Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Other Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Fusion of Destinies ❯ The Hatchling ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Fusion of Destinies
a Harry Potter/Metroid crossover
Chapter 7: The Hatchling
10-28-2005
by Grey

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all of its characters are the creation and property of J. K. Rowling. Samus Aran and the Metroid series are the creation and property of Nintendo, and was originally masterminded by Gunpei Yokoi (1941-1997) .

This fic is dedicated to Razor Knight and CubedCinder128, whose support gave me the confidence I needed to write this thing.

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"As for me, one life ended... yet I survived, reborn as something different." - Samus Aran, Metroid Fusion

---

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody had become a legend in his own time, famous for bringing in countless dark witches and wizards alive, even when authorized to kill. He had been an Auror during Lord Voldemort's first reign of terror and now again was a leading member of the Order of the Phoenix. He had won countless battles, fighting against dark wizards, as well as dangerous creatures such as dementors, rabid werewolves, water demons, demented giants, and hordes of Inferi....

But never before had he faced an enemy like this.

"Molly, stay behind me!" he barked as he drew his wand and thrust himself in front of Mrs. Weasley. Those old Auror instincts were kicking in again, telling him it was his duty to protect everyone else.

"Out of my way, Moody!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. "What's going on!? What's...."

She got her answer soon enough, for at that instant, three strange creatures walked through the hospital wing's wide open doorway. They had the look of giant, purple praying mantises; no doubt these were the same type of creatures responsible for the attack the previous day. In addition, a single dementor glided into the hospital wing and positioned itself near the ceiling, instantly filling everyone inside with a feeling of cold dread.

"What's.... what are they doing here!?" cried Mrs. Weasley, who took out her own wand.

"I have a bad feeling that I know," growled Moody. Now that the infection's pretty much run its course, Harry's almost become one of these 'X'. They've come to claim their own, he thought morbidly. Well, they won't get him without a fight.

One of the mantis creatures turned to face Snape and Madam Pomfrey, who were backing up nervously. The other two started advancing toward Moody and Mrs. Weasley, their pinchers wide open. They both fired their energy beams at the pair....

But they were ready. They both shouted "Protego!" as they waved their wands, and the beams ricocheted off their barriers and struck the walls. One of the mantises immediately sent a second volley of beams toward Mrs. Weasley, and she barely ducked in time to avoid them.

We can't kill these things outright, otherwise they'll release those 'X' like before, Moody realized. Moody aimed at that mantis and shouted "Impedimenta!" His jinx struck the mantis in the shoulder, but it did not slow down the slightest bit. Out of desperation, he cried out "Incendio!" Their was a brief banging sound and a rush of heat, and both mantises were knocked backward, their chitinous chest plating glowing bright red. Meanwhile, over at the far end of the hospital wing, Moody heard Snape yell "Crucio!" He heard the mantis closing in on him let out a loud screech.

Of course HE'S using Unforgivables already, thought Moody sourly, but he forced himself to focus on his battle. Of course, with that dementor looming over all of them, it was hard to concentrate.

It wasn't long before the mantises were on the move again. The nearest one suddenly leaped forward, moving with blinding speed and taking Moody completely by surprise. The mantis soared toward him and delivered a flying kick to his midsection, sending him flying backward until he crashed into the wall behind him. "MOODY!" shrieked Mrs. Weasley, turning away from the creatures to see how badly he'd been hurt. That mistake cost her dearly. Moody could still see perfectly with his magical eye, and saw one of the mantises move in and club her in the head with a closed pincher. She immediately collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"NO!" cried Moody as he struggled to get back up, but he had little strength left and it took him several seconds to do so. Once he did, he saw that one of them standing over Harry's bed, holding up Harry's parasite-infested body with its powerful pinchers. The other one was advancing on him, both of its pinchers open.

No! I can't let them take Potter! he thought resolutely. The mantis opened fire, but Moody performed a Shield Charm just in time. Both of its beams bounced back at it, and it staggered backward.

"Avada Ked.... AUUGGGHH!!!" came Snape's anguished voice from the other end. Using his magical eye, Moody saw Snape gripping his shoulder and gritting his teeth; no doubt one of that mantis's energy blasts had hit its mark. Also, he saw the one holding Harry's body moving toward the doorway. I've got to stop it! he thought, but the last mantis was still standing in his way, looking for another opportunity to strike....

But it was then that the tables began to turn. Once the mantis holding Harry stepped infront of the doorway, it stopped dead in its tracks, and Moody swore it looked fearful. Then, he heard Dumbledore say "Good evening," in his usual polite manner. There was a blinding flash of white light and a sound like an explosion. Once the light cleared, Moody saw that the mantis had been knocked into the adjacent wall, and Harry was gone.

Another voice called out, this one very familiar, yet it sounded quite different. "Stay with Harry and watch over him. Let me handle this."

