Enemies-Ashore (I) [Chapter 229]

~~London City Airport, London, England~~

“Wake up, we are finally here” Alan cuffed Merlin at the side of his head and the man woke up with a flinch. He immediately removed the magazine covering his face and started to look around frantically, searching for any threat. It took his brain a couple of seconds to realize where he was and he turned toward Alan to glare at the man.

“That wasn't funny” Merlin grumbled unhappily before he slumped down in his chair.

“I disagree, it was quite funny” Agatha agreed from the other side. “So, what’s the plan now?” Agatha asked as she put her book away. The plane just touched down, so all the passengers started to put away their things.

“First, we pay a visit to the Diagon Alley to get a lay of the land before, then we can plan our next move” Merlin explained and both Alan and Agatha nodded their heads in understanding. Instead of using a Portkey or a Portal, they decided to use Muggle means to enter Britain because they wanted to take the scenic route.

After exiting the airport, Merlin simply summoned the Knight Bus and only after a couple of minutes, the group of three found themselves standing in front of Leaky Cauldron. None of them liked the Knight Bus, but it was the fastest means of travel if you weren’t using Apparition or Portkey, and Merlin wanted to have a chat with the driver as they were usually well-informed.

“Britain is in a dire state” Merlin admitted solemnly as he stared at the pub. Leaky Cauldron was usually filled with people, going about their lives while happily chatting with their buddies, but today the Leaky Cauldron was somewhat empty and the people inside the pub looked wary and jumpy. It was a weird sight for him to witness.

“Well, the Minister is dead. The most feared Dark Lord is back from the dead. What else did you expect?” Agatha snarked at her friend. “They are scared” Agatha added as she could somewhat sympathize with them.

“Maybe, we could take out the so-called Dark Lord along the way?” Merlin suggested in an unsure tone.

“We can’t… You know we can’t. His fate is not in our hands and yes, we can circumvent the Prophecy, but that wouldn’t bode well for us. Lady Fate doesn’t like it when someone messes with her machinations” Merlin stated with a grave look on his face. He didn’t like it, but his hands were tied in this matter.

“I know… I just hate myself for not being able to do anything to help these people. Maybe, I am just a naive man” Alan admitted as he chuckled mirthlessly, mocking his own powerlessness.

“Don’t blame yourself too much, Alan… I also feel like that, but if we start interfering then we might get noticed. That would not be good for our mission” Agatha explained and Alan could only nod his head, even though he was quite reluctant to do so. After all, dealing with Harry Potter was their main objective.

“Alright, let’s split up. That way, we will be able to cover more ground and after three hours, we return here” Merlin explained the plan. Both Alan and Agatha nodded their heads in understanding. The group of trio entered the pub and the occupants looked at them warily as they walked by. After entering Diagon Alley, the group of trio split up, just like they planned…

~~Abandoned Warehouse, Scotland~~

“This is a good place to set up” Peggy commented as she looked around the abandoned warehouse. This place used to be a military outpost during World War II, but after the War was over, the outpost was abandoned as there was no need for it anymore. Since the place was abandoned, SHIELD decided to use the place for the time being.

“Though it would be hard to get reinforcements here, Ma’am” Derrick Oswell from MI6 conveyed, not liking the fact that they were away from any sort of human civilization. They were the only people up on this mountain and the mountain was nothing but a frozen tundra at the time of this year. His men didn’t have any experience of fighting on ice, so they were at a huge disadvantage up here.

Peggy stared at the man who was in charge of the team lent to them from MI6 and sighed… MI6 didn’t even bother to tell these people who they were up against. This warehouse was the only place they could find near the Magical village of Hogsmeade and considering their enemies, they needed to be close to Magical Settlements.

Settling near Diagon Alley would have been much easier, but that would have been a waste of time and it might have gotten the attention of Aurors, or worse, the gray cloaks. “I know, but it is a risk we must take…” Peggy stated with a determined look on her face. Derrick still wasn’t happy with the answer, but before he could say anything Agent Coulson arrived.

“Ma’am, the Royal Mages are here” Phil Coulson revealed and a smile bloomed on Peggy’s face, while Derrick frowned at the mention of the Mages. He obviously knew about the existence of Magic along with his team. That was why they were sent to help SHIELD on this mission in the first place, but he wasn’t expecting that they were going to be working alongside Mages.

“Mages?” Derrick asked with a deep frown marring his face.

“Yes, Mages” Peggy confirmed with a deep nod. “I know what you are thinking, but the Royal Mages have no contact with the Wizarding World. Their sole purpose is to protect the Royal Bloodline from Magical threats and Harry Potter is most definitely a threat to the Royal Bloodline. The Queen has graciously provided us with half of her Mages” Peggy elaborated when she noticed the confused look on Derrick’s face.

“They are going to be quite invaluable, Ma’am” Coulson agreed with her with a polite smile on his face.

The group of three finally arrived outside the warehouse, only to be greeted by a group of people dressed in blue robes. A platinum blonde-haired woman stepped forward when Peggy arrived with Derrick and Phil. There were other people milling around, but after giving Peggy a salute, they resumed their rounds.

“Greetings, I am Rachel Node from the Royal Mages and I am in charge of my group” The woman introduced herself as she extended her hand.

“I am Elizabeth Carter. Glad to have you with us, Miss Node” Peggy accepted the offered hand and shook it. “I will be leading the mission, I hope you are okay with that?” Peggy asked just to make sure.

“No problem, Ma’am, we will be under your command. As long as the threat is dealt with” Rachel admitted with a nod of her head.

Peggy smiled at that. “Good, then all of us are on the same page. Let’s go inside, we have a lot of work to do” Peggy stated and Rachel nodded her head in agreement before she ordered her team to fortify their base with Wards and Charms before the group of four started to head inside…