Harry Potter Squib Tales Chapter 78: Confronting Cruel Schemes

Chapter 78: Confronting Cruel Schemes

“As I expected,” I said with a sigh, running a hand over my face. I was frustrated at having my suspicions be confirmed. Both men had been working for Sir Briar. The interrogation report said so in black and white.

I was glad it didn’t take long, just a couple hours to extract everything we needed and then wipe their memories. But I’d missed dinner in order to deal with this mess and my rumbling tummy was making me cranky.

Scarlett just gave me an apologetic look, but I waved her concern off. “It’s fine. On to more important things. Did you find out how the janitor managed to get around the Oath he made when signing his employment contract?”

Alastor Walker was the man’s name. A Squib, one who’d been given away to the foster care system and hadn’t known he was magical until he was in his twenties, when he noticed things were under Muggle Repelling and Notice Me Not charms. Poor man had thought he was going crazy, though, and was institutionalized. He got out after six years thanks to some help from some other Squibs, one of whom worked in the mental institute and recognized the signs of magical awareness, but had a hard time finding work after that.

Odd jobs off and on since then, until he was recommended to me. He was in his forties, and was a hard worker. Unfortunately, it seemed he’d also been approached by Sir Briar, or one of his minions more likely, and agreed to do some good old fashioned industrial espionage for a few thousand quid.

He’d tried to be sneaky about it, attempting to fake a schedule change for the work shifts to cover for his presence. Then, he’d snuck David Carmighton, our little thief, into the warehouse, unlocking it to allow. The only reason the janitor had been caught was because he hadn’t counted on Merula being a workaholic and working during her lunch break, which gave her time to contact security.

Or maybe he’d have gotten away with it if he’d just waited for when it was actually time for him to go in for work and given if uniform to the thief, pretended to be robbed, and nobody would know he’d been working against me. But he’d gotten greedy and had tried to stage the break-in literally the day after he’d been approached.

Come to think of it, the janitor had screwed up quite a few times. Not that he’d known about some of the security measures in the first place, but it didn’t make me happy.

“Yes. He did not go against the contract directly. All he did was deliver a man to where he needed to go in order to break into the warehouse, and change a few things on the work schedule to make it look like he was supposed to be there at the time,” Scarlett informed me.

“Wouldn’t that have triggered the intent of the contract at the very least?” I asked, confused. Mr. Walker knew he was working against me! He’d been paid to do so! That should have caused some reaction to the magic within him!

“It would have… if he hadn’t also put in his two-week notice… two weeks ago. As of yesterday, he was technically no longer employed.”

“That… that does make sense, unfortunately,” I muttered. “The contract only works while he’s under it. But if he quit, then it doesn’t work. And somehow, Sir Briar, knew this."

“Why did Mr. Walker quit?” I asked after a moment to think it over. “Was he unhappy with his position?”

“Nobody wants to be a janitor,” Scarlett huffed. “And with those House Elves, his position was mostly superfluous.”

“Not everything can be cleaned up by elves or magic,” I reminded her, but couldn’t deny her first point.

“Anyways, he wanted to get a promotion, but didn’t get it due to his lack of schooling. We assumed he would try to get a degree or take lessons part-time, but he chose to quit so he could focus on classes full-time.”

“But that would cost money,” I finished for her, and she nodded.

“Yeah. He took the deal when he was approached after work yesterday, and the contract didn’t activate because he wasn’t under it anymore.”

That was annoying, because it was a loophole I couldn’t really close that easily. Oath Binding Ink was powerful, but it only worked so long as the contract did. If it was broken or simply ended naturally, then all of the power it held vanished.

Some elements of the contract lasted even after it dissolved. Even if they quit or were fired, they couldn’t speak about the presence of magic in my businesses. Though that was partly because I was piggybacking off of the Statute of Secrecy. Technically, the Statute had no real power, but it had still been attached to a ritual that had affected the whole planet, so the Oath Binding Ink was empowered by it.

There was a lot of arithmancy and high-concept magic involved that I didn’t fully understand, but I trusted Remus and Sirius when they explained that to me.

“He didn’t try to get inside, so the wards weren’t triggered by him, but he did inform people about the layout of Warehouse 3, including the location of the safe,” I said, going over the facts one more time. “And all because he quit, meaning the contract didn’t affect him. Is that all?”

“That’s it,” Scarlett confirmed.