The mantis staring down Moody turned its head around, keeping one open pincher trained on the ex-Auror. The one knocked against the wall stood up, but then, something flew through the doorway and struck it forcefully. It had moved so fast, Moody couldn't make it out. Then another one rushed through the doorway, something that looked like it was propelled forward by fire. But when it struck the mantis, it suddenly became frozen solid, trapped within a thick coat of ice. A third one came through and hit it, and its frozen body shattered to pieces, exposing two of those 'X parasites'

Then there was a strange sound from within the doorway, as if something was drawing in power. The exposed parasites suddenly flew into the doorway, as if drawn in by some invisible force.

An instant later, what looked like a human encased in a strange, teal bodysuit jumped into the hospital wing. Whoever it was, a bright ball of orange energy was upon the tip of his right arm. Moody stared in confusion, but he also saw the mantis keeping him pinned down suddenly quiver....

There was a sound like a cannon being fired, and a rush of piercing heat swept past Moody. The body of the mantis in front of him suddenly turned pitch black, and it crumbled into ashes, which vanished in a flash of orange light. When the light faded, two more of those parasites were floating in front of him.

For the first time in many years, pure fear took hold of Moody. He tried to back away, but clumsily tripped and fell backward. Any second now, those parasites would invade his body as they had Harry's.

But then, the person in the teal body suit made a leap, gracefully soaring across the hospital wing and landing before Moody. The parasites touched the suit, and they were absorbed into it, making the suit briefly glow a bright green. "Are you alright?" asked the person within the suit.

Confused and still fearful, Moody looked up into the stranger's visor, and saw a pair of eyes that looked very familiar. He willed his magical eye to look through the helmet, and saw the face of the one he suspected the stranger to be. "Samus?" he breathed.

Samus merely nodded, then held out her left hand. Moody took it and stood up, noticing that her entire right forearm was encased in some sort of 'arm cannon', and that her entire suit looked organic, and matched the contours of her own body almost perfectly. Moody also realized that his eye couldn't let him see through the rest of her suit, only her helmet. He realized that it wasn't just some piece of Muggle technology; it was as if the suit was a living thing that was bonded to her, and his eye couldn't differentiate between the two.

As he was noticing all of this, however, he felt the lingering chill caused by the dementor suddenly get worse. This could only mean it was closing in on them. "Look out!" shouted Moody. "The dementor's...."

But Samus seemed to already sense that danger was approaching. With a graceful quickness, she whirled around and aimed upward with her arm cannon. An orange beam shot out from it, which branched out into three beams aligned in a vertical row. She repeatedly fired these triple blasts up at the dementor, forcing it to veer off.

But now the final mantis was running toward them, firing its own energy beams. Samus dashed aside while aiming at it, avoiding its fire and sending out what could be described as a sort of 'missile', which homed in on the mantis. Moody realized this must've been what Samus used before. The missile didn't freeze the mantis solid, but it did momentarily knock it silly. Samus once again acted with frightening swiftness, lashing out with her right arm and sending out a long, blue stream of energy at the stunned mantis, which wrapped around it like a rope. Having ensnared her prey, she pulled upward with her right arm, yanking it toward her. She lashed out with her fist as it came toward her, punching through its chest. The mantis's body immediately crumbled away, and Samus's suit glowed green again.

What.... is she? What's that suit? What kind of power does she really have? Moody wondered as he watched Samus continue to fight. He knew he should be grateful that Samus had intervened and saved them all, but his habit of being paranoid persisted, and couldn't help but wonder where she had gotten all of these strange abilities....

Samus looked up at the dementor, the only remaining hostile in the hospital wing. It made a motion to swoop down at her, but Samus then leaped up towards it with a spinning jump. However, electricity crackled all over her body, and her spinning body seemed to create a swirling field of energy. It was as if her body had become a giant, blazing buzzsaw....

And when she jumped into the dementor, it immediately exploded and flew apart, revealing two more parasites. After touching down, Samus jumped up again, absorbing the parasites into her suit before they could escape.

"It's over," she declared matter-of-factly, then she strode over to the other end of the hospital wing, no doubt to check on Pomfrey and Snape.

Moody decided to take a cue from her and see to Mrs. Weasley. "Ennervate," he murmured, pointing his wand at her head.

After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open. "M-Moody?" she stammered weakly. "Wh-what h-happened? Where a-are...." "It's okay, Molly. That Samus Aran.... she showed up and took care of things," said Moody, trying to sound cheerful. But the gnawing uncertainty about their supposed savior still rankled. I've never seen powers like that. That was no form of magic, and I know enough about Muggles to realize they can't build anything like that suit....

