Far above the city of Knothole, unbeknownst to the muggles below three wisps of black smoke were descending. They shot downwards and then travelled through the maze of roads. Finally, they arrived at an unremarkable street, flew over the building and down into the place the Muggles were not aware of, Avalon. The three wisp of smoke crashed into Merlin's Talisman shop. There was a small explosion throwing two people in the street into a wall. The crowd of Wizards all started screaming as three Nocturnus emerged from the destroyed shop. The lead Nocturnus was the only one not wearing armour. He resembled a Hedgehog except he had no fur, his skin was a strange black and red, his hands had large claws and he had a tail. He carried an unconscious and wounded Merlin over his shoulder. The wizards all cowered in fear as the Nocturnus took off to the sky once again. They flew across the city and then for no other reason than a bit of entertainment they dropped down over the river. They flew under a large pedestrian bridge causing it to shift and shake. The scared muggles on the bridge had no idea what caused the disturbance. They screamed and ran for their lives but it was too late. The bridge supports all snapped and it fell into the river taking dozens of Mobians to their deaths.
Nearing midnight the Prime Minister of Knothole was alone in his office. He was a tall human man with brown hair and a blue suit. He was impatiently waiting for a call he scheduled. He was grateful for the distraction as it's been a long tiring week. Every time the events of the week entered his head the more clearly the Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his political opponents. This particular opponent had appeared on the news that very day, not only to enumerate all the terrible things that had happened in the last week (as though anyone needed reminding) but also to explain why each and every one of them was the government's fault. This thought angered the Prime Minister. How was the government supposed to stop that bridge collapsing. It was less than ten years old and was in perfect condition. Experts said they had no idea how it could have collapsed and yet everyone blames him for apparently making budget cuts. The budget cuts were the explanation for everything going on according to the public. Two well publicised murders where the culprit wasn't caught, freak hurricane destroying the Western villages, even one of the Junior Ministers going mad must have be because of work conditions "A grim mood has gripped the country" the opponent had concluded, barely concealing his own broad grin. The Prime Minister had to agree with this. It wasn't just politics, life in general seemed to have gotten a lot more miserable lately. Even the weather, there was a chilly mist across the country in the middle of July, it wasn't normal. As he got up to pace around the room he suddenly heard a cough. Instead of being scared or startled the Prime Minister strangely sighed "Just what I need…Yes?". He turned to face an oil painting of a medieval armadillo Lord. The sight of the painting coming to life and speaking would scare anyone else but the Prime Minister was used to it by now "I have a message from Max the Chipmunk. He says it is urgent he meets with you".
The Prime Minster tried to respond braver than he actually felt "I'm afraid it's not a good time for me. I'm expecting a call" "We can rearrange the call for tomorrow" "I-Well…Fine, get on with it". The Prime Minister sat back down at his desk and straightened his tie. He forced his face into a calm, relaxed expression (Or at least he hoped that's what it looked like). The fireplace below the painting then lit up with red flame and Max walked out "Ah, Prime Minister, good to see you". The Prime Minister could not return the compliment and so said nothing. He was not remotely pleased to see Max, whose occasional appearances, apart from being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very bad news. Furthermore, Max was looking distinctly careworn. He was thinner, paler, and his face had a crumpled look. The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded well. He shook Max's hand and gestured to the chair on the opposite side of the desk "So, what can I do for you?". Max sighed exhaustingly "Where to begin? What a week?" "Had a bad one too, have you?". The Prime Minister was hoping to convey that he had enough on his plate without Max throwing him more. Max rubbed his eyes "I've been having the same week you have" "You mean…Everything going on has something to do with your lot?". Max shot him a rather stern look "Of course they are. Don't tell me you don't know what's going on". It was precisely this sort of behaviour that made him dislike Max's visits so much. He was, after all, the Prime Minister and did not appreciate being made to feel like an ignorant schoolboy. But of course, it had been like this from his very first meeting with Max on his very first evening as Prime Minister.
