So I'm inflicting another one on you readers. As always, I don't own anything but the OC's.
Imagine a world of stories.
A world filled with tales of witches, goblins and ghouls. Of tomes of lore and guardians of treasure, great and terrible and wondrous and sad. Think of the monster under the bed, on the crossroad and in the woods where none but the bravest dare tread. Consider every fairy tale, every horror story you may have heard, every urban fantasy describing that shadow out of sight, or that monster across the midnight road.
You now have an approximation of the Moonlit World as the Mundane(or Muggle or No-Maj as some called them) see it. From within, it was another thing entirely. Entire shadow-nations, consisting of various factions across the globe lived and hid in the shadow of the Mundane. They varied in methodology, in origin and while they could not stand each other at the best of times, they all agreed that secrecy was for the best. No one wanted another inquisition and the more savvy wizards recognized the Muggles penchant for destruction if it came down to war.
And so united by mutual hatred and fear, though they would never admit it, they remained separate and eventually could not consider any other way of life.
Not that they wouldn't take their occasional shot if they could get away with it. Such as Harry Potter. Voldemort or his followers could not touch him for all their magical aptitude. The wards were simply that powerful.
However, it was highly limited in terms of mundane interference such as the ones who drove up in a black van around dinner time and kicked down the door.
He would be five years old by now...
He had been at his church when it happened.
Little Whinging consisted of very few true believers, the majority either too busy with their career or those for whom church was merely a rote ritual, something to be done to assure the neighbors of their god-fearing ways. Father Anghelscu didn't mind, he took comfort himself in the research for his sermons and it was a quiet way to pass the time. Sin had been as good as her word, the chapel property in his name and accompanied by a note with her lipstick on it.
He kept it in his desk drawer, for reasons he couldn't quite understand himself. Mara on the other hand, found the whole thing immense fun. As soon as he moved in, she turned up three days later and since then, converted the attic into her lair.
Speaking of which, he glanced up from his desk as she walked into his office, glancing her over.
A young woman of Irish descent, Mara was a Squib- A child born to a wizarding family, but unable to use magic. A pariah in a society that put magical prowess on a pedestal and excluded those who could not. She made up for her lack of magic with guile and knowledge, self-teaching herself to become the best hacker he knew. She had been twelve years old at the time, using a combination of her technical skills and knowledge to lure a ghoul he had been hunting into a junkyard, where she subsequently dropped a car on it.
It had impressed him and it had been a solid friendship ever since, allowing them to crack cases together where he would have fallen short otherwise.
A skinny teen with red hair(dyed today, last month had been a solid blue), she resembled a manic pixie and for all her time behind a computer screen, she practically danced with grace, light on her feet. Her freckles gave her an innocent air and her gray eyes glinted with mischief as she did a little spin, showing off her current outfit.
"So what do you think?"
He drummed his fingers on his desk, before speaking.
"Its well made, but...Really?"
Mara giggled, her nun outfit missing only the wimple as she gestured to herself. In a tone that implied two plus two equals four, she listed off her reasoning.
"Well one, I could hardly dress as anything else, now could I here? Two, I had plenty of material and its simple enough to sew. No complicated frills here for me to muck about. Two, we match now!" She beamed and let out a laugh as she posed, making a finger gun as she adopted a rolling, Irish brogue. Her brow furrowed into a glare as she squinted and spoke.
"It is your corrupt we claim. It is your evil that will be sought by us! With every breath, we shall hunt them down! Say, you think I could get my own gun at some point now?"
"Wait until you're older." He returned to his writing and ignored Mara sticking out her tongue in reply. Idly, he added.
"I do love your new outfit though. You've a good eye and a deft hand for it. Both are needed for marksmanship, though I hope you never have to use it."
"Can't keep me cooped up forever bossman." She replied as she took out her phone. A choking noise from her prompted Father Anghelscu to look up, just in time to see her face pale with shock as she turned it over to reveal a camera feed connected with an app she wrote up. The image was small, but familiar. The address of the Potter boy. And a smashed door that came with it. Sermon forgotten, he reached beneath his desk and took out the bayonets. In his desk drawer, he tapped a carved rune and slid it open, revealing a six-shooter and subsequent equipment. Mara was already moving upstairs. As he grabbed his hat and coat, he turned and went back as Mara yelled over her shoulder.
"EARPIECE!"
That done, he got into his car and drove off. He drove calmly- At this point, it would be long since over and unlike wizards, he had no apparition abilities nor did Mara. But what they did have was brains and skill- They would find Harry Potter and deal with his captors.
He dared not dwell on the alternative as he spoke aloud, letting the microphone catch his voice.
"Alright Mara, what do you have for me?"
In her lair, Mara would be in a world of her own. Behind a keyboard, she was greater than any witch and wizard and this was her element. She had been rewinding the recording, seeking out the point when it happened and working on a number of other things. Dispatch was already sent out, but she could delay it easily enough. Traffic lights, slow times...The works. Not perfect, but it would do.
