AN: I got bored one day and decided to make a cover image, so there you go. A pain to create using a mouse. Also, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :). As always, reviews help.

Chapter 21 - Wetworks

A lanky man sat on the benches inside Heathrow Airport, awaiting his partner. He would kill for some elf-made coffee, but for now the cheap cup of espresso he bought from some Muggle store would do. His seedy eyes shifted through the crowds exiting from the arrival terminal, trying to pick out a particular face.

He checked the time, six o'clock, the sun was setting in the distance. Maybe his partner overdid the glamour charms, disrupting the finicky computers used in the immigration checkpoints due to the excess magic.

Nevermind, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Dressed in loose slacks and a rumpled button up shirt, his partner left the arrival terminal with a duffel bag slung on his shoulders, looking disgruntled. Picking up his cup of espresso and the one he bought for his partner, he made his way over.

"Pavel. Good to see you!" he grinned widely, conversing in Russian while handing his partner a cup of espresso who accepted it gratefully. "I almost thought you missed the flight."

"Not a chance," his partner, Pavel, replied before sipping a dose of caffeine and grumbling something about jetlag. "You have the transportation arranged?"

"Of course," the lanky man nodded, taking out his wallet and handing Pavel some loose change.

Pavel took the change and slotted them into the nearest payphone, keeping a particularly dirty one in his pocket. He punched in some numbers before putting the handset against his ears.

"Hmmm? Pavel... Yes... I already kept the milk... Yes... I just reached Britain... Yes. Goodbye."

Pavel hung up the phone, turning to the lanky man.

"Alright Lev, let's go," said Pavel leaving the airport.

"Was it clean?" the lanky man, Lev, asked.

"As freshly fallen snow," Pavel nodded, draining the last of the espresso and tossing it in a nearby dustbin. "As far as the British Wizarding Ministry knows, we don't exist here."

"Good to know," said Lev checking his watch. "Ten seconds to portkey jump, runic distortion is active."

Both men cast their Notice-Me-Not Charms simultaneously and surreptitiously. For ten seconds, nobody paid attention to them and in ten seconds, they were gone.

XXXXX

"So these are the men?" Bagrationi looked over the folders of two Wizengamot members. He was seated in his office in St Petersburg, the centre of office for the White bloc.

The man in midnight blue Russian Auror robes and black mask nodded sharply. Bagrationi looked back at the folder, Stamford Jones and Matt Edgley, two Wizengamot members who are reported to be staunchly opposed to any dealings with Russia. Two men whose time are short. Once more, Bagrationi was thankful that the proposals of bilateral relations between Russia and Britain were done in isolated and confidential environments. Each of the pawns were under the assumption that it was an unintentional topic brought up during conversation, no hint of such a proposal would ever reach public ears.

Jones and Edgley, they had the capital to galvanise an opposition against Russian involvement, they had to go. And the time was now, his liaison in Britain demanded that he acted fast in order to provide more time to work with.

"Sergei?" Bagrationi asked the Auror.

"Green light."

"Grey?"

"Green light."

"Leo?"

"In process like you, sir."

"Konstantin?"

"Green light."

"Vasily?"

"Green light."

Bagrationi chuckled, this was one of the rare moments where everyone in what was unofficially dubbed the 'privy council' were in agreement, as least the major players were. Then again, a chance to gorge in one of Europe's largest wizarding economies that happens to be corrupt, nobody here was passing out on that.

"Very well," Bagrationi hummed, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Green light."

XXXXX

Everyone was in position, each of them dressed differently in dark colours. The less the uniformity of their apparel, the more they seemed like a ragtag group of terrorists and criminals.

Pavel inspected his equipment with a scowl, they were acceptable but not in the condition he really wanted. Lev, on the other hand, simply slapped on his equipment without concern. Pavel and to admit, he was sometimes envious of his partner's carefree attitude.

