17th May 1998 (Sunday)
When I woke that morning, I laid in bed for a time next to my still sleeping Bill. I was curious to see if indeed Gabrielle would get up early enough to join in the morning run. Early morning starts are not something that Gabrielle was noted for in our family.
This curiosity of mine had only been enhanced by the 5 Galleon bet Bill had made with me last night. He was of the opinion that she wouldn't get up and go for (as well as complete) the run while I was. He had also laid down a strict set of conditions for the bet, namely no noises in the morning and no sneaking out to see if she was up. So, this was why I found myself lying in bed straining my ears for the faintest sound.
Eventually I did hear a sound but it was coming from the direction of my parent's bedroom. It sounded like a door creaking open a small amount only to quickly close again. That noise served to cause Bill to start to stir. When he noticed me lying in bed concentrating all my efforts on listening, he just had to laugh at me.
"What ez so funny?" I asked him.
"You are." He replied with a smile and a kiss for me, "You're listening so hard for Gabrielle with such a look of concentration on your face it is adorable."
"Did it never occur to you to cast Homenum Revelio on her room to see if she is still in there?" He asked me with an arch little smile, "Or maybe to cast a 'doormat charm' in front of her bedroom door?" He said with a certain smugness.
I was surprised that I had indeed forgotten those options. As I quickly reached for my wand Bill again chuckled at me and when I turned back to face him he laughed as he said, "Don't worry about it, she left 15 mins ago, to go and wake up Dave." He said with a smirk on his face.
"How did you know zat?" I had to ask him.
"I cast a doormat charm in front of her bedroom door and one in front of Dave's tent as we left last night." He grinned at me.
"I see." I told him as I settled back into bed with him, "And why does losing the bet with me make you so happy?" I asked.
"Because I have a 20 Galleon bet with your father that Gabrielle will be up and have sneaked out of the tent before he knows it." He explained, "I have been listening to him sneak peaks from his bedroom door for the last 10 mins." He said as he smiled brilliantly.
"Shame on you for taking advantage of papa like zat." I tried to chide him, but the smile on my face gave me away.
"Should we get up and see if she does indeed head off with the others?" He asked me with an amused expression on his face, "As her getting up for the run is only part of the bet if I recall. She actually has to do it as well." He reminded me seeing my own smug look.
"Oui. Ok" I answered letting my excitement at winning our bet show.
We quickly got dressed and headed out of our room. As we opened the door to our room I had to stifle a laugh as Papa opened his door with a look of triumph on his face. Only to show disappointment that it wasn't Gabrielle he had caught, but us.
"She left 15 min ago Papa." I told him sweetly as we walked passed his bedroom door. I could hear Maman laughing from further back in the room, she obviously had bet against him catching Gabrielle in the morning as well. Once we got outside we could see the members of Dave's team emerging from their tents and starting to gather. I looked for Gabrielle but couldn't see her in the yard.
Looking over to the Burrow I could see Molly in the window of her bedroom smiling as she saw me. I waived to her and she waved back, then she pointed to Dave's tent. Thanking her for the news we both headed off to Dave's tent where we found Gabrielle sitting on the couch looking at Dave's shut bedroom door a little annoyed.
"Dave not awake yet?" I asked her.
"Oui, he is." She replied, "He is on his mirror phone talking to Semi, getting a report of some sort." She said a little irritated.
From the look on her face the call from this Semi had interrupted something she had been enjoying. Before I could form a reply however, Dave came out of his room and closed the door behind him.
"I'm very sorry about that Gabrielle." He apologised to her, "Semi doesn't usually call unless it is something important." He explained as he took her in his arms and kissed her as a further apology.
"Ez something wrong?" I asked him.
"No. Well at least nothing we know about just now." He explained, "Semi had managed to sneak into the residence of Mr Wigworthy undetected and heard him in conversation with a fellow Wizengamot member Marcus Montague."
"They were discussing some sort of operation that they have in France. Semi believes that they are going to visit it soon. He wanted me to notify Jean-Luc that he and his team were likely to be in France on 'official business' shortly." Dave said a little distractedly.
"Something about zis worries you?" I enquired.
"I'm not sure yet. There is something at the back of my mind that is telling me that this isn't a simple smuggling operation as they alluded to in the conversation Semi heard." He replied.
"And no that something at the back of my mind isn't my Grandpa." Dave said with a smile at Gabrielle's amused expression, "He is already convinced that Semi is going to find something significant in France when he tails them." He said with a look of determination on his face. After a moment or two he put that thought aside and turned his attention back to Bill and I.
"Are you two going to join us on or run as well?" Dave asked us with a sly smile on his face.
"Thanks for the offer Dave, but no." Bill answered returning his sly smile.
