Chapter Text
Hey, everyone. I'm here with another Harry Potter story. Unlike my past attempts, I didn't want to start this and let it peter out after a few chapters. So, by the time this chapter is going to be first posted, I have already almost finished the story, so I can promise you are going to get this entire story. I'm gonna try and upload one chapter per week to keep a regular posting schedule, though some posting for the next couple weeks might be irregular due to family obligations. Also, for some reason, is giving me serious problems with actually uploading the documents for chapters, so that might slow down uploads for a bit until the site resolves the issue.
Let's get started. Just to give context, this starts on the train ride home at the end of Order of the Phoenix.
Chapter 1
Harry sighs as he leans back against the bench in his compartment, watching King Cross Station coming into view. Finally, he's arriving back in London after arguably the worst year at Hogwarts he's had yet. And yet, he finds himself never having wished less to leave the Hogwarts Express. If only he could just stay here on the train until the time came for term to resume in September. Maybe it's just out of a desire to escape the new reality he finds himself living in, without Sirius and with Voldemort out in the open.
Harry looks across the compartment at Hermione and Ginny. "You guys are going to actually write this summer, right?" he asks them, keeping just enough teasing tone in his voice so they know he's not still upset for them not writing the previous summer.
"Yes, Harry, of course we will. We wouldn't put you through that again after everything that's happened, even if Dumbledore told us not to again," Hermione says empathically. She's the one who was most torn up about the whole "not writing Harry" thing the previous summer.
"And I got a letter from Dad a few days ago I forgot to mention. He and Mum are talking about trying to bring you over to our place sooner this summer so you don't have to spend as much time with the Dursleys," Ron pipes up.
"Thank God for that. I can't deal with the Dursleys much this summer," Harry says.
"You may not have to."
All five teenagers jump as they look to the door. In the door, they see a man in his 30s standing in the partly-open door, looking at them. Some of them vaguely recognize the guy from Hogsmeade visits, working as another bartender at the Three Broomsticks.
"Who are you?" Ron asks, his cluelessness very evident in his voice.
"My name is Andy. Andy White. I'm a member of the Order. I got the job at the Three Broomsticks as part of an assignment from Dumbledore. And he sent me to meet you before the train arrives because you're not heading back home quite yet," the man says.
Everyone looks around at each other before Harry looks at him with slightly narrowed eyes and asks, "How can we trust you?"
Mr White pulls out his wand and holds it out. "I swear on my magic that I mean you no harm and I am here on an errand to bring you to a safe location, so mote it be," he declares. A small shower of sparks comes out of the end of his wand, confirming the truth of his words.
"Wait, where are you taking us? Why does Dumbledore want us going somewhere besides home?" Hermione asks.
"With what's happened at the Ministry and Voldemort's return brought out into the open, Dumbledore wants you to spend the summer at a safe estate owned by the Order. He sent me to bring you there," Mr White says.
"What about our families?" Ron asks.
"They'll be meeting you there," Mr White says reassuringly. He then points his wand one by one at their trunks, which vanish as he does so. He then produces an old boot from his robe, which he holds out to the others. "Here, this is a Portkey that will take us where we need to go. Everyone grab hold, it'll activate any moment now."
All six teenagers, including Neville and Luna, reach out and grab hold of the boot. A few seconds pass, and then they feel a hook behind their navel as the Portkey activates, and they all vanish from the compartment.
A few seconds later, the group suddenly finds themselves in a side street in Muggle London. Nobody is around, save for a large van parked a few feet away. Waiting beside it is a man who looks to be Hispanic. The wand in his wand quickly identifies him as another wizard.
"Glad you made it, Andy. Come on, let's hurry," this new man says.
Mr White nods and gestures towards the van. "Come on, everyone. We have to hurry. People will be tracking us, and we can't linger. Hurry!" he says urgently. All the teenagers are starting to get a bit worried, as this doesn't feel quite right. And yet, Mr. White swore he meant them no harm. What is going on?