Looking around him, it was easy to discern who were Spooks and who weren't. The ones who opted to go without Muggle firearms and instead looked at the weapons with looks of distrust were not Spooks. The leader of their group stood up and called for attention.

"Everyone listen up," the man barked. "Remember your targets and stick only to your targets. Avoid any other casualties at all cost. However, the destruction of property is allowed and very much encouraged. We want the British to think we are dangerous but not lethal, with each person we kill, their Wizengamot gains more incentive to improve their Auror Corps and Hit Wizard forces. It's a balancing act I'm sure your superiors emphasised."

"Who the fuck put him in charge?" Lev asked beside him, looking at the leader with a confused expression. "If I remember, that cunt is an informant, not a combat specialist."

"Keep to your teams and make sure nobody here gets caught. If you happen to have the misfortune of being cornered, do all of us a favour and kill yourself."

"I heard the Whites are in charge of this show," Pavel explained. "That man is the cousin of someone high up there."

"If anyone of you see your teammates about to be caught, do us all a favour and kill him."

"Ah... nepotism, got it." Lev drawled in understanding, turning his attention back to his AK-47.

"Feels weird," Pavel scowled. "Two of us here are under Leo, as are those two there. I am pretty sure that circle of seven people are with the Whites. Those two there are definitely under Sergei's thumb. And those two are probably with Grey."

"And also, be reminded that this is not an excuse to go around killing one another, just stick to the plan and be adaptive if need be."

"Damn surprised there isn't any backstabbing yet," Lev chuckled.

"Yet."

"Everyone, prepare to move on the whistle."

"Mmm... the perks of a mutually beneficial operation," Lev hummed, sniffing the air. "It smells delightfully refreshing. You know, a little bird told me that one of the Greyhound's Demons will probably be watching this."

Pavel snorted.

"What?" said Lev challengingly. "You don't think that Grey and his hound would use child soldiers?"

"They would," Pavel snorted once more. "Everyone would, everyone does, they are more malleable, adaptive and you don't need to pay them. But the stories revolving Greyhound's Demons are definitely exaggerated. I'll draw the line at them being the best underaged Spooks you can ever find but that's all."

"Really?"

"Take the Shanghai job of spring 1993," Pavel explained. "They said that it only took two of them to sneak pass the wards at the Golden Tiger Complex. Please, with the ward systems used there, on top of a skilled ward-breaker, you need at least a team of Spooks like us with various equipment to keep track of the frequent magical shifts in the Triple-Rotational ward scheme. And on top of observing constantly changing magic, they need to crack the wards in tandem with the shift which requires an insane level of teamwork. Just how do you expect two children to do that?"

A sharp screech of a whistle filled the air, giving everyone the cue to begin. Cracks of apparition filled the place as the room they were in began to empty out one by one. Pavel and Lev landed on soft ground and the latter took point, bringing his rifle to bear. Pavel looked around and saw the others appearing near them with cracking sounds of their own.

Despite it being night, Pavel could pick out the silhouettes of two pairs in the distance erecting Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards. Five minutes for the wards to be properly set up and they began closing in on their target. St Helensworth was a primarily magical neighbourhood that housed a decently sized magical community, the rows of identical houses made it easy for their planning. After all, the blueprints were the same for each house, including their target's. The various shops scattered about made it easy to cause collateral damage without risking the deaths of any civilians.

Most of them scoured the area for any threats while the few Spooks among them worked to tear down the wards of their target's house. Traditional methods using a wand was efficient and precise, but took too much time. Should the wards alert their target to intruders before the wards were broken, things would get more messy. Instead, they used a method that could deliver raw power in an instant without the slow channelling of magic used in traditional ward breaking.

"That's the charges set up? Everyone at a safe distance?" Lev asked one of the Spooks, fiddling with the detonator in his hands. The Spook nodded before moving back to his position. "Remember Pavel, their fireplace is at the second window from the left, flushed against the right wall."