"Zey are here as zey don't believe zat I'm actually going to go running wiz you." Gabrielle said with a smile at us, "Why else would Bill 'ave put down a doormat charm outside my bedroom door." She said with her smile turning into an evil smirk.
I couldn't help myself I had to laugh at the expression on Bills face, it was adorable.
"Has Dave shown you how to detect a doormat charm has he?" Bill asked sounding impressed.
"Non." Gabrielle replied, "I heard you performing ze charm." She told him sweetly.
"Never give away all your secrets Gabrielle." Dave advised her, "You could have kept him guessing for days before you eventually told him." He said smiling at us all.
At this Bill fixed them both with a slightly annoyed but amused look and remarked, "Why do I get the feeling that the two of you are going to stir up a lot of mischief?"
"Because we are." Gabrielle replied with a cheeky smile for Bill as she stepped over and kissed him on his cheeks before heading out the door.
Dave walked over with a grin on his face also, "Don't worry Bill, I'm not going to kiss you." He said chuckling at the relieved expression on his face, "I wouldn't want to put Fleur out of a job." He remarked as he quickly made his way past us and out the door just before I could swat him.
We followed them outside where I saw Dave give his team the update from Semi. They all listened in silence and accepted the news and Dave's suspicions that Semi might find something significant. Dave advised them that if they had any spare moments at all in the next day or so to ensure that everyone's gear was ready for action at a moment's notice. This too was acknowledged, then Dave indicated for Shelly and Mick to take over.
It was now that I realised that Harry and Ron had indeed joined them again and that Ginny had also come down with them. Shelly paired Ginny and Gabrielle with Fireball and Cassy while Dave and Mick were again paired with Harry and Ron. After this they all headed off for their morning exercise. We watched them go and then we went over to the Burrow to join Molly in the kitchen for breakfast.
"I see you won your bet." Molly said to me as we entered the kitchen.
"Oui." I answered trying not to sound too smug about it.
"She isn't back yet." Bill countered with the air of a man facing defeat.
"She will be." I told him confidently.
"Are you sure?" He asked me.
"Oui." Was my confident answer.
"Why are you so sure?" He wanted to know.
"Shelly placed her right behind Dave. Those running shorts he is wearing are rather snug and that will keep her attention for the duration of the run." I replied with a chuckle. Molly joined in and shared the laugh as well.
We sat in the kitchen and enjoyed our breakfast while the other family members emerged from various rooms in the house. There was the usual enjoyable conversation around the kitchen table this morning, but the topic of why Ginny and Gabrielle had decided to go running was one that frequently came up.
Not all of us bought the idea that the girls wanted to keep their eyes on their boys. There had to be an alternative explanation. George surprised us all by proposing an idea that Ginny wanted to play professional Quidditch, and was using this as an opportunity to get a head start in fitness training.
None of the others bought this idea, but something about it struck me as true. Because no one bought his idea they were all happy to bet against his 20 Galleon bet that she was seriously working towards a professional Quidditch career.
We next tried to deduce Gabrielle's reasons for joining in the running. Here the theories were wild and imaginative. Ranging from she wanted to be an Auror, to she was also looking at a career in playing Quidditch professionally. My own thoughts were focused on a comment made by Shelly around how sorcery taxes the body as much as the mind. That lead me to believe her main goal was to improve her fitness enough so she could better handle the rigors of using Sorcery. Especially given who would likely volunteer to teach it to her. This thought brought a smile to my face which everyone noticed.
When they asked me for the reason behind my smile I happily told them. None of them believed me so it was easy to get them to take on a 20 Galleon bet as that is the reason behind Gabrielle's sudden interest in morning runs.
After this had been 'worked out' the next topic of conversation was around how long the two girls would keep up their morning runs. The best consensus formed was up until they both went back to school. But no one was prepared to make a bet on that. At least until we began to hear the first group of runners returning.
When we could begin to see them coming along the lane we moved to the porch to see the state of the four newcomers.
As expected they were not with the main group, so we went back inside while they went to get washed and dressed. Another 10mins passed before we could hear the next set of arrivals.
As we went outside again we saw Dave, Mick, Harry and Ron arrive. As with yesterday Dave and Mick looked relatively fresh. While Harry and Ron were a little worn out. Dave however complimented them and said that they were doing fine. He sent them inside to go and get cleaned up and to drink some water, while he and Mick took off to do their extra two miles.
I asked how the girls were going and he replied that they were doing well and would be here soon. He wasn't wrong as 2 minutes later the four girls arrived. Ginny and Gabrielle looked very flustered but also determined. Fireball and Cassy also reported that they both did a great job and advised them to get inside to shower and change and to drink plenty of water. They then headed off to do their extra miles as well.
I assisted Gabrielle over to our tent where she was able to get out of her sweaty running gear and under a hot shower. I decided to wait for her to exit the shower before I headed back out as I wanted to check on the state of her legs. When she emerged, they did look a little wobbly but she was also showing a streak of stubbiness that I hadn't noticed before.
