Werewolf Hunting

Disclaimer: Still don't, still don't own, own.

Q: Because the English language was made up by other people, does that mean that we are using someone else's work and are actually plagiarising everyday of our lives? (The same with other languages)

Author's Note: Thank you to all my latest reviewers! Miss Daydream, Lumberjane and emeraldsgem! I love you people!

Chapter Seven: Travelling

"Well this is where the footprints end, so this must be where they vanished from." Boewyn announced triumphantly, Moody rolled his good eye and took in their surroundings with the other. Boewyn had led him up the path towards Hogwarts before cutting off into the trees. Now they stood in a small clearing about 50 meters into a section of forest. Dark trees surrounded them thickly, cutting off all sound, only slight shaft of lights managed to break though the canopy of leaves above them. The whole effect was eerie. It was in fact the kind of clearing you read about in muggle fairytales, where animals talked, elves were tall and beautiful and all other manner of nonsense. Moody shook himself lightly.

"Now what?" he asked gruffly. Boewyn looked at him,

"It's your investigation, you tell me."

Moody opened his mouth to argue then snapped it shut. He'd spent the entire time so far arguing that he was supposed to be in charge and when he does get control back he nearly argues against it?

This man is not good for me. I swear he's going to drive me crazy before this is over.

Moody took a necessary moment to compose himself before taking in the situation. Taking a good look around the clearing, his magical eye checking for anybody that might be lurking in the trees watching them.

"Right" he muttered after a moment of silence he turned to look at Boewyn and stopped. The hunter was silently dancing on the spot, lips moving as he sang some unknown song.

Moody cleared his throat,

"Yo?" Boewyn asked - he didn't stop dancing.

"We have to find the magical trace of apparition. If we're lucky it's not too old and we can get a vague idea of how far they've gone and if we're even luckier we may even get a fairly close location to where they ended up."

"That's nice."

"That's nice?"

"You're the one with the wand, not me."

Moody sighed and drew his wand from his pocket casting several spells, muttering to himself his findings. Boewyn continued dancing.

"Right then, I think I have it. They've gone to somewhere in… Essex as far as I can tell.

"Essex?" Boewyn made a disappointed sound

"What's the matter?"

"It's just… well Essex… I mean, I was hoping for something a little more exciting. This is a kidnapping after all."

"Somewhere more exciting?" Moody repeated dully

"Yeah, Y'know like… Paris! Or something like that." Boewyn looked eager. "I always wanted to go to Paris. Are you sure it wasn't Paris?"

Moody found himself wondering if anybody would notice or care if Boewyn mysteriously disappeared.

"I am positive it's Essex." Moody growled

"Ok, if you say so, but when we get there and you realise we were supposed to go to Paris…"

"WE ARE NOT GOING TO PARIS!"

"That's what they all say Al, and then where do they end up? Paris."

Moody found himself wishing for someone to put Boewyn out of his misery.

"We'll apparate to Chelmsford, see what we can find out there."

"If you say so."

Just before Moody apparated he heard Boewyn mutter; "still think we should go to Paris…"

---

Boewyn appeared next to Moody on the outskirts of Chelmsford, still stewing over the whole Essex/Paris thing. He never got to go to Paris. Moody was checking the area for anybody who might have seen them.

"Al, you always have been and always will be too paranoid for your own good. It'll kill you one day y'know."

Moody ignored him, still casting a few spells here and there. Boewyn got bored and began dancing again.

"Stop that!" Moody barked

"Apparating makes you tetchy doesn't it?"

"I'm not tetchy" came the snappish retort

"Uh-huh, yeah, right." Boewyn hadn't stopped dancing.

"Well head into the town, listen around, see if anybody notice anything out of the ordinary in the past few days."

This brightened Boewyn insurmountably,

"Sounds good. I'll listen in the pub."

"No you won't" Moody snapped

"Yeah, I will. Everybody talks in pubs, Al. Pubs are the gossip pits of the world. You want to know something, you go to a pub. You hear something that catches your attention. You buy the person who said it a drink. You get them talking. You learn more. You bugger of when you have everything you need to know, and if you bought them enough, they won't remember the next morning that they ever met you, let alone said anything they weren't supposed to. Fact of life that is."

Boewyn had many philosophies of life. Many of them revolved around drinking these days.

"You are an alcoholic." Moody grumbled

"I am not an alcoholic." Boewyn was offended at that. Moody rolled his eyes.

"I'm a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings." Boewyn finished triumphantly.

Moody snorted in disgust.

"Wonderful."

Boewyn began to head into the town, Moody half a step behind him.

"At least I admit it, Al. There are so many people today who never admit they drink too much or smoke too much or whatever else too much." Boewyn informed his companion.

"Sad really" he continued.

They walked in silence for a bit before Boewyn spoke up once more.

"I'm surprised you haven't torn my throat out or not having a wand yet, Al. Normally your all; 'A wand is the line between life and death. Without it you are venerable to your enemies and your enemies are everywhere. CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" Boewyn was rather pleased with his Moody impression.

"I just assumed you sold it for a drink." Moody retorted

"Of course not." Boewyn paused then, "It got eaten."

"Eaten?"

"Yup"

"Why don't you get a replacement then?" Moody seemed reluctant to ask for some reason.

"Are you kidding? Go to Ollivanders and get another one? Are you mad? Ollivander gives me the creeps. I can look a rabid werewolf in the bad-breath, rotten ranged mouth, but you couldn't get me into Ollivanders for a million beers. My god, I'd heard you were a little unhinged but this just proves it." Boewyn shuddered, "just thinking about the old man makes me want my mum."

Finally they were in the centre of town, Moody stopped and Boewyn looked at him.

"I'll look around the town you..."

"Will see what I can find out in there" Boewyn interrupted pointing at the building that had every appearance of a pub. He was pleased that Moody had decided to give in.

"Fine. But don't get drunk. Listen for pities sake!" Moody's voice was resigned.

"Got it." Boewyn replied,

"I'll meet you in there in 2 hours to rendezvous."

"I don't know what that means, but... Ok!" Boewyn was already making his way across the street, looking up at the sign above the door that proclaimed the pub as 'The Black Rabbit'. Boewyn grinned roguishly,

"Works for me." He announced out loud to himself then entered opened the door to be met by a banquet of smells, the strongest of which, was booze.

Author's Note: Ok a note on several things here... about where they are... ummmm...I have no idea about what places are in Britain, geography isn't my strong point so... yeah. Choosing it was a conversation that went like this.

Me: "Quick, I need a place in Britain!"

Amber: "... Essex"

Me: "Ok"

Followed by me looking up Essex on the net (gotta love Wikiipedia) then picking places from there.

And yes, I really enjoy naming the pubs – this pub I was having a problem naming, until I changed the channel on the TV and the music/film clip for AFI's Miss Murder came on – there's black rabbits in it... Hence my inspiration.

Next Chapter James and Sirius get their revenge on Snape, and Boewyn causes Moody more grief.