Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Secret Passage

At lunch, they had found themselves a quiet corner of the table, and were talking about everything that had happened so far. Ron and Hermione were both very impressed with Harry's Patronus. He had told them about it at the end of their third year, and they thought they had seen him produce another one in the Tri-Wizard tournament, at the end of last year. So far, however, they had never seen Prongs up close.

"He is very beautiful, Harry!" Hermione said in awe. "By the way, that reminds me, why did you thank me in the lesson?"

"You were my happy thought when I cast my Patronus at the Dementor the first time. Remember, in the Second Year, when you'd been un-petrified, and you came up to us? That was it, knowing you were okay."

"You little cheat!" Ron cried, grinning. "That was mine, too!"

"Now, now, boys! Share, and share alike!" All three burst out laughing again. Hermione stopped laughing suddenly, and that distant, crestfallen look she had about her, in the lesson, returned.

"Hermione?" Ron asked. "What's the matter?"

"I... I..." She couldn't say anything. She just buried her face in her hands.

"Maybe I can explain," Harry said, just realising himself what was the matter. "You see..." He stopped talking. Fred and George had just popped over to their corner of the table. Both Harry and Ron fixed smiles on their faces. Hermione quickly dried her eyes, and fixed an identical smile on her face, as well.

"It's okay Harry," she thought. "Tell him now. It's a perfect time to practice, as it were." He nodded.

He turned to face Ron. In his mind, a figure took shape. The figure had sleek blond hair, cold grey eyes, and a very pale face. In his hand, he held a brand new broomstick, bearing the crest "Nimbus 2001" near the tip of the handle. The figure spoke:

"Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood!" The figure then melted away into another figure. Harry didn't know if he could imprint this image in Ron's mind, but he would certainly try. A dark, cloaked figure stood over a young woman, with long curly red hair, which hung halfway down her back. Her eyes were a startling green. In her arms she held a baby, which was about fifteen months old.

"No! Not Harry!" she cried.

"Stand aside you stupid little girl!" came a cold-hearted voice. Then, there was a flash of green light, a high-pitched scream and silence.

Ron just looked at Harry blankly.

"Hermione feels guilty," he explained. "For the first time she really feels ashamed of what Malfoy calls her. Because she is of Muggle parentage, she feels she has never suffered at the hands of Voldemort, and the worst thing she has ever had to deal with is some poor idiot, with no imagination, trying to insult her. She feels guilty because she has never suffered."

"Hey! What's up with you three?" Fred interrupted.

"Whuh-whah?"

"You look out of it!"

"I'm sorry Fred. We're a little tired, you know. It's been a long day. We've just been doing Dementors in DADA."

"Wow! No wonder! Sorry we disturbed you! We'll leave you to it then. Come on George!" and with that they left.

"Hermione, I..." Ron began

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, a little ruefully.

"You shouldn't, you know."

"I know," she sighed. "But I can't help it. Do you understand?"

"I'm afraid I don't. But I can accept that, if it helps?"

"It'll do for the moment. Thanks."

"Wow, Harry!" Ron said, turning back to him. "Is that what you saw on the train a couple of years ago when the Dementors came?"

"Well not Malfoy obviously!" Harry tried to laugh. "No, not initially. I only got to that stage after a few lessons with Mooney. That was why they were so difficult. I half WANTED to hear them. You know I heard my dad eventually? Those memories, seeing them in the Mirror of Erised, and them coming out of Voldemort's wand three months ago, are the sum of everything I remember of my parents! Pathetic, eh!"

"Oh wow!" Ron said quietly.

"Oh well!" said Hermione, trying to laugh. "At least we know it works, and was not just some fluke of being around prof... Arabella!"

"Yeah!" Harry said smiling a little as well. "This is really cool, isn't it? And I promise you that we won't ask about any questions during exams!"

"No you won't'!" Hermione laughed, genuinely this time, and heartily.

"And you won't tell..."

"No I won't," Harry thought. "I promise."

"Anyway, Ron," Hermione thought. "We have to get to lessons. We have to get the day over with, so we can explore that secret tunnel. We will need the Marauder's Map, and your Invisibility cloak, Harry."

"Check!" Both agreed.

"Hermione," Harry said out loud. "Do you have a small peace of parchment, going spare? I need to scribble a note to Dumbledore." Then he thought. "I'll tell you both about it in a sec. I think we need to talk as well as think because, firstly, we will have to talk to others, and we don't want to forget how, but also, we don't want to raise suspicion!"

