Prologue

Mason Petrov was sort of a renowned astrophysicist. Despite graduating from a local community college, he managed to win a Nobel Prize a few years back for his research on quantum cosmology. He was now working at NASA, his dream job. He had a wife and two kids. His adult acne had finally cleared and he was the ideal image of a healthy blonde American. Everything in his life had turned out overwhelmingly fortunate.

By all means, Mason should be happy with where he was now.

However, just last week, he was invited to a family dinner. Of course, he couldn't bring his wife and children along, so he had to lie and say it was a business meeting.

The whole damn time, he hated being there, hated being reminded of his mediocrity. Seeing spells flung everywhere, dazzling sights of dancing silverware, fireworks, and color charms. Mason loathed the sight of it, or maybe, he loathed the fact he couldn't partake in it. He'd try to forget that side of him by spending as little time as he could with his family: which wasn't a hard endeavor. They almost always excluded him from everything.

Jealousy and hurt bubbled from within him whenever he was ignored by cousins, nieces, nephews, parents, and even his own brother. The truth was, he wasn't content. No, he despised being a squib. It was awful, having to still feel inadequate despite all his achievements. His education, work, Angelica, his daughters, everything was irrelevant to them.

So it comes to reason that Mason didn't feel all that guilty exposing the existence of magic. Why should he? When it had done nothing for him? In fact, he thought more people would be able to relate to him and understand his years of bitterness.

And it all started by telling his research partner, Richard Sanchez, who, despite his area of study, was pretty open-minded to all things spiritual and supernatural. He was probably the main reason why it got so overblown. . .

"But it isn't fair, isn't it? Maybe if it was as simple as him getting into Harvard and you going to community college, it wouldn't have been so bad. But Magic? Magic, Mason?" A tall lanky man, sporting messy brown hair and a goatee, flailed his arms to exaggerate his point.

"Yes, I know. It's pretty-"

"Shitty. Awful. Why are some gifted and others not? Is it simply a case of genetic superiority? What makes you and your brother so different that you weren't chosen?"

Mason sighed as his friend continued his rant. All of Richard's points were things he'd already pondered over. There was no way of knowing the answers to such questions.

"And what is magic anyway? Where did it come from? Is it innate in our world, our earth? Or is it something so strange that sprung from the human mind, like religion, ethics, and love?"

Mason rolled his eyes. "Jesus, slow down. I show you one talking chess piece and you're already going on about its origins." He then stood up abruptly to go make more coffee.

"Well, how can I not? Something like that could reveal so many truths within this universe. Do the wizards even know?" Richard pulled out his journal and a pen, scribbling something down with great concentration. Mason frowned at him, turning the coffee machine off as he sipped his new brew.

"No. . . I don't think so, or at least, no one in my family or the people they're acquainted with know."

"Then this calls for immediate action, Macy boy!" The scientist bellowed. He struck a dynamic pose, dramatically raising his fist. "Research must be done! We "No Majs" have the right to know! Something like magic!? Right under our fingertips!?"

"First off, don't call me that ever again. Second, no one will believe us. Who do we even tell? The government? They're too focused on Aliens to even blink an eye at the existence of magic."

"Well, usually I'd agree with you." Richard hopped over to one of the large computers, bringing up a photo page of high-ranking NASA officials. "If the people so knowledgeable about extraterrestrial life come to them saying that a mysterious energy exists here on Earth. . ."

He finished typing an email before clicking send. "Well, let's just say it'll really be hard to ignore."

Mason silently sipped his drink, his mind conflicted. He still doubted anything would happen, even with his friend's assurances. He was frustrated, mad at the world for his particular circumstances, but. . . did he want to breach the Statute of Secrecy simply out of spite?

"Damn that was fast," said Richard, opening up an unread email. It took him a few seconds to read its contents before he swiveled his head back to give Mason an intense stare.

"Well, my friend. You better be ready to present all you have. They're coming by tomorrow."

The response was unusually fast, almost as if they'd been expecting someone to step up, someone like him. Due to Richard's efforts, Mason would later find out that the U.S. government already had its suspicions about the Wizarding World, due to several Scourer reports throughout history; he had almost forgotten about those guys since his family immigrated from Russia. Nonetheless, it seemed like past presidents may have known as well but refused to disclose such information to anyone else.

Their current leader, on the other hand, was. . . just as clueless as the rest of the country. And when he found out, well, let's just say he wasn't pleased. After all, 9/11 had just happened and America wasn't the best place for acceptance and understanding right now. Almost immediately, a task force was created, eventually becoming a small branch and then into a large organization that surprisingly comprised many international constituents.

It was 2003 and Mason Petrov was now scared out of his mind. He never intended for all this to happen. One moment of letting his suppressed emotions pop out then boom, national, or is it international surveillance over the wizarding society.

Still, they couldn't find out about anything, could they? Nexus didn't have the magical means to break through wards or study their culture. His family. . . they're probably safe, wherever they were.

He couldn't tell them about the organization, about his irreversible fuck-up. They already hate him, why pour gasoline over an already burning fire.

There were also no mentions of MACUSA acting strange, so Mason assumed the wizards didn't know, which makes total sense. Centuries of hiding in almost plain sight with no threat to their secrecy will do that to you: it creates a false sense of security.

For three years, he was on the fence about his reckless decision since a small part of him still worried for his parents. Then came July 11th, 2004 and a small two-year-old went missing from her town's orphanage. No one knew about this occurrence except for the people responsible. Silvia briefly mentioned it to him, since she thought he ought to know, as the key whistleblower who started their group mission. Then two more children, no five, or eight, went missing from all across the globe. They were all no more than infants who were abandoned or belonged to unsavory guardians.

Nexus basically kidnapped them.

A horrible nauseating feeling churned in his stomach. This was immoral. Due to his feelings of inferiority and envy, he caused this to happen. Mason didn't know what they were doing to those poor kids, but he could tell it wasn't anything pleasant. This whole operation was becoming twisted and dystopian, almost like those evil organizations in video games.

How could he possibly stop it? They won't listen to someone as low ranking as him. His family. . . It was too late to tell them as well. He thinks about his daughters and his beautiful wife. They'd be in danger if Nexus finds out he'd betrayed them.

Therefore that summer of 2004, Mason Petrov decided to vanish from the eyes and ears of both the magical and non-magical world.

Was it a cowardly move? Absolutely, but he didn't want to be present for the chaos that will eventually come. He wasn't sure if it'll start a month from now or a couple of years down the line, but Nexus is determined.

The Calamity will happen, whether the Wizarding World knows about it or not.

Note: My take on what a "Calamity" could mean for the Potterverse. I just wanted to make a dystopian narrative that forces new changes to the Wizarding magic and lifestyle.