The redheaded female was still fast asleep, Minerva found upon returning to
the room opposite Alastor's. It was a fairly bare, neglected little room,
walls coloured plain magnolia, no curtains blocking out the light from the
window. Minerva had never bothered to decorate it.
She moved closer to the female and glanced at the bag beside her. The girl had been found with that same bag across her chest, and upon further inspection, Minerva found two things in it: a ball of string and a small card. Minerva put the ball of string on the table and looked more closely at the card. It read: Frey Montgomery, Private Eye. Minerva couldn't help the broad smirk that spread across her face. So she was a detective, was she? Minerva didn't doubt for a second that that little tale about her brother was entirely fabricated. She shook her head in mild amusement.
Alastor had left as soon as Minerva had let him, presumably to go and bully a few people in Knockturn Alley into giving him information on what they'd seen. Minerva personally thought it was a ridiculous idea. He knew the Knockturn Alley people as well as she did – stubborn as mules, every one of them. Still, she thought ruefully, it wasn't as if Alastor wasn't stubborn as well.
Minerva was far more focused on things that might benefit the problem though, instead of questioning people very unlikely to tell her anything. She crossed the room to a small cabinet in the corner and took out a few sheets of paper, reading "Jonathon Nott" at the top. Solid information. She grimaced at the first sheet, and the photograph clipped to it. Nott had been a fellow student at Hogwarts with her, a strange one. A loner, she supposed. He hadn't been a very sociable person, she knew that much.
He seemed just as imposing now as he had then, she decided, looking at the fierce eyes staring at her from the photograph and the sneer that slowly crept on to his face.
She heard a noise, sounding like a sigh or a yawn, and looked over to Freya, who had opened her eyes and was attempting to sit up.
"Awake at last," Minerva said dryly.
"Where am I?" Freya said, blinking blearily and looking around at her surroundings, eyes eventually coming back to rest on Minerva. Minerva debated telling her anything about the Order of the Phoenix and decided firmly against it.
"You were knocked unconscious while looking for your brother," Minerva raised an eyebrow, "in Knockturn Alley."
"Oh yes," Freya replied pleasantly. "Where am I?" she repeated.
"You're in my house," she replied, praying that her tongue didn't turn black. "I'm Minerva McGonagall – and you'd be Freya Montgomery, would you not?" She couldn't resist a sly smirk.
Freya took a deep breath. "How do you know my name?"
Minerva produced Freya's card with a flourish.
Freya sighed. "I see." She paused. "May I have that back, please?"
"Not yet, no," Minerva replied. "This story you fed Alastor about your poor little brother – was that true? Be honest," she added, surveying Freya with a sharp eye.
Freya pursed her lips. "Well... my brother wasn't kidnapped – I don't even have a brother - but the client who came to me did have a little brother who actually had been kidnapped. I was investigating for her."
Minerva raised an eyebrow, standing up. "And what's the name of this client?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you."
"I'm afraid I'm going to make you, Miss Looks-like-it-might-rain," Minerva snapped. "You can tell me or I can use a handy spell that I learnt---"
"Alright, alright!" Freya cut in quickly, holding up her hands in mock defence. "If you must know, her name is Luna Lovegood. I don't see how that'll help you though."
Minerva mentally noted down the name and passed Freya back her card. "Thank you. I'll leave you be now – don't leave this room."
Minerva heard Freya give a heartfelt sigh as she left the room and smiled a little.
"A what?"
"A private detective, Alastor. She was lying about her brother as well. Apparently the client she was helping had the brother and so on."
Alastor was silent for a few minutes, while he downed some of his firewhiskey. Minerva looked at him in obvious distaste.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," she said as he put the mug down. "You should sip it, not gulp it down like you're going to drop dead if you don't have it." She rolled her eyes, and glanced at a few of the other people in the Three Broomsticks.
"We can't all be as perfect as you, Minnie," Alastor said, grinning. "Anyway – this client of hers. Did you get the name or address or anything like that? We should talk to her."
"Of course I did," Minerva replied sharply. "I'm not an idiot. Yes, her name is Luna Lovegood. It took me a lot of threatening just to get the name out of her, let alone the address."
"Great. So we'll go and see Miss Lovegood and get the full story from her."
Minerva shook her head. "There could be a million Lovegoods in Hogsmeade alone, Alastor. We can't just go knocking on doors until we get the right one."
Alastor sighed, growling in irritation. "So what do you propose we do then? Neither of us is psychic."