Mr White starts trying to herd them towards the van. Thinking it might be best to follow him, they finally comply and get into the van. Harry ends up in the middle row of seats with Ginny and Neville, while Ron and Hermione end up in the third row with Luna. The new guy and Mr White hop into the front, with Mr White driving. Mr White starts up the van and pulls out of the side street onto the main street.
"Where exactly are we going?" Harry asks, his apprehension rising by the second.
"You'll see soon enough, Mr. Potter. Just trust me when I re-iterate that we mean you no harm," Mr White says calmly. The gang all look at each other, still concerned, and wondering what is going on.
(Kings Cross)
Back at Kings Cross, the Weasleys, Tonks, Moody, and Lupin are all waiting on Platform 9 ¾. The Hogwarts Express had finally arrived, and now they're just waiting for the children to disembark. The Weasleys are waiting to take their children home, while Tonks, Moody, and Lupin are mostly there to deliver a message to the Dursleys about how to treat Harry during his time with them this summer.
"Oh, Arthur, I'm so worried. I haven't heard anything from Ronald or Ginny in days. What if their injuries aren't healed?" Mrs Weasley frets loudly. She's been constantly worried about her children since the incident at the Ministry, despite reassurances from both her children and Madam Pomfrey.
"Don't worry. I'm sure they're completely fine," Mr. Weasley says to try and calm his wife down. Of course, he knows it's almost useless to try. Molly is never dissuaded from worrying about someone once she's set her mind to worry about them.
Tonks bounces a bit on her feels as she scans the crowd of students getting off the train. "Any sign of them yet? They're taking a little while," she comments casually.
"Not yet. Maybe they're just stuck in the line to get off," Lupin responds, just as casually.
Moody scowls a bit, his eye beginning to move as he scans the train. "No. They're not. They're not on the train," he says.
Everyone goes quiet and looks at Moody. "Are you sure, Alastor?" Lupin asks in concern.
"Absolutely. I don't see them anywhere on the train…or in the crowd for that matter," Moody says.
Thinking quickly, Mr. Weasleys spots Seamus Finnigan a few yards away. "Mr. Finnigan, have you seen my children or Harry or Hermione?" he asks loudly, making sure he can be heard over the hustle and bustle of the crowd.
"Not since we left Hogsmeade, Mr. Weasley. I saw them all getting a compartment together. Haven't seen 'em since," Seamus responds before excusing himself to go reunite with his parents.
Mr. Weasley turns back to the other Order members. All of them have the same expression on their face…except Molly, who is now wearing an expression of panic. Lupin is the one who voices what they're all thinking, "Something's wrong. Something happened to them on the train. And you know, come to think of it, I didn't see the Grangers outside when we got here."
"The Death Eaters took them?!" Molly almost screeches.
"We can't know. But I'll let Albus know immediately," Lupin says as he raises his wand to send off a messenger Patronus to Dumbledore.
(Streets of London)
Harry glances out of the window. They've been driving for some time. Harry is still very confused as to where they're going, as the drivers have not told the gang where they are taking them.
As Harry looks out of the window, he notices something. He's starting to see more and more airplanes out of the window. As he notices that most of them are either climbing into the sky or descending, he realizes where they're maybe heading.
"Wait…are we going to Heathrow?" Harry asks. Although he had never travelled with his aunt and uncle, he of course knew the name of London's main airport given he lived just outside Greater London.
"Yes, we are," the driver says.
"Why are we flying? And where?" Harry asks.
"We can't explain until we are on the plane for security reasons," the driver responds simply. Harry hopes that he'll get a little bit more out of the driver, but he gets nothing from the driver or the other guy that fetched them. This is getting really weird. Why would Dumbledore want them flying on an airplane? Is…is Dumbledore taking them out of the country? But why would he use an airplane to do that? Couldn't he just use a Portkey?
Before long, they are pulling up to one of the terminals at Heathrow. When the van finally stops, the guy up front with Mr White opens the door and ushers the teenagers out. As soon as they're all out of the van, he leads them quickly into the terminal. As they enter the terminal, another man comes hurrying up to them. The man looks Middle Eastern, which makes the gang even more confused. Two of the three men involved in whatever is going on are of ethnicities almost never seen in wizarding Britain. So how are they involved with the Order?