Pavel nodded silently, keeping his eyes on this window. Lev flicked off the safety of his detonator and pulled the trigger. Seven packs of rune-altered high-explosive charges equally distributed around the wards, just outside the ward line, exploded in tandem. The wards broke immediately and Pavel instantly fired two spells in quick succession, a Reductor Curse broke the window open and the follow up Blasting Curse reduced the fireplace into a plume of smoke and rubble, Floo connection severed.

Around him similar occurrences popped up around him, gouts of dust erupting from nearby wizarding homes. The village woke up from the noise as windows grew bright with light and screams rose in the air. From the second floor of their target's house a silver racoon sprang from the window and scurried away into the air.

"Magical Law Enforcement Patrols or Aurors?" Lev asked as he watched the patronus escape. Sadly, there was no counter spell to the Patronus Charm. "Who do you think they will send?"

"Hopefully the former," Pavel muttered, vaulting over the broken window. "Homenum Revelio."

Four presence detected. Their target, his wife and probably two children, all upstairs.

"Upstairs," Pavel grunted. Lev stacked up behind him, as did two other Spooks. He led the group, preemptively casting a Shield Charm in the event of an ambush. As he maintained the shields, Lev backed him up with his Kalashnikov, the two others brought up their wands to bear.

"I need another Homenum Revelio," said Pavel as they reached the second floor. The Spook at the rear complied and Pavel felt the familiar swooping sensation.

"Left corridor," the Spook declared. "I'd wager the last room on the right side."

"Lev," Pavel prompted.

"Green Two to Green Five, do you read me?" Lev took one hand away from his rifle to activate the enchanted necklaces they were issued.

"Green Two, I hear you," came the reply

"Eyes on target's house. Second floor, east side, window on your left. See anything?"

"Checking... No."

"Noted, keep eyes on that window. We'll be entering soon. Feel free to shoot if the target shows himself."

"Understood."

Lev nudged Pavel and the group went down the corridor, stopping before the last room.

"Open the door," Pavel ordered and the rear man took up the job once more, swishing his wand at the door. The door rattled loudly but did not open, it was warded.

"Whoever is out there, stop!" an English voice came from the room. "Do you know who you are attacking? I am Stamford Jones of the Wizengamot and I will personally see to it that you end up in Azkaban if you refuse to cease this nonsense at once."

"Force it open."

The blue jet of a Reductor Curse soared pass Pavel's shoulder, rendering the door into dust. Pavel edged forward and his Shield Charm immediately absorbed a Stunning Spell. Then, he heard the shattering of the glass in the room, followed by the soft thump of a body dropping and a feminine shriek of panic.

"Green Five to Green Two, target is down."

Pavel entered the room, which appeared to be the master bedroom of the house. Lying on the floor was a middle-aged man with a wand still in his hand, a pool of blood slowly forming under him. In the corner was a woman with two young boys, all huddled together in their sleepwear. The two children were wailing at the top of their lungs.

"P-p-please..." the woman stammered, staring at the intruders with fear in her eyes. "Don't kill us."

"Bag them."

The woman screamed in terror as she found herself at the end of several wands. In a brilliant flash of white light, the woman and her children turned into guinea pigs. One of the Spooks behind Pavel grabbed the transfigured people and threw them into a burlap bag.

"Green Two to Siren," said Lev to his necklace. "Target is killed. We've got the family."

"Noted. Blue team, I want the empty buildings burnt down as soon as possible."

"Red Two to all teams, the British just responded. I got eyes on three contacts."

"Aurors or the MLEP?" one voice asked.

"Two in MLEP uniforms, one in the British Auror khaki."

"Alright, everyone hurry up, especially Blue team," the voice recognised as Siren said. "Put up a show of resistance and then everyone evacuate the place."

When the Spook stowed the burlap bag containing the transfigured people into his backpack, the group proceeded to exit the building, moving to leave the area still confined under the Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards. A disturbance came from the radio set on Pavel's belt, a voice crackled. Everyone around him strained to listen to the message which was difficult with all the magic disrupting the reception. Pavel grimaced, radio sets were only held by Spooks, having them report something did not bode well.

