battle with the basilisk had pushed it out of their minds. Then, too, they were too caught up in learning magic.
Hermione had immediately started checking their books for the spell — Harry's explanations had not been that helpful. Unfortunately, the school's library books had nothing helpful. However, Harry had tried the spell before and this time, with so many watching him keenly, he still walked into the wall instead.
Hermione had been the one to conquer the spell first. Harry had cast it on both of them and walked into the wall. Hermione had continued on through it. Harry had merely bruised his nose — again.
The two of them had finally succeeded, with her leading him and not telling him where the wall was. "Harry," she had said, "close your eyes."
He had. Then she had spun him around several times.
"Is this really necessary?" he had asked, swaying slightly, dizzy.
"Yes. Now hold my hand and follow me!"
She had pulled on his hand, not allowing him to hesitate in his steps.
Then she had said. "Open your eyes!"
When he had, he saw he was on the other side of the wall. Which meant he had succeeded. With that breakthrough they soon were all walking through the walls.
That Bon Bon and Lyra were learning how to use the wands wasn't really a surprise — the young Equestrians had sort of expected it. What else were the two adults supposed to do all day? Especially considering how wands made magic possible for non-unicorns.
What did surprise them was that the two adults were learning much faster than the students. The two Equestrians had an advantage, however, in that they weren't taking History of Magic, Astronomy, or other classes. That freed up some time for the other subjects they were taking. Plus, it didn't split their concentration.
The announcement of the Embassy, which Harry and the Fillies knew was big news in the muggle world, barely made a ripple in the wizarding world. Bon Bon and Lyra had warned them it was coming up so they wouldn't be surprised if any of their fellow students approached them. The only ones who noticed were a few of the half-bloods, whose parents had owled them the news. The muggle-born had no real communication with their parents. They would probably learn of the situation when they went home for Christmas.
Naturally, the other half- and pure-blood witches and wizards ignored anything that the muggles did as irrelevant to wizardkind.
Harry couldn't help but wonder what the Ministry thought of all this.
۸-_-۸
Malfoy slowly returned to his old habits and was as unpleasant as ever after the Quidditch match. Offended that the Slytherins had lost, he said that the Gryffindor's Seeker, Harry, would be replaced by a wide-mouthed tree frog. No one but himself found this funny as they were impressed at the way Harry had managed to stay on his bucking broomstick. Jealous and angry, Malfoy had gone to taunting Harry about having no proper family.
However, the three fillies quickly disabused the Slytherin of the thought that this was somehow a hardship. They had swiftly countered with how big and beautiful Princess Sparkle's castle was at home. Not to mention that he was on a first name basis with both of the kingdom's rulers. Besides, they added, the five of them were all the family he needed.
Plus, when you included the rest of the animagi, he had a very large family of friends, indeed. Much larger than Draco's pitiful two boyfriends. They tactfully ignored Pansy.
They didn't understand why Draco got upset at the mention of his boyfriends. Wasn't he happy with them?
The fillies were amazed to see that the weather here on Earth managed itself. Oh, they had seen storms and such while at the Weasleys and here at Hogwarts, but nothing had prepared them for the onset of a Scottish winter. There was no running of the leaves or helping birds fly south. The weather just got colder and colder until they woke one morning to find a yard of snow on the ground outside. They were equally amazed that the corridors in Hogwarts were so cold. These people had magic and yet had never used it to seal the many cracks and crevices that allowed heat to escape the castle? Or were they subtly making the students exercise their magic by staying warm? In either case, warming charms quickly became the Firsties' favourite spells.
Professor McGonagall went around asking who would be staying over the Christmas hols in early December. They discovered only the Weasleys — Ron, Ginny, Percy and the twins — would be left in the Gryffindor tower. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie.
Everyone else was going home.
Even Myrtle.
Her parents had passed on not long ago, according to Professor McGonagall. They had been in their eighties and thought their daughter had died in an automobile accident while just a child. Myrtle had a brother and sister, but they had been born shortly before and after she had started Hogwarts. So, she knew little of them, and they knew even less of her. While their grandchildren might have welcomed her as family, it would have made for a tense holiday for them all as she was a virtual stranger among muggles. Unfortunately, none of the subsequent generations had had a magical child to ease her return. She would have to keep quiet about being a witch.
