Anastasia walked the familiar passage to Vladimir's office in Red Square with an extra spring in her step after her recent success. As she walked through the door, Vladimir was eagerly anticipating her arrival.
"I can sense that you have brought me news of success," he said delightedly as he spun around in his chair to face her.
Anastasia dropped several rolls of parchment on his desk, "As I suspected, the men that stole the Kwikcodes machine were working off-the-books for the British Ministry, and they completely bought the story about me being a defector. But it gets better; I managed to infiltrate the secret French base at Mont Anglais where Allied Aurors were having a secret conference, the complete transcript of which is written in these scrolls."
Vladimir's eyes widened, "You've really outdone yourself this time."
Then, with a confident swoop, Tom Riddle walked into the office, announcing, "Your Excellency, you won't believe this news, my man in London has really come through for me this time!"
Anastasia sighed, "You know Riddle, we have a chain of command."
Riddle looked over at her with a charming but condescending grin, "Oh, I'm sorry, Anastasia, I thought you were out of the country, but it's great to see you back here alive and well."
Vladimir motioned for Tom to proceed as Tom handed him a folder marked "Albatross Project."
"My contact at the Ministry has provided me with these plans for a new weapon system, and I believe you will find it most interesting."
Vladimir paged through the folder, looking very impressed at what he was reading.
"Now, Your Excellency, I understand you will soon be traveling to London for the Wizarding World's Fair?"
Vladimir nodded as he continued reading.
"Might I suggest that some of us may accompany you on your journey, and perhaps try to exploit this opportunity?"
Vladimir looked up, "What exactly are you suggesting?"
"With the information we have just obtained, this could be the opportunity you have been waiting for; to knock Britain out of the game for good."
"And how feasible would that be?" he asked cautiously.
"It's a very high risk," Anastasia cut in, "But with a perfect plan and perfect execution, it may be possible to ensure the fall of the British Ministry and its replacement by a friendly regime."
Vladimir leaned back and began to grin, "Excellent, I am trusting the two of you to cooperate to form that perfect plan."
Vladimir arrived in London through the official portkey, dressed in regal burgundy robes and a fur hat emblazoned with a red star. The Deputy Minister of something or other was there to officially greet him, affording him the courtesies due to a head of state, even here in a hostile land.
As he was led to his accommodations, Vladimir looked out over the sprawl of London, sneering at its excesses, but gloating to himself that it would all soon be his.
A Bulgarian called Boris Stoichov also arrived in London that night, wearing a dark hood to conceal his recognizable scars and eye patch. He alone among the dark wizards that had once made up Grindelwald's inner circle had managed to escape being killed or captured at the end of the war. Since then, he had made his living as a hired wand, performing difficult and morally questionable jobs for those that required a good bit of discretion. As one would expect, the Soviet Ministry had become his biggest client, using him for all manner of jobs. It was a no lose scenario for them; if he succeeded, their goals would be met, and if he did not, he could take the fall and they could deny all responsibility. Stoichov was perfectly content with this arrangement, considering how much they had lined his pockets.
But now, he was facing his most difficult assignment yet; the assassination of the Minister of Magic. The shadowy conflict between the British and Soviets had been very profitable for men like Boris. He was not sure what had caused this new major escalation in the conflict, but as long as got paid, he wasn't too concerned.
His Soviet contacts had given him thorough information on the Minister's security procedures, which had led him here, to the home of one of the Aurors on the Minister's security detail. Boris's plan was simple yet effective; using Polyjuice potion to take this Auror's place on the security team, which would give him a clear shot at the Minister. He drew his wand, ready to complete another job.
Riddle and Anastasia, followed by twenty of their comrades, arrived in the country through a different portkey, which took them to the gates of a grand, imposing estate known as Malfoy Manor. Abraxas Malfoy, the proud owner of the estate, was there to greet them.
"I have eagerly awaited your return," he excitedly informed Riddle.