"Lizard to Spooks," the distorted voice spoke, Pavel recognised the callsign as the spotter outside the area who had possession of thermal optics. No wonder a radio set was used, magical communication would disrupt the sensitive Muggle technology. "We have distorted thermal contacts around the place. Three groups of six under suspected concealment spells. Taking Point Alpha as reference, they are at bearings one o'clock, five o'clock and nine o'clock. Just outside our wards. Suspected Auror or Hit Wizard teams."

"What do you expect?" Lev mused. "You apparate over to see a village on fire. Of course the first responders are going to call in the Aurors."

"Blue One to Siren," someone relayed the information via enchanted necklace to the leader of the operation who clearly did not have a radio set with him. "We have suspected teams of Aurors and Hit Wizards closing in. Estimated as three teams of six. Coming in from north-northeast, south-southeast and west."

"Shit," Siren cursed. "Blue One, grab some men and form a rearguard while the rest of us evacuate, make sure they are competent, I don't want anyone captured. Draw them away from the east, we are evacuating from there."

"Roger."

Once more the radio set crackled to life.

"Alright, Blue One here. I want Green One, Two and Five with me. Blue Three will be coming too. The rest of Green team, get out with the goods. Since there's completely no Spooks in Red team, we'll just leave them be. Head over to the enemy squad on the west. Conceal yourselves and encircle them, keep out of Wand Range One, switch to firearms. Someone relay the necessary information to Siren."

Rushing out of the door and onto the streets, Pavel and Lev ran towards the western end of the village, casting concealment spells on them as they ran. The village was lit up by the fires raging through various buildings, illuminating the panicking wizards and witches who were trying to escape. To Pavel's surprise, he had yet to spot a dead body, it appeared that everyone did listen to the order of preventing unnecessary casualties.

"Green One to Blue One," said Pavel. "What's the plan?"

"Siren says to avoid fatalities at all costs but I'm calling bullshit on that. We take out just a few Aurors and the British will have a bigger incentive to invite us in. So we draw attraction by having Blue Three pretend to decimate half a squad of Aurors with one curse. They'll think we have a top rate fighter here and hopefully the other two Auror teams will come over to aid them. Draws attention away from the east as Siren requested."

"By pretend to decimate, you mean..." Lev began to ask.

"Yes, that."

"You think the British will fall for that?" Lev asked Pavel as they barged through another house, exiting via the back door.

"Only one way to find out," Pavel muttered.

Taking a glance to their right, they could see flashes of spellfire traded between the Aurors and their own men. Entering another building and climbing onto the second floor, Pavel managed to get a clear view of the ongoing duel. Blue Three was holding his ground well, taking cover behind various buildings and firing pot shots. Six Aurors stood opposite him, three on the front holding Shield Charms and three on the rear bringing to bear a combination of transfigured wolves, Stunning Spells and a purple gas spell that Pavel can only assume to be meant for incapacitation.

Pavel gauged the distance to the fight, two hundred metres, well outside of Wand Range One. Stowing his wand, Pavel reached into his bag and pulled out a standard issue SVD-63 Dragunov with supporting runes, not his preferred choice of firearms but it would do the job. Beside him, Lev levelled his Kalashnikov.

"You plan on hitting a two hundred metres target with an AK?"

"Yes."

"Blue One, Green One and Two are in position."

"Green Five as well," another voice crackled in the radio set.

They were behind the Aurors, and they had their sights lined up on the three Aurors holding up the Shield Charms. Since the Aurors had were focused on Blue Three who was weaving around burning buildings, their rear was completely exposed. All they waited for now was Blue One's command.

"Roger. Blue Three start swinging. Green One, Two and Five, wait for my mark... hold... hold... now."