"Was it fun?" I asked her with an arched eyebrow.
"Oui." She replied with a naughty little smile.
"I hope you didn't injure yourself by trying to keep up with ze scenery." I enquired with a chuckle. This caused some solid blushing on Gabrielle's part. But she also smiled back at me.
"Come on, get dressed and zen I will help you walk to ze breakfast table." I told her as I noticed her wincing a few times as she walked around the bedroom.
"Merci." She replied gratefully.
I walked with her back to the table in the yard so that she could join the others for Breakfast. When Dave saw her approach, he smiled brilliantly at her and this seemed to give her the strength to finish the journey unaided. When she made it into her seat Dave presented her with some bacon sandwiches, juice and several glasses of water. I do believe that Gabrielle appreciated the gesture, as she ravenously attacked the food and drinks that were provided.
I'm not sure what I expected Dave to do when he saw that display from her (she was very hungry). But he wasn't surprised in the slightest, he happily re-filled her drinks and got her another round of bacon sandwiches also. He offered only one piece of advice to her.
"It isn't a race you know." He chuckled while smiling at her, "Take it easy, let your body relax and enjoy your breakfast." He said with a serious look. Gabrielle acknowledged this advice and settled in to enjoy her breakfast.
After she had finished her second helping Dave got her some more water and asked her, "How are you feeling?"
"My feet are a little sore and I think I have a blister forming on one of them. My legs are also rather stiff." She informed him.
"Both are to be expected." He replied, "After breakfast I can take a look at your feet if you like." He offered and Gabrielle gratefully accepted.
"After we have taken care of your feet it will be best to just keep mobile and do some gentle walking for a while." Dave suggested, "We might even pop over to France earlier than planned. That way you can keep mobile easier, because if you sit down too long your legs might cramp up."
"Ok." Gabrielle agreed as she finished her breakfast and then walked with Dave to his tent.
I quickly finished my breakfast also and followed them. Once in the tent Dave sat her down and removed her shoes to check her feet. Her right foot was rather tender but the left had a decent sized blister on it.
Dave quickly dealt with her right foot and then moved onto her left. Here he healed her blister, but he also told her he wasn't going to fully restore her skin back to what it was before. She gave him a questioning glance at this.
"If you are serious about joining us on our runs each morning, you are going to need to let your feet 'toughen up' a certain amount." He explained, "Otherwise blisters will be a painful reality each day."
"Zat makes sense." Gabrielle agreed.
Dave then rubbed some essence of murtlap into each of her still rather tender feet. I could see from the expression on Gabrielle's face she was greatly enjoying this. After he had done this he helped her get her shoes and socks back on. Gabrielle had a slightly disappointed look on her face at this. When he registered her look, Dave smiled and told her.
"If you are still sore when we get back I will organise a leg massage for you." He offered. Gabrielle gratefully accepted this offer. Although she was clearly disappointed when Dave suggested Shelly or Cassy would be the best ones to ask about that. I tried to hide my smile at the expression she gave Dave behind his back.
Once Gabrielle was back on her feet we collected Maman and then experienced a 'jump' as Dave called it as we all went over to France. I have to admit that I greatly prefer 'jumping' as Dave calls it to apparition. It doesn't have the squeezing feeling that you get with apparition, although the landing is a little more difficult, but not overly so.
We were among the first arrivals at the Viller-Bretonneux Memorial. As we were walking in I asked Dave if he knew how many people were buried here. He advised that in this particular cemetery there were 10,732 Identified Casualties being honoured from many different countries. The numbers were frightening, especially when Dave told us that this cemetery was only one of many scattered throughout France. It was very sobering.
After a few moments to gather our thoughts, Maman indicated to Dave that he should lead the way. At this Dave opened the bag he was carrying and pulled out a map and then headed off (after taking Gabrielle's hand in his that is).
He quickly located the headstone he was after. When he did locate it he just sank to his knees in front of it. He simply looked at it for quite some time. While he was looking at it I took note of what was written on the headstone. It read: 26711 Private, O. H. Vogt, 8TH BN. Australian INF, 12th August 1918
Eventually Dave reached into his bag and retrieved his camera and took several photos of the head stone. He also took some photos of the area surrounding the grave. As he stood up I asked him, "Has anyone from your family been here before?"
"To the best of my knowledge no, they haven't." Dave said with some unshed tears in his eyes, "Grandma was devastated at his loss and could never bring herself to come here. Same for her mum. I think secretly she wanted to, but for many different reasons they couldn't bring themselves to come."
"His wife Jennifer made an attempt to come here, but as she got close to this place she started to get quite hysterical believing she could feel the pain and fear of those who had died in the area. So they had to turn back as they didn't want to upset her any more than she already was."
