15. Wings of death
'What is he doing there?!' growled Vega staring at something attentively 'What Hagrid's hut has to do with the teleports?'
'With the teleports nothing, I think' said Remus 'Devilson mentioned he had a parcel for Rubeus.'
They were sitting on a small hill sloping steeply from the castle walls towards the dark blue lake. Remus could guess why Vega had chosen that place. From here she had a perfect view on the whole school grounds. And on Magnus Devilson. Wherever he went he was followed by the watchful greys eyes.
'Listen...' Remus looked at the witch inquiringly 'What is going on? That distrust about Magnus...I heard in the ministry you didn't want to let him into Hogwart.'
'Sorry but I can't tell you that,' said Vega glumly 'But be careful with him.'
Remus gave her a searching look but he didn't ask anything. He knew it would be pointless. Suddenly a great shadow flitted over the ground as if sun had been covered by a quickly moving cloud. Remus rose his head.
'What's this?' he asked with half-shut eyes, staring intently at something large and dark-grey that was circling over the castle performing complicated evolutions.
'Gargoyles,' muttered Vega not taking her eyes off Devilson who has just finished chatting with Harry and was slowly going back towards the castle 'Hagrid bred them. We let them fly once a day to stretch their wings.'
'Ah, yes, I remember Harry mentioned about it in his letter,' said Remus observing the evolutions of the herd 'Oh, I forgot!' Remus tapped his forehead 'Magnus brought a sack of feed for the gargoyles.'
'How nice of him...' sneered Vega smiling nastily 'But if he thinks he will cheat us he is very wrong. His friendship with Hagrid seemed always very suspicious to me. I will talk to Hagrid when he comes back. But now,' she looked at Remus 'tell me what exactly happened with the teleports.'
'Well...' began Remus staring thoughtfully at the clouds sailing through the sky 'It's a queer affair. As you know, the Ministry has at its disposal seven megaports in different parts of the country. For several months he have been observing them very closely since we suspect that the poachers use them to smuggle the dragons from the Scandinavian Dragons Reserve. Magnus proposed to connect the megaports, ours and the Norwegian ones. This way we can made them to lead a poacher directly to the main megaport in the inner yard of the Ministry.'
'Clever' muttered Vega though a tone of her voice made it clear that Magnus couldn't take it as a compliment.
'Two days ago we made a test,' continued Remus 'It seemed that everything was going right...and suddenly something went bust. The megaports stopped to work. As if all their energy had been detached...' he shook his head thoughtfully 'It lasted no more than a few seconds but it disturbed us a bit. The wizards who has been working in the Ministry for years says that it had never happened before.'
'You're right, it's queer,' said Vega 'But I'm sure that the Dark Arts Detection System couldn't cause such a disturbance. It's nonsense invented by Devilson.'
'But what for?' sighed Remus 'I don't understand...'
'THAT doesn't surprise me' drawled a cold voice.
Vega turned round impetuously though she knew perfectly well who had said those words. She wasn't wrong. Snape was standing several steps of them and was looking at Lupin with an unfeigned antipathy.
'Ah, Severus,' smiled Remus getting up 'Nice to see you again.'
An ironic smile was playing on Snape's lips and he was just opening his mouth to say something when Vega joined it.
'What do you want?' she asked dryly 'If it's not anything urgent be so kind and go back to your own things.'
A sneering smile vanished from the Snape's face.
'Dumbledore wants to see you, Lupin,' he growled.
Remus nodded and turned to Vega.
'I hope my information will be useful. If...' he stopped talking suddenly and fixed his eyes on something in the sky 'What are they doing...' an anxiety twinkled in his amber eyes.
Vega and Severus followed his gaze. The herd of gargoyles was circling over the Hagrid's hut performing strange, incoordinate movements. And suddenly, without any warning, it swooped down like a large, black arrow.
'Potter!' cried Snape who as the first noticed what, or rather who, was the aim of the gargoyles.
Harry didn't even have time to understand what was going on. In a moment he was surrounded by a grey, peeping mass, bat-like wings were hitting his face. And then he felt a prick. A beak, sharp as a knife, stuck in his leg. A second later the next gargoyle attacked him, and the next one, and the next... All over his body he felt deadly pricks, piercing, tearing the muscles and reaching the bones. He covered his face with the hands, unable to move, unable to emit a sound. The last thing he remembered was the hundreds of red, hungry eyes, surrounding him from every direction, still closer and closer.