The video camera itself was an engineering marvel. Small, leeching power from the line and compact- Muggles wouldn't see it and Wizards would have no idea what it was. It had cost them a pretty fortune from their sources(I.E., Sin). Leaning back in her chair, she spun around in a lazy circle and frowned.
"Mundane. At least four people, in ski masks and sidearms. They came in a black van with a license plate registered in a Kansas Junkyard and ran out with the boy. Easy enough. Nice loophole too."
"No wizards on the scene yet?"
"De nada bossman. Non-magical, so nothing registering on their sensors. You'd have to have someone watching twenty-four seven and- Well, well, well." Mara leaned forward, peering at the screen.
"What is it?" Father Anghelscu's voice was level and Mara chuckled. On screen, an old lady had seen the door, gave a visible start and dashed off. Mara froze the image and ran her face through her database.
"Arabella Figg. One of the street residents, seems to be reacting a mite strongly. Might be nothing, but be careful. I'll track down the van and keep you posted."
And with cracking knuckles, Mara proceeded to do just that.
Father Anghelscu parked his car two blocks away. Getting out, he moved on foot as he made his way down the street. Jogging quietly, he reviewed what he knew so far from Mara and from his own evaluation of the Boy Who Lived as the wizards knew him.
The hit was professional, and a statement to boot. Whoever it had been was connected to their world, there was no doubt of that. Using mundanes however was a twist and that bore some thought in turn. Would a wizard do it? If so, there was no shortage of suspects, many of the pro-Voldemort families still at large. How many had Mundane connections on the other hand, that was another story. Still, it wasn't the only thing.
They took him alive. Why did they take the boy alive?
Mara spoke suddenly.
"Bossman, I ran down a few possible locations the van might have gone. Lost it around the Richmond area, but if it surfaces I might be able to do more. Any luck?"
"I'm not at the house yet, trying to go stealthy. Last thing I need is a memory charm messing up everything."
"If it helps, there's no one there. Dursley's headed out for the evening a while back, family outing or something. Strange, they left him behind though. Bossman." Her voice became more serious as she spoke.
"Wizards on-site. Watch your six."
"Thank you. Going silent now."
He took a deep breath and then stepping into the darkness, for all intents and purposes...He vanished. Not true invisibility, just a little cameoflage his bloodline enabled him to do, provided he avoided lights.
Not a problem for him as he glided down the street. Eventually, he came to the house and peered at number four, privet drive in person.
The first time he had seen it, he had been disguised as a workman to install the hidden camera. It hadn't really caught his eye and really, hiding the boy among this sort of banality wasn't that bad of a plan. Who would believe him to be here, of all places? Apparently, someone had and he listened carefully before applying his other senses. No outcry- The neighbors houses were dark and didn't have any sort of concern for the kicked in door, despite their calls earlier. He had only a limited time until the police came by and there were two, unknown wizards within.
He had to make this fast and he strode out of the shadows, looking for all the world like he just teleported himself. A surprised mrow caused him to look to the side briefly, as for a moment he locked eyes with a cat who seemed flabbergasted before it turned and ran down the street. Thoughtfully as he walked, he spoke.
"Mara? Possible familiar heading out. Anything happens, remember the plan."
She didn't answer. She knew what it meant and he slipped into the building. He could hear them speaking, the frustration in their tone as he quietly moved.
"-No magical traces whatsoever. Merlin's beard, the Prophet is going to have a field day with this. Eyes up Tonks."
The voices seemed to be coming from the living room and he slowly moved in turn. Each step careful, every movement wary of a brush of cloth or the creak of a floor that might betray his presence. His eyes burned red, intense as he swallowed and prepared himself. Ahead of him, he could see the entryway into the living room, the dining area, the stairs leading up- What was that? He peered more closely as the voices went on.
"Right. No other living beings in the house though, witnesses just reported a van...Muggle kidnapping?"
"We'll have to head back to the department. Get it all sorted out, get the trackers out-."
It was at that point that Father Anghelscu realized what he was looking at. The little broom cupboard door, creaking open. A few toys, a cot on the floor told a horrific story and the deadbolt and grille the rest. In a house like this, did they truly do that? How much did he miss, in his quiet, self-imposed watch? Did Dumbledore know? The Ministry?
He had been five years remiss in his duty and his mistakes slammed into him like a minotaur's punch.
He made his choice.
"Mara. I need a neighborhood blackout."
"Done and done." In eight seconds, everything went dark and Father Anghelscu went to work.
Tonks immediately spoke.
"Lumos."
Dawlish followed a beat after, both aurors peering into the dark around them, wary before he relaxed.