In Pavel's crosshairs, he could make out Blue Three turning about to face the Aurors, waving his wand in intricate movements before jabbing at the Aurors. It was the same exact moment the command to shoot was given. A swift kickback of the rifle's recoil and three Aurors in British khaki went collapsing onto the street in synchrony, send spurts of crimson fluid into the air. Immediately, the remaining Aurors began screaming and ducking for cover from Blue Three.

XXXXX

"Harold, Owen, start moving to the sides," the lead Auror yelled, transfiguring more nearby rubble into wolves. "We need to box him in, that slimy cunt just keeps dodging and running. The rest of you, keep the shields up, those curses he's firing are very lethal."

Grunts of acknowledgement echoed all around him as they moved to get an attempt in apprehending the suspect. The lead Auror squinted his eyes, trying to get a bead on the suspect whose figure was hidden by the blinding glow of the burning buildings.

It was very unpleasant waking up in the middle of the night to be activated for reinforcements. Sure, it was his shift to be on the standby teams, but after the Death Eater scares during the Quidditch World Cup and recently over Triwizard Tournament fiasco, he had thought that this summer would be a peaceful one. But just a few days after the start of summer, he got called here to witness a burning village and various people running about causing mayhem.

Furthermore, he had no idea who these people were. His first guess was the same rabble of pardoned Death Eaters from the Quidditch World Cup, but the lack of cohesiveness made him consider otherwise, they were all dressed like slobs rather than the Death Eater regalia. On top of that, there was yet to be any Dark Marks flaring in the sky. The biggest clue he had were the language they were speaking, it sounded Eastern European.

Suddenly, the man they were pursuing lashed out, swinging from the corner he was hiding behind. He waved his wand in a complex fashion, clearing in the process of casting a high level spell.

"Watch out, he's-"

The next words died at his lips as the three Aurors in front of him toppled, their necks jerking aside as blood burst from the side of their heads. His eyes widened in shock, watching the black-clothed suspect finish a jabbing motion of the wand, this was no normal curse.

"TAKE COVER!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, diving behind a tree and scrambling on all fours to the cover of a nearby building. "That's a very dark curse! Shield Charms are useless!"

"Bloody hell!" the junior Auror hiding on the opposite side of the street cursed. "What the hell do we do now!?"

"We need some FUCKING REINFORCEMENTS!" the lead Auror yelled. "We've got a top-rate dark wizard here among this group! Get the other two teams over here or we are in deep trouble! Owen, try to keep him suppressed, but do NOT expose yourself! We have no idea what curse we're dealing with!"

The junior Auror nodded swiftly before sending a sparrow patronus flying through the streets. The lead Auror, took a peek at the suspect who was now running away further into the burning buildings. He cursed loudly, giving chase risked certain death, but stay here gave the suspect a chance to escape.

One thing he certainly knew was that come tomorrow, the Daily Prophet was going to have a field day, because some terrorist group that was likely foreign wreaked havoc in the middle of a wizarding village.

XXXXX

"Played them like a fiddle," Lev chuckled as they exited the building, breaking into a jog towards the end of the Anti-Disapparition and Anti-Portkey wards. "Who honestly believes that there's a lethal curse that can break through a Shield Charm and hit three targets at the same time?"

"So far, about half of the people we have ever played this on."

"Green One, Two, Five. You can start your own exfiltration," Blue One ordered. "The other Auror teams just got alerted, they're moving towards us. East is clear for the rest to evacuate."

"What about Blue Three?" Lev asked.

"Don't really care," Pavel replied, glancing back to make sure they were not being followed. "From what I have heard, that man can escape just fine on his own."

After a five minute jog, the two of them finally exited the ward lines and with a crack, they vanished into the night.

XXXXX

Daily Prophet

Terror in St Helensworth!

Just last night, the quaint wizarding community of St Helensworth came under attack by a mysterious group. The DMLE received a call at 11:26 pm from resident Wizengamot member Stamford Jones. According to the DMLE, Jones was forced to use a Patronus Charm to send the alert.