“What about Mr. Carmighton?” I asked. “What else did you get out of him beyond ‘works for Sir Briar?’”

“As the report states, we had to use Veritaserum mixed with a Babbling charm to get him to talk,” Scarlett said. “He’s a hatchet man for Sir Briar, working under Hugo Farton.”

“And Hugo is guy who makes sure Sir Briar gets what he wants. A real spooky bastard with mafia ties,” I added, recalling what I knew about him from previous investigations.

Hugo was the polite face Sir Briar used when he spoke with the criminal elements. And Mr. Carmighton was one of the many agents he had at his disposal.

“Carmighton is a free agent. Takes jobs from other people, but always comes back to Sir Briar and Hugo if they ever ask for anything. He’s also a Squib,” Scarlett explained.

“Which is where he got the ring,” I mused, pulling the rune-engraved artifact from my pocket. “His magical family.”

“Not quite. It appears Carmighton received the ring from Sir Briar as a reward for a job he did long ago. But, according to Carmighton, Sir Briar did know it was magical, and was aware of what it could do.”

“He would never give something like that away if he could use it,” I muttered. “Sir Briar isn’t a Squib, then. But he knew one. That’s how he got all those magical items in the first place.”

“That was Carmighton’s assumption, too,” the werewolf nodded.

“But why would Carmighton go along with this?” I muttered. “Why would Hugo and Sir Briar go along with this incredibly rushed and reckless plan?”

Trying to break into a warehouse in the middle of the day was already risky, and pretending to still be employed at the place you used to work at while pulling off a heist was extra layers of risk added to that. Yes, it might work, but too many people were aware of the janitor’s status for it to work when it inevitably came under scrutiny.

Mr. Walker had even put his name onto the schedule for today even though he’d quit the day before, meaning he would be the obvious suspect. Even the local mundane constables would find it suspicious and pay him a visit. So how did anyone involved in the plan think it was a good idea?

“They weren’t planning on this succeeding in the first place,” I realized in shock, and Scarlett blinked in confusion.

“What do you mean, boss?”

“Sir Briar never expected some random janitor to be able to plan a heist that would benefit him,” I explained. “It was a distraction!”

This had all been a trick! A scheme to get us to look at something else while another plan was in the work! And I’d played right into their hands!

Scarlett grimaced, starting to nod along with my assumption. “I think I see where you’re going with this, boss. He wanted our eyes here while he went after us from a different direction.”

‘But what was he aiming for? What did Sir Briar actually want to target?’ I wondered, mind racing. ‘And did I disrupt his plans by catching the thief so quickly, or am I still playing into his hands?’

I didn’t know, and it concerned me greatly. Looking up at Scarlett I began to issue instructions.

“Set the security teams on high alert. But don’t let the regular people know something is going on. Keep it on the down-low. Only inform the inner circle that there may be problem and have them keep an eye out.”

“Yes, boss!” Scarlett said, hand snapping up in a salute, and I couldn’t help but snort at that.

“And don’t forget to drop Walker off at his apartment, and Carmighton at the bobbies,” I added as an afterthought. “After wiping their memories, of course.”

My temporary head of security nodded and left the office, hurrying away to do as I’d requested. That left me alone to continue doing business long into the night, waiting for any word to come in.

It was nearing midnight before I got a call from Marky Fetters.

“Boss, bad news! I got wind of some right bellends about to make a move on your apartment!” Mark exclaimed, all but shouting into the phone. “It’s a rush job, looks like! You went and spooked somebody when you caught Carmighton, and now they’re sending in the goon squad to ransack the place!”

“Jokes on them, that place is trapped to hell and back,” I smirked, before frowning. “That can’t be all, though.”

“Yeah, I’m having my boys look into things. Roaches coming out of the corners, now. Be careful!”

“Will do. And you stay safe as well. Don’t let anyone know you’re leaking information to me. I don’t want my best contact in the criminal underbelly to get caught,” I told him.

“Doing my best, boss!” Mark replied, before hanging up.

“Sir Briar has made his move,” I mused aloud to myself as I put the phone back in the cradle.

There was something wrong bubbling in the background, I could feel it! Still, I wasn’t worried about anyone getting inside my apartment. Inky, Sirius, and Remus had made sure it would be nigh impenetrable to mundane means.

All of a sudden, Inky popped into the room, looking frantic. “Master Eddy! There are bad men at Missy Sammy’s! And Rainy says more are trying to go after the Dursleys!”

