A Land Without Magic

by Model Builder

Two years after the abrupt defeat of You-Know-Who in the UK, the American Wizarding Community's sense of complacency was shattered by an event known as the 10/22/83 Maine Incursion. Who are the Invaders from the Enchanted Realms and what do they want? And will a ten-year-old muggle boy who claims to have been inside the Incursion be able to answer these and other questions?

8. Disappointment On So Many Levels

Chapter 8: Disappointment On So Many Levels

Any hope that Jenny Jordan, or anyone else in the dining hall for that matter, had of seeing pictures of what came through from the Enchanted Realms were dashed when the first slide was shown. There were no pictures of armies of orcs, trolls, ogres, or any other fell monsters from the Enchanted Realms, ready to move against our world at the behest of some Warlord Mage.

Instead, it was a picture of a house. A nice looking, single level Ranch, Jenny had to admit. But it was just a house.

Agent Quest-Singh said, "The Bureau has nothing new to report regarding the Incursion since the briefing session last night."

A wizard's voice from the back, enhanced by a sonorous charm, said, "You mean, nothing new that you want to tell us about! C'mon! We're adults here! Adults and taxpayers! Stop treating us like we're helpless! Whatever came through, we can handle it!"

Another, yelling voice, this one belonging to a witch near the front, added, "Please don't try to tell us that the house on the slide is what came through!"

Voices of assent came from other tables. Agent Quest-Singh raised his hand for quiet, and got some semblance of it a few moments later. Turning the mike up, he continued. "This house and others like it that are being shown tonight in our slide presentation have been found by the Relocation Committee and are available for families in need of places to stay.

"Now, after tonight's question and answer session, we have some visitors from the UK's Wizarding Community, who would like to address this assembly. When they are finished speaking, everyone who has not found a new residence is encouraged to speak with the Relocation Committee, who have tables set up to my right."

Another voice from the back said, "Will they be able to relocate my bookstore from Collinsport as well, Agent Quest-Singh? Just how am I supposed to make a living if I'm forced to live somewhere in another state while my store is still in Maine?"

The voices rose again, with queries similar to the first. Everyone wanted to know when it would be safe to return to their homes and businesses. But Agent Quest-Singh had no answers to those questions. None that he was authorized to give, at any rate.

Agent Quest-Singh wished that he could say more to the wizards and witches who were forced to leave their homes at a moment's notice without the aid of magic. He felt that they deserved to know more. But he understood Director DeMarigny's reasons for keeping the nature of the Incursion from the Enchanted Realms on a need-to-know basis. And there were moments since this whole thing began when Hadji wished that he was not in the loop. But he had developed the first pictures of what had come through – had read the initial reports of the Spellcrackers. And as the implications of what was happening started to form in his mind, so did the unshakable feelings of dread.

I should never have been asked to make the presentation here, tonight, he thought. If I were in their shoes, I would want to know more and I would resent the smug Auror at the mike who knew more than he was telling. But since the Incursion came through, the Bureau had been spread thin. The blown-out MADS Network stations needed to be repaired, plus new stations surrounding the Incursion needed to be set up, and the Aurors had to work double-time. It was just luck-of-the-draw that he was tapped for the Update Session at the DWC this evening.

Hadji knew what came through. But he also knew that if he told them what he had seen – showed them the pictures that the little girl sitting at the table with the Lovegoods doesn't remember taking with her family as they fled their home – then he knew that the FBS would probably also have a panic on their hands to deal with. And panicked magic users were never a good thing.

Not that panicked muggles were any better. According to Director DeMarigny, there was already talk among the muggle agencies that the White Council should be given an Osterhagen Key in case the Incursion from the Enchanted Realms proved too unstoppable a threat for Earth's own magic users.

Hadji found himself almost wishing that it was "only" an army of orcs, trolls, ogres and warlocks riding fire-breathing dragons. At least, that could be dealt with. Hadji hadn't felt this scared since he was the same age as Jenny and Corey that day when his jet pack would not ignite and that monster of pure electricity was coming closer and closer . . . .

