A few days ago, during a routine tracking check, Wimzy had noticed something odd. One of the enchanted boots, part of a set of three that Alex had previously sold to Azalea, had moved. And it hadn't just moved a short distance. It had vanished.
The speed of its displacement was unnaturally fast, so fast that before Wimzy could even react, the tracker had already exceeded its sensing range. That was a problem. Alex's trackers were highly advanced, capable of covering the entire British mainland, including Ireland.
For them to lose contact completely, there were only two possibilities: either the tracker had been disrupted, or the boots had traveled far beyond Britain. Alex was inclined to believe the latter. The last recorded direction of movement had been northeast, toward mainland Europe. "Did they send it back to headquarters? Or was it given away as a gift?" Alex mused aloud. He had several theories, but no concrete answers. He couldn't exactly chase after a single enchanted boot across the continent, so for now, he had to let it go.
***
On the night before the Christmas holiday, At 8:00 PM, Wimzy burst into Alex's alchemy lab, clutching a handful of trackers. "master, the jammers have moved!"
Alex, who had been working on a new prototype, immediately straightened. His eyes sharpened. 'Finally.' He had been waiting for this. "Where's Azalea?" he asked at once. "Did she move with the jammers?"
Wimzy shook her head, quickly checking the tracker again. "No. Her position is still in the Ministry of Magic. There's been no change in her usual routine."
Alex's eyes glinted. "So her accomplices have finally made their move."
Wimzy nodded. "Only eight jammers have been taken, four anti-Apparition jammers and four shielding jammers. The remaining two are still with Azalea, so she's likely keeping them on her."
"That matches her previous pattern," Alex murmured. Azalea had always carried some of the stolen equipment on her person.
Wimzy continued, "Fang has been monitoring her house, and there haven't been any noticeable changes. They must have taken the jammers through Apparition or the Floo Network."
That made sense. There had been no physical activity around Azalea's residence. The transfer had likely happened instantly. Alex's gaze darkened. "Good," he said, straightening up.
Back at the shop, Fang sat in front of a magical monitor, scanning the feeds. Alex glanced at him as he adjusted his gear. "Fang, keep an eye on things here. Monitor Azalea. If anything changes, contact us immediately using the communication charm."
Fang nodded without looking away from the screen. Alex turned back to Wimzy. "Let's go." She reached out, grasping his wrist, and they Disapparated. Wimzy's Apparition was flawless. Unlike most wizards, her magical control was nearly seamless. She could Apparate to places she had never even seen, a feat Alex was still working to master. For long-distance tracking like this, it was best to have her leading the way.
They traveled through a shifting veil of magic, an invisible current cutting through the air like smoke, moving at incredible speed. Alex could feel their trajectory. They were leaving London. Heading southwest. As they passed over several counties, the air around them grew sharper. They were nearing the edge of the British mainland. And then, With a sudden shift in magic, Wimzy's hold tightened, and they landed.
The world snapped back into focus. They were in an open, uninhabited area. Wimzy exhaled, catching her breath. Even after all of Alex's training, long-distance tracking was still a strain. "master," she reported quickly, "the tracker veered off significantly right before we arrived. That means we're either very close to the target… or we passed it entirely." She frowned, still catching her breath. "I didn't want to risk Apparating straight into a complex area. If it's too crowded or magically shielded, we could get separated. I suggest we continue on foot from here."
After stabilizing their position, Alex took a moment to assess their surroundings. From what he could tell, they had landed somewhere in Dorset County, in the southwest of England. Without hesitation, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small bottle of Invigoration Draught, handing it to Wimzy. "Drink this first," he said.
Wimzy took it gratefully, sipping the potion to restore her energy after their long-distance Apparition. Then, with a smooth motion, Alex pulled her into a brief embrace before unfolding his jet-black cloak.
With a soft whoosh, the two shot into the air. Unlike broomsticks, this Flying Cloak was Alex's own invention, created after he mastered the Levitation Charm. It allowed him to fly freely without the limitations of traditional flight tools. Although it lacked the raw speed of high-end broom models like the Firebolt, it was far more agile. And with Alex's refined control over Levitation magic, he could push its speed to near-broom levels when needed.
As they soared through the night sky, both Alex and Wimzy activated their Disillusionment Charms, blending seamlessly into the darkness. Wimzy held the tracker in her hand, guiding their direction, while Alex focused on piloting them forward at high speed.
Alex pushed his magic into the cloak, accelerating forward in near silence. They moved like shadows in the night, silent, invisible, ghosts soaring through the air. Under Alex's control, they navigated through the dense forest, crossing a small town before reaching the edge of the wilderness. Gradually, the signs of human habitation faded. Their target lay ahead. For nearly half an hour, Alex maintained a steady high-speed flight. Then, "We're close," Wimzy reported, her eyes fixed on the tracker.
Alex adjusted their approach immediately, slowing down to a more controlled glide. They were still about ten meters above ground, moving cautiously through the darkened landscape. The terrain below them was rugged, hills, slopes, and thick clusters of trees. Based on their coordinates, they were on the outskirts of a small town in Dorset. But just as they crested over a hillside, The view opened up. A wide valley stretched before them, its landscape covered in thick layers of fresh snow. The slopes on either side were gentle, scattered with larch and birch trees, their branches weighed down by frost.
At the valley's center was a clearing. An unusual house stood there. It had a unique, almost whimsical design, far neater than the ramshackle Burrow of the Weasley family, yet not quite a traditional wizarding home either. Soft light glowed from the windows, casting a warm contrast against the cold winter night. And inside… Alex narrowed his eyes. There were figures inside, but not all of them were human. "Magical creatures?" Alex muttered. "Someone's keeping large magical animals in their home?" His fingers tightened slightly on his monocle as he adjusted his Echo Glasses, scanning the valley further.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. But Alex knew better. Something was wrong. The tracker confirmed that the jammers were here, but they weren't inside the house. They had been placed outside, forming a structured perimeter around the property. Like a barrier. "They set up a formation," Alex murmured. "But for what?"