He remembered it as though it were yesterday and knew it would haunt him until his dying day. He had been standing alone in this very office, savouring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself. He didn't take the sight so calmly that night and was incapable of saying anything when Max arrived to reveal to him that witches and wizards. The Prime Minister was clutching his desk trying to get a hold of himself, surely after his difficult campaign he has just gone mad. He hoped so because Max mentioning keeping the dragon population under control. Max took no notice and simply patted his back "Not to worry. It's odds-on you'll never see me again. I'll only bother you if there's something really serious going on our end, something that's likely to affect the Muggles. The non-magical population, I should say. Otherwise, it's live and let live. And I must say, you're taking it a lot better than your predecessor. He tried to throw me out the window, thought I was a hoax planned by the opposition". The Prime Minister finally found his voice "You're…You're not a hoax then?" "Afraid not" "But-But why has no one told me. The Last Prime Minister". Max laughed as if he was talking to a naïve child "Only the Prime Minister knows. And my dear, sir, are you going to tell anybody?". The Prime Minister realised how insane he would sound if he did. Max cheerfully said goodbye to him and disappeared in the fire once again. The shock had taken a little while to wear off. For a time, he had tried to convince himself that Max had indeed been a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his gruelling election campaign. In a vein attempt to rid himself of all reminders of this uncomfortable encounter, he had given the gerbil to his delighted niece and instructed his private secretary to take down the portrait of the ugly little man who had announced Max's arrival. To the Prime Minister's dismay, however, the portrait had proved impossible to remove. When several carpenters, a builder or two, an art historian, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had all tried unsuccessfully to prise it from the wall, the Prime Minister had abandoned the attempt and simply resolved to hope that the thing remained motionless and silent for the rest of his term in office.
Occasionally he could have sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice, simply walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy-brown canvas behind. However, he had trained himself not to look at the picture very much, and always to tell himself firmly that his eyes were playing tricks on him when anything like this happened. Then three years ago Max arrived in his office again. He was soaking wet, in a panic and ranting about some place called Prison Island, a man called Elias Acorn, a place called Soleanna and a boy named Silver the Hedgehog, none of which had any meaning to the Prime Minister "The Prelates are in an uproar. Never had an escape before. Anyway, I had to come to you, Prime Minister. Elias' a known Muggle killer and may be planning to rejoin You-Know-Who. But of course, you don't even know who You-Know-Who is!". He had gazed hopelessly at the Prime Minister for a moment, then said "Well, sit down, sit down, I'd better fill you in. Have a whiskey". The Prime Minister rather resented being told to sit down in his own office, let alone offered his own whiskey, but he sat nevertheless. Max waved his hand conjuring two large glasses full of amber liquid out of thin air, pushed one of them into the Prime Minister's hand, and drew up a chair. Max had talked for more than an hour. At one point, he had refused to say a certain name aloud and wrote it instead on a piece of parchment, which he had thrust into the Prime Minister's whiskey-free hand. When at last Max had stood up to leave, the Prime Minister had stood up too "So you think that this Lord Finite-" "You-Know-Who!" Max yelled cringing in fear. The Prime Minister found it strange seeing a powerful wizard cower "Fine, You-Know-Who. You think he's still alive" "Locke says he is but we've never found him. Anyway, it's doesn't matter. He can't come back. What we have to worry about is Elias. He's a great threat to both of us" "Very well. I'll put out a warning for him". Max looked pleased "Excellent. Well, Prime Minister in the nicest way possible I hope we never see each other again". But they had seen each other again.
Less than a year later a harassed-looking Max had appeared out of thin air in the cabinet room to inform the Prime Minister that there had been a spot of bother at the Sky Chase World Cup (Whatever that was) and that several Muggles had been involved but that the Prime Minister was not to worry, the fact that You-Know-Who's Mark had been seen again meant nothing. Max was sure it was an isolated incident, and the Muggle Liaison Office was dealing with all memory modifications as they spoke "Oh, and I almost forgot. We're importing three foreign dragons for the Emerald Championship, quite routine, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tells me that it's down in the rule book that we have to notify you if we're bringing highly dangerous creatures into the country" "Dragons?" "Yes, three. Good day to you" and he left again without going into any more detail. The Prime Minister hoped that dragons would be the worst of it but no. Less than two years later he heard even worse news "A mass breakout?" "Ten prisoners in total. But no worry. Well catch them in no time. Just thought you ought to know" and then he left again before the Prime Minister could protest. Whatever the press and the opposition might say, the Prime Minister was not a foolish man. It had not escaped his notice that, despite Max's assurances at their first meeting, they were now seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Max was becoming more flustered with each visit. Little though he liked to think about the Minister of Magic (or, as he always called Max in his head, the Other Minister), the Prime Minister could not help but fear that the next time Max appeared it would be with graver news still. The sight, therefore, of Max stepping out of the fire once more, looking dishevelled and fretful and sternly surprised that the Prime Minister did not know exactly why he was there, was about the worst thing that had happened in the course of this extremely gloomy week.