When the first responders from the DMLE went to investigate, they found Apparition into St Helensworth blocked by wards and that movement by Floo was disconnected as well. In the end, they were forced to apparate as close to the village as possible only to find it in flames.

The first responders called for Auror backup immediately and a fight ensued between the Aurors and the mysterious group. Sadly, all members of the mysterious group was able to escape, leaving behind three dead Aurors as a result of the fight.

In addition to the dead Aurors, the very person who called the DMLE met his demise at the hands of the mysterious group. Stamford Jones was confirmed to be deceased by Ministry officials on-site at 02:04 am. Furthermore, his wife and two children are found to be missing after the attack.

Thankfully, despite a big portion of the village ending up in flames, there was no further loss of lives. However, the destruction of property is bound to send St Helensworth into tough times.

Head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones has vowed to ensure that the missing family members of Stamford Jones be retrieved and that the mysterious group would face justice for their crimes.

Continued on page 4

XXXXX

Daily Prophet

Matt Edgley dies from Stroke

This reporter has the unfortunate role of informing the public that Wizengamot member Matt Edgley has passed away quietly last night. His passing comes shortly after the attack on St Helensworth where fellow Wizengamot member Stamford Jones was murdered by a mysterious group.

His family members have attributed the stress and grief from the death of Stamford Jones as contributing factors to Matt Edgley's stroke. However, healers from St Mungo's mentioned that Matt Edgley has already passed the life expectancy of the average wizard and that his passing should be no surprise.

"The two of them have always been close," said Mrs. Edgley. "My husband was Stamford's mentor in the Wizengamot and clearly saw him as a son of sorts. His murder must have hit him hard."

Matt Edgley will forever be remembered as a maverick of the Wizengamot who staunchly supported Squib rights and the self-sufficiency of Wizarding Britain.

Life of Matt Edgley on page 2

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"I will not be negotiating with terrorists," a fist slammed down on the wooden table, send the Aurors flinching. Amelia Bones scanned through the letter once more, hissing in blind fury. "Just who do these scums think they are?"

"It doesn't matter who they think they are," Rufus Scrimgeour growled. "They have clearly overstepped the bounds, and they have thus far managed to evade our Aurors. They are dangerous."

"Clearly, the ICW should step in for this," a senior Auror at the table suggested. "After all, upon reviewing the memories we have confirmed that this terrorist group is definitely foreign, and based on their language probably Russian."

"Not anymore," Bones rubbed the bridge of her nose. "International cooperation on this scale no longer exists. After the war on Grindelwald, some people in the ICW saw fit to scale down international law enforcement. It's the same reason we have an Auror team in Nepal tracking down Sirius Black rather than relying on the Nepalese Aurors."

"Speaking of Black," said Scrimgeour. "Shacklebolt, does this terrorist group have any connections with Black?"

"As far as our information goes, no," the dark-skinned Auror replied. "This group seems to be rather independent."

"Then why are they here?" someone asked furiously.

"Sake of money apparently," said Bones, looking down at the letter once more. A thirty thousand galleon ransom for the family of Stamford Jones.

"If it was just a kidnapping, why burn down a quarter of St Helensworth?" a question rose from the table. "You don't earn from that."

"It could be because they simply took joy in destruction of property," said Scrimgeour. "Or possibly, if they intend on staying here for the long term, it a message to the public if they ever start collecting 'protection money'."

"Madam Bones," a young Auror peeked into the room. "There's someone calling for you, they are starting a Wizengamot session in ten minutes."

"Understood, thank you for telling me Tonks," Bones sighed. "We'll continue this tomorrow, in the meantime, ensure that the Auror response forces are in top shape and intelligence gathering is of utmost importance. We need to know what we are dealing with."

