Back at the camp site, when Maverick arrived, the sky was already tinged with a faint golden hue, the pre-dawn light stretching across the horizon in soft gradients of amber and rose.
It was quiet. The fires were out, and not even a trace of smoke lingered in the air. The tens of thousands who had once been here had been reduced to just a few thousand.
Groups of people could be seen apparating away from the site where uniformed personnel were stationed, more than a dozen clusters scattered across the grounds. What was happening was presumably a controlled departure, after headcounts were completed and permission to leave had been given.
Without stopping, Maverick quickly located Alastor Moody near a group of Aurors and sent him a brief mental message to separate himself for a moment. When he did, Maverick apparated near the man and, without a word, unceremoniously tossed the bound woman directly toward him.
"How'd you get a bead on her?"
"Trace..." Mavrick didn't elaborate on the details and made a few gestures with his hand, and her bindings were removed.
Moody didn't waste any time either and promptly retrieved two pairs of cuffs, presumably enchanted to suppress her magic, securing them tightly around her hands and feet.
It wouldn't still be enough to keep a great magus confined permanently, but heavily enchanted cells would provide additional security and more suppressive magic, and that was her next destination.
In any case, even if she managed to escape, he would still be able to find her, though it shouldn't come to that. Unless a third party intervenes, she would likely spend the rest of her very long life locked up.
"Did you find out why the two lunatics wanted to capture me?" Moody asked quietly, his gaze fixed on the dejected woman. She wasn't unconscious, but with her hollow eyes, empty of life or hope, she might as well have been.
But at least hers were not completely white, rolled back like the other woman's, whose condition still left Moody uncertain if she was even truly alive. With this one, the Aurors could at least attempt some interrogation later.
"No…" Maverick replied. "She's a tough nut to crack. I'm guessing they wanted to impersonate you. But for what exactly, I have no idea."
Actually, before coming, he had thoroughly probed her mind, uncovering everything she knew of Voldemort's plans. It pretty much matched her earlier account and also confirmed some of his suspicions.
Basically, as in the original story, Voldemort's plan involved Moody being impersonated and then applying to become the DADA professor at Hogwarts. Here, however, it would be Rosier stepping into his role instead of Crouch Jr.
How Voldemort planned to make it seamless enough to fool everyone into believing it was truly Alastor, Maverick had no idea. From her memories, however, Voldemort had been supremely confident in his magic—so confident that he believed not even an archmagi could tell the difference.
As for why Maverick didn't let it play out like in the original story, well… he had his own plans.
"I'm not surprised that even your methods couldn't crack her. She is that man's second-in-command, after all." Moody gave a light nod, implying an ambiguous remark.
"Don't talk nonsense. Who told you I tortured her? Don't slander people's innocence, old man."
Moody gave only a knowing glance in return then shrugged. Although, he wasn't wrong to assume as such, after all, she did look like she had been thoroughly tested.
On to another matter, "Where's Jameson?" Maverick inquired.
"Back at the Ministry. The arsehole dumped all the hard work on me and went off to smile for the cameras," Moody scoffed. Then, with a touch more seriousness, he added, "This will leave a mark on his reputation. An international incident like this spiraling out of control right under his nose… how'd you plan to save your little puppet's face?"
This bastard really didn't care who he was speaking to. But Maverick wasn't petty and didn't mind the rudeness; in fact, he liked the man for being straightforward.
"Or," Maverick countered, "it could actually boost his reputation. No lives were lost, aside from the terrorists. Most were captured, including two great magi. I trust Jameson can spin this entire incident in his favor."
Moody let out another scoff but offered no rebuttal.
"I'll be leaving then. Don't forget to lock her up in maximum security..."
"Wait!" he called, stopping Maverick before he apparated away.
"Tell me honestly, Caesar," he said, locking his gaze onto Maverick. "Did you truly have no prior knowledge that something like this was going to happen?"
Maverick also held his gaze for a moment, then a small smirk curved his lips. "Does it matter?" He shrugged slightly and added, "…it was only a coincidence that I came here with my fiancée to watch the game and all of this happened. Fortunately, especially for you…"
"Right. Get out of here," the old Auror waved, cutting him off with a sigh. Whether he believed it or not… no, he very likely didn't buy a word of that, but Maverick didn't care. And with that, he didn't linger a moment longer and disappeared from the site.
The reason he was still keeping certain things from the man was simple: Moody wasn't part of the plan yet, not for what was to come in the next school year. At first, Maverick had intended to keep the man in the dark until the very end, but after getting to know him personally for a while, he changed his mind.
