Chapter 1: Number 10

It was yet another cold, dark and bleak night at number 10, Downing Street. However, it was politics, was it not always bleak? The day had been relatively uneventful for once, and rather boring. But the Prime Minister had never been happier about that. Things had been far too eventful as of recent months.

He was sat at his desk, working on his computer, when a small green light seemed to appear in his fireplace. That could only mean one thing. Less than 10 seconds later, the fireplace was consumed in a torrent of green flames, and within them: Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.

The Prime Minister had only ever met Cornelius Fudge once before, at the beginning of his time in this position, at the top of the country, and he was glad of that. He knew that an appearance from this man was never going to be a good thing.

"I'm afraid I have bad news, Minister," Fudge began, forgoing any sort of niceties or small talk.

The Prime Minister swallowed deeply, as a newspaper was pulled from the inside of Fudge's long black robes and slid across his desk to settle in front of him.

He scanned it quickly with his eyes, drawn to the headline: "NUMBER 10: MISSING".

"What's happening Minister? What is this story about?" He asked, looking down at the odd, moving newspaper that was doing a rather excellent job at completely bewildering him.

"There have been some disappearances from a school. Children going but not returning," he replied, shortly.

"Well who's at fault? Surely you have some idea about it all?" He asked, hoping for some sort of an answer. He had enough to worry about without having to deal with children going missing aswell.

"You remember the mass murderer who escaped last year, Sirius Black?" He asked, looking down.

"Of course," he spat, indignantly, remembering the terrifying talking letter that had been dropped onto his desk a few years ago. His expression quickly changed, "Have you found him yet? Is it him that's been doing this?" He asked, eyes widening in hope.

"No, I highly doubt that we ever will find him, but we do suspect that it was him. I mean, with his record, who else could it be?"

"But school children? No bodies? Adults, perhaps I could understand, considering his crimes, but children? I wasn't sure that that would be his style," he remarked.

"The man's a lunatic! He's capable of anything! I'm sure you remember me telling you that when they took him away he was laughing?" Said Fudge.

"I suppose it's a possibility. What are you doing about it?" The Prime Minister asked, expectantly.

"There's nothing we can do." Fudge replied, shortly.

"Well, I must admit, that doesn't sit too well with me," he commented, annoyed at Fudge's uselessness and lack of initiative over the matter at hand.

"It's in the Wizarding world, not the muggle world, making it my problem, not yours," Fudge replied, with a bitter edge to his voice. "Besides, we've tried everything in our power to catch Black, of course, we'll continue to try."

"Of course, I'm sorry," the Prime Minister apologised, without really meaning it.

"Well, anyway, I must be going now, we'll keep your informed," said Fudge, turning back towards to fireplace and climbing in, pulling a fistful of a strange looking black powder out of his robes.

"Until next time," the Prime Minister said, forcing a smile onto his face and silently praying that there wouldn't be a next time.

And then the Minister for Magic was gone, bursting into green flames inside the fireplace.

He let out a long sigh in the absence of his counterpart, and rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation.

"Luxton?" He shouted to his secretary at her desk outside the door.

"Yes sir?" She replied, tottering into the office to face him.

"Get me MI6 on the phone."

"Of course sir, what should I ask for?" She asked, questioningly.

"Blunt, Head of Special Operations."

"Yes sir, I'll have him in five minutes," she replied, turning around and walking back out.

He could hear her on the phone talking, finding the people that he needed her to find, as always. His mind was spinning, trying to get his head round the next steps he had to take. It was to do with a school, and they needed to find out where it was that these children were going. To do that, they needed somebody on the inside.

A teacher? That had been his first instinct, which was why he had asked Luxton to ring MI6 special operations. Because if anybody could pull off an undercover mission, it would be somebody from Alan Blunt's sector. However, it would be an entirely different story now that it involved the Wizarding world.

It had only been an afterthought of his that had reminded him of the teenage spy, operating under MI6. And a brilliant idea had struck him. As much as he was against the idea, it was something that would work perfectly. And the past few missions this boy had been on had all been successful, though there may have been some bloodshed. And some minor disasters to cover up. But on the kinds of missions he'd been on, those kinds of things were inevitable, were they not?