"I'm hoping that these photos and my memory will be a comfort to them. To see that his final resting place is being well looked after." Dave said in a voice thick with unshed tears as he looked over at us.
Gabrielle went to him and wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly for quite a while.
"Come, let's get you out of 'ere." Gabrielle said to Dave with a gentle smile on her face. Dave nodded by way of reply, and with a final glance at the grave of his Grand Oncle we made our way back to the safe apparition point.
Once there we again 'jumped' with Dave to an apparition point in a group of trees close to one of the main entrances to the Ranville Military Cemetery. When we arrived at the gate Maman presented Dave with a map of the cemetery showing the grave of his Grand Oncle. The look of gratitude in Dave's eyes was extremely heart-warming. He hugged Maman by way of a thank you and then we made our way to the headstone that was marked.
Here we found the headstone of Flight Sergeant G. L. Vogt, 10th June 1944. Once more Dave simply looked at it for a period of time. He then got out his camera and captured several photos of the headstone. When that had been done Maman took us to a Café on the nearby coast that she had been told about by Papa's family.
We settled ourselves in for an enjoyable morning tea. Dave told us some more about his Grand Oncle's and how they ended up in Europe in two different muggle world wars. While we were talking Dave's mirror phone 'rang' as he called it. Seeing who it was he quickly answered. It turned out to be Shelly telling him that the work on the Burrow was now completed and that Mick, Jono and Bill were going to head off to Shell Cottage to begin scouting there.
"Approved." Dave answered Shelly's request, "But as we discussed last night if they find anything they are to call it in and then we will all deal with it together." He instructed. Getting Shelly's agreement, he ended the call and we continued with our morning tea.
Half an hour later Maman was just beginning to tell stories about Gabrielle's first year at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic when Dave's mirror phone rang again. This time when he answered it I could tell it wasn't good news.
His happy and relaxed face had disappeared and in its place, was the cool dispassionate face of an Auror who was on active duty.
"How many?" Dave asked, "He is sure of that?"
"Ok then. Tell everyone to gear up and 'stand to', we are on our way back now. Meeting in my tent, 5 minutes." Dave stated in his professional tone of voice. As soon as we heard that we all began getting ready to move.
"What 'as 'appened?" Maman asked.
"Mick, Jono and Bill went to scout out Shell Cottage." Dave told us, "During their scouting they located three watchers and traces of a bubble." He explained.
"Mick also thinks there are another two watches disguised as either insects of some sort, or maybe a bird." Dave said with a grim face.
All of us had rather grim faces at this news. I was particularly angry that some unknown people were targeting my family and now my own home. We quickly paid our bill and left the café to find a hidden location to make the jump back to The Burrow.
On arrival, we found Shelly, Ivan, Arthur and Harry all in Dave's tent looking at the map displayed on Dave's TV. They were all extremely focused on the map trying to work out the location of the two hidden watchers. Dave glanced at the map very quickly and then headed into his room to get changed. It wasn't long before he was back out dressed once more in his 'work clothes'.
"Talk to me Mick." He requested.
"Syd, we have the three watches marked on the map as you can see." Mick explained, "I have also indicated safe jump points where we can have some visitors drop in to deal with them."
"I can see that. Good work." Dave answered, "What about those two hidden watchers that you mentioned. Any more on them?" He asked.
"Whoever they are Syd, they know what they are doing." Mick explained, "One of them is disguised as a sparrow and is sitting in a tree with several others. The only thing that gives him away is that every so often he is too obvious in how he looks over at the house and its surrounds."
"The other one I think is disguised as an insect and has positioned himself on a tree that is almost alive with the number of insects on it. I haven't been able to pin point him precisely as yet." Mick informed us.
"Ok mate. It sounds like they have taken some care with their watches this time." Dave answered, "Can Jono and Bill take care of the one as a sparrow?" He asked.
"Sure can skipper." Came the reply from Jono.
"All right then. What do you all think of this idea?" Dave asked.
"Team one consisting of Rowdy, Harry and Goose will jump in and take out 'watcher one' as marked on the map."
"Team two consisting of Guz, Olly and Charlie will jump in and take out 'watcher two' as marked on the map."
"Team three consisting of Abby, Ron and Cassy will jump in and take out 'watcher three' as marked on the map."
"As those three teams make their move, Bill and Jono will take down the watcher hidden as a sparrow. I will jump in next to you Mick and we will stun everything on that tree and then put a shield on it in case we miss something." Dave explained.
"While we are doing that Team 4 which will consist of Arthur, Dad and George will Apparate in and join up with Bill. Once the sparrow has been dealt with Team 4 will cover Bill while he checks the suspected bubble that Mick located. If it is indeed incomplete, then they will take on overwatch duties on their side of Shell Cottage and ensure that nothing surprises us from behind."
