14. Back to Lykkeligdal.

The square in Lykkeligdal appeared around them both, making them squint in the bright sunlight after the relative dimness of the Leaky Cauldron. Adam took a deep breath as the wave of nausea passed. They crossed the creaky bridge over the small river to the inn.

Walking through the door, ducking under the low beams, they saw Charley Weasley sitting on a large long bench, his fork halfway to his mouth loaded with food. He watched them as they walked over and sat on the bench opposite him.

"Where's your friend gone Mr Weasley?" Asked Adam.

"What friend?" He said, putting down the fork, his appetite gone. Adam pointed at the second half-empty plate, cutlery, and cup beside him. "She decided not to be around when she heard your voices in the foyer."

"So now we're getting somewhere, who is she?" Adam leant forward.

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"To save us the effort of going to the desk and checking with the owner," Tony replied, leaning forwards towards Charley, echoing Adam's move from yesterday.

"Elfrida Hedgecock." He said with a resigned air.

Adam and Tony looked at each other.

"Charley, Elfrida Hedgecock's dead body was found in a locked broom closet in the Ministry of Magic." Several emotions ran across Charley's face. "Now tell me who was here?"

"She's been here for about a month. Her husband was having an affair with a colleague in the Ministry." As he was speaking, Adam slipped out of the seat and left the room, Charley's eye's followed him.

"Charley, it is not Elfrida, because she is dead. Who is she?"

"I'm not joking. She said she worked for the ministry and was having a break because of personal problems."

"How well did you know her?"

"Not very well. We sometimes have a drink together in the evening and sometimes, like today we had breakfast, everybody else is out with the Drakes."

"Where did you two go to during the day?"

"We went nowhere during the day. I was at work; she never left her room as far as I know, except for breakfast, dinner and sometimes a drink later on."

"Were you two an item?"

"No." Charley's voice showed his indignation as he spoke.

Adam came back into the room and re-seated himself.

"The doorman says she signed in as Elfrida Hedgecock, four weeks ago. I have the key to her room if you want to search it."

Tony stood and smiled at Adam, taking the key from his hand.

Adam looked down at Charley. "You finish your breakfast, don't leave. We will be back to talk to you shortly."

"You can't stop me from going to work."

Adam leant over him menacingly.

"Yes, I bloody well can. Do not make me come and find you, understand?" He turned away before Charley could speak, following Tony out.

He stopped in the foyer for a moment. "I am amazed how you threaten a wizard and have them do what you ask," Tony said, smiling. "I wish I could do that."

"It's all in the delivery. If you believe it, they will believe it. Also, I've had many years of telling people what to do, and expecting it to be done without question." He looked at Tony for a moment. "I've heard you speaking to people, and you sound like you mean it sometimes. You just need to work at it a bit more."

Tony led the way up several floors on a twisted staircase which creaked underfoot. Then they walked down a corridor which seemed warped as you looked along its length. As they moved, the floor groaned and moved underfoot. Every long section of the wall, between the doors, had a large painting hung on it. Adam was certain he could see the characters moving in them, which he found unnerving. They stopped at a huge carved door, little different to the others, the carvings smoothed by hundreds of years of polishing, small holes from woodworm scattered over it. Tony unlocked the door and pushed it open. Inside, they could see a huge old four-poster bed, festooned with red velvet curtains, roughly pushed open. On the far wall opposite the shuttered windows was the ubiquitous fireplace with the remains of a long-dead fire sitting in a small grate. The room looked dark and foreboding as they looked around. At the foot of the bed was an immense chest.

Tony pulled the window open and then pushed the shutter out, sunlight banishing the gloom and allowing fresh air to circulate, removing the stuffiness. The room went from dingy to bright and richly ornate, the deep colours on the walls and furnishings coming to life.

"Why no paintings?" Adam asked, his head rotating around, trying to take everything in, looking for anything out of place.

"The people in the paintings are dead, not voyeurs." Adam shook his head, deciding not to pursue the comment, already having too much to assimilate.

A small-mirrored dressing table near the window caught Tony's eye. The top was covered with small bottles, all labelled, some still stoppered, others open and empty. Tony picked each one up as Adam opened the trunk, finding it filled with clothes. He pulled them out, dropping them into two untidy piles.

Adam broke the silence. "Bit of an oddity here."

"What's that?" He asked, turning from the bottles.

"Charley said it was a woman. Why are there two sets of clothing, one male and one female, I think?"