Soon, therefore, he decided to bring him aboard as well, preferably in the presence of a few others to make the persuasion easier.
Apart from the man's gruff and abrasive nature, he was, for lack of a better word, a solid unit. Especially when it came to drawing clear lines between black and white, then choosing which side would lead to the best possible outcome. The only problem was that, precisely because of his stubborn nature, getting him to fall in line would take a bit more effort. In any case, that was a worry for later.
There was still a little over a month before school started, the summer holidays not even halfway over, but Maverick's schedule left him no time for sightseeing.
---
The next day unfolded exactly as expected, with wizarding newspapers across the world plastering their front pages with headlines about the terrorist attack, many of them calling it the single largest international magical incident in recent history. As the host nation, Britain's magical administration found itself under a lot of scrutiny, accused by some of gross negligence for allowing such a disaster to occur in the first place.
At the same time though, there was no shortage of praise either, especially for how swiftly the situation had been brought under control and for the fact that, against all odds, there had been no innocent casualties. That balance between condemnation and reluctant admiration dominated public discourse for days.
As for the perpetrators, there was a noticeable lack of concrete information. No official names were released, and apart from the British Daily Prophet and a handful of European outlets tentatively pointing out the appearance of the Dark Mark associated with the recent Dark Lord, nothing was formally confirmed.
Reports did mention that two great magi had been apprehended, but once again no identities were revealed, largely because the British magical administration had yet to issue a proper press statement.
Minister Jameson Greengrass did appear before the cameras, but he did not name any names, only assuring the public that a thorough investigation was underway. He further added that a press conference would be held as soon as the preliminary findings reached a presentable stage.
Meanwhile, Maverick went straight home after the World Cup episode. Busy as his schedule already was, and demanding as the coming months promised to be, he still wanted at least a day or two with his family, time enough to simply breathe and take in the quiet that came from being close to the people who mattered most to him.
His father took a few days off as well, and together with Sarah they decided on a short family vacation, escaping to the lush greens and endless blue skies of Bali, where the weight of their individual responsibilities slowly loosened its grip on all of them.
And speaking of his sister, once they returned from Bali feeling mentally refreshed, Maverick finally took her to America to meet the X Men. Michael and Ariel came along as well, since it was an important moment for Sarah, adopted or not, she was their daughter, and they wanted to be there together as a family for her.
Xavier welcomed the Caesars with impeccable courtesy, and while Maverick's presence alone would have warranted respect, his father was no ordinary man either, so a proper and formal welcome was extended without hesitation.
Jean could barely contain her excitement when she discovered that Maverick's sister was a mutant like her, but more than that, she was practically flustered that they were the same age and the same gender. They connected almost instantly, in a way that felt completely natural and effortless from the very start.
Meanwhile, Professor Xavier personally gave Mother and Father Caesar a tour of the mansion, or rather, the school, starting with why he had founded such an institution, how he educated the children there, and the key differences and similarities between his school and regular ones.
To put it simply, the Xavier Mansion was more of a safe sanctuary for mutantkind that Xavier had established than a conventional school, and to call it a proper school would be a stretch.
Of course, Xavier didn't hide that fact and explained everything to them plainly, including details that Maverick himself was hearing for the first time, such as the fact that, despite living at the mansion, not all mutant children completed their entire education within its walls.
Many, apparently, still attended regular schools alongside normal children, and only those whose mutations drastically altered their physical appearance or whose abilities were difficult to control found the mansion fully serving as a full-time place of learning and sanctuary.
Xavier expressed a genuine desire for Sarah to attend at least some classes at the mansion, believing she would benefit from the environment. Maverick and his family, however, were firm in their decision that she would complete her education at a regular school.
After all, she had no trouble controlling her powers, so there was no real reason to remove her from a regular setting, at least not yet. That said, the point Professor Xavier made was not wrong either, and Sarah would undoubtedly benefit from learning alongside other mutant children.
Therefore, after weighing both perspectives, it was decided that during the holidays, Sarah would visit the mansion, spend time with other mutant children like her, and participate in some of the training sessions they held. As for being continents away, that was hardly a problem with an overpowered wizard-slash-alchemist-slash-sorcerer brother behind her.
The Caesars spent two days at the Xavier Mansion before returning to London, though only Maverick and his parents came back, while Sarah stayed behind to be picked up once the summer holidays ended and school resumed. In any case, it would be a healthy experience for her, allowing her to enjoy the freedom of using her abilities among others like her.
