A/N: This chapter is a bit short, but it's part of a series of segments that will soon end this story. Enjoy and leave one for me.
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Harry exhaled slowly, a small cloud of condensation escaping his lips and drifting aimlessly into the air. The first speckles of sunlight worked its way across the ground until there was an orange glow at Harry's feet, expanding until it pooled around him. The light didn't stop at him, however, and continued across the expanse and up his body until it flashed across his eyes.
"Start the train."
The train formerly known as the Hogwarts Express creaked and groaned to life, the magically-powered gears churning and twisting in tune with the combustible roar of the engine. A plume of steam shot out from the chimney, signaling the antiquated boiler engine was ready for the journey ahead. The train started slowly, a stranger to the amount of magic being applied to the carriages. Eventually, it picked up steam and Harry extended a hand to grab onto the railing as the chassis rolled ahead of him.
"Are you ready, Ernie?" Harry asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be, Captain," Ernie grinned and saluted, keeping his other hand firmly on the lever that controlled the speed of the train.
"If we encounter a blockade, the spearhead should be able to blast through it without any problems. I made some reinforcements if we encounter a couple more. Once we're within the circle of the tower, there are to be no stops. Absolutely none. Is that clear?"
"Indubitably."
"See you at King's Cross."
Harry moved into the next carriage, momentarily stopping and recollecting himself before opening the door and stepping inside. Samson was leaning against the window pane, looking at the distant figure of the tower. Moody was calmly sitting down in one of the seats, attempting to light his pipe with the tip of his wand.
"We should hit top speed soon. It'll be a couple hours before we're within range of the tower. Make sure to let me know when we're within distance," Harry addressed Moody.
"Give you a shout when I can, Potter. Don't worry about that."
Harry nodded, "Samson, any last minute words from the Prime Minister?"
"I drew out the plan for the Minister and his cabinet. They couldn't decide on anything overnight. I reckon they'll still be debating whether or not they should send support while we're traveling to London. They'll make a decision by then."
"What do you think he'll do?"
Samson turned his head so he was looking at Harry and not at the looming tower, "To be honest, it's up in the air. Let's hope they do."
Harry tightened his lips, "About as fair as they can do. What kind of support would we be looking at?"
"Anything that can keep up with this train," Samson chuckled.
"Stop worrying about it, Potter. That one's out of your control. Go on and check the rest of the carriages. I'll give you a shout," Moody ordered him.
Harry left without another word and opened the next door into the VIP carriage. There was to be no one allowed into the carriage that contained Neville, Hermione, and Ron. The only way inside was a key that hung around Harry's neck, right next to the pebble. If Harry didn't survive the trip - well - that wasn't really taken into consideration.
Their carriage was hollowed out so that there would be a hallway connecting to second and fourth carriage. Should a Death Eater manage to find it's way into the actual carriage, Harry hoped that they wouldn't be able to connect the dots as to why there was this unusual pathway. Either way, barring a complete removal of the VIP carriage, there was no way a Death Eater would be able to actually step inside the compartment holding the trio.
Hopefully.
Harry paused in mid-step, imagining the trio on the other side of the wall, discussing how they would achieve entrance into the tower. Closing his eyes, Harry imagined the Horcrux in the leather pouch tucked somewhere in Hermione's bag of belongings - undestroyed. His curiosity burned inside him, his chest tightening from the uncertainty of the cursed object. What was the connection between the Horcrux and the pebble that hung on a chain around his neck?
The answer would have to wait.
In the fourth carriage were a majority of Harry's unit. They were busy checking and rechecking the protective enchantments on the train, fortifying it as much as they could without weighing the train down. Ginny was the first one to catch him out of her peripheral and approached him.
"All the carriages are pretty much set. How long until the Death Eaters find out about us?" Ginny asked him.
"A couple of hours. Some of the patrols might spot the train but it's been through the tracks before without being attacked. I reckon they'll send a light patrol to see what's in the train. We'll try not to show our hand too early, but I expect once they realize what kind of cargo is on the train…" Harry trailed off as he lazily whirled his wand and added an extra attachment to one of the windows.
Ginny nodded, expecting as much, "Okay, I'll go don my gear."
"No," Harry stopped her as she turned around, "You're in the triage area."
Ginny's mouth dropped, the shock plainly evident on her face, "Excuse me?!"
"Triage for you," Harry said without a hint of a smile.