Hadji said (somewhat lamely, he knew,) "The Relocation Committee will be discussing the relocation of your businesses and helping with the location of new jobs in the areas where people relocate in addition to finding you a new place to stay." He winced at his own response. Worse, he could see the smug, amused look on Lucius Malfoy's face at a table in the middle of the dining hall meeting his eyes. Hadji didn't like it. But that stuck-up "pureblood" might just be a way out of this uncomfortable predicament.

Agent Quest-Singh said, "For now, we did promise Mr. Lucius Malfoy an opportunity to address this assembly. So I would like for Mr. Malfoy to come up to the front at this time. Perhaps he has something constructive to say that may be of help."

Everyone in the room paused as a traditionally dressed wizard with long, blonde hair rose from his chair and began walking toward the front of the room. "For those of you who do not recognize me, my name is Lucius Malfoy. And I have come here to provide assistance – both financial as well as a message of hope, to my fellow wizards and witches who were displaced from their homes and businesses."

Hadji turned off the mike as Lucius came up to him. Partly because he knew that Malfoy would prefer a sonorous spell to address the room; but mostly because he did not want whatever Lucius Malfoy had to say to him personally to become public knowledge.

"It's been a long time, Hadji," said Lucius in a quiet tone.

Hadji also lowered his voice. "I would prefer it if you addressed me as Agent Quest-Singh, and I shall address you as Mr. Malfoy."

"Had things been differently, we could have addressed each other as "brother" in the familial sense of the word, as opposed to in the sense that we are both wizards of superior stock, Agent Quest-Singh," said Lucius affably.

"Thanks," said Hadji. "But as you know, I already have a brother, Dr. Johnathan Quest."

"A muggle," said Lucius dryly. "The same as your adopted "father." Tell me, Agent Quest-Singh, did your "brother" assist your "father" in the experiments they undoubtedly performed on you in a futile attempt to learn the secret of magic?"

Hadji smiled thinly as he said, "Not that it is any of your business, Malfoy, but the only thing that my father ever did to me that may be considered "scientific" was to take my temperature when I was sick before he called the family pediatrician; the same as he would do whenever my brother John got sick. My father and brother don't understand magic. But they accept the fact that it exists and that I can do it. And for family, that is more than enough.

"Now, as scintillating as this conversation is, I would like to ask you to give whatever sales pitch that you plan to give, and then leave me alone to do my job. In case you haven't noticed, things have been rather busy around these parts, lately . . . ."

Lucius Malfoy smiled. "Of course, Agent Quest-Singh."

"Oh, and Malfoy? If anything magical should happen to my brother, father, or our good friend, Mr. Bannon, then you and I are going to have a little conversation. And in case I haven't made myself clear. That was, indeed, a threat. Leave my family alone.

"Now, have a good time saying whatever it is that you are going to say. After all, this is a free country, you know."

Lucius smiled. "Of course, Agent Quest-Singh. All that I ask of you is that, as a wizard, you listen to what I say with an open mind."

Hadji wanted to say that he intended to listen very carefully to whatever comes from the mouth of a "former" Death Eater, but decided not to. Let Malfoy get the last word in. For now, it was a time for listening. Hadji knew that the bad guys loved to talk and that if you let them, they would invariably say more than they intended to say. Silently, Hadji offered the mike to Lucius, who backed away from the muggle electronic device as quickly as a vampire would from a religious talisman, giving Hadji a small sense of satisfaction.

At the Lovegood's table, Jenny nudged Corey, (who had given up on trying to outstare Luna and instead tried to get a reaction from her by making funny faces,) to make him pay attention. She suspected that the Malfoys were up to no good, and wanted to be certain that her friend was following along with whatever Lucius Malfoy was saying in case she missed something important.

