The start of every academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was usually full of life and excitement. This year, however, the presence of Dementors patrolling the outer grounds changed everything, casting a heavy gloom over the castle.

It was late afternoon, and if this had been any other year, the castle grounds would have been scattered with students gathered in cheerful little groups. Today, however, Maverick saw only a few here and there, and most had returned to their common rooms after filling their stomachs in the Great Hall.

He remained seated on the wide stone steps that stretched out toward the edge of the lawn, allowing his thoughts to drift as the breeze stirred faintly around him.

In the original story, Voldemort had no direct involvement in this school year at all. Everything from beginning to end revolved around Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

But now that Maverick had taken both of them off the board, he couldn't help but wonder if something unexpected might unfold at Hogwarts this year.

Perhaps something might happen on Halloween, or would it be Lupin who lost control? Dumbledore had assured him and the others during that first meeting it would not be a problem. Lupin's condition would be managed by Snape, or so they had all been told.

He sat there for a while, lost in thought, until a quiet sigh slipped out. Maybe he really had grown attached to this place. Two years wasn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but somewhere along the way, this castle, and the kids running around inside it, had started to mean something to him.

That probably explained why he kept going in circles over nothing. After all, this wasn't just some ordinary school. Whatever came their way, Hogwarts could take it. And with the people walking its halls, even a lunatic like Tom Riddle at his peak would have to think twice before even making a move.

"Professor Caesar! What are yeh doin' out 'ere?" came a familiar booming voice, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Maverick stood up from the stone steps and lazily cast a cleansing charm over his robes. He turned around just in time to see the half-giant making his way over, bundled up in that old moleskin coat of his, looking cheerful—more than usual, actually—and practically beaming with excitement.

"Nothing in particular," Maverick replied, smiling at the man. "What about you?"

"Got me first class at four, so I'm out collectin' a few things!" Hagrid said with a grin that reached his eyes. "Gotta make sure everythin's ready."

Maverick raised a brow. "You're planning to introduce a magical creature in your very first lesson?"

"That's right!" Hagrid's face lit up. "It's Buckbeak—yeh know him, don't yeh? He's real gentle, that one. The students'll love 'im, I'm sure!"

Maverick tried his best to come up with a polite way to steer him off the idea. He liked Hagrid, he really did—but when it came to being cautious, the man wasn't exactly known for it.

"Hagrid, listen," he said finally. "You're brilliant with magical creatures, no doubt. But the students aren't. You'll need to be extra careful... not every kid's going to know how to handle a hippogriff."

"Don't you worry, Professor Caesar!" Hagrid thumped his chest with one meaty hand. "I'll keep an eye on 'em. It'll be fine!"

It was like not a single word had reached the man—or maybe they had just gone in one ear and flown straight out the other. Maverick sighed.

"Just... be careful," he said. "And take the kids' personalities into account when you're planning... whatever it is you're planning."

Hagrid only grinned wider.

Before Maverick could press further, he felt a soft vibration from his pocket. He pulled the device out, gave it a quick glance, and straightened up.

"I've got something to take care of. See you around, Professor Hagrid..."

That last part made the half-giant blush right down to his beard. With a flustered nod, Hagrid turned and lumbered off, humming happily to himself.

Maverick smiled, then glanced down at the device once more to double-check the message. A knowing smile tugged at his lips as he slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked around the grounds.

With a quick wave of his hand, his Patronus sprang to life, wings beating softly as it hovered in front of him. After a brief moment of eye contact, the shimmering raven turned and soared toward the Headmaster's Tower.

He might not make it back tonight, so it was only fair to give the old man a heads-up. With that thought, Maverick vanished from sight and rose smoothly into the sky, slipping past the wards before disappearing from the area entirely.

---

North London.

With a soft hum, Maverick appeared high above the city, the faint shimmer of displaced air vanishing behind him. The sky was grey, with a lazy drizzle hanging in the air—like the city hadn't quite made up its mind whether to rain or not. Below, rows of red-brick houses stretched neatly along the narrow streets, speckled with moving cars and the occasional umbrella.

He hovered for a moment, taking in the view—then slowly descended toward a completely ordinary-looking home on a completely forgettable street.

Without pausing for flair or theatrics, he walked straight up to the front door, flicked a smooth Alohomora, and pushed it open—all in the same breath before stepping inside.

Inside was plain beige walls, a worn carpet, and a modest living room where two men were slouched on a couch, watching a game show with the kind of focus only boredom could bring.

They didn't overreact when the air shimmered and Maverick appeared out of thin air. Clearly, they recognised both him and the bit of magic that had just occurred.

They exchanged a few quiet words, and with a final nod to the two men, Maverick stepped further into the house, crossed over to a tall bookshelf against the far wall, and pulled out a thick, dusty-looking book.

He opened the book and shook his head with amusement, seeing how typical it was to hide a button inside a book on a bookshelf that led to a secret door.

