Chapter 57: First Steps
Stepping through the Astria Porta felt wrong in a way that made the back of Ron's neck itch every single time he used it.
The moment his boots hit solid ground on the other side he let out a breath and grimaced slightly.
"I'm never getting used to that feeling."
Hermione stepped through behind him with far more grace than he had managed.
"Oh come on Ronald, it wasn't that bad."
Ron looked at her flatly. "Yes dear."
Hermione narrowed her eyes immediately. "Don't start with me Ronald."
Luna wandered through the gate next, looking entirely too calm for someone who had just traveled between planets.
"Oh this is going to be such a lovely trip," she said dreamily while turning slowly in place. "I think we're supposed to meet someone important here."
While Neville barely seemed to hear any of them.
The second he stepped out onto Athos his attention locked onto the surrounding plant life.
"Oh wow..." he muttered while crouching beside a cluster of broad-leafed purple ground vines. "Look at these. Do you think they're native to this planet or have come through the Porta?"
Ron blinked at him. "Mate we literally just got here and your already knees deep in plants."
"Yes, and your point is?"
Neville gently touched one of the leaves after looking away from Ron. "I wonder if they have medicinal properties."
Hyacinth let the familiar sound of her friends talking settle into the background while she pulled one of the life sign detectors from her satchel.
The device flickered softly in her hand before several clusters appeared across the display.
"There's a settlement to the east of us," she said after orienting herself. "It's not far either."
Hermione stepped beside her to look at the readings. "How large is the population?"
"It looks like it's a decent size," Hyacinth replied. "and the life signs seem stable enough."
Luna smiled faintly. "Good, that means they probably won't try to kill us immediately."
Ron looked horrified. "That was an option?"
"It's always an option Ronald," Hermione sighed.
With that they set off towards the settlement.
Hyacinth had to admit Athos was beautiful.
It was the first thing she noticed as they moved through the forest paths leading away from the Porta.
Everything felt alive.
The air was warmer here than on Atlantis. It felt heavy with the smell of dirt, plant life and had the sound of trickling water off in the distance.
Strange birds called from somewhere high in the trees while thick vines curled around trunks larger than some of the support pillars back home.
Neville looked close to emotional.
"I wish you guys could understand how amazing this place is." he whispered while staring at a flowering tree with silver bark. "Do you have any idea how many undiscovered species are probably on this planet alone?"
Ron snorted. "You're acting like we found buried treasure."
Neville looked genuinely offended. "This is better than mere buried treasure."
"That," Luna said softly from nearby, "is probably true."
Hyacinth smiled faintly despite herself.
Ten years inside Atlantis had changed all of them.
But moments like this reminded her they were still themselves underneath everything else.
Even if "themselves" now included interplanetary travel and way more responsibilities then they could have ever imagined back home.
They were spotted before they reached the village.
Hyacinth realized it the moment she noticed movement through the trees ahead.
A few seconds later several figures stepped carefully into view.
Luckily they looked like they were human.
The woman standing at the front held herself differently from the others. She was young but held herself like a leader.
Her eyes moved carefully across each member of their group before settling on Hyacinth.
"You are not Wraith," she said slowly.
"No," Hyacinth replied evenly. "We're not."
The woman relaxed only slightly.
"You came through the Ring of the Ancestors. Why?"
Ron opened his mouth before Hermione elbowed him hard enough to shut him back up.
Barely.
"We mean no harm," Hyacinth continued. "We came looking for information and possible trade."
The woman studied them for another long moment.
Then finally nodded once.
"I am Teyla Emmagan of the Athosian people."
Hyacinth inclined her head politely. "I am Hyacinth Potter-Black and these are my friends: Hermione Weasley, her husband Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood."
Teyla's attention lingered briefly on Luna, who smiled back pleasantly.
"You have an interesting mind," Luna informed her.
Teyla blinked once. "Thank you?" she said questioningly
Ron made a strangled noise somewhere behind Hyacinth as he tried and failed to stifle his laughter.
The Athosian settlement was quieter than Hyacinth expected.
But that didn't stop the villagers from watching them with open curiosity as they entered the village.
Children peeked around corners while several older Athosians whispered among themselves at the sight of their strange clothes and unfamiliar armbands.
Neville, meanwhile, had somehow already become distracted by the local farming terraces.
"Do you rotate crops seasonally?" he asked one of the nearby villagers before Hermione physically grabbed the back of his robes and dragged him onward.
"This is not the time for your questions Neville," she hissed.
