Chapter 56: Beyond the Gate
The distribution of the new armbands turned Atlantis upside down for almost a week.
Every workshop, classroom, and fabrication space in the city was busy from morning until night. The original prototype Hermione created had been refined quickly after Nicolas Flamel and Professor Flitwick got involved, and now they were producing them in batches large enough for the entire population.
Some people adapted immediately.
Others struggled with controlling the amount of power needed for some of the more simple spells. This was due to the material being more conductive than wand wood.
Because of this Ron nearly blew a hole through one of the corridor walls after overcompensating during a levitation spell.
"It moved too fast!" he defended while Hermione stared at the new ventilation hole Ron had just created in disbelief.
"You put far too much power into it," she snapped.
"I just used the same amount of power that I always used before!"
"That was the problem!" She yelled at him before placing her hands on her hips in her classic I'm going to lecture Ron again posture and continued with an exasperated sigh. "I told you the armbands are far more sensitive to your magical output than your old wand."
Nearby Fred and George were laughing hard enough they had to lean against the wall for support.
Neville, meanwhile, took to the armband surprisingly well.
"It feels... easier," he admitted while rotating his wrist carefully. "Like the magic already knows where it's supposed to go."
"That's because your magical talent was never the problem Neville. The problem was always the tool you used simply didn't allow you to reach your full potential." Flamel explained from where he sat adjusting another band. "Now with the proper tool you will have fewer issues when casting."
Draco slipped his own band onto his arm with far too much confidence.
"Honestly," he said while flexing his fingers, "I don't know why we didn't abandon our wands sooner. With the armbands I can now dust off my fencing skills and work on combining magic with swordplay."
"That sounds like fun," Sirius said from across the room, "Mother dearest forced me to take fencing lessons maybe I should join you tiny cousin."
Draco grimaced slightly. "Do not call me that. Such an absurd name isn't meant to be uttered."
With that comment and the slight blush adorning Draco's face Hyacinth, Narcissa, Andromeda and Nymphadora couldn't help but burst into laughter. The Black family fully uniting in teasing their youngest son.
But even with the armbands becoming more common, wands hadn't vanished completely.
Quite a few people still carried them around.
Some out of habit, and some because they clung to their traditions.
Others just didn't trust the new technology yet.
Even Hyacinth still carried hers tucked into the holster attached to her thigh, even though she rarely used it anymore.
For her she kept her wand mostly as a backup and due to sentimentality. Magic and her wand was the first real thing that connected her to her parents, and this wand was her fist real gift from Sirius after all. She cherished it quite a bit and was at a loss when it came time to part with it.
And with the upgrade in magical foci the city itself seemed to react more smoothly through it's daily operations.
Doors opened faster.
Transporters responded almost instantly.
The environmental controls throughout several sectors had become smoother now that more people could properly interface with the city.
Especially after Hermione's control rings were distributed.
The non-magical residents had taken to them quickly once they realized they no longer had to wait for someone else to access half the city for them.
Mr. Granger had apparently become the unofficial spokesperson for everyone using them after Hermione's prototype solved the issue.
Hyacinth honestly thought he looked entirely too proud of himself over it. But what could you say to a proud father? Nothing that's what.
It was a few weeks after the distribution of the new foci and control rings that the council circled back to the Asurans and the Wraith.
When Hyacinth arrived at the council chamber for their weekly meeting the room seemed quieter, but it also had a sense of tension in the air.
Sirius sat at the end of the table with several data pads spread out in front of him while Severus stood nearby reading over one of the Ancient logs.
Remus looked exhausted already.
Luna sat upside down in her chair with her feet hanging over one armrest.
No one questioned anything Luna did anymore because she was just Luna at this point. She had proven herself many times over the years and people had just come to accept her for who she is.
Hermione entered a few moments after Hyacinth with Ron and Neville trailing behind her.
"Everyone's here then," Sirius said.
"Unfortunately," Severus replied dryly.
Hyacinth dropped into her seat. "Alright. Let's hear it."
Sirius activated the display in the center of the room.
Several holographic images appeared immediately.
It was of humanoid Metallic figures.
"This is an image of what the Asurans look like when not in human form," Sirius said flatly. "They are Ancient-created nanite constructs. I've brought them up before but now I would like to address their threat level to us."
Ron frowned. "Those are the things made from the repair nanites?"
"Really Ronald, do you ever pay attention? Sirius talked about them in the last meeting," Hermione corrected quietly. "They were evolved from similar technology but they are far more advanced."
Draco leaned back slightly in his chair. "Meaning the Ancients accidentally created homicidal machines."
"That's simplifying things," Remus said.
"It's accurate though," Sirius muttered.
Hyacinth watched the information scroll across the display while Severus continued reading silently beside her.
"According to the database," Hermione said, "the Ancients originally created them to fight the Wraith."
"And then lost control of them," Draco added.
"Apparently after attempting to wipe out the Wraith, the Asurans held great resentment against their creators," Severus said calmly. "Which forced the Ancients to retaliate."
