The mansion was something else.
Old money kind of place—the kind built by people who didn't ask for permission and didn't need to. High ceilings, dark polished wood everywhere, a big damn chandelier overhead throwing off a soft, warm glow. Paintings of dead people with smug faces lined the walls, watching as if they were still in charge of something. A fireplace crackled in the corner, expensive rugs muffled his footsteps. The whole place smelled like old books, brandy, and quiet danger.
Hellfire Club sure has a lot of background.
He turned to look at Wanda, who was moving alongside him. She wore a deep crimson coat over a sleek, form-fitting black bodysuit.
Nova's eyes practically sparkled as he gave a low, appreciative whistle. "Wanda, you've got to stop being this dangerously attractive," he said, grinning wide. "That outfit is criminal. I might have to call the fashion police."
Wanda glanced at him, her lips twitching with amusement. "Oh, please," she replied, her tone light and teasing. "If you're the fashion police, I'm definitely turning myself in."
Nova leaned in closer with a cheeky grin. "And what's your sentence? Because I'm more than happy to be your cellmate."
Wanda rolled her eyes but smiled. "Flattery won't save you, Nova. You're lucky I'm in a good mood."
He winked, unabashed. "Good mood or not, I'm planning on testing my luck all night."
She shook her head, chuckling softly. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
"Not when it comes to you," Nova said without missing a beat. "Besides, someone's got to keep the party interesting."
Wanda gave him a playful shove. "You're shameless."
"And you love it," he teased back.
"Don't get too full of yourself," she warned, but the grin on her face betrayed how much she enjoyed the banter.
Nova continued flirting with Wanda until they reached the meeting room.
Nova stepped inside the room and saw the three leaders—Charles Xavier, Magneto, and Sebastian Shaw—sitting together at the head of the table. On the other side were about twenty-five other mutants quietly waiting.
Nova smirked and couldn't resist commenting, "You know, you three gathering regularly is definitely raising the blood pressure of a lot of people."
Emma Frost, standing nearby, gave a sly smile but said nothing, while Magneto glanced at Nova with a brief, knowing nod.
Charles Xavier looked up from his seat with a calm, gentle smile. "We try to keep things civil, but some things can't be ignored."
Sebastian Shaw chuckled softly. "If raising a little blood pressure gets the job done, so be it."
Magneto folded his arms and added, "Better to stir the pot than watch it go cold."
Wanda leaned closer to Nova and whispered, "You've got their attention now."
Nova grinned. "Good."
Then Nova turned to look at 25 mutants and said," So these are the 25 going on the magical trip?"
Magento nodded," We have already sent you the details of these mutants, with Mystique and Sabertooth being leader and vice-leader respectively."
Nova smiled.
On side Emma asked," Can you tell me why did you have a change of mind and decided to personally go to the magical world?"
Hearing this others looked at Nova, who smiled," Last night I got message by Harry Potter that he is planning to go after the Ressurection Stone ring Horcrux. But since ward breakers are in our world, he was delaying it. But he don't want to delay any longer. So he messaged me."
Charles nodded," So he wants you to help him in destroying the Horcrux?"
Nova nodded, sealing the agreement between them. The terms were simple: Nova would help them locate and ultimately destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, but only after Harry fulfilled the obligations of his previous contract. In essence, Nova had already agreed to provide the locations of the known Horcruxes as part of their earlier deal — and now, he was extending that promise by personally assisting in their destruction.
In return, Nova would be allowed to keep any items of value or significance they recovered during the process — including, surprisingly, the Resurrection Stone. That particular part of the deal had genuinely caught Nova off guard. He had assumed, like anyone else might, that Harry would claim the stone for himself, perhaps to see his parents one last time.
But Harry's response had been unexpectedly mature, even somber. He had simply said that he would use the stone once — just once — and then be done with it. Disturbing the dead, he believed, was not something to be taken lightly.
And so, this time, Nova prepared to step directly into the heart of the magical world to deal with the Horcruxes personally. The first target on the list was, naturally, the Resurrection Ring Horcrux — concealed within the old Gaunt shack, still radiating dark magic.
The second was Rowena Ravenclaw's lost Diadem. Thanks to Nova's earlier information, they already knew where it was hidden: within the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. The discovery of such a peculiar and powerful room inside an already magical castle had amused Nova greatly. He'd even cracked a half-hearted joke about it — "A magical room in a magical castle? Who would've guessed?" — though it had admittedly fallen flat.
Still, after confirming the Diadem's presence, they made the strategic decision to leave it where it was for the time being. Few people knew of the Room's existence, and its nature meant it was highly unlikely anyone else would stumble upon the cursed artifact by accident. For now, it was safer hidden there than risk moving it without a proper plan.
Nova turned to Wanda and asked with a raised brow, "You don't wanna visit the magical world?"
Wanda arched an eyebrow in return, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. "Who said I'm not going?" she shot back.
Seeing Nova's genuinely confused reaction, Wanda chuckled and added, "I'm just not going under the trade contract terms. I'll be going with you, on my own, and coming back with you too."
Nova blinked, then let out a soft laugh. "Alright, fair enough."
He glanced around at the others, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "So… who else is coming along?"
Charles stepped forward, his expression calm and steady as always. "Aside from the 25 mutants who'll remain behind until the war's over, the others accompanying you will be Wanda, Jean, Pietro, and Emma," he informed him.
"Heh, about time," Pietro said with a grin, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "If you're going to a magical world, you have to bring the fastest guy you know. Who else is going to grab snacks before anyone blinks?"
Jean, standing nearby with a faint smile, shook her head. "Just remember, magic probably has rules against stealing food, Speedy," she teased.
"Not stealing if no one notices," Pietro quipped, winking at her.
Wanda sighed with a playful roll of her eyes. "Can you not get us kicked out of an entire dimension before we even land there?"
"No promises," Pietro shot back.
Nova chuckled at their antics, then glanced at the clock on the wall. Time was slipping by quickly. "Alright, enough banter — let's move. You all packed and ready?"
"Got everything I need," Jean said with a confident nod.
"Same here," Wanda added, her scarlet energy flickering faintly around her fingertips.
"Ready to roll," Pietro grinned.
Everyone else gave a confirming nod as well. There was a brief, charged silence as the final moment of preparation settled over them.
Under the watchful eyes of the three mutant leaders — Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, and Raven Darkhölme — Nova stepped forward. With a smooth, practiced motion, he summoned a swirling, violet-blue portal that crackled with contained power.
"Alright — next stop, magical Britain," Nova announced with a smirk.
"Ladies first," Pietro said dramatically, gesturing toward the portal.
"Try not to trip over your ego on the way in," Jean shot back with a smirk of her own before stepping through.
Wanda chuckled, gave Nova a knowing look, and followed Jean into the portal.
"Showtime," Pietro grinned, vanishing into the shimmer after them.
And with that, the rest of the group stepped through, disappearing one by one, leaving the mutant headquarters behind as the portal closed with a soft hum.
After a while, Charles turned and said seriously," So how's the progress?"