"Agreed!"

"You're right. Oh, yes, I've got a piece right here." She wasn't sure which she had said out loud and which she had thought. Either way, she knew him to be right. She handed him the parchment. He took it, wrote a single word on it, and then showed it to Ron and Hermione, who both nodded, and then put it in the pocket of his robes. "Come on then," she said cheerfully, out loud, "off to lessons!"

The rest of the day passed in a pleasant blur. Herbology was a rather calm affair, in which they merely reviewed the previous year's lessons, had a little test on what they hard learned so far at Hogwarts, spanning all four years, and then briefly perused the curriculum for the up-and-coming year. Professor Sprout had promised a pleasant surprise in her lessons, but refused to give any hints as to what this might be.

In Charms, a few of the students were asked to volunteer to face the diminutive Professor Flitwick in a wizard's duel. In his day, he was the School Duelling Champion, and then, later on, National Duelling Champion. To everyone's surprise, Neville volunteered. Harry eyed him curiously, and stuttering in a manner somewhat similar to Professor Quirrel, Harry thought disturbingly so, Neville answered their queries with a simple statement.

"You c-can't b-b-be a victim all y-your life, c-can you?" Despite himself, Harry found himself applauding Neville fervently.

Neville and Professor Flitwick faced off, and each raised their wands in their own ready positions. Flitwick had his wand arm out, his wand-tip pointing diagonally at the ceiling, his other arm behind his back, clasping at the belt on his robe. Neville had his non-combative arm in a handle-like shape, hand on hip, and his wand arm extended fully, tip pointed at the wall behind Professor Flitwick - Had the Professor been of a similar height to Neville, the tip of his wand would have been pointing at his face.

"Now remember Neville, my boy," Professor Flitwick said encouragingly, "try not to stutter and you'll do just fine." Neville smiled sheepishly as both combatants bowed deeply, keeping their eyes raised at all times. "Everyone to the back of the room during each bout please!"

Harry, who had been charged with the time-keeping, called,

"En Guarde!" and, readjusting their positions slightly, they looked each other respectfully in the eye. "Begin!" Harry cried, and Professor Flitwick cast the first blow.

"Ursa Dormiens!" he squeaked. The spell hit Neville full on in the chest. For a minute, nothing seemed to have happened. In fact, Neville had already cast a Curse of his own.

"Furnunculus!" he had cried, almost instantaneously covering the tiny Professor in rather angry looking boils. He had just drawn back his wand to attempt a second Curse. Professor Flitwick hadn't moved, and was looking somewhat amused, when the effects of the Professor's curse took sudden effect. Neville stretched out his arms and legs, gave a rather loud yawn, lay down, curled up in the very spot where he had been standing, and went to sleep. Everyone chuckled at this, including Professor Flitwick.

"Ah yes, that is one of my favourite curses, and it does no harm whatsoever! Completely disarms them without putting a scratch on them, physical OR mental."

"Professor?" Seamus raised his hand curiously. "What exactly was the curse you put on Neville? I've never heard of it before."

"Just a simple hibernation curse." He chuckled. "Better get Mr Longbottom to the Hospital Wing, for Madame Pomfrey to sort out, otherwise the poor boy will be asleep until Valentine's Day!" Seamus Finnigan and Parvati Patil volunteered to do this, and the rest of the class was challenged by Professor Flitwick.

As Ron faced off with the Professor, he looked at Hermione for help.

"Swish and flick isn't it?" She stared at him somewhat bemused, before realising what he was about to do, chuckled at the irony of it and nodded.

"En Guarde!" Harry called. Once again, both took their stance. "Begin!"

Ron burst forth, a little hurriedly and, along with the appropriate wand movements, roared "Wingardium Leviosa!" pointing his wand right at Flitwick. The Professor gave a squeak of amazement as he floated into the air. He began flailing about a little, and his wand got caught in his cape. Ron gazed at his cape for a brief moment and smiled. The cape was somewhat large on the petite professor. It was the smallest size Madame Malkin's had but it still looked more like a tent on him. As well as the normal silver fastenings on the cape, the fastening was further tightened by a small padlock. He raised his wand, pointed at the padlock, and before Professor Flitwick could move, Ron cried "Alohomora!" and the padlock broke open, the cloak unfastened and completely wrapped itself around his wand hand, obscuring his wand from view. Ron continued to press his advantage, after a well placed Jelly Legs curse, he decided to end the bout there and then. "Expelliarmus!" he cried, and at once, the professor was gently knocked backwards, the wand flying out of his hands, and landing with a clatter at Ron's feet, which Ron quickly recovered before going to help Professor Flitwick to his feet.

