Xchange Students

Xchange Students

Chapter 7: All Hell Breaks Loose

Three weeks had passed. It was a Friday afternoon, and the senior students at Xavier's were in philosophy class. Kurt Wagner was trying to explain how notions of good and evil were culturally defined rather than absolute, when he was interrupted.

Attention, please! All students must go to their rooms immediately. Staff and senior students report to the Situation Room, in uniform, in five minutes. This is not a drill!

Xavier's mental voice was calm but commanding. With a cloud of black smoke and a characteristic bamf! of imploding air, Nightcrawler was gone. The students moved purposefully toward their rooms.

Harry and Ron changed quickly. They had grown used to the uniforms, finding them in some ways less restricting than wizard robes. Theirs and Hermione's differed from the standard uniforms in some details; instead of the simple X logo in gold on black, their collar buttons and belt buckles bore golden Gryffindor lions on red, and there was a special holster on the thigh to hold a wand. Wisely, Logan had ordered Ron's a little large for him; under Wolverine's training regime, Ron's frame had gone from merely brawny to positively Herculean. The three had also been given codenames to go with the uniforms: Harry was Hawk, Ron was Hunter and Hermione, Charm.

They met the other students on the landing. Harry spoke quickly to Ariel, "We're not going to have a row about this, are we?"

"God, no! I'd be freaking out if you hadn't turned up! C'mon!"

The Situation Room was deep under the mansion, a large chamber lined with surveillance monitors and communications gear. There were two map tables and a briefing area with chairs. The staff was already there. As the students filed in, Cyclops looked up and spotted the three Hogwarts teenagers. His mouth compressed. Storm put a hand on his arm and shook her head; he looked at her, shrugged and said nothing.

The students took their seats. Professor Xavier sat facing them, his eyes closed. Then he opened them. "Sorry for the delay. I was making sure the younger students were all in the Secure Room.

He cleared his throat. "As you may have guessed, the mansion will shortly be under attack. It appears that our friends in the Hellfire Club have run out of patience."

Professor Xavier moved to create a clear view of the large monitor behind him. "This is a real-time feed from one of our remote surveillance posts. Obviously, our visitors are unaware of its existence."

The picture showed a clearing in the forest that surrounded the mansion. Several large vehicles were drawn up in it, and there was a group of figures in the foreground. Harry recognized the White Queen; with her were two tall, dark-haired men, and an enormously fat fellow with gingery hair. Standing a little apart were two younger men - teenagers, in fact. One was broad and muscular with black hair and Asian features; the other was slender, olive skinned and arrogant. Nearby was a large creature that resembled a cat, except that instead of forepaws, it had human hands, and seemed to be listening with intelligence to the conversation. In the background was a group of men similar to the mercenaries who had attacked them at the mall, except that these men wore red uniforms.

Most disturbing of all were four gigantic figures, each surrounded by a cluster of technicians in overalls, who stood by the vehicles. The figures were man shaped, made of metal, and stood at least ten feet tall.

"Sentinels!" gasped Cyclops, "I haven't seen one of those in, what, six or seven years."

Xavier exhaled heavily. "These machines do resemble Sentinel anti-Mutant robots, similar to those designed by Dr. Bolivar Trask all those years ago. The White Rook may have recreated them - even enhanced the original design.

"Ive been able to make a fast telepathic scan without being detected by the White Queen," Xavier added. "It appears that their plan is to use the Sentinels for a frontal attack on the building, drawing off our forces, so that the rest of them can get inside. Their aim is to seize all the children.

"We must make it seem as if their plan has succeeded. Cyclops, you and the X-Men proper will meet the Sentinels outside. Ariel, you and the senior students will remain in the mansion. Your task will be to hold off the Hellfire Club until the X-Men have disposed of the Sentinels. You must not allow anyone to reach the Secure Room."

"Professor," said the Beast, "I hate to admit it, but Nightcrawler and I will be of little or no use against those robots. My experience from some years ago proves that."

"Another thing," put in Cannonball, "I'll be no good on the inside team--unless you want half the walls taken out!"

"True," said the Professor. "Very well. Beast and Nightcrawler, you work with Ariel's team. Cannonball, join Cyclops outside. Use what time we have left to make detailed plans.

Ariel led her team to one of the map tables, which was actually a horizontal computer screen. "OK," she began, "first things first. Beast, do you want to take over?"

He shook his shaggy head. "No. This is your team, your classmates. Ill back you up."

"Thanks. Nightcrawler?"

