Chapter 27: Back Through The Brick Wall
Ellie had never seen the streets of downtown London look so empty before, and it gave her an eerie feeling. Everyone who had gone to work that day had returned home hours ago, leaving the roads and sidewalks deserted.
After being discovered by muggles, Ellie had worried that the magic world would have increased all muggle defense charms. However, the fear of Voldemort's wrath was much stronger than the fear of harmless muggles, and Ellie was able to find the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron in a matter of minutes. She grabbed the doorknob the second she saw it, took a deep breath, and walked inside. In a smooth fluid motion, Ellie draped herself with the closest cloak hanging on the rack, and proceeded to the back door. Not one person stopped her, or even questioned her presence. Once in the back alley Ellie released a sigh of relief. So far, everything was going to plan, but now she would have to face her first real obstacle, finding a way past the brick wall. Last time Ellie got into Diagon Alley by sheer luck. She glanced at the dark corner that once served as a hiding spot. Would it work again?
Ellie's heart stopped when she heard the squeak of the doorknob turning behind her. She turned around to see two figures walk through the door. There was no time to hide, and no way to escape. She was trapped.
The wizard and witch were in mid conversation when they entered the back alley. A tall, black wizard wearing one gold hoop earring, and a witch with a heart shape face and spiky magenta hair abruptly stopped talking, caught off guard by Ellie's presence.
In an instant Ellie began to put a plan into action. It wasn't as much as a plan, as it was the first thing that came to her mind.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Ellie exclaimed in relief, running up to the two strangers.
"What seems to be the problem?" The spiky hair witch asked, still perplexed.
"I can't get through the wall. I think my little brother stole my wand again. He's always doing that."
"Where is your brother now?" The tall wizard asked.
"In Diagon Alley." Ellie replied.
"Alone?" The witch asked in alarm.
"No!" Ellie replied quickly. "My mother is with him."
"Shouldn't you be in school?" The wizard asked with suspicion.
Ellie froze. Her brain never had to create so many lies at once.
"Yes," she began slowly, "but my parents pulled me out for a couple of days to visit my grandfather in the hospital."
"What's wrong with your grandfather?" The wizard asked with more doubt than concern.
"I'd rather not talk about it." Ellie answered, glancing at the ground.
"So, why are you all by yourself?" He questioned further.
"I had to use the bathroom, and told my mum to go ahead without me."
"And she actually left you alone?" He asked in a horrified tone.
"I thought I had my wand on me!" Ellie defended herself.
"Come on Kingsley, just let her through." The witch pleaded in frustration.
"I haven't determined if she is trustworthy yet Tonks." Kingsley replied with clenched teeth.
"What, you think I'm a Deatheater?!?" Ellie asked in disbelief.
"No." Kinsley replied definitely.
"Oh! Then, you must think that I'm another muggle trying to get a glimpse of the magic world." Ellie said casually.
"You heard about that?" He asked.
"I didn't have to hear about it, I saw it first hand." This was the first truthful thing Ellie had said throughout the entire conversation. "She was at Hogwarts for two days, hanging around with Harry, Ron and Hermione."
"Kingsley, she obviously isn't a muggle!" Tonks said in a persistent tone.
"Look, my mother is waiting for me, and she is probably worried sick by now. Please just open the wall for me." Ellie was even starting to believe the desperation in her voice.
After a few seconds, Kingsley reluctantly said "fine!" and Tonks quickly tapped a brick in the middle of the wall three times. Ellie immediately ran through the passageway, shouting "thank-you" over her shoulder.
Ellie got as far as Gringotts Bank before she stopped running. It was sheer luck that got her into Diagon Alley, and now that she was there, she had important business to tend to. The first thing in finding information about her mother and the other captive muggles was to find a newspaper.
Ellie glanced around the cobble stone pathway, making sure to examine every corner. There was nothing. No discarded papers on the ground, no dust bins to throw them out, no one reading anything, not even a newsstand to buy a paper from. If she didn't know any better, Ellie would have sworn that the wizarding world didn't have a newspaper. But she knew that one existed. She had seen Hermione reading a paper called the Daily Prophet just a few days ago. She even remembered Harry telling her about a woman by the name of Rita Skeeter, a former writer for the Daily Prophet, who interviewed him for the Triwizard tournament in his fourth year. Nevertheless, there certainly was no sign of any newspaper here.
Plan 'B' was to ask someone if they knew anything about the muggle abductions. However, Ellie didn't care much for this plan. With spies and untrustworthy people on the loose, it was certainly the most dangerous option. The last thing Ellie needed was to be kidnapped. Plus, talking to anyone in Diagon Alley would draw more attention to herself, and Ellie didn't want to take any chances of being discovered and getting her memory obliviated.
Before Ellie had time to think up another plan of action, she noticed the wizard and witch she had met in the back alley heading her way. Ellie quickly darted towards a dark corner and pulled the hood of the oversized cloak she was wearing, over her head. She quietly watched as the witch and wizard casually passed by. Ellie waited a moment longer to ensure that they had gone a good distance before lowering her hood.
"What on earth was I thinking?!" The familiar voice in the back of Ellie's head sharply asked.
"I'm here to make sure that mum is alright." Ellie whispered to herself. "I don't want to actually find her; I just want to know that she's okay."
She rested her head against the cold brick wall, frustrated with the situation. As Ellie tried to think of what to do next, she was caught off guard by the distant sound of footsteps coming from behind her. She turned to see that she hadn't been hiding in a dark corner, but in the entranceway of another alley. Ellie glanced up to read the decrepit sign that hung above her head, "Knockturn Alley".
Unwelcoming was Ellie's first impression, but a sudden sense of curiosity and adventure began to brew inside of her.
"No! Absolutely not!" The voice said in alarm.
"If anyone is going to know anything about mum, someone in there will." Ellie tried to justify her thoughts.
She slowly crept along the brick wall, gradually making her way deeper into the alley, and going against everything the voice inside her head was saying.
"What exactly do you hope to accomplish by going in here, besides getting yourself killed?" The voice sternly asked.
Nevertheless, Ellie kept on walking.