Sarah and Diego, disguised as an old couple in fraying, dark robes, found seats at a table in the Drunken Dragon, which was mostly empty at this time of day.
"I didn't know Knocturn Alley had a pub," muttered Diego, surveying the place with nervous curiosity, as Sarah brought two fire whiskeys back from the bar.
The room was nearly dark enough to hide its dinginess, but not quite. Apart from Sarah and Diego, the only customers were a hag seated in a corner drinking some murky green concoction, and a wizard with a shaved head who smoked from a pipe that was longer than his arm.
The barman was big and muscular, and surveyed the room with general dislike. There was also a waitress leaning up against the wall and staring at them suspiciously.
"There she is," Sarah muttered.
"Looks just as hateful as I remember," said Diego. "What's our next move?"
Sarah made to reach for Diego's hand. He responded instantly, but Sarah's arm knocked over his glass of fire whiskey, which spilled all over the table and the floor.
"Oh dear," said Sarah, in the voice of a clumsy little old lady, "Miss?" she called to the waitress, raising a hand. "We've got a bit of a mess over here."
The woman rolled her eyes, but walked over. "So? I trust your competent enough to clean up after yourselves."
"Of course," said Sarah. "But I figured you owe me a favor."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, I did save your life in the last cursed vault."
"Spellman," the woman spat.
"Merula."
Merula looked around. The barman had evidently gone to the back. Merula joined them at their table.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "You know the Death Eaters are looking for you?" She nodded to a sign posted on the wall behind Sarah. It showed an image of her and Diego taken at the alley next to Borgin and Burkes, and offered a reward for anyone who could provide any information as to her whereabouts.
"I need your help," said Sarah, ignoring the sign. She'd have to worry about that later. "Barnaby's in trouble. Do you know where Lee Manor is?"
Merula glared at Diego. "Forgotten where you live again?"
"That's not Barnaby."
"A pleasure as always to see you, Merula," said Diego, "you're even more beautiful than I remember."
"Caplan," she hissed. "Another person from school I'd have been happy never to see again."
Diego smiled, but Sarah cut him off before he could make some suave reply.
"Merula, please listen! Barnaby's been kidnapped by the Death Eaters. He's being held at Lee Manor. I'm going to save him, but I need you to tell me how to get there."
If Sarah hadn't known Merula so well, she wouldn't have noticed the small lapse in her composure, like the flicker of a candle when someone walks by.
"It'll be too late," said Merula. "If the Death Eaters have him, there's nothing you can do."
"I don't want your opinion, I want you to tell me what I need to know."
Merula laughed. "That sounds like the Sarah Spellman I knew."
"Come on, Merula," Sarah pleaded. "What's it gonna take?"
Merula tapped at the table as she glanced at the ceiling, enjoying keeping them in suspense. Sarah could have lunged across the table and strangled her.
"I know where Lee Manor is," she said at last. "I went a couple times with my mother when I was younger."
"Great, so tell us," said Sarah.
Merula stood up. "I'm going with you," she said. "You and Caplan don't have the brains or spellpower combined to bring Lee back alive. You'll need the help of an expert."
Sarah and Diego shared an uneasy look before following Merula out of the pub. "Why would you want to help us?" Sarah asked.
Merula didn't turn around as she led the way out of the dark alley. "Lee may be thick as a centaur's backside, but he's my friend, too."