A Legacy of Evil: Thriller in Manila

Manila City.

This was actually a place I had visited in my life before. And after that entire debacle with the Naagloshii, I wanted someplace a bit more familiar where the snow was nonexistent, and the food was cheap and plentiful. The air was hot and muggy, the streets were crowded with bus's, trikes and vendors and goddamn, I loved it. I admit, I was likewise curious as to what exactly was different about it but all that could wait. It was New Years and while everyone was out partying and having fun, I was in a nice wizarding motel with a sound-deafening charm put up and a nice dinner as I worked on my research notes.

I had plenty of material at this point concerning werewolves and utilizing the knowledge I had gained from the Lakota, I was starting to put together the shape of it to the point I felt confident in getting it published. It was purely for my own sense of humor that I was thinking of calling the scientific paper 'walking with werewolves', as Gilderoy Lockheart wouldn't be born for a couple of years at this point. Was it plagiarism if I took it from the future? Then I realized I didn't actually care and chuckled as I took a bite of my pancit and flicked my wand, dictating my words as a quill danced along the paper.

"-and so, we can see that the inherent 'curse' of the werewolf is one of cultural differences. From the Native American tribes to the ancient Norse, such transformations were not things to be shunned, but rather gifts to be celebrated. Even as a wizard may lose their magic dependent on emotional circumstances, so would such negative mindsets result in a wild-oof, that's good. Wait no, don't write that! Ah, dammit."

I let out a curse and winced, seeing the spell write it out before stopping it as I added. "Right. Thank god for magic." I erased my words to a point, and then proceeded to call it for tonight. It was new years eve after all, and I started to smile to myself. I had changed over time, from the pale, handsome boy of canon to something remarkably more alive. My hair was neatly trimmed, no longer as shaggy as I had kept it when I traveled with Caravan Greyback. My beard was gone, shaved entirely off and my skin was a nut brown from my time outdoors. My outfit was a bit more conventional, a white collared shirt with long sleeves and suspenders, over which I wore a dark coat I had bought that came with a hood I could pull up, for wizarding purposes. Namely, to look eerie and nod at my fellow casters, though there wasn't much in the way of such things for me. The extent of my social life was to tip the waitress who brought me food and paper and ink, and that was that.

Granted, she was cute and all and she might have been interested, but I had research to compile and little interest in human interaction at this point.

So of course, something had to ruin it as I heard a knock on the door and glanced up before sighing out. I set my plate down on the table, pushed my chair open and walked over to the door before opening it to reveal two locals dressed in wizarding robes. From the way they moved, I assumed they were aurors they had that air about them, the way they were holding themselves felt like someone used to casting spells first and asking questions later.

"May I help you?"

"Tom Riddle? Of the British community?" I raised an eyebrow, smiling lightly as I spoke. "Odd way to put it, but yes I am. My passport is in order, if that's in question."

The auror shook his head, revealing his badge to indicate he was indeed, what I suspected as he returned it and spoke. "You've been requested at the behest of Vice Minister Liu Zhu."

"Never heard of him." I said idly before adding. "Anyway, I'm also on vacation so if you'll excuse me." I made a gesture for them to move, the aurors glancing at each other before one closed the door with a flick of his wand. The other stepped forward, bringing out a file very carefully as he handed it over to me. I admit, I was somewhat at a loss at this point as I opened the file and began to read it.

I don't know what kind of expression I was making. But as I paged through it all, the aurors began to look uncomfortable as I stared at the following wizarding photos. Images of aurors in crime scenes, amidst scenes of some kind of mad laboratory. Corpses, half-human dangled from chains like meathooks or preserved in tubes, like some pulp fiction penny dreadful. The rest of the equipment showed off was mostly out of my area of expertise, but then I came upon the last photo and froze.

I felt my heart skip a beat, my attention fully fixed upon an emblem branded on a desk. A skull, with a serpent emerging from its jaws and burned into the desk as if it had been branded. After my heart stopped beating furiously, I could see the small differences in it.