"Antonio, the jet is ready. We need to hurry before we get tracked here," the new man says.
The other man with them, now identified as Antonio, nods before he looks at the teenagers. "We must hurry. Follow us."
The two men lead the teenagers through security before they enter the passenger area. However, rather than leading them to one of the gates home to an aircraft, the two men lead them to an empty gate at the end of one of the concourses. Once there, the attendant at the gate opens the door to the jetway and allows them to walk down the jetway. As they are let down onto the ramp, they find a small bus waiting for them. As the teenagers are rushed onto the bus, they are still extremely confused.
Once the doors of the bus close, the bus takes off across the tarmac, pausing occasionally to allow planes to pass. Small planes all the way up to jumbo jets are criss-crossing the tarmac, the logos of dozens of airlines on their hulls. But the bus driver keeps driving.
Finally, the bus pulls away from the main terminals and towards a series of hangars a little distance from the terminals. And up ahead, the teenagers can see the shining, sleek form of a Concorde. While the Weasleys, Neville, and Luna don't recognize it, Harry and Hermione sure do. It's virtually impossible for someone raised in Muggle Britain to not know what a Concorde is.
The Concorde is painted in the livery of British Airways. However, as the bus pulls up to the airplane, the paint job seems to fizzle in a way, with a green colored image and different blue writing starting to appear on the side before disappearing and replaced with the British Airways livery again.
"What was that?" Harry asks, pointing to the side of the plane.
"I'll explain later," Antonio responds as he tries to herd the teenagers off of the bus.
The teenagers decide to go along with it, hoping they'll soon get an explanation for everything that has happened. They follow Antonio and the other man that joined them in the terminal up the boarding stairs and onto the plane. As they enter the plane, they are surprised to find that it is more roomy on the inside than it looks on the outside. Very large, luxury seats line the length of the aircraft, two on each side of the aisle, with every other row facing the other direction presumably so that people in different rows can interact with each other.
"An Undetectable Extension Charm?" Hermione wonders aloud.
"Yes. This jet is used for VIP travel, and the bosses decided it was best to expand the interior because of how narrow it was naturally," Antonio says. He pauses for a moment as he exchanges a brief look with one of the crew on the ground outside before he returns his attention to the gang. "Alright, pick your seats. We'll be departing soon."
The gang pauses for a moment, still taking in the airplane. Hermione is the one to break the monotony as she steps forward to take a seat. The others follow her example, taking seats in the first few rows, as does Antonio. The other guy from the terminal sticks his head into the cockpit to exchange a few words with the pilots as the lead flight attendant closes the forward door they boarded through.
Settled into his seat, Harry looks outside and sees that the ground crew are hurrying around the plane to ensure it's ready to go. One guy removes the wheel chocks from the landing gear under the wing. As he moves away, Harry hears the sound of the engines beginning to power up.
"Welcome aboard, my friends," the lead flight attendant says aloud, raising her voice slightly to draw everyone's attention. "I understand that for all of you, this is your first flight on an airplane. So please, listen up as I explain the safety features of this Concorde aircraft."
All the teenagers listen with rapt attention as the flight attendant begins explaining the safety features of the plane, along with a few other things they'll need to know for the flight. Meanwhile, in the cockpit, the captain calls over the radio, "Speedbird 8 to tower. We are ready to taxi."
"Tower to Speedbird 8. You are cleared to taxi. Taxi to Runway 9L, position and hold," the controller responds.
"Copy that. Taxi to Runway 9l, position and hold," the captain says. Then, reaching down, he eases the throttles forward ever so slightly.
Back in the cabin, as the flight attendant is still explaining things, Harry and the others hear the engines' whine increase, and with a slight jolt as the brakes are released, the airplane begins moving. All of the teenagers feel a bit uneasy, and to Harry's surprise, Ginny, who is sitting next to him, actually grabs his hand nervously.
