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Tully adjusted his bow tie in the mirror and ran his hand along his hair again. Despite his best efforts to appear alert, he looked worn. Ever since waking up to the Auror team sweeping his house, he hadn't managed to sleep well. Minister Urquart had insisted on posting a Department of Magical Law Enforcement patrol officer at his house.
He was scheduled to meet Dolores for dinner in an hour. The officer would be accompanying Tully at the dinner. Dolores wasn't particularly fond of the addition. The two officers that had been guarding him were two young guys full of questions for a senior Auror. Tully didn't mind having them around. They traded places every twelve hours.
As he left the house, he said a quick spell to seal the wards on his door. It was a lovely night. Tully had told Dolores he would meet her at the restaurant. Despite their engagement, Dolores refused to move in with Tully. She felt that his flat was not an appropriate dwelling for a ministry official. For the last three months, she had been searching for a new home for the pair. Tully wanted to move to the country but Dolores preferred city life.
"McGonagall," a familiar voice said from the bottom of the stairs. Tully looked up to see Moody standing there. He was dressed in a nice jacket and tie. Moody was even wearing dress shoes. "Minister Urquart has requested that I accompany you instead of the officer."
Thirty minutes later, Tully and Moody were enjoying a nice dinner together at a small upscale bistro in Diagon Alley. Dolores had refused to come along with Moody present. Since Moody's presence was not negotiable Dolores would have to spend date night alone. Moody felt terrible. He offered several times to contact Minister Urquart to make alternative plans, but Tully insisted that the situation was fine.
"You're a better date," Tully said with a laugh as they enjoyed a bottle of wine. "Though you're not much to look at."
"I've never been here," Moody confessed. "It is very nice."
"You should invite your partner sometime," Tully said with a knowing smirk.
"I'd say the same to you, but it looks like somebody beat you to it," Moody responded as he sipped his wine.
Tully glanced casually behind himself to see his partner laughing at a table with Potter. He turned back to Moody and shrugged.
"Don't act like you're not bothered," Moody said with a coy smile.
"Honestly, what does she see in him?" Tully said with more gruff in his voice than he intended.
A waiter wandered past and dropped a basket of rolls at the table. Moody waited for the young man to walk away before he replied.
"He's a good guy," Moody said in earnest. "We served together in the war in the battle of Kursk."
Tully said nothing. He nonchalantly sipped his wine and set the glass back on the table slowly.
"He's not like those Ministry hacks that want a cushy job and a title," Moody went on. "He's here because he wants to make a difference." Tully cocked an eyebrow sceptically at Moody's words. "He wanted to be an Auror." Moody continued. "But he's got a talent for law. You'll see. I know you'll come around."
They ate the remainder of their dinner in silence. When dessert came, Tully finally broke the ice.
"Why did Urquart send you?" Tully asked.
"Because I'm to escort you somewhere when we're done," Moody said with a whisper.
Tully took the hint and did not press the issue further.
After they finished eating, they did not linger long. They gathered their hats and made a quick exit. On his way out, he noted that his partner and Potter had already left.
Moody didn't explain where they were going. They pair walked along in an easy silence. They were heading out of Diagon Alley and into muggle London. Tully was thankful he'd chosen to wear a muggle suit for the occasion. As they passed through the Leaky Cauldron, Tully was given a warm smile by Mundungus Fletcher. Dung had a soft spot for law enforcement that treated him right. He could always be counted on for information in a pinch - assuming you had treated him kindly in the past.
Once outside the pub, Moody hailed a muggle taxi. The two men climbed in the car and Moody gave the driver the address. They were headed for a house in Greenwich. Thirty minutes later, they arrived outside of a well-kept brick flat. Moody paid the cabbie and they approached the door. Moody entered without knocking and Tully followed him inside.
There were no lights on in the house. No one appeared to be home. In fact, there was no furniture to speak of anywhere in the home. Moody headed straight for the fireplace where a small jar of floo powder sat on the mantle. Moody handed Tully a small handful and told him the location they were travelling to was called Peverell Manor.
