Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot (and a few characters and some objects) are mine.
Chapter 3 – Magic
Meanwhile elsewhere in Scotland…
Professor Jules Winter and General Brendan McGeoch were looking around their new 'research facility', which in actual fact was more of a castle.
"Well Professor does it suit our requirements?" The General said running a hand along the walls of the castle, much of the castle had been left un touched, while others had been retrofitted with modern lights and equipment.
"Yes…I think it will, really Brendan do we really have to call each other by rank?" Winter asked.
When they had initially started their search for a location of a command base of operations and research base for other technologies that didn't need a an enclosure big enough to fit a couple airships, General Brendan McGeoch had been irritated that the Professor had called him by his name rather than his rank.
But considering how much time they had worked together, to get to this point he had come to respect (and not get so annoyed) by the Professor's eccentricities.
Considering what happened in UNIT everyone developed certain eccentricities in order to cope with the stress, or that was what Professor Winter always said. Why General McGeoch was working with a Professor of Psychology and Biology had made sense when they started, and now…
The General shook his head.
"General…are you listening to me?"
"Honestly…Winter no. What were you saying?"
"I said now that we've got facilities to work from…and considering the word that I've been getting from the wizarding world I think it's time that we…or more precisely I start recruiting."
That was another thing that had put the General a little bit off kilter.
He had thought in that initial meeting with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart that it was about UNIT developing counter measures to combat alien incursions without the magical Doctor around to save their arses each time aliens came, however that wasn't the only thing that this 'Night Wolf' command was going to be set up to deal with.
"Field Marshall…Professor." General McGeoch said as he walked into the smaller room, insider was Field Marshall Rogers and Professor Moore from their previous meetings, Professor Winter joined them a minute later.
"Good of you both to come…as you have seen Night Wolf will be set up to investigate many avenues of defence, exploration etc…there is however another problem, which the British Government and the French Government and recently the German and Russian governments have made us aware of." Professor Moore started.
"General I am sure this will be hard for you to accept…"
"That's what they said when I signed the amended articles…" He laughed.
Professor Winter merely nodded.
"Inside, some might say hidden within most communities are a group of individuals called witches and wizards…" McGeoch laughed, neither the two Professors nor the Field Marshall made any movement to laugh.
"Oh…"
That was now General McGeoch found out about magic, a whole set of communities who could use their 'wands' against the world's population, wipe their memories, even kill them with no outward signs.
Even projected energy weapons which sometimes left no scarring still showed up on an autopsy.
The investigation into this community had begun by individual governments some time before UNIT was ever set up. Some during WWII, some before.
Germany and England in particular conducted their own investigations into a man known from Hitler's own paperwork as Codename: Grindewald. Although accounts varied some fringe groups suggested he was an alien using alien technology.
Autopsy reports from British spies who had been able to see or preside over autopsies of bodies that had been killed by this mysterious man had found no signs of death, except that the bodies were dead.
Several witnesses had reported seeing a green light encompass the bodies before they fell to the ground.
After the war everything had been classified or it had been destroyed, all evidence of this mysterious man, who had apparently died in unknown circumstances.
By the time UNIT had been set up most of this information although collected had no where to be placed within normal governments and really did fall under the purview of the 'unknown' which UNIT even after its first few years in operation had become to be known for, by the people within the governments that knew about UNIT, information was passed on to UNIT in Geneva and slowly but surely it came to be collected.
It wasn't until a young Professor of Biology and Psychology had read all the reports and recognised it for what it was that the pieces had started to come together.
The British Government had made a plea to UNIT to help with their 'problem' of a terrorist group which had started to appear in small communities, around the same time which the possibility of Night Wolf was being investigated. Professor Winter prepared a report and hoped he wouldn't be dissected.
"Professor Winter was a part of this community…however because of varying reasons he left…."
"Because I didn't have what they could ascertain as 'magic'. Also I had something they didn't want to think about." Winter muttered.