"An excellent performance, Mr Weasley! A very spirited show, my dear lad! Take fifteen points for Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick then looked at the clock. "My, my! We have time left for only one more duel. Mister Potter, would you be so kind, as to join me in the last duel?"

Harry sighed. If truth were to be told, then, at that point, he would have much preferred not to. Certainly not after the events, which had unfurled, at the end of the previous term. But he shook himself and thought, "No, the best thing to do, after you've fallen off a horse or a bicycle, is to climb straight back on again!"

"Here, here!" said Hermione soothingly, and Ron put in. "Absolutely right! Good one!"

Harry started. He didn't realise he'd been projecting his concerns. He blushed.

"Miss Granger, would you do the honours please?"

"Yes Professor. En Guarde!" Both Harry and Professor Flitwick took up their combative stances, Harry with his wand arm raised over his head, palm out, his free hand, like the Professor's in the belt of his robes behind his back. Harry was thinking of all the spells he could possibly use. Like Ron, he decided that the best form of defence was a full-blown assault, and that the best way to do this was to catch Professor Flitwick by surprise. Then suddenly Hermione cried "Begin!"

Immediately Harry raised his wand into the air and cried "Omni Portae Alohomorant!" and the Charms room door burst open. He then fixed his mind, solely, on a certain chest that he had seen earlier in the day, and, whilst preparing to dodge the professor's first strike, when it came, he called out loud, "Accio!" Inside himself, he felt the heavy chest struggling, before it reluctantly relinquished all control of itself, to the now non-existent forces of gravity acting upon it, and floated up into the air, and speeding its way rapidly towards Harry. Harry, in the meantime, was using his Quidditch-born reflexes, to dodge spells that were coming at him, right, left, and centre. He had just rolled on the floor to dodge a particularly well-placed Disarming Curse from the professor, to the roars of laughter from the rest of the Gryffindors. Ron and Hermione were looking at him, puzzled. Although he had blocked them out of his mind, whilst he was performing the summoning charm, which to them seemed not to have worked, he could tell they were wondering why he was on the defensive. He allowed himself a small smile, and raised an eyebrow wryly at them, before turning to dodge a third Jelly-Legs Curse. Finally, they all heard a whoosh, and turned to the door, where they saw the chest burst through the open doorway, and land neatly by Harry. -"Cheering Charms NOW!" he ordered. "Three per person, on everyone except for me and Professor Flitwick!" Ron and Hermione knew better than to argue with Harry, and so did it immediately. The whole class suddenly, and inexplicably, lit up at this, and Professor Flitwick raised an eyebrow questioningly at Harry, looking around him, and then down at the trunk. Harry returned an eyebrow, before casting three Cheering Charms upon himself, turning his wand upon the trunk, and cried "Alohomora!" Once again, the Dementor rose from the trunk, and this time it was Harry who cried "Forma Status Quo!" Harry ran to the side of the classroom, leaving the tiny Professor alone to face the Dementor. He raised his eyebrow at Harry once again, his gaze teeming with curiosity, especially when he noticed that no one else was affected by it.

"But then," he reasoned, "no one else is really close enough, as there is just one of them." He shrugged and squeaked, perfectly calmly, "Expecto Patronum!" and a huge Rainbow arced out of his wand, and made its way towards the Dementor. The Dementor was once again cornered in the opposite corner of the room, and before his Patronus had disappeared, he cried "Riddikulus!" The Dementor vanished with a pop and wafted its way to the trunk where it locked itself inside again, clearly tired of the day's events. However, the moment Professor Flitwick had uttered the counter charm against the Bogart, Harry had muttered something to his wand, and had swung it with such force, that the Professor was taken totally by surprise. Immediately his world turned upside down and back to front as his eyes, quite literally, rolled back in their sockets, leaving only the whites visible. After using the Levitation Charm on the Professor, rather like Ron had done, he quickly disarmed him, and cried,

"Accio wand!" As Flitwick's wand soared through the air into his hand, he quickly performed the counter spells to the other charms he had performed on the Professor, so he was able to bow and shake his hand, and pass him back his wand, as soon as he had retrieved it. Just as soon as they had shaken hands, to tumultuous applause, the bell rang for the end of the day.

