Disclaimer: Harry Potter, associated characters and setting belong to JK Rowling and whoever she chooses to share the rights with, which does not include me. This is for entertainment purposes only, with no copyright infringement intended, or profit made.

Chapter 6: Destination

The first call to come in was a question rather then a report. At dinner on the third Thursday of term. all the hunters tilted their heads at once, as Lee's radio activated. "Do known Death Eaters not actively being Death Eatery count as reportable?"

Harry was sitting between Hermione and Ron. Hermione 'accidentally' dropped her Runes book, and asked Harry to pick it up for her. He assumed she meant the call as well as the book.

"Which Death Eater, where, in how much company?" Harry asked back, under his breath. He was quiet enough that Hermione heard him through the radio rather then via his voice.

"Avery. He's out drinking at the pub down by Ilkley Moor. There's no game on tonight, so it's quiet. Looks like he's trying to get pissed on the quiet."

"Thanks for the info. Stay safe."

"He's just ordered another two pints, so you lot don't have to run."

There was a click of wand on wood, and then fuzz before the headsets turned off.

Hermione gasped, shouted 'transfiguration' loud enough for half the gryffindors to hear, and grabbed Harry and Ron. The gryffindors had seen Hermione's sprints to the library often enough to not even comment.

Luna wandered over to the bench now available near Ginny, sat down, and promptly spilled her pumpkin juice on Ginny. Neville helped clean up the excess on the table and bench, but suggested she get her clothes to the House Elves as soon as possible.

Ginny left dinner midway to change, and didn't draw McGonagall's eye for more then a second.

Snape noted the lack of students only when he lacked his usual glaring targets.

ooo

Fred and George grabbed them, taking them side-along in shifts. George came back for the last, Hermione, while Fred went to scout.

"Our boy is feeling like easy prey today. He's stumbling, drunk, and alone. The hardest part will be hitting him while he's walking in a zigzag. He's taking a left."

Hermione leaned up against the corner of the building, pretending to fix her lipstick while she watched his reflection in the mirror.

"Even better, I think he's going to come say hi to you. Get him around the corner, and mouse him!"

Avery must have been drunker the Fred though, since he did indeed duck into the alley Hermione and friends were guarding, but he didn't seem to see her there. He was, apparently, planning to take advantage of a wall.

As soon as Hermione heard him starting to shuffle the front of his robes, she hit him. and had a jar out in her other hand.

"Can we disapperate from here?"

"Sure." Lets get going."

"Fred, twin-of-mine, try both Ronnikins and Harry-who-answers-the-radio. If you can do it in one trip, do."

"If you just want to take two a few miles, do it. Lets not be here." Hermione grabbed George who was already holding Ginny and they popped.

The others got to the Shack about the same time. Ginny and Ron tripped over each other trying to sit down on a chair at the same time.

Harry laughed. "If the worst that happened is Ron twisting his ankle because he forgot to beware invisible people, we've done good."

Ginny took down her hood. "I have to get back. I'm changing my robes after a Luna attack with pumpkin juice."

Hermione looked at Ron and Harry. "There really is a transfiguration paper. But it's about conjuring sugar mice, and their gross anatomy. I assume you two can cope with that?"

"Ah, papers for McGonagall. It's good to be a drop out, isn't it, brother dearest?"

"Indeed."

Hermione looked down at the jar in her hand, which now contained a drunken mouse and a rather lot of mouse pee. "Harry, please call Winky. I want Avery filed now."

Harry called "Winky, please come soon, but when others won't notice."

Hermione smiled at him. "At least you said please."

Winky popped in. "Winky is here. Winky said that there was a rattling in the attic, and we might have a ghoul moving in. The other Masters let Winky take care of it."

Harry took the jar from Hermione, and gave it to Winky. "Winky, this is a mouse named Avery. His cage has to be labeled exactly that, okay?"

"Yes Master Harry. Anything else?"

"Umm... Avery the Mouse might need a mouse sized dose of sobering potion..."

Winky tilted her head at Harry, but after a moment, said "Winky can do that." She popped off.

Harry laughed. "I never thought I'd have a reason to say that. Let's get back."

Dinner was almost over when they got back to the Great Hall, but Snape was still there, and watched them take their seats.

Ron grinned. "Look, we're just in time for pudding."