Which brings us back to their present meeting "How am I supposed to know what's going on in your world? I have a country to run and quite enough concerns" "We have the same concerns. That bridge was attacked. That wasn't a hurricane. Those murders were not committed by Muggles. And your junior Minister didn't suffer a mental breakdown" "What're you talking about?". Max gave a deep sigh "Prime Minister, I hate to say this but he's back. You-Know-Who is back" "Back? You mean…He's alive" "Yes. I don't know how. Locke won't explain it to me". The Prime Minister did not know what to say. The memory of Max's long explanation about Finitevus three years earlier still haunted him "What about his second in command. That Elias Acorn?" "Elias? Oh, him. He's dead. Turns out we were…Mistaken about him. He was innocent. I mean…All the evidence pointed to him..." he sounded like he was talking to himself now. He clasped his hands together "Elias isn't a concern. We have to look at the bigger picture. We are at war". The Prime Minister leaned back "War? Surely that's an overstatement" "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of Prison Island in January. Since they have moved into the open, they have been wreaking havoc. He threatened a mass Muggle killing unless I stood aside for him" "Good grief, so it's your fault those people were killed and I'm having to answer questions about rusted rigging and corroded expansion joints and I don't know what else". Max regained some of the colour in his face "My fault!? Are you saying you would have caved in to blackmail like that?". The Prime Minister stood up and started pacing "Maybe not. But I would have put all my efforts into catching the blackmailer before he committed any such atrocity!" "Do you really think I wasn't already making every effort? Every Diamond Cutter in the Ministry is trying to find him and round up his followers, but we happen to be talking about one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard who has eluded capture for almost three decades!".
Max gave another sigh "He's building forces every day. Including Yetis" "Yetis?" "Yes. We believe they were what you thought was the hurricane. The Nocturnus cast enchantments to hide them and they tore the villages apart. We weren't able to find them. It's been a disaster". The Prime Minister crossed his arms "Really?" "I won't deny morale at the Ministry is low at the moment. Especially after losing Ebony" "Ebony the Cat? The murder victim. She was one of yours?". Max nodded regretfully "Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named may have murdered her in person, because she was a very gifted witch and all the evidence was that she put up a real fight. And then there was Doris the Sheep. You no doubt heard of her". The Prime Minister nodded "She died just around the corner from here, as a matter of fact. The papers had a field day with it, 'breakdown of law and order in the Prime Minister's backyard" "And if that wasn't enough we have Prelates attacking people left and right" "Prelates? I thought they guarded Prison Island?". Max shook his head "They've abandoned the prison and joined You-Know-Who. Worst of all is their breeding. That's what's causing all this mist". The Prime Minister sank back into his chair. The idea of invisible creatures attacking voters made him feel faint "Now see here, Max. You've got to do something! It's your responsibility as Minister of Magic!" "My dear Prime Minister, you can't honestly think I'm still Minister of Magic after all this? I was sacked three days ago! The whole Wizarding community has been screaming for my resignation for a fortnight. I've never known them so united in my whole term of office!" said Max, with a brave attempt at a smile. The Prime Minister was momentarily lost for words. Despite his indignation at the position into which he had been placed, he still rather felt for the chipmunk sitting opposite him "I'm sorry, Max. If there's anything I can do" "That's very kind of you but there is nothing. I was sent here tonight to bring you up to date on recent events and to introduce you to my successor. I rather thought he'd be here by now, but of course, he's very busy at the moment, with so much going on". Max looked around at the portrait of the ugly little man wearing the long curly silver wig, who was digging in his ear with the point of a quill.
Catching Max's eye, the portrait said "He'll be here in a moment, he's just finishing a letter to Locke". Max for the first time sounded very bitted "I wish him luck. I've been writing to Locke twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge. If he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be…Well, maybe Saline will have more success". It didn't take long for the fire to roar again. Out came a tall green fish with a white beard and wearing a red robe. With a wave of his hand his crown glowed and the door to the office locked "I'd rather not be interrupted". He then shook the Prime Minister's hands "Max told you everything, I presume" "Yes" "Then you'll understand that we will need to discuss your security". The Prime Minister sat back down at his desk and Saline sat next to Max "What about it?" "We're not satisfied with it. Espio is a phenomenal wizard but-" "Espio? My secretary?". Saline glanced at Max "You didn't tell him?" "I didn't have a chance before you came". The Prime Minister was clearly annoyed "You've been placing people in my office without my knowledge" "Are you not satisfied with his performance?" "I am. But I would like to be informed what's going on". Saline barely seemed to be considering him "I'll keep that in mind. Moving on, your junior Minister is being moved to Eldorado" "What is that?" "A hospital for people suffering from magical injuries. Your friend has clearly suffered from a poorly implemented Imperious Curse. He's a danger to others. He's already tried to strangle three healers". The Prime Minister looked shocked "He'll be alright, won't he?" "In time". Saline quickly got back to his feet after this "Well, that's really all I had to say. I will keep you posted of developments, Prime Minister or, at least, I shall probably be too busy to come personally, in which case I shall send Max here. He has consented to stay on in an advisory capacity". Max attempted to smile, but was unsuccessful; he merely looked as though he had a toothache. Saline was already rummaging in his pocket for a capsule. The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last "But you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out, well, anything!". Saline turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Max, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly "The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister". And with that, the two wizards stepped one after the other into the bright red fire and vanished