The group walked briskly into the house, passing the nursery where Abraxas' infant son Lucius was sleeping, and finally reaching the dining room, where Riddle took a seat at the head of a very long table. Anastasia took a seat at his right, and the rest of the group filled in around the table.
With a commanding presence, Riddle rose to speak.
"We have arrived at a major turning point in our struggle. For many years, this country's Minister has embraced mudbloods and half-breeds. But now, we have the chance to bring to change, and the preserve the power of magic for those who are worthy of wielding it."
He paused briefly as applause filled the room.
"Our plan has several moving parts, but if they are all successful, our conflict ends tomorrow. Anastasia, please enlighten us with the details."
Anastasia then rose to speak, "As most of you know, we have contracted Boris Stoichov to assassinate the Minister of Magic. We are timing this event to create the maximum amount of chaos, and it is imperative that we position ourselves in order to take advantage of the situation. The rest of you will be on standby outside of the World's Fair, ready to capitalize on the situation and add to the confusion. With the following exceptions: Karkaroff, you were instructed to bring the new potion we've been developing. "
"The Dumbledore special," said Karkaroff with a grin, as he held up a glass vial.
"With you status as a Durmstrang Professor, you have obtained credentials to attend the tomorrow's International Magical Education conference, which as you know, is being chaired by one Albus Dumbledore."
The wizards booed and hissed at the mention of Dumbledore's name.
"When lunch is served at the conference, your mission is to find a way to ensure that Dumbledore drinks this potion, for we cannot afford to have him meddling."
Anastasia then conjured some diagrams with her wand, displaying the image of an antique looking biplane.
"Sources at the Ministry have informed us of a new experimental weapon known as the Albatross. This weapon has the power to destroy the magical population of an entire city, and will change the face of warfare forever. And we are going to steal it. "
The wizards murmured excitedly as she continued to explain.
"Dolohov, Markov, and Fedorov, you will accompany me on this phase of the mission. Mr. Malfoy will allow us to access the Ministry, and from there it's a simple heist. "
"And that's where I come in," added Malfoy, "Following the minister's assassination, there will need to be a special election to choose a new Minister. As part of my campaign, I will reveal that the previous Ministry has developed these secret weapons that may now be used against us. These events will likely push our nations to the brink of war, but I will run on a campaign of peace. But of course, before any of that happens, I have positioned myself to claim de facto power as soon as tomorrow's events transpire."
"And then the real changes will begin," said Riddle, "For law abiding purebloods, life will continue as normal. But the imposters will be made to pay. Anyway, I cannot stress how important timing is to this operation. Regardless of progress, you will all report back here at 2000 to assess our next step."
"Are there any questions?" Anastasia asked.
Seeing none, see wrapped up the meeting, "Now you all know the stakes, good luck."
The wizards then began to mingle, excitedly discussing their roles in the plot, while Anastasia casually slipped out the door.
"Where are you going? This is our big moment," Riddle asked her.
"I have to send a dispatch to Moscow."
Augustus Wellington paced through his office with the haggard appearance of a man who hadn't slept in days. He was irate with himself for falling for such an obvious ploy by the Russians, but now, he was determined to make sure that the Wizarding World's Fair went off without a hitch.
He looked out his window at the massive tents that had been set up for the fair, in which each participating country had made their own display. There was a Pegasus surrounded by classical columns in the Greek exhibit, and animatronic mummies walking through replica pyramids in the Egyptian one. But Augustus' weary eyes kept zeroing in on the Soviet section, which was centered around a dancing bear on an ice covered pond. He wondered what the bear was planning as it seemed to openly mock him.
Mrs. Norrington walked in with a stack of parchment, too tired herself at this point to admonish Augustus for not taking care of himself.
"There's a message from Marie Lecavalier; the French Minister has arrived safely. "
Augustus nodded in acknowledgement, still intently staring at the bear.
"And here's a few more authorization forms that need your signature, and there's one more message…um, you might want to read this one yourself."
Augustus took the parchment from her, double checking its veracity as his eyes opened wide with concern.