Not to mention the problems in re-integrating her into their family as the older sister who was decades younger than her siblings. Even the muggles would notice something off about that.
It would be like fostering her with muggles that only happened to have the same last name.
Myrtle, of course, was going with the Equestrians, the fillies assured their Head of House. They had promised to look after her before returning her to the land of the living.
Harry thought it was kind of eerie that the Christmas hols were almost at the same time as Equestria's Hearth's Warming hols. After his explanation of Christmas, again, the three fillies also thought it was rather odd timing. After some thought and discussion, the four went to Bon Bon and Lyra.
Later that week, they met with the five Weasleys in the Common Room.
"We asked you here," Harry said, after a quick reassuring look at the fillies, "To ask if you would like to go home with us this hols? There's plenty of room at the castle and it won't be a problem at all." The four looked at the Weasleys hopefully.
"A castle?" said George.
"In Equestria?" said Fred.
Ginny was almost hopping in excitement. "Christmas with you?"
Percy blinked while Ron just stared at them.
Harry nodded. "And we could introduce you to all our families and friends."
"It'll be loads of fun," added Scootaloo.
"Especially if we get to go to the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot," said Sweetie. They all nodded. "It was loads of fun year before last, when our sisters all got a part in the play. And visiting Canterlot is definitely on the schedule!"
"And you did let us come over to your house for a whole month before we started school," said Apple Bloom, "so it's only fair for us to invite you to visit us for the holidays."
It didn't take much effort to get the Weasleys to agree.
They wanted to extend the invitation to Hermione. But she had already told them, quite enthusiastically, that she and her parents were going on a skiing holiday in Switzerland. Considering the lateness of the offer, there was no way the Grangers could change their plans. Perhaps they could plan something for the Easter Hols, instead?
In the meantime, the four told the Weasleys and Myrtle about Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville, the Castle, Canterlot, and the Everfree Forest. Not to mention all their friends they would be seeing. The fillies wanted to see if they would get cutie marks as tour guides.
۸-_-۸
Having lived her entire life in the hive, which was underground, in a desert, the appearance of snow was a spectacular event. Oh, her instructors had mentioned it, but only as a minor inconvenience that they could simply fly over while it hindered most ponies. The snow around the castle, however, was not a minor problem when you didn't have wings, she discovered. Especially when you were in a situation where an audience could see you if you did manifest wings! Meaning she was stuck being ground-bound.
She could not fathom how any creature managed to survive when the snow was so deep it would have completely buried her — even covering her horn! And every step outside caused her to sink half-way to her chest, or deeper, in this new form. Thank Mother that the older students cleared paths through the snow!
Only the stories of the Great Frozen North could compare to what she now saw and experienced.
She finally understood why some creatures would want to hibernate during winter.
Watching the Weasley twins charming snowballs to chase professors had been amazing. She never would have dared prank one of her instructors in such a manner — that would have been a quick one-way trip to the hive's love reserves. Of course, as a Ling she couldn't have cast such a spell, anyway. Cut, blast, levitate, propel, sure. Enchant something to follow someone? Not at all. None of them had that kind of magical power. Except Queen-mother. May she rest in peace with her hive, as befit a great leader.
But now, with a wand . . . she could do anything that anyone else could do. All she had to do was study. She had to giggle at the thought.
In any case, here, they merely received detentions for their assaults.
It took a lot of coaxing before her fellow Hufflepuffs could convince her to join them in a snowball fight.
Her aim when throwing snowballs was terrible. Well, her throwing anything with her hands would probably result in terrible aim. She was just as likely to hit one of her team-mates as the "enemy." Using magic to banish the snowballs at them instead was a quickly mastered skill for her and the Hufflepuffs. Making new snowballs was a hand-intensive effort. Elly found that after a short while her hands actually hurt from the cold. Casting warming charms tended to melt the snow. The Hufflepuffs rapidly developed a strategy of two-thirds of a team making the snowballs and the others banishing them at the enemy, and then rotating positions to let their hands warm up.
When the Gryffindors joined in, she didn't know what to think. They were play-fighting, sure, but how did that foster emotions of love between the participants? The Equestrians seemed to fit right in place, though, and watching them pelt their clueless mate was quite entertaining — and supplied a good dose of food in the aftermath when they all headed inside for hot chocolate and snacks.