"An excellent show, young Harry! Take another fifteen points for Gryffindor! Oh, and Harry, may I have a word with you?"

"Professor?"

"Firstly, once again, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent performance. That was some fine wand-work, my boy!"

"Thank you sir."

"But tell me, how on earth did you arrange, it so that I was the only one affected by the Dementor?"

"I am afraid I took a chance there, Professor, and I sort of... cheated slightly. After I'd formed my plan of attack, I had Ron and Hermione cast a Cheering Charm, well actually THREE Cheering Charms, on everyone in the room, apart from you and me. I cast three upon myself. I was working on the assumption that, by the time the Charms had worn off - Which would be greatly accelerated by the presence of a Dementor - you would have already cast your Patronus charm. I used the Dementor as a distraction. I didn't know what your Patronus was like, so I had mine in reserve, sir, just in case. The rest you know!"

"Excellent Potter! Quite excellent! Take another ten points for Gryffindor, and five each for Mister Weasley, and Miss Granger!"

"Thank you, sir!"

"See you again... Tomorrow, I believe?"

"Yes sir." He walked out. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him.

"That," Ron breathed, "was bloody BRILLIANT!"

"Ron!" Hermione chided, but was smiling just as broadly. "Harry, what on EARTH made you dream up the Dementor, and where did that unlocking spell you used come from? The one you used to unlock all the doors in Hogwarts?"

"ALL the doors in Hogwarts? I thought it was just ours!"

"No, Hermione's right it was all of them, well the ones that didn't have an anti-Alohomora charm on them. It was in that book you gave me, Hermione, for my birthday. Page thirty-five, twenty-five I think."

"THIRTY-FIVE, TWENTY-FIVE! How big was it?" Ron said, startled.

"About a hundred and sixty thousand pages I think."

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Hermione asked them with a mischievous grin.

"Definitely!" Ron thought. "It would save a HELL of a lot of time with homework."

"Agreed," Harry put in, "but let's wait a few weeks first. Remember how much it took out of us the last time. Anyway, let's go exploring!"

It was agreed. They rushed to the Gryffindor Tower, to drop their bags off, and then they hurried along to the Owlery.

They looked around, to make sure that no-one else was there, and then Ron wandered over to the place he had marked, in the owl pellets and droppings, with his shoe, and muttered. "Now what did I do?"

"Ron." Harry thought. "Look at me a moment." Ron did so, making sure that his eyes were wide open, to give Harry a good clear view. He let his mind drift to the morning as he ran up to the Owlery after collecting his books. He clambered the stairs, and Pig was on the perch directly above him. He was standing there, leaning against the wall, when it suddenly disappeared. He hadn't said anything, and there was nothing around the floor. There was just Pigwidgeon sitting on his perch, and the gentle pressure of Ron leaning casually on the wall, and then, nothing.

"Ready to give it a try?"

"Definitely!"

Ron looked at the wall, stood carefully next to it, and leaned against it.

Nothing happened.

He tried again.

Still nothing.

Ron raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry. Harry looked around the room. At this time, most of the owls were around the Owlery, in their nesting boxes. Most of the perching branches were empty, including the one directly above their area of the wall. "Lucky I brought a few of Hedwig's treats with me!" Harry thought. This wasn't going to be easy. Hedwig was very proud, and loved to talk with Harry, and was more than happy to run errands, he knew, but he wasn't sure how she would react to performing little tricks for him, like a common Muggle circus owl.

"Ron, you lean up against the wall, as you were. Hedwig!" Harry called up. She was nowhere in sight. He tried again. "Hedwig!" A flash of white cast across the Owlery window, and Hedwig perched amicably on Harry's shoulder. He tenderly stroked her chest feathers, and hooted softly at her. "Hedwig, do you know if there's anything odd about this branch?" he asked her. She thought for a moment, cocked her head slightly, and blinked. "Could you show us please?" She hooted softly, and flew around to various unoccupied perches around the Owlery, perching on each one for a moment or two, before finally landing on the one directly above them. Oddly enough, when she landed here, she flexed her talons around it, before cocking her head again and hooting.

