On a wide stretch of rust-red ground, where broken stones and drifting dust shaped the lonely landscape, a group of people stood in silence, their bodies fully covered in protective attire, facing the fading light of the setting sun.
Click.
Click.
Cameras clicked, flashes washing over the group while they seized that single heartbeat of time.
One recording settled into a still image built from ones and zeros, and the other drifted into a moving picture shaped by runes and magical energy.
The picture revealed a small group of men and women, all dressed in identical outfits, standing on rust-colored sands while a gentle crimson glow spread across the sky. The landscape behind them lifted into rolling hills of rock and dust, and in front of the group a planted flag swayed softly in the pale, passing wind.
The moment carried the grainy charm of footage captured on a seventies camera. In the years to come, these images would hang in museums and fill the pages of history books, marking the moment humanity stepped into a new chapter, perhaps of its entire existence.
---
Nearly half a day had passed since Maverick opened the portal between Earth and Mars, and his team still buzzed with restless energy. The setting sun cast long shadows as they wandered like toddlers in a sandbox, scooping rust-colored sand, picking at odd rocks, and staring at everything with eyes so wide they could hold the horizon.
The sunset on Mars lacked the bold colors of Earth, yet it was no less mesmerizing. Deep orange and gold lingered in the sky, and the light stretched thin as it washed the horizon with gentle blues and muted reds, as if the sun were slipping behind a veil of dust.
As the glow settled across the landscape, everyone agreed that the moment belonged in the history books. To mark it, Maverick added a final touch by planting a simple flag in the ground and gathered the team for a photo.
They stood side by side, captivated as they watched the pale sun sink toward the horizon. To Maverick's left and right stood Howard and Norex, while Bucky and Howard's wife took their places at the sides, and the others fell naturally into a loose line behind them.
The flag stood at the front, nothing more than a simple piece of cloth covered with everyone's signatures on both sides. It carried no symbol and belonged to no nation, and even though it had been a decision made on a whim, it felt more meaningful than any polished emblem.
"The initial base will be ready for installation in about a month. After today's little triumph, I think it is safe to say the team is fired up and ready to make it happen as soon as possible," Howard said quietly as the wind brushed against them, while also running through the plan for the coming weeks.
"I leave everything to you." Maverick listened with a thoughtful nod. "Just don't call me every day to transport things. My schedule at the school is already tight enough."
"Still, until the base is finished…" Howard smiled at the fading light. "After that, once a week should be fine, right?" He turned his head slightly.
"Can you two drop the work talk for a bit?"
Maria let out a small breath as she held onto Howard's arm. "Take this in. We're actually standing on another planet."
"Listen to your lady, Howard," Maverick chuckled.
Maria smiled and glanced at him. "On a serious note… a year ago, I remember this was all just talk. But I'm sure of it now, Mr. Caesar. Your grand vision will come true someday."
Maverick leaned his head slightly, a sly glint in his eyes. "So... does that mean you didn't believe me before?" he asked, raising a brow.
"I…"
Howard quickly answered for her, raising his hands. "You can't blame her. What you proposed back then would have sounded absurd to anyone."
Bucky also chuckled. "I'm taking Howard's side on this, boss. Even with the crazy things I've seen, not once in my life did I think I'd stand on an alien world."
"There's literally an alien next to you," Maverick nudged his head toward Norex.
All three of them turned to Norex and, shrugging together, smiled.
"He doesn't count."
The sun slipped lower and lower, casting the land in quiet, muted color. As night fell, the Martian sky grew sharper than anything they had ever seen. Without humidity to blur the stars and without pollution to dim them, the heavens stretched above like black glass sprinkled with silver dust.
Unlike on Earth, where stars twinkled, here they shone with hard, unwavering brightness that made the universe feel almost within reach. It was a moment they knew would stay with them forever. Even when the light faded, they did not move to leave.
Curiosity kept them wandering since everything around them seemed fresh and unfamiliar. They noticed every rock, every glimmer of mineral, and every change in the sky, and this made them want to begin studying it all at once, in that very moment.
