Opening chapter

This is the opening chapter of a fan fiction that I’ve been working on. I’ve posted quite a lot of it over at Fanfiction.net, if you’re interested in reading it. It’s a sort of mash up between Harry Potter, and Supernatural. I was curious about what would happen if heroes of science fiction and fantasy could interact with each other at regular intervals, not just those that were created by the same team, and so this was created.

Back to the start

It was a typical busy Monday morning at the London office of the ILA: a organisation set up by twelve extraordinary individuals who called themselves guardians. They had been watching over the universe since it’s conception, and had become known as the Olympians.

Despite it being barely nine o’clock when Martina Henderson seated herself at her desk outside the head of Europe Bella Patterson’s office on the twenty seventh floor, she had already been at work for nearly a hour. Martina had been sitting in Bella’s meeting with the heads of the German, French, Italian, Romanian and Austrian divisions. She had just started typing up the notes, when the glass doors at the end of the corridor opened, and a slightly tense looking Alexander strode through. The usually very calm and laidback man looked agitated and tired, he was carrying a thick blue binder in one hand and speaking to someone on the phone. “I’m sorry sweetheart, I can’t get away right now, but I promise you I will come and join you as soon as I can.” Whoever was on the other end of the line, was obviously mollified as he said “I love you too,” before snapping the phone shut with a sigh.

“Good morning.” Martina smiled at him, as he came closer to the desk. She was half expecting him to stop and chat, as was usual. He was one of the more friendly division heads, and would have a laugh with his employees.

“Good morning Martina.” He smiled back, although the worry still glimmered in his almond shaped light blue eyes. “I can’t stop. Is she in?” he pointed to the polished oak door behind her, that bore a metal plaque saying Bella Patterson.

“Yes she’s…” the rest of her sentence went unfinished as Alexander pushed open the heavy door and entered unannounced.

“You know, you might be my boss but you can still show me the courtesy of knocking.” Bella commented dryly. She had been reading through a stack of new recruit files, trying to make a final decision and didn’t look up.

“Sorry but I need you to check something out for me.” He said.

“Okay what is it?” She asked, setting the files aside as she heard the anxiety in his voice.

“I had a really disturbing phone call from Oriana. She’s been having visions of the Little Hangleton graveyard. Last night she saw Voldemort there with Peter Pettigrew, Rory was there too with Harry Potter.” He took a deep breath, forcing himself to continue. “Voldemort came back, and killed my daughter, because she helped Harry escape.” The thought of losing either of his children was Alexander’s worst nightmare, and he had to sit down. The certainty in Melosa’s voice, and the fact that she had been right so many times before, had driven him to come and see Bella. Melosa had inherited the ability to see the future from her father, and it was becoming stronger and more accurate with each passing year.

Bella swallowed her surprise and sorrow at the thought of her half sister getting killed. Her mother and Alexander had had a long and complicated relationship, and had encouraged Amy and Bella to look out for Catalina, who was more than ten years their junior. She had grown to really care for the bouncy and curious little girl. “But Mel gets things wrong. You told me that the future is always subjective right?” she crossed to him, laying one hand on his shoulder, startled to see the visible shaking of his lithe frame.

“Yeah. Yes it is.” He admitted.

“Well this time we’ll change it. I have a team stationed in Little Hangleton, they’ve been observing the Riddle house, and making sure that nobody strange is coming or going.” Bella said, “I put them in place when the caretaker Frank Bryce disappeared. If Rory does by some strange trick of fate arrive in Little Hangleton, they will protect her.”

“Who’s in place?” Alexander asked, feeling a little better, at hearing Bella’s efficiency.

“Apollo, Gaius and Jupiter.” She replied, as she poured them both a cup of coffee, from her little kitchen area. “They’re good men, and they’ve experience of dealing with wizards. Gaius’s a graduate from Costa’s Institute in Naples, and the other two came very highly recommended, they used to work in the Auror department of the Bulgarian ministry.”

“Does your mother trust them?” He asked, he had always trusted Andrea’s judgement more than his own. He accepted the cup of coffee from her gratefully, letting the warmth of the cup seep through his slightly chilled digits.

