THIS IS A REWRITE OF THE ETERNAL SERIES I: INNOCENT MAGIC

SUMMARY: While investigating disappearances from the villages around Hogwarts, Dumbledore finds himself incapable of destroy the machines responsible. So he calls in the professionals. The Triwizard Cup is fast approaching and the Exorcists will be hard pressed to keep the schools protected while dealing with a new threat…
And coping with their new, somewhat immortal status and Noah allies.

CATEGORIES: M/M; F/M

RATED T: Content is not suitable for children below 13 years of age.
Contains some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

UPLOADED: 06/08/2017

WORD COUNT: 3150

Destroyer of Time I
Innocent Magic
Prologue

(July 1994)

An old man sat surveying the many parchments before him. The office in which he sat was circular, owing to its situation high in an old castle's tower. The stone walls were filled from floor to ceiling with bookcases full of an assortment of oddities and old texts; and portraits of previous headmasters and mistresses of the school the castle hosted.

The pictures, as was common in the elusive wizarding world, were charmed into sentience. Given the early hour, the collection of men and women were currently sleeping, or pretending to do so. They all wore flowing robes and pointed hats, but there the similarities ended, the colours and designs differed greatly from master to master. The old man, the latest in the long line to hold the position, was wearing one of the more flamboyant of designs.

The only thing present brighter than his robes was a beautiful bird that slept atop its perch, head tucked beneath wing. The creature had been the old man's constant companion for nearly a century, since the years he had travelled after graduation from the very school he now ran.

The mess upon the headmaster's desk was the result of days of research into a most troubling situation.

There had been a series of disappearances over recent weeks in the local area. Two wizards from Hogsmead, a witch from Pigston and a wizard and his muggle wife from Snoutbridge. A sixth potential victim was the witch he had contacted to take up the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts at the school that year. She had never arrived for her interview and was now beyond all means of communication.

Fearing for his soon to be returning students, the old headmaster had personally investigated the disappearances. And what he found was strange, no, disturbing even by the standards of the magical community.

A strange creature, which after research he now believed to be a machine of ancient design, had attacked him during his enquiries. It was only due to his quick thinking and a shielding charm he had survived the encounter. The local herbalist had not been so lucky. The machine's projectile had reduced the poor fellow to dust.

With none of his other spells working to combat the machine, he had resorted to containing the thing. His wards were strong and holding for now. But for how long? He was not so arrogant as to think a machine that was not affected by his other magic would remain restrained indefinitely.

Hence the research. And after days of poring over old dusty tomes, he believed he had his answers.

And so, he wrote a letter with his favourite quill and emerald green ink.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write hoping to find your organisation in good working order. The history books have no record of your recent endeavours and I can only hope that you remain functioning and strong.

In recent weeks, there have been disappearances most unusual. Upon investigation, I can only conclude that the creatures I find to be responsible are the 'Akuma' machines your Order is tasked with hunting and destroying in defence of all humanity.

I implore you to send aid to the town of Hogsmead, Scotland. I have contained the machine for now, but it appears the texts were accurate when noting only a weapon of your Order capable of destroying them.

Fawkes, my phoenix delivering this letter, will return with any response you may give.

Regards,

Albus Percival Welfric Brian Dumbledore
Order of Merlin (First Class)
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards
Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot

The old man enclosed the parchment within an envelope and stood, crossing the office in three strides to his bird's side. Fawkes readily took the letter in its beak, shaking its feathers and turned intelligent eyes upon its master.

"The Black Order." He softly requested. With a songful cry the bird took flight. Its beautiful red, orange and gold feathers soon faded into the sky painted by the sun's rise.

Chapter One
(Three Weeks Later)

"General Walker! Please slow down!"

"Oh, sorry Mai." Pausing in his quick strides Allen turned and tucked a loose strand of white hair back beneath his hood while observing the Asian girl as she hurried to catch up. At the sound of a sigh he glanced up from under his deep hood to see his apprentice, Luca's slouched frame, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

"You're so schlow Mai, if you keep this up, ve'll miss zee train! Zen ve'll have to find a bridge to jump from! Again!" The blond, German teen voiced his annoyance.