Used to the motion of the plane, the flight attendant continues her safety briefing. As she finishes, "I'll begin serving beverages and snacks once we reach cruising altitude. Until then, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for departure." She then heads towards the back of the plane to make sure everything in the cabin is in the proper position and ready for departure.
As the teenagers settle in to anxiously await takeoff, the captain comes on the PA system to greet them, "Ladies and gentleman, welcome aboard Trident 1, the pride and joy of our fleet. I'm Captain Dennis Freeman, assisted today by First Officer Friedrich Schneider. We hope to be airborne shortly. Expected flight time today is 2 hours and 31 minutes. We hope you will enjoy the flight today, and enjoy your first experience of supersonic travel. Please ensure your seatbelts are fastened, and enjoy the flight."
Several minutes pass as the Concorde continues taxiing towards Runway 9L. As the plane nears the runway, it falls in line behind two British Airways 747s and a Lufthansa A300. The pilots wait patiently as the jets ahead of it turn onto the runway and take off. Finally, the tower calls down and clears them to turn onto the runway and depart.
"Flight attendants, prepare for takeoff," the captain calls over the PA as he guides the Concorde onto the runway. Stopping for a few moments to ensure the way is clear and make sure everything is ready, the captain makes his final checks before saying over the radio and to his first officer, "Brakes released. Speedbird 8, on our way." He and the first officer together reach down, lay their hands on the throttles, and push them full forward.
In the cabin, Harry and the others suddenly a loud roar begins to echo through the cabin. The plane begins to vibrate as it begins moving down the runway. As the nervousness in the teens surges, Ginny squeezes Harry's hand tighter, and he squeezes back a bit. Looking out the window, they watch as the sights of the airport are passing by, but faster and faster as the seconds pass. Finally, the aircraft tilts upward, and a few seconds later it leaves the ground and begins its climb into the sky over London.
All of the people aboard feel a slight sinking feeling in their gut as the Concorde climbs into the sky. But then, they feel an incredible soaring feeling, beyond anything even than they feel when riding a broom. They all look out of the windows, and watch in amazement as the city seems to fall away.
"This is amazing. We're already travelling even faster than a Firebolt, and that's not the end," Hermione mutters.
"Wait, really?" Ron asks in surprise.
"Yeah. We're moving about 200 miles an hour right now, and this plane in particular can go over 1,200 miles an hour," Hermione says. The Weasleys, Neville, and Luna just stare at Hermione in shock, trying to process what they just heard.
Harry, however, already knew that Concorde could fly that fast, so he instead focuses on Antonio. "Can you finally tell me where we're going?" Harry asks.
Antonio looks at him, "Yes, I can. We chose to wait until now to ensure any listening charms on you could not pass on what we said, as this plane is enchanted to block such charms, as well as to risk the secret being discovered should someone have stopped us from leaving." He quiets for a moment, then says, "First, I must tell you that we are not with the Order of the Phoenix. I'm sorry for lying, but it was the best way to get you to trust us. However, we are here as representatives of someone else who is a much better friend to you than the Order."
Antonio pauses for a moment, letting his words sink in. As the teenagers start to get nervous and/or angry, he continues, "You are being taken somewhere where you will be safe from Lord Voldemort and others who mean you harm. You are being trusted with a very great secret, so do not take this for granted. We are currently on our way to Atlantis."
The inside of the cabin is dead silent except for the sound of the engines outside. It takes almost 10 seconds before Ron starts laughing. "Haha, great one. You got us!" he says amidst his laughter.
Antonio's face doesn't change except a glance of slight disapproval at Ron. When he doesn't react, Ron quiets down. "Wait…you're not pulling our leg?"
Antonio still says nothing. Finally, Hermione splutters, "What are you talking about? Atlantis is an allegory! It was never meant to be a serious story!"
"That's what Atlantis wanted the world to believe. But I assure you, Atlantis is very real. Not only is it real, but it is not sunk. Atlantis is a very real land, hidden from the world for thousands of years, and perhaps the most powerful nation on earth. And I have been sent by the king of Atlantis himself to bring you all to Atlantis to finally bring justice and peace to magical Britain," Antonio says.
