… Abandoned Warehouse…

… Blackmore Alley, downtown Slough…

Ratley couldn't believe his luck when the pipes started to rattle again, the same pipe that the last girl just came from and Fabien was long gone. This must be his lucky day.

He shot to his feet, his pipe falling to the ground beside the chair legs as he hurried to check on the recent catch.

He barely looked her over before picking up the new girl and going to deposit her in one of the rooms prepared for situations like this. Situations where Fabien had already gone for the day and there was a new catch.

The new girl felt a little too flabby in his opinion but Ratley was just happy to get another good catch so soon. He didn't even have to send her off because she looked decent enough to be considered.

The auction was tonight so Fabien wouldn't be back till late tomorrow or next, he would get the new catch all to himself till then or so he thought.

The pipe creaking again brought out a greedy Ratley in a hurry, the portly man scampering across the warehouse to check on the newest catch.

Today must be his lucky day!

He faltered when instead of a helpless young girl lying down unconscious on the grimy stone floor, it was a tall man in formal clothing who was dusting off his clothes and scolding someone else.

There were two of them?! How did they get in?? The pipe entrances were specifically placed in female restrooms to make sure that they would be getting only girls.

"... We have company…" One of the men said without even turning to look at him. The other one was a little woozy on his feet which was impressive in itself but the one that spoke looked perfectly fine. Did he even come through the pipes?

Even if for some reason, someone else came through the pipes, they would be knocked out by the time they were ejected out and then Ratley would take care of them. By wiping their memories and getting rid of them.

So these men put him on his guard, they had definitely come here on purpose but how had they known not just about the pipes but how they worked too?

Ratley pulled out his wand and held it steady, he was confident in his ability to cast Unforgivable curses. He would strike them down before they regained their bearings, starting with the tall man in dark clothes.

"Cruci…" He started to chant but he didn't get far, the tall man seemed to appear in front of him, knocking his wand out of his hand.

Ratley was stunned stupid, he was sure that the man didn't apparate because there was no tell-tale cracking sound. Had he just moved too quickly for him to track? Who the hell was this…

The tall man stood in front of him with his coat billowing, staring him down with murder in his one visible blue eye.

Ratley stepped backward instinctively, fear churning like liquid in his veins. That eyepatch… This was… What was he doing here??

"A-Albeline?" Ratley stuttered, his eyes protruding in shock.

The man knocked him down with a single hit, it didn't even seem like he was trying very hard. Ratley choked when expensive leather shoes dug into his rotund gut, he had fallen down on his back on the hard ground, the wind getting knocked out of him.

T-The man… A-Albeline had his foot on his stomach, grinding him down to the ground.

"Know your place." His voice sounded far younger than Ratley had been expecting but one look at that empty eye of his and Ratley was ready to lick his shoes if it would keep him alive.

"I-I'm s-sorry, sir, Master A-Albeline, sir…" Ratley groveled without hesitation. He had no idea why the famed young Master Albeline was in the warehouse but he was sure that it was a mistake.

He first became popular when he brought down some really big names, not just in the Ministry but also in the Underworld. A lot of folks found it hard to believe that Master Carleton… 'The' Master Carleton had not only gotten captured but also died in captivity.

For a long time, Blackmore Alley remained tense, the atmosphere in the Alley strained as they all waited with bated breaths for what would happen. Even the top guns were adversely affected by this occurrence.

Rumors went around that the kid that had single-handedly managed to kill not just Master Carleton but also a number of impressive figures from other countries had been recruited into the Ministry. This was a dark time for the Underworld because they knew that the Ministry only turned a blind eye to their dealings because they didn't have the kind of firepower needed to take down the top guns.

But with somebody like the young Master Albeline, they might just stand a chance. The dark fog only cleared after it was heard that he rejected their offer. It was to their advantage if the young Master chose instead to come into the dark, and with the kind of past that he had, it was truly the only option open to him.

It had been a couple of years since then and there was recent news of him resurfacing again. The Underworld was starting to get fired up in reaction to that news because it was evident that the young genius was going to go for the position of the top Wizards ruling the Wizarding Underworld.

Why did he have to run into someone like him just when he was about to reap the benefits of staying in this awful warehouse, day after day?

"Tell me, Rat…" Master Albeline spoke, his hard voice dripping with spite. "Did you see a young girl in a purple dress and a plaid jacket?"

Ratley grew colder on the ground, his gut told him that if he lied to the man above him, he was going to lose his tongue. "I-I… y-yes, sir…" He stumbled over his words.

Master Albeline crouched to pat his balding head and then wiped his hand on his greasy work shirt. "Now tell me where she was taken."

"To the Carrion, s-sir, there is to be an auction today." Ratley quickly provided, a slimy, nervous smile on his face.

The Carrion was a large hall at the center of Blackmore Alley, it had a number of uses but was most well known for the auctions that went on within its walls. Rare and evil objects were mostly sold there and a handful of other things but recently the market for young Witches was rapidly growing.

Master Albeline offered him a hand and Ratley was about to gratefully take it, only to realize that the girl that had been taken to the Carrion was involved with the young Master. This realization made him shrink back in horror.

The other man that had been previously leaning against a pipe, preferring not to be a part of the conversation walked forward at this point.

"What did you say?" He bit out, barely contained rage spilling from his clenched fists and teeth.

This man looked to be younger than Master Albeline, he was dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. He was with the young Master though and that was something to be wary of.

Ratley scrambled backward again. "It's really not my fault, I have orders to secure the girls that come through the pipes, everything else is up to Fabien." He lied through his teeth. What he said couldn't hurt Fabien if the other guy wasn't here.

Master Albeline walked past the young man in glasses, his hands in the pocket of his pants. "What did I say about lying to me, vermin?" He sounded casual as he said it but his action of stomping Ratley's head into the stone ground told another story.

Ratley screamed in pain, rolling around and curling up into himself. He was sure that his skull had cracked open, how was he so strong?

"I'll leave him to you, Ji-hun…" Master Albeline said to the other young man, walking off to investigate the place.

Ratley scrambled backward till he hit a wall, blood dripping down the side of his face. They were Wizards, weren't they? How come they were yet to use magic?

The other man that Master Albeline had referred to as Ji-hun, stalked in his direction with madness in his black eyes. He rolled up his sleeves as he came closer, Ratley could swear that he saw fangs at the slight evil smile on his face.

He tried to move back again, to delay the inevitable but there was no space to, the solid stone wall backed him in.

Ji-hun brought out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around his fist. "You wouldn't need magic to crush a cockroach now, would you?"

Ratley heard his words and started to pray, maybe Master Albeline stomping his head into the ground earlier damaged his brain but he was sure that he hadn't asked his question out loud.

Ratley never had a lot going for him but his gut was never wrong, and now, his instincts were telling him that he was going to die here.