The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

LXXXII: The Necessary Exchanges

They went behind the curry shop, down into the alley they'd used as their disapparation point for years. Sirius paused in the alley, looking up the stairs to the door. Somebody had painted it - it was blue now, and there was a floral wreath hung upon it, a child's bicycle parked and locked under the stairs, training wheels still on. 

"You ought to have a cloak on," Remus said, "Something to give yourself some sort of cover... If somebody finds out where you are..."

"Then they'd better take me in the moment," Sirius said. "We're not going to be sticking around very long."

"We're not?"

"Of course not, Remus! The whole point of meeting up was to get away, wasn't it? To get out of London, get away from the threat... to escape."

Remus felt his stomach twist with the thought of it. 

Sirius looked around, "C'mon. Let's go and get your things, I'll explain everything when we're safely tucked behind some security charms."

"Alright," Remus nodded. "I have to warn you, I - I'm honestly a bit poor at disapparation at the moment, I've been  doing a lot of side along and muggle transportation lately..."

Sirius looked at Remus with concern in his eyes.

"I splinched pretty badly a couple years ago," Remus explained, "And I've been sort of... hesitant... especially close to particularly bad moons, like the one we've just come through."

"What did you splinch?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"My entire left leg. Luckily I was able to get it mended, but I had a right scare, I'll tell you what..."

Sirius's eyes went to Remus's left leg and stared at it for a long moment. When he looked back up, Sirius hooked his arm and offered his elbow. "I can bring you."

"Are you... you know... in practice?"

Sirius laughed, "Always the cautious one, aren't you Moony?" 

Remus slipped his hand 'round Sirius's arm and Sirius led him back behind the dumpsters and turned... pointing at the large hippogriff laying on the ground, hidden by the bin. 

"I didn't mean to disapparate."

"Buckbeak!" gasped Remus under his breath.

"Shh!" Sirius hissed. "He goes by Witherwings now! He's on the run as much as we two are!"

Remus was stroking the hippogriff's face, having bowed and been given permission to approach the beast. "Can he carry us both?"

"Can he carry us both?! Remus --" Sirius laughed deeply, throwing his head back, "Moony, darling, have you seen us? Between the pair of us we can't weigh even 20 stone. Blimey, of course the hippogriff can carry us. I'll reckon he could add on about three more of us before he struggled.

Remus looked down at himself, already swimming in even the clothes he'd been wearing at Hogwarts all year, and Sirius - well. Azkaban's effects were still clear, even if he was clad in something other than the striped robes they'd issued him. Sirius was right, they couldn't possibly weigh much, even combined.

Sirius bowed to Witherwings and they both climbed onto the creature's back, Sirius in front since he knew how to steer and guide Witherwings along and Remus wincing as his hips smarted and he straddled the back of the creature, his knees on either side of Sirius, hugging onto him from the back.

"How do you keep from being seen by muggles?" Remus asked.

Sirius grinned, "He has a chameleon charm on him."