"You're in charge, Ariel."

"Looks like I'm not getting out of this one," she quipped. She took a deep breath. "OK, I'm usually Rogue's second, but she's not here, so now I need a second." She turned to Harry, "Hawk, you're it. Guys, if I'm taken out, or lose contact, Hawk's in charge. Anyone have a problem with that?"

There were emphatic headshakes around the table. Harry was a little taken aback, but for once, held his tongue. Ariel carried on. "So, lets focus on the opposition." Pictures began to flash on the screen as she spoke. "The Black King, the White Queen, the White Rook and the Black Bishop. The next ones are the Hellions--the White Queen's students: Thunderbird, Empath and Catseye.

"Those red-suited mercs are a special elite unit. They're veterans from Marine Recon, Navy SEALs, the French Foreign Legion and the British SAS. Tough guys." Kitty tapped a few keys, and the screen showed a detailed plan of the mansion. "Now, we have to assume that the enemy knows we have a Secure Room. If I were the Black King, that would be my main target. What do you think, Hunter?"

Ron leaned forward. He had what Hermione called his 'chess face' on. His usually mobile features were uncannily calm, his eyes focused. "They'll have to find the room. The ground floor has the biggest area, and it's most likely to have the entrance to any secure place. They'll send the mercenaries to search that and the arboretum. I'd guess they'd deploy their Mutants to search the other floors, looking for us. If we all stick together, the mercs will just overwhelm us with their stunners; we should spread out."

"Good! If we spread out, and they do, we might be able to pick them off one by one," Ariel said approvingly. "We know this building, all the short cuts and nooks and crannies. They don't. That gives us an edge.

"The entrance to the Secure Room is on the first floor. Beast, Nightcrawler, I want you to secure that area. The other three floors we'll take, teams of two where possible. Second floor: Sunspot and Psyche, Hunter and Wolfsbane take one wing each. Charm and I will cover the third floor. Top floor's the smallest. Hawk, can you handle that solo?"

Harry nodded. Ariel looked around the group. "Use the hands-free communicators set to Tactical 2, but flip the Command Frequency override so we can hear Cyclops if we need to." She paused, slowly surveying her friends. "Listen, guys, be careful, OK? I don't want to lose anyone. No silly risks or grandstanding. Got that, Hawk? Sunspot?"

"Yes, Ma'am," said Roberto, as he and Harry exchanged guilty grins. Scott had criticized them more than once for their hot-dogging antics on skateboards and Firebolt. They were both what he called 'adrenalin junkies'.

Just then, Cyclop's voice rang out, "They're moving!"

"This is it, said Ariel. "Get in position everyone. Stay in contact, and don't lose your teammate!"

As they started to leave, Kitty caught Harry's hand. "I meant what I said, Harry. I want you--I need you--to come back in one piece. I have plans for you, Harry Potter, and they don't include a funeral!"

"Nothing like incentive," Harry grinned before his face turned serious. "You look after yourself, Kitty." He kissed her quickly, "You know I love you, don't you?"

She nodded. "I know. But, Harry, other people love you, too. You should let them know how you feel. Think about that. Now, go!"

The teams took up their positions. As Sunspot and Psyche moved quietly around their designated section, they heard the noise of conflict outside when the Sentinels engaged the X-Men. "We should get some action soon," muttered Sunspot.

"Shh! Someone's coming!"

They melted into doorways at opposite sides of the corridor, hearing footsteps approaching and two male voices bickering. "The Black King put me in charge, and that's how it's gonna be!" someone said.

"Then, he's a fool. My family were leading armies for Spanish kings when yours were still using stone axes," another voice taunted.

"Look, pal, I don't have time for this. Keep it down! We don't know if all Xavier's people are outside," the first replied.

Two figures came into view. The powerful form of Thunderbird moved cautiously along the wall, but slender Empath strode arrogantly down the center of the corridor.

Sunspot and Psyche had been together long enough to need neither words nor signals. Sunspot knew that the longer Psyche could observe and register a person, the more effective her power would be. He could act straight away, knowing that she would be there if he needed her. Sunspot concentrated, and felt the surge as his body released solar energy stored in his unique cells. Sunspot stepped out into the corridor. "Well, dudes, guess it's not your lucky day!"

Thunderbird said nothing; he simply charged. He was fast, but Sunspot had been expecting the attack and his judo-style counter sent the larger youth crashing to the floor. Sunspot knew that Thunderbird presented the greater physical danger, so he went for Empath, hoping to put him down before Thunderbird got back on his feet.

