Arthur coughed, as his wand swept over yet another dusty corner. The warehouse seemed endless, a wandering maze of corners and dead rats. Judging from the occasional grumble or annoyed groan from the second floor, Alfred wasn't having much luck either.
After the two had found a moment to compose themselves (especially Alfred) Arthur had taken a few minutes to explain the situation to him. He told him of the smugglers and his deadline with the ministry, and glossed over the wizarding world, his world. Alfred had been infatuated, asking question after question, unable to comprehend that their was a whole other world lying just beneath his supposed that he couldn't be annoyed because he would have probably reacted in much the same way.
However, he still reminded Alfred that they had a problem to deal with, and as much as he would love to tell Alfred about quidditch and hogwarts, as well as pumpkin juice and unicorns, they had much more pressing matters at hand.
He walked into another room, this one was small and cramped, with some muggle-boxes stacked in the corners. The cardboard was beginning to rot and sag. The room was dark and dank, and smelled damply of wet cardboard and old food. Arthur had to strain greatly in order to make out what appeared to be leftover chinese, a few brown noodles still clinging onto the red and white takeout box.
"Lumos." he muttered, gingerly picking up the takeout box , cringing slightly as it stuck to the floor. The noodles that clung onto the box looked as if they'd only been cooked a few days ago. Arthur moved to set the box down again, laughing at himself for even picking it up, when a piece of thin, crumpled paper fluttered to the floor.
Arthur swallowed thickly, suddenly very aware of everything around him. From Alfred's distant footsteps to the faint drip of a leaking pipe above him. The piece of paper felt heavy in his hand, as he brought up the pale blue glow of the wand to read the sloppily scribbled text.
It was an address, and a name. Written sloppily and nearly illegible, but strangely and sickeningly familiar.
Lukas Bondevik
He rolled the name over and over again in his mind, willing the memories to disappear. If it weren't for the fact that Arthur knew that name, that wizard, that very pub the adress lead to, he would of thought it was just another muggle. But no, he knew this person. Images flashed infront of him. Of friendship, betrayal.
He allowed for the takeout to fall to the ground with a dull thump before he waved his hand and suddenly spun out into oblivion, the shapes and colors of the room stretching and shrinking, like a taffy being pulled through a taffy maker, and a dizzying pop when suddenly he found himself in the room below the previous one, the note still held firmly in his hand.
Alfred jumped, whirling around to face Arthur, his blue eyes opened wide. "Jesus," he cried, "you scared me! How did you even do that?"
"No time," Arthur explained quickly, showing the note to Alfred. He read it slowly, the words registering in his mind and his eyes widened, before he looked up at Arthur.
"Arthur, dude, this is great! We've got a lead!" he beamed, and for one horrible moment Arthur was sure he was going to hug him, but Alfred seemed able to control himself. "We've gotta go check this place out."
"Alfred, it may not be anything." though, he knew it was. He was also sure he just very well didn't want to be forced to face Lukas again.
He only waved him off dismissively, handing the note back. "It's all we've got. We've gotta give it a try." he said earnestly, "Considering we've searched this entire warehouse and this is the only scrap that's turned up. Here just a sec."
Arthur watched skeptically as Alfred dug around in the pockets of his navy blue sweatshirt, before pulling out an odd little device and typing into it. He wanted to ask Alfred what it was, he'd seen plenty of muggles using them before, but decided against it. As he'd said earlier, they had more pressing matters on hand then Pumpkin Juice and muggle technology.
"What was the address again?" Alfred asked, looking back up at Arthur. He blanked for a moment, before quickly thrusting the paper back towards Alfred. He typed something else into the curious device before forcing it into Arthur's vision. The tiny screen glowed brightly, showing off a small pub in West London.
"What is that?" he demanded.
Alfred pocketed the phone. "It's the place that that address links up too."
"Oh." was all Arthur could say. He wanted to take the device from Alfred and poke around at it but instead just nodded. "Yes, very well. Best be off then."
