shelf. 'Now with an expanded effectiveness range of three meters! Great for parties.'
As James browsed around, he peeked through the backroom curtain and saw Ted sitting on a pile of crates. Lately, he had taken to using his Metamorphmagus skills to change the appearance of his hair again, just as he had when he'd been a baby. He had made it quite long today. It hung in dark curtains, partially obscuring his face. James thought he looked a bit like the long-departed Sirius Black.
'Hey, Ted,' James said. 'How's everything?'
Ted looked up, although James still couldn't see his face. 'Oh. Hi, James. It's all right.'
'How's practicing for the National Quidditch Team coming?'
'Hmm?' Ted said. 'Oh yeah. It's all right, I guess. I've been really busy here at the shop, but other than that, yeah, it's fine.'
'Ted,' James said, slipping past the curtain, 'er, what's going on?'
Ted's voice was strangely flat. 'What do you mean?'
'I mean with Petra. I know it's none of my business, but…'
'What do you know about it?' Ted asked, a little sharply. 'I know Metzker's all in a tizzy about it, and the rest of the Gremlins are probably talking it up, but I didn't think you'd be in on it too.'
'In on what?' James asked, stopping just inside the backroom curtain. 'Look, I—'
'Whatever everyone is saying, it's all rubbish, James. You lot just need to leave Petra alone, especially Metzker. And you can tell him I said so.'
'Ted,' James began, but he didn't quite know what else to say. Ted stirred, climbing to his feet.
'I see you've got Dolohov with you. You're still chumming around with him, eh?'
James looked hard at Ted. 'You mean Ralph? Er, yeah. I guess. Why?'
'Oh, no reason, really. After all, it wasn't his people that killed your parents.'
James shook his head. 'Ted, you… you can't blame Ralph for that. He wasn't even born then. His father was just a kid when the battle happened.'
Ted sighed wearily. 'Don't tell me who I can and can't blame, James. Look, I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm not in a very good mood tonight. Maybe you and Rose and your friends should get back to the tunnel. It's getting dark.'
James nodded slowly. 'Yeah, I guess you're right.' He turned to go, and then looked back. 'See you later, Ted.'
Ted waved. 'See you around, James. Be careful.'
By the time the quartet came out of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a fierce orange and purple sky behind it. Quickly, they made their way back toward the Shrieking Shack. The protective fence around the property had long since fallen into disrepair. James led the way through the same break in the fence they had used earlier in the day. At the top of the hill, the ramshackle Shack stood in black shadow, looming ominously.
'I was really hoping to get through this part before it got dark,' Ralph said fervently. 'I can't even see the front door.'
'It's right there,' Rose said, lighting her wand and pointing it. 'Just like we left… it…'
Rose's voice trailed away as her wandlight played over the front of the Shack. In spite of her words, the door didn't, in fact, look exactly as they'd left it.
'I thought we pulled the door closed again,' Cameron said curiously. 'Didn't we pull the—'
'Yes, Cam,' James interrupted. 'We sure didn't leave it like that.'
The front door had been shoved open so far that the top hinge had broken. It leaned awkwardly inside its frame. Beyond the entry was impenetrable darkness.
'Does that look like someone was going in, or coming out?' Ralph asked, trying to keep his voice even.
'What does that matter?' James asked.
'Well, for one thing, it tells us if we were followed or if we're walking into a trap,' Ralph answered reasonably.
Cameron asked, 'Who'd try to trap us?'
'Nobody,' Rose replied firmly. 'Come on. It's probably just an animal or something. Let's just get this over with.'
She climbed onto the sagging porch and shone her wandlight into the dark doorway. James clambered up next to her, his heart pounding. Together they walked through the doorway with Ralph and Cameron following close behind. The interior of the Shack had obviously been disturbed. Some of the old furniture had been shoved aside, leaving scrapes on the dusty floor. Worse, the stairway leading to the cellar looked all wrong. The doorway was splintered and bowed, and the stairs beyond seemed unusually steep.
'Wait,' James said, grabbing Rose's arm. 'This isn't right. Look down there.'
All four students hunkered and peered down the rickety staircase. By the glow of Rose's wand they could clearly see that the room below was virtually gone. Broken hunks of wall and sections of collapsed ceiling choked the stairs, completely blocking them.
'How could that have happened just today?' Ralph asked breathlessly. 'I mean, it held up for twenty years and then decided to come crashing down right after we came through?'
'Maybe we dislodged it somehow,' Cameron reasoned.
James shook his head. 'No, someone did this on purpose. Someone knows we're here and is forcing us to go home by another route.'
Cameron looked at James, smiling quizzically. 'Why would anyone do that?'
'Because they want to keep us out of the tunnel,' Ralph answered in a small voice. 'Because the tunnel is part of Hogwarts.'
'Come on,' Rose said quickly. 'If we hurry, we can catch up with some of the other returning students.'
Cameron looked alarmed. 'But we'll get caught when we go back,' he exclaimed. 'Professor McGonagall will see us coming back with the older students! We'll get in trouble!'
'Let's seriously hope that's the worst that happens, Cameron,' Ralph said, following Rose back out of the decimated front door.
As quickly as they could, the four retraced their steps back along the High Street. As they walked, James could occasionally see the spires and turrets of Hogwarts castle, looking teasingly close against the darkening sky. A cross street at the end of town seemed to angle in the right direction. James led the troop down it, toward a stand of intervening forest.
'This doesn't look right, James,' Ralph worried. 'Isn't there a path that leads straight through to the castle?'
James answered, 'Yeah, we have to be getting near it. Watch between the cottages.'
'I wonder where everyone else is at,' Cameron commented, looking around at the narrow, deserted street. A dog barked nearby, and something squeaked in the cooling wind. 'Shouldn't there be other students heading back along this route?'
'Hogsmeade weekend officially ends at dusk,' Rose said quietly. 'They were already heading back by the time we stopped in to see George.'
'What was that?' Ralph suddenly asked, spinning on his heels to look behind him.
'What?' James whispered, his hair prickling.
Ralph's eyes darted over the street. 'I… I thought I heard something behind us.'
Rose shook her head. 'Get hold of yourselves, you two. It was probably just a dog or something.'