"I think," Hermione began cautiously, "she means that this one feels different to the others."

"I think you're right." put in Harry. He could see Hedwig now scratching at the bark a little, but before she continued, Harry cried, "Hedwig STOP!" and she did

so, looking at him confusedly. "Hermione do you see that?"

"What?" put in Ron and Hermione together.

"Under Hedwig's left, rear talon."

Ron and Hermione looked up at the branch, and saw the slightest glimmer of metal.

"Bloody Hell!" cried Ron. "That is one intelligent owl you've got there." Hedwig appreciated this greatly, and flew down and perched on his shoulder to nip gently at his ear.

"That she is!" agreed Harry. "That she is!" and he hooted happily at her, stroking her back. "Ron, continue to lean against that wall and Hedwig, could you please start at the tip of the branch and walk slowly along it as carefully as you can?"

"Wouldn't it be better, if we got Pig to do it?" Ron asked.

"Not particularly." Hermione said, thoughtfully. "If it is merely a matter of weight, well the weight of Pigwidgeon standing on one particular spot on the perch, can be emulated, almost exactly, by another owl on another point of the branch."

"Oh!" said Ron, for want of anything better to say.

"Are you ready, Ron?"

"Yep"

"Go for it Hedwig!" Harry said quietly, hooting for good measure. Ron and Hermione exchanged quiet glances at this, but said nothing.

Ron was leaning against the wall as casually as he could, but his mind was somewhat rife with anticipation, as he remembered what had happened last time, and only wishing that he had stayed to explore. The tunnel appeared to go on for miles, just by looking at it. He had walked into the tunnel for a few yards, his wand lit, but he couldn't see any turning. It appeared to lead straight into a wall of darkness.

Ron shook himself out of his reverie when he noticed Hermione staring intently not at the wall, or at Hedwig, but at Harry. He had that look on his face again, haunted and distant, and he appeared to be hooting as well, something they'd noticed him doing an awful lot since after the Tri-Wizard tournament.

"Say something to him!" he told Hermione.

"What?"

"Anything!"

"Err, Harry?" she said out loud. He didn't reply. "HARRY!" she called, gently hitting his arm this time. He started.

"Wh-What?"

"Are you okay, Harry?" He stared at her, genuinely confused. "You seem a little..."

"Distant?" Now he gazed at her, his deep green eyes almost twinkling, as a slight smile tweaked at the corners of his mouth.

"Just slightly!" she said, mildly ironical.

"I..." The look was gone, almost immediately. "I was kind of reminded about the Chamber of Secrets. You know, the deep dark tunnel?"

"But you haven't..."

"Ron." He said simply.

"Oh!" she said, understanding. "But what's with the hooting? Are you talking to Hedwig? Do you understand each other? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"I don't know. Hedwig always seems to understand me, and I think I understand her quite well. I don't think it has anything to do with the hooting. I'm not a... a... whatever the Owl equivalent of a Parselmouth is, it's just that, I... I..." At this, Hedwig flew down onto his shoulder, and nipped at his ear affectionately, before gently rubbing her softly feathered head against his own temple in, what could only be described as, a nuzzle. A lone tear coursed down his cheek and he sniffled slightly.

"You find it comforting." Ron said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Hermione looked at him, somewhat startled, but also a little touched as well. She had never seen THIS sensitive side of him before, and she inadvertently blushed. Harry glanced at her, and, once again, smiled slightly. Hermione came up to him, and gave him a very firm hug.

"It's not just the Chamber is it? It's him."

"Yes. I... When we touched the cup, Cedric and I..."

"Harry, you don't have to. Don't let us make you feel pressured into saying anything!" Hermione said, slightly alarmed.

"I... Ron?" he thought. "Do you remember after the tournament, in the hospital wing? Do you remember your mum holding me...?" Harry seemed a little awkward. Ron nodded slightly, knowing what was coming, and felt no awkwardness at all, but he felt that Harry needed to say it. "I... I need more of it. I need her. I have always felt that I had to do things myself, before I came to Hogwarts, that is. You know what the Muggles are like! I still don't know whether or not they hate me, but I've never really had anything approximating to affection from them. Then after I met you two and the Weasleys, I felt like I was no longer alone, that I could let others help me. That I NEEDED others to help me. In a way, that was wonderful, but in the same way, I didn't like the dependency I'd felt. I know it sounds quite shallow, but I'd grown up independently, and that aspect of my life wasn't easy to give up. But I managed it, and, since then, although you guys have helped me so much, at least I have been able, for the most part, to do things my way - Although I don't know how safe it has proven for you guys, and I know that you are always there for me, but I still don't like putting you at risk. Then, after the tournament, when your mum was holding me, Ron, I... I don't know. Something just snapped. It felt so wonderful to be hugged like that. I am sorry Hermione. I don't want to offend you in any way, but..."

