Chapter Eighteen – Comparing Notes
The next morning the group was gathered around the dining table enjoying an early breakfast.
"I need to get clearance from the Prime Minister and the Queen before I can have Sir Ian open MI5's files on Wizarding world," Lady Aydin said.
"Will that be a problem?" Giles asked.
"No," Lady Aydin replied. "They trust my judgment and they both know the stakes involved. The British government learned many centuries ago that when it comes to the esoteric, groups such as yours are the best equipped to handle such things. I should be able to forward you the basic packet on the Wizarding world by this afternoon."
"I will contact them myself to smooth things over," Sir John added. "I may be retired but I still have a little influence left."
"Little is putting mildly Gray," Lady Aydin said. "Rupert we will need to work out how best to combine our forces."
"The Council's Board is meeting tomorrow," Giles replied. "This will be one of the key topics of that meeting. Robert will most likely remain our primary liaison, but I suspect Buffy will assign a Slayer to 'run point' as she says, on this situation," he made a motion with his hand. "Probably Faye here."
"I already have someone in mind from MI5 to act as liaison with the Council," Lady Aydin said. "If I might ask, how many Slayers have had dreams like Faye's?"
"Twenty," Faye replied. "Including myself. All of them within roughly a month my dream. No one since the end of July. We assume that means we have everyone we need. Just how big is this Wizarding world. Dawn's estimates place the population between 60-70 thousand."
"Since you will be getting confirmation to see the file anyway, I suppose I can fill you in on some of the background," Lady Aydin replied. "Our current estimate places the Wizarding population in England at 27,000. The total for Europe and North Africa is between 150-165 thousand. For the rest of the world the population is roughly 15-20 thousand."
"Nearly 200,000 people total?!?" Willow's eyes bulged out. "That's a small city."
"It's an entire world unto itself," Lady Aydin said. "With a separate government, schools, police force (the effectiveness of which is highly debatable) and its own laws."
"Why is the population so concentrated in Europe?" Willow asked.
"D'Karsh relocated a sizable percentage of the Wizarding population to England," Lady Aydin explained. "Groups from all over the globe. Since the founding of the first enclave the Wizards have migrated back to Europe and expanded the protective magic of the Covenant to the few remaining Wizarding communities outside of England."
"But what about Asia?" Willow pressed.
"As far as we have been able to determine the Wizarding population in Asia was completely wiped out nearly 2,000 years ago," Lady Aydin continued. "The population there at this point mainly comprises immigrants from the European enclaves. They have one small village located in Eastern China. There use to be second village in Japan, but it was located in the hills overlooking Hiroshima. Magic doesn't protect from a nuclear bomb. A little over two thousand Wizards had taken refuge there to ride out the war. Only a few survived."
"And the Western hemisphere?"
"North American about 4,000. They're concentrated around what they call the Salem Institute. Although the school was relocated from Salem to Northern Canada in the early part of the twentieth century. The population in South America is about the same. They're concentrated in Southern Peru."
"That puts them pretty far away from the Hellmouth in Brazil," Eric noted.
"We've noticed that Wizards prefer to live far away from areas of strong natural magic," Lady Aydin replied.
"Makes sense," Willow said. "They are trying to avoid contact with other magic groups. Those places tend to attract a lot of magic users."
"One thing you should know," Lady Aydin said. "For reasons we've never been able to determine the vast majority of the Wizarding population is completely ignorant of magic outside of the enclaves."
"How the hell is that possible?" Eric said.
"We can only guess," Lady Aydin replied. "Most Wizards live their entire lives within the enclaves. They rarely interact with the outside world. Those few that do don't have dealings with other magic groups. They don't teach about magic outside the enclaves in their schools. In fact they don't teach much about the true history of the Wizarding world in their schools. It seems to be a deliberate policy on the part of their leaders. Although at this point their leaders are just as ignorant."
"Why would they do that?" Willow asked.
"As I said we don't know," Lady Aydin said. "They don't consult with us on education policy."
"So they won't expect a magical assault from outside the enclaves," Faye said. "That could give us an enormous strategic advantage. The longer this Riddle and his followers stay ignorant of whose attacking them the easier our job is."
"That's our strategy as well," Lady Aydin replied. "They discount threats from the 'muggle' world."
"'Muggle' world?" Willow asked.
"They call those outside the enclaves 'muggles,'" Lady Aydin explained. "It's their term for people without magic. For the most part they don't think we matter."
"I assume you have allies and contacts within the Wizarding world," Giles said.
"There is a formal liaison between their government and the Crown," Lady Aydin said. "The current one is, quite frankly, an idiot. We have established our own intelligence network within the enclaves. It's concentrated mostly in England, but we have contacts throughout the Wizarding world. I can't reveal more until I get authorization."