Leaving the DMLE office and into the Wizengamot section of the Ministry, Bones wondered what was in store for this session of the Wizengamot. Frankly, she would rather be back in her office coordinating the department for this new crisis. Wading through the quagmire that was bureaucracy was something she would rather avoid, nothing came good from it.

As she entered the Wizengamot chambers and took her seat, she looked at the person on the podium and grimaced. Lucius Malfoy bringing matters to the Wizengamot never bode well to her. She could only hope that this time, it was not going to end up as a big pain. Settling into her seat, she took note of those present, the full bulk of Malfoy's camp was present, there was likely a bill about to be passed. Cornelius Fudge was there too, looking exceedingly pleased with himself, that also seldom bode well to her.

Dumbledore entered the chamber and took his seat as the Chief Warlock, and from the looks Fudge and his undersecretary Umbridge was giving him, Bones knew that it was a matter of time before Dumbledore was forced out of the position. A bang of the gavel and the chamber fell silent with anticipation. The standard pleasantries were passed along and the session began.

"My fellow esteemed witches and wizards," Lucius Malfoy began. "The recent attack on St Helensworth has left a tragic mark on our current era of peace. Naturally, we will not stand for this wanton act of aggression. These fiends must be met with justice."

Waves of agreement coursed through the chamber from all factions of the Wizengamot. Bones frowned, trying to discern the man's intentions. This level of vehemence was rare for Lucius Malfoy, something seemed suspicious to her.

"The DMLE has done a remarkable job in dealing with threats to our society, but they will need more help if these scoundrels are to be punished. They have confirmed that this group of people are foreign and likely Russian. Upon contacting the Russian Ministry, they have revealed the nature of this group."

Whispering broke out across the Wizengamot at the news, Bones mulled over the information. She herself had been planning on contacting various foreign Ministries in order to find some information, but it had appeared that Malfoy had beaten her to it. At least, she was saved the effort of going through the various hoops one needed to take just to contact the Russian Ministry.

Then again, this was Lucius Malfoy bringing the news, she was going to take his words with a pinch of salt. Steeling herself for the worse, she listened on.

"It has appeared that a criminal syndicate by the name of Black Mark was responsible for the attack on St Helensworth. They have begun to lose influence in Russia due to the efforts of the Russian Aurors and have started to escape Russia, ending up in our shores as a result. Information from the Russian Ministry revealed these criminals to specialise in ransom, extortion and the black market trade. Clearly, these fiends intent to sully our country with their crimes."

More conversations broke out at his words and Bones herself was intrigued. Should the information be true, it would answer many of the initial questions her department had.

"If these scums came from Russia, then the Russians should deal with it," someone yelled and a good number followed his lead. "Why must we clean up after their mess!?"

"And help from their Aurors was exactly what the Russian Ministry offered," Lucius carried on without missing a beat, sending the chamber into stunned silence. Wizarding Russia has always had an isolationist policy, both due to their unwillingness to open up and many countries boycotting them. "The Russian Ministry understands this very injustice you have mentioned Mr Blight and they have agreed, for the sake of goodwill between our countries and to ensure that these criminals will never return to their lands, to join forces together in a coordinated effort to root out these criminals."

Once more the Wizengamot chamber fell into a chattering that grew louder with each passing second. A cannon-like thunderclap from Dumbledore's wand and silence reigned once more. Dumbledore calmly motioned for Lucius to continue.

"With this generosity from the Russians offered, it would do us no good to turn it down. These documents here-" Lucius waved a folder of parchment, "-contains various information on the Black Mark kindly offered to us by the Russian Aurors as well as a proposal for an Anglo-Russian bilateral agreement. This will begin the foundations for joint operations between both countries' Magical Law Enforcement in dealing with common threats as well as the much needed warming of diplomatic relations between two countries."

All ears were on Lucius as each member of the Wizengamot eagerly awaited his words. Never before in recent decades has Wizarding Russia reached out to other countries.

