The rights to Rex Milligan belong to the late Anthony Buckeridge. Those to Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. Those to the Dana girls, Linda Craig and others to the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Those to Once Upon a Time are held by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Other rights belong to Marvel Comics, DC Comics/Warner Brothers/Hanna-Barbera, the BBC, Terrance Dicks, the estates of the late Enid Blyton, the late Charles Addams, the late Malcolm Saville, the late Ian Fleming, the late Peter O'Donnell, the late Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and more. I own nothing and make claim to the same nothing.

Early July 2018: Forty miles off the coast of Maine

The cargo ship was heading towards the Port of Portland. As the journey had been smooth up to that point and no storms were on the horizon, both captain and crew were optimistic of an uneventful trip.

There was a loud splash from nearby and a large winged reptile rose out from under the waves and took to the skies. A brilliant red and gold colour and about twenty-five-foot-long, it seemed to be wearing metallic gloves on its claws. With a loud roar followed by two mushroom-shaped balls of fire, the dragon tore into the outer shell of the vessel.

After a few minutes, the dragon seemed to lose interest in the ship. After exhaling another fireball, it dived back below the waves.

"What do we tell the company, captain?" the first mate asked.

"The truth," came the reply. "And let us hope that they believe us…"

The Alchemists Arms, New York

"The coast of Maine seems rather out of territory for a Chinese Fireball," Harry Potter commented, reviewing the folder Jason Blood had just handed him. "And they don't usually wear metal gauntlets or leave men uneaten to destroy property either. This makes no sense…"

"I remember defeating a bionic dragon off the coast of New York back in 1977," Diana Prince recalled. They were sitting in a cosy sitting room in an old hotel that Gomez Addams had purchased, refurbished and reopened. It was now a social club primarily for mages, as well as the headquarters of the Secret Circle, a wizard taskforce Stephen Strange had set up to defend the world from magical threats. "That was the first time that I met Rex, Louise, Jean and the rest…"

"I read Rex's account of the meeting in a Special Edition of The Quibbler recently, Diana," Harry laughed. "It was a personal favourite. Nothing topped Wednesday's least advised flirtation ever in the fifth report, though!"

"Laugh it up, mon amour!" Wednesday Potter nee Addams complained good-naturedly. She adores her spouses and accepts that both Harry and Ginny are as quick with sarcastic rejoinders as she is to flirt with just about anyone with a pulse. "If I had known that Rex and Louise had been crazy about each other for over forty years, albeit without them properly realising it, I would have been less me! And the two of them are happily married now, so…"

"Actually, where are they today?" Neville asked.

Harry laughed. "They are attending a major event in their community tomorrow…"

Diana smiled. "That's right, Harry. I have a wedding to conduct…"

"And we have on one to attend, mes amours! It should be a beautiful ceremony…"

Kirrin Island, Dorset, the following morning

The assembled guests stood as Georgina "George" Kirrin entered the marquee, clad in a wedding dress of fine white lace and on the arms of her cousins Julian and Dick, with matrons of honour Anne and Jo and various grandchildren of theirs behind her. Jupiter Jones stood proudly at the other end of the aisle, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews in attendance on either side. All three were in morning suits.

For George and Jupiter's nuptials, the entire former young adventurer community was out in force. Not only the Three Investigators and the Famous Five, but everyone from the Lone Pine Club to the Bob-Whites of the Glen, from the Baker Street Irregulars to Mystery Inc and from the Secret Seven to Tom Swift junior were all present in the large marquee, set up in the grounds of the ruined castle on Kirrin Island.

Diana Prince had come through a portal from the Alchemists Arms the night before with the Potters, Weasleys and Scamanders. As George's party proceeded up the aisle to the strains of the Fourth Pomp and Circumstance March to join the groom's party and the celebrant. Whilst George was a more-or-less practising Anglican, it had become general practice in the community to have an Amazon, Atlantean or Asgardian conduct rites of passage. For one thing, most clergy tended to ask why bride and groom looked in their mid-twenties and not in their seventies, as both birth certificates implied. The Royal Jelly Honey elixir vitae Sherlock Holmes had cultivated may have been great at restoring and retaining their appearance and vigour to that of only a decade or so after their respective original glory days, but it had no affect on their actual dates of birth.