"Nothing. Just a blackout, surprised it don't happen more often with the muggles and their elektracy." Tonks ignored him, listening with half an ear. Something was wrong. A feeling in her gut making her wary, as she breathed out. To all intents and purposes, there was nothing. No cops, no neighbors- Their charms had proven useful, there was literally no reason to feel this way.
And then she realized that Dawlish had stopped talking and when she turned around, he was gone.
"Dawlish! Where are you- Homenum Revelio!"
The charm pulsed out, revealing the presence of other humans. If Dawlish was around, she'd know and then she could- She blinked.
According to the charm, he was directly above her. She turned her wand up and nearly screamed as Dawlish's body nearly dropped down on her. He was a heavy man and she was not looking forward to be crushed beneath. Cursing under her breath, she glanced at him once to make sure he was alright before looking back up. That was her mistake.
She shouldn't have looked away and by that point, the nigh-invisible figure behind her landed in silence as he brought his hand around to the back of her head with a solid whack.
And for Tonks, the world went darker.
Father Anghelscu sighed with relief. Quick, fast- Avoid the wand, close combat tended to remove most wizards and he strode over them, heading out the door. This took more time than he wanted and he paused, glancing at the cupboard before moving down to pick through the pillow. Come on, come on...Aha.
Taking samples of hair, he left via the backdoor and hopped the fence.
Just in time to miss the sight of a burst of flame on the street and a far, spryer acting wizard than his age suggested dashing inside. Mara blinked and let out a low whistle.
This might be bad.
On the road, driving to Richmond, Father Anghelscu listened carefully to the rest of Mara's report and work.
"-Our street informats say nothing about a bounty. That said, a lot of em remember the times of you-know-who and feel grateful. They're crooks, not killers. Mostly. So there's a safe bet they're telling us the truth. Other idea is that our mystery man hired mundane for a reason, just to avoid these sort of awkward questions."
"No doubt. I have his hair. Perhaps we can use that to track him down."
Unless their foe thought of that, but at this point he didn't want to voice it aloud. Making a turn on the street he was driving in, Father Anghelscu considered again before asking.
"Mara, bring up the list of mercenaries operating in Britain. The one we obtained from Sin. Cross-reference the sort who'd do a job like this and who would be able to bypass the wards."
"Bossman?" Mara was confused and Father Anghelscu spoke, a streetlight he passed under briefly illuminating his expression of pondering before they sped by, leaving a faint, eerie glow of red beneath the brim of his hat.
"I was thinking perhaps we're working this the wrong way. They managed to get past the wards physically, true. But the more I thought of it, the less likely it seemed for one of the darker families to have done it. Dealing with mundanes is such a shift in their mindset that unless any of them changed during the past five years alone, it seems more and more impossible. So let's see what kind of people remain-."
"-That fit the criteria between old and new world! Got it."
She went to work. He parked on the side and glanced over towards his impromptu work consisting of an empty folder, a glue stick, salt he bought from a gas station and the various knick-knacks he kept in his car for just this purpose. Along with the hair of the boy, it created a handy if crude ritualistic spell that in theory will lead him to Harry Potter. The hairs wrapped around an iron needle(to pierce illusions and confundement), it spun and vibrated the closer he got to his target.
It was positively shuddering visibly now as he looked up at the warehouse. Abandoned by the Thames, a peeling paint of a pig with a cane showcased its old butcher roots and even through the window, he could feel the faint misma of spilled blood and rot. Abandoned, left to ruin it was a cancerous sore on his senses and he could well understand how it could work as a hiding place for conventional, modern spells. The ambient energy was its own cloak and if he didn't think to grab the boys hair...Well, whether he was dead or alive was another story and he thought a bit more before he realized Mara was talking aloud as she went through the list.
"-Fowls, naw retired at this point. Marcone is American and his boys are few and far- Boss? Think I got something. Giovanni family has been stirring up lately around here."
Vampires. Father Anghelscu sighed and checked his weapons, ensuring they were ready. His bayonets were a tricky one. A blacksmiths nightmare, to give them a high silver content without destroying its toughness but the end result had helped him many times over. He got out of the car, listening to the rest as he popped open the trunk of his car.
Weapons, of every sort met his eye and his hand waving briefly over in choice, he selected the .50 Smith and Wesson and the Remington shotgun, loading it up with special rounds as he kept listening.
"They've contented themselves with money laundering in recent years, building goodwill and acting as a buffer for certain...Families of standing. All confidential of course."
The gun loaded with a satisfying click and he peered through the sight in perusal.
"Of course. You got my signal? Check the address, let Sin know where I am."
"Not like you to be so sharing."
He smiled now, closing his trunk as he stepped away.
"You know me Mara."
He glanced at the warehouse and faded into shadow, his voice muffled as though speaking from a great distance.
"I always like to hedge my bets."
Authors Note
And chapter 2 done. Read and review, hope you enjoyed.