Stephen was running across a field, dodging bullets that whizzed past his head like a rain of fire and iron.
"Boss, an RPG on your left!" Fred shouted quickly as he ran behind Stephen and dove into a ditch along the path.
Stephen immediately followed and jumped into the same ditch just as the missile exploded where he had been running.
"Where are Jordan and George?" Stephen asked quickly while swapping out the magazine of the rifle slung on his back.
"They were right behind us," Fred responded hastily, prompting them both to peek out and check if their teammates were okay.
That's when they saw Jordan with a minigun, firing like a complete madman in every direction with a grin full of excitement.
"HAHAHAHA! DIE, YOU BASTARDS! YOU'LL BE THE STRAINERS I USE FOR MY NOODLES!" he shouted, unloading a barrage of bullets toward the section where the missile had come from.
Meanwhile, a military vehicle approached at full speed, with George at the wheel, grinning with excitement.
"Hey! I found something cool!" he said as he screeched to a halt near his teammates.
"Why do you guys always find a vehicle?" Fred complained as they all jumped in immediately, seeing more teams closing in after hearing the gunfight.
"Step on it before they surround us!" Stephen ordered seriously.
George floored the gas, speeding away from the battlefield.
Suddenly, a combat helicopter flew past where they had just been and began firing missiles and machine guns in their direction.
"Dodge, Fred, dodge!" Jordan yelled while firing his minigun at the chopper.
"I'm George!" his brother corrected as he swerved in zigzags to avoid the attacks.
However, Jordan couldn't keep up with the helicopter's speed since the minigun was too heavy.
"Leave it to me," Stephen said as he took aim with his rifle and peered through the scope. Then, he pulled the trigger.
Everyone watched as the helicopter started spiraling before crashing down and exploding, taking out everyone inside.
"Boss, that was awesome!" Jordan cheered, exhilarated by the adrenaline.
"Boys, we've got company," Fred warned quickly as he glanced to the side and saw a military vehicle speeding toward them.
"HAHAHAHA, we found you!" Wanda declared with a mischievous grin as she leaned out of the window.
"Shit, it's the girls!" Jordan exclaimed upon recognizing Fleur, Daphne, Wanda, and Angelina inside the vehicle. "Boss, shoot them! Quick!" he urged.
"Are you crazy?! My girlfriend's in there!" Stephen shot back. "You do it!"
"Hell no! They terrify me!" Jordan said, shaking his head frantically before looking at Fred.
"Don't even look at me"I'm terrified of them too," Fred added without hesitation.
"Cowards! Guess I'll have to do it myself," George said, gripping the wheel and veering to crash into the girls' vehicle.
BAM!
"Hey! That was rude!" Wanda complained in irritation.
"Sorry, all's fair in love and war!" George responded as he kept ramming into Wanda's car, forcing her to retaliate in kind.
"Daphne, shoot them!" Wanda ordered swiftly.
"Got it," Daphne replied, standing up in her seat and leaning out with an RPG, preparing to fire.
"Shit, you guys were the ones with the RPG?!" Jordan exclaimed, suddenly terrified.
"George, strategic retreat!" Fred yelled.
His brother obeyed immediately, slamming the brakes, but Daphne quickly took aim and fired.
The four barely managed to leap out of the car just before it exploded.
"Shit! Run!" Stephen shouted as the girls' vehicle turned to chase them.
The four of them sprinted together in one direction.
"This is useless! They're faster because of the car!" Fred said, worried.
"Well, then we only have one option left," George said with determination.
"You sure about this, George?" Fred asked quickly.
"Of course. We learned this from the boss and Wanda. When you're about to lose…
"It's better to go out in style," Fred finished his brother's sentence with a smug grin.
Then, both removed their vests while Stephen and Jordan watched in curiosity. But when they saw what was underneath, their eyes widened in horror.
"ARE YOU GUYS INSANE?!" Stephen shouted, alarmed.
"OF COURSE!" the twins responded in unison with devilish grins.
Wanda's car was already dangerously close. The ruthless driver seemed fully intent on running them over without remorse. But just as Fred and George turned around, the girls' eyes widened at what they saw.
"Shi"!" Wanda didn't finish her sentence because, at that moment, she slammed into the twins.
And then… an explosion.
A massive fireball engulfed everything in its path, taking not only Fred and George but also the car carrying Wanda, Daphne, Fleur, and Angelina. To make things worse, Jordan and Stephen, who were too close, didn't escape the blast either.
Yep. The twins had explosives strapped all over their bodies.
Meanwhile, in a nearby building…
"What the hell are they doing?" Hermione stared in disbelief as she watched the scene unfold.
"Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?" she asked, turning to Harry.
