ROSIER

24

The Pension
...

"What are you waiting for, Gwen?" Connor's voice brought all senses back to her. The noises, the scents, the people staring at them. "Gwendolyn."

Gwen couldn't reply if she wanted to. Nothing mattered as she rushed toward the exit where Remus was waiting for her. He took her hand, and she knew he needed the comfort of the gesture as much as she did. They sneaked into an empty classroom, waiting for the Gargoyle to tell them what happened.

Garg flattered nervously with his wings. He was visibly distraught and struggled to find words. "We were in Hogsmeade, and then I was in the walls. I did my job very carefully, I promise. But then... then, and the Auror came, and then I was in the tree."

"Everything's alright, Garg," Gwen reassured him. She patted his stone head until his breaths steadied again. "Nice and slow now. What happened in the pension."

The Gargoyle recapped the happenings, taking a few tries until he told the full story rather than just a few parts. They did as they planned it. Both Emmeline and Dorcas were breaking into the pension and even reached the box, but fate had other plans. Red awaited them.

"We need Dumbledore's help," Remus decided, and the three of them waisted no time. They rushed toward the chiselled Gryffin that closed the stairway to his office. "The password is some kind of candy." The boy told her and began to name all kinds he could think of. "There has to be a way in." He groaned in frustration, kicking against the stone when nothing worked.

"I'm flying in to see if he's there," Garg decided and disappeared right through the wall. A couple of seconds passed until he came back once again the bearer of bad news. "No one's home. This is the emptiest office I have ever seen."

"Bubble gum, jelly beans, Butterscotch," Gwen desperately attempted Remus' tactic as well. She didn't know what it would do, after all an empty office wouldn't save their friends. "This can't be it." She leaned her forehead against the Gryffin and closed her eyes. She hoped and prayed and begged for some kind of help. She couldn't lose Dorcas when a fight took away their time.

She opened her eyes to notice a shimmer in the weak light of the hallway. Something was attached to the claw of the Gryffin, almost unnoticeable. But she could see it clear as day now. The blonde crouched down and draped her fingers around it. "The wristband."

"What?"

"That's how the old woman opened the entrance to the tunnel system in Ivan's closet. Dumbledore had it when we spoke to him." She traced it with her thumb. "The plan didn't work. Now, it's time to improvise." She looked at the boy. "Are you ready to do this?"

"I'm ready if you are," Remus promised.

"Garg, I want you to fly back to the Pension and find out where Red is keeping Emmeline and Dorcas and where she keeps the box. I'm assuming you know about the tunnels?"

"I do,"

"Good, once you're done, meet us in the part of the system that goes into the pension." The Gargoyle nodded, disappearing through the floor. "Let's go."

Remus knew his way through the tunnel system better than anyone else. It was as though he had it memorized down to the smallest stone and most detailed spider web. Gwen left her shoes behind and was grateful for the tights she had put on as she did her best not to think about the dirty ground she was walking on. Hoping with every bump she felt, that it was a small stone and not a bug of sorts.

The light from Remus' wand was faint as they feared Red could have known of the tunnels and their connections and therefore place guards to catch them. But no Aurors stood in their way when they finally reached the connection to the Pension.