The Forgotten Dukes
Chapter 1
Alexander Sinclair rose wearily from his desk in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had dark bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, unkempt dark hair that had streaks of grey through it that were slowly taking over, and a grim, weary expression that was almost a trademarked look on the face of every senior Auror. He flicked his wand sharply at the just-finished report on his desk, which promptly folded itself into a parchment glider and sped off ahead of him to deposit itself into the in-tray of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Alexander didn't doubt that Harry Potter would be disappointed with the latest update. For the past six months the Auror department had been tracking a group known as the Forgotten Dukes, a gang of hardened wizards who ran every underground duel, black market creature trade, illicit potion sale, and illegal Quidditch match in the East side of Glasgow and beyond.
At first the gang were of little consequence in the DMLE, breaking up an underground duel or Quidditch match was something a pair of junior Aurors should be able to do with little fuss and no assistance. But the Forgotten Dukes were far more skilled than early reports had suggested, and the junior Aurors, and then even the regulars, had started returning to the Ministry of Magic badly cut or burned. Some had even had their features grotesquely transfigured, two Aurors had even ended up in St. Mungo's for a week. Now the departments efforts were no longer focused on simply disrupting the gangs' activities. Detectives had been stationed permanently in Glasgow, covertly patrolling the Duke's regular haunts in Dennistoun, Bridgeton, Shettleston, and Gorbals. Information started flowing in from the detectives.
The Forgotten Duke's were led by a man known only as 'The Apprentice', and had moved on from the minor crimes that were quickly quashed by the department. Now the group were committing racketeering, robbery, and even two reported cases of poisoning Muggles. An attempt had been made by a small force of Aurors to round up a large numbers of the group, who were easily spotted in their royal blue robes with a black armband, but they had failed in their task and had been badly injured in the process. Aside from having a number of men sidelined in hospital, the skirmish had left Glasgow's Sarkastik Alley in ruins, with a number of shops ending the day with broken windows and damaged stock, which of course of the department had to pay for. It was this incident that had led to the job of investigating the man known as the Apprentice making its way onto Alexander's desk.
From Lanark, a town less than an hour from Glasgow, Alexander was no stranger to the areas this gang called home. He supposed this was why the case fell on his desk and not another senior Aurors. He had been stationed in Glasgow during his time as a junior Auror, investigating a series of warehouse robberies in Queenslie. It was a rough city then, and it was still a rough city now. Since Harry Potter had begun his prophetic rise through the ranks to the position of Head Auror and beyond, London had become as safe a city as you could possibly find in Europe. No criminal dared step out of line in the city of the man who had vanquished the Dark Lord when he was only a teenager. The gangs that had once held an unbreakable grip on the boroughs of Southwark, Wandsworth, and Tower Hamlets were forced to run away to the North and try their hand in Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow. So powerful was the aura surrounding the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that, aside from some gang activity and petty crime, nothing resembling a true Dark Wizard had been seen in Great Britain for years. Until now.
Authors Note:
Just an idea I have been playing with, let me know if you feel intrigued by the idea, and want to read more!
IronManRidingaNimbus.