Chapter 249. Secret Passage and The Three Broomsticks
The twins took the three of them into the secret passage. After sliding for a while, they reached a narrow, low corridor that could only just fit two people walking side by side.
George and Fred led the way, with the three of them following close behind.
"Sure enough, without the map it's really inconvenient," Fred muttered to his brother. "Back then we'd never have been tailed by anyone—least of all Ron."
"We'll have to be more careful from now on," George replied with a nod.
Ever since they'd got the Marauder's Map, they'd relied on that treasure.
Now that it was suddenly gone, they were having trouble adjusting.
In the old days, even without a map, they could wander Hogwarts at night as if it were their own back garden.
It seemed they'd have to find a way to get back to their old form.
The Weasley brothers were not about to stop for a little setback!
The passageway was winding, the ground uneven.
After nearly half an hour of walking, the three could no longer see the twins' backs.
"Just... how... much farther..." Ron panted, bracing himself against the wall.
"We've been walking for ages," Hermione said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Maybe we shouldn't have chosen this route—"
Harry turned and looked at the two who had stopped. "Hang on a bit longer. We should be almost there."
"Aren't you tired?" Ron asked, puzzled.
Harry shook his head and said breezily, "I used magic."
Only then did Hermione notice Harry had been holding his wand the whole time.
"What magic?" she asked, curious. "I don't know any spell that helps a person walk."
"You just cast a Levitation Charm on your shoes," Harry explained. "It makes things much easier."
"I see," Ron said, suddenly enlightened. He drew his wand and pointed it at his own shoes. "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Three seconds later.
Harry and Hermione looked at Ron, who had managed to hang himself upside down in mid-air, and sighed in unison.
"This takes a bit of practice."
Harry spoke as he flicked his wand to cancel Ron's Levitation Charm.
Ron rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.
After another half-hour or so, they finally saw a staircase rising ahead.
After climbing a few hundred steps, they emerged into a place rather like a cellar.
"You're awfully slow."
George and Fred were sitting on a big crate, grinning at them.
The twins led them through two doors and up a staircase, and at last they arrived inside Honeydukes.
"You should've told us this road was so hard to walk," Ron groused, kneading his waist. "Then we wouldn't have had to suffer like this."
"Oh, come off it, Ronniekins," Fred said with a wicked grin, ruffling Ron's hair. "It was just a little test. Look at Harry—he's not complaining at all. Fancy a sweet?"
Ron shuddered at the sight of the handful of inky-black beans Fred pulled from his pocket.
"No, thanks," he said quickly, waving them off.
"What a pity." Fred put the sweets away.
They were transforming sweets that turned into little spiders the moment you bit down.
As a responsible older brother, he always remembered Ron's very favourite thing was spiders.
After saying goodbye to the twins, the three of them spent the whole morning wandering all over Hogsmeade.
Hogsmeade really was a lovely place.
Although they'd already been once, the wizarding village still felt new to them.
In the afternoon, they made their usual way to The Three Broomsticks, only to find it packed to the rafters.
So the three changed venue and went back to Honeydukes; there were enough sweets there to fill their stomachs.
Meanwhile, in The Three Broomsticks, Adrian Wesson ran into Lupin and Tonks, and the three of them sat at a little table chatting.
"When did the two of you get so chummy?"
Adrian was a little surprised.
Although in the original story Tonks and Lupin seemed to end up getting married, wasn't this a bit ahead of schedule?
In the original, the two of them didn't really get to know each other until Tonks joined the Order of the Phoenix.
Lupin gave an awkward smile.
In truth, he wasn't entirely sure either.
This young lady from the Ministry seemed particularly interested in his being a werewolf.
"Haha, that's all it is—Professor Lupin's an interesting person," Tonks said with a laugh, taking a sip of Butterbeer. "By the way, Professor Wesson, how's that little cutie you mentioned in the Forbidden Forest?"
"Very well," Adrian answered briefly.
Apart from being a bit dopey, Bart had no real problems.
"Little cutie?" Lupin asked, curious.
"A friend," Adrian replied succinctly. "I'll introduce you sometime."
Lupin nodded politely and didn't press.
"By the way," Adrian said to Tonks, "aren't you an Auror at the Ministry? What brings you here?"
"Aurors have holidays too. It's someone else's shift now," Tonks said with a roguish wink.
"In that regard, Dementors are much more hard-working," Adrian remarked.
"Oh, that's true," Tonks said, leaning back in her chair, glancing towards Fudge. "They don't draw a salary, and they don't need rest. All they need is a tiny bit of happiness. Unfortunately, for most people, they're far too dangerous."
Adrian nodded in agreement.
In the past few days there had been Aurors patrolling Hogwarts every day.
Although Dumbledore felt it was somewhat disruptive to the students' studies,
Aurors were still far easier to accept than Dementors.
While the three were chatting, a few familiar faces came into the pub one after another.
Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Hagrid... and Cornelius Fudge.
As soon as Fudge entered, he went straight to the bar and exchanged pleasantries with Madam Rosmerta.
Because they were a little far away, Adrian couldn't hear what they were saying.
But judging from Madam Rosmerta's relaxed expression, it was likely just the usual greetings.
"Fudge has been run off his feet lately," Tonks said, propping her chin on her hand as she looked his way. "Ever since the Dementors at Hogwarts were injured, he's had to deal with a lot of people every day."
"So what exactly happened to those Dementors?" Lupin asked, curious.
He only knew the Dementors had been sent back to Azkaban; he didn't know why.
"Who knows?" Tonks shrugged. "To be honest, no one at the Ministry knows, either. But I'd bet eight out of ten it was Dumbledore."
As the culprit, Adrian took a sip of Butterbeer and said nothing.
At that moment Fudge stopped chatting with Madam Rosmerta and struck up a conversation with Professor McGonagall.
During that time, Adrian happened to meet Fudge's eyes.
A flicker of stiffness crossed the Minister's face, scarcely noticeable.
Clearly, he had quite a few complaints about Adrian Wesson.
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