After a short jolt of a ride, Tully emerged coughing in the sitting room of a stately home. The room was dark but there was light coming through a great archway at the end of the room. Tully noticed there was beautiful antique furniture and ornate tapestries on the walls. This was on old wizarding home – probably one of those old family estates.
Moody steered Tully through the archway and into a grand dining hall. There was a long dining table made of African Blackwood. A large crystal chandelier hung gracefully above the table. Tully glanced around and noticed that the group from the Pinelli investigation was seated around the table. Tully took a seat next to Minerva.
"You look nice," he whispered. "Did you have a date?"
"Dinner," she replied shortly. "With a friend."
Minister Urquart cleared his throat and the two quieted down. The group discussed the body and the note at length. The boys from the Hit Wizard division weren't too forthcoming about the nature and scope of Miss Watts' involvement with the department. Moody was getting frustrated. Amelia was rapping her nails on the table.
"You wore that to dinner with a friend?" Tully said in a barely audible whisper to his partner. He couldn't resist the opportunity to get in a dig at her.
"Since when do you care what I wear?" She whispered back as she kept her eyes on Minister Urquart.
"I don't care," he whispered hastily. "But your friend might. Lawyers tend to make assumptions."
This caught her attention. She turned to look at him.
"I never told you who I was at dinner with," she said in a dangerously low voice.
"Do you two have something you wish to share with the class?" Minister Urquart said sharply.
"Yes," Minerva said quickly. She explained to the others the information they had gathered on their recent trip to Hogwarts. She left out her conversation with Dumbledore. He still had not sent an owl, and until he did, she would keep their conversation secret.
"Do you think this is a blood cult?" Yaxley asked. "We've never had any evidence linking the Pinelli's to blood cults."
"Salvatore Pinelli, no," Bilius Weasley said. "But he's in Azkaban. The new head of the family might feel differently."
A debate broke out amongst the group. Blood cults were dangerous and rare. Although blood cults typically employed many tactics of organised crime, they were much more dangerous. Cult members could not be bought off, convinced, bargained, or reasoned with. Cult members were fanatical. They weren't interested in money or power. They were only interested in the cause.
"Settle down," Urquart said sharply to get the attention of the room. The chatter stopped instantly. "Deputy Thomas and I have assignments for you."
Recently, a rare opal necklace had disappeared from Borgin and Burke's. It was cursed. It was also a Class A illegal item. Borgin and Burke's was legally able to own the necklace but it could not be sold. Auror Shacklebolt had received a tip from a source that the necklace had disappeared from the display case. The only family wealthy enough to purchase a Class A illegal item was the Pinelli family.
Moody and Bones were to canvass Knockturn Alley to pinpoint when the item went missing. McGonagall and Black were going to try their luck at the shop in morning. Shacklebolt would watch his sources in vice closely for any leads. Scrimgeour and Vance from Major Case would be combing through the Pinelli family books to look for any major financial dealings that could be masking the purchase of the necklace.
It was late so Minister Urquart adjourned the meeting and wished them all luck with their assignments in the morning.
"And thank you, Potter," Urquart said on his way to the floo, "for allowing us the use of your home."
"This is his house?" Tully whispered to Minerva.
"Yes," Potter said having heard Tully's comment. "Please stay and join us for a drink."
"Us?" Tully mouthed to Minerva as he followed her into the library. She rolled her eyes.
Once inside the library, Potter poured drinks for the group. Moody had accompanied the group and it seemed everyone was aware of Tully's protection detail.
The library was vast. Large bookcases filled with ancient tomes stretched from the floor to the ceiling. There were enormous two-story latticed windows with long drapes. Tully sat down next to Moody on a small chaise lounge across from Minerva and Potter.
"So you live here?" Tully asked Potter.
"Yes," Potter responded. "Peverell Manor. It has been in my family for generations. I inherited the estate after my father died. It is rumoured to have been the home of Ignotus Peverell."