Once the bridal party had arrived, Diana produced a cloth and bound George's right hand to Jupiter's, proclaiming that she was binding the couple together in love for all eternity. The bride and groom exchanged vows and rings, then Jupiter lifted George's veil and kissed her passionately. Once the kiss had finally ended, everyone applauded as Diana pronounced them as married. After the register was signed the ceremony was over and the reception in another marquee nearby could begin.

During the meal of fish and chips that was served as a lunchtime dinner, the happy couple went up to George's comrades from the Paranormal Investigations Bureau. Jon and Penny Warrender of the Lone Piners and Jigger Johnson and Rex Milligan, old boys of Sheldrake Grammar School, had become in George's own words her "other cousins". Since Rex's wife Louise Milligan nee Dana, their adopted daughter Harriet, Louise's younger sister Jean and Jigger's fiancée Velma Dinkley were with them, it was a formidable company.

"Well, Newpenny," Jon said to his wife, "we are finally getting our friends married off, and promoting Anglo-American relationships at the same time! Quite the result, I think."

"I didn't marry Louise for diplomacy!" Rex retorted. "We wed for love. Anything else was a delightful bonus!

"Congratulations, George, Jupiter! May I wish you many happy years together?"

"Thank you, Rex!" George said, hugging her friend tightly before pecking his cheek. "And, Jonathan dear, I am marrying Jupiter as much for love as you married our darling Penelope all those years ago."

"Well, Georgina…"

"It's George!" The fuming bride was glaring at her friend.

"And it's Jon!"

"George, darling," Penny said reassuringly, "Jon and I are just heading off for a friendly chat, aren't we darling?!" Whilst Penny was a kindly soul with a beaming smile, the look she was giving her husband reminded everyone that she still had the traditional fiery temper to go with her red hair!

"Err, yes. Coming, dearest Newpenny. Congratulations, George!"

"Congratulations, George." Penny hugged the bride tightly, before grabbing her husband's arm and leading him off.

"Jinkies! Penny did seem furious with Jon. She's normally…"

"Velma love, George hates being addressed as Georgina as much as George Fayne hates being called Georgia! Even in friendly banter, that was going too far! The addle-pated clodpoll deserves a dose of Hurricane Penny! Petrified Paintpots!

"Congratulations to you both from Velma and me."

"Thank you, Jig, Velma." After embracing them in turn, George was looking more like a happy bride.

"I am delighted to receive your most generous felicitations on this most auspicious of celebrations of our entering into a state of matrimony…"

"Are you sure that you are Fred's second cousin? He tends to use a less florid vocabulary…"

"It is your big day in a couple of weeks," George interrupted. "How are the preparations going?"

"Jinkies! Don't remind me, George! OK, though, I think."

"We'll be fine, Velma. If you and I are happy, nothing else matters!" With that Jigger kissed his fiancée tenderly on the lips.

"Congratulations, Auntie George. You look beautiful in that dress."

Harriet Jean Luna Milligan was a pretty girl of six. Barely two months before, Harriet had been called Bernadette Imogene Gallia, the daughter of the gangster Buonaparte Ignace Gallia IV and an unnamed deceased witch. Inspired by the exploits of his great-grandfather the original Buonaparte Ignace Gallia alias Mr Big aka the zombie of Baron Samedi, Gallia had intended to breed himself a powerful seer. As Bernadette's mother had died in childbirth and the girl was a suspected squib, Gallia had kept her prisoner. Now Gallia was dead, and Bernadette was the much-loved Harriet, named after Louise's late paternal aunt who with her other brother Ned had raised the orphaned Dana sisters. With her mixture of Haitian, African, French and British ancestry, she was dark-skinned with curly brunette hair. Her adoptive parents adored her, as did her Auntie Jean. With Rex the Quibbler's Muggle Correspondent (a post he had held since he befriended the then Luna Lovegood in late 1999) and her late birth mother a witch, both British wizards and the British-American former young adventurer fraternity had taken her to their hearts.

George stooped to receive Harriet's hug and kiss her forehead softly. "Thank you, Harriet darling. Both Uncle Jupiter and I are very happy together." Once George had stood up straight again, she embraced Louise and Jean in turn. They also congratulated the happy couple.

"Jupe darling, do you mind if I have a quick private word with Louise? Thank you."

"Is everything OK, George?" Louise asked, as the bride led her to one side.

"Yes, Louise. Err, when you and Rex had your wedding night, how was, err, it?!"

