Another Potter

forty two

chapter forty two
the prisoner of azkaban

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Amelia pulled out the map again and saw to her astonishment, that two new ink figures had appeared upon it, labelled 'Amelia Potter' and 'Harry Potter'. The figures were standing exactly where the real Amelia and Harry were standing, about halfway down the third-floor corridor. Amelia watched carefully. Her little ink self appeared to be tapping the witch with her miniature wand. Amelia quickly took out her real wand and tapped the statue. Nothing happened. She looked back at the map. The tiniest speech bubble had appeared next to his figure. The word inside said, 'Dissendium.'

"Dissendium!" Amelia whispered, tapping the stone witch again.

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Amelia  glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again into her pocket, hoisted herself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward.

He slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. He stood up, looking around.

"Come on," Amelia whispered to her brother and moments later, Harry joined her. It was pitch dark. Amelia held up her wand, muttered, "Lumos!" and saw that she was in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway. She raised the map, tapped it with the tip of his wand, and muttered, "Mischief managed!" The map went blank at once. She folded it carefully, tucked it inside her jacket pocket, then, heart beating fast, both excited and apprehensive, she set off with Harry at her side.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. The twins hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, even with Amelia holding her wand out in front of her.

It took ages, but Amelia  had the thought of Honeydukes to sustain him. After what felt like an hour, the passage began to rise. Panting, Amelia  sped up, her face hot, her feet very cold.

Ten minutes later, she came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above him. Careful not to make any noise, Amelia  began to climb. A hundred steps, two hundred steps, she lost count as she climbed, watching her feet. Then, without warning, her head hit something hard.

"You alright?" Harry whispered. Amelia nodded.

It seemed to be a trapdoor. Amelia  stood there, massaging the top of her head, listening. She couldn't hear any sounds above him. Amelia looked at Harry who nodded. Very slowly, she pushed the trapdoor open and peered over the edge.

She was in a cellar, which was full of wooden crates and boxes. Amelia  climbed out of the trapdoor, helped her brother out and replaced it. It blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Amelia  crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs. Now she could definitely hear voices, not to mention the tinkle of a bell and the opening and shutting of a door.

Wondering what she ought to do, she suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand. Somebody was about to come downstairs.

"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out. . . ." said a woman's voice.

A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Amelia and Harry looked at each other and they leapt behind an enormous crate and waited for the footsteps to pass. Amelia heard the man shifting boxes against the opposite wall. They may not get another chance. Looking at Harry, the twins nodded.

Quickly and silently, they dodged out from their hiding place and climbed the stairs. Looking back, she saw an enormous backside and shiny bald head, buried in a box. Amelia  reached the door at the top of the stairs, slipped through it, and found herself behind the counter of Honeydukes. She ducked, crept sideways, and then straightened up.