"We follow the detective, of course." Minerva smirked.
Alastor returned the smirk.
"Good idea."
She moved closer to the female and glanced at the bag beside her. The girl had been found with that same bag across her chest, and upon further inspection, Minerva found two things in it: a ball of string and a small card. Minerva put the ball of string on the table and looked more closely at the card. It read: Frey Montgomery, Private Eye. Minerva couldn't help the broad smirk that spread across her face. So she was a detective, was she? Minerva didn't doubt for a second that that little tale about her brother was entirely fabricated. She shook her head in mild amusement.
Alastor had left as soon as Minerva had let him, presumably to go and bully a few people in Knockturn Alley into giving him information on what they'd seen. Minerva personally thought it was a ridiculous idea. He knew the Knockturn Alley people as well as she did – stubborn as mules, every one of them. Still, she thought ruefully, it wasn't as if Alastor wasn't stubborn as well.
Minerva was far more focused on things that might benefit the problem though, instead of questioning people very unlikely to tell her anything. She crossed the room to a small cabinet in the corner and took out a few sheets of paper, reading "Jonathon Nott" at the top. Solid information. She grimaced at the first sheet, and the photograph clipped to it. Nott had been a fellow student at Hogwarts with her, a strange one. A loner, she supposed. He hadn't been a very sociable person, she knew that much.
He seemed just as imposing now as he had then, she decided, looking at the fierce eyes staring at her from the photograph and the sneer that slowly crept on to his face.
She heard a noise, sounding like a sigh or a yawn, and looked over to Freya, who had opened her eyes and was attempting to sit up.
"Awake at last," Minerva said dryly.
"Where am I?" Freya said, blinking blearily and looking around at her surroundings, eyes eventually coming back to rest on Minerva. Minerva debated telling her anything about the Order of the Phoenix and decided firmly against it.
"You were knocked unconscious while looking for your brother," Minerva raised an eyebrow, "in Knockturn Alley."
"Oh yes," Freya replied pleasantly. "Where am I?" she repeated.
"You're in my house," she replied, praying that her tongue didn't turn black. "I'm Minerva McGonagall – and you'd be Freya Montgomery, would you not?" She couldn't resist a sly smirk.
Freya took a deep breath. "How do you know my name?"
Minerva produced Freya's card with a flourish.
Freya sighed. "I see." She paused. "May I have that back, please?"
"Not yet, no," Minerva replied. "This story you fed Alastor about your poor little brother – was that true? Be honest," she added, surveying Freya with a sharp eye.
Freya pursed her lips. "Well... my brother wasn't kidnapped – I don't even have a brother - but the client who came to me did have a little brother who actually had been kidnapped. I was investigating for her."
Minerva raised an eyebrow, standing up. "And what's the name of this client?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you."
"I'm afraid I'm going to make you, Miss Looks-like-it-might-rain," Minerva snapped. "You can tell me or I can use a handy spell that I learnt---"
"Alright, alright!" Freya cut in quickly, holding up her hands in mock defence. "If you must know, her name is Luna Lovegood. I don't see how that'll help you though."
Minerva mentally noted down the name and passed Freya back her card. "Thank you. I'll leave you be now – don't leave this room."
Minerva heard Freya give a heartfelt sigh as she left the room and smiled a little.
"A what?"
"A private detective, Alastor. She was lying about her brother as well. Apparently the client she was helping had the brother and so on."
Alastor was silent for a few minutes, while he downed some of his firewhiskey. Minerva looked at him in obvious distaste.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," she said as he put the mug down. "You should sip it, not gulp it down like you're going to drop dead if you don't have it." She rolled her eyes, and glanced at a few of the other people in the Three Broomsticks.
"We can't all be as perfect as you, Minnie," Alastor said, grinning. "Anyway – this client of hers. Did you get the name or address or anything like that? We should talk to her."
"Of course I did," Minerva replied sharply. "I'm not an idiot. Yes, her name is Luna Lovegood. It took me a lot of threatening just to get the name out of her, let alone the address."
"Great. So we'll go and see Miss Lovegood and get the full story from her."
Minerva shook her head. "There could be a million Lovegoods in Hogsmeade alone, Alastor. We can't just go knocking on doors until we get the right one."
Alastor sighed, growling in irritation. "So what do you propose we do then? Neither of us is psychic."
"We follow the detective, of course." Minerva smirked.
Alastor returned the smirk.
"Good idea."