"Vell I'm so very sorry Luca-Chan! I vill be sure to cut a few feet off your lanky legs next time I know we will be valking any great distance!" Mai's brown eyes glinted mischievously as she mimicked the young man's accent.

Luca's own eyes turned frosty as he glowered at the girl, fingers twitching toward the pockets of his long navy coat. Similarly, Mai's hand drifted to her belt…

"Enough, both of you." Allen sternly commanded. "We are in public."

"Hai, General Walker." Mai said. Luca nodded obediently but, though they relaxed, both continued to shoot glares over the General's head.

Sighing, Allen grumbled under his breath and reached into his inner coat pocket, removing three train tickets. Reading the details, he frowned at the information and looked around for the platform number. Not seeing it he frowned down at the tickets once more.

They could not be lost again… could they?

Noting the General's frustration Luca and Mai set aside their quarrel for the time being.

"Meister?" Luca queried. Rather than expressing his growing realisation they were indeed most probably lost, Allen handed the tickets over to the blond boy. "This… This can't be right!" Luca soon exclaimed.

"What is it?" Mai asked.

"These tickets! They say platform nine and three quarters, there's no such thing!" Luca said, gesturing wildly to the signs clearly displayed throughout the station.

And indeed, he was right. There was no sign for a platform 9¾.

"Damn that Supervisor." Mai muttered, and Luca agreed full heartedly.

"Maybe vee should head back to HQ? Let them sort this mess out…?" Luca hedged. Neither he nor Mai wanted to take the chance of searching out their train with how directionally challenged their General was.

"No need." Allen said, and both Mai and Luca cringed. "I think I have a lead." Picking a seemingly random direction he set off at a brisk pace. Despite their reservations, his companions faithfully fell into step to flank their superior.

King's Cross Station was particularly busy that September morning. Commuters rushed back and forth talking on bulky Nokia phones and carrying briefcases fit to burst. Travellers hefted suitcases atop trolleys and battled to keep the difficult things moving in a straight line. Staff scurried about, completing tasks to keep the station's business running smoothly. And a strange assortment of men and women accompanying children with old fashioned trunks and peculiar pets encaged for their journeys, walked with purpose in the same direction.

It was the last of these groups that had gained the General's attention, and with ease the three exorcists shadowed a boy and man, possibly his father. A broomstick and barn owl perched on top of his trunk placed the two firmly among the latter category of travellers.

The two came to a halt between platforms nine and ten and the boy glanced around at his surroundings warily before pushing his trolley forth once more, straight into, no, through the wall between the platforms!

"Oh my G-!" Mai began only for Luca to clasp his hand over her mouth.

"Schhhhh- AUA!" The boy cried out as she vindictively bit down.

"Luca! Mai!" Allen sharply reprimanded, still staring at the wall as the man glanced suspiciously in their direction before following his son through the seemingly solid brick wall.

"Gomen'nasai, General Walker…"

"Es tut mir leid, Meister."

Sighing again, Allen could not help but wonder if this was how others used to feel when dealing with his and Kanda's volatile relationship.

"Now, if you're quite finished we have a train to catch."

"Hai, General Walker."

"Jawohl, Meister."

The two junior exorcists stood to attention and, sighing once more, Allen gestured for them to follow him.

They approached the wall with caution and Allen was the first to step forth. He found the world darkened around him and another step found him in the light once more.

The station had transformed from all its modern conveniences to the old-fashioned designs reminiscent from the days of the old Black Order, when the railroads were new, smoky and proud.

The platform was the same concrete as the rest of the station with the distinctive yellow and black brick detailing. But before him stood a majestic crimson steam engine. Steam hissed and gushed from the machine, the sooty, smoky smell of it in the air filling his nose.

For a moment, the general was lost within old memories.

"General Walker?" Mai hesitantly asked. Having followed their superior through the intangible wall, she and Luca had stood around for almost a minute waiting on the General to continue.