Before Severus' cry died out Vega transformed into a goshawk and with a terrific speed she shot towards the whirling cloud of the wings. Remus and Snape ran after her.
In the same moment Ron and Hermione rushed out from behind the hut, followed by frightened Fang. At the sight of the frantic herd they stood rooted to the ground with a pure dread on their pale faces.
'Harry!' screamed Hermione shrilly rushing desperately towards the gargoyles.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
'Go away from here!' Vega shouted imperatively pointing her wand at the creatures 'Both of you! Inside!'
Hermione wanted to protest but she met a stern look of the witch, she nodded and dragging along shocked Ron she disappeared behind the hut's door.
Vega rose her wand.
'Impedimenta!' she cried.
Several gargoyles froze in the air and fell inertly to the ground. But the spell couldn't penetrate deep into the dense mass of the grey bodies.
'Immobilarius!' yelled Vega.
This time the effect was the same. The Auror swore. Hasty steps rumbled on a rocky path and Remus and Snape ran, panting, on the glade.
'Freezing Spell...' gasped Severus 'Ice can crush the stone...'
'Right!' Vega tapped her forehead 'Let's attack together. It will magnify the power of the spell. Now!!!'
'Glaciari !' they cried in unison.
Three light-blue jets shot from three wands and hit the whirling herd, covering it with a thin ice shell. And as the spell was reaching deeper and deeper, the gargoyles became motionless and fell to the ground shattering into hundreds of the small pieces.
'Harry!' called Remus dashing towards a pile of the ice bits colouring red at the bottom.
He pushed aside a cold mass and next moment he almost screamed. On wet grass a huge ice block was lying and inside, frozen in a convulsive twitch, a massacred, blood-stained body of Harry was embedded.
Remus was looking at it without a word, ghastly pale. Slowly, not knowing exactly what he was doing, he reached for his wand.
'Wait!' a horse voice of Vega seemed to be coming from a deep well' If he is alive...if he was alive in the moment when the spell hit...it's better not to unfreeze him.'
Remus rose his head and looked at the witch. His eyes were full of despair.
'Why...?' he whispered 'Why did they do that?'
'We'll think about it later,' Snape interrupted him sharply 'Now we have to take Potter to the hospital wing as quickly as possible.'
'You're right,' said Remus firmly, getting up 'I'll do that.'
He waved his wand and the ice block rose noiselessly into the air. The wizard pointed at it and moved hastily towards the castle, followed by Ron and Hermione who were looking as if they had just face Lord Voldemort himself. Midway they met a crowd of students who would have run to the Hagrid hut much earlier if the teachers hadn't intervened.
Minerva McGonagall ran to Remus. Her blue hat slipped on her ear but the witch didn't notice.
'What happened?!' she shrieked feverishly.
Remus pointed at the frozen Harry without stopping. Professor McGonagall moaned, staggered and she would fall if Magnus Devilson didn't support her. The witch stared at him vacantly, she put straight her glasses and suddenly, as if she realised what had really happened, she ran after Remus.
Magnus followed her with his eyes, he turned back and moved in the opposite direction. He could see Vega and Snape bent over the remnants of the proud gargoyles. Strange twinkles, full of hatred, glinted in Magnus' grey eyes. They didn't match completely to his handsome face but it made them only more terrific.
At the sound of the approaching steps the wizard rose their heads and leapt into their feet, reaching for the wands. Snape's face twisted in expression of rage and Vega looked at Devilson as if she was dreaming about the casting the Cruciatus Curse on him.
Not paying attention to them Magnus approached the melting pile. He bent and picked up one ice bit, watching it with the expression of disbelief on his face. And as the cold water was dripping between his fingers a deep grief in his eyes was turning into a tearing rage.
'Barbarians!' he hissed fixing his burning gaze on Vega and Severus 'How could you murder so brutally a hundred of innocent creatures!'
The wizards stood aghast. Snape gnashed his teeth.
'If you didn't notice,' he drawled icily 'those innocent creatures have just attack a student.'
'It's not a reason to kill them!' shrieked Magnus with a wild twinkle in his eyes 'But how little are worth the lives of gargoyles if we come to famous Harry Potter!'