"Team 5 consisting of Shelly, Fireball, Molly, Audrey and Mum will Apparate to the far side of Shell cottage and secure that area. That will also put them in a good position should the bug get away from me and Mick and Make a run for it. They will also perform overwatch on their side of Shell Cottage."
"Team 6 will be Fleur, Gabrielle and Monsieur and Madam Delacour, they will Apparate direct to Shell Cottage and be in a position to setup shields on the cottage in the event that any Dementors appear. I'm sure you know the shields I'm talking about? Dave asked us.
"Oui. We do." I told him.
"Team Seven will be Ginny, Hermione, Izzy and Percy. You will also go to Shell cottage with Team 6. Your role will be to put up Patronus shields if Dementors appear." Dave told us.
"If Mick and I do miss the bug that is on the tree, Jono will join us and the three of us will change our forms and track them down."
"If that occurs and we have no Dementors then Abby, you put up as big a shield as practical to cover any and all forms of magical transport over the area." Dave said looking directly at Abby.
"Will do Syd." She answered.
"Teams 1 and 2 you will perform the usual 'leap frog' duties in terms of overlapping shields to ensure that our little bug is always covered and can't Apparate or similar." Dave instructed. Getting nods of agreement from those teams.
"If no Dementors are on the scene and we do have a chase on our hands. Team 6 you will be over watch for Team 1 while they maintain their shields. Team 7 you will do the same for Team 2 and Team 4 you will do that for Team 3. You are to keep each other in sight at all times and stay in touch also."
"Team 5 if the other teams do need to head off on a chase you are to keep Shell Cottage secure. You will also be reserve in case we need one."
"Any questions?" Dave asked us as he looked around, "Suggestions?" he asked when he got no questions.
"Drunkmouse, surely you have something to add?" Dave said with a smile to the mirror phone that was on the table.
"Not at this time Syd." Was the reply, "I have alerted the Hotel de France to expect some guests soon." He added.
"Thanks mate." Dave replied, "Now those of you not yet in your bunyip fur I strongly suggest you go and get that taken care of quickly. I will collect some extra belts while you are doing that." Dave advised.
We all quickly made our way to our rooms and got changed in a hurry. I was pleasantly surprised that the bunyip fur garments were indeed quite comfortable. I only hoped that I wouldn't need to test their capabilities personally.
When we were all back in the tent Dave checked that everyone was suitably attired and had their belts and ear pieces in. He then advised Drunkmouse that we were heading to the main Apparition point. When there he confirmed that we could all hear each other and that we knew where we were going. We all indicated that we could and we did.
"Ok then. We Apparate on the count of three." He advised, "One, two, three." And we all Apparated.
When we arrived at Shell Cottage I very quickly heard several sets of calls telling us that the three watchers were down and cuffed. The watcher disguised as a sparrow was also taken care of by Bill. However, the one that had disguised themselves as an insect had taken flight at the sound of the apparition pops along with all the other insects.
Seeing this Abby threw up a very large shield very quickly.
Mick, Jono and Dave quickly cast some shields and stunners at the cloud on bugs. But it was too late, as too many of them had gotten airborne. Mick then cast some odd sort of purple spell that seemed to cover a wide area around him.
One bug fell from the sky and started to change form on the way down. As the bug fell it looked as though it had changed into a mouse. Dave and Jono quickly changed into a pair of wolves, and were off after it. Mick changed into an odd looking reddish golden coloured dog and took off as well.
I heard Ginny call out over our ear pieces that they were chasing a mouse to the far side of the house. I then checked on Bill's team who were checking the bubble, they confirmed that it wasn't complete and we had no sightings of Dementors. So, I then quickly ran to the other side of the house just in time to see the mouse round the corner of the house with the two wolves and Mick's dog in hot pursuit. As the mouse cleared a small bush I had recently planted four stunners greeted it almost at the same time.
The mouse didn't have a hope. It flew backwards when it was hit and crashed right into a very surprised Jono. His reflexes were very good as he managed to catch it in his jaws and then he quickly changed form and forced the mouse to revert to its natural form as well.
The person who it changed into was very quickly pinned by Jono while Dave cuffed him. They then stood back and watched him be taken by port key to France.
"Good shooting Aunty Molly." Dave exclaimed with a smile after he had stood up from the prisoner. Molly beamed back at him.
"All teams check in" Dave requested.
All the teams checked in with no injuries, which was a relief.
"Great work everyone." Dave told them, "Fleur, Bill, Molly and Cassy can you all check the inside of Shell Cottage. While Mick, Jono, Guz and Goose check the surrounds with some volunteers." Dave ordered.
In a very short space of time the house itself and the surrounds were pronounced clear of any intruders. We were all very relieved by this news.
"Ok, seeing as we are all here anyway. How about we get started on securing Shell Cottage?" Dave asked us all.
