Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius talked in the cave underneath the trapdoor
for about an hour. Ron told Sirius about his family living at the hotel,
and the awful money difficulties, Hermione explained to Ron and Harry about
how she'd been in touch with some other muggle-born students from Hogwarts
and that their families were okay financially (except that they couldn't
exchange muggle money for wizard money).
Meanwhile, Harry just listened, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain anything. Until then, he hadn't really realized how much he had been keeping from everyone; why he came early, his conversation with Mr. Ollivander, the twins and the money he had given them, and how frightened he really was about the entire situation. Unfortunately, Harry's fear began to increase the more he talked with Hermione and Sirius. Sirius had been close by when he had heard about Voldemort's appearance, and had immediately begun to gather information.
"I followed around the most suspicious people," Sirius said. "But it was difficult because everybody became suspicious of everyone else."
"It was like everybody didn't know which side they themselves were on," Hermione interjected. "You can imagine how hard it is to find a shady character when the shady character doesn't even know who he or she is."
As Ron sat and tried to figure that out, Harry scratched the back of his neck. He'd never thought of that. The bad guys could be anyone from the poorest of the poor trying to get some money, or just some greedy group of people who wanted to be rich, or even a pack of do-gooders trying to make the wizarding world a better place.
"Hermione arrived at Diagon Alley earlier this morning and has helped me track the most suspicious group of people," Sirius explained. Hermione, with a solemn look on her face, nodded.
Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she stared at the ground. "You don't know how hard it is to hear people talk about killing your best friend," she whispered. "I offered to help them, I was pretending to be part of their group… it was the only way I would be able to save you."
"Hermione has put herself into considerable danger," Sirius said. "Neither of us knew that the gang was going to attempt to kill you so soon. I was hoping that she would be able to be on the inside for a decent amount of time, in order to gain enough information to keep you safe until school starts." Sirius rubbed his chin, regret etched into his eyes. "Hermione is an enemy of the gang now, and they know it."
Harry was filled with sudden and severe respect for Hermione. He stared at her, and she looked up from the ground, feeling his pressing gaze. He was about to voice his appreciation, when they all heard a muffled sound above them.
Sirius took Hermione's wand from her pocket and whispered a spell. The torch extinguished smokelessly and they all disappeared into the darkness.
They all listened carefully to the dull noises above them. It sounded like somebody was in Fin Alley, just outside the room with the trap door. In the darkness, every sound seemed to echo in the rhythm to Harry's beating heart. He shut his eyes for two seconds and then opened them again, but there was nothing to see.
The voices were muffled. There was more than one person in the alley. A female voice got louder as she walked closer to the Excess Supplies room.
"She's around here somewhere…"
They heard the door open. A thin ribbon of light shone through one of the cracks in the trapdoor and between the four of them. Harry saw Hermione's eyes shadowed with fear in the dusty beam.
"They've followed me!" Hermione mouthed to them frantically. Then, Harry heard a soft buzzing noise that he thought was coming from the witch above them, who had been muttering to herself, but then noticed that it seemed to originate from Hermione.
"It's a tracking spell," Harry heard Sirius whisper to them almost inaudibly. "I don't know how to reverse it."
Hermione placed both of her hands over her mouth, trying to suppress her gasp. She looked down at herself, then to Ron and Harry. "Don't let them catch me!" she whispered. Harry had never seen her more frightened.
They heard the handle of the trapdoor being grasped.
"Run!" Sirius yelled, and picked up Ron and Hermione from the ground. Harry stood up and faced the trapdoor, ready to defend his friends, but Sirius pushed them all away from it. Ron was first to disappear into the darkness, with Hermione behind him. Harry tried to keep an eye on her as they ran, but it was all he could do to keep himself from running into the walls. Sirius' footsteps were loudest as he followed them all.
"She's down here!" Harry heard the witch say from the trapdoor, which was getting further and further away. "She's here with Potter!"
Harry listened to the Ron's and Hermione's footfalls as the tunnel twisted blindly. He almost ran into Hermione, who was breathing quickly and fearfully. Harry couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He reached out to her shoulder, and she jerked.
"It's okay, it's me!" Harry said.
"Ron left me!" she sobbed. "He just left me!" Sirius came from behind, his wand producing a small bit of light. Harry saw the tunnel ahead and understood what Hermione was saying. The tunnel branched off into five different directions.
"We need to split up!" Siruis said. Hermione shook her head quickly in protest. "We have to!" he said. He pointed to the rightmost tunnel, and nudged Hermione in that direction. She stood there for a moment then stumbled away.
Sirius turned to Harry. "You go that way, and don't look back!" Sirius pushed him towards the middle tunnel.
"But Hermione…" Harry sputtered and looked into the right tunnel.
"Harry, listen to me," Sirius said, with a hand on Harry's shoulder. "If you go with her, they'll find you too." Harry just stared at Sirius. The footsteps of the gang were growing louder.
"We don't have time to argue, just do what I say! They won't kill Hermione I promise! But if they capture you…" Sirius gave Harry another push. "Just go!"
Harry watched Sirius as he ran into the second to left tunnel. Just before he was out of sight, he transformed into a dog and disappeared. Harry sprinted down the middle tunnel, his lungs burning. A stitch formed in his right side.
He stopped. His head was swimming, and he wasn't sure what to think. He reached out his hand and touched the cool wall. Harry wiped the sweat out of his eyes, and turned around, following the wall back to the junction.
He got back to the place with five tunnels. A light was coming toward him from the tunnel where the trapdoor was. He made a decision, and went down Hermione's tunnel. Ignoring Sirius' warnings, he went. He couldn't just leave Hermione alone like that.