Moody helped Mrs. Weasley up, and stayed by her side as she limped along toward the hospital wing's doorway, still nursing her aching head. Just outside the doorway were Samus, McGonagall and Dumbledore. They were standing over Harry, whose body was leaning against the wall. "Is Pomfrey's treatment ready?" asked Samus impatiently, a trace of panic behind her steely voice. "His life signs are almost gone. If we don't act soon...."

"Don't worry, I've got it," came Madam Pomfrey's voice. Moody had his magical eye swivel around to look beside him; Pomfrey was standing there, holding the syringe filled with a lime-green solution. "Luckily it didn't shatter. It just rolled underneath a bed."

"This potion will do as you asked of us," said Snape, who was still nursing his burned shoulder. "But I must warn you, this process is irreversible. Potter will always have the essence of this other parasite within him."

Mrs. Weasley let out a stifled moan and McGonagall made a derisive snort. But Samus merely said in an adamant voice, "Better he live with a altered genome for the rest of his life then face certain death from an X infection."

"I suppose we have no choice then," said Madam Pomfrey as she knelt beside Harry. She quickly found a vein and injected him with her genome-altering potion.

A minute passed, but there was no visible change in Harry's condition. Everyone stood around his unmoving body, watching attentively. Mrs. Weasley still looked as if she would burst into tears, and McGonagall looked the same way, her rock-hard composure having evaporated. Dumbledore's usual calmless was replaced by a look of grave concern, and even Snape looked a little regretful, but Moody was sure it was his imagination. Moody willed his magical eye to look inside Harry's body, and saw that the parasitic infestation was still the same as it was an hour ago. "It's not working," he hissed.

"Yes it is," said Samus sternly, and everyone turned to look at her. "11% of his cells are showing signs of mutation, and that rate is climbing rapidly," she said, a hopefulness tempering her hostile tones. "Those cells are already synthesizing new proteins with the information stored in Metroid DNA, and new organelles are being developed at lightning speed. It shouldn't be long now."

Moody stared at Samus, trying to make sense of her strange jargon and wondering how she knew all of this. Wait a minute, that visor.... Does it let her see things the way my magical eye does? he mused. But he put it in the back of his mind and turned toward Harry again. Samus was right. The infestation within him seemed to be diminishing, as if the some invisible force were draining it away. With his regular eye, Moody saw that the splotches of yellow slime on Harry's skin were starting to shrivel up. A few seconds later, their color changed from yellow to a greyish-black, and it looked as if all the moisture had been sucked out of the slime. Cracks began to form in the dried-out slime, and then they crumbled away into dust.

Moody then used his magical eye to look within Harry's body again, and saw that this time, there was no trace of the X. Samus had been right; Harry's own body had fought it off. "He's cured!" beamed a crying Mrs. Weasley happily as she hugged Professor McGonagall, who slung an arm around her as well. Dumbledore's smile returned, as did the twinkle in his eye.

Samus knelt in front of Harry, watching him warily through her visor. Soon, Harry's eyes fluttered open, and he fixed his gaze upon her. "S-Sam...." he started to say as he tried to stand up.

Samus reached up and pulled off her helmet, revealing that it was indeed her behind the visor. "Yeah, it's me," she said softly. She then put a hand on Harry's shoulder, forcing him to sit back down. "Save your energy," she said compassionately. "It'll take your body a while to adjust to the changes just made."

"It's a bit difficult to explain what's been happening, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall. "So many things have happened while you were infected, and...."

"I know all about it," said Harry. "X parasites, Metroid DNA.... I heard everything."

There was a hushed silence in the room, which lingered for several moments. It was Samus who eventually broke the silence. "How do you know about that? How can...."

"After I conjured that Patronus, I couldn't move or talk. But I could still hear and think. I heard everything that was said," said Harry. "Those potions I was given.... they must've had more effect than anyone realized."

Samus wasn't sure about what to say next, but Harry spared her from having to say anything else. "Thanks Samus. Somehow, I knew you'd wind up saving me."

Samus looked into his eyes again, and felt tears welling up in her own. "Don't mention it. You saved me from those infected dementors, remember? I owed you one."

Harry stifled a chuckle. "I guess this is the way you were before," he muttered with a smile. "I'm glad.... you've got your memory back."

Samus didn't say anything else. She merely pulled Harry toward her and held him close to her armored body. And then, for only the fourth time in her life, she openly wept. But for the first time ever, these were tears of happiness and relief. Samus knew that a difficult task lay before her, but for now, she let herself feel relaxed, knowing that Harry's life was no longer in danger.

---

Harry nervously walked through the corridors, making his way to the classroom always used by Professor McGonagall. The spare Gryffindor uniform that McGonagall had conjured for him felt stiff and itchy, but otherwise, he felt perfectly fine. Better than fine, as a matter of fact; he felt energetic, as if he had the endurance to play five Quidditch games in a row. Harry had thought that after being infected by that parasite for over twenty-four hours, he'd still be weak and bedridden, but the exact opposite had happened. Is it this new DNA I've been spliced with? he wondered.

