Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Gods among us - A Harry Potter and Battlestar Galactica crossover

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Synopsis:

Fate is a funny thing sometimes. Harry Potter and his friends survived their trial by fire and defeated Voldemort. A year has passed, and Hermione Granger is apprenticed as a Curse Breaker. When she discovers an ancient tomb, she talks Harry in to helping with the excavation. Now they are trapped, and they'll need a miracle to survive.

Authors Acknowledgement: Thank you to my Technical Guru XRaiderV1and my Beta Rhynimy.

Chapter 1

Harry Potter stumbled as his foot caught in something hidden in the undergrowth. With a curse, he stopped and massaged his ankle. Thank Merlin for the heavy boots his expedition partner had bought them both.

"All right there, Harry?"

Harry stood and waved to where Hermione Granger stood further up the gently sloping, lightly wooded hill. "Fine Mione just caught my foot. Any luck with the tomb?"

Hermione made a gesture toward Harry's left. "Over toward the base of the hill, I've uncovered what looks like a stone wall and a door."

Harry tried to hide his wince. Why couldn't she have found the damn door before he scrambled halfway up the bloody hill? He gave her a quick wave and she disappeared back in to the foliage. With another mumbled curse, he began slipping and sliding back down the slick rocks and undergrowth.

Still being here was an absolute joy compared to post-Voldemort wizarding Britain. Any dream he had of living a normal life was well and truly shattered in the aftermath. Within days, he was being sought out by every wizarding media outlet in Europe. Hell, he had bloody reporters stalking him in restrooms. He had been pulled out of his final days of Auror training after a score of incidents, with deranged fans or reporters. The senior instructors were all but forced to pull him off the normal trainee rotation. Hermione rescued him from the chaos, asking for his help with an archaeological expedition had been a blessing.

Frankly, he had been surprised Hermione had been offered the job, considering their shared history with the Goblins who were financing the dig. Well, maybe not that surprising. The Goblins had a nose for talent and having Hermione on staff as a curse breaker was a good investment.

"Harry, over here, look at this!"

Hermione was waving to him from a freshly dug mound of soil. He waved back, then made his way over to where Hermione was standing alongside two other Gringotts curse breakers.

Hermione looked like she was about to begin bouncing up and down. "We think this is the door. Oh, Harry if I'm right, opening this…well, we'll be able to see and study the anti-magic ward."

Harry had to smile at his friend. Hermione lived for this stuff. "So should we wait for Bill?"

Hermione looked a bit crestfallen. "I suppose….um well maybe if we get the door open we can have a peak."

Andrew Haddock, the senior Curse Breaker, was also trying not to smile. "Oh, I don't think Billy would mind you two having the first peek. Considering it was your idea that the dead magic zone was a ward. If Mister Potter would lend us a hand, Tim and I will get this door stone moved."

The three wizards managed to lever the stone away from the door with pry bars letting out a burst of stale smelling air. Andrew pulled out two muggle torches and handed them to Harry and Hermione.

"You two go have a look while Tim and I do the paperwork, eh?" The older wizard smiled and waved at the door. "Just give us a holler if you need anything."

Hermione threw her arms around Andrew and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Andrew."

Harry grinned at the display. It was amazing both how much and how little his friend had changed. Well, now his previous friend was no longer in the picture. The 'Break Up' was how Ginny referred to it. It deserved the capitals. Ron had tried to tell Hermione that she shouldn't be working. He had been clear that her place was at home with their future children. The row had escalated and by the end of it, any hope of future reconciliation between Hermione and Ron was in ashes. Still, it hadn't stopped Ron trying and in the end, Harry had to step in. One bruised hand and a broken nose later and the break up of the golden trio was complete. Ron hadn't spoken to either of them since.

He was pulled back to reality as Hermione nudged his shoulder. "Oh, this is so exciting, Harry. We are the first to see the inside of this tomb in Merlin knows how long. It's like Tutankhamen's tomb, although technically it is a burial or barrow mound."

Descending what appeared to be fairly even steps, they came to a stone wall carved with what looked to be some sort of pictograms.

