Discovery

51.

"Hi," he said, grinning.

"Hi," chorused Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I, all four kneeling down on the rug. 

"How're things?" said Sirius.

"Not that good," said Harry, "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams —"

"— or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius.

There was a short pause.

"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. "The Hog's Head, I ask you . . ."

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people —"

"— which means you'd have been harder to overhear," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.

"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius, "He was the witch under the veil."

Mundungus Fletcher was another member of the Order of the Phoenix, but no one was sure if we could really trust him. I didn't like him one bit.

"That was Mundungus?" Harry said, stunned. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius impatiently. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry angrily.

"Yeah, you are," said Sirius, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group."

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron, sounding disap- pointed. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," said Sirius, "Anyway . . . First of all, Ron — I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh yeah?" said Ron, sounding apprehensive.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be ex- pelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She also" — Sirius's eyes turned to the other three — "advises Harry, Ella, and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

On duty doing what?" said Ron quickly.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," said Sirius. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

There was a short pause before Sirius glanced at me.

"Ella, I won't even get started on what your mother said. However, Miranda wanted me to tell you that she thinks it's a marvelous idea, and if you don't do it, she'll disown you. I highly doubt that." Sirius added, chuckling.