He looked to his right, where, walking alongside him, was Samus. She was still wearing that strange space suit, but was holding her helmet securely in her left arm. Harry noticed her expression was still one of hardness and determination. That filled him with a sense of hope, even though, according to her, the entire wizarding world was in big trouble. "How are you feeling?" Samus suddenly asked, taking Harry by surprise.

"Oh, err, I feel fine," said Harry truthfully. "For someone who's fundamental nature's been altered on the genetic level, I feel pretty good," he added with a smile. Samus turned to look down at him, and he saw a smile had formed on her lips as well.

"Err, Samus, you know they're not going to let me stay at this meeting," spoke up Harry. "They hardly told me anything about the Order, so...."

"After what you just went through, you have the right to know what's going on," said Samus resolutely. "I want you to hear what I have to say to your Order. And if they have a problem with that, that's too bad."

Harry smiled again. Finally, an adult that knows I can handle the truth.

At last they reached the classroom where the briefing would take place. Samus swung the door open, and Harry peered inside. Dumbledore sat beside McGonagall at one desk near the front of the classroom, and Snape, Mrs. Weasley and Moody had all pulled up chairs and were sitting near them. "Ah, Samus, are you ready?" asked Dumbledore, looking up to face her. But Harry noticed that Dumbledore seemed to be avoiding his eyes, once again filling him with resentment.

"Potter should leave now," said Snape icily. "This is Order business, so...."

"Even if you don't let him stay, I'll tell him everything I know later," spat Samus. "So he might as well stick around." All the Order members looked at one another, and it sounded to Harry as if they were grumbling among themselves. Eventually, though, Dumbledore nodded, but he still didn't look Harry in the eye. His composure evaporating, Harry grabbed a chair and sat near Mrs. Weasley.

"Let's not waste any more time, then," said McGonagall sternly. "Samus, what else can you tell us about these X?"

Samus looked from Order member to Order member, feeling that familiar nervousness creeping over her again. But she took a deep breath, and said, "It's going to be difficult to explain. There's so many things that I don't understand myself, namely HOW the X got here."

"That brings up an interesting question: where DO these X come from?" said Mrs. Weasley queurulously. "No one, Muggle or wizard, has ever seen the likes of this parasite before."

"And humanity won't for another few centuries," said Samus.

Moody, who had been taking a swig from his hip flask, suddenly gagged. Snape let out a snort, and Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall gasped. "Samus, are you saying that these parasites come from the future?" asked Dumbledore. He was trying to sound polite, but both Harry and Samus could tell he didn't quite believe what he'd heard.

"Yes, and that's what I don't understand. How they ended up here, in Earth's past," replied Samus.

"And you're saying.... you're from the future too?" asked Harry breathlessly, ignoring Snape's withering glare. Samus merely nodded, and Harry stared at the floor, not knowing what to think or believe.

"These claims of yours are a bit hard to believe," said McGonagall, her voice sharp. "But then again, it's still hard to believe Mr. Potter was almost killed by a parasite that we couldn't eliminate with magic." Harry slumped a little in his chair after being reminded of his near-death experience.

"Like it or not, this is something the knowledge of your kind can't fully comprehend. Or combat," said Samus. Harry heard Snape let out another snort, and a soft "Tch," escaped Mrs. Weasley's lips. He didn't blame them for reacting that way. All their lives they believed that the wizarding world was far beyond Muggles in almost every way; he even felt that way sometimes (usually whenever he was staying with the Dursleys) . Now here was a deadly menace that wizards didn't fully understand.

"Then please enlighten us, my dear," said Dumbledore calmly. "Tell us about this future world of yours where mankind must face the X."

"And the Metroids, whatever they are," added Harry.

Samus took another deep breath. She knew that giving these people information about the future could forever alter history. But if the X were here in Earth's past, she knew she'd need their help to find and destroy them as soon as possible. Otherwise history would be changed anyway, for the worst. "Both the Metroids and the X come from a far-off planet, designated SR388," she said at last. "Metroids were their natural predator, and kept those viral blobs at bay.

"The Metroids were a deadly force as well, and I have encountered them on several occasions. At one point, I was ordered to wipe out all the remaining Metroids on SR388, because it was feared some twisted mind would take control of them, for use as living weapons. But the existence of the X was unknown, and...."

"Because you wiped out their natural enemy, the X ran rampant," Harry finished for her.

"Exactly," said Samus, a hint of regret in her voice.

"Wait a minute," spoke up Moody. "You're telling us that these X things.... are from another planet!? That they're ALIENS!?" he cried out. It could not be clearer that Moody didn't believe a word of Samus's story.

