Disclaimer: I am not Timothy Zahn or J.K. Rowling.
Enter Ron, Dean, Aberforth, and Nigel, on the Hog's Head.
Aberforth. I must apologize for chasing you out like that, particularly in the middle of a meal. Not exactly the sort of hospitality we strive for here.
Ron. No problem. What was that all about, anyway?
Aberforth. Nothing serious. Some people with whom I've had business dealings wanted to come and look the place over.
Ron. Ah. So you're working directly for the Ministry now?
Aberforth glances at Dean and Nigel.
Aberforth. Wolpert?
Nigel. I'm sorry, sir. They insisted on coming out to see what was happening.
Aberforth. I see. No harm done, probably. Not the wisest of risks to take, though.
Ron. I'm used to taking risks. You haven't answered my question.
Aberforth. If I'm not interested in working for the Council, I'm certainly not interested in working for the Ministry. The Ministry has been coming here for the past few weeks to collect hinkypunks - sessile creatures, like the ones hanging onto the tree in the great room. I offered my assistance in helping them safely remove the hinkypunks from their trees.
Ron. What did you get in return?
Aberforth. The privilege of watching them work. Giving me that much extra information to try to figure out what they wanted with the things.
Ron. And what did they want with them?
Aberforth. Information costs money here, Weasley. Actually, to be perfectly honest, we don't know what they're up to. We're working on it, though.
Ron. I see. But you do know their commander personally.
Aberforth. [smiles] That's information again.
Ron. Have it your way. What will this Grand Admiral's name cost me?
Aberforth. For the moment, the name's not for sale. Perhaps we'll talk about it later.
Ron. Thanks. But I don't think there's going to be a later. If you don't mind, we'll just say our goodbyes here and get back to the ship.
Aberforth. [raises an eyebrow] You're not going to finish our dinner? You hardly had a chance to get started.
Ron. I don't especially like sitting on the ground like a practice target when there are Hit Wizards wandering around.
Aberforth. [cold] At the moment, sitting on the ground is preferable to drawing attention in the air. The Ministry cruiser hasn't left orbit yet. Lifting off now would be an open invitation for them to swat you down.
Ron. The Anglia's outrun Ministry cruisers before. [hesitates] But I suppose it wouldn't hurt us to stick around a little longer. All right, sure. We'll finish dinner.
Aberforth. Good. It will just take a few minutes to get things put back together.
Dean. You took everything apart?
Aberforth. Everything that might have indicated we had guest. The Grand Admiral is highly observant, and I wouldn't have put it past him to know exactly how many of my associates are staying here at the moment.
Ron. Well, while you're getting things ready, I want to go back to the car and check on a couple of things.
Aberforth. [narrows his eyes] But you will be back.
Ron. [smiles] Trust me.
Aberforth. [shrugs] Very well. Watch yourselves, though. The local predators don't normally come this close in to our encampment, but there are exceptions.
Ron. We'll be careful. [to Dean] Come on, Dean.
Ron and Dean exit the Hog's Head.
Exit Aberforth and Nigel.
Dean. So what did we forget to do back at the Anglia?
Ron. Nothing. I just thought it would be a good time to go check out Aberforth's storage sheds . . . particularly the one that was supposed to have a prisoner in it.
Ron and Dean reach the storage sheds.
Dean. Look for a door with a lock, either permanent or temporary.
Ron. Right. That one over there, the one with two doors?
Dean. Could be. Let's take a look.
Ron and Dean reach the storage shed, which until recently held Harry and Hedwig.
[indicates the lock] It's been shot off. Strange.
Ron. Maybe the prisoner had friends. Let's go inside.
As he and Dean step inside, Ron takes notice of the power outlet Harry had been messing with previously.
Well, well. Someone's been busy over here.
Dean. Someone's been even busier over here. Come have a look.
Ron crouches over by the lock with Dean, both frowning.
Ron. That must have been one hell of a shot.
Dean. [shakes his head] It wasn't a single shot. The stuff in between is mostly intact. Looks like our mysterious prisoner was tampering with the equipment.
Ron. I wonder how he got it open. I'm going to take a look next door.
Ron walks over to Hedwig's former cell, but can't get it open.
Uh-oh.
Ron tries again, to no avail.
Dean. Wait a second. I see the problem. There's a power supply been half spliced into the works. . . .
Dean fixes the problem, and the door slides open.
Ron. Back in a second.
Stepping inside, Ron notices the restraining bolt which was once attached to Hedwig.