Everyone readily agreed, so they began to divide up into the same groups as they had done at the burrow. Before everyone headed off Dave spoke up.
"This time I would like our hosts to take the lead in getting the various charms setup." He requested, "This way they will get familiar with them quicker and will be better able to reset anything if required." He explained.
"Objections?" He asked. When he got none, he called Bill over before he headed off with Mick and Jono.
"Would you both like me to configure a door way here for you?" Dave asked us, "It will give you a few different benefits if we do."
"The biggest benefit will be a doorway will give you an alternate means of exiting, or calling in assistance if you need it. As while they can be shielded against they are often overlooked in this part of the world. Given that they are more common in Asia than in Europe." He explained.
"Your door can also be linked to any other permanent door. Provided the owner of the master key for the other door agrees. I'm fairly sure that Molly and Arthur will agree to have your door linked with theirs." He chuckled, "When keys are linked like that anyone who owns a key so linked can use the door even if they are unable to create one themselves."
"We could even link your doorway to Fleur's parents place if they desire to have one also."
"Another benefit would be it will make it very difficult for anyone else to send a doorway close to your house. As a permanent doorway will act like a magnet to any other doorways as they begin to appear. Given that your door would also be a secured door anyone on the other end would not be able to travel through it." He added in a grin.
"Is this agreeable to you both?" He asked us.
"It certainly is." Bill remarked with a smile on his face. Dave readily returned it and looked to me. "I have non objections." I told him happily.
"Excellent." Dave replied, "Let's go and find a suitable door inside to use. It will need to be one where you don't have any plants or animals on the other side of it. As you do NOT want to be on the wrong side of a doorway." He added.
"What would happen if you were?" Bill asked him.
"The most common result is blindness and madness." Dave said seriously, "As to what you would apparently see, it would be reality turned in on itself and the human mind isn't prepared to deal with that sort of thing." He explained.
"I see." Bill said a little shaken.
We quickly made our way into the house and as with the Burrow we ended up selecting the scullery door to use. Dave repeated his actions from the Burrow and produced an ornate lock on the door.
He then withdrew the key looked at it for a few moments and put it back. Turning the key he opened the door. Once more we saw a large kitchen and family dining room overlooking a night shrouded coastline.
"It appears to work." He stated happily.
"Ez zat your 'ome?" I asked him.
"It's my parents place." Dave answered, "My own house isn't finished as yet. As since Emma passed away I kind of didn't see the point anymore." Dave said in a small voice as he looked through the window to the beach beyond.
"I'm sorry." I told him, "I didn't realise."
"No need to be sorry." Dave answered me with a small smile, "I have been travelling so much lately it wouldn't have mattered very much anyway. As most of the time that I do get to visit it, I spend it in the library searching for information." He said with a rueful smile.
With that he closed the door and asked us to both remove the key from the lock. As with Molly and Arthur we each had a key in our hands.
"It's now done and secured." Dave said happily, "When we catch up to Uncle Arthur and Aunty Molly at lunch time we can link your keys then."
"Agreed." We both said hugging Dave by way of thanks.
With that we all went off to work with the various groups who were working on better securing our home. With the extra hands of Ivan, Sandra, Dave, Shelly, Audrey, Maman, Papa, Gabrielle and I the work was progressing much faster than it had done at The Burrow. A fact that Fireball commented on frequently to Dave's annoyance and her enjoyment.
Eventually the finishing touches were being applied to the new security that had been installed. As Dave, Bill and Shelly were connecting the cameras to the recording device and the "TV" that they had placed in the lounge the subject of lunch came up. Unsurprisingly Ron and Jono were the ones who raised it.
Maman and Papa suggested we get lunch from a wonderful restaurant that they knew in Normandy and bring it back here to enjoy. As it was a lovely day and we had the beach all to ourselves. Shelly and Cassy immediately offered to take Maman and Papa to the restaurant to collect the food. Ron and Jono were also very quick to offer their services to help carry it back. With the agreement of the rest of us to the plan that group departed for France while the rest of us got table and chairs setup on the lawn near the house.
That work didn't take very long and once completed everyone just sort of dispersed to either find somewhere quiet to sit or to go exploring. Bill and I found ourselves seated on the grass with Molly & Arthur and Ivan & Sandra. Ivan & Sandra were showing us how to use the security cameras that had been installed around our homes. Sandra had the cameras from our house showing on her mirror phone, while Ivan had the ones from the Burrow showing on his.
It was remarkable to be able to view the surrounds of our home like this. The different groups as they walked around gave us the chance to see how well the cameras picked up people as well. Harry and Ginny were over at Dobby's grave, Harry looked like he had been crying and Ginny was doing her best to comfort him.