"Exactly," repeated Samus, unable to keep the sharpness out of her voice. Is it so hard for humans in this time to accept the existence of extraterrestrial life? she wondered.

Harry looked at the floor again. Oh my God.... I've been spliced with DNA from a BLOODY ALIEN!? he thought, suddenly feeling sick.

"Alright, so they're extraterrestrial. Fine," said McGonagall. "But you still haven't told us HOW they got here, to this time."

Samus shook her head, and her ponytail whipped about. "That's because I don't know how," she said in a defeated voice. "They had overrun a space station orbiting SR388. In the end, I wiped them all out by setting it to self-destruct, and I rigged the propulsion systems so it'd crash into the planet, incinerating its surface.

"But after I escaped, I flew back to make sure there were no trace of the parasites left. After a few minutes of sensor sweeps, I noticed a single, badly-damaged escape pod was floating around in orbit, and it had X signatures in it. I moved in to destroy it...."

"And then?" asked Snape harshly.

Samus turned to face Snape. "And then, there was a sudden blast of light. Some sort of energy overloaded my sensors, and my ship's controls wouldn't respond. The next thing I knew, I woke up in your hospital wing," Samus finished. "And staring down your unsightly mug," she added nastily, and felt a jolt of satisfaction when Snape sneered back at her. Harry might not get away with needling you, but I can. She looked over to Harry, and was pleased to see that he was smiling.

"So.... that's it?" spoke up Mrs. Weasley. "All of a sudden, you show up here in this time? How?"

"I told you, I don't know!" cried Samus, once again feeling frustrated. Harry, however, felt he had an idea. After barely being saved from a life-threatening infection, the little tidbit of information he had overheard earlier that week was, understandably, in the back of his mind. But now, after hearing that Samus and the X parasites were from the future....

"I know how they got here," Harry said suddenly, and then all eyes, except Dumbledore's, were upon him. "There's a charm Binns talked about. Some really complex spell that lets a wizard look into the future and bring back weapons to use in the present," he explained. He then looked up into Samus's blue eyes, and saw a horrified look in them. "And that's why you're here, too. The charm's downside is that it also fetches a person who knows how to beat the weapon. Obviously, you're the one."

No one else in the classroom said anything for several moments; obviously they were considering Harry's theory. Harry decided to speak up again. "THIS is the weapon Voldemort's after, isn't it? He was getting together everything he needed to do the charm, so he could search for something new to...."

"Once again, Potter, your deficient brain jumps to conclusions," sneered Snape. "We know far more about the Dark Lord's activities than you realize. We would know if he were attempting something like this."

"You mean 'you' would know, right!?" snapped Harry, even though he knew he was risking no less than fifty points being docked from Gryffindor.

Before Snape could reply, Mrs. Weasley cut in. "He's right, Harry. Listen, we've been keeping a close watch on all of his known followers, and we haven't seen any indication they're working on something like this. And we happen to know of this charm, now that you bring it up, and so does the Ministry. The incredients for the potions required are extremely rare, and the Ministry of Magic have strict restrictions put on them. And I mean VERY strict rescrictions."

"Indeed. If anyone was trying to get hold of those ingredients, our contacts in the Ministry would have found out," said McGonagall. "And trust us, Harry. The weapon You-Know-Who is after.... it's not something from the future."

"But I think Harry's theory about the charm is right," said Samus, and everyone turned to face her again. "If I've been here for over three months, then the X have been here that long too," she explained as she idly walked through the classroom, looking from one Order member to another. "If the X were behaving normally, then Earth would be overrun already. Also, the X-hosts that attacked the castle were here for specific purposes: killing me and capturing Harry after he was infected. Therefore, it's logical to assume that someone is manipulating and controlling these X."

Once again, silence lingered in the classroom. Eventually, it was broken by Snape. "If that's the case, why are we just seeing them now?"

Samus shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. But I would wager that for whoever's brought back the X, it's taken him or her all this time to figure out how to manipulate them."

"And why are we only seeing them HERE, in the castle?" demanded McGonagall. "There've been no other instances like this reported anywhere else in the world! If there had been, our spies in the Ministry would have told us!"

Samus shrugged her shoulders again. "My guess is that whoever's behind this wanted to keep it a secret until he's confident he can use them for his plan, whatever it is. The X sent here to Hogwarts were obviously only meant to take me out, since I'd be a threat if my memory returned.

"And that brings us to another problem: how the X are getting in here in the first place," Samus continued. "And I suspect that a number of them are still hiding somewhere in the castle."

"What makes you say that?" asked Harry.

Samus looked at him for a moment, then said, "If it's your old friend Voldemort who's behind it, then he'd want to plant the X here, to spy on Dumbledore, and possibly strike at Order members and you after the X had finished me off. And even if it isn't Voldemort, it would be a good idea for whoever's behind this to keep tabs on Dumbledore, or possibly assassinate him after I was done in, since he's the most powerful of your kind. Am I right?"

