It wasn't long before Sirius, Hermione, and Harry met up with Ron. He had
gotten himself horribly lost in a particularly wet part of the tunnel
system, resulting in many extra pounds of soiled clothing. Harry couldn't
help but smile as Ron's squashy footsteps trailed his.
"Are we almost there yet?" Ron complained. "My back hurts from leaning forward, and I think my toes are growing algae on them."
"Where are we going, anyway?" Hermione asked Sirius, who was leading them with his bright wand.
"Back to Fin Alley," he answered concisely.
"But I thought we were going somewhere safe down here," Harry said, turning his attention from Ron's wet shoes. "Hermione said earlier that-"
"Do you really think it's safe down here now?" Sirius asked. "Before that handful of idiots came down it was." They turned a corner, and Harry recognized the slightly wider tunnel as the one connected to the Excess Supplies room.
"You can still stay at the hotel, Harry," Ron said. "My mum and dad won't mind-"
"No," Sirius interrupted. "Anyone could figure out he's staying there. He needs to stay away from Diagon Alley, in a secret place." Harry waited for Sirius to say more, because it sounded like he wasn't quite finished with that thought, but his godfather remained silent as they approached the trapdoor.
Sirius put away his wand, and cupped his hands together for Hermione to step into and climb out. Ron scrambled after her, followed by Harry and Sirius. Harry let the trapdoor slam shut, and he shoved half of a large, broken plant pot on top of it to hide it.
"So where am I going?" Harry asked, wiping his dirty hands on his jeans. "I don't know of anywhere secret and far from Diagon Alley."
"Let's get Ron and Hermione back first," Sirius answered, stepping out into the moonlit Fin Alley, "and then I'll get you settled."
Sirius the dog stayed very close to Harry on the way to Ron's hotel, even after they had left The Leaky Cauldron and were traveling in the muggle world. Harry talked idly with Ron and Hermione, listening to them bicker a bit, but he was focused more on Sirius. His gaze would dart in and out of small crowds as if he was eying an invisible fish swimming among them. Harry tried to observe his surroundings as his godfather did, but he couldn't seem to absorb things as quickly as Sirius and the artificial streetlights made everything so eerily green that it was hard to concentrate.
"Goodnight, Harry," Ron said, slapping his friend's shoulder. Harry jumped, not realizing that they had already reached the hotel.
"Yeah," Harry answered, and was about to say 'See you tomorrow,' but realized that might not be true. "Goodnight."
The three of them were silent for the remaining walk back to The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione seemed rather edgy, and Harry couldn't blame her. He was tired and hungry and his leg muscles were killing him. His stomach churned hollowly and noisily. He gave Hermione half a smile when she glanced his way.
"I'm hungry, too," she mouthed to him behind Sirius. They approached the pub and could smell the food from what seemed like a block away. When they entered, Harry was surprised at how different it had been from earlier that day. He must not have noticed how clean it was when they walked through the pub to take Ron to the hotel, but it had been swept and everything looked polished and bright (despite the low burning candles). Tom the innkeeper was bustling around serving and bussing tables. He was magiking a tower of dirty plates to the back when he nearly ran into Harry and Hermione.
"So sorry there. oh. Harry." Tom's pile of plates wavered as he hesitantly greeted Harry near the front. Tom smiled meagerly after a few awkward moments. "You aren't, um, allowed having any pets in the rooms," Tom said. "Sorry."
"Actually, I've had a change of plans," Harry said as casually as he could. "I'm staying at. my friend's house tonight." Harry gestured towards Hermione, whose eyes widened suddenly. Harry prodded her in the side and she nodded slightly.
"Really?" Tom asked.
"So, since I'm not going to be staying all the nights I paid for, could I please have my money back?" A shadow passed over Tom's face, and his eyes seemed to sink into his head for a brief second.
"Of course," Ton answered, a forced smile quaking underneath his nose. With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Hermione gave Harry a hard slap on the arm.
"What was that for?" Harry cried, stepping out of her reach.
"Staying at my house?" she hissed loudly. "Are you [I]trying[/I] to get people to follow us?"
"It was an excuse! I'm not really going to stay at your house," Harry explained.