"I can call a taxi-"
"No." Arthur interjected. A tangle of thoughts began to shovel themselves through his mind. Could a wizard even disapparate with a muggle? He thought back to all the times he'd disapparated with someone. It had always been just one person's magic, the others always acting like just passengers, being pulled along solely by the wizard's magic. It could work. "I know a faster way."
"What's that?" Alfred asked curiously, as he slowly took his hand away from his pocket.
Arthur reached out and clasped Alfred's arm. He jerked instinctively, looking up bemusedly. "I'm going to have to ask you to hold on, now." Arthur said. Alfred opened up his mouth as if to ask a question, when suddenly they both felt as if they were yanked very sharply upward. Arthur never quite got used to the feeling of flying through time and space, but at least once they landed outside of the pub, he didn't take two steps and fall flat on his face just as Alfred had.
Arthur tried to stifle a laugh as the muggle stumbled back to his feet, he looked as though he was about to be ill. Anyone looking on the scene would probably think Alfred had gotten himself wasted when it was barely one o' clock.
"What was that?" Alfred gasped once he was finally able to find his voice. His blonde hair was ruffled and his glasses looked as if they were about to fall off his face.
Arthur lowered his voice. "Disapparation. Try not to look so freaked out." Alfred only looked at him as though he were a madman.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." he said.
"Nonsense." Arthur said, patting him reassuringly on the back as he pushed open the door to the pub. Despite it being the middle of the day, the restaurant was baked in a dim golden light, and it smelled of rum and snacks. Muggles and wizards alike mingled around, however the wizards appeared to only talk quietly amongst themselves, occasionally snaking glances. One landed his eyes on Alfred and Arthur, and Arthur felt Alfred tense beside him at the hard glare. Arthur determinedly ignored the wizard, and ushered Alfred to a small table in the back corner.
A waitress appeared and smiled at the pair. Arthur quited his voice and asked for a Butterbeer, he glared slightly at Alfred's confused to look before the waitress turned to him.
"And what can I get you, dear?" she asked, batting her heavy eyelashes.
"Oh, just a Coke please." she nodded, but before she turned to leave Arthur stopped her.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked, not bothering to hide her upturned nose at Arthur. He sighed, but dropped his voice to a low whisper, causing the waitress to bend down slightly to hear.
"May I speak with a Lukas Bondevik, please?" he muttered.
The girl's' eyes widened, and she pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry sir, Lukas cannot be spoken too-"
"It's urgent." he spoke, and Arthur sent her a glare that told her there was no way around this. She returned the glare but nodded, whisking away from the table sharply.
Once the waitress was out of earshot, Arthur let out a breath of relief, and ran his hand clumsily through his messy blonde hair. He really needed a drink, and judging by Alfred's expression and the way he seemed to be deeply pondering the menu, he was feeling just as starved.
After a minute the waitress came back with their drinks and Alfred hastily ordered what was surely the whole menu. She left before Arthur could ask about Lukas.
"You know," Alfred said around his straw, "I didn't really properly introduce myself back there."
"Sure you did." Arthur said, lowering his glass. "Your name is Alfred. You're american, and you're also extremely hungry." he stated.
Alfred managed a laugh. "You're not wrong. But there's a lot more than just that." Arthur raised an eyebrow, taking another sip from his glass. "My full name is Alfred Foster Jones, I'm twenty-two years old, I'm from California and my favorite color is blue. I'm here in London for a year and half for work purposes before they send me back to the states." he paused before smiling up at Arthur, "You go."
Arthur leaned back, processing this sudden information on the man in front of him. "Alright." he said. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, and I'm twenty-five. I grew up in Oxford but went to school in Scotland. I'm here in London for work as well, but I don't plan on leaving." Alfred nodded as Arthur finished, taking a thoughtful sip of his Coke.
"How does school work for wizards?" Alfred asked loudly. Arthur jumped and glared icily at him, leaning across the table.
"Not so loud would you?" his eyes darted around fearfully. Perhaps taking Alfred along had been a stupid idea in the end…
"Right sorry." he laughed. "But, it's gotta be pretty different from our schools, right? I bet you never had to learn trigonometry."
