while everyone waited, carefully watching the stage to make sure that everything was going according to plan, carefully watching each other to make sure no one tried anything, the man of the hour was quietly sneaking into the back of the arena. it had been too easy to falsify a ministry work order to make sure that the arena would be built on time, and the fliers made sure that it would be filled. now, all that was left was to make his grand entrance.
for years now he had been kidnapping witches and wizards, erasing their memories and magic and turning them into muggles. it was clear that what made them so special wasn’t worth much when stripped away, but it was the stripping itself that was valuable. now, all that was left was to make it clear why he was doing this.
in a plume of smoke he appeared on the stage. tall, with aristocratic features and a jaw that slanted slightly towards the right. no one recognized him. how could they? no one remembered squibs, not in this unforgiving magical world. he spread his arms out wide, a cat-like grin on his features. “welcome!” he called out, his voice amplified almost beyond recognition.
“now, i’m sure you all came here with the intent of supporting blood equality. or even against it, and hoping to cause a scene. i’m here to tell you that these tiny games you’re playing amongst yourselves mean nothing.”
he snapped his fingers and the doors slammed shut, locking themselves magically and trapping all the attendees in the large arena. soon, people started to panic, and he felt his grin grow even more. this was, after all, the desired effect.
“magic is dirty. it’s corrupting. it has made you all soft and weak. it has made you think that you’re superior, that there is something that makes you better. it doesn’t. and what you’ve been given can easily be taken away.”
one by one, people in the arena started to feel like there was a draining, as if someone had cut a hole in them and all the magic was leaking out. some people got dizzy and fainted; others felt lightheaded and sick. within ten minutes, the entire stadium had been drained of magic, and they were all trapped.
with another clap of sound and plume of smoke, the man onstage disappeared.
and that’s when the real chaos began.