“Yes.” Bella said, without a shred of doubt. “She hired them.” Settling herself back on the couch, she took a long sip of her black coffee. “Have you told Rory what Mel saw?”

“No. No. I’m not going to scare her with a possibility, especially now.” He said “She’s having one of the best summers of her life, playing in Mexico, I just hope that all those professional players don’t streamroll her.” He wasn’t sure that allowing her to take part in a tournament with hundreds of others was the wisest decision, considering that her special abilities included feeling other’s emotions as her own. But his daughter had been determined to have the opportunity to play with top flight players, and really seemed to have the ability under control.

“She seems to be holding her own. I’ve been following the tournament in the Prophet’s sports section.” Bella confessed, pushing one lock of her ash blonde hair back into the bun. “Besides I’m sure that between them she and Amy can keep anyone in check.” She remembered all too clearly how protective Amy had been of her little sister. She had even gone so far as to punch the local bully right in the mouth, because he had made a six year old Catalina cry. He had never bothered either sister again.

“Yes you’re probably right as usual.” Alexander drained the last of his coffee, setting the empty cup down on the low ebony table before him. “I’d better be going. I have to call in at a friend’s before I head to L.A to meet up with Ames and Rory.”

“They’re going back to L.A?” Bella asked, as she stood at the same time as Alexander did, smoothing out the wrinkles of her black A line skirt.

“Yes. Amy wants to introduce Rory to Rascal’s.” He replied. Bella smiled, she was very familiar with the diner, from her previous visits to L.A, both for assignments and for pleasure. She and Amy had spent quite a few hours there, talking about their rubbish relationships and rubbish jobs. “Thank you for…”

“No thanks necessary. I’d do anything to help you three out, you know that,” they walked slowly to the door. “God knows you’ve helped me and mum out enough times over the years.” Alexander smiled, he had always been very fond of her mother. He saw a lot of her in her daughter, Bella was just as strong willed, and he had no doubt that the vast amounts of courage that she possessed would have been part of her character even if she hadn’t happened to be invulnerable to any bodily injury.

Her mother Andrea was still a bit of a legend in the ILA, despite the fact she had been retired from active duty for the last seven years. Her fierce devotion to the people of Europe, and her determination to always be fair to her employees had led to some blazing rows with the other division heads, but she had usually been right and wrought massive changes in the structure of the organisation, as well as battling some very scary foes during her eighty years of duty. “I don’t think your mum needs anyone to help her. She’s still enjoying life in Yorkshire I take it?” he was still amused by the fact that his second in command, was content to live on a farm in the North. She seemed to have taken to it instantly though, her letters had started to reference milking cows, feeding chickens and grooming horses.

“Yeah.She’s loving it, but she’s not too happy about the fact that the World Cup is being held in the field a stone’s throw from her house.” Bella told him. She had received more than a few annoyed emails and phone calls from her mother over the last couple of months, ever since the official site of the upcoming World Cup had been announced.

“Oh so she’s still living with George Payne then?”

“They’re still sickeningly happy and actually got engaged last month.” Bella smiled, her mother’s delight over having George in her life in a permanent way had been evident in her voice when she had phoned. She had been sorry but she had missed her mother’s engagement party, as she had been dealing with a woman who had had to be taken into protective custody just outside Verona. Her powers had only recently manifested and she wasn’t able to control the blasts of light that came from her eyes. It had caused quite a mess, dealing with the local police, the press and the passerbys who had been injured.

Alexander was surprised, that Andrea hadn’t told him that she had become engaged, and a stab of hurt hit him that his old friend hadn’t wanted to phone him after such a major and very happy development in her life. He had thought that they had both got over the hurt that had been inflicted on both sides, during their turbulent romance but she clearly hadn’t let go, despite having found happiness with someone else. “Well I’d better go.” he gathered himself “Tell your mum I said congratulations.”

“I will.” Bella wanted to say something to assuage the hurt she had seen flash across his face but she couldn’t find the words, and knew it was a matter that he had to work out with her mother. The relationship between the two was so complex that Bella didn’t fully understand it, even after watching them interact for the last twenty six years. “Give my love to Amy and Rory.” He nodded, and turned on the spot disappearing from the office. Once he had disapparated Bella went back to her desk, grabbing her phone as she had some very important calls to make.