To her surprise, she received many offers of a place to stay over the holidays. The amazing part was how many of them were sincere — they truly did not want her to stay alone in the castle. Susan Bones was the first, quickly followed by Hannah Abbott, Sally-Anne Perks, and many others.
She wasn't sure what to make of it. She was just a Ling worker. She wasn't even in disguise as someone they knew and liked. At first, she was worried that this was a trap, but then she could tell from their emotions that they were sincere. Except for a few who were inviting her only because they felt that doing so was a good political manoeuvre. That she would, somehow, be beholden to them for the favour. Their cold emotions gave them away, and she politely declined.
After much consideration, she decided that Hannah Abbott would be the best choice. She had a full family and would provide the most opportunities for nourishment. Plus, it would provide her with a wealth of information on human families and how they interacted. An area she was sorely lacking information about at the moment.
Hannah's personality would help make any of Elly's mistakes easier to counter by claiming Hannah had misunderstood or misremembered whatever the situation was. From what she had observed of the Hufflepuff witches, so far, Hannah was easily flustered and appeared to lack self-confidence. She made frequent claims of being stupid. When under pressure, she was prone to making mistakes. A perfect tool for infiltration. Any mistakes Elly made would not be noticed or could be waved off, either if she replaced the witch or merely accompanied her. Not that she planned to replace her. That had many ways it could go very wrong.
She was cultivating that friendship by helping the witch in her studies — but not too much. She didn't want to draw attention to them.
It was late Saturday and she was exploring the castle for hidden passages, alcoves, and rooms. An infiltrator always searched out small places for hiding, should anything go wrong in the future. With a castle that liked to shuffle things around, it was an ongoing project. Just keeping track of safe havens was a weekly chore.
Currently, she was in the Astronomy Tower, carefully studying the walls and ceiling for secrets when she almost walked right past the closed door. It was a disused classroom, of course, but something made her want to look inside. A quick alohomora — such a simple wand spell, far better than the love-consuming bursts of magic the Lings used to open locks — and she was inside.
The bright light from the windows revealed dust-covered desks and chairs piled against the walls, and an upturned wastepaper bin in the corner. But what drew her attention was something that didn't look as if it belonged there. It seemed as if someone had just recently put it there to keep it out of the way. The trails in the dust certainly made it seem so.
An ornate oval mirror that nearly touched the ceiling stood there. It had a fancy gold frame and stood on two clawed feet. It had something carved into the wood at the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
Curious, she stepped closer, walking around the object — and almost screamed when she finally looked into the mirror. In the reflection, she saw not only herself, but a whole crowd of Lings standing right beside her. All of her friends from the hive. The workers, drone, and even her Queen-mother.
That was impossible, as she knew they were all dead.
She spun around immediately. The room was empty. Slowly she turned and looked back at the mirror.
This time she saw only herself in the mirror, but gradually Lings began to appear until a there was a crowd standing around her. As she watched, she slowly morphed from a person and became a true Ling. Only, she was taller, bigger, and on her head was the bony crest of a queen. All the Lings around her had a slight similarity — their shells and legs a bit more blue than solid black — which meant they were her workers and drones. They were proudly looking out at her in the classroom, and glancing up to the side at their queen, with love and devotion. And she was looking down at them with the same expression, nuzzling affectionately several of those around her.
She again looked behind her, but the room was still empty.
As she gazed again at the sight in wonder, she saw that there were dozens of nymphs gathered at her feet, and climbing her legs with the cute intensity only the little ones ever displayed.
The mirror was not reflecting what was real in the classroom, that much was clear. Nor was it merely adding things to what it reflected, for now it did not show her as the human child she appeared.
"Is that really me?" she asked in wonder. She stepped closer. Was the mirror a window, a portal, to another world? She slowly pressed a hand against the cool surface. She could feel a very faint tingle of magic in the cold glass, but nothing else.
She stepped back and studied the frame. The clawed feet held it upright and stable, but did nothing more. The frame around it was sturdy, more than a match to keeping the mirror intact and protected. The words across the top, however, were puzzling, in no language she knew.
Was this a vision of the future? No, it had shown her friends to her first — all dead, she knew. And that was in the past. She felt a wave of depression crash through her, and tears began to leak from her eyes. The mirror shimmered and blurred, and once more she could see her friends. She collapsed to the floor, crying.
