The head of the long table was close to the entrance so when the low rumbling that signaled the parting of the wall started, I was the first to notice.

"I hope I'm not late, I ran into a bit of a skirmish that I had to deal with." A familiar voice spoke from behind me.

I turned around and it was just as I suspected…

Malark Peckgray.

It was bloody Malark! He was a member of this weird cult too?

He was also dressed in crimson robes like the rest of the people present. 

Instead of taking a seat, he walked closer to Carleton to have a conversation with him.

"Per your orders, Audric Albeline has been confirmed dead by the Ministry." Malark bent slightly to speak to a sitting Carleton.

I was within hearing distance so my gaze shot in their direction when he said that.

Me? Confirmed dead? What the fuck?

"Splendid, it is all going according to plan, yes?"

"Yes, of course." Malark nodded. "I made sure to get on the scene before the rest of the Aurors, I dealt with the investigation of his family's death so it wasn't difficult to get the permission."

I just listened on in disbelief, damn these guys really put in a lot of effort.

"Starting the Fiendfyre and pretending that I saw it that way was easy enough, it took a while to successfully put out the dangerous fire and by then, the entire room was scorched black. You couldn't tell a human from a chair." He explained in detail, sounding self-accomplished.

Keeping my emotions in check wasn't easy but I managed it somehow, unclenching my fists slowly when I had control.

"The Ministry is classifying it as murder, it is also choosing to keep the story under wraps but that won't be easy." Malark concluded.

Carleton waved dismissively. "It doesn't matter if the Wizarding world finds out or not. I have what I need and my tracks have been wiped clean, I am unconcerned with such trifling matters."

"Sure thing." Malark agreed, eyeing me warily before walking down the table to find a seat for himself.

There had been whispering going on amongst the Wizards and Witches? Seated around the table this entire time.

Half an hour later, my legs were starting to sting, how much longer did they plan to wait?

A couple of members had shown up but they still seemed to be waiting for more.

A low rumbling started again and one more member walked in, they were shorter than most and seemed to fidget even though they had voluminous robes and a mask on.

They apologized profusely to everyone they could before finally getting seated on the last empty chair.

Carleton rose to his feet after this and the rest followed suit.

"This meeting of 'The Cabal' will now commence!" He announced in a booming voice.

They sat amidst rustling clothes after that rather dramatic exclamation which was greeted with deathly silence.

"As you can see, the final piece to the puzzle has been acquired but a couple of problems have arisen as well." Carleton's brow furrowed like he couldn't physically abide obstacles in his way.

Whispers started up at this, the crimson-robed members of 'The Cabal' talking amongst each other.

'The Cabal?'

I knew what that was, it was part of the plotline of the Harry Potter game franchise but it was also a part of the overall world.

The Cabal, was a secret organization also known as 'R'. Their goals were Enlightenment and Immortality.

They were after the secrets of the Cursed Vaults a decade ago, now they seemed to have changed leaders and were now after the Gem of the Abyss.

"Maguire, please explain further." Carleton gestured to one of the masked and robed members.

One of them stood up. "Right away, sir." Maguire's familiar voice spoke up.

He brought out his glasses and wore them right over the mask, adjusting it left and right before picking up his signature stack of papers.

"I shall do a quick summary of what has been found so far so that everyone is a part of it." He hit the bottom of the stack on the table to straighten them.

"The research into finding The Gem of the Abyss has gone on for over 5 years now and as of now, we are close to acquiring it." More of that spectacle adjustment and straightening of the paper stack in his hand.

"The Gem of Abyss is a 'Draconite' gem and as all Draconites are, it can only be acquired from the freshly severed head of a dragon."

I straight up gaped, my mouth falling open in shock.

Thankfully, everyone else in the misty hall had their attention on Maguire so no one noticed me getting stunned.

I knew about Draconites, they were mythical gemstones famous for their various magical properties, most unknown.

The thing with Draconites was that Dragons, the creatures they were rumored to be found in weren't easy to kill just to confirm about Draconites.

But someone had to have tried it right?

"That bit is well known and it would be also good to note that not all Dragons possess a Draconite, only the First 13 Dragons. This is a myth and history does little to throw more light on it but it is rumored that almost all of the 13 Dragons were killed off in medieval times, most likely by Kings, powerful Wizards and Knights to acquire this gemstone."

That made sense, if any average person who was strong enough to kill a dragon found one, they would easily get their hands on a Draconite.

"We believe that one last Dragon of the first 13 survived however and years were spent researching into its whereabouts but nothing was found. Until the scroll which is the Albeline secret heirloom that was passed down for generations fell into our hands." He paused to draw a breath.

"This scroll was a simple map to acquiring the gem and in less than a month, we found what years of research could not find." Maguire placed the papers on the table.

I wondered why he picked them up in the first place, he had been saying everything from memory.

"The Gem of the Abyss earned its name because it can only be found in the Dragon known as 'The Abyss'. The breed of this Dragon is unknown, it is immense, pitch black and spews flames that are rumoured to melt stone and metal." He picked up the stack of papers once more, his constant fidgeting was slightly irritating.

"The position of the last of the First 13 Dragons has also been uncovered. Our research led to a volcano in Masaya, Nicaragua. A place the locals call 'La Boca del Infierno, alternatively called, 'The Mouth of Hell.'"

I listened intently taking mental notes.

"Naturally, investigations were made and a magical cave was found under the active volcano. There were traces of Dragon magic all over the seal on the cave and while we refrained from trying to break it, we certainly have the manpower to do so."

"Now that location of the gem is confirmed, all that is left is the key to acquiring it. That's where the last surviving member of the Albeline family comes in…"

Everyone turned to look at me now, I kept a poker face on, looking at the far wall which was hidden by fog.

"In the Albeline family, in addition to housing the scroll that held useful information to acquire the Gem of the Abyss, a rare magical ability was also rumored to run through the family's bloodline. The name is uncertain but it has to do with being impervious to flames…"

"Even the flames rumored to melt stone and metal?" A masked member spoke up, their voice was clearly feminine.

Maguire hesitated for the first time. "We have reasons to believe that, there is only one way to find out though." He looked to Carleton. "For now, I will speak on the issues that have cropped up before we move on to the next thing." He cleared his throat.

"This ability is quite rare even in the Albeline family and it was hidden by them so the calculations based on my research are not a hundred percent accurate."

"So, what you mean is that even after all this trouble that has been undergone to get the last surviving member of the Albeline family, it is possible that he does not possess this ability?" The same Witch from earlier spoke up again, her voice was authoritative and from her accent, it was clear that she wasn't from Britain. 

"Unfortunately." Maguire agreed.

I remained in my stiff position, listening to powerful Witches and Wizards from all over the world discuss my fate.