Aria Black and the Order of the Phoenix

Sick and Messed Up

The next morning, George meets me in the common room. I left a note for Angelina, asking her to make excuses for me throughout the day, along with Sirius's letter. That should explain everything to her.

"Ready, Ari?" George asks.

Last night, we ended up making a plan for the meeting. There is a secret passage to Hogsmeade on the third floor. It opens up in the cellar of Honeydukes. The twins learned about it from the Marauders Map. I will go through the secret passage alone, after George casts a Disillusionment charm on me. He will wait at its end, listening for any signs of a commotion that means Sirius or I have been caught.

I will exit Honeydukes and follow Sirius's instructions at the Hog's Head. After our meeting, I will recast the Disilusionment charm on myself and get back to Honeydukes.

We make our way to the third floor, dodging a few students that happen to be awake at eight o'clock on a Sunday. I have to fight the vomit that surges up my throat. Almost equally nervous beside me, George chatters in about the plan.

When we reach the third floor, we cast Disilusionment charms on each other and say the password to a statue in order to access the passage. Inside the passage is a hollow tunnel that smells like rain.

"What will you do while I'm gone?" I ask George as we make our way down the tunnel. "Other than worry yourself sick?"

He is deathly pale in the light of our wands. "I've brought my Charms homework and some diagrams for Fred and my inventions."

"I had better come back to some great ideas," I say, forcing a chuckle.

The passage gets warmer and less smelly as we reach the large staircase that leads to the trapdoor in the basement. We have been walking for almost an hour.

"I think I'll sit at the top of the stairs," George says. "That way I can hear everything in the cellar."

"I'll be fine," I say, but without conviction. Truly, I'm not worried about myself. Remus could be in danger, and I have to get to Sirius in order to find out.

George and I begin the climb to the giant staircase with great difficulty. We have been walking forever, and the steep staircase does not do our legs any favors. There is only silence during the climb. Both of us are boggled down with worry.

At the top, he sinks to a sitting position, putting his bag of diagrams and homework down. George pats the spot beside him, and I oblige.

"Aria," he says, "promise me you'll be careful. If Sirius is caught, he will be given the Dementor's Kiss. If you are caught with him, I suspect expulsion, or even Azkaban. If you think that you might be in danger, there is no shame in turning back. He will understand."

I nod, though I can think of no circumstance in which I would willingly leave Hogsmeade before hearing Sirius's information today. "I'll be careful. Promise."

George cups my face in his sweaty palm. "And know that we will fix whatever is wrong. We can get through this, Ari."

I lean up to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you so much, George. I'll see you soon."

He recasts the Disillusionment charm on me, and I peek out the trapdoor for any signs of life in Honeydukes cellar. No one is inside. I open the trapdoor and George lifts me up and through it. I give his hand a slight squeeze, and make my way up the stairs.

I open the door slowly, playing it off as a breeze, and step through. Thankfully, the candy shop is not very crowded at ten in the morning. I am able to sneak through patrons with ease, and wait by the door until it is opened.