Lucius held the tip of his wand to his neck and spoke, his voice amplified by the sonorous spell that he placed upon himself. "My fellow Wizards and Witches," began Lucius. "And . . . others present. My name is Lucius Malfoy, and I am here with my wife and son to offer assistance to our brothers and sisters who had been forced to leave their homes and relocate due to the Arrival of our fellow magic users from the Enchanted Realms.

"Now, though it is the opinion of your Federal Bureau of Sorcery and my country's Ministry of Magic, among others, that the Arrival of this so-called "Incursion" is cause for alarm, I do not believe this to be the case. There is no indication whatsoever that the sudden Arrival of our brethren from the Enchanted Realms is an act of hostility. Indeed, I believe that the Arrival – and I say "Arrival" as opposed to "Incursion" - because I believe that they are here for reasons that we shall soon discover are nothing less than beneficent.

"Instead of us assuming that this is some kind of hostile "invasion" to be repelled; we should be preparing to welcome whoever came through from the lands of our ancestors with open arms. For their presence here in our world heralds a new chapter in the history of Wizardkind. With their aid and guidance, we shall finally take our birthright as the true leaders of humanity; an event that shall lead to a better life for all.

"For too long, even before the passage of the ill-conceived Statute of Secrecy that has relegated Our Kind to second-class citizenship; we Wizards and Witches have been forced into the shadows by the world's muggles because of their fear and jealousy of our powers. Why is this, I ask you?

"It is because the muggles of this world outnumber us by such overwhelming numbers, that we would not stand a chance were we to confront them directly. And if their numbers are not enough to give us pause, their science and technology – normally pale substitutes for real magic, greatly enhances their destructive abilities.

"Did you know that muggles have the ability to destroy an entire city with one weapon? And individually, they are no less deadly. I have brought some literature for your perusal. Kindly pay special attention to the pamphlet entitled, "When Muggles Attack."

"Yes, my brothers and sisters," continued Lucius. "Our world shall be so much better for all of humanity once we are the ones in charge. Why should we assume the role of Merlin to a muggle's King Arthur? Why should we accept the role of Jannes and Jambres to a muggle's Ramses? The day of muggle rule over humanity is fast coming to its end.

"It is my belief that when our brethren from the Enchanted Realms emerge from behind their concealment spells from their stronghold in Maine, that they will aid us in these aims and much, much more. These are indeed exciting times that we are living in. The muggles have had their turn, and we have all suffered by their lack of vision and incompetence. And when we take our rightful place as the true rulers of humanity, it shall herald the start of an eternal reign of peaceful, benevolent and enlightened rule that the muggles of this world shall welcome with open arms and gratitude."

When Lucius had finished his speech, the room erupted in a loud and vigorous applause. Lucius smiled as he looked out at his audience. But when he looked closer, he noticed that they were not smiling or clapping out of a sense of relief that their second-class citizenship was about to end. No, the closer Lucius Malfoy looked; he saw that the audience's smiles were smiles of amusement. It was as though they were being entertained instead of enlightened.

A voice came from the back: "Hey, Hadji, this guy is great! Does he do weddings and Bar Mitzvahs?"

"Hey, Malfoy," came another voice, this time from a witch in the front of the room. "We just got a call from Latveria; Dr. Victor von Doom wants his dialogue back!"

A wizard said, "I wanna see Lucius Malfoy host "Saturday Night Live!"

Yet another wizard's voice said, amid giggles, "Wait. You're really being serious, aren't you?"

"I am being quite serious, my good man," replied Lucius. "The day the wizards and witches residing behind the concealment spells in Maine emerge will be the day when all of you – ALL OF YOU! Will need to make some very important choices that will have very serious consequences for your future! Those who get their magic by thievery shall no longer be tolerated when that day arrives . . . !"

At the Jordan's table, Narcissa shifted uncomfortably, as much from the reception that her husband was receiving as the fact that she and her son were sitting alone at a table with two muggles and two blood-traitors. And she could tell that her husband's speech was not well-received.