Hermione studied the wall carefully. "Hmm well, they are not runes that I recognise, although they could be an early form of Ogham-like the Old Brythonic inscriptions in Pembrokeshire. This is fascinating and a marvellous find in and of itself. We will need to get an ancient languages expert down here."

Harry nodded absently and ran his torch around the chamber. Seeing a red reflection he walked a bit closer to the wall. Embedded in the stone was what looked to be a ruby the size of his fist, "Bloody hell Mione, is this a damn ruby?"

Hermione didn't even look up, "Maybe…I think a rubbing would be a good…"

Harry tuned her out and began studying the other walls. There were shapes carved around the apparent ruby. With his left hand, he pulled his water bottle from his belt and ran water over the carvings. Dropping the bottle, he used his hand to clear away the dirt and dust. After a few moments, he could see that the carvings looked like snakes. Each carved to appear to be 'holding' the gem in their mouths.

"Hermione, look at this."

Hermione didn't even turn her head. "I'm a bit busy. This could be the clue to getting in to the burial chamber itself."

Harry knew she wasn't paying him any attention but dutifully reported his findings. "There are two snakes on either side of the ruby."

"Hmmm…."

Harry sighed and looked back at the carved snakes, "Typical eh lads?"

His words came out as a hissing noise. Harry smiled wryly, strange how he still slipped back to Parseltongue every time snakes were involved.

He almost exclaimed as the two snake carvings open their mouths and the ruby sank in to the wall. Then there was a grinding noise. Then a much louder grinding noise sounded.

Hermione appeared back by his side, a frown on her face. "What did you do, Harry?"

Harry scratched his head, his expression a tad sheepish. "I…um I may have spoken Parseltongue to the carvings."

Hermione threw her hands up in the air sending torch light careering madly around the room. "Of all the stupid….what happened then?"

"The ruby disappeared in to the wall then, well then the grinding noises."

Hermione took a deep breath. "Okay, well let's have a look around. Don't touch or talk to anything else until I work out what happened."

Harry nodded and shined his light on the wall. Moving the circle of light slowly over the wall to the left as Hermione moved her to the right.

"Harry, where are the steps behind us?"

Harry flashed his light to the rear of the chamber to see a stone wall.

"Bollocks."

"Language Harry," warned Hermione absently. "I think we should keep carefully looking around. No reason at all to panic. After all, if we are gone too long Tim and Andrew will rescue us."

Harry nodded and began checking the walls again.

After a couple of minutes, Hermione called out a question. "Harry was there another passage to the right?"

Harry directed his torch to where Hermione was checking the wall. Sure enough, there was a new passage off to the right.

Hermione flashed her light in to the opening. There were stairs, climbing up until they disappeared in the darkness." It might be an alternate way out."

Harry shrugged and smiled. "Wow, a mysterious staircase! What are we waiting for?"

"Very funny Potter, just you remember that we are still in the anti-magic ward. Whatever we come up against we are on our own."

"We could always just sit here until the others get us out."

"Fine, but we need to be careful." Hermione led the way ascending slowly, checking each step carefully before treading on it. Eventually, they reached a large room.

Hermione looked intrigued. "This looks a bit odd. I mean why would there be crystals and…dear god is that a seat?"

There was what appeared to be a padded seat. There were two of them. Side by side in front of something shrouded by dust.

Harry looked over at a stunned Hermione. "Looks like it. There were chairs in the um past, were there not?"

Hermione pointed her torch at the back of the chair. "Chairs made of metal and what looks like plastic?"

oOoOoOo

Hermione Granger was a logical and intelligent witch. Which was why her current situation was so damn frustrating. Inside a burial mound, over a thousand years old was….was whatever this chamber was. The walls looked like stone but were not. She had proven that with a simple tap. It sounded like metal but some type of metal she hadn't seen before. What she had originally assumed was an altar was set with gems and crystals. Frowning she played the light over it again. It looked familiar somehow, but she couldn't place it. She was about to examine the crystals more closely when Harry spoke up.

