The following morning after Follow my Guiding Hand. Miranda, using legilimency, heard Lawrence Musgrave think of the name Willy and has made the connection to their old classmate.

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"Willy!"


Gladys-May's voice was not shrill like she was panicked about the children. He'd heard that one end of last week when she'd given their eldest a potion that turned out to be tainted. St Mungo's had sorted it out, quick as a flash, thank goodness, but Gladys-May had thrown out all their potions in fright since.

Today there was an edge of volume and projection that came with the notion of trouble. She used that voice on their children when they were really in trouble.

He winced at the first yell from the direction of the back door of their home across the yard, and shot to his feet on the second to peer cautiously over the top of the stable door through the pouring rain.

Gladys-May was stood on the back doorstep with her hands on her hips, hair pinned up and expression severe. Beside her was a figure dressed in crimson robes.

The bottom dropped out of Willy's stomach. Auror. Crap. Mr Musgrave had been through what to do.


"Coming, coming, my darling sweetheart." Willy exclaimed, slipping open the stable door to reveal himself to them both. He carried a bucket in one hand full of pungent dung. He was dressed for tending to the animals, damp from the weather. There were conspicuous smears of animal-related output all down him.

"If you've got yourself in trouble again, you can ruddy well sleep out there tonight!" Gladys-May snapped, and slammed shut the back door, leaving the auror on the back doorstep in the rain. Willy was about fifteen foot from him across the muddy yard. Undoubtedly she didn't want Jack and Susie to hear or see.

Be pleasant, polite and calm, Mr Musgrave had advised, but curious and concerned that they want your help.

"She puts me in th' real dog house, yer see." He remarked to the auror, gesturing into the next stall which contained their old piebald mare - the least volatile animal of the lot. "Best come o'er here out the weather. How can I help, er… auror?" 

No guesses who wore the trousers here. Andromeda read about the Shufflebottoms. William Shufflebottom got out of Azkaban in December. He served two years for trading acromantula eggs. They had two children not old enough to go to Hogwarts. Mrs Shufflebottom showed Andromeda through to the back yard. She yelled into the rain. Then a guy appeared out of the stables.  Andromeda recognised his face from a photograph. He looked dirty.

Mrs Shufflebottom went back inside. Andromeda walked across the yard, ignoring the rain. Mr Shufflebottom invited her into one of the stalls. It contained a horse so Andromeda kept her distance.
"Auror Gamp, Mr Shufflebottom." Andromeda introduced herself. "Routine enquiry Mr Shufflebotom. Do you recognise this wizard?" Andromeda held out a photograph of Lawrence Musgrave. She looked at William's face all the time. "Can you name him? When was the last time you saw him?"

It was a bit refreshing to see a woman auror who was not much taller than he was. Normally they sent the big ones with the gruff voices  and the big boots. There was something familiar about this one. She had a familiar face though not for the fact she was the auror who had come across Willy and Lawrence trying to move on the dementor in London, but because she’d grown up in the same village. Willy did not place her as Mortimer Gamp’s youngest until she introduced herself.

“Right-o.” He replied and frowned thoughtfully as she posed her question.
"Routine enquiry Mr Shufflebotom. Do you recognise this wizard?” Out of her hands crinkled a photograph. It looked like it had been taken from a newspaper and of course he recognised it. But he remembered he hadn’t seen Mr Musgrave, so he tried not to change his expression too quickly.  "Can you name him? When was the last time you saw him?”

“No, no idea who he is.” Willy lied habitually, “Is he missing? Who is it?” He looked up at Andromeda again. “You Mortimer Gamp’s daughter? From up the village?” He thumbed in the direction of the better end of the village where the Gamps had their house. “All grown up and an auror? Yer dad must be very proud."

Shufflebottom claimed not to know Musgrave. Andromeda was annoyed. He was lying.
"Yes Mr Shufflebottom. I am. Thank you. That is not why I am here. You do know this man." Andromeda held out a different photo. It was a photo taken of Lawrence Musgrave at Hogwarts. "This person, Mr Shufflebottom. You went to Hogwarts together."

Overhead, far enough to not attract attention but close enough to hear what was going on, a magpie watched with beady eyes the scene unfold below in the twitchy, alert way only a bird could.

