The beast (for lack of a better term; Fox had called it a beast, after all, even though Ernest was not at all convinced that it would be classified as such by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures) had been contained, and was no longer moving its 'legs' at all. It was still glowing, though, and Ernest had no doubt in his mind that it would begin crawling again if given the chance. It seemed to be on, in a certain sense, where it had been dormant previously — though what had caused it to switch, he couldn't say.

As for Fox — "Back into the hole he crawled out of, I'd wager," Ernest answered derisively. "His permit was a forgery. He may have been trying to smuggle this thing — or steal it," he ventured, nudging the edge of the containment spell with his toe to see whether the thing would react. "Though what it is remains to be seen."

  

---

Brows raised, Bragi listened to his elder with interest, only now believing that two such dramatic events had collided. The finding of the thing was the most frightening, of course — although his arm was lowered now, he still held his wand in his hand and kept glancing back uneasily to the thing behind the shield.

But overlapping the finding of the thing was that man, the other man, the one who'd tried to make Bragi participate in his illegalities. The Ministry official had evidently encountered such people before, but the young Dane never had.

"I wish I'd never found it", he muttered, glancing once more at the thing, which glowed back menacingly. Did it... not like him in particular?

  

---

"Well, a bit late for that," Ernest said briskly but not unkindly. He could sympathize, he supposed, with the desire of common folks not to get caught up in the decidedly uncommon — though he had never in his life shared such a desire, that he knew of. He was the first to step into the unknown any time he possibly could, hence his initial reaction of wanting to poke the box-machine-beast-thing with a stick to see what it would do.

"Fortunately I think your role has nearly played itself out," he continued chipperly. "I'll transport it back to the Ministry to examine it. I imagine someone will want a statement from you — probably the investigator's office," he said with a shrug. Whatever was laying in front of them, it couldn't possibly be legal, and Mr. Fox's interest in it only cemented that idea in Ernest's mind. "But then I imagine you'll be free to go on your way."

  

---

Bragi regretted his childish words at once. After all, if wishes were fishes there’d be no room left in the sea for water. And what the scene’s implicit director said was true anyway — it was too late for regret.

But he perked up a bit when the Ministry was mentioned — he liked the Ministry, it made everything seem very safe and organised. He was almost going to ask if Mr Crouch would there, before he realised such a question would almost be as stupid as his earlier remark.

So Bragi simply nodded, with an obedient ”yes, sir”. He bit his lower lip pensively as he kept his eyes on the thing, and didn’t withdraw his wand until instructed to do so. ”It reminds me of an illustration in a book I once read. I can’t recall the writer’s name, I think they were anonymous, but they said… they said ’there is no security against the ultimate development of mechanical consciousness’”

  

---

Ernest couldn't help but chuckle at that remark. The young gentleman certainly had a poetic turn about him, quoting things like that. A poetic look about him, too, now that Ernest thought about it: the stark contrast of colors between his skin and hair; the overall feeling of willowiness; the tailored and well-kept suit, which looked a bit fanciful in a rustic setting such as this.

"Well, this spell seems to be security enough for the moment," Ernest pointed out. No one had ever accused him of being a poet, after all; he was a scientist, a researcher, an academic. "We'll get to the bottom of this, my dear fellow. Never fear," he assured him jovially. Now that they were past the present danger of it attacking someone (or the more pressing danger, in Ernest's mind at least, of losing the contraption to Mr. Fox), he was back in the mindset of having a new puzzle to decipher. The feeling was similar to a child with a new toy; he couldn't be happier. Given its propensity for crawling around on its own, though, he would be waiting until it was safely back in the Department of Mysteries before poking it with any sticks.

  

---

Never fear was a broad instruction, but it worked surprisingly well. Upon arrival in the country, Bragi had swiftly found himself very trusting of Ministry workers. He absolutely believed this one would get to the bottom of it.

But his faint smile faded altogether when he returned his gaze to the thing. It... didn't have any eyes but he felt like it was looking back at him. Indeed, when Bragi sidestepped, it turned a little as if to notice him doing so.

"Why is it... watching me", he asked wide-eyed, a tremour in his voice.

  

---

Watching was perhaps a bit of a strong word, given that the contraption had no eyes with which to do so, but Ernest did see what the young fellow meant; the creature-thing seemed to be preoccupied with him. How intriguing.

“I could wager a guess, but they’d only be guesses until I have a chance to look closer at the thing. In the meantime — do you have an apparition license?” he asked, glancing over at the young man curiously. Leaving in the normal way would probably be fine, but given the interest the thing had taken in him, it would probably be better to just apparate back to down and head to the Ministry from there. Less chance that the mechanical thing would try to follow him and potentially break through the barrier charm Ernest had erected. While that would be very interesting from a research perspective, it would also probably not be a welcome experience for the young man, and Ernest was really trying to decrease the amount of paperwork he had to file for unintentional casualties of their work in the Department of Mysteries.

  

---

Bragi gave a tiny nod of understanding, but only tore his eyes from the thing when the man suggested apparition. And Bragi would be going too! He almost smiled — but not quite. He wouldn’t be ready for a smile for quite some time. But he was certainly relieved knowing he wouldn’t be left alone in the forest; what if there were more things out here, after all?

”Yes sir”, he replied hurriedly. He could legally apparate; his ticket out of this strange and dark situation.

  

---

"Right, then. Off to Hogsmeade with you," he instructed, tone brisk but still pleasant. "And then to the Ministry to give your statement. I imagine the welcome witch will be able to direct you to which department," he said. There had been more than one lobbying to go out and address the issue before Ernest had stepped in, so the young man would be lucky if they'd only left instructions at the desk and weren't actively pacing the atrium waiting for him to arrive.

"I'll follow behind with our beastie friend," he said, with a nod towards the still unidentified thing that had already gone after the young man once, and seemed keen to do so again. Ernest imagined the redhead would be quite happy to apparate away and be done with it — transporting it would be Ernest's problem.

  

---

Bragi retightened his grip on his wand, ready to obey orders and make his way to the Ministry like the loyal follower he was. But something occurred to him just then. He chewed his lower lip a moment, and then finally summoned the courage to say it — ”my name is Bragi Holm, sir”.

He was clearly seeking a name in return. He trusted the Ministry worker outright, but all he knew him as was the Ministry worker. Bragi felt a little impolite not to simply do as he was told, but he also felt he needed to be cautious. And he had an instinct that the Ministry worker might just approve of that.

  

---

"Ah, introductions," Ernest said in a tone of pleasant surprise. He did typically forget these things outside of manufactured social situations. "Mulciber, of the Department of Mysteries. Perhaps I'll have a chance to make your acquaintance again sometime under... less peculiar circumstances."

  

---

Bragi had rather hoped he'd be capable of saying something terribly gracious such as "well met, Mr Mulciber", but he was still feeling very intimidated by the whole affair, so all he managed was a shy nod.

Then he did what he was told and apparated with a CRACK. Before long, Bragi found himself in the Ministry's great atrium, glancing around for reception. He felt disoriented, but as relieved as a man who'd just stepped from a snowstorm into a hot bath — the thing was not here.

Well, it was somewhere in the Ministry, but nowhere that he could see.

... Perhaps that was a bad thing.

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   Ernest Mulciber

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