Harry pointed his torch at the two chairs. "Hermione, is it me or does it look a bit like a control panel with two seats."

Hermione nodded, "A bit. I mean it does almost look like something. That doesn't mean that it is. It could be an altar or have some other ritual purpose. Right now we don't know what it is."

Harry watched Hermione pouring over the altar or whatever it was for a few moments before shining his torch at his watch. "We've been in here a while I wonder why we haven't heard from the others?"

"That is a good question. I would have thought that we would have been missed by now."

Harry tried to think of a decent course of action that didn't require tools they didn't have or magic that didn't work in or around the tomb.

"Mione, I hope you have something up your sleeve that I haven't thought of."

Hermione was silent for a few moments. "It has been a while, hasn't it. Okay, first things first turn your torch off. We may need a light later, so it's a good idea to conserve one battery. So we either wait for a rescue or we try a find another way out."

"Sounds good Mione, any ideas?"

Hermione pulled her wand and tried to cast a light spell to no avail. After another few spells also failed she turned to look at Harry.

"Harry you are one of the strongest wizards I know. Can you try to cast something to see if you get a result?"

With a flick, Harry drew his wand and cast a light spell. There was an almost invisible flare of light before his wand tip faded.

Hermione looked on with an encouraging expression visible in the torchlight. "Almost, try to cast something else."

Harry looked over at the woman who was, without a doubt his best friend. Concentrating he summoned up every positive memory he could and cast his patronus. There was a burst of silver light and the faint hint of a shape before it disappeared.

"That's it Harry…..what is that?" Hermione had turned to look at a wall of silver runes and multi-coloured crystal that were flickering on and off.

Gradually the wall faded back to normal.

Hermione looked pleased. "I think that it could be the wards flaring. Keep casting you may be overloading them."

Harry cast another patronus and this time the wall flickered in to life for almost thirty seconds. Harry cast again and this time his Patronus appeared fully making the wall flare brightly before fading. However, unlike before several of the crystals were left glowing.

Hermione raised her wand. "Harry, the wards must be nearly down. I think if we both cast together it might be enough."

Harry held up three fingers, "On three, one, two…Expecto Patronum."

Together they both called forth their Patronuses, flooding the room with silver light. All around them crystals flared to life.

Then things went to hell.

"Arginus Na-Phalat bro-miphat. Monirat cornuit bo umas. Orbis cavat no laren."

"What the hell is that?" asked Harry.

Hermione looked puzzled. "I have no idea. It doesn't sound like Brythonic at all."

Before Harry could comment the chamber shook once and then began to vibrate.

"Shit okay, we are now officially leaving. Grab my hand, Mione." Gathering his magic, Harry tried to apparate them both out of the tomb. At first, he thought he had succeeded then he perceived a bright flash of white light.

oOoOoOo

The sophisticated artificial intelligence at the heart of bro-miphat was unsure what to do. There were two life forms aboard that were clearly not his crew. His self-diagnostics were telling him that his external data recorders were damaged and power in the main memory core was intermittent. This was not welcome news and hinted at main power being dangerously unstable. Considering the facts available, it concluded that perhaps the bipedal life forms had the means to restore the power systems. After such a long time without power getting core systems back online was a priority.

Using standard galactic basic the AI tried communicating but if the data banks on humanoid expressions were accurate, it was highly probable they did not understand.

Unsure of the next move the AI was considering a visual presentation in an attempt to establish communication. It was about to begin when one of the life forms began to emit a biological energy field. A very specific subspace field that similar in most points to the ships jump drive. It was almost impossible to startle an AI, but this did it.

The field was incredibly powerful if unfocused and it played havoc with the ship's remaining systems. When that energy started the jump drive cycling up, the AI activated its damage control protocols. Working quickly, it began entering spatial coordinates. Without coordinates, a terrestrial jump could be disastrous. At worst it could potentially burn out what remained of the control systems. Even worse it could send the power core critical. The explosion from such an event would destroy a small city. It had just finished the jump calculations when the jump drive activated.

oOoOoOo

Harry awoke with to a loud buzzing noise and a thumping headache. Rolling over, he found himself looking up at a stone ceiling. It took him a few moments to recollect where he was.