The telltale Weasley blush spread from her neck to her face in a matter of seconds. She stepped towards him and furiously whispered, "Harry! I'm just as good as the rest of your unit. Bloody hell - I would have been in your unit if it wasn't Moody insisting I stay at Hogwarts. I did that because he was the General and he could give me that order. This is bullshit."
"You're better than everyone else I know and can keep your cool in the triage area. We're going to lose a lot of people," Harry said grimly, "We need you to keep our forces ticking. Reaching King's Cross is just the beginning."
Ginny's jaw visibly clenched as it often did when she refused to agree with someone. Harry reached out a hand and squeezed her shoulder softly, "Please, Ginny."
Ginny stared at him murderously and responded, "Fuck you."
She whirled around dramatically but nonetheless set out for the triage section of the train, obeying his order. Malfoy made a snorting noise as she brushed past him. Although Harry couldn't see Malfoy's face, he could tell the other boy was amused by the tone of his voice.
"She's growing on me a bit," he said.
"Don't even think about it," Harry immediately responded.
"I wasn't thinking of anything."
"If you come close to her, I will rip that mask off and use it as a dish for your eyeballs."
"And I thought I was the disturbed one."
"You still are."
"You both are," Seamus interrupted them, "Everything's ready. I even put sticking charms on all the boots once we have to fight on top of the train."
"Good show," Harry nodded.
The soft thrumming of the train reverberated against Harry's feet and a slight curve on the tracks caused them all to sway in the same direction. Harry placed a hand against one of the chairs to balance himself but heard the train groan in protest.
Padma worriedly looked around her and said, "Hopefully this thing doesn't rip apart."
Harry nodded.
Hopefully.
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Inside the secret compartment in the third carriage of the Hogwarts Express sat three sullen teenagers, all sitting an equidistant length from each other, forming a makeshift equilateral teenager had an invisible tether been drawn between them.
Hermione sat cross-legged, a small light illuminating sheets of notes that magically stayed in place as the train shook back and forth. Ron leaned against a wall, one leg laid out and the other leg drawn up so his arm could rest against his knee. Neville slouched against an adjacent wall, his knees drawn up to his chin and the fringe of his hair covering his forehead leaving only his eyes visible. His eyes were focused on one thing.
The Horcrux.
Neville's eyes did not waver from the pouch that lay next to Hermione's left knee. He could practically feel the throbbing of Voldemort's soul, but Harry - of all people - gave strict instructions not to destroy it until he could find out the connection between the Horcrux and the pebble his father gave him. Unfortunately, they were pressed to board the train to hell and so Neville sat not a few feet from the Horcrux, unable to destroy it.
"What do you make of the connection between the diadem and the pebble, Hermione?" Neville suddenly asked, interrupting the repetitive clanging of the gears of the train.
Hermione stiffened imperceptibly but enough for Neville to catch even in the dim light. A deep streak of pain tore through his chest, a mix of guilt and self-loathing threatening to burst forth at any point. He squelched it down, trying to keep a clear head and throw away the pain that he caused Hermione.
"I'm not entirely sure," Hermione said without raising her eyes, "Since I don't know when James would have given him the pebble, it's hard to understand how such an innocuous object could trigger that kind of reaction from Harry. I inspected the pebble and it does have residue magical traces, but I don't know what spell it is."
"And that's what you're looking up?" Ron asked, paying attention to the conversation from it's inception.
Hermione raised his eyes to meet Ron's, an action that caused Neville to flinch internally, "No, not right now. I'm still looking over Voldemort's Horcruxes."
Ron's brow creased in confusion, "Why? We know what all of them are."
Hermione's eyes flittered over to Neville, once again an easy to miss movement. But Neville hadn't torn his eyes off Hermione and caught the tiny glance. She looked away immediately and replied, "I'm just double checking some things."
The finality of her tone was familiar to Ron and he didn't ask any more questions. Neville cocked his head and looked at her curiously though, wondering what she was up to. He decided to stoke the fire a little more.
"Double checking on what?"
Hermione fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. Whether it was from his overt attention to her or her reluctance to answer the question was unknown to Neville, but he could easily tell she was discomforted.
Hermione opened and closed her mouth but opted to tell the truth, "I'm just making sure Voldemort didn't make an extra Horcrux."
"Come again?" Ron suddenly leaned forward.
Hermione looked between the both of them and helplessly answered, "He only made six of them. The magic number is seven not including his own soul. It wouldn't make sense for Voldemort to stop at six."
"Maybe he just hasn't had the time?" Ron offered.
