Charlie had been standing guard beside the bloodstains for seven whole hours.
He still gripped the shattered black dragon scale in his hand as he followed the drag marks to the edge of the forest once more.
The trail vanished there.
All that remained were swathes of flattened brush, a few drops of blackened blood that had dried completely, and deep ruts where heavy wheels had cut through the wet mud.
Half a day earlier, some kind of vehicle fitted with an Undetectable Extension Charm must have collected the large container here.
Beyond the cordon nearby, three Romanian Aurors in dark blue robes stood together.
Their leader was a heavily bearded middle-aged man. Having finished another sweep of the surrounding area, he returned to the enclosure and pulled a stack of parchment forms from his robes.
"No magical residue. It's them again." The middle-aged Auror held out a form to Charlie. "Sign here, Mr. Weasley. We're done examining the scene."
"That's it?" Charlie made no move to take it. He stared at the man in disbelief.
Hours of anxiety had left his voice unusually hoarse. In his hand, he clutched a length of heavy iron chain that had been snapped by brute force.
"Seven whole hours! Did you see the blood on the ground? That's a living dragon! You've spent half a day here, and all you're going to do is fill out a form?"
"Charlie."
A calm voice cut off his questions.
Charlie whipped around, surprise flashing through his bloodshot eyes.
Gavin stood beyond the cordon, with a quiet blonde girl beside him.
"Gavin? And—Cordelia?" Charlie froze. "Merlin's beard, what are you doing here? I'm sorry I can't get away—but how did you get in? The Reserve should be completely sealed off—"
"The guard at the gate was strict