"Hermione!" ignoring his headache he clambered to his feet. Looking around wildly he spotted her a few steps away. He staggered over and dropped to his knees. Checking his friend over he was relieved to find no injuries. She appeared to simply be unconscious. Looking around, he spotted his wand. Extended his hand he muttered a wandless summoning charm. A quick enervate spell and Hermione was blinking and looking up at him.

Hermione's hand went to her head. "Ohh my head….what happened?"

"We tried to apparate out but well looks like we are still here."

Hermione looked around the brightly lit room. "How did you get a light spell to work?"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't, it was like this when I woke up."

Hermione sat up with Harry's help and looked around the room. "Well, it looks like something has activated. Most of the crystals are now glowing."

"And magic is working. I just enervated you."

Hermione climbed to her feet. "Right, well I think we should get some experienced curse breakers in here. Let us see if we can apparate out now."

The same disembodied voice sounded again. "Na-Phalarm mori pah murah."

Harry raised his wand, but Hermione raised her hand to stop him.

Hermione spoke slowly and softly. "I'm sorry, but we cannot understand you. I am going to cast a translation spell to try and understand your language."

"Mar lo mac norlim….."

With a small flourish, Hermione cast a translation spell.

"Na… is the bro-miphat. Do you require assistance?"

"Who are you, where are you?" asked Hermione.

The voice responded instantly. "Nom excellent…you pholat understand me?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, although not perfectly or for long. This version of the spell only lasts a few minutes."

The strangely modulated voice sounded almost pleased. "I am the relip-na of the bro-miphat. I control the bro-miphat."

Hermione frowned as she tried to puzzle out the answer. "Are you a computer?"

"Ka-nem unclear…I am the heart of bro-miphat."

"Are you a living being?"

"No, I am relip-na a romal-kar construct."

"You are an artificial intelligence?"

"Nom-fal…yes an artificial intelligence. I am lom-tra phelam mo liphat."

"Damn, I thought the spell would last longer than that," Hermione complained. "I can't use the more permanent translator spell on an inanimate object. The charm needs a living being as the target."

Harry had been watching on as Hermione and the voice conversed, "Hermione, what's going on?"

"I think the voice is a computer or something like it."

Harry shook his head, "What the bloody hell have we discovered. Have you ever heard of anything like this?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. The translation spell I can use isn't working properly either. Whatever it is, we don't have much choice but to try to talk to it again."

Hermione cast the spell again and Harry spent another few minutes listening to the one-sided conversation. He didn't know how to cast it, but he did know from Charms class that most translator spells were complex and the simpler ones often only worked on the castor.

The computer or whatever it was eventually stopped talking and a pale and worried Hermione turned back to Harry. "We have a major problem."

"What is it?"

"I….well, I think I'd best show you." Hermione walked over to the 'altar' and studied the crystals for a moment before touching several. As she touched the last one, a large section of the wall above became transparent.

Harry gazed out at the blackness of space highlighted by several stars. "Shit…. tell me that I am looking at a projection of the night sky."

"Harry, we are in space. As far as I understand the ship, we are somewhere on the outskirts of our solar system. The ship brought us here after we attempted apparating out. Somehow the spell destabilised the engines. If the ship's computer hadn't acted, we could have destroyed several counties."

Harry narrowed his eyes. He did not like where this conversation was going. "Okay, so danger over, it can take us back."

Hermione shook her head. "It's not that simple. When the ship jumped, it did a lot of damage to itself. Serious damage, the computer is not sure the ship would hold together for another jump."

"Well, we can't stay here."

Hermione paled further. "That is the other thing. The ship is running on reserve power now. Soon critical systems will start to shut down. Even if it puts everything in to life support….power wise it says we only have a….a few hours."

Harry pulled Hermione in to a hug. "Don't worry Mione, we'll figure it out together."

oOoOoOo

Hermione slumped back in the command chair. "It's no use, nothing seems to want to work."