“Shit, he’s going for everyone!” I realized. Did Sir Briar panic and just decide to grab every potential hostage? “What about the Parsons?”

“Mister and Missy Parson are fine at home, but Missy Kate is out!”

“Find her!” I urged.

“What about the others?”

“Sam has a Portkey, if she’s in danger she’ll end up at the safehouse, but Kate doesn’t have that, so she’s the priority,” I said. “As for the Dursleys… where are they?”

“They are currently driving around trying to find an ice cream shop that is still open.”

I resisted the urge to groan loudly upon hearing that. “Are they that stupid and gluttonous? Who goes out this late at night for ICE CREAM?!”

I knew why, of course. Neither Petunia nor Vernon could say no to ‘Dudders’ and would always go along with his whims, no matter how ridiculous. Seriously, what kind of parents let their kid eat ice cream at midnight? And what sort of irresponsible adults actually go out of their way to cater to his whims?!

‘I’d have thought the Dursleys would have settled down without Harry around, but it honestly seems like they’ve been getting worse without him,’ I thought darkly.

Had Harry somehow been holding back the worst of their excesses? That thought was hard to fathom, but the proof was there in the pudding. Or ice cream, in this case.

“Alright, tell Scarlett to send some security over to the Dursleys,” I sighed, running a hand over my face.

“And where will you be going, master?”

“I’m going to find Kate,” I replied. “If Sam uses her Portkey, tell her I’m already looking for Kate. Sam can help look for her sister is she wants.”

“Yes, sir!” Inky saluted. He then popped me away back to the apartment, and went down to my car, getting in and deciding to drive around, doing some searching on my own. I didn’t think I’d find anyone, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t help.

‘I should really start putting tracking charms on everyone,’ I thought to myself. ‘That would make it so much easier to find people when their in danger. Perhaps I could incorporate it into their clothing? Oh! Maybe a tracking tattoo! That would be harder to remove than just a piece of jewelry or clothing.’

While I was contemplating new ways to ensure the safety of my friends, family, and employees, my pager beeped, and I saw the code for ‘Mark’ and ‘Club’ flashing on the screen when I checked it. Concerned, I started driving towards the nightclub.

When I got there, one of Mark’s guys ushered me into the back towards some private rooms. Inside, I found Delilah sitting on a couch while stroking the head of a sleeping Kate. Leaning against the wall was Mark himself, a thunderous look on his face as he glared down at a man lying on ground, face bloody and hands ziptied behind his back.

“Delilah?” I muttered. What was she doing here?

“Ed!” she exclaimed, relieved to see me. She didn’t try to move, though, as Kate’s head was still in her lap and she didn’t want to wake her.

Though given how soundly asleep Sam’s sister was, she must have been drugged.

“What’s going on?” I asked, walking over to their side and sitting on the couch next to Delilah.

“Kate and I were attacked,” she said. “Mr. Fetters protected us.”

I narrowed my eyes at that. “Explain, please.”

“I was having a girl’s night out with Hildagarde and my friends, when we ran across Kate,” Delilah explained. “We decided to hang out together.”

I looked over at Mark to confirm this, and he nodded.

“She was partying in the club when I got the head’s up from Scarlett,” Mark explained. “As soon as I learned about that, I had somebody watch her.”

He kicked the ziptied man on the ground. “This dirtbag slipped a roofie into her drink. He was working with the guys in the other room. They paid him to do it, so they could kidnap her.”

“Huh. Good job,” I said, giving Mark a nod. “How’d you avoid Kate drinking the drugged drink?”

“My guy acted drunk and bumped into her. Made her spill it. Played it up, had him ‘thrown out’ of the club for making a scene and apologized to her with a new drink,” Mark explained. “Then I had my boys drag the guy with the roofies into the back for a bit of discipline.”

“It was great!” Delilah said, giggling despite the dangers she’d just narrowly avoid.

“And then what happened?” I inquired. How did that lead to… this?

“When their plan didn’t work, the kidnappers tried to do things a little bit more forcefully,” Mark said with a grimace.

“How much more forceful are we talking?” I asked in concern.

“One of them pulled a knife and tried to stab Miss Delilah, causing a commotion,” Mark replied, and my eyes narrowed.

“I see,” I said darkly.