"Did it hurt, the first time? Yes, somewhat. Was it embarrassing? Neither of us really knew what we were doing, other than the basic tab A and slot B. Jupiter, like Rex, is a kindly, sensitive man. He will be gentle. Rex and I learned together. Neither of us have any complaints! I doubt either of you will have any either.

"Why me though? Wouldn't Penny, Anne or Jo…?"

"I would have asked Penny, but Jon's foot-in-mouth moment put a stop to that! As for the other two, I really don't want to know what Anne or Dick's sex lives are like! Whilst I call the other four from the Bureau my other cousins, it feels somewhat easier talking about their private lives…"

"I doubt that Jean would ask me for advice about her wedding night either. Not that I know anything about sapphic love-making anyway to advise her on what to do with Linda…" Jean Dana was engaged to Linda Craig, the no-longer teenaged sleuth and horsewoman. Their wedding was to take place in just over two months.

"She could ask Rex!" George giggled. "I mean, you and Linda have the same basic plumbing, as it were. If something works on you…"

"True enough, although Rex and Jean have very different plumbing themselves! I can't see Jean being any keener to discuss my sex life with Rex than with me! As for my husband, well, you know Rex. He isn't exactly open to talking about that outside of the bedroom."

"No, he does get flustered easily! We've always had a brother-sister thing, as he has with Jean, Penny, Luna and now Zelena. You were always different. It was clear from that soft smile on his face once you kissed his cheek after our first adventure together that he was head-over-heels for you. As for that Great Skunk Ape affair, how Jon, Jig and I stopped him from leaving for dear old Blighty once you got into that silly spat with him over Wednesday I shall never know.

"Penny's right! Rex, Jigger and I were the most oblivious people ever in matters of the heart. How we failed to notice the respective True Loves right under our noses for over forty years is beyond me! It was over fifty for Rex…"

"It takes two to tango, George! Jupiter, Velma and I were just as bad! And we are all making up for lost time now."

"True! Well, Jupiter and I have more guests to meet and greet, then there's a barn dance, followed by a disco.

"Thanks for listening, Louise, and for the advice."

"No problem, George. That's what friends are for."

"Who are these people, Daddy?"

"Harriet darling, this is Professor Ian McClaine, his adopted son Joe and Joe's girlfriend Chloe. Mac and Joe are Auntie George's next-door neighbours. Joe is the World Intelligence Agency's Most Special Agent and Chloe an Amazon. Mac is a great scientist."

"He looks too young to be a spy, Daddy!"

"Joe turns 15 in a couple of weeks, Harriet. It was to do with one of his dad's inventions originally.

"Everyone, this is Harriet. It's good to see you all again. No Sam today?" Sam Loover was Mac's best friend and Joe's W.I.N. "handler". He was a good friend of George's, as they all were.

"Uncle Sam was off chatting with Auntie Modesty and Uncle Willie, Uncle Rex," Joe replied. "It is good to meet you, Harriet."

"It is good to meet you all too." Harriet paused. "So, if you call Daddy Uncle Rex, does that make me Cousin Harriet?"

"I'm happy to call you that, Cousin Harriet. You have to call me Cousin Joe, though!"

"You have a deal, Cousin Joe!"

"Congratulations, Auntie George!" Joe said as the bride returned with Louise. "That goes for you also, Uncle Jupiter."

"Thanks Joe!" George beamed, pecking his cheek.

"Congratulations, George. Only Jigger to go now."

"Thanks Mac. By the end of this month, we'll all be hitched. Finally, as Jon and Penny keep saying."

"Athena and Sappho are marrying Reuben and Grace respectively this summer, in the same ceremony as Ava and Nicholas wed Henry Mills and Louise Webster respectively," Chloe reflected. "I'll be a bridesmaid to both my fellow Amazons. They have agreed to be my matrons when I marry Joe in a couple of years. Assuming he ever proposes, that is…"

"I'm working on it! We aren't in any hurry, Chloe love. There are many years in store for us yet.

"Actually, whilst I don't have the ring yet…" Joe got down on one knee and took hold of Chloe's hands. "Chloe darling, I love you. Will you marry me?"

"Of course! Now get up and kiss me!" Joe did so.

"Welcome to the family, my dear!" Mac said, pulling the two in for a three-way embrace. "Now, treat him well, or else…!"

