Alastor and Minerva Apparated to Fernside without fanfare. No rain was
falling and the sun actually managed to peek through the clouds
occasionally. Once there, they circled the cottage to make sure Poppy
wasn't there. "All right, then, we need to find a place that will have a
good view of the cottage, but won't be obvious."
"Of course," Minerva agreed as they looked around the front yard of Poppy's home.
As he turned in place, Alastor's gaze was caught by a glint of sunlight on metal in one of the trees. Intrigued, he walked over to the tree. "I wonder."
"Alastor?" Minerva asked, watching him go.
Rather than answer, he climbed up the tree and found a wind chime hanging from one of the branches. "That's an odd place for a wind chime."
"Alastor, what did you find?" Minerva called up to him.
Pulling out his wand, he cast a reveal spell on the wind chime. He next disabled the protection spell surrounding the wind chime. Tucking his wand back into his pocket, he carefully unhooked the windchime from the branch and climbed down from the tree. "Take a look."
"What was a wind chime doing in the tree?" Minerva asked, puzzled, as she examined the wind chime. It was rather plain, with several flat stained glass pieces.
Alastor shrugged as Minerva pulled out her own wand and cast a diagnostic spell. "I have no idea, but I have a feeling it was left by whomever is stalking Poppy."
"Alastor, calm down," Minerva told him, barely glancing up from the chime as she cast a reveal spell.
"I'm sorry, Minerva," he apologized, closing his eyes for a moment.
A softly-muttered Muggle curse caused his eyes to fly open. "The bastard."
"Minerva, what is it?" he asked her.
She straightened up and looked him in the eye. "Whoever put this there beat us to keeping an eye on Fernside."
"It does exactly what we're trying to do?" he asked, looking at the wind chime with renewed interest.
She nodded. "Unfortunately, several additional charms make it impossible to change what the images are transmitted to or to even detect where the receptacle is."
"In other words, it's no good to us," Alastor summed up.
She nodded again. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Well, let's take this tool away from whoever put it here," he suggested, setting the wind chime on the ground.
Looking grim, she pointed her wand at the wind chime. "On the count of three?"
"Yes." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the wind chime as well. "One...two...three!"
"Evanesco!" they chorused. In moments, nothing remained of the wind chime.
He sighed and tucked his wand into his pocket. "I'm not entirely sure that was the only way this person had of keeping track of Poppy's movements."
"Well, it's one way they do not have anymore," Minerva reminded him.
He looked at his watch. "We don't have time to set something up ourselves. We'll have to wait until she leaves for work tomorrow."
"Right." she nodded her agreement.
Without another word, they Disapparated. Moments after they were gone, a dark figure appeared with a quiet 'pop'. He examined the area carefully. "Hmm, seems I underestimated those two. However, I do like a good challenge..."
Back at the Ministry, Alastor escorted Minerva to her cubicle before returning to his own. Sitting down at his desk once more, his eye was caught by the picture once again. The picture-Poppy was standing by herself now, with her back to the others. All of them were concerned, but his picture-self was the closest of all of them, worry clearly evident on his face. Sighing, he pulled the report he'd been reading towards and began to read it once more.
"Of course," Minerva agreed as they looked around the front yard of Poppy's home.
As he turned in place, Alastor's gaze was caught by a glint of sunlight on metal in one of the trees. Intrigued, he walked over to the tree. "I wonder."
"Alastor?" Minerva asked, watching him go.
Rather than answer, he climbed up the tree and found a wind chime hanging from one of the branches. "That's an odd place for a wind chime."
"Alastor, what did you find?" Minerva called up to him.
Pulling out his wand, he cast a reveal spell on the wind chime. He next disabled the protection spell surrounding the wind chime. Tucking his wand back into his pocket, he carefully unhooked the windchime from the branch and climbed down from the tree. "Take a look."
"What was a wind chime doing in the tree?" Minerva asked, puzzled, as she examined the wind chime. It was rather plain, with several flat stained glass pieces.
Alastor shrugged as Minerva pulled out her own wand and cast a diagnostic spell. "I have no idea, but I have a feeling it was left by whomever is stalking Poppy."
"Alastor, calm down," Minerva told him, barely glancing up from the chime as she cast a reveal spell.
"I'm sorry, Minerva," he apologized, closing his eyes for a moment.
A softly-muttered Muggle curse caused his eyes to fly open. "The bastard."
"Minerva, what is it?" he asked her.
She straightened up and looked him in the eye. "Whoever put this there beat us to keeping an eye on Fernside."
"It does exactly what we're trying to do?" he asked, looking at the wind chime with renewed interest.
She nodded. "Unfortunately, several additional charms make it impossible to change what the images are transmitted to or to even detect where the receptacle is."
"In other words, it's no good to us," Alastor summed up.
She nodded again. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Well, let's take this tool away from whoever put it here," he suggested, setting the wind chime on the ground.
Looking grim, she pointed her wand at the wind chime. "On the count of three?"
"Yes." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the wind chime as well. "One...two...three!"
"Evanesco!" they chorused. In moments, nothing remained of the wind chime.
He sighed and tucked his wand into his pocket. "I'm not entirely sure that was the only way this person had of keeping track of Poppy's movements."
"Well, it's one way they do not have anymore," Minerva reminded him.
He looked at his watch. "We don't have time to set something up ourselves. We'll have to wait until she leaves for work tomorrow."
"Right." she nodded her agreement.
Without another word, they Disapparated. Moments after they were gone, a dark figure appeared with a quiet 'pop'. He examined the area carefully. "Hmm, seems I underestimated those two. However, I do like a good challenge..."
Back at the Ministry, Alastor escorted Minerva to her cubicle before returning to his own. Sitting down at his desk once more, his eye was caught by the picture once again. The picture-Poppy was standing by herself now, with her back to the others. All of them were concerned, but his picture-self was the closest of all of them, worry clearly evident on his face. Sighing, he pulled the report he'd been reading towards and began to read it once more.