“The Runeweaving protected me,” Delilah assured me, putting a hand on my arm. I sagged a little in relief, glad that I’d insisted that Hildegarde put protective runes into all of the clothes we owned. Expensive and time consuming, but it proved to be worth every quid.

“Good. Good. What happened after that? I didn’t see any cops, nor did the club look like there had just been a failed stabbing,” I pointed out. The nightclub looked completely fine. No panicking patrons in sight.

“Ah, that was because of a little Memory charm,” Delilah admitted. “People did start to scream when they saw the guy draw a knife on me. But I had an Obliviate Ofuda that I supercharged. Blasted the whole club.”

“How’d you avoid being affected by the spell?” I asked. The light was just a side effect of the spell, so not looking at the flash wouldn’t actually protect you from being brain-wiped.

“I didn’t,” Delilah admitted, blushing a little in embarrassment. “I forgot a whole minute because of the Ofuda.”

“Then, the man with the knife was caught some other way?” I guessed.

“Yeah, he forgot he was carrying it and stabbed himself when he tried to cover his eyes with his hands from the flash,” Delilah said with a snort, and I smirked in amusement.

“That must have sucked.”

“Yup. Blinded himself. Of course, the sight of blood caused a bit of a panic, so it was almost like I hadn’t even used the Ofuda in the first place,” Delilah said dryly. “Now, since I didn’t remember ‘why’ he had a knife I kept my distance. The other three members of his party tried to rush us, thinking I’d attacked him, though.”

“Alright, that makes sense,” I muttered.

“My boys noticed – kinda hard not to with the screaming and blood – and stepped in. But you’ll never guess what happens next,” Mark drawled.

“Something stupid? Well, stupider than stabbing themselves in the eye with their own pocket knife?” I guessed, and Delilah and Mark both laughed. It was not a nice laugh, being full of venom.

“Oh, yes. Absolutely stupid,” Deliah sneered. “One of the two tried to rush me, but slipped on some spilled drinks and hit his head on a table, passing out instantly. Then, the last fellow tried to grab me, but he fail to do so and I managed to give him a proper knee to his groin.”

“Ouch,” I winced.

“Yes, the stupidity continued when the man who’d stabbed himself ripped the knife out! He’s not dead, though. We managed to get some first aid before he bled out. Still, he lost an eye for that recklessness,” Mark scoffed.

“So, how did you deal with all of that? Surely somebody would have tried to call the police?” I asked.

“Eh, I’m sure somebody might have tried, but I locked down the landlines in the club. Nobody made any calls from here, I can assure you of that,” the club owner promised. “Throw in a couple of Obliviate Ofuda, and nobody should remember the events of the night if we don’t want them to.”

Belatedly, I remembered that cellphones weren’t exactly common yet at this time. There was thus very little chance anybody managed to call for help without finding a landline, and if Mark really did have complete control over access to them, then it was probably safe. Possibly.

“Anyways, the men who tried to cause trouble aren’t going to be a problem again,” Mark vowed.

“Good to hear. What about Kate, though?” I asked.

“She’s tired from all of the excitement,” Delilah replied. “I provided her a Calming Draught and she was out like a light when all the adrenaline stopped flowing.”

“At least she’s safe and secure,” I muttered, before turning to Mark. “Thank you for keeping them safe.”

“Of course, boss,” he replied.

“And rip everything you can from the bastards,” I ordered, and he smirked darkly.

“Sure thing. Been a while since I’ve had to do this. Time to remind a few people I’m still in the game and got all my teeth, even if I’ve been leashed.”

I nodded at him, well-aware of what he’d do to the wannabe kidnappers. It was distasteful to use these methods, but in this case, Mark’s criminal background was helpful for me.

“What about the others?” Delilah asked me. “If they were willing to stage an abduction here, are the Parsons alright? How’s Sam?”

“Haven’t heard anything from Sam yet, so I believe she’s fine. Her emergency Portkey would have saved her in any case,” I pointed out. “Still, I sent some security to her apartment. Just in case. As for Mr. and Mrs. Parson, I also ensured they’d be protected. A House Elf is watching over them in secret. Anyone who tries to break in will not like it.”

I then frowned. “There’s also the Dursleys. I don’t know where they are, but they were driving around last I checked. They should be fine. Hopefully. I’ll have to check.”

Rubbing my chin thoughtfully, I decided I’d worry about them later. Right now, Sam, Kate, and the rest of the Parson family were the important ones right now.