"Well *I'm staying at my house, something I don't particularly want to do if murderous people think that you're there with me!"
"Oh." Harry shuffled his feet. He hadn't thought of that. He was about to tell Hermione this, when Tom reappeared with a small brown bag in his hand. He gave it wordlessly to Harry, who opened the bag when Tom turned his back, making sure it was in fact his gold.
"You two stay down here," Harry said, pocketing the bag. "I'll go get my things." He headed toward the stairs, but Sirius was close at his heels.
"Snuffles," Harry whispered, "you're not allowed." The black dog pointed his head towards the kitchen, where Tom was preoccupied with something or other. Harry sighed. "Okay, go ahead. Come on Hermione," he gestured for her to follow, and they made their way to his room.
When the door was safely shut and bolted, Sirius transformed back into himself, and he looked quite angry. "What are we going to do now?" he ranted. "Hermione can't go home! Why did you say you were going to stay there?"
"I don't know!" Harry yelled back, to his own surprise. "What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, you know, I'm going far away from Diagon Alley to a secret place.'" Harry's patience had suddenly melted away. How was he to know what to say? He wasn't especially used to having murderers at his heels.
"You could've said you were going back to your muggle family or something like that!" Sirius growled. "Now we can't go to Hermione's house for fear that someone is following us!"
"How do we even know that someone isn't following us already?" Harry spat back. "How were you planning on getting her home in the first place?"
"If someone was following us, we would have dropped her off and led them away from her house. Now they'll think that the Harry Potter flying away from her house is a decoy."
"Well sorry for not being able to read your mind," Harry said bitterly.
"Enough!" Hermione yelled. "Both of you! You're acting like a couple of 4- year-olds." She stood between them, her hands on her hips, reminding Harry strongly of Mrs. Weasley. "Could've, would've, if, this, that. enough. It's done, Harry said something he didn't know he wasn't supposed to say, but we can't change it. We'll have to come up with a different plan."
Sirius was about to talk when Hermione held up a hand. "No. Not yet. I'm hungry." She let her arms drop, unlocked the door, and went down the stairs.
Harry stood across from Sirius for an uncomfortable moment, and then said softly, "You should probably stay up here. I'll bring something up." He closed the door behind him and headed after Hermione.
"Are we almost there yet?" Ron complained. "My back hurts from leaning forward, and I think my toes are growing algae on them."
"Where are we going, anyway?" Hermione asked Sirius, who was leading them with his bright wand.
"Back to Fin Alley," he answered concisely.
"But I thought we were going somewhere safe down here," Harry said, turning his attention from Ron's wet shoes. "Hermione said earlier that-"
"Do you really think it's safe down here now?" Sirius asked. "Before that handful of idiots came down it was." They turned a corner, and Harry recognized the slightly wider tunnel as the one connected to the Excess Supplies room.
"You can still stay at the hotel, Harry," Ron said. "My mum and dad won't mind-"
"No," Sirius interrupted. "Anyone could figure out he's staying there. He needs to stay away from Diagon Alley, in a secret place." Harry waited for Sirius to say more, because it sounded like he wasn't quite finished with that thought, but his godfather remained silent as they approached the trapdoor.
Sirius put away his wand, and cupped his hands together for Hermione to step into and climb out. Ron scrambled after her, followed by Harry and Sirius. Harry let the trapdoor slam shut, and he shoved half of a large, broken plant pot on top of it to hide it.
"So where am I going?" Harry asked, wiping his dirty hands on his jeans. "I don't know of anywhere secret and far from Diagon Alley."
"Let's get Ron and Hermione back first," Sirius answered, stepping out into the moonlit Fin Alley, "and then I'll get you settled."
Sirius the dog stayed very close to Harry on the way to Ron's hotel, even after they had left The Leaky Cauldron and were traveling in the muggle world. Harry talked idly with Ron and Hermione, listening to them bicker a bit, but he was focused more on Sirius. His gaze would dart in and out of small crowds as if he was eying an invisible fish swimming among them. Harry tried to observe his surroundings as his godfather did, but he couldn't seem to absorb things as quickly as Sirius and the artificial streetlights made everything so eerily green that it was hard to concentrate.