The teenagers are stunned into silence for some time before Harry manages to stutter, "But-but…"
"If you will allow me to explain, I will hopefully answer all of your questions before you can even ask them," Antonio says calmly. Harry, Hermione, and Neville all look like they want to ignore his request and ask anyway, but they manage to stay silent.
"The land of Atlantis lies in the mid-Atlantic ocean west of the Cape Verde islands. In size, it is about the size of Egypt. We believe that it broke away from what became Africa during the great breakup of the last super continent about 200 million years ago, and that a massive volcanic eruption destroyed part of it about 150 million years ago that resulted in the current island of Atlantis."
"Our historians and archaeologists have not yet determined when the first sentient inhabitants of Atlantis came to the island, but we know that it was somewhere between 15,000 and 11,000 years ago, when small tribes of people, from both Africa and the Americas, came to the shores of what we now know as Atlantis. For several thousand years, people occasionally trickled to the island, and it was a very contentious place, with tribes often at war with each other."
"It was about 3500 BC that everything changed for our land. Perhaps the largest group of immigrants yet arrived on the island. However, unlike previous groups of arrivals, this group came from the Mediterranean. Specifically, Greece. We know this from records about what they brought, including legends of the Olympian gods. And their leader was a man named Atlan."
"Atlan was an incredibly powerful warrior and wielder of magic, and wielded a weapon of great power. When he arrived, he subjugated the more warlike tribes, and slowly brought peace to the island. Within a few years, the entire island was united under his rule, and his new kingdom was named after him. Atlantis."
"Despite his somewhat warlike arrival, Atlan ruled justly and with love for his people. By the time of his death, he had built Atlantis into an incredibly prosperous nation. And following him, his son and his descendants continued to rule justly and built up Atlantis into a great, prosperous nation."
"What led greatly to Atlantis' prosperity is that from the time of the first settlers, there were many magic users on the island. Over time, and especially after the arrival of Atlan, this number only grew. Over the centuries, this number grew into the thousands."
"So, wait, what happened? Why has Atlantis only been a myth to the entire world?" Hermione asks, still baffled by what she's hearing.
"After it's creation as a kingdom, Atlantis began to grow and expand. For about 1,000 years, Atlantis grew bigger in population and more powerful. With their great navy and army, Atlantis began to expand beyond the shores of their island and built the Atlantean Empire, one of the greatest empires the world has ever known. At its height, Atlantis ruled the eastern coasts of North America, most of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, Iceland, Britannia, Spain and Portugal, Morocco, the coastal lands of Africa, and in Nigeria and the Congo we had most of those lands. We also ruled Madagascar, Sri Lanka, several parts of India, and even a few islands in Indonesia. Almost every island in the Atlantic was under our rule as well. During this time, we grew greatly in technological advancement. We were centuries ahead of any other civilization on Earth in terms of our technology.
"However, for all its greatness, the Atlantean Empire met its downfall around the year 2500 BC. At the time, Atlantis was ruled by King Atlan the Fifth, one of our greatest kings since the original King Atlan. However, his rule was marred by one of his brothers, Arland. Arland is one of the few members of the royal line to have ever turned to evil, and his actions brought about the downfall of Atlantis' empire."
"Arland sought to usurp the throne. But because Atlan V was so beloved, he knew he had to win the hearts of the people. He decided to do that by expanding the empire. He took a massive army to the Mediterranean, and began to conquer it. He conquered modern Algeria, Italy, Malta, Crete, and Egypt, and made inroads into France. However, Arland was cruel, and brutally oppressed and enslaved the peoples he conquered."
"What happened?" Hermione breaks his narrative again.
"By the time Arland turned his attention to the ancient source of his family, that being Greece, Atlan V had learned of his brother's brutality and realized his purpose. Deciding that he needed to act on behalf of the people of Greece, and others who may one day be targeted by his brother, he led a naval force into the Mediterranean. As Arland attempted to attack Athens, Atlan used his incredible magical power to aid the people of ancient Athens against his brother. Arland's forces were destroyed, and the prince himself was slain by Atlan's own hand. However, Atlan realized that his brother's influence had spread too greatly in Atlantis, with Atlantis' people growing arrogant and imperialist beyond anything they had before. Atlan decided that in order to protect the rest of the world and to save his own people from themselves, the empire needed to end.
