Alan propelled himself forward at an extremely high speed, exerting his magic to its fullest. Even so, the flying cloak made no sound; the two of them were like invisible ghosts in the night.
Under Alan's agile control, they swept through the forest, crossed a small town, and gradually moved away from human habitation, heading toward the dense woods of the forest's edge. After flying for nearly half an hour, Kiki reported that they were approaching their target.
Alan gradually slowed his pace and lowered his altitude, shifting from a high-speed sprint into agile, short-range movements. He maintained a height of about a dozen meters above the ground. The surroundings were pitch black, with nothing but trees and high slopes as far as the eye could see. Alan judged that they were on the outskirts of a small town in Dorset.
It wasn't until they crossed a final hillside that the view suddenly opened up. Not far ahead lay a wide valley with an expansive view and pleasant scenery. The center of the valley was flat and open, flanked by slopes that weren't particularly steep. Larch and birch trees grew along the inclines, though by now, they were buried under a thick layer of winter snow.
The valley appeared empty, but through the tracker, Alan knew the target was inside. He could clearly feel subtle magic fluctuations brewing ahead. He determined that the area had been equipped with a shielding jammer; only powerful magic could prevent a wizard from noticing anything was amiss.
He slowly descended to a high point on the hillside and set Kiki down. Looking toward the valley, he pulled a monocle from his coat pocket and put it on. Instantly, the empty valley underwent a massive transformation.
Inside the valley, a strangely shaped but subtly beautiful detached house appeared. It looked somewhat like the Weasleys' Burrow, but while The Burrow looked as if it were forcibly pieced together, this house was much more orderly. Faint lights flickered within, and figures could be seen moving inside. Through the window, he even spotted shapes that were distinctly not human.
"Are those magical beasts? Someone is keeping large creatures at home?" Alan looked at the house with surprise, then observed the surroundings through his Echo Spell monocle. The people inside the house didn't seem like the type to deploy jammers. It was obvious that the group using the equipment must be hidden nearby, and their target was likely the house itself.
Sure enough, when he used the Echo Spell to investigate the perimeter, he immediately discovered the jammers. They were arranged in pairs, forming a large rectangle that surrounded the house, cleverly hidden by Disillusionment Charms.
What puzzled him was that no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find a single person nearby. Even when he circled the entire valley from a distance, he saw no signs of human activity. There were no footprints even next to the invisible jammers. It was winter, and the ground was covered in snow, yet the snow around the equipment was perfectly smooth.
"How is it, Sir? Have you found them?" Kiki watched Alan fly back from his invisible scouting mission and asked in a whisper.
Alan shook his head. "I can see the eight jammers, but I can't see anyone at all. It's as if they vanished into thin air. Could they have already infiltrated the house?"
"Should we sneak in and take a look?" Kiki suggested softly.
Alan shook his head again. "Entering an unknown place like this is too risky. We don't know if this is an organization base or if these jammers are just guarding a home. Every possibility must be considered."
"Then..." Kiki, running out of ideas, rolled her eyes. "How about we turn off the jammers and lure the Ministry over? That way, we can catch them all at once."
"Still not quite right. While these jammers have my backdoors, our main goal is intelligence. we should try our best not to let them know that someone can manipulate the equipment. If we shut them down remotely, it would expose our hand too early." Alan would not reveal the existence of the backdoor unless absolutely necessary, as it would easily lead people to associate the sabotage with him.
"Then what should we do? Just watch?"
"Be patient." Alan gently patted Kiki's head. "They traveled all this way and used every jammer they had; they must have a purpose. Let's wait and see."
He took a potion from his pocket and handed it to Kiki. "Our equipment can keep us warm, but long-term exposure to this cold is still bad for the body. Drink this and stay here, invisible. I'll sneak closer and see what I can find."
Kiki knew her master was cautious and would prioritize a quick exit if things turned dangerous, so she didn't argue. After taking the potion, she hid in the nearby bushes.
Alan maintained a floating state, activating every invisibility and silencing function he possessed. He drifted along the ground to within a hundred meters of the house, hiding behind a thick birch tree. From this vantage point, he could see more details through the windows.
He watched as a creature resembling an undernourished, oversized vulture passed by a window, turning its head to look out for a moment.
*An Augurey?* Alan recognized it instantly from his Care of Magical Creatures class. However, this one was huge, nearly the size of an ostrich. He then saw several other beasts—a Niffler, a Mooncalf, and a Diricawl—all looking healthy and well-tended. The house was a private zoo.
Suddenly, two Kneazles darted out of a cat flap in the front door, pouncing into the snow to play.
"Hobi, Millie, don't run around!"
The front door opened, and a childish voice called out from behind it.
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