"Goodnight, Harry," Ron said, slapping his friend's shoulder. Harry jumped, not realizing that they had already reached the hotel.
"Yeah," Harry answered, and was about to say 'See you tomorrow,' but realized that might not be true. "Goodnight."
The three of them were silent for the remaining walk back to The Leaky Cauldron. Hermione seemed rather edgy, and Harry couldn't blame her. He was tired and hungry and his leg muscles were killing him. His stomach churned hollowly and noisily. He gave Hermione half a smile when she glanced his way.
"I'm hungry, too," she mouthed to him behind Sirius. They approached the pub and could smell the food from what seemed like a block away. When they entered, Harry was surprised at how different it had been from earlier that day. He must not have noticed how clean it was when they walked through the pub to take Ron to the hotel, but it had been swept and everything looked polished and bright (despite the low burning candles). Tom the innkeeper was bustling around serving and bussing tables. He was magiking a tower of dirty plates to the back when he nearly ran into Harry and Hermione.
"So sorry there. oh. Harry." Tom's pile of plates wavered as he hesitantly greeted Harry near the front. Tom smiled meagerly after a few awkward moments. "You aren't, um, allowed having any pets in the rooms," Tom said. "Sorry."
"Actually, I've had a change of plans," Harry said as casually as he could. "I'm staying at. my friend's house tonight." Harry gestured towards Hermione, whose eyes widened suddenly. Harry prodded her in the side and she nodded slightly.
"Really?" Tom asked.
"So, since I'm not going to be staying all the nights I paid for, could I please have my money back?" A shadow passed over Tom's face, and his eyes seemed to sink into his head for a brief second.
"Of course," Ton answered, a forced smile quaking underneath his nose. With that, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Hermione gave Harry a hard slap on the arm.
"What was that for?" Harry cried, stepping out of her reach.
"Staying at my house?" she hissed loudly. "Are you [I]trying[/I] to get people to follow us?"
"It was an excuse! I'm not really going to stay at your house," Harry explained.
"Well *I'm staying at my house, something I don't particularly want to do if murderous people think that you're there with me!"
"Oh." Harry shuffled his feet. He hadn't thought of that. He was about to tell Hermione this, when Tom reappeared with a small brown bag in his hand. He gave it wordlessly to Harry, who opened the bag when Tom turned his back, making sure it was in fact his gold.
"You two stay down here," Harry said, pocketing the bag. "I'll go get my things." He headed toward the stairs, but Sirius was close at his heels.
"Snuffles," Harry whispered, "you're not allowed." The black dog pointed his head towards the kitchen, where Tom was preoccupied with something or other. Harry sighed. "Okay, go ahead. Come on Hermione," he gestured for her to follow, and they made their way to his room.
When the door was safely shut and bolted, Sirius transformed back into himself, and he looked quite angry. "What are we going to do now?" he ranted. "Hermione can't go home! Why did you say you were going to stay there?"
"I don't know!" Harry yelled back, to his own surprise. "What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, you know, I'm going far away from Diagon Alley to a secret place.'" Harry's patience had suddenly melted away. How was he to know what to say? He wasn't especially used to having murderers at his heels.
"You could've said you were going back to your muggle family or something like that!" Sirius growled. "Now we can't go to Hermione's house for fear that someone is following us!"
"How do we even know that someone isn't following us already?" Harry spat back. "How were you planning on getting her home in the first place?"
"If someone was following us, we would have dropped her off and led them away from her house. Now they'll think that the Harry Potter flying away from her house is a decoy."
"Well sorry for not being able to read your mind," Harry said bitterly.
"Enough!" Hermione yelled. "Both of you! You're acting like a couple of 4- year-olds." She stood between them, her hands on her hips, reminding Harry strongly of Mrs. Weasley. "Could've, would've, if, this, that. enough. It's done, Harry said something he didn't know he wasn't supposed to say, but we can't change it. We'll have to come up with a different plan."
Sirius was about to talk when Hermione held up a hand. "No. Not yet. I'm hungry." She let her arms drop, unlocked the door, and went down the stairs.
Harry stood across from Sirius for an uncomfortable moment, and then said softly, "You should probably stay up here. I'll bring something up." He closed the door behind him and headed after Hermione.