The skull itself was set as the forefront of a greater image, set in the center of a circle. Around its edges, breaks in the line would be seen, bits and pieces niggling at me before I realized what it was.

Now all that remained was to find out why the fuck Voldemort's dark mark was slapped upon a stylized, subtle swastika and taking a deep breath, I closed the file and spoke somberly.

"Let me pack."

Looks like vacation was over for me and with a wave of my wand and a handy carpetbag(nonmagical), I had the sum of my physical possessions and followed the aurors out into the city of Manila. Outside of the soundproofing charm, the atmosphere of the city exploded and quite literally at that. Filipinos when it comes to celebrations do not hold back, and on events that have fireworks, it's a constant noise more suited for a warzone.

A car waited for us on the street, one of the aurors opening the door for me as the other glanced under the car and then under the hood, before getting into the front seat. And as we drove off, I saw the car somehow avoided by the people. It was as though it didn't exist, that their eyes were just passing over it without really registering us and I felt my bad feeling return, tingling up my spine. Something that wasn't exactly put at ease as I saw who was sitting opposite me.

He was a wizard, dressed muggle style in a suit and tie. On his lapel, he bore a pin with a familiar emblem to me, red and gold right down the middle with an imperial dragon representation on the face of it. My eyes flicked to the man, a smiling Asian as he tapped his fingers, his trigger and middle finger wearing a decorative golden claw with a small chain as I spoke quietly.

"This is quite unprecedented. What brings the Chinese Ministry of Magic to me, and why are you operating in the Philippines?" It was far too frank for the sort of cloak and dagger work this was radiating and in turn, the man just smiled as he spoke in fluent, clear English.

"You've lived for far too long among the No-Maj. Though it's true that the relationship between the Peoples Republic and the current government of the Philippines are frosty for a better word, as far as the Ministry is concerned, we are still connected in the same community and under the same umbrella. Enough of our people work in both countries as well, to the point that it's all moot anyway. The Cold War will end, for better or worse and we shall as always, remain long after the no-maj kill each other over perceived wrongs and ancient grudges."

That was the pot calling the kettle black, I thought carefully to myself as I kept a blank mind before I shrugged. "Still doesn't explain why I've been called up before the Vice-Minister." He smiled briefly, nostalgic as he leaned back in his seat and spoke. "My father once saw the election of the Supreme Mugwump. A traditional walk, which would be stymied without one of our nation's unique magical creatures. The process in question, however, was desecrated by Grindewalds followers and as a result, we have a vested, personal interest in removing it wherever we find it."

"An honorable politician? Will wonders never cease." I said aloud, skeptical as he smiled at me and spoke.

"You would know about impossibilities, wouldn't you? As while we have nothing to ask from Tom Riddle the tourist, we certainly have much to ask from Tom Riddle the Rat Catcher."

The only indication of my annoyance was a brief twitch of my eye, as I stared at him. Rat Catching.... An expression for a very particular field, one in which I had displayed a certain zeal for in what felt like a lifetime ago.

I knew that Nazi hunting was going to bite me in the ass, as I raised my head and spoke. "Is this what this is about? That little shock file, meant to tickle my sensibilities?"

"Not at all." He sounded contrite at least, as he added. "It was simply to show the severity of our problem. You see, Grindewald wasn't the only mystic on the side of the Axis powers during the war." His expression young as it were turned grim and exhausted, as outside the celebration for the new year continued as Zhu stared at me, continuing as inside the car, it felt as if it was just us in that moment as he shared a history that I had no idea about.

Oh, I certainly knew the basics. Grindewald came to power, allied with the Nazi's and through the Third Reich, acted as advisor and power behind the throne, encouraging the plunder of the arcane and the subjugation of his fellow man as he played upon Hitler's obsession with the occult. At least, that was the story I was able to glean. But like canon, as soon as Dumbledore came into the picture to fight the man, Grindewald broke and his followers were scattered to the four winds, hunted down by the various ministries. It was why my rat hunts had been all but swept under the table, why I hadn't been dragged before a tribunal for hunting mundane people, even if they were Nazi's. Grindewald and his flaunting of the statue of secrecy had been so severe, so dangerous, that nowadays the various Ministries made sure to keep more open tabs with the mundane governments they were connected to and had an unspoken policy of scorched earth when it came to any possible connection to the man.