After that brief but much-needed time with his family, Maverick turned his attention back to business once again, and for the first task on his list, he headed to the Mars Project control center to check on its progress.
The facility was quieter than before, with only a handful of personnel stationed there, since most of the scientists now preferred working directly on Mars. Here on Earth, the work was largely limited to constructing sections of the base before they were transferred to Mars for assembly, so only engineers remained planetside, while the researchers chose to work on the red planet itself.
Still, Maverick took some time to get a general understanding of what was happening here, and after exchanging a few pleasantries with the managers, he opened a portal and stepped straight onto the red planet as well.
The preliminary base had expanded considerably, even though only a few months had passed. A dome structure housing simulated living quarters and a breathable atmosphere was already complete, and several laboratories dedicated to different research fields were already semi operational, with many more still under construction.
At a glance, it felt like a colossal enterprise in full motion, hundreds of heavy duty vehicles crawling across the terrain in coordinated chaos while personnel in safety gear moved with practiced urgency. Dust plumed into the thin Martian air, metal giants roared and rumbled, and the entire landscape unfolded like a living tableau pulled straight from an epic science fiction spectacle.
And at the heart of the site was, of course, the giant glass reinforced and enchanted dome. It was not that large yet, only about half the size of a football stadium, but that was more than enough to house all the researchers and let them call it a home on this alien world. Moreover, it was designed to expand far beyond its current scale, and the work underway was still largely preliminary, focused on laying the foundation before any truly serious project could begin.
Howard and Norex, Maverick's two science guys, were deeply engrossed in their work on the Kree Imperial cruiser, so he limited himself to a brief update on their progress before turning his attention back to the on base construction again.
For nearly half a month, he assisted wherever he could to accelerate the build, whether that meant acting as space uber or simply relocating massive structures from one section to another, helping fit together the sprawling metal puzzle and push the megaproject further along.
In fact, more than being a professor, more than anything else really, the thrill and satisfaction he drew from watching everything come together brick by brick gave him a deeper sense of fulfillment than anything else. After all, this project was his creation, his pride, his baby.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that was not the only baby he had. Time moved on, and by mid-July, his attention turned once more, this time to projects back on Earth, particularly Caesar Technologies, where more mundane, or less magical, endeavors were underway.
There, he reviewed the prototype of the phone, Caesar Two, scheduled for release in November. It was largely complete, incorporating his suggestions like infrared data transfer capabilities and a few additional add-ons, but it still wasn't entirely to his liking.
The overall design, for one, still didn't satisfy him—the thickness was off, and the battery capacity left much to be desired. So he suggested several refinements and adjustments, absolutely not sounding like a villainous boss at all.
Anyway, they weren't working for free. In fact, he was paying them generously, much more than other companies in similar fields, so it was only natural for them to deliver what was asked. Besides, what he was asking wasn't outrageous, and with a few months still remaining before launch, there was ample time to fully implement his vision and perfect the final product.
The next task on his list took him across the Atlantic. At Saint Matthew Island, he met his teacher to discuss the operation planned for early next year in more depth, filling in any remaining gaps and clarifying exactly how Edward's people would be utilized once everything commenced.
The hundreds of witches and wizards working under the man would play a vital role, and to ensure events unfolded exactly as he envisioned, a discussion between just the two of them was not enough. Everyone involved would need to be thoroughly briefed, and beyond that, practical drills would also be necessary as insurance against unforeseen variables.
Things, of course, would be far simpler if Maverick chose to ignore the possibility of innocent people getting caught in the aftermath when everything unfolded, but that was never an option he was willing to entertain.
That was precisely why he had plans layered within plans, and why he involved so many different parties in the operation. Thus, over a week was spent with his teacher and the assembled teams going through every detail, but on the bright side, when he returned home he was satisfied and still had over a week left before the school term began.
Go on a short getaway somewhere or just dive headfirst into Isabella's arms, he mused, but apparently the universe had other ideas. Or maybe a certain white-bearded old menace had simply felt his nose twitch, because suddenly he was summoned with all the subtlety of a cannon, and informed, rather insistently, that his presence at the school was absolutely mandatory.
From that moment, Maverick knew that his holidays, if they could even be called that, were officially over. At least all the tasks on his list had been taken care of, and so, both satisfied and somewhat annoyed, he returned once more to the legendary castle—off to another thrilling year.
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Author's Note:
🔥 Drop those Power Stones! 🔥
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