3 They Are Here

"Hey, Fred, is the O2 Shield activated?" Few people knew that the famous London stadium was a magic-suppression transmitter that creates a directional shield where surveillance magic cannot penetrate. To any magic-based probe, the area would look like an ordinary part of the city, with nothing more than average magical background noise.

Fred turned to the group of other wizards waiting dockside. They all nodded to the young man and pointed their wands to the top of the stadium, lighting up the twelve masts of the roof. Even though Zachary was the leader of the welcome team for this situation, he knew that the older members of Ministry of Magic refused to acknowledge the existence of squibs working in the wizarding world. It was a bias that he frequently ran into.

A sleek white trimaran-hulled yacht skimmed up to the pier, a graceful rooster tale of spray behind it making rainbows in the bright sun. It slowed only slightly before skewing into a tight circle and stopped, perfectly oriented parallel to the pier. Instinctively, the wizards used magic to protect themselves as the spray cascaded over the group. And, as usual, Zach was left with a dripping cap and a damp coat, unable to react to the impromptu shower in time.

Now protected under the suppression shield, two wizards used their wands to send the ropes streaming out to catch each end of the vessel and snugly secure it to the dock. A gangway slid out from an upper deck and angled down until it landed softly on the wooden beams of the pier. Like an airplane door, a curved outer wall detached itself and rolled back. The group below straightened up as the first person walked out and stood by the door for a moment.

The wizard was in his thirties, with shoulder-length hair that waved in the soft breeze. He stood tall as he scanned the area, clearly looking for anything out of the ordinary. A moment later, satisfied, he turned and spoke to someone inside the yacht before standing to the side of the door. Clearly, he was some sort of bodyguard or security. In fact, he looked vaguely familiar to Zach. Where had he seen him before? He squinted, but because of the distance, was unable to make out his features any better.

Meanwhile, robed individuals started walking down the gangplank, five in all. Once at the bottom, the waiting wizards in front of Zach stepped forward and bowed to each new arrival as they reached the bottom. One by one, a member of Zach's team and a newly-arrived official detached themselves in pairs and walked towards the waiting black vehicles diagonally parked on the pier.

The eldest and final wizard stopped at the bottom of the gangway, looked up, and called, "Granddaughter! Come down here!"

A young blonde woman walked out into the sun, poised for a moment as she lifted her hand to shield her eyes. Her iridescent robe seemed to shimmer around her, making a perfect scene that any paparazzi would love to capture.

"It's her!" hissed Alfred excitedly.

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