CHAPTER ONE
The Unwilling Sacrifice of Mr. Malfoy
David Shelby was late, very late in fact, for one of the most important meetings of his life. As he ran down the fluorescent lit corridor towards the conference room, slips of paper slid from the leather bound binder he was carrying and spread across the floor. "Damn..." he whispered out loud, as he turned briefly to check if they were important or not to be picked back up. On his way, David passed several people huddled in spattered groups talking in hushed voices, occasionally hearing words like 'Muggle' and 'wand core'. To any normal person, such words would sound strange and confusing, but his business was strange and confusing, and he batted not one eyelid to them. His watch told him that he was over ten minutes late – his associates did not regard tardiness as a commendable asset to the job. To be honest, he told himself, he wasn't the most important person here, and it would probably make little difference if he got there on time or not at all.
He had finally arrived at the conference room, with a very dull grey door which read just that. He laid the folders to one side and brushed himself down with the palms of his hand. Breathing deeply and slowly, David pushed the door open with surprising ease, only to be greeted on the other side by a man of such imposing height; it blocked the dim lights from the room casting an intimidating shadow across his face. David stood, frozen to the spot, unable to speak. The silhouetted man raised his hand as David spluttered out a few, nonsensical words. "You're late, Shelby," he uttered calmly, as if he were a Doctor telling a patient bad news "you know we do not tolerate lateness. We begin to doubt our security; we begin to fear for the safety of our people." His words echoed down the long corridor, and unbeknownst to David, the people littering it shifted uncomfortably before going on their way. "I... I'm sorry!" David finally managed to muster "The traffic... getting here... it isn't easy!" The tall man's facial features shifted into what could have been a smile. "Do not worry yourself with trivial matters." He said. "I'm just glad you're here, I could use your... input."
David followed the tall man into the room, keeping his head low and searched the oblong table for his seat. As he sat, the slender looking woman cast him a look from the corner of her eye. There weren't many people around the table, David counted four. The room was so dimly lit it was difficult to tell what – or if – there was anything on the walls. What he could tell, however, was that the room descended into darkness, and at the apex of the meeting of light and dark, the tall man stood. He did not need to hush the small gathering, as their attention was already so rapt. The scene was prepared, the tall man thought, prepared for his address which would – he guaranteed himself – not be interrupted. "Twenty years ago, Britain faced a troubling time. Had certain... people not acted, the society we all know today would not exist." The others looked apprehensive. They knew what he was talking about, but were unsure as to where it was leading. "I am, of course, talking about the Battle of Hogwarts, where Voldemort, a wizard so powerful and deadly, launched his final attack to take over his world. And ours."
"Our government knew of these events. They trusted our survival to these people. They folded." The woman to the right of David tilted her head. "I know what you will say, Rebecca, as you always do. The good guys won." The sound of disdain was clear. "You know that we are not alone. We a part of large network of people, of... humans, who do not wish to live in the shadow of wizardry and the dangers it presents. Our Prime Minister has been assured that the worst has passed assured that no more ordinary, decent individuals will be harmed by their magic. Unfortunately they were wrong." His face leant towards the light, and his rough features were finally shown – a large and once painful scar crossed his face from above his eyebrow to below his lips. "Shelby." David jumped slightly at the sudden mention of his name. "Shelby, give me Case Report four-six." The file wasn't particularly difficult to find, but David fretted for a moment worried that it was one of the files he deemed unimportant enough not to be picked up. The tall man held the file open in his left hand, scanning it with his eyes. "Last month, a witch by the name of Pansy Parkinson used, ahem, 'Dark Magic' to execute a 'Muggle' family in Norfolk. Sadly, our agents were too late to begin any form of resuscitation, but managed to apprehend the criminal." A dark look was clearly visible in the face of the man, even in the near darkness of the room. "She is being held at Site C and questioned on the whereabouts of other potentially dangerous individuals." "What have we discovered?" Asked an elderly man to David's left. The tall man looked surprised to be having been asked a question, but answered in his cold style "Under the right conditions, Marcus, she was able to give us the location of non other than Hogwarts." "The school?" asked Marcus, shifting forward in his seat. "Yes, the school. She was unable to give us any details about its layout inside – naturally a building so enveloped by magic would be almost unplottable by normal standards. However, she did give us a tantalising detail, something that will almost certainly guarantee us the impetus for putting our plan in motion."