Suddenly, Sunspot froze. A wave of deep, primal fear washed over him. He began to sweat; he wanted desperately to run, to hide. He gritted his teeth and took another step. The fear redoubled, his insides churned and, despite his will, his body refused to move.

Empath gave a nasty laugh, his eyes glowing with a violet light. "You are braver than I thought. Most would have fled by now. But you are mine, Sunspot, mine to mold and twist. Now, shall I increase your fear until your heart stops? Shall I force you to such self-loathing that you end your own pathetic life?"

"Empath, were supposed to catch them, not kill them!" warned Thunderbird.

Empath sneered, "Silence, oaf! I do as I please."

Sunspot tried to move. Empath stared at him, as he once again raised the level of fear. Then, quite abruptly, Sunspot felt his strength return as Empath's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and his face turned ashen. "No! No! Madre de Dios! Help me, Holy Mother, HELP ME!" Empath dropped to his knees, clawing at his own eyes and howling like the damned. Psyche stepped out of the doorway where she had been hiding, her face grim as she focused on the groveling Hellion.

To his credit, Thunderbird reacted quickly, tackling Sunspot from behind. Sunspot was able, just, to roll with the punch, but now the fight was on in earnest. Psyche wanted to make Empath pay for what he had done to her man, but she was an X-Man, and X-Men were not vengeful or cruel. As Empath knelt in front of her, she used a snap-kick to the jaw to send him into merciful oblivion.

Sunspot and Thunderbird were evenly matched. The young X-Man was stronger, but his power still left him vulnerable. Thunderbird was more agile and resilient, darting in and striking fast, using his longer reach to keep his distance. But the Hellion underestimated his opponent. Sunspot suddenly staggered, as if about to fall; Thunderbird moved in to finish the job, only to find himself seized in an unbreakable grip.

Sunspot lifted his opponent and slammed him against the wall. Once, the breath whooshed out of Thunderbirds lungs. Twice, Sunspot heard a rib crack. Three times, and Thunderbird went limp in his grasp, out cold.

In the opposite wing, Hunter and Wolfsbane were bracing for their own fight. Wolfsbane shifted into wolf form, sniffed the air for a moment, then set off with Ron in pursuit. Soon enough, they came upon an open door, through which voices floated.

"Can you be a little more precise, my dear?" a man's voice queried, sounding impatient.

"Catseye not bloodhound!" this voice was soft, almost a purr, but carried hissing overtones. "Can smell children, yes. To follow trail, not so easy."

Wolfsbane was about to launch herself into the room, but Ron signaled her to wait. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small, round object, which he tossed into the room, then closed the door quickly. There was a muffled bang, followed by coughing, choking and good deal of swearing. Ron said to Wolfsbane's inquiring whine, "Dungbomb. A practical joke we use at school. I brought some with me. Didn't know they'd come in useful in a fight, though."

The door opened, and Catseye, followed by the Black Bishop, staggered out. Both were covered in filth, choking and had streaming eyes - they had experienced a Weasley dungbomb, more potent than the Zonko's model. Wolfsbane snarled and sprang at Catseye. Ron leveled his wand at the Black Bishop. "I wouldn't do anything silly, mate," Ron warned. "Just put your hands up and do as you're told."

"Why would I do that, sonny? You can put that silly little stick down. It's not as if it's you we're after," the Black Bishop huffed. "Oh, well, if you insist on being a fool!"

Ron felt himself growing heavy. It was getting difficult to stand, to hold up his wand, even to breathe. Ron had always been physically strong, and the training he had undergone recently had made him even more fit, better equipped than many to resist Leland's power. It might have gone differently, though, if the Black Bishop had not been suffering from the effects of the dungbomb. As it was, Leland's eyes were watering, and he kept coughing and spluttering. His distress spoiled his concentration so that he couldn't bring his full power to bear.

Even so, Ron was on all fours, close to passing out and barely able to think. Then his mind flashed to Hermione and Harry and the first real threat they had ever faced together. Unable to think of anything else, he gestured at Leland, saying, "Wingardium leviosa!"

The Black Bishop's feet left the floor. He lost focus, and Ron surged to his feet. Leland struggled to regain control.

Catseye surprised Wolfsbane. Disoriented by the dungbomb and taken by surprise, Catseye still had feline resilience and reactions. The fight went back and forth along the corridor but, finally, Catseye had Wolfsbane pinned on her back, hands locked on her throat. "Redfur not so tough," growled Catseye. "Bigger teeth than Catseye, smaller brain. Sleep now."