Arthur decided against asking what "trigonometry" was, and was about to explain Hogwarts to Alfred when the waitress arrived again, looking less than pleased. "If you'll follow me I can show you too Lukas." Arthur glanced at Alfred, who was already standing up. Arthur took a final sip of his beer, before sliding off the high chair and following the waitress towards a back office behind the kitchens, which smelled wonderfully of various foods.
The office was small and cramped, but everything was kept in neat files and drawers. On the walls there was a poster of some trolls, although it didn't move like the ones Arthur was used to. On the man's desk rested a photo of another blonde man with wild hair and a bright smile. When the man at the desk saw Arthur looking at it, he swiftly turned it around.
The waitress turned around and wished them goodbye, before once more hurrying away, she made sure the door locked behind her. He turned back around to see a thin man with pale blonde hair and even paler skin and dull blue eyes. "What do you want?" the man asked, although there was no emotion in his voice. "I do not have all day."
Arthur pulled the leaf of dirty paper from his pocket and handed it to him. Lukas hardly glanced at it. "You are under Ministry investigation." Arthur said. "We have been tracking a group of smugglers, and your name and this address was found in their last known location. What do you have to say about that?"
Lukas' expression hardly changed. Instead he handed the note back and told the two it would be best if they sat down. Alfred and Arthur sat, although both seemed greatly hesitant.
Lukas leaned forward, a faraway look reached his eyes. "The Kontrabanda." he muttered. "Yes, I remember them. They sometimes come here to drink. Sometimes to trade."
"To trade?" Arthur asked.
Lukas nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid they don't come as often as they once did. I suppose that's because their plan if finally being put into motion."
"A plan?" Alfred interjected, leaning forward in the chair. "What sort of plan?"
"Afraid I can't tell you that." Lukas said.
"Nonsense!" Arthur spoke. "I'm here on ministry orders, and have every right to know every scrap of information you possess."
Lukas' expression never faltered, he only sighed. "You do not understand anything."
Arthur's mouth fell open, he wanted to show Lukas how much he knew. How petty such a thing was to say. To laugh in his very flare up and laugh in his face when he realized how bloody wrong he was, but never got the chance as Lukas pushed forward. Oblivious to Arthur's rage.
"The Kontrabanda isn't a new group at all. It's simply been dormant. All previous records of the group were wiped out entirely by past members." Lukas shifted idly in his seat, crossing his leg across the other. "They were wiped of course, because the ministry wanted everyone to forget about it. You see, the ministry is not keen on highlighting it's failures, and it's old struggle with the Kontrabanda was just another scrap the ministry glossed over and forgot about."
Arthur felt as if everything around him had shifted in only a few sentences. How had he not known about whatever this past struggle was? How had all the documents been wiped clear, and no one at the ministry so much as batted an eye when this old group, one that had caused some mishap within the ministry, stirred yet again? Where they really so blinded?
"A small part of the group snuck into the ministry and stole some very important prophecies and documents, as well as things the ministry would rather deny they ever possessed. As you can imagine, there was a large scuffle, and four aurors and one head of department lost their lives that night."
"You're kidding." Alfred said. Lukas only shook his head. The information seemed to come crashing into Arthur like the weight of a tide. None of it made sense. Surely someone knew about this, someone who would not want another five to risk their lives.
"But why," Arthur found himself saying suddenly, "Is no one besides ourselves speaking of this? Why were they stealing those things from the ministry in the first place?"
"I cannot answer those questions." Lukas said dryly, taking a sip of dark coffee. "But I can say that the ministry is hiding many things. Things they would rather keep hidden from even the most loyal wizards."
Arthur chewed his lip, running the information through his mind, trying to pull the pieces and fix them back together, try to make sense of the situation.
"Like what?" Alfred asked, leaning forward in the chair he'd stolen.
Lukas' expression took on a faraway look, as if he were being dragged back to another moment, another time. Alfred fidgeted next to Arthur, but the expression and daze disappeared just as soon as it had been there. However, his eyes never lost that distant, yet troubled to them.
"Things you wished you hadn't seen."
