Chapter One

Of Men and Magic

Ken and Bill were sitting in the basement waiting for the rest of the brothers to come down.  It was one of their Fraternity's Brotherhoods, a night where the brothers talk about the fraternity and why they joined and important or painful moments in their lives.  It was all so they could be come closer friends and better brothers.  Ken and Bill were down in the basement getting the next thing that they would all do set up.  The basement was relatively well insulated, sound-wise, from the rest of the house.

That's why they never heard the shouts.

The only thing that they did hear was the door opening and closing and some odd thuds.  They just thought someone had come late.  They were busy working so they didn't think to remember that everyone was already here.

After five minutes of waiting, Ken lost his patience (which was never abundant to begin with) and went upstairs to see what was taking the others so long.  His shout was louder than any of the others had been.

"BILL!!!  Get the Fuck up here!"  Ken used profanity as much as the next person, but he almost never said anything in an urgent tone of voice unless it was important to him.  Bill took the steps by twos up to the third story, where Ken leaned heavily against the wall, shaking badly. 

Now there are certain things you should know about Bill and Ken. 

Bill was a relatively short (relative to Ken) guy with an explosive temper.  He defended his friends to the death and fought his enemies the same.  He was usually very light-hearted and would laugh with you, but he took life very seriously.  Not much could completely unnerve him.

Ken was a little leaner and a little taller and a lot calmer.  The only three things that got Ken as riled up as Bill were complete and total idiots, liars who lie to hurt people, and assholes.  When they coincided with each other, watch out because he could be just as explosive.  He was higher strung, and easier to spook, but only a little easier to completely unnerve. However while Bill enjoyed a good fight, Ken didn't like to fight anywhere near as much.

Bill took one look at the room and fell to his knees in shock.

Everyone in the room was dead. 

The brothers were laying about like they had been dolls thrown around like an angry child.  Tears streames down Kens face and Bill was too shocked to cry.

There was a glowing thing in the room, a skull with a snake in it, not something that either recognized.

A low laugh came from the room behind them and a man in a mask and black robes came out, pointing a stick at them.  He looked from one to the other and then started to talk.

"Stupid Muggles!  My Master will rule this world, your time is up. Avada K-"

At that moment Ken completely lost control of his temper.  He took one step and punched the murdering asshole right in the face of the mask.  He was rewarded with a nice crunching noise as the person's nose broke.  Ken followed up with a knee to the groin and then, with the person on the ground, just completely gave into his rage and beat him mercilessly.  Bill pulled Ken off, but not before the person was a bloody pulp. Ken massaged his pained knuckles as Bill broke the stick the person was holding.  A puff of greenish black smoke came from it and Bill threw it at the unconscious asshole.  They were wondering what they were going to tell the police when there was a knock at the door. They heard the door open and someone shouted.

"Is anyone there?" 

Ken didn't recognize the voice, so he deferred to Bill's judgment. Bill got out a weak. "Yea.  Up here."

Three people, two youngish men and an older gray-haired woman, came up the stairs.  They were wearing some odd clothing and two of them took out sticks similar to the one the other man had and they pointed them at Ken and Bill.  The third asked them what had happened, and they told him.

The young man looked in the room and stepped out, motioned for his teammates to lower their sticks and he took Ken and Bill downstairs.  They sat in the fraternity chapter room and he told them that it was magic that had killed their brothers.  Hard to believe at first, but with a few demonstrations (repairing a couch with a motion, turning a coffee table into a book and back, and then making coffee with a hand motion) they believed him. 

The young man, Tom, explained to them that since the University was all muggle (non-magical, which took another explanation) the followers of a Man who called himself Voldemort had chosen the place to be attacked.  They selected a large collective group at random to die.  These followers sounded like a cult to Bill and Ken, and they said so.  Tom nodded and told them that they would have to have their memory erased of this and would think that their brothers had been shot.  Ken looked at Tom.

"Tom, I don't have much here besides these guys.  And now they are all dead…"

His eyes darkened.

"I want revenge."

Bill, who for once totally agreed with Ken, just nodded.

Tom looked at them, shrugged and said ok.  He told the two that they would work with him on this project.  When one of Tom's partners objected; Tom put him is his place by asking him what he would want if this had happened to him.  Ken asked what they would be doing.

"Teaching." When the guys both stared at him he continued "You will both assist in the teaching of Muggle studies at the school where I will be employed in the fall.  I just have to arrange it."

Bill looked at Ken, then looked at Tom and asked "Where is this school?"  To which Tom replied.

"It is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is in Scotland."

Author's note

This is, as already explained, some back story for some of the characters in Harry Potter and the Swords of Fate.  This chapter covered the introduction of Ken and Bill to the Magical world and the Introduction of Thomas as an adult.  Chapter 2 will be up extremely soon.  (i.e. Today)  Please read and review.

TimK