Interesting, but I was still not sure why they went for me as unknowing of my thoughts, Zhu continued to talk.

"During the war, Grindewald joined a party of mystics who likewise supported the direction of the Third Riech. Consisting of some of the most twisted and brilliant witches and wizards of their day, led by Grindewald who had the ear of Hitler. Their intent was to create a new world, a perfect society in which magic would reign supreme once they swept in and removed Hitler out of the picture when all was over. And so, they named themselves after this world, this dream of theirs in which they believed they would set the foundations to."

"The Thule Society?" I said, incredulous before adding. "I thought they were primarily focused on the purity of blood." Zhu shrugged as he remarked. "From a certain point of view, it was true. They certainly shed enough, attempting to find and isolate the ability to use magic. Afterwards, it was agreed that it was in our collective best interest to remove and eradicate all pertinent information on the society as far as our world went. They died with their Reich and for a time, it seemed all was well.... Till recently."

He tapped his claws on his knee as he spoke. "The pictures shown to you are from a raid we conducted on the word of a local third party. Somewhere in Manila City itself." I went still, considering before I finally spoke.

"Who?"

"Anton Trese." Said Zhu, frowning slightly as he added. "While we do have good relations with our ministry contacts here, Anton works directly for the mundane government. And they refuse to be pushed aside on something like this." I blinked in confusion. I had to say something, as I remarked. "Wait, wait I thought we didn't care about that sort of thing. Wizard affairs for wizards, kind of thing."

He seemed scornful for the first time as he looked at me, before speaking coldly. "Perhaps out in the Western lands, such a thing is done. There, magic is something unnatural to your people. It is something to hunt, to put to the torch. We of the East on the other hand, know that it is a tradition we live alongside and the supernatural is quite natural." He smirked and added.

"Besides, it is in our best interests to continue to ensure that we don't go the way of our Russian brethren. We are welcome in the Philippines, and we have a vested interest to remain as such."

"And besides if the independent third party fails, it's not really your fault now, is it?" I said dryly and he smiled apologetically but said nothing. I sighed out, considering to myself. I wasn't going to turn them down, but he didn't know that as I finally spoke.

"I'm not doing this for free." He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, curious as I spoke.

"I want two things, both non-negotiable. The first is my fee, ten-thousand galleons. The second is free reign to move as I wish within the Chinese Ministry territories." He looked briefly surprised, as he smiled in a wry fashion.

"Is this truly all?"

"Consider it my bounty." I said with a shrug as I added. "Half cash now, the other half when the job is done."

"A standard practice. Agreeable." Zhu said with a nod before he added. "It's a deal." The car stopped, I glanced out the window and frowned as I saw the docks before Zhu leaned back in his seat and spoke. "Your stop, Mr. Riddle. We'll send the money to an account of your choice. Do you have a preference?"

"Gringotts." I said automatically, before I stepped out and paused, glancing around. The sound of the fireworks were far more distant now, but the sight of them lit the skies up and turned night to day as Zhu leaned forward, and spoke my direction. "My regards, Mr. Riddle. And good hunting."

The window rolled up, the car turned and drove off and vanished in a shimmering, brief moment before it was gone. I was left alone at the docks, wondering what was going on and debating whether or not to just apparate back to my motel.

And then the lamp light in the distance winked off. Followed by another, and another-one after the other, till the only one left was mine. I sighed out, recognizing the magic as I spoke dryly.

"You old fart."

Out of the darkness, dramatic as all out was a familiar figure. A smiling man, with half moon glasses over a broken nose. His hair was red, with streaks of white and he was clad in a deep purple robe. Upon his head, was a pointy hat as he beamed and pressed his fingers together.

"Happy new year Tom. It's good to see you."

I sighed out. "Dumbledore."

The feeling was entirely one-sided.

Stop smiling mouth, we're supposed to be mad.