Harry just shrugged. How could he possibly explain the minds of his brothers? Especially when they got together with their friends…
...…
In the game room of Flamel Island…
The room had been built so that everyone could play in groups peacefully"without a giant bat watching over them.
The doors of two booths opened at the same time, letting four people step out of each. Stephen and his team on one side, Wanda and hers on the other. They had all just died in the game.
"Damn cheaters! That's not fair!" Wanda exclaimed furiously as she stepped out, followed by Daphne, who looked much calmer, and then Fleur and Angelina.
"Hahaha! In war, anything goes," the twins said in unison with triumphant smiles.
"Excuse me, but… weren't we on the same team?" Angelina asked, crossing her arms.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"I forgot," Wanda admitted with a silly grin.
Stephen, however, was focused elsewhere. Smiling, he approached Fleur.
"Did you have fun?" he asked softly.
"Of course," Fleur replied without hesitation. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, "It was good that you didn't try to shoot us… otherwise, you'd be sleeping on the couch."
"Haha, good joke," Stephen said, but when Fleur didn't say anything else, his smile faltered slightly. "Wait… that was a joke, right?"
"I don't know… you'll have to find out," Fleur responded mischievously before leaving the room.
"Oh, so I have to research everything about my beautiful girlfriend to understand her thoughts!" Stephen declared, quickly following after her.
Jordan watched him walk away and sighed.
"Well, we lost our leader…"
"And we're out of distractions," Wanda said, sighing dramatically.
Daphne gave her a light smack on the head for her bad attitude.
Just then, another booth opened, and everyone turned to see Hermione stepping out with a sour expression. Behind her, Harry followed with a resigned look, while Ron trailed after them, looking clearly guilty.
"Are you guys done with your match?" Wanda asked.
"No. That idiot Ron stepped on a fragmentation mine, and all three of us died," Hermione said, clearly irritated.
"Hey! How was I supposed to know there was a mine there?" Ron defended himself.
"I don't know… maybe because Harry said, 'Ron, be careful, there's a mine there, you can see the trigger,'" Hermione replied sarcastically.
"Alright, Mione, don't be mad. Ron just tripped," Harry intervened, trying to calm her down.
"Bah, I want to play something else anyway. I'm going to a food game," Ron said indifferently. Without wasting time, he stepped into another booth and selected a game where he could eat as much as he wanted without gaining weight.
"Those are the only games he plays," Fred commented with a smirk.
"Well, since you two lost your team and so did we, how about we play together?" Wanda suggested enthusiastically. "Hermione with us, and Harry with the guys. It'll be… girls versus boys."
The boys exchanged glances before grinning.
"Sure! That's exactly what we wanted!" the twins exclaimed.
Harry sighed. He didn't have many options, so he simply joined them.
"This time, remember to pick enemy camps," Angelina warned.
"We'll remember… maybe," the twins said in unison.
With renewed enthusiasm, they all entered their respective booths for the next round of chaos.
...…..
Stephen entered the lab after strolling around with Fleur, his eyes scanning the data on the screens covering the walls with interest.
"Oh, you're here," Tony said casually, biting into a candy wand. "Want one?" he added, offering the pack.
Stephen grabbed one without much thought.
"Do you know anything about Natasha?"
Tony made a nonchalant gesture and, after taking another bite of his candy, opened a file on one of the screens.
"Looks like she and the godfather of the year found something interesting."
Stephen frowned as he read the contents.
"'The Shadow Claw… pseudo-nobles… war against Muggles,'" he repeated aloud, looking incredulous. "Who the hell is Alec Vallois?"
"Seems to be someone from Natasha's past… or rather, her family. That's all she said. Also looks like he's the leader of that bunch of lunatics," Tony replied seriously.
Stephen let out a frustrated sigh.
"Seriously? Right when we're all stuck here… Couldn't they pick a better time for their secret war?"
"You know how this works"crime doesn't take vacations," Tony said with a shrug.
"Maybe we should give her a hand. You know, solve the problem quickly so we can play in peace," Stephen suggested with a grin.
Tony let out a short laugh.
"I don't think she'll accept. You know how we used to do things"everyone on their own until the Earth was in danger, then we'd gather like nothing happened."
Stephen clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, but now we're family. We don't have to do things the same way."
Tony thought about it for a moment before smirking.
"Alright. If I know her well, when she needs help, she'll ask for it… more or less… after trying to handle it alone and almost getting herself killed in the process."
"Basically," Stephen agreed with a grimace.
Tony pulled out another candy wand and popped it into his mouth, looking thoughtful.
"So… wanna bet on how long it'll take her to ask for reinforcements?"
"Three days," Stephen said without hesitation.
"Five," Tony countered confidently.
They shook hands with knowing smiles.
"-------------------