"I am unable to fully….Phisap….systems," reported the computer. Thankfully it had heard enough English to translate for itself.

For hours, she had been conversing with the ship's computer before it fell ominously silent. All they had managed to achieve was to have the ship send out an English based distress signal. Hermione had translated the computer's instructions, leading Harry through a multitude of tasks trying to restart systems to no avail. Even the lighting in the cabin had begun to decrease.

Hermione's shoulders slumped, "Even if we use bubblehead charms for air and heating charms to stay warm we are in trouble."

Harry didn't have to say anything as he knew all too well the limits of such 'survival spells'. They didn't last long and continually recasting them would leave them exhausted both magically and from lack of sleep. In the end, it wouldn't save them from the bad air or the coldness of space outside. With a forced smile, he reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "We have no damn choice. We either try and apparate out or I try and create a Portkey."

Hermione nodded and took Harry's hand. "If this doesn't work, I just wanted you to know that I love you. You've always been my best and truest friend."

Harry tried to smile. "Likewise Mione, now take hold of me and let's see if we can apparate first."

Concentrating hard, he tried to channel as much power as he could before releasing the spell.

There was a brilliant flash of white light and then they both knew no more.

oOoOo

The heart of bro-miphat felt a slight power surge and considered its two unconscious passengers. It transferred what power it had left into life support and communications sending out a distress signal in multiple languages.

Its final act was to shunt remaining power from the ships operating systems to keep the biologicals alive.

oOoOoOo

Battlestar Triton (Accord Class - Battlestar)

The Triton was a barely functioning wreck. The Accord class of Battlestars had been known in the Colonial fleet for being able to take a great deal of damage and remain mission capable. The battle above Caprica had proven it. It had been vicious and the Triton had taken an absolute battering. The gods only knew how Commander Solis and his command crew had managed it, but they somehow got the crippled Battlestar to jump. Their heroism had saved what was left of the crew but had cost all those on the bridge their lives as an explosion tore through it.

Since then, the Triton had been crawling along at a fraction of FTL as the crew worked desperately to repair critical systems.

On the newly repaired bridge, Major Kyle Brack turned to look at his 2IC, Lieutenant Emma Boyd. "Frack, is it Cylon?"

Emma didn't look up from her console. "DRADIS hasn't picked up any IFF ours or Cylon. It could be a small merchant vessel."

"Or it could be a fracking Cylon and we are in no condition for any type of confrontation." Kyle was the most senior officer alive aboard the still crippled Battlestar. As such he was in command of the Battlestar and the single surviving squadron of Vipers and Raptors. "Emma, get me Captain Golan on the wireless."

A few moments later the distinctive gravelly voice of the Raptor squadron leader responded. "Smash here, what is it, Brack?"

Kyle grimaced at the question. His former squadron mate was probably not going to like this. "Smash we've got an unknown. It just appeared on DRADIS. It's not showing as Cylon or Colonial. I want a scout to get me a visual."

Hector 'Smash' Golan's reply was politer than he expected, "Brack, you know what you are asking?"

"I know, but if we do nothing and it is a Cylon and he has friends nearby?"

"Then let me send a full flight out."

Kyle couldn't allow a whole flight to be put at risk. "No, we can't risk it. I'll allow two."

"Kyle…..frack it, okay, a flight of two with no backseater. I'll send Chaser and Whiplash but at the first sign of trouble we get them aboard."

"Agreed, and Smash tell them that I ordered them to take no risks. Understand?"

Kyle was giving his pilots both an unspoken 'weapons free'. He knew Smash would have gotten the point.

"Understood and I will. Smash out."

"Emma, keep a close eye on DRADIS and start scanning for any Radiation or dangerous emissions. We are dealing with an unknown."

Less than five minutes later a Raptor with a Viper Mark VII escort were approaching the stationary vessel.

oOoOoOo

Raptor – Lieutenant Taran Sul – Call sign 'Chaser.'

Chaser kept a close eye on the unknown vessel as he did a fast pass with his video running. Whatever it was it certainly wasn't any Colonial vessel he had ever seen. Switching to short-range wireless he opened a channel to his wingman.