Later, she sat back up and rubbed her eyes. This wasn't helping. She took a shaky breath and studied the mirror once more. Once more, it showed her in a crowd of Lings with her as a Queen Ling.
So, the mirror didn't show the true past. She had never stood with Lings and the Queen-mother, and they certainly had never waved at anyone. It couldn't be showing the future, either, as the Lings appeared to see her, here and now, and respond, as well. Moreover, it had shown her in her new default-form, too, at first, before showing her as a true Ling. "Is this a possible future?" she muttered. "Or a trap?" She narrowed her eyes and stared.
The figures in the mirror didn't answer her, they merely smiled at her and whispered to themselves. And the longer she watched the more details that began to emerge. Slowly, people began to appear in the background, smiling and nudging the Lings, some held young Lings in their arms. Several Lings changed back and forth between their forms, draping an arm over the person beside them as they did so. There were even children.
She stood proudly smiling at them all.
Elly barely made it back to the dorm before curfew. She did remember to relock the door behind her as she left. And gently blow the dust on the floor to cover her tracks.
She didn't know what to expect tomorrow. Each House had a party planned; she knew. With only the train to board on Monday, the students expected the parties to last easily until curfew. There would be many sleepy students on the train home, she expected.
She wondered if she could get into the Gryffindor party — several cross-House couples were planning on attending the other's House party — and do bit of stockpiling love. She would have to use the excuse that she wanted to pet a pony. Would it be worth the risk?
Perhaps another visit to the mirror was in order?
۸-ꞈ-۸
Interlude — Dalton Barracks
(by Rainbow Sparkles/FIMfiction)
Barry Dawber leaned back in his chair and looked at the small festive tree his family had placed in a corner of the room. He couldn't help but grin as he looked at his wand, his parents watching a show on the telly.
He had never dreamed he would be in the position as he was. Officially able to use magic even though he wasn't in the wizarding world.
It had come out of nowhere — an opportunity to be a wizard after he'd had to walk away from the wizarding world. A chance to use magic once more, and in service to the Queen to boot! He was still trying to process the fact that the government knew about magic now. But that wasn't at the top of his thoughts. Finally getting to use the talents that only a few ever possessed took that spot.
He couldn't help but smile as he remembered.
It had started with everyone on the base being ordered out into the base's assembly field in September. Waiting for them was Brigadier Archibald, base commander, and four staff officers. With them were two civilians. One was a nondescript man of about thirty. The other was an attractive, young, college-age woman with long two-tone purple hair that stopped at her waist. When she came closer, he saw she had, rather curiously, purple . . . yes, purple, eyes.
She'd been wearing a casual business dress that fit to her figure a bit too well, though if she noted the stares she was getting she gave no sign of being bothered.
The base commander explained that the civilians were here to search for candidates for a special project. It wouldn't take long, so they didn't need to worry about being gone too long from their duties. Some had been happy to hear this, others tried hard not to groan. Barry hadn't really cared either way — something about the woman (besides her exotic beauty) had drawn his attention.
She had started walking down the lines. Sometimes, she had stopped in front of a soldier and looked them over from top to bottom. Most had managed to stand still and keep a neutral expression but a few squirmed a bit ever so slightly, he saw in the front ranks. It had been only when she reached him sometime much later that he had realized there was so much more to this woman than anyone there could imagine.
He'd felt her magic flow over him, and he saw the soft glimmer of magic just above her head, the same hue as her eyes. He'd felt his eyes go wide in surprise. It had been a long time since he'd seen magic performed. Except what he did at home when he was positive no one would see him. Even then, that hadn't been that frequent, becoming less so as more time passed.
Everyone else she inspected had earned a simple headshake. He, however, had earned a smile and a nod. The Colonel accompanying them had instructed Barry to fall out and wait for further instructions by the viewing stand.
It took only another ten minutes before she had finished. But not before she'd found an NCO officer from the base's infirmary. The officer, a woman, gave Barry a nervous smile as she joined him off to the side. He had a feeling he knew why she was standing beside him as well.
Then had come the interview in Base headquarters. They were done separately, of course. He'd almost wanted to call it an interrogation, but the innocence of the smiling witch made it hard to see it as such. The man with her turned out to be from M.I. 5 and impressed upon him that anything that was said or done in that interview room was under the auspices to Secrecy Act. He wasn't to talk of it to anyone.