"Maybe…" Hermione trailed off as her eyes flittered towards Neville again.
A light bulb suddenly clicked in Neville's head. With a tightness in his voice, he said, "You want to know if I felt Voldemort making a Horcrux, don't you?"
Hermione looked surprised but hid it in a few seconds. Her only response was, "Have you?"
Neville thought for a moment but decided, "No. I know when he kills people, but I think I would have known if he tried to make a Horcrux."
Hermione nodded as if she were expecting as much, her face still guarded, an unreadable look in her eyes. The train suddenly swayed and groaned, dust falling through the cracks in the ceiling. A commotion could be heard outside even from inside their compartment.
The train shuddered again and Ron sighed, "Here we go."
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The Muggle Prime Minister repeatedly smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand, attempting to knock some sense into his head impenetrably thick skull. He cracked his jaw for a few times before the door finally opened and a thin man with thick glasses entered.
"Close the door."
The thin man shut the door immediately, sequestering the sunlight from the room. The Minister's office was located in a bunker underground, hopefully to avoid the numerous magical raids that threatened to destroy the last fabric of government in the greater United Kingdom.
"The vote's still tied, Minister," thin man said, "It'll have to be your decision."
The vote in question was a vote to send reinforcements for the proposed plan from the wizards. Samson, the intermediary between the two factions, magically appeared near the bunker's location and rushed to the Prime Minister's cabinet to lay out the last ditch plan the wizards created. The wizards, sensing that time was of the essence, didn't have the decency to allow the cabinet to discuss the various pros and cons of their stratagem. Thus, in the eleventh hour, the final decision fell upon the beleaguered Muggle Prime Minister.
"What kind of units do we have ready?"
"Fast-moving choppers, various fighters and bombers can be en route immediately. Ground forces will take a bit longer to mobilize. Frankly, their proposed timeline only allows scattered reinforcements from our main army. The bulk of our help will come from assisting their entry into London."
"Mobilize the ground forces anyways and have them on standby."
"Yes, sir."
"What are the estimated loss of our forces should we send them reinforcements?"
"According to the statisticians, north of 95%."
The Muggle Minister exhaled loudly, expecting the answer. He ducked his head, the creases cracking and deepening on his forehead. Less than a year beforehand, the Minister was simply in the staging process of his re-election campaign. Instead, he was forced to make the decision regarding the majority of his military forces based upon a plan that had a miniscule chance to succeed from his Muggle point of view. There were few options left.
Scribbling a small word on a piece of paper, the Minister handed it to the thin man and motioned with his head, indicating he had written his answer. The thin man took the scrap of paper and scampered out of the room, leaving the Muggle Prime Minister to his own thoughts.
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"There!" Harry pointed out the black dot racing towards the train, no doubt some form of Death Eater patrol investigating the train.
"Volley on the ready," Harry commanded, taking aim as well.
On his mark, the unit fired a range of Stunners designed to create a web-like sphere around the patrol so it almost guaranteed a hit. At the same time, Harry mustered the strongest Summoning charm he could create, hoping to reel in the Death Eater. Even from a distance, Harry could see the Death Eater slump as one of the Stunners hit him. The body grew closer and closer, the black dot hurtling towards him until it started taking on a distinguishable shape.
"Malfoy, Cushioning Charm!" Harry yelled, too busy with his Accio to focus on another spell at the moment.
Just as the body was about to collide into the side of the train, Malfoy timed his Cushioning Charm so the Death Eater simply bounced against the metal paneling with a little clang. Seamus and Dean hauled him through the window and threw him unceremoniously on the ground.
"Quick, veritaserum," Harry snapped his fingers.
Padma immediately procured a small vial of clear liquid and placed it in Harry's hand. Wrenching off the mask of the unknown Death Eater, Harry first noted that he didn't recognize the man then wrenched open his jaw and placed a few drops on his tongue. He shut the man's jaw and plugged his noise, the body doing the rest of the work for him. Sputtering to life, the Death Eater looked around, his eyes glassed over from the potion.
"How many of you were sent here?" Harry began the interrogation.
"Just me," the Death Eater replied monotonously.
"Have you reported anything? How did you spot the train?"
"No. A watcher spotted the train from a distance and relayed it in. I was sent to investigate the potential threat."
"Are there any blockades in place to stop the train from reaching King's Cross?"
"None."
"Will there be more patrols?"
"Possibly."
"Do you know how to get into the tower?"
