19. The AMC.
Adam opened his eyes, feeling confused and constricted, he was no longer walking along a dark corridor; he was sitting down. Around him was an immaculate book-lined room. Between the bookcases were many pictures of people sitting around in various poses. Four chairs, one of which he was sitting in, dominated the room, polished red leather sitting around a small carved table. On this were four empty cut glasses and a matching decanter full of a deep red-coloured liquid. The room smelt of affluence. Adam looked out of the windows at the manicured gardens stretching off towards low wooded hills and huge snow-topped mountains beyond.
"Good, you're both awake?"
Tony and Adam's heads span around for the source of the voice. He had a round face, overweight and was well into his sixties. His smile was more than a little disarming, his voice calming, and well-educated. Adam had not realised Tony was awake as he flexed his arms, but found himself restrained, magically, as he could see nothing holding them down.
"I'll do the introductions shall I?" He smiled again as he walked up and stood in front of Tony. He brushed his hand down the front of an embroidered robe, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in the fabric. He wore a jacket over the robe that had a matching design. His bare feet stuck out from under the robe.
"Auror Anthony Garrett." He tapped Tony on the top of his head. "Making a good name for himself with the Ministry of Magic in London. Nothing outstanding as yet, but there's still time, of that I'm sure."
He moved to Adam. He realised this man was used to controlling people. His calm voice seemed to radiate more power than a competent politician did.
"Detective Chief Inspector Adam Croft. Good name in the force, well respected, strangely, about to retire, suddenly finds himself in more trouble than he could imagine and consider his years on the force, can imagine an awful lot." He dipped his head toward Adam. "Last time we met you were a Detective Inspector." Adam's mouth opened and closed several times, before he gave up and kept quiet, his mind working as fast as possible, trying to put a name to the face in front of him.
He moved away from Adam and sat at the small table. He moved the glasses and decanter to one side of the table. "You're wondering who I am?" He paused for effect. "Luthor Crabbe at your service." Tony gasped.
"I knew the Auror would recognise the name." Again the warm smile seemed to light his face up.
Tony opened his mouth and took a breath, ready to speak.
"Ah, Ah, Ah, no talking, please let me finish." Tony closed his mouth. "As an Auror, you rightly assumed the Crabbe's were idling away their time in Azkaban, which they mostly were." He stopped while he took a drink. "When a certain Tom Riddle rose to power, a few of us in the family realised he was trouble and moved, firstly to the America's, then here. We left the less, studious members of the family in good old Blighty." Again he paused for another drink, Adam realised these pauses were for effect only. "Yes, Mr Garrett," his voice boomed, "We ran at the beginning of the blood wars. Pureblood mania," he spat these words, "there isn't a single family on this planet that's pureblood. If it wasn't for Muggles, the Wizarding world would have become extinct hundreds if not thousands of years ago."
Adams' head was spinning from the man to Tony and back, looking confused.
"Don't worry, Mr Croft; Mr Garrett will explain the details later." Adam breathed a silent breath of relief. At least there would be a later he thought.
"We watched the rise of Riddle, then the sudden surprising fall. Everything went quiet, we found that life on this side of the world was far better than in England, the local wizarding population welcomed us, and so we stayed." He was tapping the table with his finger. "Twelve years later and Riddle is back and the blood wars are back on again." He took a sip of the wine. "History tells us what happened next."
He took yet another sip of his drink.
"Forty years later, a new problem has reared its ugly head. It is not really a new problem; we've been expecting it for decades. Anyone with half a brain could see that Muggle technology and expansion would be a problem."
A light knock on the door heralded the door opening and a well-dressed man strolled in carrying a large wooden carved box, which he placed on the small table next to the glasses and decanter.
As he turned away, he looked at them both.
"Hi Garrett, in trouble again." The voice was full of humour as he nodded at Adam as if this was the most usual thing he had ever seen, before he walked out, leaving Adam and Tony bemused.
Crabbe pulled the box round towards himself, opened it and extracted Tony's wand and vaping tube. He placed them on the table side by side. He reached in again, pulled a second wand out, and placed it on the table. A third dip produced Tony's phone, which, as usual, looked like a piece of clear plastic. This went beside the other items before finally looking up at them both.
"Interesting collection." He looked at Tony. "Clever the way you hide your wand in front of Muggles. Doesn't it interfere with your magic?" He asked.
"I've been warned about it by a wandmaker."
"Byquist, good wandmaker." Luthor held up his own wand. "His father made this for me."
Tony realised that somehow this man knew everything about him and Adam.
"Thank you for listening so far." He said as he clicked his fingers with a loud snap. Adam and Tony both felt the removal of the binding spell.
"Please have a drink." He pointed at the glasses on the table that was now full. Both men looked at each in surprise at the turn of events.
"What happens now?" Adam asked taking the drink.