She was only there to keep an eye on the surroundings, but if she had to she would provide (humanoid) backup. It was not common for aurors to go solo unless they were confident, senior or suicidal. But Mr Shufflebottom would not be aware of that - if he was aware of anything.

She could see his nervousness. He might not know Musgrave, but she felt he knew something about the felon. Would be a pity if he was indeed implicit with a criminal.

The magpie tactfully kept out of immediate sight as she surveyed the area again for any incoming 'help', if it would come.

The auror did seem rather displeased at his response, though she did thank him for the compliment of sorts. Willy scratched his balding head and watched as another photo was displayed to him. This time it was him as a student at Hogwarts, upending himself over the back of one of the walls while Lawrence and another couple of boys laughed. He remembered that day, didn't half hurt when he fell on his head. Madam Pomfrey had sorted him out though.

"Which one is 'e?" Willy asked the auror, playing the idiot again. It wasn't too hard, he was pretty dim. The piebald mare attempted to nibble the photograph and Willy instinctively ran his hand over her muzzle to discourage her. "That one?" He pointed with his other hand to the wrong student who also had dark hair, but not the frizzy curls Lawrence sported. Glancing up at the auror and the way she held herself, he reconsidered. "Well now... let me think. Began with L... haven't seen him since I left after me exams. Couldn't wait to get outta there see - got all this to look after." He gestured around himself. "Come on, I were what, twelve there? That's er... thirty... thirty six years ago!" He gave an over-exaggerated shrug.

"Yer mum still teaching kids is she?" He asked, attempting to distract again.

"No." Andromeda pointed to Musgrave. "This one." She could tell he was lying. He seemed nervous. He was pointing to the wrong person on purpose. He picked the one the other end of the row. "Lawrence Musgrave, Mr Shufflebottom." Andromeda leaned forwards. She stared at Shufflebottom. "You went to school together. He was in Gryffindor. You two were good friends. People in the Ministry remember. You do know him. There is no point in lying Mr Shufflebottom." Andromeda put away the photographs. "When did you last see Lawrence Musgrave?"

"Did ee?" Willy replied, and rubbed at his temple with the heel of his hand, as if he was confused. "Lemme see?" He made a show of examining the photo of the students more carefully. "Ohh yes, Lawrence Musgrave." He puffed his cheeks out, wide eyed and stared at the ceiling of the stable. "When did I last see him? Golly gosh..."

Willy wandered away down the side of the mare who shuffled about, eager to be treated with something delicious that could be in his pockets. As such, the horse moved around and swung her hindquarters towards the auror. The sudden change of position for everyone gave William a bit of time to consider what to do. Despite playing dumb, the advice to stay calm was more difficult when they'd clearly got something to identify him in relation to Lawrence.

"Not for a while - I were in Azkaban you see Auror Gamp, and Mrs Shufflebottom, she'll have me up by my balls if I were to step out of line again. I don't mean with her wand neither, but hammer and nails." He shook his head fervently, and made his way back up the stall, the piebald mare again swinging round, nudging him with her head. "I got her and the children to worry about, without those dementors." Willy, in his idiocy, had said a bit too much.

Shufflebottom said he did know Lawrence Musgrave after all. He walked away. The horse in the stable moved around. Andromeda was irritated. She learned to ride when she was a child. The horse did not scare her. Mr Shufflebottom decided he had not seen Lawrence Musgrave for a while because Mr Shufflebottom was in Azkaban last year. Andromeda did believe Shufflebottom when he talked about his wife. Mrs Shufflebottom was formidable.
"Dementors." Andromeda said. She tried not to smile. It reminded her of when she and Omari talked to Lawrence six months ago. "Why do you bring up dementors? How long is a while? You have seen Lawrence Musgrave recently Mr Shufflebottom. There is no use in protecting him. He is very dangerous. We believe he is not very well and is violent. Do you want Lawrence Musgrave around your children? Around your wife?" Andromeda stared hard at Mr Shufflebottom.

"Why do you bring up dementors? How long is a while? You have seen Lawrence Musgrave recently Mr Shufflebottom. There is no use in protecting him. He is very dangerous. We believe he is not very well and is violent. Do you want Lawrence Musgrave around your children? Around your wife?”