Woken from his thoughts, the noise and bustle of the platform returned to Allen and he observed the children hastily boarding the train and parents on the platform waving and calling their goodbyes.

Striding forth with purpose he made his way to the front of the train, noting on route the Platform 9¾ sign clearly hung from the wall. They were clearly gaining attention from both the parents and student who stared out their windows at the trio of teens in soldier like uniforms, but their commanding presence kept them all from interfering. Soon they reached the engine of the train and were greeted by the driver and fireman who had obviously been awaiting their arrival, something that set the parents at ease and only strengthened the curiosity of many students.

With introductions carried out the three exorcists were welcomed aboard. The whistle blew, load and piercing through the rather quiet platform and a few straggling students hurried aboard. Not moments later the train began its journey, lurching forth and smoke and steam billowing out to engulf those that remained on the platform.

-Innocent Magic-

As the train lurched forward Harry, Ron and Hermione fell rather gracelessly into their seats, having been distracted watching the strangers on the platform stride alongside the train and enter the express.

"Who d'ya reckon they were?" Ron grumbled, pulling a flattened, corned beef sandwich from his back pocket. He eyed it with half-glee, half-disappointment at its inedible state. It seemed his mother would never remember he hated that filling.

"Dunno." Harry replied, watching the world speed by outside their window. "Hermione?"

"I don't recall seeing their uniform or crest in any previous research…" Hermione admitted thoughtfully.

"Crest?"

"Yes, they had a Rose Cross on their chests. Though I haven't seen one stylised quite like that before." Ron snickered. "Honestly Ronald!" The chest is just as much a part of the male anatomy and the female's." She scolded, correctly interpreting Ron's immature amusement.

Ron opened his mouth to retort, only for Hermione to hush him, hold a finger to her lips and point at the compartment next to theirs.

"…probably a load of Mudbloods. Father will hear about this. Maybe it will be enough for him to convince Mother that Durmstrang is a far more appropriate school for my education." The familiar voice of one Draco Malfoy filtered into their compartment, and all three listened keenly. "She didn't want me so far away from home. But if Dumbledore is letting strangers on the train…"

"So, Malfoy doesn't know who they were either? And if he doesn't know, his father and the other school governors are likely in the dark too." Hermione pondered aloud.

"Durmstrang is another school?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "I think it's somewhere up north. They have fur capes as part of their uniform. Possibly amongst European mountains? It would be an efficient way of hiding the place…"

"Hiding?"

"Of course! Can't have muggles stumbling across a magic school. Hogwarts is hidden too. It can't be plotted on a map, and if muggles come across it, it appears abandoned and decrepit to their eyes. It says so in Hogwarts: A History."

Ron scoffed, doubting anyone but her had read the book.

"It's a pity though. Imagine all the ways we could have gotten rid of Malfoy and made it look like an accident!" He exclaimed, looking truly disappointed at the loss of opportunity.

"Yes, what a pity indeed." Startled, Harry, Ron and Hermione turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle standing in the door to their compartment. "If you had attended I'm sure they could have whipped that traitorous blood out of you, Weasley."

Crabbe and Goyle grunted their agreement while Ron's face flamed red.

"I'm sorry Malfoy, but I don't remember anyone inviting you in." Hermione stated calmly, laying a hand on Ron's shoulder in an attempt to pacify him.

"How dare you speak to me, Mudblood!"

It was unclear who went for their wand first but between one second and the next they all had them in hand and trailed on one another. They were just a twitch away from a hex or curse when…

"Is there a problem here?" A female voice from outside, behind the Slytherins, enquired.

Twisting around to face a potential new threat, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle shifted enough for Harry, Ron and Hermione to see past them.

And in the corridor stood the three strangers from the platform, surprising them all enough that for a moment they did nothing but stare.

The girl that had spoken looked to be a couple of years older than them. She was of Asian heritage with dark eyes and black, shoulder length hair. A small scar marred otherwise flawless skin an inch or two beneath her right eye.