Harry merely nodded, finding that Samus's deductions made a lot of sense. She an incredible fighter, she's super-strong, AND she's super-intelligent. A warrior, a scientist, a detective.... Is there anything she can't do? he thought, amazed by Samus all over again.

"The thought of these X hiding within Hogwarts is certainly disturbing enough on its own," said Dumbledore, his voice sounding grave. "But we must also consider that EVERY living thing in the world is in jeopardy, so long as these parasites are at large. If whoever's responsible for all this should lose control of the X, then the whole world would be in danger. We must find some way to protect everyone until we can strike at the heart of our unseen enemy's operation."

"But how do you protect an entire planet?" asked Moody dishearteningly.

"There is one possibility," said Snape. "Centuries ago, there was a potion that helped make people in Europe immune to this particularly nasty disease; I believe Muggles referred to it as 'Black Death'. If one had a sample of the disease-causing agent to add to the solution, the potion could grant immunity to the illness."

Mrs. Weasley turned to eye Snape angrily. "Why didn't you tell us about this when Harry was sick!? It could've saved him, and then he wouldn't have needed that alien DNA!" she shrilled.

Snape stared back at her, his black eyes glistening. "It can only protect an uninfected person. It's useless on someone who is already ill."

"So it's like a vaccine," Samus remarked.

Snape glared at her for a moment. "Err, yes. But the problem is...."

"I bet it's one of those potions that'll take months to brew," Harry cut in. "Just like Polyjuice Potion."

Snape fixed his steely gaze at Harry, obviously curious as to how he knew about how long Polyjuice Potion took to brew. Harry gulped, realizing he had made a mistake. But Snape didn't press the issue, and merely said, "Again you jump to conclusions. No, I can brew it in less than an hour, and thankfully we still have samples of the X taken from your body to use in making it. But the problem is...."

"What about supply?" interrupted McGonagall. "Is the potion too complex to allow me to use Transfiguration to make more of it, once you've completed a sample?"

"No! You can use copying Tranfiguration spells to turn ordinary sea water into more of the potion!" Snape shouted. "The problem is distribution. That's why it was so ineffective in stopping the spread of that plague. It's too difficult to distribute it to enough people, and it can't be put into water supplies, because that would render it useless for any being who's not aquatic. It can't be mixed with other beverages either, so administering it to Muggles of that era was a delicate business. It can be evaporated and turned into a gas form, but it can't be spread far that way...."

"What if enough of it was released high in the atmosphere, and allowed to be distributed through the Earth's wind currents?" asked Samus, her hopes rising. "And how about releasing it within Earth's oceans to protect marine life?"

Snape looked down at the floor for a moment, apparently lost in thought. "I suppose.... it could be possible, if enough is released. But we can't get high up enough to do as you suggest. No magical beast can fly up far enough, nor can a wizard with a broom...."

"But a spaceship can," cut in Samus, eliciting gasps from all the witches and wizards present.

"And where do you suggest we find such a ship?" asked Snape testily.

"Weren't you listening to me before?" snorted Samus. "I was in my ship when I was brought back to this time. I was brought here in it, and it must still be here. Those are you who were here that night must know what I mean."

Harry had no idea what she was talking about, but Dumbledore apparently did, for he stood straight up and looked at Samus. "The meteor that crash-landed the night we found you...."

"You got it," said Samus, smiling broadly. "That was no meteor. It was my ship. My ship must've automatically launched an escape pod before it crashed into the ground, and then Snape found me soon after that. That vessel is extremely resilient, and I'm confident it's still intact and buried meters underneath the ground.

"Once Snape brews enough of this immunizing potion, I'll go find my ship and we can discuss how to release it into the atmosphere and oceans. If the solution does as Snape claims, then whoever's responsible won't be able to have the X assimilate any more biomass, which can only help us," she went on, her confidence growing. Normally, she worked alone, and she always preferred it that way. But now, with the stakes so high, she was delighted that she had such capable people helping her out. "But for now, I think I should concentrate on finding wherever the X are hiding in the castle. They're still here, I'm sure of it. I can almost feel it."

"Which begs the question: where are they hiding?" Moody pointed out.

"That night Potter was attacked, the staff and the prefects searched every floor and every room, as well as around the school," said McGonagall. "I'm at a loss to even suggest where to begin looking."

There was silence again as the Order members thought of where the X could possibly be hiding in Hogwarts. Harry considered the possibilities as well. I didn't notice any X on the Marauder's Map besides the one that attacked Umbridge. Maybe it's someplace secret, someplace Unplottable. And it'd have to be a place from which you could easily slip out and launch an attack....

Harry abruptly stood up, realization sweeping over him. There was only one place in Hogwarts that fit all those criteria.