"But look at the soil quality!"
"Later!"
Teyla watched the exchange with visible confusion.
"Your people are... unusual."
Ron grinned. "You have no idea."
They were eventually brought into one of the larger communal buildings near the center of the village.
Food and drink were brought out carefully while several Athosian elders joined them.
Hyacinth accepted the offered cup politely while Hermione immediately began asking questions about local trade routes.
Ron appeared far more interested in the drink itself.
"This is good," he admitted after taking another sip.
One of the Athosian men looked pleased. "It is brewed locally."
Ron nodded approvingly. "Well it's bloody delicious."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course that's what interests you."
"Hey this is important cultural diplomacy." Ron corrected her with a proud smile on his face.
"It's alcohol." She sighed.
"Exactly." He said triumphantly.
Teyla watched the interaction with a hidden smile.
The conversation shifted naturally after that.
It was mostly about trade, nearby settlements, weather patterns and most importantly the Wraith's movements.
The mood in the room changed immediately at the mention of the Wraith.
You could almost cut the tension with a knife as the fear in the room grew to visible levels.
But there wasn't an ounce of panic on their faces no it was worse. They had a look of resigned familiarity with their situation. It was like hopeless resignation.
Hyacinth noticed it instantly and was disturbed by how resigned to their fate these people seemed to be.
"You've dealt with them recently," she said quietly.
Teyla nodded once. "Everyone in Pegasus deals with the Wraith eventually."
The room fell quieter after that.
Hyacinth exchanged a brief glance with Hermione before deciding honesty would get them further than half-truths.
"The Wraith are one of the reasons we came here."
Several Athosians stiffened slightly.
"You know of them?" one elder asked carefully.
"Yes," Hermione answered. "We found descriptions of them in some records."
"Records?" Teyla repeated slowly.
Ron, without thinking, answered first.
"In Atlantis."
The room went completely silent.
Hermione closed her eyes briefly.
"Oh brilliant," she muttered.
Teyla stared at them carefully now.
"The Lost City?"
Hyacinth exhaled slowly.
"There's no point hiding it now," she admitted.
The elders exchanged startled looks.
"You are the Ancestors?" one of them whispered.
"No," Hyacinth said immediately. "We are their descendants."
That seemed to confuse them even more.
"The city was abandoned by our ancestors ten thousand years ago," Hermione explained carefully. "Our people eventually found our way back to our roots."
Teyla's eyes narrowed slightly as she studied them again.
"And you live there?"
"We rebuilt it," Ron said proudly.
"We're still rebuilding parts of it." Hermione corrected automatically.
Neville perked up slightly. "The botanical sections are doing really well now though."
Ron snorted into his drink.
Hyacinth ignored the both of them and looked directly at Teyla.
"We came to this Athos because the information about the Wraith left behind by our ancestors is outdated, and since we are here we need to understand the current state of the galaxy. Considering we intend to do more than just survive here."
Teyla considered her words for a moment.
Then asked the question Hyacinth had half expected.
"You said 'our people.'"
"We aren't alone in Atlantis," Hyacinth explained. "There are us along with some regular humans. Then we have the goblins, the centaurs, the merfolk, some house-elves... and several other intelligent creature races that came with us."
That caused immediate murmuring around the room.
"Merfolk?" one of the elders repeated.
"They live in the lower ocean structures surrounding the city," Hermione explained.
"And the centaurs are?" Teyla asked curiously.
"They prefer the mainland preserves. Firenze says that the earth feels better under his hooves then the city's floor." Luna answered softly. "They also really like the stars."
That earned her a very strange look from several Athosians.
Luna smiled pleasantly back.
Ron leaned toward Hyacinth slightly. "Are we the weird ones here?"
"Mm," Hyacinth hummed quietly. "Probably."
The discussion lasted hours after that.
By the end of it they had learned:
nearby trade worlds
Wraith culling patterns
known safe routes
settlement locations
and which planets had already fallen silent
None of it was exciting information.
But it was useful.
And useful information was exactly why they had come.
As the evening settled over Athos, Teyla walked with Hyacinth toward the edge of the settlement while the others continued speaking nearby.
"Did you truly rebuilt Atlantis?" she asked quietly.
"We're trying to."
Teyla looked toward the distant stars overhead.
"For generations my people believed the Ancestors abandoned us but that one day they would return."
Hyacinth was quiet for a moment.
"Maybe they did," she admitted honestly. "But we're here now and we are willing to help you all."