"The king ordered all of the colonies of Atlantis to be abandoned and all of the Atlantean people to return to Atlantis. All colonies, save for a few islands that were uninhabited or sparsely populated, were abandoned by Atlantis. He did what he could to ensure the colonies would be able to rule themselves, and then performed a truly incredible act of magic: he performed what was essentially a mass Memory Charm, erasing the memory of Atlantis from the minds of almost every non-Atlantean who knew of our existence. This feat of magic was so great and taxing that it actually cost the king his life. However, it left Atlantis hidden from the minds of almost everyone on earth. And in his stead, the king's sons led other wizards of the kingdom in establishing the magical wards and barriers that hide us physically from the rest of the world."
"One family in Greece was among those very few allowed to keep their knowledge of Atlantis. Many centuries later, a boy was born into this family who would be named Plato, and it was this Plato that wrote down the story of Atlantis that the rest of the world knows today. And now, the knowledge of Atlantis' existence has almost entirely faded from the minds of the wider world."
The teenagers just stare at Antonio for several long moments before Hermione manages to ask, "But…what is Atlantis like now?"
Antonio smiles. "Atlantis is perhaps the most prosperous country on Earth. Our population numbers almost 102 million people. We also have the largest magical population on Earth, numbering just over 38 million."
"What? Thirty eight million?" several of the gang burst out. That number has them all in complete shock. That's more than 30 times more than the entire wizarding population of the rest of the world as far as they know.
Antonio smiles in amusement. "Yes. Unlike many other lands, magic users in Atlantis were never persecuted, and unlike many other lands, there has never been any stigma against so-called purebloods from marrying non magical people. Magical people have intermarried so much with Muggles that our numbers of wizards and witches have risen to the levels they are now. And because we have never been a part of the International Confederation of Wizards, mostly because they don't know we exist, there is no Statute of Secrecy on Atlantis. Wizardkind and Muggles live alongside each other in perfect harmony, treating one another as if they were no different. Magical and Muggle societies are fully integrated into one Atlantean society. We have also advanced decades beyond every other country on earth in terms of technology, and blend magic and technology wherever possible."
All of the teenagers stare in shock at Antonio. He laughs a bit before he continues, "I know all of this is overwhelming given what you've been taught your whole lives about Atlantis. But I still have yet to tell you the reason we have been ordered to bring you to Atlantis."
"Despite our isolation, Atlantis maintains surveillance over the world in case of a threat arising that could threaten our nation. And for decades now, we have been very interested in Tom Riddle. We have kept a very close eye on Lord Voldemort over the years, as we have considered him perhaps the greatest wizarding threat that the world has seen in centuries. Now that things with him are about to reach a head, and unsure who around you could truly be trusted, our king demanded we extract you from Britain and bring you to Atlantis so that you could be protected and properly trained. The king believes that only in Atlantis will you find the instruction and support needed to bring a final end to Voldemort."
"Support?" Harry asks.
Antonio's facial expression changes before he says, "Mr. Potter, I don't think you realize how little true support you had in Britain. Some you thought were your friends were only doing so for their personal benefit, while others were only concerned with beating Tom Riddle without concern for your own benefit. Atlantis, however, has the strength and magical knowledge needed to put a final end to Voldemort while ensuring you don't have to compromise your happiness or your life."
"What are you talking about? Who is just using me like that?" Harry asks.
"A certain Albus Dumbledore," is Antonio's response.
Again, the cabin goes silent except for the sound of the engines. It takes several moments before Harry splutters, "What?"