"You see any drive housings or anything like it, Whiplash?"

"Negative Chaser, it could be an escape pod."

"I do not see any running lights either. I'm going in for a closer pass. Hold and observe Whiplash."

"Copy Whiplash is holding and observing."

Chaser brought his Raptor around for a much slower pass. He passed as close as possible to the unknown making sure that his intelligence-gathering equipment was recording everything. As he finished the pass, he noticed an anomaly on his DRADIS console. There was a signal, a very weak signal originating from the ship on an odd wavelength. Chaser could see an odd pattern to it.

"Whiplash, check your low bandwidth on the DRADIS. What does it look like to you?"

"Hold it, I've seen something like this in basic training….Hard to tell Chaser, but it looks like an odd form of low powered wireless. I'm barely receiving it here."

"Copy, I'll close again and try opening a wireless channel on that wavelength."

This time, he brought the Raptor to a near standstill and opened a low bandwidth wireless channel.

"….require assistance. La nomis Nor ta harmisphila. Navisratiodefecerunt. Cantavitrequiritauxilium. Ship systems have failed, Crew requires assistance. La…"

Chaser cut off the channel and immediately opened a channel to the Triton.

oOoOoOo

Battlestar Triton – Bridge

Kyle sat back in his seat and looked around the small group of surviving officers that formed the command staff. "So it is a Krypter call, but an odd one. I don't know what most of that gibberish was, but what we did get well the accent is odd and the pronunciation is off. It almost sounds like an Aerilon accent, but not quite."

Emma nodded absently as she again studied the video feed. "It really is an odd design. Based on the lack of engines, I suspect it might be an escape pod of some kind. Regardless, we can mount a rescue."

Kyle glanced around the group again. "It could be a Cylon trick."

For a moment, Emma looked horrified and then her expression was again professional. "Sir, fleet standing orders require us to attempt a rescue. I'm not sure how that works now, after everything that has happened.

Hector Golan nodded in agreement. "It's a small ship, if we get her in to the main landing bay and have marines standing by, it shouldn't be a problem. DRADIS isn't detecting any radiation."

Kyle considered for a few moments before nodding. "Tow her in. Emma, get Sergeant Major Richards to assemble two squads of marines. Let's make this happen people, but in the name of the Gods be careful."

oOoOoOo

The strange ship was lowered to the deck and immediately surrounded by heavily armed Marines.

Chief Petty Officer Gray from engineering led a three-man crew as they began a detailed inspection of the exterior. The engineering crew were thorough and after a rather extended inspection, he walked over to where Kyle and Hector stood.

"Sir, it's made of some metallic alloy I've never even seen before. The only entry point I can see is a hatch at the rear. I've held off on actually touching the ship yet but….well I can't see what else we can do."

Kyle accepted the Chief's report with a nod. "Chief, do what you have to."

The Chief saluted and called for a cutter. Walking to the 'rear' of the ship he took a heavy mallet from a junior engineer and struck the ship three times. Nothing happened so he raised the hammer again and then jumped back as the hatch slid open. The Chief froze for a moment, before calling for Kyle.

"Sir, there are injured people here," reported the Chief as Kyle looked in to the rear of the ship.

Kyle moved closer the rear of the ship but was beaten by a squad of four marines that moved forward, weapons at the ready. Kyle was about to protest, but the Marines were doing exactly what they were supposed to. "Okay Corporal, check it out."

"Sir," responded the corporal, as he and his three squadmates moved slowly, entering the ship.

The four marines had soon swept the small ship. They then checked the two bodies on the floor. "Sir, they are both alive but unconscious. The air is pretty stale in here. I'd guess life support is down."

Kyle looked over to the med team and nodded to the ranking medic, who quickly led his two-man team aboard. Kyle followed and waved the marines back. "Stand down marines."

The leader of the med team looked up when and saw Kyle approaching. "Sir they are severely dehydrated and knocked around from oxygen deprivation. I'll need to move them to Life Stations."

Kyle gave permission but with a caveat. "Do it, but keep them under guard for now."