"No."
Harry stood up from his kneeling position next to the Death Eater. He looked around, visibly asking if there were any more useful questions he could ask. Malfoy leaned down, his mask nearly touching the other man's cheek.
"Where is Bates?"
"In London."
Harry eyed Malfoy wearily, not willing to deal with the other boy's streak of vengeance right now. Harry Stunned the Death Eater before he could say another word, satisfied with the information received from him.
"They'll sent out another feeler once they notice he doesn't report. Once we're visible from the tower, they'll bring everything," Harry snapped the Death Eater's wand and took a quick look at him.
"And what about him?" Seamus asked.
Harry's face was blank as he made his decision. Picking the Death Eater up by the collar of his robe, he dragged him to the window and unceremoniously threw him out. The dull sound of his body hitting the ground was drowned out by the merciless roar of the train.
"He'll be harmless without his wand."
"He'll be harmless dead, too," Seamus added with raised eyebrows.
Harry didn't reply and instead turned around in the direction of the front of the train. As he departed, he left one last order, "Get everyone ready."
As Harry left the compartment, Padma whirled around to the rest of the unit with her hands in the air, "Did Harry really just throw that Death Eater overboard?"
Malfoy chuckled, "At least he didn't kill him on the spot."
"Technically, that would be a bit more humane," Su Li mused.
"Potter doesn't use the AK," Malfoy said dismissively as he tightened his equipment belt of potions.
"Why not?" Michael asked for the rest of them.
Malfoy stopped fidgeting with his belt and looked at them. It was unnerving to the rest of the unit, not being able to see someone's facial features. But Malfoy revealed surprise in his eyes as he looked curiously at each of them.
"Do none of you know?" Malfoy asked them.
"I saw him use it against Bates, but that was the only time I've ever seen him use it."
"That's because Bates is a special exception," Malfoy explained, "But - really - none of you know?"
"None of us Malfoy," Seamus repeated pedantically, "Get off your high horse and tell us why he doesn't use the AK if you know."
"Not really my place to say," Malfoy continued to toy with them.
"Malfoy!"
Chuckling amusedly to himself one more time, Malfoy simply shrugged, "He's paranoid about it. I remember when we took our first prisoners, he specifically instructed me not to kill with the AK."
"So you do kill the prisoners?" Padma said with an ashen face.
"What did you think we did?" Malfoy snapped in response, "Potter, for once, was doing the right thing."
Seamus, along with the rest of the unit, didn't seem at all surprised. They've experienced their fair share of killing along the line but none of them had ever killed a defenseless prisoner. Padma and Michael were the only ones who looked a bit green at Malfoy's admission.
Sensing that the rest of the unit was waiting for him to talk, Malfoy sighed exasperatedly, "Scores of Death Eaters are about to descend upon this train and try force it off it's rails. Let me know when you have time to sit a Death Eater down and explain to him where he'll be staying prisoner for the rest of the trip."
Malfoy made a disgusted noise from the back of his throat as he exited, leaving the rest of the unit to ponder his words. Seamus and Dean looked at each other and shrugged.
"No sense dwelling over this," Seamus muttered, "Bigger stuff we have to worry about."
"Much bigger stuff…" Su Li trailed off, looking into the distance.
Seamus turned around and leaned forward so he could see underneath the shade that was drawn. In the distance, a giant, shadowy structure grew taller and taller as the train hurtled along the tracks. It started out as a small blot against the horizon, but it growing into a more distinguishable shape with each passing second.
"Hello, beautiful," Seamus whispered to himself.
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"Godric?"
"Yes, Rowena?"
A tall, imposing man with a brilliant, red beard turned around to face a raven-haired woman. She walked up to him until they were standing side by side, both looking at the same object.
"Is it almost complete?"
Godric nodded, "The elves have some more finishing to do but once they've completed their work, all that's left is to bind our magic with the celestial arrangements in the sky. With such strong powers, I believe the marvel will exceed even my own expectations."
Rowena nodded thoughtfully, a pondering look remaining in her eyes, "Perhaps you are right after all."
"Perhaps," Godric answered neutrally but the smile on his face belied a different emotion, "I should thank you. You were the only one who could convince Salazar after all."
"A decision that I've yet to fully agree upon," a third voice drawled.
Godric snorted, not bothering to turn around, "Salazar, it is important that we unite the magical and Muggle world. We must share our responsibilities with the rest of the world! They are not for ours to keep."
