Hogsmeade.
"Seriously, Tonks, do we really need to do this?"
A young Auror shivered, tucking his chin into his wool scarf. His white breath instantly dispersed into the darkness.
"I mean, wandering around every night like a bunch of headless chickens, just waiting for this thing to maybe beep?"
As he complained, he impatiently tapped the brass instrument hanging against his chest with the tip of his wand.
The instrument looked like an enchanted Muggle compass, intricately constructed, with a motionless needle in the center.
"Shut up, unless you want to write tomorrow's patrol report all by yourself."
Tonks's voice came from the shadows nearby. Her short, bright pink hair was particularly conspicuous in the pitch-black night.
"Besides, this isn't wandering around. It's called Grid-Based Active Patrol."
She recited the term in an official, emotionless tone, then couldn't help laughing herself.
"All right, I admit the name sounds utterly stupid. It has Douglas written all over it. But you have to admit, this thing works much better than our old methods."
Another veteran Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt, leaned against a tree trunk, his voice deep and firm.
"Think about the past. How did we track down Dark Wizards? Through informants?
"Through prophecies that only worked half the time?
"Or did we wait until they blew up a house somewhere, then go clean up the mess?"
He patted the identical instrument on his chest, producing a dull metallic sound.
"And now we have this, the Magical Trace Tracker."
"Made by the Marauders Power Company, exclusively customized for the Ministry of Magic. It can track any dark magic fluctuations from the past three days that haven't been registered with the Ministry and have an energy level higher than Troll Burp Coral."
"It's turned us from reactive firefighters into active hunters. You should learn