"There's NOTHING like a mother's hug." She stated simply; her large brown eyes boring straight into his. He nodded.

"I don't ever remember being held like that. Not even with the Dementors. I... I suppose, someday, I will remember, but I have needed this for so long. I..." and, at this point, he did cry. Hermione looked helplessly at Ron, who inclined his head to the wall, and Hermione quickly transfigured a few stray pieces of straw into a stone bench, sat him down, and sat down with him, allowing him to weep into her robes. Ron put his arm out to Hedwig, who stepped onto it, and he said to her,

"Could you go and get Fawkes please, Hedwig?" She gave a gentle hoot, and nipped softly at his finger, before throwing a concerned glance at Harry, and flying out of the Owlery. He sat down next to Harry, and put his hand on his shoulder. He looked now at Hermione, looking down at Harry, muttering incoherently to him, trying to hoot softly herself, trying to comfort him, tears of her own matting his hair. He allowed himself a small smile. The torrent of tears had been reduced now, to a slow trickle, and, before long, Hedwig was back with Fawkes. She perched up on the trick branch, whilst Fawkes, now perched on Harry's shoulder, his beak pressed slightly against Harry's forehead. He had tears coursing gently down his own feathered cheeks. He let out a low melodic cry, which made their hearts race. It was a beautiful, and yet painful note as well. A note of mourning and victory. A note of mourning through victory. A note of victory through mourning. A note of Phoenix Song.

Harry looked up slowly, his unruly hair even messier than before. A few tears were still trickling down his face, but he seemed to have finished crying for the moment. He sniffed slightly, opened his eyes, and looked around him, blinking. He had momentarily dozed off. He looked up, a little sheepish, turned to Ron, mouthed his thanks, receiving a smiling nod in reply, and turned back to Hermione with a rueful grin on his face. Looking her straight in the eye, he said,

"But some things come close," and lightly kissed her forehead. "After what he said a few minutes ago, I think he's a lot closer than you think, Tawny! Give him a bit more time, eh!" he said, winking.

"OY! Ron said jovially, only momentarily pretending to be hurt by this. "Are you two keeping things from me again, or what?"

"WHAT!" they chorused, laughing.

Ron stopped suddenly, looking serious all of a sudden.

"Harry, do you want to do this some other time? Do you want to go for a lie down?"

"No way! You've got me too excited over this! I want in there now!" he replied earnestly. He and Hermione dried their eyes before he added, "Now then Ron, get back against that wall!" Ron did so laughing, and Harry turned to Hedwig. "Thanks," he said. "Could you start moving along the perch, please?" Hedwig did so. Before very long, Ron let out a gasp, as he felt himself fall away from the floor, and into the wall.

"YES!" they all cried.

"Wands out do you reckon?" Hermione asked. Harry gave a shudder and a cry, and involuntarily threw his hands over his ears, whimpering.

"HARRY?" Ron and Hermione cried.

"I'm... I'm... I'm okay, I'm okay!" he stammered.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just... Cedric."

"I don't..." Hermione began, before Harry cut her off.

"Those were the last words he said before, before Voldemort..." Ron nodded slowly. He was in his element now. He took Harry firmly by the shoulder, and turned him into the tunnel.

"Come on Harry," Ron said as jovially as he could manage. "Let's get some nice, cold, secret passage air into your lungs!"

"Thanks Ron, Hermione! I mean it." He said, stifling another tear. "Are you coming, Fawkes? Hedwig?" Both birds shook their heads, and Fawkes flew off, back to Dumbledore's office.

All three of them drew and lit their wands, and soon they had left the light of the Owlery far behind them. The tunnel was pitch dark, and a little lumpy under foot. However, it was wide enough for them to stand three abreast, and the ceiling stood a good five feet above Ron, who was still, easily, the tallest of the three. Although the tunnel was bone-dry, there appeared to be a disconcertingly loud dripping noise emanating from the walls themselves. After a while, however, they got used to it, and soon didn't even notice it.