Each of their uniforms, while obviously belonging to the same establishment, were individually customised. Hers consisted of white blouse, the collar of which was visible from beneath a fitted navy jumper with a silver Rose Cross broach over her heart and brown belt wrapped twice round her middle. She also wore fitted black trousers and knee length black boots with silver trimmings. Her baggy, black trench coat seemed out of place with the rest of her look.

"If not, can you move. You're blocking the vay to our cabin." The tallest of the strangers blandly stated, his accent thick.

He had blonde hair, blue eyes and lightly tanned skin. A navy trench coat with silver buttons and trimmings was worn open revealing a black t-shirt beneath had the same Rose Cross printed in large on the front. His uniform was finished off with baggy black trousers that were tucked into black combat boots.

"Who are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Guests of Hogwarts. I suggest you treat us as such." The smallest of the strangers mildly warned.

He stood between the other two a good head shorter than the girl and another half again shorter than the blond boy. He wore black trousers and knee-high combat boots. White gloves adorned his hands and a navy coat with gold buttons and trimmings and had a gold Rose Cross over his heart. His features remained a mystery, for the deep hood of his coat was pulled up and cast his face into shadows.

"You were invited? By Dumbledore?" Hermione hedged.

"Hai." The girl replied with a light smile that softened her features considerably.

"Japanese?" Hermione identified, surprised. "German and English too." She continued, having recognised the other two strangers' accents.

"Correct." The shortest replied, some amusement in his tone.

"What school do you attend then?" Hermione continued to question.

The taller two looked taken aback, and before any of the three could respond a rattle from further down the corridor distracted them all.

"Anything from the cart, dears?" A middle-aged witch smiled at them, but there was a nervous edge to it, and her hand hovered beside her wand, balanced atop the food trolley. It was then that the Hogwarts students realised they still had their wands drawn.

"Erm…" Harry began.

"Yes please, ma'am." The hooded stranger replied, brushing past the Slytherins with the other two following closely. Malfoy huffed rudely, muttering about impure blood and with a glare to first the strangers, and then the Gryffindors, returned to his cabin, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched on in bemusement as the shortest of the strangers went on to order and obscene amount of food from the food trolley. The other two seemed unsurprised by the large quantity of food, and instead marvelling over some of the treats available.

"Chocolate frogs?" The girl murmured, perplexedly turning the package this way and that as she and the German helped the other carry much of the food while he paid the lady with a head spinning number of Galleons and Sickles.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?" The blonde mumbled, equally as bewildered.

"Erm…" Harry again began, but seemed to be unable to find the words as all that followed was silence, despite having gained the strangers' attention.

"Would you like to join us?" Hermione stepped in, gesturing to their cabin.

"Wha-? Why would you want them-" Ron grumbled but cut himself off with a yelp as the witch's heel squished his toes.

"We already have a cabin, thank you." The girl replied, eyeing Ron suspiciously before turning her attention on Hermione.

"We should be heading back." The German stated blandly, glancing down at the shortest who had finished purchasing the goods. The trolley lady had moved on without enquiring if they needed anything, nor did she knock on the Slytherin's door to ask them.

"Yes." He replied from behind the food piled high in his arms.

"Try not to get caught in any more trouble, hmm?" The girl offhandedly remarked as they all turned to head back the way from which they had come.

"Wait!" Harry called out. They paused, glancing back at him. "What's your names?" He questioned. They glanced at one another before the shortest responded.

"Allen Walker, pleasure to meet you." Following his lead the other two introduced themselves too.

"Mai Kobayashi."

"Luca Schmitt."

And once more they walked away, and through to the next carriage, leaving the Gryffindors' sights.

Returning to their cabin, and shutting the door firmly behind them, Harry, Ron and Hermione settled back into their seats.

"Looks to be another interesting year." Hermione optimistically stated. Ron grunted his agreement and Harry nodded. "We should get changed into our robes."

Ron's stomach grumbled and he once again eyed his flattened sandwich, this time with resignation.