“What should we do?” Delilah asked him.

“I think taking Kate home is the best idea,” I suggested after thinking it over. “Do you need a ride as well?”

“Yes, that’s probably for the best,” Delilah agreed, flashing me a smile. I smiled back before leaning down to shake Kate awake.

“Come on, Kate. I’m not gonna carry you to the car so you can wake up, now!”

She grumbled in annoyance and refused to stir, but a few pokes from Delilah finally caused her to sit up and rub her eyes.

“I was having a nice nap,” she complained, before yawning loudly.

“Sorry about that, but it’s time to get you home,” I told her. She blinked sleepily at me before gasping, only just now realizing I was standing in front of her.

“Ah! E-Ed?!”

“That’s me. Delilah called me to come take you home. And to make sure you were safe,” I told her, hiding an amused grin.

“Oh… okay,” she muttered, embarrassed to have been seen sleeping. She then looked down at the man who’d been left tied up on the floor. “Um, what about him?”

“We’ll take care of it,” I told her. Kate didn’t look like she believed me, but Delilah put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“It will be fine,” Delilah assured Kate. “There is nothing that will happen to you.”

“I was… it was a shock,” Kate admitted, a note of nervousness in her voice. “I don’t understand why they did what they did.”

“They’re criminals who think they can push Delilah and I around. But they will learn that trying to do such a thing isn’t going to be easy to get away with,” I declared firmly.

Kate nodded her head at that, though she still seemed uncertain about everything. That was fine, though. In fact, it was probably a good thing that she was skeptical. There was a lot going on behind the scenes and I knew Sam would be happier if his little sister didn’t know about how deep the rabbit hole went when it came to dark side of business.

Delilah and Kate followed me out of Mark’s office, and after the two of them said farewell to their friends who were still in the club and explained they were going home, I led them outside to where I’d parked the car. It wasn’t the best parking job I’d ever done, but thankfully didn’t spot any tickets.

I drove the duo back to their places, dropping Kate off with her parents first.

“Thank you for bringing her back, Ed,” Mrs. Parson said, flashing me a relieved smile, before giving Kate a disappointed look. “She should really know better than staying out this late.”

“Sorry, lost track of time,” Kate said, pretending like that was issue, and not the fact she’d gone to a club she was definitely too young to get into legally. As far as her parents knew, she’d been hanging with friends somewhere much more acceptable.

“Well, keep the time in mind going forward,” Mrs. Parson sighed, before shaking her head and giving her youngest daughter a stern look. Seeing that gaze aimed straight at her, Kate meekly entered her house and retreated to her room.

I had a few more words with Mrs. Parson before bidding her farewell and a goodnight. Returning to my car, I turned to Delilah.

“What next?” I inquired. “Straight to your place?”

“I mean, I suppose I could go there… or! You could offer a poor, frightened maiden the comforting safety of your home,” she said, giving me a sad, pleading pout.

“Well, how can I say no to a face like that?” I chuckled. “Sure, we can go back to my place. I’ll need to check in with all of the others, though. Make sure the people who tried to go after the Parsons and Dursleys and yourself get what’s coming to them.”

“Of course. But you can do that with me right by your side,” she offered. I smiled. That sounded like a grand idea!

111 &&& 111

“You know, when most people meet in an abandoned warehouse, it’s for nefarious reasons,” Marky Fetters said with an awkward laugh. He was trying – and failing – to keep from showing any of his nervousness.

Two days had passed since Sir Briar had panicked when his plan to steal from me was thwarted, almost by accident, and he sent a bunch of thugs to kidnap and rough-up the families of the people closest to me.

Though the problem had been resolved, things still needed to be taken care of. First, was that Sir Briar had to be taken down a notch. He could not be allowed to do this again! What if he caught us off guard next time? What if we couldn’t react fast enough and somebody got hurt?

Secondly, there was the issue of rewarding everyone who’d been involved. The people who had helped keep the thugs away from the Parsons and the Dursleys got a hefty bonus in their pay cheques for that.

The only person who had yet to be properly rewarded was Mark himself, and I tried not to show too much amusement at his nervous reaction to being escorted to an abandoned warehouse.

“I’m sure you’d know all about that,” I drawled, and he nodded weakly.

“I’ve had to take care of a few finks in my time,” he admitted.

“So have I. I’ve gotten very good at it,” I said, somewhat ominously, before flashing him a reassuring smile. “But that’s not why we’re here.”