That sentence had come back to…remind McGeoch, after a day of scouting out facilities Winter said he had 'take care of things' that night, McGeoch thought he was going to the pub.
But when Winter walked in the next morning, his clothing torn and a tired but wide eyed expression the General had wanted answers.
"A werewolf." McGeoch would have sat down, had he not already been sitting.
McGeoch was pouring them each a drink from a hip flask which seemed too small to contain such liquid.
"That's another reason I have nothing to do with the 'wizarding world'." He chuckled lightly.
"Why, surely…"
"You would think so, but no…being a werewolf, is seen by various members with the…the ruling government as being an 'evil' creature, despite the fact I'm on a wolf at night during the full moons…"
Their need for an old building stemmed from both Winter's recommendation and from a UNIT scientific advisor, not the Doctor though, he hadn't returned to UNIT for some time.
It had been a throw away comment by a female visitor who had been assisting in France with NUIT "Older buildings luvvie, they stand up against a lot more forces…the older the building the more protection they afford against those sort of attacks."
The large castle sat on a piece of land with what could be a moat or a lake around it.
It had been abandoned for some time, it was discovered that it had been left to the UN at some point with its land and grounds, all unoccupied, it was simple enough to transfer it to UNIT ownership.
Jules Winter walked through the cool London streets towards a particular bar.
It was distinguished by no distinguishing features, inside an old pub whose history had long since been lost to the winds of time.
He was meeting there with several people, friends some might say.
Some were werewolves who like him had gone out into the world, others were squibs and others were the 'undesirable' mixed races of the wizarding world.
Winter and his mother had left the wizarding world shortly after his 11th birthday when it became clear to his father that he wouldn't be going to Hogwarts he had lived with being a werewolf for 6 years at that point, so not being able to be part of the wizarding world, which would as quick as kill you as look at you.
His father had given his life to help him escape the 'hunters', wizards who made their life hood hunting werewolves, no matter that they were people during the day.
"Winter, how good to see you." Jules was greeted with a warm handshake from a man perhaps 50 years his senior, he had helped Jules through a many transformation, not a werewolf himself, not even a 'wizard' within the limitations of the wizarding world but he had seen the inner workings because of family relations or some such.
"Andrew…I'm glad you could meet me…"
"Winter, it's always good to see someone who got out of that…world, and made a success of himself. The UN…"
"Not as though they'd ever think anything of it 'silly muggles' and all that." Winter muttered.
"Always the way, what're you drinking? Your usual, Vodka with lots of ice?" Andrew asked smiling at him.
"No…a nice…or an unfriendly whiskey." That was one thing that Winter had developed a taste for, spending much of their time searching out old estates and areas around Scotland and Northern Ireland, he had come to appreciate a good and an unfriendly whiskey.
"We'll make a man of you yet." Andrew chuckled as they sat themselves into a booth at the very corner of the shadowy bar.
"So Winter, what do you want with an old horse like me?"
"There are plenty other people out there that are old and you're certainly not one of them Andrew…in fact I've come with an offer."
"You? Or the United Nations?" Winter smiled, Andrew had always been like a sort of uncle to him and his mother as they were getting re-set up in the muggle world.
He'd helped him through the 'reintegration', Andrew had supposedly worked in many fields, before settling down with 'a few properties, I'm a landlord…much more deserving title than some of those so-called purebloods'.
"The UN…sort of…I'd like to offer you a job…"
"A job, for an old landlord like me?"
"That's not all you do…and I remember you used to complain to me that lording over things got boring…"
"That's why I kept busy with pups like you." He smiled at Winter, it was true that Andrew and others tried to help as best they could, both to squibs and werewolves cast out by the wizarding world without any means to protect themselves.
In many ways the British wizarding world hadn't moved beyond the 1700s, with the same morals, or lack of morals within their societies.
"Andrew I'm sure you've heard the reports coming from the wizarding world?"
"Reports of vigilante groups, terrorising muggles and wizards alike, the ministry's ignoring it for the most part, sending in to oblivators."