'Not only to Potter, Devilson,' said Vega coldly 'If anybody else had been on his place we would have done the same. But I'm glad you mentioned it...' she smiled ominously 'because I was just wondering why the gargoyles had attacked just Harry and nobody else. And why did it happened at the very day when YOU, due to your shady intrigues, were at Hogwart?'
This time Magnus looked amazed.
'What are you talking about?' he asked hostilely 'You think that I incited the gargoyles against Potter?'
'We will see...' said Vega lengthily 'You will drink Veritaserum and tell us everything.'
'You have no right!' snarled Devilson still a bit uneasy.
'Haven't I?' hissed the Auror pulling out her wand.
'Wait!' a strict voice called.
Everybody looked at the same direction. Albus Dumbledore was approaching them his wand in his hand.
'Headmster!' called Vega taking a step forwards 'I think we should...'
'No, professor Starlight,' Dumbledore shook his head 'No one will pass sentences here until we know what really happened.'
'Finally someone reasonable,' muttered Devilson.
Vega looked livid. She wanted to protest but Dumbledore enjoined silence.
'Magnus,' he said dryly looking piercingly at the wizard 'I think you have already dealt with your business in Hogwart.'
Devilson turned pale and his face twisted in expression of helpless fury.
'You will pay for it!' he pointed at the wet stain on the grass, his eyes burning with loathing 'I swear you will!'
He spat Snape under foot and without a word, without turning back, he moved towards the gate.
. . .
'How is he?' asked softly Dumbledore looking at bandaged Harry with a deep concern.
Madam Pomfrey sighed and wiped away her tears.
'He's sleeping, poor boy...' she sobbed 'After such a dose of Vivimortis it will take long before he recovers. It's horrible...' her voice broke off.
'Poppy, he is alive, that is the most important,' said Dumbledore 'When I saw him right after unfreezing, with all those wounds...' he shuddered at the very memory 'I thought it was too late. That HE finally caught him...'
'He?!' a terror glinted in Madam Pomfrey's eyes 'You mean...You-Know-Who?'
Dumbledore nodded mournfully.
'And who else hates that boy so much?' he sighed heavily.
He looked at Harry once more and he left the room. The corridors were plunged in darkness but Dumbledore didn't use his wand. He didn't need light. Nobody knew the old castle as well as he did. He was going along the empty corridors lost in thoughts. He knew why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry. The question was: how.
He stopped in front of the door to the Snape's office and knocked.
'Come in' a voice came from inside.
Dumbledore entered the room. Vega and Severus were bending over the table spread with complicated machinery. Multicoloured potions were bubbling in the glass burettes connected with a system of thin pipes. Some of the mixtures were thick and muddy while the others looked rather like a colourful gas then a liquid. The biggest vase stood on a metal support and fire was blazing under it. On a chair lay Harry's clothes, full of holes made by the sharp gargoyles' beaks.
'Anything new?' asked Dumbledore approaching the table.
'This,' said Snape triumphantly rising carefully a small bottle.
At its bottom a bright powder settled, shimmering in the fire-light.
'It's calcite' explained Severus 'A popular mineral but doesn't occur in the Hogwart surroundings. Whereas this,' he showed the bottle 'we found in the Potter's clothe.'
'And what's interesting,' added Vega 'the gargoyles love calcite. To get it they can reduce to ashes the hardest rock.'
Dumbledore understood at once.
'It means that somebody sprinkled Harry with that powder expecting that the gargoyles would attack him. And he was right... But who can use such subtle methods?'
'Devilson!' hissed Snape 'he brought a sack of calcite to Hogwart today. He talked to Potter, Weasley and Granger. We found a small amount of the powder on their clothes, too.'
'I suppose that now we have enough reasons to investigate Devilson?' said Vega.
Dumbledore was standing silent for a while and then he nodded gravely.
'Yes,' he said firmly 'Now we have. I give you full liberty.'
Auror's eyes shone. In the same moment somebody knocked at the door. The wizards looked surprised at each other. They didn't expect anybody else.
'Come in!' barked Snape.
It was Minerva McGonagall.
'Here you are, Albus,' she sighed with relief 'I'm sorry to disturb you but I have just received an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic. Imagine' she stared at them gravely 'that Magnus Devilson disappeared.'
