The Grants Artefacts

18 Rats and Recoveries

Rats and Recoveries.

Her room in the Leaky Caldron was more welcome than the Sewer, but in the quiet, all she could do was reflect on everything that had happened. She thought about Avery's compulsions, puzzled over Severus' friendship with him. She thought about the Carrows and how easily they had forced her to do something so terrible. She thought about the werewolves and the Americans and tried to figure out if they were working together, and she planned her raid on the Ministry.

Despite all the things going round in her head, she slept well and in the morning Mundungus met her in the bar by the fire. "I ain't saying anything in here," he told her. "But I've got something tasty."

"Brighton?" she asked. "I'll side-along us."

"I do like the seaside."

They went out back and Arundel apperated, then they walked along the windy seafront past the Hilton and then stood next to the railings looking out to sea. Mundungus drew a map from his pocket and gave it to her, "Accurate as I can get it."

She opened it and saw a blank piece of paper. "How do I use it?"

"Tap it and say, A've a butchers at this Barny Rubble. Just fold it up to put it away."

Arun did as told and across the page a spiders web of a map appeared full of scribbles and snippets of information. "You have been busy."

"Getting in will be the hard bit, you can't apparate and if you take the flu it tracks your magical signature, the Department of Mysteries is down on level nine. Weird place, all black tiled apparently, only one way in and badly lit. Then behind that is some kind of room that will disorientate intruders. We couldn't find out more than that about it. The Unspeakables don't speak much."

Arun folded the map up and put it in her pocket then leant over the railings as she thought, "Find out much about the Unspeakables shift patterns?"

"Yeah, a bit, It's on there. There's profiles, if you tap on the map you'll get more info on the people we found out about."

"This is good work."

"Just think kindly on poor ol' Dung when you 'ave things to sell and buy."

Back in the Caldron, Arun chucked Flu powder into the fire and called Lucius. It took a little while for her friend to respond.

"I need to talk to you face to face, can you come to me at the Caldron?"

"Can't we talk...?"

"No, not safe."

Lucius looked down at something in his arms that Arun couldn't see then he looked back up and appeared torn, "Sorry Arun, it's Draco, he's ill and I don't want to leave him, can I send Narcissa?"

"That would be great. What's wrong with Draco?"

"He's all snotty and he keeps crying, he's got a temperature too."

Arun made a face that said she was worried, "I hope he gets better quickly."

"I'll get the doctor out if he's still hot tonight. Give me a moment and i'll get my wife."

He disappeared from the fire, as Arundel waited she thought about how Flu Powder was monitored by the Flu Regulation Board at the ministry. It would be good to find out the extent of their ability to monitor, could they listen in? Could they identify the wizards talking? She knew that the ministry monitored apparitions and could trace people when they travelled, but what else could they do?

Her fire turned green and Narcissa Malfoy stooped and crawled out of the flames. She brushed soot from her hair and gave the chimney an undignified glance. "Hello darling," she muttered and smiled, but her own eyes and nose were red and puffy and she sounded pretty terrible. "So? What can I do for you today, a spot more muggle torture perhaps, a cunning plot to change the world?" She sounded slightly delirious.