"These gifts are given to a precious few of us for us to keep. Sharing would be unwise. I do not come as a beggar, but I implore you to keep these talents to ourselves."
"To keep these talents to ourselves would be selfish."
"You are being selfish," Salazar hissed, standing on the other side of Rowena, using her as a buffer, "You want to share your gifts with the world and have them love you and cherish you, but you overestimate the kindness of mankind."
"I estimate them correctly."
"You do not," Salazar insisted, "They are greedy. They want what they can't have and they will never be able to have magic. It will turn them mad. Surely you can see this!"
"We can share our magic," Godric reasoned, his voice never rising.
"We can?" Rowena raised an eyebrow at this allowance.
"And how do you wish to share your magic, Godric?" Salazar asked sarcastically.
"Not I. We."
"I still don't follow, Godric," Rowena frowned.
"What better way is there to show the Muggles that they are capable of great things than by granting them what they want? Let them have their deepest desire!"
"A lunacy not even Helga could overtake," Salazar muttered.
"That is dangerous, Godric," Rowena was more even-keeled than her other compatriot, "We can't simply grant every Muggle their truest desires. Not only would it require enormous endeavor on our part, but men should not be allowed to freely wish upon such things."
"Of course," Godric frowned, not liking the resistance by his two fellow friends, "Only a man worthy enough would be allowed their greatest desire. This is why I need your help. Including Helga."
"Can't you see?" Godric turned to them, his hands out and pleading, "Bringing together the magical world and the Muggle world would foster a new era of cooperation and achievement. Think of what we could create! Think of the joy we could bring to Muggles!"
"You are a fool, Godric. A fool if you don't realize that men will not be so eager to accept such dominance over their own."
"The tower makes them amenable to magic, Salazar! We've made it so. It will become the central hub of magical-Muggle cooperation. It is the key to ushering in a revolution in both worlds."
Salazar continued to shake his head, disappointed at the lust for power Godric couldn't seem to satiate.
"Isn't Hogwarts enough? Can't we just build from there?" Salazar pleaded.
"A school for just magical children?" Godric scoffed, "No. We must reach out to everyone. We must let the whole world know of magic."
Rowena didn't answer, weighing both options inside her head. She couldn't deny the possibilities of a magical-Muggle world in terms of innovation and advancement. She was often a proponent of mixing and blending the two different sides in an effort to continue finding new spells and conjunctions. Yet, she could understand Salazar's reluctance. If they could not help the Muggles understand quickly enough, it could quickly turn into a different type of revolution than what Godric envisioned.
"Are you sure we will be able to placate the Muggles? An anarchy or anti-magic movement could easily start in the tower's place," Rowena felt obliged to ask.
"Yes," Godric said, almost impatiently, "The power from the planets in conjunction with our very own is more than enough to create an environment worthy of fostering such a connection. But we need the mirror to convince those that we are not simply subjugating them to ruin. We need this mirror to show them what they are capable of greatness with or without magic!"
Rowena sighed, sensing that Godric was not to be dissuaded from the idea of this tower. Salazar looked pointedly down, shaking his head.
"I can't do this alone," Godric implored them, "I need all of your help to create this mirror."
Rowena was silent for a moment but gave the slightest of nods. Salazar continued to shake his head as he looked at the object in the distance.
"You had to have a new project, Godric. You had to include yourself into more and more things until the magical world was not enough for you," Salazar lectured, "And here we are, on the brink of introducing magic to a completely anarchic body of men. You will rue the day you built this tower, Godric."
"But will you help?" Godric growled, his hand twitching to his wand.
Salazar huffed, "Don't bother reaching for your wand. I will help you with this mirror, but once I do, I will withdraw myself from participating in Hogwarts. You have bastardized magic, Godric. You have ruined it all."
"And you are too narrow-minded to see the potential capabilities of my vision. Together, we can bring a new generation of peace and prosperity and stop the bloodshed and famine that so tinges this land with red. We can do this, yet you stand there and say that you want to keep this world self-contained. You want the rest of the world to rot away. I can't let this happen."
"Or maybe the Muggles will fix themselves. We always have."
"But they would do better with us."
Salazar stopped, knowing any further argument was futile. Godric was always strong-headed and stubborn and his sudden lust for power and involvement did nothing to curb his enthusiasm.
"Okay, Godric. I will help you create this mirror."
Godric nodded, "Thank you."
He turned around and the three of them looked at the almost completed structure of an ivory tower, sitting bright against the daylight.
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