'What is he doing there?!' growled Vega staring at something attentively 'What Hagrid's hut has to do with the teleports?'
'With the teleports nothing, I think' said Remus 'Devilson mentioned he had a parcel for Rubeus.'
They were sitting on a small hill sloping steeply from the castle walls towards the dark blue lake. Remus could guess why Vega had chosen that place. From here she had a perfect view on the whole school grounds. And on Magnus Devilson. Wherever he went he was followed by the watchful greys eyes.
'Listen...' Remus looked at the witch inquiringly 'What is going on? That distrust about Magnus...I heard in the ministry you didn't want to let him into Hogwart.'
'Sorry but I can't tell you that,' said Vega glumly 'But be careful with him.'
Remus gave her a searching look but he didn't ask anything. He knew it would be pointless. Suddenly a great shadow flitted over the ground as if sun had been covered by a quickly moving cloud. Remus rose his head.
'What's this?' he asked with half-shut eyes, staring intently at something large and dark-grey that was circling over the castle performing complicated evolutions.
'Gargoyles,' muttered Vega not taking her eyes off Devilson who has just finished chatting with Harry and was slowly going back towards the castle 'Hagrid bred them. We let them fly once a day to stretch their wings.'
'Ah, yes, I remember Harry mentioned about it in his letter,' said Remus observing the evolutions of the herd 'Oh, I forgot!' Remus tapped his forehead 'Magnus brought a sack of feed for the gargoyles.'
'How nice of him...' sneered Vega smiling nastily 'But if he thinks he will cheat us he is very wrong. His friendship with Hagrid seemed always very suspicious to me. I will talk to Hagrid when he comes back. But now,' she looked at Remus 'tell me what exactly happened with the teleports.'
'Well...' began Remus staring thoughtfully at the clouds sailing through the sky 'It's a queer affair. As you know, the Ministry has at its disposal seven megaports in different parts of the country. For several months he have been observing them very closely since we suspect that the poachers use them to smuggle the dragons from the Scandinavian Dragons Reserve. Magnus proposed to connect the megaports, ours and the Norwegian ones. This way we can made them to lead a poacher directly to the main megaport in the inner yard of the Ministry.'
'Clever' muttered Vega though a tone of her voice made it clear that Magnus couldn't take it as a compliment.
'Two days ago we made a test,' continued Remus 'It seemed that everything was going right...and suddenly something went bust. The megaports stopped to work. As if all their energy had been detached...' he shook his head thoughtfully 'It lasted no more than a few seconds but it disturbed us a bit. The wizards who has been working in the Ministry for years says that it had never happened before.'
'You're right, it's queer,' said Vega 'But I'm sure that the Dark Arts Detection System couldn't cause such a disturbance. It's nonsense invented by Devilson.'
'But what for?' sighed Remus 'I don't understand...'
'THAT doesn't surprise me' drawled a cold voice.
Vega turned round impetuously though she knew perfectly well who had said those words. She wasn't wrong. Snape was standing several steps of them and was looking at Lupin with an unfeigned antipathy.
'Ah, Severus,' smiled Remus getting up 'Nice to see you again.'
An ironic smile was playing on Snape's lips and he was just opening his mouth to say something when Vega joined it.
'What do you want?' she asked dryly 'If it's not anything urgent be so kind and go back to your own things.'
A sneering smile vanished from the Snape's face.
'Dumbledore wants to see you, Lupin,' he growled.
Remus nodded and turned to Vega.
'I hope my information will be useful. If...' he stopped talking suddenly and fixed his eyes on something in the sky 'What are they doing...' an anxiety twinkled in his amber eyes.
Vega and Severus followed his gaze. The herd of gargoyles was circling over the Hagrid's hut performing strange, incoordinate movements. And suddenly, without any warning, it swooped down like a large, black arrow.
'Potter!' cried Snape who as the first noticed what, or rather who, was the aim of the gargoyles.
Harry didn't even have time to understand what was going on. In a moment he was surrounded by a grey, peeping mass, bat-like wings were hitting his face. And then he felt a prick. A beak, sharp as a knife, stuck in his leg. A second later the next gargoyle attacked him, and the next one, and the next... All over his body he felt deadly pricks, piercing, tearing the muscles and reaching the bones. He covered his face with the hands, unable to move, unable to emit a sound. The last thing he remembered was the hundreds of red, hungry eyes, surrounding him from every direction, still closer and closer.