We noticed Dave and Gabrielle were both down on the beach. Their shoes and what looked to be their socks also were in a neat pile above the high tide mark and they were walking hand in hand in the water. Eventually they stopped and faced each other and kissed a few times. After this Gabrielle seemed to take charge of the conversation and the next thing we knew it looked like she was beginning to teach Dave a few simple dance steps.
This gave us all some laughs.
"It appears that she really does intend to try and teach him to dance after all." Sandra said with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Oui." I answered with a smile of my own, "She has always enjoyed dancing and is very good at it. But I'm not sure if she has had to teach someone as 'challenged' as Dave though." I chuckled.
"She is a brave girl." Ivan stated confidently, "I will give her that."
While we were watching Gabrielle's attempts to teach Dave we noticed two more people enter the picture. They were very quickly identified as Ginny and Harry. Harry looked to be a little self-conscious but Ginny seemed to have a determined stance about her. Seeing this Molly bean to laugh.
"Do you know something we don't about this?" Sandra asked her sister.
"I do indeed." Molly answered with a smug smile on her face, "When she witnessed Gabrielle's offer to teach Dave to dance, it gave Ginny an idea. Apparently, Harry's efforts at dancing during the yule ball for the tri-wizard tournament were 'less than Steller' according to her description of the event." Molly remarked still smiling.
"She mentioned that if Gabrielle was indeed brave enough to try and teach Dave she was going to see if she could convince her to try and help Harry with his dancing as well."
"From what we are seeing it does indeed look like she is putting her plan into action." Molly said with a brilliant smile on her face, "I do know that Ginny loves to dance and the chance to learn it 'properly' especially with Harry as her dance partner would be like a dream for her."
This made us all smile as we watched the scene play out in front of us. Gabrielle soon had everyone out of the water and she was drawing on the sand some guides as to where people should be placing their feet. Both Dave and Harry were concentrating very hard on where they were supposed to be putting their feet. To the extent that we could see both Ginny and Gabrielle frequently reach out and lift their heads up to remind them that they needed to keep their eyes on their partners also.
We were still watching the impromptu dance lessons when the others arrived back from France with lunch. Maman and Papa thought that the scene on the beach as adorable and couldn't help but smile at it.
It was with reluctance that we broke up the dance lessons as we called everyone in for lunch. Both Gabrielle and Ginny had smug little smiles on their faces when they returned. Dave and Harry on the other hand still looked like they were trying to remember the dance steps that they had just been shown.
"How are your toes?" Fireball asked Gabrielle with an evil glint in her eyes.
"Still intact." She answered proudly looking fondly over at Dave who was looking a little embarrassed, but he still returned her smile.
"How about you Ginny?" Fireball asked, "Your toes still all in one piece?" She asked with a grin.
"So far." Ginny replied with an evil smirk to Harry who chuckled under his breath at something that no one could make out.
Fireball seemed a little disappointed that there had been no incidents in the first round of Dance lessons. It didn't however stop her from regaling Gabrielle (and everyone else) about some of Dave's 'incidents' over the years while trying to dance at various family functions. Everyone enjoyed the stories, but I'm certain that Dave's sole enjoyment was seeing Gabrielle's laughter at them. This was the main topic of conversation during our latish lunch.
It was a very enjoyable event and even the washing up was quickly taken care of with all the extra hands that were available. While we were putting away the dishes Dave's Mirror Phone rang. As soon as he looked at it I was sure something was up as the expression on Dave's face was just wrong. That's the only way I could think to describe it. When he answered the phone he quickly excused himself outside. I looked around every member of Dave's team who was present in the room when the phone rang were watching him intently. It was like they were expecting immediate orders for action.
At one point Dave turned back to look at the house and saw the crowd watching him. He acknowledged their stares but he was also looking for someone. Eventually he spotted his father and his face just went kind of blank, Ivan's face did the same. When that happened, I was sure I could hear voices just out of reach talking, those voices disappeared once Dave's face lost that blank look.
When Ivan lost his own blank look he immediately asked where Arthur was. It turned out he was in the lounge and the two of them quickly joined Dave outside. This event brought more people into the kitchen and lounge where we could watch the goings on outside. The conversation outside seemed to be a rather grim one judging from the faces of those three. This was confirmed by Molly when she next spoke.
"It has been quite a while since I have seen Arthur that angry." She told us with a worried look of her own, "Either something very bad has happened or is about to." She added.
Before we had a chance to ask her what she meant by this the three were coming back into the kitchen.
"What's happened?" Sandra asked Ivan.
"Call the others in right now." Ivan ordered Guz who was closest to the door on the far side of the cottage. He quickly complied and we could hear his big booming voice calling the others to the cottage.
The remaining members of Dave's team were very quickly inside our now very crowded home. When they were inside all eyes turned to Dave who still had a very grim expression on his face.