"As time changes, so do people, so do countries, we cannot afford to be held back by bad history and petty circumstances. The current century is coming to a close, the current millennia is coming to a close. It is high time we begin ushering forth a new era for our future generations. And I say that this new era be one of international cooperation. Cooperation, trade and exchange of cultures will only bring benefit to Wizarding Britain. If Russia has offered a warm hand, I say we take it."

Applause reverberated loudly across the chambers as Lucius Malfoy received a standing ovation from many of the Wizengamot members. Bones had to admit that she was impressed, his words certainly galvanised the crowd. And if his words were true, she saw little in denying Russian aid – or intervention in the eyes of some. If the Russian Aurors were successful in driving out this Black Mark, then their aid would increase the likelihood of success in driving them out from Britain as well.

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Daily Prophet

Historic agreement with Russia and the beginning of a new era

'I say that this new era be one of international cooperation'. This was the highlight of Lucius Malfoy's speech in a recent Wizengamot session. And indeed the seeds have been sown.

In response to the recent attack in St Helensworth, the British and Russian Ministries have agreed on a joint operation between their Magical Law Enforcement sectors to tackle the group responsible for the attack on St Helensworth, a group that has been revealed to be a criminal syndicate originating from Russia.

In the following weeks, there will be an expected arrival of Russian Aurors and supporting staff as well as dignitaries from the Russian Ministry to conclude the new Anglo-Russian bilateral agreement, dubbed as the St Helensworth Agreement. It can also be expected that this agreement be further expanded to include other terms such as trade and immigration policies.

Continued on page 2

Recap on attack on St Helensworth on page 7

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A lanky man sat on the benches inside the newly established Russian embassy slash headquarters in London, awaiting his partner. He took a whiff of the elf-made coffee in his hands, relishing the fragrance. His seedy eyes shifted through the various freshly assigned staff entering the office, trying to pick out a particular face.

He checked the time, six o'clock, the sun was setting in the distance. Maybe his partner missed the portkey in their operations base.

Nevermind, speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Dressed in the standard midnight blue that every Russian Auror donned, his partner entered the office with a standard issue black mask all Russian Aurors received in hand, looking disgruntled. Picking up his cup of elf-made coffee and the one he got for his partner, he made his way over.

"Pavel. Good to see you!" he grinned widely, conversing in Russian while handing his partner a cup of coffee who accepted it gratefully. "I almost thought you missed the portkey."

"Not a chance," his partner, Pavel, replied before sipping a dose of caffeine and grumbling something about Stamford Jones' family. "Is the transportation arranged?"

"Of course," the lanky man nodded, taking out a small bag of Floo powder and handing it to Pavel. "Floo to the British Ministry just got set up yesterday."

Pavel grabbed a handful of green powder and tossed it into the fireplace, watching the fire turn green. He took a step into the green flames.

"Ministry of Magic."

The lanky man watched as his partner spun away before tossing a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace and doing the same. Arriving at the entrance of the British Ministry, he placed his mask on and fell in place beside Pavel.

"Alright Lev, let's go," said Pavel, putting on his own Auror mask and heading into the Ministry.

"Was it clean?" the lanky man, Lev, asked.

"As freshly fallen snow," Pavel nodded, draining the last of the elf-made coffee and tossing it in a nearby dustbin. "As far as the British Wizarding Ministry knows, we just arrived two days ago via international portkey."

"Good to know," said Lev checking his watch. "Ten minutes to the meeting with the press and the British Aurors. Let's catch those criminals responsible for St Helensworth, yeah?"

Pavel snorted softly, making his way to the conference room where Amelia Bones and her Russian counterpart were placating the hungry reporters, two rows of British khaki and Russian blue standing at attention behind them with more coming in.

The scapegoat was set. Any nefarious activities and wetworks that occurred within British soil could now be blamed on the nonexistent Black Mark syndicate if they were ever discovered. All players in Russia could now begin their game of power and control. Both Pavel and Lev could not care less, they were simply doing their jobs.