The Thursday had been bleak and grey, with sudden showers hitting Tekla when she least expected it. It had been a long journey for her, especially since she knew so little about this country, and didn’t have that much to her name. She had managed to steal a broom from a shop in Diagon Alley, and confunding a muggle to give her a map of southern England had been easy enough, but finding her way from way up in the clouds had been harder. After numerous attempts of steering the right way, the wind, the rain, and the map slowly disintegrating in her hands had forced her to give up the idea of flying.

Instead she found a train, tricked an old lady to give Tekla her ticket, and huddled up in the seat, quietly whispering heating charms to dry her cloaks. Yes, the muggles gave her dirty looks, seeing has her garbs were both wet, dirty and broken, but she just glared back. It was bad enough she couldn’t just apparate there. Having never visited Devon before, she couldn’t risk it. The last thing she wanted was a splinching.

But in the end she had finally arrived. After some asking around, and some sly waves with her wand, she managed to figure out where the Aldridges house was. She had found it quicker than she thought she would, and had spent the entire afternoon and evening staking it out under the guise of her fox form. She had seen the husband sitting in his study, but the later it became, the more evident was it that her source had been right.

Charisma Aldridge wasn’t home.

Even though mrs Aldridge was the reason of Tekla travelling all the way to Devon, her not being there was all crucial to her plan. Through a new source in Knockturn Alley (not so much a source as a crooked wizard who had had just a few firewhiskeys too many) Tekla had found out about the Hogwarts Professor’s past as a Curse-Breaker. And her tendency for sticky fingers. According to the source, mrs Aldridge had more enchanted objects and trinkets in her home than she would ever care to admit to any official. That to Tekla sounded like a solid plan - a house full of enchanted objects, which all probably would sell for more than she owned, and an owner who wouldn’t want to report it if they went missing. Easy!

As midnight fell, and Tekla had filled her hunger by snapping a rabbit that had it’s burrow close by, the lights in the house went off one by one. She could see mr Aldridge pass through the house, from the study, to the kitchen, and then finally in the bedroom, turning off the lights after him. It was almost time, and Tekla had to stop herself from rushing in then and there. Take you’re time. She gave herself another hour, just to make sure the wizard had actually fallen asleep.

When she was sure mr Aldridge was out, she shifted back, trying not to make too many sounds and to keep herself crouched over. The last thing she wanted was to make a ruckus. Lifting her skirts, already wet with mud, she quietly made her way over to the front door. Drawing her wand she threw an alohomora spell (one of the only ones she was able to do nonverbally) and with a grin she found the door swinging quietly open. Guess the old man felt comfortable enough just to lock his door. Guess he was wrong in thinking so.

The hallways was large, with wooden floors and paintings on the walls. Tekla let her eyes adjust to the darkness, taking in her surroundings. There seemed to be odd trinkets on spindly-legged tables around the wall, and a large vase stood to her left. It had an intricate design, and looked large and expensive. She took a few steps closer, and reached out a hand to grab it, when suddenly…

BAM!

The vase flew of the ground and hit Tekla hard on her left cheek, making her screech out in pain and stumble to the floor. Her eyes teared up from a combination of shock and pain, and her hand was gently massaging her cheek. She had not expected that.

“Hello?”

Tekla’s head spun around, and her eyes went white as she saw a light turn on at the top of the stairs.

“Helvete,” she growled, trying to get to her feet. But she was too slow.

At the top of the stairs mr Ryan Aldridge was standing, his wand lit in his hand pointing straight at Tekla. She glared him straight in the eyes, erasing any trace of shock on her face, and smirked as she slowly stood up.

“Good evening, mr Aldridge,” she said, stretching out to her full length. “Sorry to disturb you this evening.”

“Who are you?” he asked, waving her wand towards her. “What are you doing here?”

Tekla smiled again, and started to playfully prance around the hall, fiddling with her battered wand in her hand. She was scouting for ways to get out of there, and scouring her brain for answers that would be sufficient enough of she couldn’t find them. She cocked her head, and looked at mr Aldridge with eyes glinting.

“May I ask,” she started, not stopping her pacing. “Where does your wife keep her stash? I know it’s in here somewhere, and it would probably be less painful and time-consuming for both of us if you just told me right now.”

Mr Aldridge looked baffled for a moment before Tekla’s word sunk in. He frowned and raised his wand in a gesture meant to intimidate her. It didn’t work.

“If you think for one moment that you can just waltz in here…” he started, but Tekla cut him off.

“But Ryan,” she said, this time stopping at the bottom of the stairs. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

And in one instant the two of them moved at the same time, flinging the wands over their heads and bellowing hexes. But Tekla had done this before, many times, and it seemed like mr Aldridge wasn’t just as nimble on his feet. As the irritatingly yellow hex that he had thrown hit and singed the floor where Tekla had been standing just a second earlier, the streak of purple flames that had omitted from Tekla’s wand hit him straight in the chest. For a second he just stood there, before he collapsed and tumbled down the stairs.

Slightly panting Tekla stood and looked down at the unconscious body of the wizard. That hadn’t gone exactly to plan. But it had happened nonetheless, and with a shrug of her shoulders, and not an ounce of remorse, Tekla took a step over the body and continued into the house.