Chapter Text
The late 1920’s, an age of jazz and swing and wild extravagance.
A time when liquor was banned, when speakeasies rose in numbers, when the mafia grew in power and a good caper was admired, celebrated even.
What historians failed to capture was the ban of something less talked about, something much lesser known.
People fear the unknown.
And people were terrified of magic.
Europe was the first to use magic in the war to end all wars: potions that bewitched allies into their ranks, voodoo dolls that brought excruciating agony, fire spells that lit up the trenches and blew scores of men to kingdom come. Battles were lost; a great many soldiers killed. As the media stirred the masses into a frenzy–Germany Contracts With The Devil!?–hating magic and all who dabbled in the ancient art made one a good Christian. A full-blooded American, some might say.
Then came the Volstead Act, passed in an effort to reduce crime and immorality, to rid the country of the evil temptations of alcohol - the devil’s agent. Truth told though, the government was more concerned about a whole other sort of agent. One that had to do with hexes, spells, and potions, the secret covens of witches and sorcerers concealed among decent, law-abiding citizens.
The Volstead Act, with its well-concealed anti-magic clause, was as much a ban on alcohol as it was a declaration against all things magical.
As with liquor, magic slipped into the shadows, the underbelly of civilized society. Only those privy to its secrets were well-aware of its existence: hidden in book stores, pharmacies, a little coffee shop tucked in the corner of a quiet street. Under people’s noses, magic continued to thrive, grow, even flourish, bringing in an increasing number of raw talents into its fold.
One such talent was Yuuri Katsuki.
And his story began with a murder.