"We continue our talk. You understand the full problem and we, together, attempt to figure a way forward."
"Why the hell would we do that?" Adam asked eyeing the wands.
"How else are you going to find out who killed the Muggles and the wizards?"
"Don't you know?"
"No!" He exclaimed. "That's why you two were put together."
"What the hell can a new Auror and an old policeman do?" Tony asked angrily.
"Lots, you're an awkward bastard." He gestured at Tony. "Poke your nose into places he shouldn't, refuses to believe anything you're told and clever with a wand." He turned to Adam. "You're even more of an awkward sod, renowned for digging and getting up people's noses."
"Tony, I am not an old anything." Tony grinned at him. "What can you tell us about Hulda Scrivens?" Adam asked, seeing little point in ignoring this man, hoping that he would be useful.
"Not a lot, although we would like to know where Miss Scrivens whereabouts, as she seems to be on several ministries wanted lists. I had news this morning from your Ministry in London, which will probably not help you, apparently, she has been using the name Augustine Morrel."
Adam raised his hand as a feeling of dread swept over him. "Do witches and wizards often have the same name?" He asked already certain of the answer.
"Very rare, the magical world prides itself on individuality; rarely do we get a junior, like you Muggles, not in England anyway."
"Then why was Augustine Morell in the bed next to my wife at St Mungo's?"
Luthor jumped up, his wand already in his hand and sending a flash of sparks at the old pictures, all of which came to life.
"Go to St Mungo's and see what's going on. Call my sons and their teams now." Adam looked at the people scurrying out of the pictures in disbelief.
Noise battered Adam's ears as the room filled with people.
"Johnathan, you, and your team go to St Mungo's, protect Gwenfron Jones with your life."
"Yes, father." They apparated.
"Andrew and Michael, you and your teams also to St Mungo's, Hulda Scrivens is disguised as Augustine Morrel, get her and bring her here now, I don't care how you do it or the condition she's in, understand
"Yes, father." They disappeared.
There was still one group left in the room.
"Stephen, prepare the place, we may have casualties and we may come under attack, be prepared, wands at the ready."
"Yes, father." The room was again empty.
"Luthor." A lone voice called out from one of the pictures. "We've got the Muggle, but the girls putting up a bit of a fight." Adam's mouth had dropped open this was the first time he had heard the paintings talk.
Another crack echoed throughout the room as three men, and a woman appeared.
"Gwen." Shouted Adam as ran over, wrapping his arms around her.
"Well done, lads, where's Johnathan?" Luthor asked.
"He's helping Andrew and Michael."
"Good, help Stephen."
"Yes, Sir."
Adam led Gwen still in a hospital gown, to a large winged chair and sat her down.
"Why were those men attacking Augustine?" She asked, her voice quivering.
"That wasn't Augustine; it was a wanted criminal, probably the one who put you in hospital."
"It couldn't have been I saw a woman standing in the flat just before I blacked out."
"Slim, blond hair, fringe, green eyes?" He asked.
"No." Luthor handed Gwen a glass of wine, she smiled and took the glass.
Before anyone could continue, another snap echoed around the room.
"Luthor Crabbe." Shouted the matron from St Mungo's, who was standing in the centre of the room. "What do you think you're doing, your sons are running around my hospital, wands ablaze?"
"Amanda, dear Amanda." He said walking towards her with his arm open wide.
"Don't you dear Amanda me." Her voice was strident anger etched across her whole body. She stopped and looked at Gwen. "Are you OK, my dear?" Her voice, was now friendly and comforting.
"I think so." She replied, holding up the already half-empty glass.
The matron turned to Luthor.
"We're certain Augustine is Hulda Scriven's," He said before walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her.
Adam looked at Tony, whose jaw was now ajar. The matron slipped her arms around Luthor, returning his hug for a moment.
"Your lads scared the hell out of me. I expect the hospital will be in an uproar, I have to get back."
"Not until my lads are back with Scrivens and they tell me it's safe."
"No, Luthor, my place is in the hospital, regardless of danger, people could be hurt." She apparated.
"Stubborn bloody woman."
Silence descended on the room until one of Luthor's sons appeared.
"Father, we have three down and Scrivens has escaped, bloody hell she's good with a wand." He added with feeling. "Amanda has taken over and is looking after them." He disappeared again without waiting for a reply.
Action over, they settled down in the chairs again. "That was very militaristic?" Asked Adam of Luthor.
"When things went wrong fifty-odd years ago, and I ended up here, I asked myself, what would I do if Riddle came fully to power, what would I have to do to fight him, would I have no choice but to join him. Luckily, I never needed an answer to any of these questions." He leaned back in his chair. "However, my interest was piqued, how I would fight if required, so I spent some time reading Muggle history and military books."
"You stopped relying on your magic," Adam said.
