The Roses of Hogwarts | Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Friend of Sirius Black

The tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow was tight and cramped causing the three children to bend forwards in order to protect their heads. Physically uncomfortable was certainly an understatement. Oriane had never felt so cramped and claustrophobic in her life. Yet, moist dirt and the scent of mud hung heavy in the air around them; an oddly comforting smell in a time so terrifying.

But that was the only remotely comforting thing Oriane found in that terrible tunnel. Everything else was much too cramped for her liking. It seemed like the end of that tunnel might even bring the end of them as well.

"Lumos!" Harry commanded.

A bright light lit the tip of his wand, and Oriane and Hermione were quick to follow with their own lights. Even with all of their wands lit they couldn't see the end of the tunnel. It seemed to span so deep and far in the ground in a neverending dark void. Yet the three of them pushed forward, determined to find their friend.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione whispered, her voice shaking.

"This way," Harry said confidently.

"Where does this tunnel come out at?" Hermione questioned next.

"I don't know... It's marked on the Marauders Map, but Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it. It goes off the edge of the map, but it looks like it ends up somewhere in Hogsmeade," Harry explained.

"The Marauders Map?" Oriane questioned, unfamiliar with the term.

The two fell silent, almost as if contemplating if they should explain the map to her.

"It's a... map," Harry stated.

"Obviously," Oriane finished.

She was beginning to become out of breath. Though, she didn't think it was because of their walking. Ever since she watched that dog (who she was still certain was Sirius Black) take Ron, she found it difficult to control her breathing at all. They came in fast, sharp, and erratic.

"It's a map of Hogwarts," Hermione explained. "But it shows the exact, live location of anyone within the grounds. Harry's used it to sneak off into Hogsmeade-"

"It's not important right now," Harry snapped.

Of course it wasn't. And Oriane knew that. But staying silent was excruciating. Her nerves were bundling so tightly together she felt as if they would explode at any moment. Every part of her wanted her to scream out, asking her why she was stupid enough to go into that tunnel. She should have stayed behind with Cedric, but she couldn't. She knew she'd never forgive herself.

So they continued in silence, anxiously watching as Hermione's cat trotted in front of them, its tail wiggling straight up in the air. Out of any creature that would be excited to bound off after a dog, a cat was certainly the last thing she had expected. Eventually the tunnel began to curve upwards, where it twisted shortly afterwards. The cat vanished up towards the surface where they could make out a hint of dim light.

Each of them raised their wands through the hole and poked their heads up like rodents, scanning the area around them. The first thing Oriane noticed was the unmistakable, musty scent of mold. And then it was the trashed decor. The stains on the floor, the boarded up windows, and furniture that looked as if someone had spent the better part of the evening throwing it around.

As if the sinking feeling in her stomach couldn't get any worse, she made a terrible, terrible connection. It was that room. An old, disgusting room with peeling wallpaper and a musty old bed. She had seen it all before in a vision, where that strange rat-like man transformed in front of her, sobbing.