Wolfsbane was down, but not out. She shifted into her semi-human form and kneed Catseye in the gut. Catseye's grip on her throat loosened, allowing Wolfsbane to suck in a strengthening breath. She used the leverage her human limbs gave her to get the roll atop Catseye, then pummeled her with body punches. Catseye let go. Wolfsbane scrambled to her feet. When her opponent tried to get up, Wolfsbane brought both hands, fingers interlocked, down hard on the base of the feline Mutant's neck. Catseye went down and didn't move again.

Wolfsbane turned to check on Hunter and found an extraordinary scene. The gross form of the Black Bishop floated in midair. A few feet away from him stood Hunter, clearly in difficulty, his breathing labored. He moved as if underwater. Hunter gestured with his wand, and the Black Bishop shot across the corridor to crash through one of the large windows; the Bishop was now floating outside, two floors above the ground. Hunter lumbered to the sill and spoke haltingly. "If I pass out...you fall. I'm all that's... holding...you up!"

Seconds later, Hunter relaxed. Whatever the Black Bishop had been doing had obviously stopped. Leland shrieked, "All right! Bring me back in!"

"Did I say I'd do that?" asked Hunter with genuine surprise in his voice. Leland's eyes bulged as Hunter lowered his wand. Wolfsbane yelled, "Hunter! NO!" She bounded to the window in time to see the Black Bishop fall ten feet to land with a crash on the veranda roof. He rolled off and dropped another story, impacting the lawn with a sodden thud to lay still.

Wolfsbane sighed with relief. "I'd forgotten the veranda was on this side."

"Good job I hadn't," Hunter said with a grin. He scanned the area visible from the window, then stiffened and swore. "Wolfsbane, get hold of Harr-- Hawk--on that radio thing and tell him to meet us on the rear balcony as quick as he can!"

Ron took off towards his and Harry's room at a dead run. Wolfsbane looked out, saw what he had seen, and shot off after him, triggering her communicator as she went.

Outside, the new Sentinels were proving as tough as Cyclop's memories of the old

ones. The last time he had faced this foe, he had been 18 years old and still growing into his role as team leader. The Beast had been with him, then, along with Warren Worthington, the winged Mutant known as Angel, Scott's brother, Alex, and Alex's girlfriend, Lorna. And, there had been Jean...

Cyclops shook off the memories, concentrating on the present. The Sentinels advanced in a broad line, unleashing volleys of stun-bolts from launchers in the palms of their hands. For a few moments, it was all the X-Men could do to dodge the barrage. Storm directed a freezing wind at the giant robots; soon their forms were crusted with a layer of frost. It slowed them a little, but Storm didn't have Iceman's power--she couldn't freeze them solid.

"Try to split them!" Cyclops told his team. He and Wolverine moved to one flank; Banshee and Cannonball moved to the other. Storm changed her tactics, summoning a whirlwind that battered the two central Sentinels.

Cyclops fired his eye-beams at the flank Sentinel nearest him. The powerful blast didn't even scratch the armor, but the robot turned quickly--too quickly; nothing that large should move so fast! An aperture opened in its forearm, flinging a canister toward Cyclops and Wolverine. Before even Wolverine could dodge the missile, the canister released a metallic net that trapped them both.

When Cyclops tried to open his visor, nothing happened! The net apparently produced some kind of inhibitor field that neutralized Mutant abilities. Cyclops struggled, but pain shot through him--the net must also be charged with electricity. The only way to avoid pain was to lie still.

The Sentinel approached them, and announced in a flat, mechanical tone, "Mutants designated Cyclops and Wolverine neutralized. Anesthetize for transport." It raised its other hand and a cloud of gas blew toward them.

Luckily, Storm was watching. She sent a gust of wind to whisk the gas away from them back into the robot's face, obscuring its vision.

Wolverine's enhanced senses were gone, and he lay stripped of his superhuman strength and agility. But, his natural muscles were still there, and the inhibitor field could not take away his claws. Gritting his teeth against the electrical shocks, he extended a single razor-sharp blade and, with a grunt of pain, sliced through a strand of the net. The circuit broke. The shocks stopped and he felt his full strength return. With a snarl, he shredded the rest of the net and told Cyclops, "Hang on! I'll get you somethin' to shoot at!"

