may 28th, 2006

RAVANA SLAMMED DOWN the amber-filled glass onto the wooden counter. Other customers in the inn avoided the man's presence. He was left alone at the bar, which is exactly what he wanted. Although, this was not a good situation for barkeep Tom. This man, who walked in soaked from the pouring rain outside, was now driving out customers with his dark demeanor and swamp-like odor. Tom stood in the farthest corner, cleaning glasses and plates, keeping his eye on the stranger as he sipped down his alcohol quietly. Tom never saw this gentleman in his inn, and he was well aware of anyone that stepped into the Leaky Cauldron. Tom was always taking note of potential regulars and their drink orders. This man, however, did not strike any resemblance to anyone Tom knew. This stranger's frail black hair was braided all the way down by the man's waist. There was nothing to his clothing that indicated where he came from or what occupation he had. Tom theorized that he was perhaps homeless as the stranger wore a black shirt filled with moth holes, a brown suede jacket that seemed to have scorch marks, and dark blue jeans that have seen better days. Though, whoever this man was, he paid his due for the drinks he ordered and did not speak for any other reason than to order.

Tom poured the stranger another drink and took his money.

The door swung open once again, and a man walked in. This man could only be described as the complete opposite of Ravana. He wore a slick black suit and shiny leather shoes. His bald head was hidden under a top hat, and his red beard was long but well kept. He had shown a few raindrops on his clothing from outside, but with a flick from the man's wand, he was completely dry. The new stranger stared at Ravana, and Tom sighed, knowing that Ravana was going to scare this new well-put and obviously wealthy customer out of his inn. But, to Tom's surprise, the man cracked a smile at the sight of Ravana. He pointed his wand at the drenched man, and with another flick, he took the water out of his clothes, and he too was dry. The swamp smell seemed to go with the water.

Ravana grunted and took another sip, not looking at his colleague, "No need to do that. Fine the way I was."

The new stranger laughed and sat next to Ravana. Tom walked over tentatively and took the well-kept man's order. Within a second, Tom had gotten him a glass of fire whiskey. He then went back to the back corner of the bar and slowly washed the dishes while keeping an eye on the odd pair.

"Looks like you did a good job of clearing out the inn," the man chuckled. He took a sip of his fire whiskey and tapped the glass with his ring. "Merlin, I haven't had a good tasting fire whiskey like this in so long. Margaret doesn't like alcohol in the house and always snips when I order one when we are out."

Ravana kept quiet and stared at his own drink. The only reason Ravana had entered this pub was that it was the closest thing to the warmth he could get to. All he wanted was to take a couple of drinks and then go home to sleep off the day's work. He wanted the stench and the rain on him to remind him of what he had just done. He didn't want it to simply disappear. He was not interested in talking to his colleague.

"It's almost time Ravana," the man's friendly demeanor quickly became serious and stone-like. "We have to get to the Ministry -- Tonight. Do you have the equipment?"

Ravana kept staring at his drink, but it was not out of annoyance with his colleague, but of fear. "I always have it with me," he grumbled. He threw his head back and finished the rest of his drink. He motioned Tom to come over and ordered another. This would be his fourth drink. He needed to have a clear head for tonight, but there was no way he would be able to sanely go through this plan without something to calm his nerves.

The strange red-bearded man took another sip of his own drink. He seemed more confident with what was about to happen. "Mara and Nicholas are already in the positions to greet us. Malcolm will be staging the Azkaban break out so the Aurors will be distracted. The Minister is in America. Xavier will shut down the Department of Magical Transportation, so if anything happens, we will have a quick way out. Do not worry Ravana. This plan will not fail us."

"It's not being caught I'm scared of, Alaric," Ravana said, pushing the now empty cup away from him. "It's what will happen if we succeed."

Alaric laughed and slapped a hand on his partner's shoulder. "When we succeed... The world will be put back to the way it was always meant to be. We will finally get what was always promised to us."

Alaric took his hand away from Ravana's shoulder and gulped down the rest of his drink. Alaric was now watching Tom as he slowly dried and put away the glasses back up on the shelves. He took his own glass and slammed it down on the counter to get Tom's attention. He chuckled at the way Tom jumped. Ravana kept his head down. "Barkeep, might I trouble you for a refill?"

Tom nodded and almost tripped as he ran to get the bottle of fire whiskey for Alaric. He poured the liquid into the empty glass and Alaric smiled watching how the bottle shook from his nerves. Alaric took out his wand and slowly pointed it at Tom's throat as if this was a common practice among the two gentlemen. Tom stopped pouring and looked at the wand with fear in his eyes. "Wh-what's the meaning of this?"

Alaric chuckled and moved the wand closer to his throat so that it was touching Tom's skin, poking at his jugular. "I was just curious... Barkeep... if our conversation interested you?"

Tom gulped and shook his head. "I-I have no idea wh-what you mean."

Alaric laughed and looked at his friend, but Ravana continued to look down at the battered counter.

"Barkeep, I will have you know we have been working on a... special project. No little slip will falter us. No accidental rumor will bring down the great deed we are about to bring on to our world," Alaric pulled Tom close by his wand. "No sniveling little barkeep will break something I have been working towards for years. My chance, to create greatness once again."

Tom tried pulling away but the magic Alaric bestowed kept him inching forward until his stomach was being jammed into the counter. Just as Tom felt his breath being faltered Alaric let him go. Catching his breath, Alaric laughed at the tall lanky man as he tried to make his way towards the back exit of the pub.

"Ravana, do what you need to do."

Ravana grumbled something under his breath and stood up next to Alaric. He looked down at Tom. He took out his wand and a flash of green light filled the Leaky Cauldron.