"It is quite nice," Tully said as he looked out the large windows. The moon was bright and he could see out into the grounds.
"Why wasn't I told the meeting location?" Tully asked bluntly. Potter averted his eyes. Moody said nothing. Minerva looked at the two and then decided she would break the silence.
"I don't know," Minerva said uneasily. "That is to say, I don't know for sure. Minister Urquart contacted each of us individually. It is possible he thought, with the recent incident, that perhaps Moody escorting you was safer."
She was referring to the recent break in. Someone had broken into his home. Someone had cast a legilimency spell. Nothing was stolen, except memories. Tully had no recollection of what was taken. The intruder had left Tully completely unharmed and Tully had been unable to recall what he'd been dreaming about aside from dancing.
"So I'm a liability?" Tully questioned.
"No one's saying that," Potter said in a reassuring voice. "If Minister Urquart thought you were a liability he would have excluded you from the meeting."
Tully took Potter's words to heart. The man had a point. He wouldn't have been given private information if there was a risk it would be revealed. The investigation was Minister Urquart's highest priority. The team had spent the better part of three years working to bring down the Pinelli family. They wouldn't take any chances at this point.
"So Mr Tulius McGonagall," Potter said as he leaned across Minerva to grab the bottle of scotch. "I hear you are looking for new lodgings?"
"Yes," McGonagall replied. "My fiancee would like to find a new home before we're married."
"In London?" Potter pried.
"Perhaps," Tully replied. "We're not exactly sure where."
"Jameson Greengrass recently died," Potter said as he took a small swig of his drink. "The family is drowning in debt. His estate is for sale. It would be a nice home to raise a family in."
This peaked Tully's interest. He desperately wanted a country home. He had no desire to raise his children in the heart of London's pureblood society class. However, Dolores wanted a home that would be suitable for a ministry official. Perhaps the Greengrass estate would be the best of both worlds.
"I'm curious Mr. Potter," Tully began to say.
"Please," Potter interjected, "call me Seamus."
"Seamus," Tully continued. "Tell me about the estate."
The Greengrass family was an old wizarding family with strong ties to the community. The Greengrass estate was located outside of Godric's Hollow. The house itself was large and fortified. It included lodgings for up to 18 guests. There were three state rooms in the home where the Greengrass family had hosted the Serbian Minister of Magic and numerous other important guests. There was a ballroom, a cigar closet, and a billiards room.
The grounds featured stables, an archery green, and whimsical gardens. The Greengrass family had employed the renowned landscape herbologist Michel Spahr to redesign the gardens in 1921.
"I could arrange a meeting for you with his daughter," Seamus offered. "She's looking to sell. It would be a great home for someone in Ministry brass."
The grandfather clock near the door chimed twelve times. It was late. In the morning Tully and Minerva would be serving a warrant to Borgin and Burke's store.
"We've got papers to serve tomorrow," Tully said to Potter. "I shall take my leave."
They would not be able to floo home. Instead, they would have to walk to the edge of the property's wards and apparate back to London. Minerva had offered to escort Moody and Tully to a safe apparition point. The three walked out of the library and into a grand entrance hall with marble columns.
They walked out through the front entrance and down a stone path toward an iron gate lined with neatly trimmed hedges. In the distance, there were lights from a small village.
"Where are we exactly?" Tully asked as he pointed to the village.
"Godric's Hollow," Minerva answered as she waved her hand and the iron gate opened. They walked along a small path toward a large Dule tree.
"You'll be safe here," Minerva said as she nodded to the two men.
"You won't be apparating back to London with us?" Tully said with a hint of accusation toward his partner.
"Goodnight," Minerva said avoiding the question. She turned on her heel and walked back toward the house.
"He's got a big house," Tully shouted after her. "I'm sure he'll make a great Minister of Magic."
Minerva refused to show any sign that she heard his words and kept her body rigid.
Moody gave a look to Tully and with a small pop the two men were off to London.