"To answer the questions, I can see on all of your faces, that phone call was from Torquemada." He explained. This got a strong reaction from Dave's team and family.
"Torquemada's team have managed to extract some high priority information from one of the guests that we sent them earlier. In fact, I believe it was the 'watcher' who was disguised as the sparrow that Bill caught." Dave said with a half-smile at Bill.
"This person has told Torquemada personally." At this comment, Dave paused to let that bit of information sink in, "That they were hired to participate in an assassination attempt tomorrow at the Ministry."
This caused quite a stir from all assembled and it was quite noisy for a few moments. Dave held up his hand and quiet was gradually restored to the room.
"Torquemada's guest didn't have any information on the target of the assassination. But given that tomorrow is the 'formal meeting' between the British Minister of Magic and the Australian Minister that is two very high profile targets right there."
"Uncle Arthur tells me that he and Aunty Molly were also planning on being in the Ministry for the formal greeting between the two ministers also. So that adds a third target." He stated.
"With this in mind we are going to need to work out a co-ordinated plan to deal with any attempt that takes place. This means that we need to get Gawain, Chief Williams and Kingsley all together urgently. Uncle Arthur has offered the Burrow as the best place for this as it has more room and I'm sure you will all want to be in on the planning." He said with a small smile.
There were murmurs of agreement at that last statement from all concerned.
"Ok then. Rowdy, Goose and Guz you three will go to our embassy with Uncle Arthur to collect Chief Williams. Once you have him bring him up to speed on what we have just learnt. Then ALL of you will head to the ministry to collect Kingsley and bring him to the Burrow. When you leave the embassy, make sure you all 'have a different face' as we don't want you three to be known just yet." Dave ordered.
"But don't head directly to the Burrow from the ministry, make a few 'stops' along the way." He said with a predatory grin. The three of them returned the grin at Dave and I had a feeling that whatever the 'stops' were that he had hinted at were not simple apparition points.
"Shelly, Cassy, and Izzy you three will need to jump over to France to collect Gawain Roberts. Please give him my most sincere apologies for interrupting his time with his wife. But we need him in his official capacity at the Burrow for this to have any chance. Advise him on what we have learnt and this will let him know that we are not doing this lightly." Dave ordered them. They quickly agreed. "While you're there grab some more bunyip fur armour (boys and girls) and ear pieces, also see if the new Mirror Phones have arrived as yet." He requested.
"Thank you all." Dave replied, "Bill can we borrow your door for a few moments?" Dave asked.
"Certainly, you can." Bill said as he moved to unlock it.
"Dad can you use your key to send the first group into your quarters at the Embassy?" Dave asked him.
"Of course." Ivan replied as he used his key in our door and opened it upon a rather formal looking lounge area. Rowdy, Goose, Guz and Arthur quickly went through the door and it was closed behind them.
Dave then stepped up and put his own key into the door and opened it onto a formal looking reception area. I did notice that as soon as the door was opened several people were facing it with their wands drawn.
"Bloody Drongos" Dave called into the room. This struck me as rather odd until I saw the smiles on the faces of the wizards in the other room. It must have been a password of some sort, as they all put away their wands and stood at attention when they heard it.
"Can one of you lot help Shelly track down Gawain Roberts." Dave asked the group.
"I can." A slender looking person answered, "I just came from his cabin a short time ago."
"Thanks George." Dave said as he stepped away from the door and let Shelly, Cassy and Izzy through. He then quickly closed the door and turned to Molly.
"Do you want to open the door to the Burrow?" He asked her with a small smile, "It will be good practise." He added with a larger smile.
"I must admit that I am eager to try it out." Molly answered excitedly.
"Ok then step right up here." Dave instructed, "Put your key in the lock. As you turn it to the left just think about the Burrow. When you feel the lock click the door is ready to be opened." He explained.
Molly stepped up to the door and put her key in as instructed. She turned her key to the left and then opened the door. The look on her face when she saw her own kitchen in front of her was absolutely adorable. Everyone had to smile when they saw it. She was delighted.
"Excellent." Dave said with his own beaming smile in place, "Remove your key and step on through."
Molly did so and everyone else followed suit. When it was just Dave, Bill and I in the kitchen at Shell cottage Dave turned to Bill.
"To lock the door behind us, put your key in and turn it to the right till it clicks. Then return it to the centre and remove your key." He instructed.
Bill nodded and performed the task. We all then stepped through and Bill pulled the door closed behind us. When he next opened it there was only the Burrows scullery behind it.
"It's quicker than travel by Floo." He said with a smile on his face.
"Definitely." Dave agreed with a smile, "A lot less messy also." He added.
"Both the Chinese and the Indians claim credit for first creating this sort of travel. But whoever it was they deserve a medal in my opinion." Dave said with a grin.
"Let's get things ready for when the others get here." He suggested.
"Agreed." We all answered.