“Oh? That’s a relief,” he said, though the man’s shoulders were still tense.

Ignoring his fears, I led him to the ritual chamber, because yes, this was where the magic granting ritual had been conducted in the past.

“You’ve been a big help, Mark. You protected my friends and family, and shown your loyalty,” I informed him. “As such, it was decided that you deserve a proper reward.”

I gestured towards the ritual circle. “Stand in the circle, if you please. No need to undress.”

“What, uh, what does it do?” Mark asked cautiously, not stepping forward.

“That is the future,” I replied. “Given to me by Nicholas Flamel himself.”

I folded my arms as I looked at him. “Do you want magic, Mark Fetters? Because I can give it to you.”

He stared at me, disbelief written across his face. A scowl soon spread, replacing his previous expression, and he glared at me angrily.

“Do you think that’s funny? Dangling something like that in front of me?” he demanded.

“It’s not funny, because it’s true,” I replied. “You see, Nicholas Flamel was also a Squib, and he spent his centuries of life trying to find a cure.”

Mark looked shocked by that, and I plowed on, taking advantage of his unbalanced mental state.

“He left it behind for me to complete. A ritual to turn Squibs into mages,” I revealed. “Sadly, it isn’t perfect. People like us won’t be able to use wands or other direct-casting foci. But it will make it so we’d be considered ‘magical’ by the Purebloods’ demented ideals and measurements. And it will boost whatever magic we can already do. To say nothing of the fact it will give any future children of ours a much higher chance of acquiring magic for themselves as well.”

To demonstrate I pulled out an Ofuda and activated it. It flashed with bright light, and a miniature Lumos sphere floated over my head. However, it was clear that I hadn’t needed to use my own blood to activate it. I’d simply willed the talisman to work.

I handed another Ofuda to Mark to test for himself. He had to cut his thumb and smear his own blood over the paper to get it to work, and his Lumos was much weaker. Smaller, dimmer, and clearly different.

Glancing between the two examples of magic, he swallowed and licked his lips nervously. “I… it works? Really works? Permanently?”

“Delilah and I were Squibs. Now? We’re not,” I replied. “And someday, there will be no more Squibs in the world.”

“You’re mad,” Mark whispered. “They won’t…”

“The Ministry can do nothing,” I said, cutting him off. “Magic is our birthright. Claim it!”

“What do I have to do?” he eventually asked, staring at the circle.

“Step inside, and drop some blood onto it,” I instructed, and he did so, making his way to the ritual.

He used his cut thumb to put some of his own blood onto the circle, and it glowed brightly. When it faded, he looked down at himself, concerned.

“Did it work?” he asked hesitantly.

I said nothing and just handed him an Ofuda as he stepped out of the circle. The moment his fingers touched the paper, the Lumos talisman burst to life. Or rather, light.

Tears sparkled in his eyes, and I politely pretended not to notice them.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“I reward my people when they do good. Especially when they go above and beyond,” I assured him. “Now, let me give you a crash course on what you can expect from your newfound magical essence.”

As I promised him, I took him into another room and gave the man a quick rundown on what the benefits from the ritual would be. Once his soul stabilized in a couple months, he’d be able to activate runic arrays with just a touch and a thought instead of using blood to trigger the magical effects.

And even until then, there were things Mark could do right away, such as use magical artifacts or brew better potions. While it wouldn’t change much in his day to day life, the hardened criminal still had tears in his eyes at finally obtaining what should have been originally his.

“Thank you,” he repeated when I was finished. I simply nodded, then had Inky teleport him back to the club.

Alone in the warehouse for the moment, I stared down at the ritual circle on the floor.

‘So close,’ I thought to myself. I was so close to finishing the ritual! Just a couple more tweaks to ensure it could affect multiple people at once from greater ranges. ‘It won’t be long, now. The world will have magic again.’

There would be problems, of course. Suddenly having billions of people capable of magic would change a lot. People would panic. Magical diseases would run rampant and accidental magic would do untold damage. Religious fundamentalists would go crazy and tens of thousands of innocents would die in the chaos.

But I had time to make preparations to ensure it wouldn’t be too bad. And, in the end, it would be for the greater good. The world would be better off with renewed magic in the entire populace, whether it wanted it or not.

“Fuck,” I sighed, covering my face with my hands as the realization hit me. “I’m becoming just like Dumbledore.”