"I will, Professor McClaine. I have loved Joe ever since I first saw him. My heart's desire is to become Mrs Joseph McClaine and bear his children one day."

"Congratulations, Joe, Chloe!" George beamed. "This will be you someday soon."

"May I also express my sincere felicitations on this most auspicious of occasions in your lives to date…"

"Thank you, both. Now, if you'll excuse us, I want some alone time with my fiancée…" Joe led Chloe off. The two were happily giggling.

"Ah, young love…"

"Jean, mi amor, we have this to look forward to. In just over two months, you shall be mi esposa."

"Darling Linda, I can't wait for the day we share our first kiss as wife and wife!"

"With Doris and Evelyn marrying Joe and Iola before that, it seems we shall all be happily wed before long," Louise commented. "We started a trend, love!"

"True! All we need to do is fix Bob Craig up with someone. I think I know the right woman…"

Mid-afternoon in Dorset equates to mid-morning off the Port of Portland. Once more a vessel was about forty miles from dock. This time, it was a light cruiser in the United States navy. The captain and crew were returning from a successful training exercise.

"Captain!" the sonar officer cried. "I've picked up something on sonar. It seems to be twenty-five feet long and moving very quickly."

From outside, there was a large splash. "Captain, whatever it was has vanished from sonar, but now it seems to be airborne, judging by the radar."

A red and gold shape was seen through the portholes, before the main guns were hit by fireballs…

"That was a beautiful wedding, Jamie. Wasn't it romantic?"

"I don't think I've seen Auntie George in a dress before, Lils. It really suited her! She is clearly madly in love with her new husband.

"Yes, Lils, it was beautiful. What do you think, Al?"

"Boring!"

James and Lily Potter looked at each other before turning to stare at Albus. "Boring?!" James asked, perplexed. "Were we at the same ceremony? I found it most moving.

"Anyway, the dancing is about to start. May I have the pleasure of partnering you for this dance, Lils?" James gave a courtly bow as he offered his sister his hand.

"You may, Jamie," Lily responded, taking the proffered hand. "I don't think Rosie has a partner, Al."

"Dancing is boring!"

"Try pretending to have fun, Al. If you pretend hard enough, you might even find yourself having some by accident…"

"There has been another attack off Maine, Harry," Kingsley told him as the disco ended. "Could you speak to Regina Mills about a party from the Secret Circle taking up residence in Storybrooke? Perhaps some empowered or otherwise muggles could get involved as well."

"I'm sure my sister would be glad to help, my pretties." When there had been a mass breakout from Azkaban following Lucius Malfoy and Dolores Umbridge making a deal with the demon Neron, the former had managed to usurp the Minister of Magic position. Some mages had been rehoused for the duration in Storybrooke. In his position as Muggle Correspondent at the Quibbler, Rex Milligan had gone into exile with them and was billeted with Zelena. The two had become firm friends, with the sassy witch and the sarcastic journalist finding much in common. Given that the British wizards were popular with the Storybrooke contingent and the Swann-Mills family were personal friends of the Potters, plus Emma, Regina and Zelena were part of the Secret Circle themselves, Zelena was sure that her sister would be amenable to the proposal.

"Thank you, Zelena. So, it is off to Maine we go!"

"When do we leave for Maine?"

"George dear, you and Jupiter are going on honeymoon," Jigger told her firmly. "If we need you, we'll call you in, but until then you are going to be enjoying the delights of the Rancho del Sol.

"I'm sure you can top up your tan in California without worrying about us. Play cowgirl to your heart's content. And… And… What else did you do on honeymoon, Jon, Penny, Rex?"

"You are due a very uneventful wedding night, Velma!"

"Now, Jean…!"

"Sorry, Sis! Still, you would have thought that the biologist would know the facts of life…"

"Oh, that! Well, have fun, George!"

Now in denim jacket and jeans, the happy bride kissed her friends' goodbye, before letting her new husband carry her bridal style through a portal to the Californian ranch of Linda Craig and her elder brother Bob.

"Come on, Linda. Everything should be ready for them, but we need to go home ourselves…"

"In a minute, Bob. I need to kiss mi hermosa prometida goodnight first. Buenas noches, mi amada."

"Sweet dreams, my darling!" After a long kiss between Linda and Jean, the Craig siblings departed through the portal.

"And, now," Harry announced, "we have a trip to Maine. We're going dragon-hunting! Tally-ho!"