The Sentinel emerged from the gas cloud in time to see Wolverine charging. Before it could react, Wolverine leapt up to its chest, claws extended. The original Sentinels had had armor plate shells, but these had complex layers of ultra-hard alloys, high-impact ceramics and Kevlar. Even so, Wolverine's adamantium claws went through the Sentinel's skin like a knife through butter.

Using one set of claws to hold on, and bracing his feet against the Sentinel's torso, Wolverine slashed an irregular hole in the chest plate. He jumped away before the robot could strike at him. The Sentinel looked down at itself, remarking, "Shell integrity compromised. Reevaluate Mutant designated Wolverine. Raise threat level from Blue to Ultraviolet."

"Dont bother," muttered Cyclops, before he aimed his eyebeams into the hole Wolverine had made. Delicate components vaporized, and the Sentinel went down.

On the other flank, Banshee directed his scream at another Sentinel. Sensors overloaded, the mechanical juggernaut stood twitching and thrashing. A kind of juddering whine erupted from the machine.

Cannonball had watched Banshee and Cyclops practice a maneuver that just might work in this situation. Now! Cannonball ran forward and launched himself. Knowing that he became virtually invulnerable when blasting, he flew into the Sentinel's face. Already brittle from Banshee's attack, the head shattered when Cannonball struck.

Storm had run out of patience. Her cool facade concealed a fiery, passionate spirit that had had enough of mechanical monsters. Storm's normally brown eyes burned silver as she unleashed her full power. A titanic lightning bolt struck from a clear sky onto one of the Sentinels. Nothing could resist that amount of energy. Within seconds, the Sentinel was melted slag.

Exhausted, Storm hung in the air, and the remaining Sentinel attacked. A stun-bolt hit Storm full on; she dropped like a stone. Swooping down, Banshee caught her in his arms to cushion her landing.

"ORORO!" roared Wolverine. He sprang snarling at the Sentinel, seized by a Berserker rage. The X-Men could only watch, awed, as Wolverine attacked. His claws slashed chunks out of the flailing, staggering Sentinel. For a moment, it seemed he could actually win, then a huge metal hand connected, hurling him several yards to land hard against the ground.

The Sentinel lurched toward Wolverine, but was hit simultaneously by Cyclop's eye-beams, Banshee's sonic attack and Cannonball at full thrust. The robot simply fell apart. The X-Men cheered.

Inside the mansion, Beast and Nightcrawler were having some fun, which is more than can be said for the unfortunate mercenaries. Their leader's name was Standing, and he had once been a Captain in the British Army's elite 22nd Special Air Services regiment, the widely feared SAS. His two lieutenants were equally tough, a former Recon Marine named Cole, and Legrasse, late of la Legion Etrangere. All three knew about Mutants from the extensive files kept by the security services of their respective countries. Standing also knew about wizards, though few in the Wizarding world were aware that the British Security Service - MI5 - kept and maintained detailed records on every student who passed though Hogwarts. As far as Standing was concerned, his employers had sent him into the lion's den armed with a stun-projector, a telescopic baton and strict orders to capture his targets unharmed. He was not a happy man.

Heavy alloy shutters closed down over all the windows on the ground floor as soon as the mercs entered. Standing cursed; not all of his men had low-light gear with them, and those that did found their equipment hampered by the daylight filtering in from the upper floors and arboretum. He knew from the files how stealthy some of the Mutants could be: This was trouble waiting to happen.

Standing split his men into groups of three, making sure at least one of each group had low-light goggles. They began their search, checking in regularly, and that was when the problems started. At each check-in, one group failed to report. There were no alert calls, no sounds of fired stun-bolts--not even the noises of a fight. His men just vanished in the nerve-wracking silence.

Finally, the moment came that Standing had been dreading. No one answered his hail. All that was left of a troop of highly skilled combat soldiers was Cole, Legrasse, and himself. "Right," he said, "I've had enough. We're getting out by the quickest route."

There was no reply from behind him, except a kind of choking gurgle. He spun, to see that Cole and Legrasse had each been grabbed around the throat by a large, blue-furred hand. The hands were attached to a pair of equally furry, heavily muscled arms that belonged to a shaggy creature who hung casually upside down from a light fixture. The creature looked at Standing and spoke in cultured tones that sounded odd coming from a fanged mouth. "Regretfully, we cannot permit you gentlemen to leave just now," said the Beast. "Not until our colleagues have completed their -discussions--with your employers."

The two men he held slumped in his grasp, unconscious. Standing leveled his stunner, but something whip-like lashed out of the shadows and coiled round the weapon, wrenching it out of his grasp. Another voice said, "Guten tag, Herr Kapitan."