---

Harry and Samus stood in the girls' lavatory on the first floor, which was known to be haunted by Moaning Myrtle. They stood in front of the sink with the snake engraved on the side of the tap, which Harry knew was the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. All Harry needed to do was say "Open" in Parseltongue to reveal it.

"So, Salazar Slytherin put the entrance to his secret area in the girls' bathroom?" asked Samus derisively. "I can't figure out whether he was trying to be witty, or if he had some bizarre fetish."

Harry let out a soft chuckle, then stared at the sink again. It's been over two years, he thought, remembering how he had barely managed to save Ginny Weasley from Voldemort's teenage self. I never thought I'd have to go back in there....

"The entrance is under that sink, right?" asked Samus.

"Uh, yeah," replied Harry.

"Very well," said Samus, and she pointed her arm cannon directly at the sink.

"WHOA!" cried Harry, who ran toward Samus and pushed aside her arm cannon. "Let's be careful with the artillery, OK? It's best that I just open it up the old-fashioned way; that's why Dumbledore wanted me to come here with you, to open it for you."

"Go on then," said Samus, sounding eager to get into the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry nodded, then turned back to the engraving on the tap, once again trying to imagine that it was a real snake. "Open up," he said, and heard that all-too familiar hissing escape his lips. The sink began moving, and seconds later, the gaping hole that led to the Chamber of Secrets was exposed.

Samus walked over and peered into the hole. "So that's it?" she asked, then turned back to Harry. "I forget, how did you say you gained the ability to talk like a snake?"

"Oh, it's something Voldemort inadvertently gave me on that night he tried to kill me," said Harry, grimacing. The fact that he was given a power of his arch-nemesis still rankled slightly, though he had to admit it was useful at times.

"Oh, that's right," said Samus, remembering what Harry had revealed to her the other day. Her features then began to soften, and it looked as if she longed to say something to Harry. "Harry, before I go in there, there's some things I want to tell you."

"But.... but you told the Order everything there was to know, right?" asked Harry, surprised.

"I did. I told them all they needed to know about the X. But there are things I wanted to tell you, and only you," said Samus. She gazed at him, her eyes hard yet strangely compassionate at the same time. "There was a reason your life story sounded so familiar to me."

"There was?" asked Harry, now even more confused.

"Yes. You and I are the same, Harry. We were both marked for death as children, orphaned. But we survived, and now that we've grown up, we have the chance to strike back at the ones who ruined our lives."

Harry stared back at her, nonplussed. He found it hard to believe he had anything in common with this battle-hardened warrior from the future. "Centuries from now, the humans of Earth and sentient races from other planets will form the Galactic Federation, and an era of peace and prosperity will begin," continued Samus. "But then, a new warlike race made its presence known: the Space Pirates."

"Space Pirates?" repeated Harry, unsure of what Samus was getting at.

"Remember those giant mantises that tried to kidnap you? Those were Space Pirates that the X were mimicking," explained Samus. "They're ruthless, Harry. Their goal is galactic domination, and they slaughter all that stand in their way. They also raid and pillage helpless colonies, such as one that was designated as K2L. They attacked in full force and razed it to the ground. Only one survivor was found: a two-year old, orphaned human girl."

Suddenly, it dawned on Harry. "That was you?" he asked.

Samus nodded. "I saw my parents murdered right in front of me, and was buried alive under a collapsed medical building. I should have died there. But then, hours later, another race of aliens burrowed underneath the rubble. They were looking for survivors and had detected my faint life signs."

"Anotherrace of aliens?" repeated Harry. "Who?"

Samus stared at him for a second, a somber look in her eyes. "The Chozo. An extremely advanced and ancient race of bird people that has explored the stars for millenia, dedicated to philosophy and the preservation of all life. At one point, they decided that they could advance no further, and withdrew from the cosmos to silently observe other civilizations.

"They found me alone on K2L, and took me back to their home; a planet called Zebes. There they raised me, and infused me with the blood of a Chozo. That's where all my speed and strength comes from; their blood grants me their natural powers.

"But they also had special plans for me. They realized that the Space Pirates were a sign validating a prophecized rise of violence in the galaxy, and decided that something had to be done to turn back the tide. So, they decided to not only to pass on to me their knowledge, but to train me as a warrior. I spent many years on Zebes learning from them, and when I was old enough, they constructed this suit for me, so that I could fight back against the Space Pirates.

"I left the nest on Zebes, and quickly affiliated myself with the Galactic Federation police as a licensed bounty hunter. You see, the police alone can't do enough, so they employ bounty hunters to help them fight the Pirates. I'm believed by many to be best bounty hunter in the cosmos," she finished with a grin.