"You think?"

"The guys in your world have a habit of wearing long gown things, so I'm not sure."

Tony walked over and looked. "The two sets of clothes would make sense." He held up a small empty bottle. "This is a clever little potion we call Polyjuice."

"Is it nice to drink?"

"Probably the vilest thing I've ever tasted."

"Then why drink it?"

"Because of what it can do." He went back to the dressing table, picked up two full bottles, and slipped them into his pocket.

"Are you going to tell me what they do?" Adam asked his hands on his hips.

"They turn you into someone else, for a little while." Tony realised by the blank expression on Adam's face that he needed to explain more. "Drink the potion and you become another person for a little while."

"Like an Animagus?"

"Yes, but no."

"Every time I ask a question, your reply is yes, but no?"

"It is like being an Animagus, but only another human. You need something from the person you want to look like, in every detail, like blood, hair or fingernail cuttings. Add it to the potion and bob's probably your aunt."

"Can you make it?"

"I think most kids leaving school will have made it, or at least tried."

"So whoever was with Charley this morning could be anybody. We already know Hedgecock was killed some time ago and, according to the hotel, she's been here for the last month?"

"Not necessarily," Tony said, heading across the room to the attached small bathroom. He picked up a hairbrush and pulled several long hairs from it. Pulling a small phial from his pocket, he slipped the hairs inside and sealed it.

"We have this." He said, pointing at the phials on the dresser. "Which we know work, and we have this." He held up the phial with the hair inside. Adam looked at him quizzically. "We add this hair to the contents of one of these and then we get someone to drink it. They will turn into whoever it was."

"How long does this potion work for?" Adam asked, still not sure if he believed what Tony was telling him.

"About an hour."

"That would explain why our Mr Weasley only sees this person for breakfast, dinner or for a drink in the evening." Adam dropped the clothes back into the trunk. "Have we got time to see the room where Ninian Ferhn was found?"

"This is the room."

"When did Ferhn die?"

"Five weeks ago."

"So Ferhn died in this room and they let the room out to our cross-dresser within a week?"

"Sounds about right. Finding somewhere to stay around here at this time of year is difficult."

"Seems a little odd letting a room out that quick after a death?"

"Considering the age of Torkel, I expect there have been several deaths in every room over the years. What about the flat in Soho? You said the flat was handed back as soon as forensics had finished?"

"Good point, but this room has never seen a forensic expert."

"Aurors would have checked the room over and found nothing out of the ordinary." Adam stared at him. "OK, the Aurors might not be as good as your forensics, but they checked for the important magic footprint." Adam nodded in agreement.

He was about to leave the room when he realised Tony hadn't moved and was staring at him. He waited, knowing he was about to ask a question.

"When we get a chance, I need us to talk to someone of importance at the Ministry. I think we need to include some Muggle forensics in our work." Adam nodded in agreement.

They checked the rest of the room out, finding nothing of importance, before stamping down the stairs, ignoring the ominous creaking and groaning. Tony dropped the key on the desk as they passed into the room that contained Charley, sitting where they had left him, his breakfast now eaten.

They sat down opposite him again. Adam did his usual lean forward, staring him straight in the eyes. It was obvious he was uncomfortable with this level of scrutiny.

"Mr Weasley." Adam began. "How close were you to your friend?"

"Not at all." He noticed Adams' eyebrows rise. "Seriously, I only ever see her at odd times."

"Do you know what Polyjuice is, Mr Weasley?"

He sat back and looked at Tony. "Is this guy for real?"

"Adam, every wizard knows what Polyjuice is."

"Really." He frowned for a moment. "When did you last make Polyjuice Mr Weasley?"

"I've never made it. I have a brother who is probably an expert on things like Polyjuice, but I couldn't, not without a lot of research and time to find the ingredients, even then I doubt whether it would work."

Adam looked at Tony again.

"He's right, it's very difficult to make, and that's before you find all the ingredients you need. One other thing, Polyjuice can be brought over the counter, in his brother's shops."

"I know how to make potions for burns and scratches, but then I was never much of a potions maker," Charley said as his voice dropped as he spoke.

Adam thought for a moment, realising he was heading the wrong way and changed tack.

"Your friend, she apparated out of here. Do you know where she went?"

"Elfrida, or whatever her name was, got up and walked out of that door." He said, pointing at the far wall. Adam assumed was the door to the kitchens.