"Yes…but it's not like the last time, the government knows its going on…"
"Does it? This is where you come in?"
Winter unfolded the Official Secrets Act and the UN amended articles and pushed it towards Andrew with a pen.
"What's this Winter?"
"Just something my…bosses need people to sign…it's just a precaution, a technicality…If it's any help I've signed it."
Andrew looked at the pen.
"Not a blood quill?"
"Those have been illegal since…"
"Since Grindelwald, yes, can I read it?"
"Of course, I'll get us another round."
Andrew was looking at the document carefully.
"Better make it doubles….I sense this is going to get complicated…"
"Probably." Jules Winter admitted.
Having returned with another set of drinks Jules looked around the pub, sniffing the air he could detect quite a few other werewolves, humans, and other stuff.
The barman had affectionately called this place the Cast-Offs everyone here had been cast off by society, mainly the wizarding society.
Andrew finally signed both pieces of paper. Jules placed them inside the black 'surveillance proof' envelope and slipped it into his pocket.
"Now that's signed I'm liable for anything that I might say, do, write or otherwise tell someone else. What is this job you're offering me…I must admit it is a little exciting Winter…and all this from a lad who said…"
"I know Andrew, 'I want to understand why…'…"
"Yes, lad…did alright for yourself too I might add."
"Thanks."
"So?"
Winter looked around and pulled out a matt black box about the size of a pocket dictionary and flicked a button.
"What's that?"
"Counter surveillance device, just in case."
"So?"
"There is within the UN a secret taskforce…to deal with the unexplained, the unknown…"
"Wizards?"
"Go further…" Winter said carefully.
"Foreigners?
"Go further." Winter pointed roof wards.
Andrew's eyes went wide and mouthed 'aliens'?
"Yes…well I made myself known to these people…" Andrew made some noise.
"After discovering the many, many reports from WWII…anyway, this special force has been set up to investigate, research and develop forms to defend humanity…with any and all means. The need has increased, the British Government asking this taskforce especially for assistance in combating them, and developing what they've got."
"And what have they got?"
"More than you could ever know." Jules said honestly thinking of the EV projects.
"So what do I have to do?"
"Well…"
That was where it began, slowly but surely they started to recruit people for the castle, it didn't have a name, technically it was Night Wolf Command, or would be at some point, but for now the individual research teams, both at the Northern Highland facility and the Castle facility ran independent of each other.
General McGeoch walked around 'his' castle, it felt odd to be in charge of a whole, very large building. Plus it wasn't just Winter, McGeoch had some areas that he had to find people for, a weapons expert, communications, various botanists and naturalists.
Not just for his command but for research and eventual placement, supposedly on one of the final EV's, when it got off the ground and was able to come back.
They had more or less been focusing all their attention on those ships, Night Wolf command needed to start searching for experts in a dozen different fields.
It was General McGeoch's job to find them.
Brendan McGeoch was a level headed person, despite all his training and combat experience, and while he was tempted to fill the castle with military experts, if there was anything he had learnt from Winter it was that sometimes people with eccentricities worked to your advantage.
Over the course of many months Winter and his friend 'Andrew' whom McGeoch had forged an odd friendship with being much older than Winter.
Winter and his friend had found many willing personnel all of who had experience or at least a familiarity with the 'wizarding world' and they helped to establish various databases and manuals for UNIT to refer to as the attacks around England began to increase.
The British Government had called on them once, to help with the crisis, Night Wolf was a young organisation and had nowhere near enough force to combat these 'Knights of Warpurgis' with any effectiveness.
The most General McGeoch could do and did was compile a long and thorough report covering more than 1000 pages with various ideas and suggestions.
But Night Wolf at that point was just too young to assist in any major way and the war in the wizarding world had barely started….
I'd like to say thanks to everyone who's been reading (and reviewing).
The magic element / 'Harry Potter' universe will continue make greater appearances, although there will be a chapter here and there not totally devoted to the HP universe.