Harry stared at Samus, slack-jawed. Her tale sounded like a tale the finest Muggle science-fiction writers would spin. And yet, it was all true; there was no reason to doubt her story. But what struck Harry the most was how similiar her roots were to his: she too was an orphan, and she too fought against the same ones who constantly ravaged the galaxy in the future, just like Voldemort and the Death Eaters did in the wizarding world now. Of course, she goes after the Pirates and hunts them down. Voldemort and his followers always come after me.

A thought occured to Harry. "Samus, do you know of any, ah, wizards in your time?"

Samus shook her head. "Wouldn't know any. I wasn't raised by humans, remember? And I hardly spend any time with other humans. That's why I was always timid around other people when working here; on some subconscious level, I remembered how difficult it is for me to interact with my own kind. You're different though. I feel as if you're one of the few that can understand me."

"You do?" asked Harry. Remarkably, he was starting to feel the same way, since she had gone through something disturbingly similiar to what he did.

"Yeah," said Smaus, then turned back to look at the hole. "I better get down there and wipe out the X. You should...."

Harry didn't hear what he should do next, for at that instant, a high-pitched, feminine screech filled the lavatory. Harry drew his wand and looked around, thinking it was some sort of X-host.

But it was something else entirely. Peeves floated through one of the stall doors, holding what looked like a ghostly pair of glasses. A second later, a second spirit flew through the stall door and followed Peeves: Moaning Myrtle, who wasn't wearing her glasses.

"Give me back my glasses, you *BLEEP*ing little *BLEEEEP*bag!!" Myrtle exclaimed hatefully. "I swear, once I catch you, I'm gonna tie whatever you have for a *BLEEP* into a *BLEEP*ing pretzel and then have the Bloody Baron *BLEEEEP* you with his sword you *BLEEP*ed-up, stupid piece of *BLEEP*!!!"

Myrtle chased Peeves all across the bathroom. Harry watched, not knowing whether he should do anything, except maybe laugh at Myrtle's proficient usage of profanity. Samus, however, knew exactly what to do. "STOP!" she cried out forcefully, and both Myrtle and Peeves halted in midair. "Enough. Myrtle, Peeves is going to give you back those glasses."

"Oh ho!" exclaimed Peeves. "And why is that?"

"Because in five seconds it'll feel like your face has been dunked in ethereal acid," snapped Samus. Harry didn't know what Samus meant by that, and Peeves obviously thought it was amusing, for he was cackling madly. However, a few seconds later, Samus raised her arm cannon and shot small, bright bursts of power at Peeves. Amazingly, her shots didn't go through Peeves, and he howled in pain. He quickly flew away through a wall, leaving behind a floating pair of ghostly glasses.

"You have weapons that'll even affect ghosts!?" asked Harry, impressed. Samus merely smiled and nodded.

"Err, thanks," said Myrtle as she put her glasses back on. "Oh, it's you," she then said bitterly when she took a good look at Samus.

"Yeah," was all Samus said to the chronically-depressed ghost. Turning to Harry, she said, "Well, now that that's dealt with, I'd better head into the Chamber."

"I'll go with you," said Harry. "I've been in there before. I can help...."

"No," said Samus firmly. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it's too dangerous. There's no telling how many are down there. I'd rather you stay here. Too many have been hurt or killed trying to help me."

Harry didn't know what she meant by that, but he went on. "Oh, and the entrance is essentially one big tube. You have to slide down it, and...."

"Heh. That's no problem at all for me. Watch," said Samus as she refastened her helmet. She bent over, and, to Harry's utter astonishment, it seemed as if her body began to contract and shrink. A second later, her body had reformed into a metal sphere, roughly two feet in diameter. And then, the sphere began rolling forward, and dropped into the chamber's entrance.

"There's something you don't see every day," muttered Harry as he walked over to the hole and looked down into the darkness. He was trying to decide whether to follow Samus's advice, or to go in after her. Oh that's right! There's a door in there that only a Parselmouth can get through, he realized. And the X may take the form of magical creatures she's never seen, and....

"Oh Harry, if you go down there, my offer's still good. My toilet's always open if you die," said Myrtle suddenly. Harry looked over his shoulder, and saw Myrtle winking at him, which was just a little more disturbing than Luna Lovegood's dreamy, unblinking gaze.

"Err, thanks again," said Harry. Then he jumped into the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

---

Next chapter, it's a return trip to the Chamber of Secrets. And Samus will reveal even more secrets about herself - namely, the events of each and every 2D Metroid game. So if you've never played them, the next chapter will fill you in.

And for those of you who haven't played them, I feel as if a little homework assignment is in order. If you've got access to the necessary Nintendo systems, go and play any Metroid game you can get your hands on while you wait for Chapter 8 (except Zero Mission; that one sucked) . And definitely try to play Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Super is.... the defining moment of the series (we're talking Goblet of Fire-defining here), and Fusion is the game that deals with the X parasites and what this fic is primarily based upon.

So long,
Grey