If only he knew how ill-fated his decision was…
Meanwhile, Harry just listened, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain anything. Until then, he hadn't really realized how much he had been keeping from everyone; why he came early, his conversation with Mr. Ollivander, the twins and the money he had given them, and how frightened he really was about the entire situation. Unfortunately, Harry's fear began to increase the more he talked with Hermione and Sirius. Sirius had been close by when he had heard about Voldemort's appearance, and had immediately begun to gather information.
"I followed around the most suspicious people," Sirius said. "But it was difficult because everybody became suspicious of everyone else."
"It was like everybody didn't know which side they themselves were on," Hermione interjected. "You can imagine how hard it is to find a shady character when the shady character doesn't even know who he or she is."
As Ron sat and tried to figure that out, Harry scratched the back of his neck. He'd never thought of that. The bad guys could be anyone from the poorest of the poor trying to get some money, or just some greedy group of people who wanted to be rich, or even a pack of do-gooders trying to make the wizarding world a better place.
"Hermione arrived at Diagon Alley earlier this morning and has helped me track the most suspicious group of people," Sirius explained. Hermione, with a solemn look on her face, nodded.
Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she stared at the ground. "You don't know how hard it is to hear people talk about killing your best friend," she whispered. "I offered to help them, I was pretending to be part of their group… it was the only way I would be able to save you."
"Hermione has put herself into considerable danger," Sirius said. "Neither of us knew that the gang was going to attempt to kill you so soon. I was hoping that she would be able to be on the inside for a decent amount of time, in order to gain enough information to keep you safe until school starts." Sirius rubbed his chin, regret etched into his eyes. "Hermione is an enemy of the gang now, and they know it."
Harry was filled with sudden and severe respect for Hermione. He stared at her, and she looked up from the ground, feeling his pressing gaze. He was about to voice his appreciation, when they all heard a muffled sound above them.
Sirius took Hermione's wand from her pocket and whispered a spell. The torch extinguished smokelessly and they all disappeared into the darkness.
They all listened carefully to the dull noises above them. It sounded like somebody was in Fin Alley, just outside the room with the trap door. In the darkness, every sound seemed to echo in the rhythm to Harry's beating heart. He shut his eyes for two seconds and then opened them again, but there was nothing to see.
The voices were muffled. There was more than one person in the alley. A female voice got louder as she walked closer to the Excess Supplies room.
"She's around here somewhere…"
They heard the door open. A thin ribbon of light shone through one of the cracks in the trapdoor and between the four of them. Harry saw Hermione's eyes shadowed with fear in the dusty beam.
"They've followed me!" Hermione mouthed to them frantically. Then, Harry heard a soft buzzing noise that he thought was coming from the witch above them, who had been muttering to herself, but then noticed that it seemed to originate from Hermione.
"It's a tracking spell," Harry heard Sirius whisper to them almost inaudibly. "I don't know how to reverse it."
Hermione placed both of her hands over her mouth, trying to suppress her gasp. She looked down at herself, then to Ron and Harry. "Don't let them catch me!" she whispered. Harry had never seen her more frightened.
They heard the handle of the trapdoor being grasped.
"Run!" Sirius yelled, and picked up Ron and Hermione from the ground. Harry stood up and faced the trapdoor, ready to defend his friends, but Sirius pushed them all away from it. Ron was first to disappear into the darkness, with Hermione behind him. Harry tried to keep an eye on her as they ran, but it was all he could do to keep himself from running into the walls. Sirius' footsteps were loudest as he followed them all.
"She's down here!" Harry heard the witch say from the trapdoor, which was getting further and further away. "She's here with Potter!"
Harry listened to the Ron's and Hermione's footfalls as the tunnel twisted blindly. He almost ran into Hermione, who was breathing quickly and fearfully. Harry couldn't see her, but he could hear her. He reached out to her shoulder, and she jerked.
"It's okay, it's me!" Harry said.
"Ron left me!" she sobbed. "He just left me!" Sirius came from behind, his wand producing a small bit of light. Harry saw the tunnel ahead and understood what Hermione was saying. The tunnel branched off into five different directions.
"We need to split up!" Siruis said. Hermione shook her head quickly in protest. "We have to!" he said. He pointed to the rightmost tunnel, and nudged Hermione in that direction. She stood there for a moment then stumbled away.
Sirius turned to Harry. "You go that way, and don't look back!" Sirius pushed him towards the middle tunnel.
"But Hermione…" Harry sputtered and looked into the right tunnel.
"Harry, listen to me," Sirius said, with a hand on Harry's shoulder. "If you go with her, they'll find you too." Harry just stared at Sirius. The footsteps of the gang were growing louder.
"We don't have time to argue, just do what I say! They won't kill Hermione I promise! But if they capture you…" Sirius gave Harry another push. "Just go!"
Harry watched Sirius as he ran into the second to left tunnel. Just before he was out of sight, he transformed into a dog and disappeared. Harry sprinted down the middle tunnel, his lungs burning. A stitch formed in his right side.
He stopped. His head was swimming, and he wasn't sure what to think. He reached out his hand and touched the cool wall. Harry wiped the sweat out of his eyes, and turned around, following the wall back to the junction.
He got back to the place with five tunnels. A light was coming toward him from the tunnel where the trapdoor was. He made a decision, and went down Hermione's tunnel. Ignoring Sirius' warnings, he went. He couldn't just leave Hermione alone like that.
If only he knew how ill-fated his decision was…