"Correct, Mr Croft." He said, a huge smile appearing on his face. "We are so reliant on our magic, most of us would starve if we had to feed ourselves, and there are quite a few wizards and witches that would be running around naked if they had no magic."
"We're not that bad," Tony said indignantly.
"You aren't," Luthor said, pointing at Tony. "You have Muggle parents; you spent the first eleven years of your life as a Muggle with no magic. You have a basic understanding of survival, those of us who have spent our entire lives in the wizarding world, could not survive without magic."
"He's right, Tony," Adam added. "You didn't see Botilda when she turned up at Matilda. She had magic, but not a clue what she was supposed to do." Tony sat back, looking to come back with an argument of his own. Adam beat him to it. "How many times have I told you, you rely on magic too much? I started off being mesmerised by your magic and forgot the fundamentals of investigation and it nearly got us killed."
"Adam, do not underestimate Botilda Grimworthy, she is formidable." Luthor's voice had changed, now serious. "Do not think for one moment that her inability was anything but a ruse. If you do, you'll probably live to regret it." Adam looked at him. In his mind he was trying to see any threat Botilda could pose. "Now you know why I put you two together." Luthor continued.
"Surely Percy Weasley put us together?" Tony asked.
"Percy, great guy, brilliant Minister for Magic, no imagination. He likes things as they are, and doesn't like to rock the boat, that's why he is where he is. Wizards and witches dislike change, but change is coming whether or not we like it. If we're not ready, all will be lost."
Silence descended as Luthor refilled Gwen's glass again.
Tony broke the silence. "Botilda Grimworthy was the one who came out and rescued us both?" He asked staring intently at Adam. He nodded back with a wry smile. "How did she know where we were?"
"I rang the ministry." Adam stopped and thought for a moment. "I rang the number on my phone, which was supposedly the Ministry of Magic, the undersecretary for the PM answered and Botilda appeared at Matilda."
They all looked at each other, then at Luthor as he laughed.
"The Muggle PM's undersecretary is a wizard, has been for the last fifty years. I think the first one was Kingsley Shacklebolt, it's become a bit of a punishment posting since then."
Gwen spoke. "How did we end up here and where is here?"
"The reason we are here is that of the lovely matron of St Mungo's, she set us up." He turned and looked at Luthor, who was smiling back.
"Here is The Ministry for the African Magical Congress, it's somewhere in the Serengeti." He waited for them all to take this in.
"I feel like Alice." She seemed to slump down in the chair. Luthor raised his hand and a small bell appeared in it, which he rang. a man came in.
"Can you take Miss Jones to the infirmary; I believe she still has a little convalescing to do."
Tony leant over to Adam and whispered. "Why does everyone keep calling your wife Jones?"
"I don't know, apart from the fact they are right." He whispered back.
Tony went to ask another question before Luthor spoke again.
"I should think by now you and Adam have a good grip on our problem?"
"I assume you mean the Muggle problem rather than the murder problem." He replied.
"I believe they are one and the same. Someone is trying to stir up trouble between Muggles and wizards again."
"I can think of a dozen ways to stir trouble up between the two parties that would require a lot less effort and no murders." Luthor nodded. "I think something else is going on. I believe this Muggle-wizard problem is a smokescreen for the other things that are going on."
"What do you think it is?" Luthor asked.
"I was hoping you could tell me."
"And I was hoping you would find out and tell me."
"I have a question?" Tony said. "How did Hulda pretend to be Augustine, surely any magic being used by someone would be noticed by St Mungo's?"
"Very good questions of which the answer should be, not a chance, however, this needs to be looked into. I'll get someone trusted on to it straight away and get back to you both." Luthor said.
"Next question, how did Hulda get to Tony's boat and who was she with?"
"What boat?" Asked Luthor.
"Doesn't matter," Tony replied. "But, someone is watching us."
"You're being watched by many people," Luthor added.
"I don't mind the right people watching us, but not the wrong people. It's as if we are following a pre-determined path that everyone knows about, except for us." Adam nodded at this.
"That my dear fellow is another story altogether, one I may or may not explain later." He looked at the confused faces. "What are your plans?" He asked.
Tony put down his glass.
"I think we need to pay a visit to the Ministry."
"Do you think that's wise?" Luthor asked.
"Not for a moment, but why would anyone expect me to turn up there." He looked at Adam, who smiled back.
"What aren't you two telling me?" Asked Luthor.
"Now that would be telling," Adam said, partly to himself.
"I think I understand," Luthor said, leaning back in his chair. "You're going into the dragon's den and you might not come out again. I can only protect you so far."
"At least we have a way forward, for now; we are being led around by the nose. We need to be proactive."
"Spoken like a true Muggle." Luthor stood up and held his hand to Adam. "When we meet again, I hope it will be under better circumstances."