But hunger and exhaustion still reminded them of their human limits, and they could not stay without food or sleep for long. Nevertheless, Maverick did not rush them and allowed them to savor the moment.
Only after they insisted did he lead them back through the gateway, and the entire team went out for a celebratory dinner, still buzzing with excitement.
Time slipped by steadily, with days turning into weeks and weeks stretching into months. March slowly gave way to April, and the weather followed suit, changing without warning. The chill of winter receded as spring made its cautious entrance, sending warm breezes to mingle with rain that came and went like whispered thoughts. Soon, May arrived quietly, without much notice.
Nothing remarkable happened at Hogwarts during that time, although the Quidditch excitement had reached new heights now that the all-stars were playing for their house teams.
Dumbledore, too, seemed unusually cheerful, though no one suspected it was because he had been cured of his life-threatening ailment. The old man was… well, clearly up to something, but Maverick did not bother to find out.
At the same time, while the school carried on as usual, Maverick's schedule was almost overflowing. For two months, nearly every afternoon after classes, he functioned as a living gateway, ferrying materials, trucks, heavy machinery, and all the supplies required for the Mars mission.
The initial base expanded rapidly, resting on a solid foundation designed to endure violent dust storms, and it was finished in just over a month. On the bright side, with the machinery finally running, Maverick no longer had to shoulder every heavy task.
A portion of his team was now stationed on the Mars base, already beginning their research. Now, Maverick's visits were limited to delivering supplies or rotating personnel only, while the crew handled the completion of compartments and installations independently. This growing autonomy allowed him to focus on other matters.
By early May, with his routine returning to normal, he finally had time to consider a project of his own: constructing a gateway through alchemy between Mars and Earth. Even though he now only needed to serve as a hub once a week, enabling his team to move between the planets independently would make the operation far more efficient.
It might sound easy, but it was far from it. For starters, even with his expertise as a master alchemist, the magical system alone offered no way to bypass its limitations. Yet by combining it with the sorcery system, he could theoretically create a stable teleportation device linking the two bases.
This time, though, he wasn't drawing on ideas from his previous life. Instead, it would be a project entirely his own, with no theoretical blueprints to rely on, and he would have to design, test, and complete it on his own.
It was certainly difficult, but not beyond his abilities. He felt confident that, given enough time, he could bring the project to life, possibly even completing it before the year was out.
And speaking of the year, it was now early May and just a month away from year-end exams. That meant exams, exams, and exams, and being a teacher, he was responsible for creating them, and he had to prepare five sets this year, from 1st to 3rd years and 6th and 7th.
Who would have thought a dignified archmage would be reduced to juggling minutes like this? But even if he wanted to complain, he had only himself to blame. After all, who had asked him to fall into Dumbledore's pyramid scheme and agree to professor two whole subjects?
Maybe it was time, he thought, sitting in his Hogwarts office with a steaming cup of coffee, to pester the old man about hiring someone for the alchemy classes, at least for the younger students. Because next year his schedule would only get tighter.
Taking a sip and exhaling the steam, he set the cup back on the table and leaned back. And just then, he felt his pocket vibrate, reached in, and pulled out his phone.
It was… he hummed, raising an eyebrow. Lucius?
Despite his busy schedule over the past two months, he had not neglected the important matters that would feed into next year's plans.
For starters, at the end of April, Minister Greengrass had finally informed him that the ministry—or at least all its regular departments—was under his complete authority, with the right people placed in the right positions.
Meanwhile, Lucius, his very own Snape, kept him updated on the pure-blood circles, their movements, and whether any moron was planning something that could cause him trouble. Fortunately, they had been quiet, and perhaps unfortunately, too quiet.
After Pattegrew had so conveniently "escaped," no word of him had been heard, even within the Death Eater circles, and not a single mention of the supposedly dead noseless wanker had appeared in their communications.
But it seems... that was all about to change.
"Interesting," he murmured, a smile tugging at his lips as he looked at the text.
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Author's Note:
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