Standing found himself facing a creature out of nightmare, a shadowy form with glowing yellow eyes. He lunged for it, going for a killing strike, despite his orders. There was a bang, a cloud of thick smoke, and the creature was gone. Standing spun round again to see the thing appear behind him in midair! Turning acrobatically, Nightcrawler delivered a flying wheel-kick that put Standing out of the fight--and his misery.

Upstairs, Ariel and Charm positioned themselves near the center of their designated level where the corridors met. "If anybody's searching, he'll have to come past here," said Ariel, "so, now, we wait." She crossed her arms, head down, looking as though she were thinking hard. Finally, she turned to Hermione. "There's something I need to ask you while we have a moment. Are you...OK about me and Harry?"

Hermione put her hand on Kitty's and smiled. "Yes. Look, Kitty, Ron and I chose each other--God, five years ago, though we didn't realise it then. Harry's always been like a brother to me. When I saw how you and he were getting close, I was thrilled for him, and for you. Its more than all right--it's perfect!"

They heard heavy footsteps coming toward them. Ariel closed her hand around Charm's, and dragged her through the nearest wall. It was one of the oddest sensations Hermione had ever experienced--the wall felt like a warm, heavy fog. Ariel tiptoed to the door, and she motioned Charm to join her. They listened to male voices.

"I expected better of those youngsters, Donald. After the mall incident, I was sure they'd be ready to fight. They must all be cowering in a bunker, somewhere."

"Don't be too disappointed, Sebastian. Theyre making our job easier."

Ariel signaled Charm for silence, took her hand again, and the two girls slipped through the door to creep up behind the unsuspecting Black King and White Rook.

The Black King heard a female voice muttering something behind him. Then, the White Rook gasped. Shaw looked at his colleague who was staring stupidly at his own upper arms; a small, feminine hand seemed to have sprouted from each bicep. Pierce's mighty bionic arms suddenly became so much useless metal and plastic. He managed to turn, staggering under the dead weight of his artificial limbs, in time to see a slender, auburn-haired girl drop into the floor to her waist, then thrust her hands through his thighs. His cybernetic legs cut out, and he crumpled, paralyzed, to the floor.

Ariel floated back upwards, right into a powerful slap from the Black King. The blow passed through her, throwing Shaw off balance. Ignoring the ghostly girl for the moment, Shaw leapt at her companion, a diminutive brunette. Once he had her by the scruff of the neck, the phantom would have to surrender to save her ally. His new quarry was quicker than he had expected, ducking under his arms and darting away. As the two girls, light-footed and agile, ran rings round the raging Black King, he tried unsuccessfully to seize or incapacitate them.

Shaw was confused--something wasn't right. His vision seemed blurred, his hearing muffled, and he was becoming tired too quickly. The Black King was in superb shape and had taken care to charge himself up with energy before entering the mansion. But now, after only moments, he was growing short of breath, his vision was beginning to tunnel, and spots of color swam before his eyes. Unaccountably, he had to stop moving. He stood, gasping for breath that wouldn't come; then he sank to his knees, then to all fours, finally slumping to the floor and rolling onto his back. A hazy shape moved in front of him.

The little brunette knelt beside him and began to speak in a precise, cut-glass English accent. "We call it a Bubble-Head Charm. We use it to breathe underwater. This is a little variation I dreamed up. Basically, it encases your head in a magical bubble that seals air in and out. Normally, the air inside magically replenishes itself, but not in this case. You've used up the supply you had in there; you won't get any more."

Shaw looked at her, and managed to whisper, "Well done," before he passed out. Hermione waited to make sure he was fully unconscious, then dissolved the bubble.

"We'd better truss him up, we don't know how long he'll be out," she said to Ariel. Hermione gestured with her wand, and the Black King's inert form was securely bound by fine black cords.

Ariel sat on the floor with her back against the wall, Charm came over to sit beside her. "Well, that wasn't hard," said Ariel. "Ill bet the guys would have made a much bigger deal out of it."

"You know it, agreed Charm, chuckling. "I just hope Ron--"

"Hunter," Ariel corrected.

"Sorry. I just hope Hunter has left at least some furniture intact downstairs. He can get a bit over-enthusiastic. Not that I'm complaining. Enthusiasm can be very nice in it's place," Hermione mused.

"I know," Kitty said dreamily. "Harry - wait a minute. Harry! He hasn't checked in." The two girls stared at each other in alarm. Something was wrong. And Harry was alone.