A little while later, they came to some old, and slightly worn, stone steps that appeared to lead downwards. By the light of his wand, Harry checked the time. They had been searching the tunnel for half an hour. Harry suddenly had an idea.

"Guys, stop a minute, I want to check something out." He took out the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." As the map unfurled before him, he did a double-take, and gave a gasp of astonishment. "LOOK AT THIS!" he cried. "Look where we are!" As all three looked at the map, realisation dawned on Hermione, and she practically jumped in shock.

"But surely we are just behind the Gryffindor TOWER!"

"Sure looks like it, doesn't it!" Harry said, smiling. "Oh and, incidentally, I've just had a thought. We should practice our telepathy over distances, and also whilst holding simultaneous conversations. We need to get it down, so that no one else, apart from the professors, knows we can do this. We're going to be hiding an awful lot this year, aren't we?"

"Yeah! But think of what we are going to have over Voldemort!" Ron said, laughing. "We already have our own Parselmouth. We are going to be able to hold intelligent conversations with whatever animal we are at the time. We have our own Post Girl..." Hermione punched him affectionately on the arm at this. "And, to cap it all, we have our own flying Apothecary!"

"Eh?" Hermione looked a little confused

"Fawkes."

"Of course, Phoenix tears! I hadn't thought of him like that. Then again, I was never there when he did it, the last two times." she smiled ruefully at Harry, who smiled back weakly. They had agreed not to walk on eggshells around him, to just let him get it out of his system, because it was obvious to them that he needed it. However, he was still a little sensitive about this, and they didn't want to upset him.

"Anyway," Harry said, smiling a little more now. "Down we go!"

As they continued down the passage, their footsteps reverberated all around them. They carried on through almost pitch black, the only light being afforded by their wands. Both Harry and Hermione trailed a hand along the wall, standing either side of Ron, and occasionally they stopped and pushed firmly against the wall.

Harry got a terrific shock, the first time he fell through a wall, right in front of Filch. He was even more startled, if not terrified, when Filch not only looked right through him, but then WALKED right through him as well!

"Hermione?" he thought anxiously. "What the HELL is going on?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of this happening before. It's not in Hogwarts - A History!" she added, almost affronted that something of this magnitude wasn't mentioned in, what Harry and Ron had affectionately dubbed, her Bible.

"I've had an idea." Ron said, with a mischievous grin. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he roared, taking his wand out, and pointing it directly at Mrs Norris, Filch's old and scraggy cat, and partner in his war against the students. Mrs Norris was raised high above Filch's head in an instant, and he looked first shocked, then terrified, then furious.

"PEEVES!" he roared. "I'll have the Baron on you for this!" Hermione stared at Ron, astonished. Filch hadn't heard him, despite the fact that Ron had yelled the incantation at the top of his voice.

As Filch ran towards the door Ron pointed his wand at him, and said softly, "Pelius Azuro" and, to everyone's amusement, his hair went sky blue. He didn't notice, until he ran across some seventh years in the Hallway, making their way down to the Great Hall for dinner, and they pointed at him and burst into riotous laughter.

"Ron, that was incredible!" Hermione said. "I am not sure exactly where we are, some shadow world, no doubt, but wherever it is, we can cast spells but we can't be touched or seen or heard! Dumbledore needs to know about this! I was right, this place would be perfect to shelter, and form a base of operation."

"I wonder if we can get around the castle, through the doors." Harry added, musing.

Being unsure, they all agreed that the best way to discover this, would be to try it. They were able to walk through the furniture in the room, but when they tried to do the same to the door, and to the solid wall, putting their hand out first, their hands came up against solid wood and stone. Harry put his hand on the door handle, and turned it. Nothing. "Alohomora" Still nothing.

"I guess that's a no." Ron said.

"There must be other entrances along the passage." Hermione added. "I tell you what. Let's go to dinner now, and then write to Sirius to ask him how he, and the other three, made the map, and if he can tell us how to add to it. Then when we get our reply, we can have a good explore over the weekend, and add to the map then."

"Yeah, and then we will need to change the password." Harry added "Remember, Wormtail knows about the map, so he will be able to give it to Voldemort."

"Agreed!" Hermione and Ron chorused.