Willy stared bug-eyed at Andromeda Gamp in the stable. For someone so short she had a stare that could pierce steel.
“I’m not protectin’ ‘im!” He exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “He ain’t round my children, or me wife! He ain’t here!” He was beginning to panic. The lack of intelligence normally made for a lack of lateral thinking and resulting unflappability. “Why what’s he done now? He hurt someone? He don’t mean - er - hang about.”

Shufflebottom seized the stable door and booted it open where it flew outwards into the rain. He was thinking back furiously to the night before when Lawrence had seemed in a muddle, where their attempts hadn’t quite gone to plan and he’d not been able to hold his patronus for quite enough time. Sometimes he got too drawn into the situation and had been forced to drag Mr Musgrave away a number of times.

Across the yard the back door opened and his two children spilled out, heading out to fetch something from the barn for their mother. Not again, he couldn’t go back again. Gladys-May would never want to see him again, he’d never see Jack or Susie again. They’d grow up without a father knowing he was nothing. Distraught, he looked back at the auror.

There were a lot of shiny things her bird eye kept getting distracted by. Merlin, this was not the time - but thankfully being a bird meant that she could hear with great detail the tone and pitch changes of the voices of the two below her. Mr Shufflebottom was hiding a lot more than he let on and at this point her suspicions were all but confirmed. Gamp's straightforward approach was definitely putting pressure on him.

Shufflebottom's shouting made her jump in surprise and nearly fall off the roof of the stables. She managed an ungainly squawk as she fluttered off the roof, wings flapping frantically to keep her balance. The stable door flew open with a bang that yet again startled her. The glossy magpie alighted on the ground, wings hanging on either side, beak open in annoyance as their suspect hesitated at the door at the sight of the children.

Leverage. She knew he'd done time in Azkaban. Seeing him hesitate had given her an idea. The magpie squawked, jumped, a huge flurry of feathers that turned to hair and cloth, and the second auror was now blocking any way out. She'd donned a black and white bird-inspired cloak that hung around her like wings for this weather, her uniform a stark contrast beneath.

"Mr Shufflebottom," she said, fighting the urge to give him just one annoyed squawk in the face for all this trouble, "you know more than you let on. If you cooperate with us we might be looking at a more lenient verdict for you. It's your choice." Her tone implied that what would happen to him if he instead ran from them was up to him to imagine.

The auror who appeared before him from a bird form gave Willy cause for alarm. He backed off from Auror Xin with wide eyes. Jack and Susie had vanished into the barn but would reappear in a moment. He looked from the new auror to Auror Gamp.
“He ain’t here!” Shufflebottom insisted to them both. “You can search the place, he ain’t here!!” The rain was broken by the patter of feet running back to the house, carrying vegetables. “What’s he done?”

"Auror Xin has." Andromeda said. If they could not find reason to arrest him, there would be an illegal creature here. Andromeda was sure William had seen Lawrence. The way he said it made it sound like he was asking after a friend. "He broke into a house in the village. Threatened the owner. Mr Shufflebottom, if I asked your wife where you were on January 15 where would she say?" Andromeda asked. She folded her arms. "What about January 11? I will go ask her." Andromeda walked briskly after the children.

Willy made a strange sort of spluttering noise at Auror Gamp’s suggestion that she go and ask Gladys-May where he was on two dates. He shot after the auror, arms outstretched.
“NO! No don’t be - don’t be bothering her - I - he - he needed a healer I were trying to help him but he - he weren’t right. Oh Merlin, don’t send me back. Don’t send me back again. She’ll never let me see them. Please, please.” He fell to one knee on the muddy yard and begged Andromeda. “He came ‘ere looking for help last night, tis all. Scared the life outta me feeding the goats. I ain’t do anything - he were mad. I feared for me children - for me wife - please - please you’ve got to believe me. I ain’t done nothing wrong!” He had seized her scarlet cloak and had it gripped in one muddy hand, blue eyes all watery.

Mr Shufflebottom's wife and kids were a lever. He confessed to seeing Musgrave. Andromeda kept her face straight. She was happy inside. "Mr Shufflebottom, compose yourself." Andromeda said sharply. She pulled her cloak out of his hand. "You said you had not seen him. You lied to an auror Mr Shufflebottom. I am arresting you for perverting the course of justice, and on suspicion of controlling dementors." She drew her wand. "Get up. You are coming with us to London." Andromeda looked at Adrianna. "Search the farm. He might be hiding here."