Ron looked between them. "So they're basically angry because their creators abandoned them and tried to destroy them."
"Wouldn't you be?" Remus asked quietly.
That made the room pause for a second.
Sirius exhaled sharply through his nose. "They're still dangerous."
"Yes they are Siri," Remus agreed. "I didn't say they weren't."
Luna finally spoke from her upside-down position.
"There's two groups now."
Everyone looked at her.
She blinked slowly. "Some still want revenge. Some are just want to live in peace."
Hyacinth frowned slightly. "You saw this?"
Luna nodded once.
Flamel stepped into the room at that moment carrying another stack of files.
"She's correct," he said while setting them down. "I saw much the same thing while I was looking into their fates."
"That's comforting," Sirius said dryly. "Murderous machines with political divisions."
"They're still people in a sense," Remus argued.
Severus looked unimpressed. "That does not make them less capable of killing us."
"No, it doesn't," Remus admitted. "But it does mean they may not all be our enemies."
"That's assuming they don't decide we're just Ancients with a different face," Draco said.
No one immediately disagreed with him.
The display shifted.
This time the images were worse.
They were of tall slimy looking, green reptilian like creatures with protrusions on their face. They had long white hair and a mouth full of sharp, razor like teeth.
Then there was a close up image of their hand, and on there hand was an opening that according to the database was how the Wraith fed on humans.
They fed by draining away your very life force, leaving nothing behind but a dried up husk of a corpse.
The room went noticeably colder.
"The Wraith," Sirius said quietly.
Ron grimaced immediately. "Bloody hell."
Hyacinth understood the reaction instantly.
Even through a hologram there was something deeply wrong about them.
Something predatory.
Sirius's jaw tightened slightly while he read through the files again.
"They feed on people," he said flatly.
Neville frowned. "Literally?"
"Yes."
Silence followed that.
Then Sirius looked up.
"They're like Dementors if Dementors could organize themselves into an army and multiplied like cockroaches."
That comparison settled badly across the room.
Hermione crossed her arms. "How many are there?"
"No idea," Sirius admitted. "The Ancients never fully wiped them out. They ran away like cowards."
"And the city was hidden because of them," Neville added quietly.
Luna tilted her head slightly. "They're sleeping right now."
That got everyone's attention.
"For now, I don't know for how much longer though." she clarified.
Hyacinth leaned back slightly in her chair. "And how exactly are we supposed to prepare for enemies we've never seen before?"
"We gather information," Hermione said immediately.
Sirius nodded once. "Agreed."
"The database mentions several human settlements that survived under Wraith occupation," Severus added. "One in particular appears repeatedly."
"You mean Athos?" Hermione read from the display.
Luna sat upright finally. "That's where we should go first. They should be quite friendly. I think the Centaurs will love them."
Remus frowned slightly. "Going through the gate without fully understanding the current situation could be dangerous."
"So could sitting here doing nothing," Sirius replied.
Hyacinth glanced around the room once before making her decision.
"Alright here's what we will do. We'll send a small expedition to Athos." she said.
Ron straightened slightly. "We will?"
Hermione looked entirely unsurprised.
"Yes Ronald," Hyacinth said calmly. "We will."
Sirius looked like he wanted to object.
Then thought better of it.
Probably because he knew arguing with her once she made up her mind was usually pointless.
"Fine," Sirius muttered. "But you take weapons with you, other than your armbands and I want you to take a portkey that sends you to the nearest Porta. That way if something goes wrong you can make it home safely."
"We'll be fine. I'll be there with them." Ron said.
"That," Severus drawled, "does not inspire confidence."
The Portus Room was quieter than usual the next morning.
The massive gate stood dormant in the center of the chamber while technicians and engineers moved around the perimeter making final adjustments.
The new environmental plants Neville and Professor Sprout designed had grown remarkably well around the room. Their silver-green leaves shifted faintly every time the city systems fluctuated.
Hyacinth adjusted the sleeve over her armband not used to covering them up with sleeves, while Hermione checked over one of the data tablets.
Ron looked kind of green and very nervous.
Neville just looked curious. You could practically see the stars in his eyes when he talked about the new plant life he might find on Athos.
Luna looked entirely unbothered by the fact they were about to walk through an intergalactic portal onto another planet in their new galaxy for the first time.
Sirius approached them just before the gate activated.
"You remember the extraction code?"
"Yes Dad."
"And if something feels wrong..."
"We leave," Hyacinth finished.
His expression tightened briefly before he nodded once.
"Good."
Behind him, Severus handed Hermione a small crystal device.
"In case the local dialect differs from the archived database," he explained.
Hermione took it carefully. "Thank you."
The gate suddenly spun to life.
Blue light burst outward across the room as the wormhole stabilized.
Everyone went quiet for a moment.
Even after years in Atlantis, the Astria Porta still carried a certain weight to it.
Hyacinth looked toward the swirling surface of the active gate.
Then forward again.
"Well," she said lightly, "let's go see what has managed to survive the Wraith."