Ali had been an orphan, with no family, and graduated from Durmstrang in the early 1970s. His life took a cruel turn after graduation when he was bitten by a werewolf, turning him into one. Instead of giving up, Ali chose to endure. Every full moon, he isolated himself to protect others. His effort was a sign of his fight for his humanity—not just against the curse, but against the stigma society had placed on him and others like him.
Living humbly, Ali struggled to find steady work because of his condition, but he held onto his values. Most people in his situation would have given in to their darker instincts, but Ali was different—a rare light in a grim world. Maverick, watching from the shadows, found himself quietly impressed by him.
One night, Maverick followed Ali to a remote canyon where he went to isolate himself for the full moon. Maverick had planned to introduce himself afterward and hopefully bring Ali to his side. But fate had other plans.
A group of Muggle campers had unknowingly set up their tents nearby. Maverick noticed them but was confident he could keep them safe if anything went wrong.
As Ali's transformation began, the werewolf instincts took over quickly. The beast caught the scent of the campers and, driven by hunger, started moving toward them.
Despite the overpowering instincts of the wolf, Maverick saw something remarkable. A part of Ali's humanity remained, trying to steer the creature away. But the fight was futile. With each step, the werewolf's instincts grew stronger, and Ali's will weakened.
The Muggles, unaware of the danger, were sitting around their campfire when the werewolf emerged. Its glowing eyes and bared fangs sent them into a panic. The beast swiped at a tent, tearing it open, then lunged at a young woman who stood frozen in fear.
That's when Maverick acted.
From the shadows, he raised his hand, extended a finger, and cast "Impedimenta!"
Perhaps feeling overly confident after his recent breakthrough, he used only a fraction of his power—barely five percent—assuming it would be enough to stop the beast. He stood still, taking no further action as the werewolf was knocked back.
But the creature roared, shook off the spell in an instant, and locked its glowing eyes on Maverick.
The ease of its recovery made him raise an eyebrow and reconsider not only the magic resistance of magical creatures but also his own overconfidence.
Dodging a swipe from the werewolf, Maverick cast "Stupefy" with more power. The spell hit the mark, but it only slowed the creature for a moment. Once again, the werewolf shook it off like it was nothing, snarling as it recovered.
He had no intention of testing the creature's power. If he truly wanted to, the fight would have been over in an instant. The spells he used were normal ones, designed to immobilize the beast rather than causing it permanent harm.
Taking a moment to ponder and review his arsenal of spells, he quickly cast "Nidra Shanti," a powerful sleep charm he had learned in India. The spell worked wonders, wrapping around the beast instantly. Its movements slowed, and it staggered, its growls fading to soft whimpers before collapsing. For a brief moment, Maverick thought he glimpsed Ali's human eyes—filled with gratitude—before the werewolf finally succumbed to sleep.
The Muggles, still in shock, began murmuring in confusion, unsure of what had just happened. With a quick "Obliviate," Maverick erased their memories, ensuring they would recall nothing of the encounter. He then turned his attention back to Ali, carefully securing the werewolf and returning him to the isolated spot he had originally chosen.
Watching over the sleeping creature, Maverick couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the man who had fought so hard against an uncontrollable fate. Ali might not have been able to completely stop the wolf, but the fact that he had tried spoke volumes about his character.
Ali woke up the next day, and for the first time, Maverick introduced himself. After much consideration, Maverick decided to invite Ali to join him. He admired Ali's character but more importantly, he saw a man with no one to rely on and no one to care for.
Though it was mostly for his own benefit, Maverick genuinely intended to befriend the man and offer him a way out of his hopeless situation. A couple of days passed as they shared their stories and got to know each other better.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Maverick laid out his plans, sharing some of them to gauge Ali's thoughts, all while carefully sensing the emotions and surface thoughts coming from him. This was crucial. While Ali was a righteous man, Maverick didn't want someone overly righteous. He needed a subordinate who could navigate the gray areas when necessary. Fortunately, Ali didn't shy away from the more radical aspects of Maverick's plans and was fully on board.
To Ali, Maverick seemed like a good person, but more importantly, he was a powerful wizard who could control his beastly side when needed. Maverick even offered to provide Ali with a monthly dose of wolfsbane potion and promised to research a permanent solution.
Though Ali didn't hold much hope for the latter, he appreciated the gesture. A morally good, accepting of his condition, and powerful wizard—these three qualities made Ali willing to offer his services to Maverick. More importantly, Maverick had saved him from committing an awful act that would have haunted him for the rest of his life.
Time passed, and Maverick's solo journey turned into a two-man team. They moved on to Syria, where they first heard about the kidnappings of children. Word spread through the magical community that hybrid children, born of wizarding bloodlines, were going missing. The victims were often mixtures of veelas, werewolves, and even non-magical superhumans, like mutants.
Syria, a country with loosely governed magical laws, was a haven for dark wizards and criminal activities. The authorities, if there were any, barely enforced order.
Maverick and Ali did some digging, trying to help as best as they could, gathering clues about why only hybrid children were targeted. This made Maverick suspect that a larger conspiracy—or perhaps a greater force—was behind it. Their investigations took them to other countries, revealing that the trafficking network was far larger than Maverick had anticipated. It made him question why the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) hadn't launched a global investigation into it.
Months later, Maverick and Ali found themselves in Egypt, where they got closer to the people behind the trafficking ring. It was here they met Aisha, the third person to join their group.
Unlike Ali, Aisha was not a werewolf—just an ordinary witch. She was a local Egyptian but a Muggle-born. Like in England, Egypt had pureblood ideologies, though not as extreme. As a result, Aisha had struggled to find stable work. She became a private investigator, and her path crossed with theirs as she, too, was following the trail of missing children.
A few weeks passed as Maverick got to know Aisha better, and he found himself increasingly impressed by her character. She was outgoing, optimistic, and had a relentless attitude that never seemed to give up. From what he had observed, she was a law-abiding witch, but not overly righteous—a perfect fit for his team, if she agreed.
So, Maverick decided to take a risk and invited her to join him, sharing some of his future plans. Aisha, being straightforward, didn't hesitate long and agreed without much thought. She even enthusiastically supported Maverick's ambitions, joking that she would be his right hand in the quest to unify the magical world and abolish the Statute of Secrecy. If any ordinary witch or wizard had overheard their conversation, they would surely report it to the ICW, and their group would likely be hunted by the entire magical world.
One night, the trio followed the clues and managed to bust a kidnapping of a hybrid veela child. However, the perpetrators didn't know much about the operation.
Maverick suggested that Aisha and Ali stay at the site and wait to see if any higher-ups in the trafficking circle would show up. And this is where the current events take us—Maverick interrogating the people who came later.
Back to the present, with Maverick and the two traffickers.
Maverick read Samuel's thoughts and decided not to correct his assumption about being an Arch-Magus, recognizing that it worked to his advantage. The fear of facing such a powerful being, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere, would only heighten Samuel's anxiety, making him even more susceptible to Maverick's manipulation.
—————————
Author's Note:
Just a quick update — up to Chapter 78 is already available on P AT r30n!
PAT r30n [.] com / RyanFic