Snape stopped watching when the rest of Gryffindor did. No one wanted to see Ron put four chocolate biscuits in his mouth at once.

ooo

During Herbology, Hermione's radio started buzzing. Then she heard a faint "Is it on?"

"Something to report?"

"This is... this is Angelina, from the reception area of the Ministry. Walden Macnair is on the list, right?"

"Yes."

"He's been sent off to the Welsh Green grounds in the Brecon Beacons. He's on his own. He said he's be coming back late, around 7:30."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome.

Hermione handed her prepped pot of soil to Neville, and watched him wrestle a Chinese Chomping Cabbage into it. She tapped he wand to the radio on her belt, back under her robes.

"Did you lot hear that?"

"Yeah. Fred's off looking up the coordinates of the main gate. We can get you there."

"Thanks, George. I was thinking we lie in wait for him to leave the reserve. You guys are closed after six, right?"

"Yup."

"This is Ginny, I can't make it, nor can Ron."

"Quidditch?"

"We'll make excuses for Harry, since we're really only training up the new beaters."

"Are they any good?"

"George, they're horrible. Now lets meet at 6:45, and lets shut up. Hermione hates being distracted in class."

"Thanks, Harry."

"I want your notes, thus it's a selfish interest of mine, keeping you happy."

"And now you can shut up too." Hermione lowered her silencing ward, and went to help Neville remove a cabbage from Dean's nose.

ooo

Harry stood there, looking at the jar in his hand. The the rest of them, it looked like a jar floating in mid air. "Death Eaters late for supper are easy prey."

"Get the jar hidden, let's get out of here, and let's get our own supper."

"Sorry about that, side-along apparition on an empty stomach makes George cranky." Fred's hands appeared, reaching for where Harry-who-held-the-jar and Ron were.

Hermione played blind man's bluff over towards George's hula hoop. "Harry, think sneaking them into the castle for food would be good cover us not being visible?"

"Sure. Lets have them for a picnic by the lake. It's a nice day, and yet it's out of the way, in case someone was looking for us and couldn't find us."

Hermione nodded. "When we get-" Pop! "George, warn me!"

The disembodied voice next to Hermione spoke in George's voice. "Standard operating procedure says we don't discuss dinner plans while waiting about for someone to notice a Death Muncher is missing. Besides, hungry."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, call Winky, ask her for a picnic, and trade off our mouse."

Harry asked "Not the Hogwarts elves?"

She shook her head. "No, they'll give it away that we didn't ask ahead of time."

"Where are we now, Fred?" Harry was quiet, but serious.

"Tinworth, why?"

"I see a Death Muncher mask... Three."

"Only three? Anyone else see anyone?"

"It looks like just the three. They're trying to break the wards over there."

"Hermione, count down from five, we fire on zero."

"Five-"

"Everyone, to your battle hoops." Fred voice was somehow grim and cheerful.

"Four, Three-"

"Guys, lets just grab who we can on the first round and get out. I don't like letting them chose the field, or our lack of recon."

"Agreed."

"Two, one."

"Jars."

"Fire." Hermione's voice was loud enough that one of the three turned around just before he was hit by the green beam and rushing wind. His scream was cut off, as were his companions, but there were yells coming from the other side of the house.

Fred and George didn't stick around to see if those were other Death Eaters or not. They grabbed their charges and popped off towards Scotland.

Harry, Hermione and Ginny didn't manage to get their jars back into their pouches before the stop at Apppleby.

They did picnic. Harry requested both toast and chocolate biscuits. Winky sent a four course meal. McGonagall found them by following Neville back from his quest for spoons for the soup course, and talked them to getting back to their respective places. Fred and George took the blame for breaking in, and bringing the picnic from off-site, and thus there was only minimal points loss.

ooo

Luna clipped two articles from the Daily Prophet the next day at breakfast.

x

Ministry Creatures Keeper Lost

Last Seen Aggravating Welsh Green

Dragon Keepers Say He Left Safe

x

Tinworth House Burglary Foiled

Wards Almost Down – Town Confused

Rumors Say Pub's Windows Flashed Green

Her housemates asked "Luna, I thought you only read the Quibbler, what's with the clippings?"

She said simply "These are almost pretty enough to decorate mice cages with."

Her housemates gave up and kept quiet.

AN: This chapter is a bit short. Overall, average word count is trending upwards.