Narcissa could have guessed this. It was a well-known fact that most Colonial Wizards were half-blooded at best, and were just as likely to marry a muggle as they were anyone with even a smattering of magical ability. The few Pureblooded Wizarding families here, the Garwins, the Danvers, the Addamses and the Halliwells, seemed hell-bent on spawning a next generation of half-bloods. Worse, they seemed proud of it.

But even worse still, Narcissa saw that Draco and Ricky Jordan were smiling at each other, laughing at each other's antics from their booster seats at the table. By sheer luck alone, Narcissa managed to catch Lucius' eye, signaling him to come back to the table. Lucius did this amid the cat-calls and snickers of those in attendance, taking his seat with as much dignity as befitting the scion of an ancient, pureblooded family.

Ren did not even try to suppress a snicker. "That was a pretty good performance, Lucius. Believe me; we all needed a good laugh."

"It is no laughing matter, Mr. Jordan," hissed Lucius. "You will see! A new day of Pureblood Supremacy will dawn!"

Then Narcissa turned to Healer Martindale, and said, "And you may rest assured that no witch from the Enchanted Realms would ever stoop so low as to adopt a muggle boy for a son!" Rachel rolled her eyes, but was thankful that Corey was at another table with his friend Jenny, and did not have to hear Mrs. Malfoy's insult.

The Malfoys said nothing more as they rose from the table. Lucius removed his son from the booster seat, the boy waiving to Ricky as he was handed off to Narcissa. But before they could leave the Jordans and the Martindales without so much as a goodbye, the loudspeaker came on as Agent Quest-Singh made the final announcements of the evening.

"Well, I want to thank Mr. Malfoy for his excellent satirical portrayal of a Death Eater," said Agent Quest-Singh with a sly grin. "That was some much-needed comic-relief, and believe me, we sure needed it! Now, let's give another big round of applause for Mr. Lucius Malfoooooy!"

Lucius Malfoy stood as still as a statue, maintaining what the Colonials called a "Poker Face."

Agent Quest-Singh continued. "Now, I want to take this opportunity to remind all in attendance that the Evacuation Order issued by the FBS the evening of October 22, 1983, is still in effect, and will remain in effect indefinitely; at least until we can learn more about the nature of the Incursion from the Enchanted Realms.

"I cannot stress enough that the areas shown on the maps in your orientation packets have been declared "No-Magic Zones," and are off-limits to all wizards and witches until further notice. The Bureau believes that those responsible for the Incursion are unaware of our presence; that they think our world has no indigenous magic, and we want them to go on thinking this.

"So if anyone here," Agent Quest-Singh looked directly at Lucius Malfoy. "Has any ideas of trying to go to Maine with the intention of making contact with the, ah, "Mother Ship;" I cannot emphasize strongly enough that they will be discovered and arrested by Aurors who currently have the entire area under surveillance. And those arrested will be spending a very long time as a guest of Miskatonic Penitentiary . . . .

"That is all that I have to say this evening. For now, I would like to pass the mike along to a representative of the Morale Committee. Mrs. Aggie Jordan, please step up to the mike!"

Mrs. Jordan went to the front of the room, took the mike from Agent Quest-Singh, and called for volunteers to clean up the dining hall and make it ready for breakfast the next morning.

The Malfoy family stomped out in a huff. That was the final straw for them; wizards and witches actually taking orders from a muggle!

As they left, Aggie sighed as she saw little Draco wave goodbye to her son and how Narcissa shifted the way she held him to block Ricky from Draco's line of sight.

Unconsciously, Aggie found herself singing to herself, "You've Got to be Carefully Taught," from the movie "South Pacific." She sighed again, feeling sorry for little Draco Malfoy, and threw herself into the task of helping to clear tables before meeting with the Lovegoods for the interview that she and Ren promised them, hoping to get as many answers as she gave.