"Why didn't she apparate?"

"I don't know," Charley replied.

"She didn't want to be followed." Tony Added.

"Where could she go on foot around here?" Adam asked Charlie.

"Around here, nowhere, I can't think of a place more dangerous to wander around."

"If you were on foot, where could you go? That was safe?"

"I'd stick to the West pathway, towards the shacks where the Hanterare's spend their time," Charley said without a moment's hesitation. "To go in almost any other direction without knowing the area would be like committing suicide."

"Would she know about this?"

"Yes, everyone is told about it when they arrive."

"We weren't." Said Tony, watching Charley shrug.

"Can you take us up this West path?" Adam asked.

"No." Came the reply.

"I'll say that again. You will take us up the path."

"No. I have work I can't get away from. Before that, I need some sleep, as I have been up all night. I can get someone else to show you the way." His speech had speeded up.

"What's so important about your work you can't show us this path?" Adam's interest was piqued.

"The drakes are getting ready to migrate south for the winter. Can you imagine the panic if dragons appeared flying south over the UK or Europe?"

"What do you do, carry them?" Adam replied, surprised.

"No." He said with an air of annoyance. "We fly with them and keep them hidden with magic."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously, it can take up to two weeks to get to their summer breeding grounds. We have to keep them hidden from everything. When they stop for a break to rest, we have to make the area secure and keep Muggles away." Adam looked at Tony before both of them looked back at Charley. "Can you imagine what would happen if they stopped in the middle of a major city because they're tired? We have to cajole them to fly to a better, more defensible position."

"Where do they fly to?" Asked Tony, as surprised by this news as Adam.

"Depends on the breed. The one I will be with is a Norwegian Ridgeback. She'll be heading for South America."

"How do you follow them?" Adam asked.

"Broom."

Tony's respect for Charley had gone up several notches in the last couple of minutes.

"Isn't that uncomfortable?" Adam asked.

"Depends on how good your broom is. Also, dragons don't care about the weather. In fact, they quite enjoy flying in the rain, keeps them cool."

"You do this every year?"

"No, twice. Remember, they come back here for the summer. We stay with them all year round."

Adam dropped his eyes down onto his hands and thought for a moment.

"Why don't you use magic to keep them permanently invisible?"

"Dragons are magical creatures. Spells only work on them for short periods, literally hours in some cases, then they need replacing. What do you think the lifespan of a dragon would be without our help?" Neither of them had an answer. "Shall I get someone who can show you the path?" He stood up, ready to leave.

"Yes please, Mr Weasley," Adam said as Tony nodded. "However, before you go, how well did you know Ninian Ferhn?"

Charley sat down again, heavily. He almost seemed to deflate as he took a deep breath. "I first met him in Romania, where I went to work after leaving school. He showed me the ropes, and we became very good friends."

"Any idea why anyone would want him dead, Mr Weasley?"

"None. He was always ready with a quip and a funny story, usually about escaping from the jaws of rogue dragons. Everyone who met him liked him and most became his friend."

"Do you remember him meeting anyone in the time leading up to his death?"

Charley looked upward for a moment. Adam was observing any telltale signs he was about to lie.

"I saw him talking to a young blond girl once, not long before he was found. She was with Dulcey Woodrow, she's a trainee Hanterare. She lives in one of the shacks."

"Is she available to talk to?" Adam asked, seeing that Charley was itching to get away.

"She's probably out with the Drakes or in the shacks. I'll get someone to guide you up there." He stood up and waited patiently for any more questions.

"If we need to talk to you again, which we probably will," he watched Charley's shoulders drop slightly, "how will we contact you if you're with a dragon travelling somewhere?"

"He can find me anywhere." He gestured at Tony. Adam looked around at him and received a nod.

"Thank you, Mr Weasley. Please send us the guide."

"Before I go, I have a question for you." Adam nodded. "Did he explain the Muggle problem?"

"Yes, he did." He replied.

"What did you think?" It was Adam's turn to feel uncomfortable under the man's intense gaze.

"With my limited knowledge, the whole situation does not bode well for anyone."

"Good. That means you seem to have a decent grasp of the problem." He nodded at Tony and snapped from view.

Adam turned. "Did you know all that stuff about dragons?"

"No. At school, you do a course each year on the care of magical animals, but I didn't know they migrated." Tony said, shaking his head. "There's no way I could ride a broom for weeks in all weathers."