Chairman Meow heard it first.
Tap, tap, tap.
Lifting his head up from his warm spot on Alec's lap, the Chairman glanced over at the window, where he noticed an abnormally large bird. Being a cat, he naturally went to catch it. He bounded from his spot, hurling himself towards the window, and... not doing much damage.
All this racket had disrupted Alec from his book on Roman fighting techniques (even though he knew every thing from the correct way to commit suicide the Roman way to winning a gladiator's battle and not dying in the process, having been lectured by Jace on the entire ordeal), and he looked up to also see a large owl tapping at the window. Even stranger than the fact an owl was out in daylight, was the fact it had a envelope in its talons and it clearly was exping too be let in. Evaluating this, Alec picked up Chairman Meow and opened the window, feeling the whoosh of cool air against his face as the owl fluttered in, sitting itself on the foot stool, holding out his leg with the envelope expectantly.
The owl was an average barn owl, with a heart shaped face, brown body, and white under belly. Alec was very confused. He had no idea what this owl wanted, and had never heard of messenger owls. Mabey messenger pigeon, but not owl. So, he took the letter from the possibly rabid owl and read the front. In messy handwriting, it read:
To: Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn
From: A. Dumbledore
Alec was suspicious, but this was Magnus's business, and they all had secrets, so he trodden of too the study where Magnus was working.
"Um, Magnus,"
"Yes?" Magnus said, not looking up from his Clave work.
"Do you normally get letters delivered by owls from an A. Dumbledore?"
This time, Magnus sprang from his desk and yelped, "Dumbledore? He wouldn't write unless…"
"So I'm assuming you do get letters from a someone named Dumbledore, and they are normally delivered by owls."
Alec handed Magnus the letter, and he ripped it open and read quickly, a pale spreading over his face.
"Oh my, read this Alec," Magnus said, sitting down in his chair.
Dear old friend,
Remember, 2 years ago, when I called you to Hogwarts and you and Severus told me I had a year to live? Remember what I also told Severus to do, to prevent the boy of wrongdoing? Severus has done it, and I have died. But still the Voldemort rules, and only Harry Potter and his friends stand in the way. You must help him, you and your nephilim friends to. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are outside your door now, and you must meet them, help them in any way you can. The horxuses must be destroyed.
Your Friend,
Albus Dumbledore
Alec ran to the door, and threw it open. Sure enough, two boys and a girl stood expectantly outside of the door.
"Are you Magnus Bane?" The one with black hair and green eyes asked, obviously the leader. He wore a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, although it had a worn look to it. His voice of clearly boasted of a lifetime in England and he had no show of weaponry or power.
"Um, no, I am Alec Lightwood. And you are?"
"I am Harry Potter, and there are my friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Dumbledore told us to come here after we wrote the letter. He said Magnus Bane lived in this appartment." Something on his face told Alec that his blank recognition was not expected.
"And I do." Magnus said, walking up behind Alec, still ashen. "Come in." Ushered Magnus, and the trio gladly shuffled inside, sitting at the table.
"Would you like anything?" Alec asked, hoping be seen as polite, not silent and defensive, as people normally saw him.
The boy with flaming red hair, not different from Clary's, asked for a cup of butter beer, but when the girl with wild brown hair gave him a nasty look, he changed his order to a cup of tea. The rest asked for the same.
While Alec boiled water, he heard Magnus casually talking to the strangers, asking them about England and what they were doing. At this they fell silent.
As Alec walked in, carrying a pot of tea, The wild haired girl said "Well Dumbledore trusted him, I think we can too. We are hunting horxuses." She said, matter of factly.
"And do you have a plan?" Magnus asked, his cat eyes narrowing.
"Not really." Harry said. At this, Magnus laughed.
"Typical teens. I'll call the others."