Enter Aberforth.
Ron draws his rifle.
Aberforth. You seem to have gotten lost . . . and to have lost General Thomas along the way.
Ron lowers his rifle.
Ron. You need to tell your people to put their toys away when they're done. You were holding a droid prisoner, too?
Aberforth. [smiles] I see Wolpert was talking out of turn again. Amazing, isn't it, how so many expert slicers know everything about computers and droids and yet don't know when to keep their mouths shut.
Ron. It's also amazing how so many expert smugglers don't know when to leave a messy deal alone. So what's your Grand Admiral got you doing? Formal slaving, or just random kidnappings?
Aberforth. [glares at Ron] I don't deal in slaves, Weasley. Slaves or kidnapping. Never.
Ron. What was this one, then? An accident?
Aberforth. I didn't ask for him to come into my life, nor did I especially want him there.
Ron. [snorts] You're stretching, Aberforth. What did he do, drop in out of the sky on top of you?
Aberforth. As a matter of fact, that's very nearly the way it happened.
Ron. [sardonic] Oh, well, that's a good reason to lock someone up. Who was he?
Aberforth. That information's not for sale.
Dean steps out of the other shed.
Dean. Maybe we don't need to buy it.
Aberforth turns.
Aberforth. Ah. There you are. Exploring the other half of the shed, were you?
Ron. Yeah, we don't stay lost very long. [to Dean] What did you find, Dean?
Dean holds out a fragment from Harry's artificial arm.
Dean. This. It's a micrel power supply, the kind used for low-draw applications. Our prisoner wired it into the door lock control after the power lines had been burned away. That's how he got out. The manufacturer's logo is small, but readable. Recognize it?
Ron examines the Stinchcombe-based logo.
Ron. I've seen it before. But I don't remember where.
Dean. You saw it during the war. t's the logo of the Linfred of Stinchcombe.
Ron. [eyes widen] That's a bio-electronic power supply?
Dean. That's right. Just like the kind that would have been put in, say, an artificial hand.
Ron points his rifle at Aberforth.
Ron. [to Dean] There was a droid in here. The skid marks on the floor look just about right for a snowy droid. [to Aberforth] Feel free to join the conversation anytime, Aberforth.
Aberforth. [sighs] What do you want me to say? That Harry Potter was a prisoner here? All right. Consider it said.
Ron. Where is he now?
Aberforth. I thought Wolpert would have told you. He escaped in one of my Cleansweep Elevens, crashing it in the process.
Ron. He what?
Aberforth. He's all right, or at least he was a couple of hours ago. The Hit Wizards who went to investigate said that both wrecks were deserted. I hope that means they're working together to make their way out.
Ron. You don't sound sure of that.
Aberforth. Ginny Weasley was the one who went after him. She has a certain . . . well, why mince words. In point of fact, she wants very much to kill him.
Ron exchanges glances with Dean.
Ron. [startled] Why?
Aberforth. [shakes his head] I don't know.
Dean. How did he get here?
Aberforth. As I said, purely by accident. No, I take that back. It wasn't an accident for Ginny. She led us directly to his crippled broomstick.
Ron. How?
Aberforth. Again, I don't know. And before you ask, we had nothing to do with the damage to his broom. He'd burned out both hyperdrive motivators tangling with one of the Ministry's cruisers. If we hadn't picked him up, he'd almost certainly be dead by now.
Ron. Instead of roaming a forest with someone who still wants him that way. Yeah, you're a real hero.
Aberforth. The Ministry wants Potter, Weasley. They want him very badly. If you look carefully, you'll notice that I didn't give him to them.
Ron. Because he escaped first.
Aberforth. He escaped because he was in this shed. And he was in this shed because I didn't want the Ministry stumbling over him during their unannounced visit. You'll also notice that I didn't turn the two of you over to them, either.
Ron lowers his rifle.
Ron. I want to see Harry's Firebolt.
Aberforth. Certainly. I'd recommend not going there until tomorrow morning, though. We moved it somewhat farther into the forest than your car. And there will be predators roaming around it in the darkness.
Ron hesitates, then nods.
Ron. All right. So what are we going to do about Harry?
Aberforth. [shakes his head] There's nothing we can do for them tonight. Not with Quintapeds roaming the forest and the Grand Admiral still in orbit. Tomorrow . . . We'll have to discuss it, see what we can come up with. [smiles] In the meantime, dinner should be ready by now. If you'll follow me . . .
Exit all.