"Of course," Giles replied. "I must say this is incredible. An entire culture isolated for centuries. The possibilities for study."
"Oh God," Dawn said. "Giles is going into overload. Pretty soon he is going to go into full on professor mode."
"Dawn," Giles scowled. "Need I remind you that it was your curiosity that got us into this."
"He's got a point," Willow said. "You are turning into quite the little professor yourself."
"I am not," Dawn shot back. "I can still out shop anybody at this table."
"I did hear a rumor before I left Cleveland about the downtown merchant association naming an award for her and Buffy," Eric said. "Apparently they were quite impressed with their last outing."
"We had to make up the lack of shopping on our New York trip," Dawn said. "We got side tracked helping the police track down a serial killer."
"How's that going?" Eric asked.
"Jury delivered a conviction on four counts of 1st degree murder last week," Dawn answered. "The sentencing phase starts next week. It looks like the ADA running the case, Alex Cabot, is going to get the death penalty for Cummings."
"Good," Eric said. "Bastard has it coming. I only met Emily the day she came into Cleveland to interview with you and Giles but she struck me as good choice to run Guardian's New York office."
"We still haven't found a good replacement," Dawn said. "Andre's doing a good job. But we still need him for research in Cleveland. I need someone in New York full time. One who doesn't have to commute back and forth twice a month."
"I'm sure you'll come up with a solution Dawn," Giles said. "We have been rather busy the last few months."
"I do have a couple of good prospects," Dawn said. "We're still running the background checks on them. Hopefully I can have someone in place by the end of October. We're losing business not having somebody there full time."
"Professor and business tycoon," Willow said.
"Careful Willow," Dawn said. "I still haven't forgotten about all those chess games."
"I'll be good," Willow said in mock terror.
Lady Aydin shook her head at the exchange. She took the last bite of her waffle and started getting ready to leave. "Thank you for your hospitality Gray. I'm afraid I must be going. I need to contact the Queen and the Prime Minister and brief Sir Ian on the new situation," she looked around the table. "It has been a pleasure. Rupert I will contact you later this afternoon the work out the details of sending MI5's information on the Wizarding world."
"That should give us plenty of time too review the information before tomorrow's board meeting," Giles replied.
"Very well then," Lady Aydin stood up. "Gray, thank you again. This has been a most enlightening two days. I will see you all shortly."
Sir John rose from his chair. "I will show you out Sophia," he motioned to the others. "Please continue your conversation, I will return shortly. There is one last item I wish to cover with you."
Sir John escorted Lady Aydin from the dining room. A few minutes later he returned.
"As I said there is one other matter I wish to discuss," Sir John said. "Eric, Faye if you don't mind. I need to speak with the others privately."
"No problem," Eric said. He and Faye got up and left the dining room.
"Caitlin, please keep those two company," Sir John said. "And make certain we are not interrupted."
"Of course grandfather," she followed Eric and Faye out of the door.
"What is it you wish to speak to us about Gray?" Giles asked.
"Actually the matter concerns Dawn," Sir John replied. He noticed all three tense and he sensed a brush of power from Willow. He smiled.
"I see you have already guessed what I wish to talk about," he said. He looked directly at Dawn. "There is power in you. A power unlike any I have felt before. In this or any other life. I do not know what this power is but I can tell you I have never seen the Inner Planes respond to anyone's presence the way it responded to yours."
"Maybe I'm just well liked," Dawn said.
"Perhaps," Sir John said. "Let me say first, that what I know will never leave these grounds. I spoke with Sophia, although she does not know why, she will not speak of what she saw while on the Inner Planes. She assumed your gifts were because you are the sister of the Slayer. I encouraged that view."
"Thank you," Dawn said. "But why don't you get to the point."
"Ah youth," Sir John said. "Always impatient. As I said, I don't recognize your power. But while communing with Masters of the Inner Planes I did learn some things. You have a role to play in this Dawn. Your power will be needed. How, I do not know. All learned is that 'some keys open more than one lock.'"
"Is that all Gray?" Giles asked.
"That is all I have learned," Sir John replied. "You have my word, unless you specifically request it of me, I will not seek any further into this matter. The Masters made it very clear that no one should learn of Dawn's gifts too soon, before she has a chance to learn how to use them. I would suggest that you seek your own answers."
Dawn thought quietly. Ever since Glory none of the Scoobies really wanted to explore what being the Key meant. She was Dawn Summers. Buffy's sister. Watcher. She didn't want to be the Key. But it would seem the Powers had other plans for her. Well, if there was one thing Dawn knew how to do, it was find things out. So now she was going to research the one subject she had been deliberately avoiding for almost seven years.
"Thank you Gray," she said. "It would seem I have even more work to do than I thought."