Before Severus' cry died out Vega transformed into a goshawk and with a terrific speed she shot towards the whirling cloud of the wings. Remus and Snape ran after her.
In the same moment Ron and Hermione rushed out from behind the hut, followed by frightened Fang. At the sight of the frantic herd they stood rooted to the ground with a pure dread on their pale faces.
'Harry!' screamed Hermione shrilly rushing desperately towards the gargoyles.
Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
'Go away from here!' Vega shouted imperatively pointing her wand at the creatures 'Both of you! Inside!'
Hermione wanted to protest but she met a stern look of the witch, she nodded and dragging along shocked Ron she disappeared behind the hut's door.
Vega rose her wand.
'Impedimenta!' she cried.
Several gargoyles froze in the air and fell inertly to the ground. But the spell couldn't penetrate deep into the dense mass of the grey bodies.
'Immobilarius!' yelled Vega.
This time the effect was the same. The Auror swore. Hasty steps rumbled on a rocky path and Remus and Snape ran, panting, on the glade.
'Freezing Spell...' gasped Severus 'Ice can crush the stone...'
'Right!' Vega tapped her forehead 'Let's attack together. It will magnify the power of the spell. Now!!!'
'Glaciari !' they cried in unison.
Three light-blue jets shot from three wands and hit the whirling herd, covering it with a thin ice shell. And as the spell was reaching deeper and deeper, the gargoyles became motionless and fell to the ground shattering into hundreds of the small pieces.
'Harry!' called Remus dashing towards a pile of the ice bits colouring red at the bottom.
He pushed aside a cold mass and next moment he almost screamed. On wet grass a huge ice block was lying and inside, frozen in a convulsive twitch, a massacred, blood-stained body of Harry was embedded.
Remus was looking at it without a word, ghastly pale. Slowly, not knowing exactly what he was doing, he reached for his wand.
'Wait!' a horse voice of Vega seemed to be coming from a deep well' If he is alive...if he was alive in the moment when the spell hit...it's better not to unfreeze him.'
Remus rose his head and looked at the witch. His eyes were full of despair.
'Why...?' he whispered 'Why did they do that?'
'We'll think about it later,' Snape interrupted him sharply 'Now we have to take Potter to the hospital wing as quickly as possible.'
'You're right,' said Remus firmly, getting up 'I'll do that.'
He waved his wand and the ice block rose noiselessly into the air. The wizard pointed at it and moved hastily towards the castle, followed by Ron and Hermione who were looking as if they had just face Lord Voldemort himself. Midway they met a crowd of students who would have run to the Hagrid hut much earlier if the teachers hadn't intervened.
Minerva McGonagall ran to Remus. Her blue hat slipped on her ear but the witch didn't notice.
'What happened?!' she shrieked feverishly.
Remus pointed at the frozen Harry without stopping. Professor McGonagall moaned, staggered and she would fall if Magnus Devilson didn't support her. The witch stared at him vacantly, she put straight her glasses and suddenly, as if she realised what had really happened, she ran after Remus.
Magnus followed her with his eyes, he turned back and moved in the opposite direction. He could see Vega and Snape bent over the remnants of the proud gargoyles. Strange twinkles, full of hatred, glinted in Magnus' grey eyes. They didn't match completely to his handsome face but it made them only more terrific.
At the sound of the approaching steps the wizard rose their heads and leapt into their feet, reaching for the wands. Snape's face twisted in expression of rage and Vega looked at Devilson as if she was dreaming about the casting the Cruciatus Curse on him.
Not paying attention to them Magnus approached the melting pile. He bent and picked up one ice bit, watching it with the expression of disbelief on his face. And as the cold water was dripping between his fingers a deep grief in his eyes was turning into a tearing rage.
'Barbarians!' he hissed fixing his burning gaze on Vega and Severus 'How could you murder so brutally a hundred of innocent creatures!'
The wizards stood aghast. Snape gnashed his teeth.
'If you didn't notice,' he drawled icily 'those innocent creatures have just attack a student.'
'It's not a reason to kill them!' shrieked Magnus with a wild twinkle in his eyes 'But how little are worth the lives of gargoyles if we come to famous Harry Potter!'