The base commander, himself, had assured Barry that he wasn't in trouble.
After giving quite a few vague answers to their questions, the two revealed to him that they knew that his post-primary education had been at a school called Hogwarts — and that the full name of the school was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He had, naturally, denied that until the man had pulled a picture from his pocket of several students, in robes, standing in front of Hogwarts' main gates, waving. Three witches in it had rather unusual hair colours. And yes, it was a wizarding picture. The students were moving.
That was when he capitulated. "But I'm a loyal British soldier!" he had been sure to say.
Then they'd revealed to him that the woman across the table from him was not, in fact, just a witch. He had been rather startled by her sudden transformation into a unicorn pony with a pink coat and two-toned purple mane and tail. There was a tattoo on her flank of three diamonds, or at least gemstones.
The man, a squib, had provided extra assurances that Barry had nothing to worry about in regards to the Statute of Secrecy. There were no muggles in the room.
With that out of the way, Barry had told them about his experiences in the wizarding world. He had told them about how he'd gotten a letter from Hogwarts, his time spent there, and his first two years in the wizarding world after graduating. That had been just around the end of the Seventies and into the early Eighties, when a fair bit of trouble had been going on in the wizarding world.
Despite his above-average scores on the NEWTs, he hadn't been able to find anyone who would employ him for long. The two, combined, had made him grow more than a bit dissatisfied with things. If he'd had a good job, he might have stuck it out. But with only a menial job and the threat of attack hovering in the background, he'd headed back to the muggle world. Lacking a Secondary Degree, he had decided to pursue his first dream — to follow in his granddad's steps and become a soldier. He'd barely interacted with the wizarding world since, only staying in contact with an old friend of his from school.
The two civilians had explained that real aliens . . ..
"Wait, you're not an animagi?" he'd asked, startled into leaning forward.
She had smiled, which had been a decidedly weird, and cute, look on a pony, and replied. "No, this is my normal form."
That had been shocking news, and he almost thought they were pranking him — but the scene on the parade ground and the picture argued against that.
They had explained what was going on. And how, with the help of the Equestrians, they were looking for people like him to help them figure out how best to make use of this new "Energy" and the "Special Technology" that was built around it.
That, and that he could be one of the first to take a job in this new group as a transfer to a new division in the Army.
He'd said yes, without a moment's hesitation. They'd handed him his new orders on the spot. He would be the new third member of their team.
Then he had returned to his flat, and dug out his wand. He'd put it away in a cabinet and tried to forget about it. He hadn't done more than play with it in years, and had felt discouraged that all his training with it was going to waste. His hands had shaken with excitement as he thought about all the good he could do now with his abilities . . . especially his understanding of runes.
He had laughed a bit to himself at what the two had called it — new "Energy" and the "Special Technology," indeed. That was certainly one way to think of it, a very muggle way, too, as a few of his teachers would have suggested.
Even amidst all the excitement he had felt, there still had been some worry, some fears and doubts. They'd told him to retrieve his wand and bring it with him the following morning when they came by to pick him up. He had hoped, at the time, that wherever they were going was safe from the detection spells of the Ministry — he hadn't any desire to lose his wand, or end up in Azkaban. He certainly didn't want to be obliviated either, especially as he'd be losing a great many happy memories that he cherished.
He needn't have worried.
He had had so many questions about these Equestrians. He had wondered why they were working with the Muggles and not the Wizards. Not to mention why what the two governments were doing hadn't been picked up yet by anyone in the wizarding world. He hadn't believed that the Ministry was really that incompetent after so many years. Or, were they just so focused inward that something like this, even in the most remote sense, just didn't occur to them?
He hadn't been sure how the Magical world would react when it became obvious what was going on. From what Miss Star had mentioned, it had sounded only like a matter of time until the wizards and witches found out. And by then, it'd probably be too late.
Right then, though . . . none of that had mattered to Barry. His face had broken into a wide smile as he had closed his eyes and pushed his magic through the wand. He had let out a happy shout as his alarm clock turned into a rabbit.
He had still had it in him!
And over the last four months he had certainly put his talents and wand to use. He had to admit, as he turned his wand over and over in his hands, that this was shaping up to be the best Christmas in over a decade.
۸-_-۸