"Yes. I'm not lying to you, Mr. Potter, I swear it. However, Dumbledore is not necessarily doing it maliciously. According to our intelligence, we believe that Dumbledore has convinced himself that you need to die in order for Voldemort to die for good. He does not want to do it, but has convinced himself he has to in order to defeat Voldemort. I can't give you a better explanation right now, as I don't know all the details, but once we get to Atlantis, there is someone who can. In addition, Molly Weasley is following Dumbledore's lead as she firmly believes he knows best, although Mr. Weasley is not so certain. We also know that the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, although they don't know most details, are following Dumbledore's lead. Dumbledore has engineered your life carefully to ensure you will be able to not only help the anti-Voldemort movement, but be willing to sacrifice yourself when the time comes."
There is silence for a few more moments before Hermione asks, "But…you don't think so."
"No. We have figured out not only how Voldemort survived that night in Godric's Hollow, but also why Dumbledore thinks you need to die to defeat him, and why you actually don't. I don't have all the details. But once we get to Atlantis, you'll learn all there is to know."
Antonio pauses for a moment before he says, "I am sorry to have to lay all this on you. I know it must be difficult to process. But I promise you on my life that everything I have told you is true. And once you meet our king and others familiar with the situation, you will learn the full truth of everything and finally see for yourself. You are a friend to Atlantis, Mr. Potter, and we intend to make sure you live through this war."
Harry is just silent for a while, his mind seriously struggling to process what is happening and what he's been told. His mind doesn't want to believe what he's just been told about Dumbledore. And yet, hearing does make some actions by Dumbledore make a little bit more sense.
"How can I know you're truly telling the truth?" Harry asks.
Antonio looks back at him, then pulls out a small vial of something. He unstops it and pours several drops of whatever is in it into his mouth. After a moment, he starts to look a little out of it before speaking in a very monotone voice, "I am a servant of the king of Atlantis, here to bring you to safety on Atlantis to protect you from Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore, the Ministry of Magic, and anyone else who wishes to do you harm."
A few moments pass before he slowly manages to drink from another vial in his other hand. Immediately, his eyes return to focus and he looks directly at Harry. "That was Veritaserum. I hope that is enough to satisfy your immediate concerns."
Harry just stares back. Yes, the man can't lie under Veritaserum, but his mind is still struggling to accept all of what he's just been told.
Ron finally speaks for the first time in a while. "Wh-when will we get there?" he asks.
Antonio smiles. "Well, with the speed that the Concorde can make, and the fact it's about 3,300 miles from London to the capitol of Atlantis, we should be arriving in about 2 and a half hours," he says. He then smiles at the shocked looks that come over the faces of the gang as they grasp the speed with which the Concorde can move. He then adds, "I can answer some more questions about Atlantis if you wish, but many questions that I'm guessing you might have may have to be put off until you meet with the king."
Right then, the flight attendant starts coming by with a cart of drinks and snacks for the gang. Everyone starts examining the choices being offered. However, Harry looks out the window. Already, the Concorde is nearly supersonic and is already high enough that the land below is mostly obscured by clouds. But as Harry looks out at skies that are bluer than anything he's ever seen, he finds himself thinking not about the shocking revelation about Dumbledore he was just told, but rather about the land they are heading to. Atlantis. The land of myth. And Harry finds himself wondering exactly what they're going to find there.
And with that, I'll end the first chapter.
So, yes, this story will center around Atlantis being a real, unsunken land. I've been creating an entire lore for the Atlantis in this story, but I'm also open to suggestions for more additions to the lore for it. Give me suggestions for what you'd like to see, whether parts of Atlantean culture, city names, magical or non-magical creatures you'd like to see or even ideas for new ones, or anything else, and I'll see if I can incorporate it based on what I've already created.
So, yes, this story is kind of going to be one where Dumbledore is at odds with Harry, but not in the usual sense that we usually see with evil-Dumbledore stories. I'm also not sure whether or not I want to see Dumbledore die in this story. Let me know your opinion on that. Also, the Weasleys aren't actually evil in this story, they're just somewhat blind followers of Dumbledore because of their faith in him. Also, as I said in the chapter, Dumbledore is keeping his belief about Harry having to die from pretty much everybody except a close few.
Next chapter will be up in a little over a week. Until then, leave a review, follow and favorite, and stay tuned!