'Not only to Potter, Devilson,' said Vega coldly 'If anybody else had been on his place we would have done the same. But I'm glad you mentioned it...' she smiled ominously 'because I was just wondering why the gargoyles had attacked just Harry and nobody else. And why did it happened at the very day when YOU, due to your shady intrigues, were at Hogwart?'
This time Magnus looked amazed.
'What are you talking about?' he asked hostilely 'You think that I incited the gargoyles against Potter?'
'We will see...' said Vega lengthily 'You will drink Veritaserum and tell us everything.'
'You have no right!' snarled Devilson still a bit uneasy.
'Haven't I?' hissed the Auror pulling out her wand.
'Wait!' a strict voice called.
Everybody looked at the same direction. Albus Dumbledore was approaching them his wand in his hand.
'Headmster!' called Vega taking a step forwards 'I think we should...'
'No, professor Starlight,' Dumbledore shook his head 'No one will pass sentences here until we know what really happened.'
'Finally someone reasonable,' muttered Devilson.
Vega looked livid. She wanted to protest but Dumbledore enjoined silence.
'Magnus,' he said dryly looking piercingly at the wizard 'I think you have already dealt with your business in Hogwart.'
Devilson turned pale and his face twisted in expression of helpless fury.
'You will pay for it!' he pointed at the wet stain on the grass, his eyes burning with loathing 'I swear you will!'
He spat Snape under foot and without a word, without turning back, he moved towards the gate.
'How is he?' asked softly Dumbledore looking at bandaged Harry with a deep concern.
Madam Pomfrey sighed and wiped away her tears.
'He's sleeping, poor boy...' she sobbed 'After such a dose of Vivimortis it will take long before he recovers. It's horrible...' her voice broke off.
'Poppy, he is alive, that is the most important,' said Dumbledore 'When I saw him right after unfreezing, with all those wounds...' he shuddered at the very memory 'I thought it was too late. That HE finally caught him...'
'He?!' a terror glinted in Madam Pomfrey's eyes 'You mean...You-Know-Who?'
Dumbledore nodded mournfully.
'And who else hates that boy so much?' he sighed heavily.
He looked at Harry once more and he left the room. The corridors were plunged in darkness but Dumbledore didn't use his wand. He didn't need light. Nobody knew the old castle as well as he did. He was going along the empty corridors lost in thoughts. He knew why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry. The question was: how.
He stopped in front of the door to the Snape's office and knocked.
'Come in' a voice came from inside.
Dumbledore entered the room. Vega and Severus were bending over the table spread with complicated machinery. Multicoloured potions were bubbling in the glass burettes connected with a system of thin pipes. Some of the mixtures were thick and muddy while the others looked rather like a colourful gas then a liquid. The biggest vase stood on a metal support and fire was blazing under it. On a chair lay Harry's clothes, full of holes made by the sharp gargoyles' beaks.
'Anything new?' asked Dumbledore approaching the table.
'This,' said Snape triumphantly rising carefully a small bottle.
At its bottom a bright powder settled, shimmering in the fire-light.
'It's calcite' explained Severus 'A popular mineral but doesn't occur in the Hogwart surroundings. Whereas this,' he showed the bottle 'we found in the Potter's clothe.'
'And what's interesting,' added Vega 'the gargoyles love calcite. To get it they can reduce to ashes the hardest rock.'
Dumbledore understood at once.
'It means that somebody sprinkled Harry with that powder expecting that the gargoyles would attack him. And he was right... But who can use such subtle methods?'
'Devilson!' hissed Snape 'he brought a sack of calcite to Hogwart today. He talked to Potter, Weasley and Granger. We found a small amount of the powder on their clothes, too.'
'I suppose that now we have enough reasons to investigate Devilson?' said Vega.
Dumbledore was standing silent for a while and then he nodded gravely.
'Yes,' he said firmly 'Now we have. I give you full liberty.'
Auror's eyes shone. In the same moment somebody knocked at the door. The wizards looked surprised at each other. They didn't expect anybody else.
'Come in!' barked Snape.
It was Minerva McGonagall.
'Here you are, Albus,' she sighed with relief 'I'm sorry to disturb you but I have just received an urgent message from the Ministry of Magic. Imagine' she stared at them gravely 'that Magnus Devilson disappeared.'