Arthur paled, although tried not to look so unsettled by the statement. Arthur had joined Hogwarts a few years after the great battle, and even then the school bore scars. But it wasn't just the structure of the building, that still held crumpled walls and broken windows, but he could see it in the teachers, the older students. The seriousness that they taught defense against the dark arts. He didn't want that to happen again. He couldn't imagine another full-scaled wizarding battle. Was this the magnitude of the situation? Or was his mind simply supplying a worse-case scenario?
However Lukas seemed to read his mind (perhaps he was a seer afterall) as his next words came with a sigh, "I do not know the full gravity of what could happen if they release what the ministry has been hiding for far too long, but it could very well be enough to cause an unneeded and dangerous uprising, putting the Kontrabanda in power." he lowered his gaze, "and that is something no one wants to see."
Arthur chanced a gaze at Alfred, whose countenance wore the odd expression between confused and utterly and permanently determined. "We can't let that happen." he said. "Arthur, we gotta do something."
Arthur bloody well knew they had to do something. He also bloody well knew he had absolutely no idea what that something was. There was still one last unanswered question poking dangerously at the back of his mind.
Before he could ask it, Alfred asked one instead. "Where can we find them?"
Lukas thought about it for a moment, mulling it over in his brain before he answered. "Follow the Thames, towards the west."
"The Thames?" Alfred asked, puzzled by this vague answer.
"Yes, the Thames." he said idly. "Anything else or can you rid me of your presence?"
The question poked back and he knew it was one he needed answered. "Lukas," he began, "That's all very brilliant, but this doesn't answer the question as to why they are smuggling in the first place, if the whole goal is to simply expose the ministry?"
A ghost of a smile passed over the man's face. "Ah," he said, "Once again, I do not know. What I am telling you is simply information I've overheard or been drunkenly told while they were on one of their trading adventures and got much too drunk for what could be wise."
Arthur fumed at the idea that all of this information they were getting could not exactly be accurate before he told himself that this was the most they could get.
"What about your name?" Alfred suddenly said. "We found your name in their last known location and your address. Arthur has every reason to be suspicious of you and the influx of information you are telling us." he managed a laugh. "Better yet, how do we know you're not lying through your teeth? A red herring?"
Arthur could only gawk as it registered that Alfred was right. He wasn't as dull-witted as he let onto believe and by the narrowing of Lukas' eyes, Arthur knew Alfred had struck a nerve. "You will simply have to trust me." he said, slowly standing, Arthur mirrored him and Alfred tensed on behind him.
"You have given me little reason to trust you, friend." Arthur replied icily, his hand inching towards the wand in his pocket. Lukas' hand was already on his.
"We have not been friends for a very long time." Lukas said, his face remained indifferent, but his eyes gave him away. What Arthur saw in them felt sickeningly familiar as his mind flashed to old friendships, and old enemies. Battles he thought had been resolved. "Who's fault is that?" he asked.
Arthur tensed, freeing his wand and shouting a curse that narrowly missed the side of Lukas' head.
Lukas fired one back, the flash of red light nearly blinding Arthur in the small, dim office room. Behind him, he heard Alfred shriek.
Arthur fired another spell, and Lukas deflected it. Time after time again the two whisked and pulled magic at one another. A bead of sweat formed on the tip of Arthur's fringe.
He managed to get one on him, and the other wizard was fired backwards, slamming against the wall. Arthur didn't waste a moment. He forced a stunned looking Alfred out the office door and the two barreled out, running through the pub and causing countless eyes to latch onto them.
They fell out into the street, and Arthur turned to see Lukas emerging out of his office.
"Arthur, what's going on? What were you two just talking about out there?" Alfred asked, his eyes weren't on Lukas' approaching figure, but on Arthur's shaking one.
Arthur's mind was racing faster than his pounding heart. He watched as a red double decker bus filled with passengers. Thinking fast, he grabbed Alfred's hand and ran for it just as Lukas came out of the doors.
But the muggle and the wizard were already sliding between the closing doors of the moving bus, pulling away from the fuming man.