The tall man held up a small piece of paper, on which was spatters of blood. However, it was the crude, childlike drawing that caught the attendees' attention. It was an insignia, a silver snake on a green background with indiscernible writing underneath. "What does that say, underneath?" asked Rebecca. "It says 'Slytherin', one of the houses of Hogwarts, and it is here that gives us our impetus." The people in the room looked to each other, deep in thought, though none the wiser as to what he meant. "We have long prepared for the day where we would get the right reasons for enacting Clause Six. 'Genuine oversight by the wizarding community to contain its dangers, be it man, ethereal or creature.'" He recited. "Slytherin is a breeding ground for evil. Parkinson told us this much before she... succumbed. If the very place where obedience and control is taught it also home to the teachings of crime, then there should be no doubt in our mind." Next to Rebecca was a skinny man who had so far said nothing, nor made any distinguishing motions, after sitting in silence, clearly thinking deeply, he said "Head Office have looked at your findings. My presence here should be... a positive sign." Smiling, almost too easily he continued "By a unanimous vote, Clause Six has been enacted. We have begun preparations to announce our existence to the wizarding community. Of course, we will always need a back-up plan, in case they should resist our... suggestions."
The tall man returned the smile. "Jason, I'm glad you brought it up. I have something I want to show you all." He walked towards the far wall and disappeared into the darkness. Seconds later the mechanical sound of a lever being pulled flashed strong lights on, blinding all momentarily. David rubbed his eyes and strained to see what had been revealed. In the centre of the room, unknown to all who had sat there, was a small chamber slightly taller than a man. In fact, there was a man inside. His features were easily distinguishable, pointed as they were. His clothes were tattered, a cloak of deep emerald green. His hair, though thinning still contained its natural, golden white sheen. His eyes were wide with fear because, for the first time in his life, he was scared of Muggles. "This," the tall man announced "is Draco Malfoy."
"Where am I?" Draco mildly asked "I want to see my family!" The tall man had seemed to not to notice these pleading calls, as he went on "Draco Malfoy is a wizard, and this" he picked out a small piece of wood from his pocked "is his wand." He turned to Draco and unopened the chamber holding him. Draco, looking pale and weak, stepped out nervously. "Here, Draco," said the tall man, "take your wand and... do what you must do." Draco snatched the wand and pointed it immediately at the tall man. "Avada Kadavra!" He yelled, with venom in his voice and flashing eyes. The room gasped, and the man with the wand dropped to his knees with a strained look on his face. "Did you feel it Draco?" The tall man said slowly. "Did you feel the pain?" David, stunned, shouted unintentionally, "What happened? Why didn't it work?" The tall man smiled and bent down to pick up the now discarded wand. "Why have I forced you to be patient for all of these years? It's simple. For all the good our technology and weapons would have accomplished, it would have all been undone by this." He held up the wand, half admiring it. "We have developed a biological serum that blocks the magical receptors in the brain, forcing the wizard's body to become... human. As far as Draco here is concerned, he is no more a wizard than I am."
"I am... no Muggle..." Draco said weakly. "I am a wizard, and my people will not stand by and take this." The tall man smiled, and kneeled down to talk to Draco face to face. "Do you remember Pansy Parkinson? A woman so Hell bent on hating my people that she would so confident to break her cover just to kill an innocent family? You cannot control yourselves. No matter how many of you consider yourselves to be good; no matter what people you put in power, you cannot control it. You have this false sense of superiority, which you have believed for too long." The four people around the table looked grave. They knew it was near. David looked away, wishing he could get away with covering his ears. He did his best to clear his mind from his surroundings. The tall man reached into the insides of his jacket, and – in an almost whisper – said "Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy." A gunshot rang out, a not uncommon thing, and Draco Malfoy thought no more.
"Slytherin." The tall man whispered. The short silence that was followed was punctured by a loud knock at the door. "Enter" he beckoned, and through burst a rather flustered orderly, his face half contorted somewhere between surprise and glee. "We've found him, we've found Potter." The tall man smiled, but a different smile, a warm smile. "You've found Harry? Well, that makes the whole thing that much easier." The tall man turned to his colleagues in the room. "It is time I told you a secret I have been withholding throughout this entire business." The people in the room dared not to gaze away for even a second. "You may have been aware that I have been... reluctant to reveal my name. It is not because I am ashamed of it. It is because your trust in me would certainly have wavered if I had told you any earlier."
"My name is Dudley Dursley. I am cousin to Harry Potter."