It was all Howard's idea, he thought, then pressed the "secret button."

Click. Creak.

Sure enough, he saw the shelf slide backward, then swing sideways, revealing a hidden doorway beyond.

He stepped through without hesitation, and the shelf quietly closed behind him. The men on the couch spared the whole scene a glance only—then promptly returned to their program.

Behind the shelf, he saw a metal platform—an elevator, sleek and silently descending. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his long coat as an indicator blinked on and off in front of him.

This place was the entrance to the underground lab—well, an entrance to one of the underground labs he had set up for Howard. This one, in particular, was where Howard was working on the pod designed to survive in space and Mars' atmosphere.

The first step was getting there, and for that, he didn't need anything big. Moreover, there was no need for something like a rocket, as getting a pod spacious enough for just two people beyond Earth's atmosphere was hardly a challenge for a wizard like him. Besides, there was also portal magic from the Sorcery system, so they wouldn't even have to spend time inside during the journey.

Ssssss.

The elevator came to a smooth stop, and the doors slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a vast, brightly lit chamber.

Maverick walked in, his eyes sweeping the room—and what immediately caught his attention was the beauty in the centre. The first thing that came to mind upon seeing it was the Quinjet from the Marvel films, though there were a few differences here and there—and it was definitely smaller.

The body was smooth, made from some dark alloy, and it hovered just above the ground on a set of stabilisers. Two large engines were fixed at the back, mounted on joints that looked like they could rotate in any direction, giving it a sense of flexibility and control.

A dozen or so people were still working on it—and they weren't just engineers. Among them were a few alchemists Maverick had handpicked for the job. With their combined expertise and magical abilities, this team was more than capable of getting it done.

"Didn't think you'd be here so quickly," said Robert—or rather, Howard in disguise—as he walked over to him. Maverick had stopped a short distance away, quietly admiring the machine.

"I wasn't expecting it to be completed so soon..." Maverick said, eyes still fixed on the sleek machine before him.

"It's not a big project," Howard replied with a casual shrug. "A machine that can survive in space and theoretically handle Mars' atmosphere, with decent room inside for two people…"

Maverick finally turned from the machine to look at him. "When can we begin?"

"Begin…" Howard tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Now, if you want. We just finished the final tests. It's ready to go whenever you are."

"Good." A grin tugged at Maverick's lips before he could stop it. He was genuinely excited—after all, it was space. Who didn't want to go to space?

Howard chuckled at his expression. "You look like a kid getting his favourite toy."

Maverick ignored the jab and clapped his hands, calling the team over. The engineers and alchemists gathered, following him into a smaller room off the main lab that had been set aside for briefings.

They spent over two hours there as Howard, alongside the engineers and alchemists, walked him through every aspect of the machine—its systems, strengths, and, of course, its limits.

Essentially, Maverick's job was simple—at least to him. His role was to get the vessel beyond Earth's gravity well, bypassing the need for any conventional launch infrastructure. Once the pod exited the atmosphere and reached a stable trajectory, the hybrid propulsion system would take over.

The flight path had been carefully calculated using Muggle astrodynamics, and the team had plotted a direct trajectory to Mars using basic orbital mechanics. It wasn't the most fuel-efficient course, since they weren't waiting for the ideal planetary alignment, but it was still stable and fast enough to get the job done.

With the help of the ship's hybrid propulsion system, they estimated the journey would take somewhere between three and five months.

Maverick remembered that before his transmigration in 2024, NASA space programs typically took six to nine months for a mission to Mars, so he was perfectly pleased with the three-to-five-month estimate Howard and his team had produced.

Once the pod approached Martian orbit, Maverick would take control again. While the vessel was equipped with atmospheric maneuvering capabilities, Howard had designed it with the assumption that Maverick would handle reentry manually, using his magic to land safely.

If it were before, he would have placed importance on the machine's capability of maneuvering within Mars' atmosphere, allowing for surface exploration—but he had no interest in that now. For him, what mattered—the only thing that mattered now—was getting there.

Because, with mastery over the sorcery system's portal magic, he could simply establish a stable tether between Mars and Earth, making the return trip—and all future trips—instantaneous. The machine was simply a means to an end.

"Tonight, then, gentlemen," Maverick said to the team. Turning to Howard, he added, "Get Bucky here as well. I'll be back around midnight."

He stood up and grinned at the group, who looked just as expectant as he was for the whole operation. "Let's make history tonight."

————————

Author's Note:

I won't be focusing much on what happens inside the school this year, as nothing major is expected... except for a short arc involving Lupin later on.

The general trajectory for this year is already set. Besides Sirius and Pettigrew's storylines, there will be some Marvel-related content as well. It will all come together to be very exciting, and really, I can't wait to share the finished chapters with you all.

Thanks for reading, and thank you, as always, for your continued support.

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