Harry Potter and the Burden of Becoming

Harry Potter and the Burden of Becoming

Chapter 63 - Vanished

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Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, stone upon stone, mortar and magic, and still the castle was not repaired. It took two giants only a matter of minutes to collapse the structure from within, and even with their considerable assistance and the help of their brother, the walls and floors were taking a very long time to put back together. It took tremendous patience on Hermione's part to explain to both Harry and Ron that the damage wasn't just what they could see, but also what they couldn't. Portals to other locations and dimensions had been sundered; time itself had been pulled all through the castle. Neville mindlessly passed one of the guardian orbs, walked through an interior door, and fell into an endless temporal loop. He'd have still been walking through the door, over and over again, if Professor Flitwick hadn't found him as he performed an evening security sweep.

Despite the damage, the mood of the students and the professors was as good as it had been all year. Hagrid was right; something about building with your hands, side-by-side had drawn everyone together. Even Professor Sinistra seemed to smile more, happy that her students were now sleeping in the warming air out under the stars. It was a decision made by all the houses that they would not hide underground, but rather would live defiantly out in the open. It meant that guards posted to protect Hogwarts by the Ministry were also supported by student watchers. A pixie didn't light upon the Hogwarts grounds without someone knowing about it. Daytime classes were being taught in the tunnels, while Quidditch practices were moved over the lake.

Ron was well enough to return to Hogwarts the day after his injury, but chose instead to stay through the week until he was sure his father would recover. Mr. Weasley had been badly injured and, as Ron described him, looked more like the inside of a watermelon than the Minister of Magic. Mrs. Weasley cried for days as she sat deathwatch at her husband's bedside. While there, she spoke with Ron quite a bit about what had been happening at Hogwarts this year and what role Harry played in saving Mr. Weasley's life and the lives of Luna and Neville. Some days later she sent Harry a post by special ministerial owl. He didn't know why, but he had kept the post in his pocket all term, secretly pulling it out to read now and again. As Easter break approached, the piece of parchment had grown quite worn and tattered and as he packed for the holiday he slipped it into his traveling bag along with his most prized possessions.

"Why don't you just come back to Grimmauld for Easter, Harry?" asked Ron as the two gathered what few things they could during the short time they were allowed in the boys' dormitory. "I'm sure dad can set the Darbinyan's up on the floo and you two can visit whenever you want. Besides, mate, Remus is back now and I'm sure he'd want to see you. You know... outside of school."

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he packed away the ebon dragonhead and the fiery red ball of cinnabar, and then carefully folded a shirt around his mirror and placed it between more unfolded clothes. Because Tonks was off working for the Ministry, or the Order, or whomever, Remus had taken an office at Hogwarts. He and Tonks timed it so that he could teach her classes while he was well; she was always about during the full moon. The hardest part about apologizing to Lupin was getting out the first word, the rest was easy. It began following class during a new moon and Remus was in an exceptionally good mood after everyone successfully defended themselves against an ashwinder. As the room emptied, Harry found himself lingering behind. His presence didn't go unnoticed by Lupin who, though polite, had been a bit stiff toward Harry since the start of winter term. It was a wall Harry had built with his own hands, and it was time to bring it down.

"What is it Harry?" asked Lupin as the last student left the class. He levitated the ashwinder into her brick cage filled with glowing red eggs. "Your spell today was flawless, certainly you don't--"

"I'm sorry," Harry sputtered. Remus leaned back against his desk; he hadn't expected this. "I've been a right arse and I don't expect you can accept my apology, but you need to know I... I appreciate everything you've done for me." Harry slipped his parchment of notes into his pack and looked up at Lupin. "I'd like you to come back to Grimmauld. I mean... if you want. I'd understand if you'd rather I just go stuff my head in a--"

"Thank you, Harry," cut in Lupin with a soft voice. "I'd like that." He walked over to Harry who was fumbling with his pack. The young wizard didn't know why his hands were so shaky. "But I think I owe you an apology as well. I think maybe, when Dumbledore took ill and Professor McGonagall retreated into her office, I think... well, you were right. I did try to step in and take control. I guess I felt someone needed to lead the charge, and I know now I charged to hard... particularly with you."

"Every time I turn around, Remus, you're there protecting me. How can that ever be a bad thing?" Harry took in a deep breath. "I have no one else to knock me back into line. I may not care for it much, but I... I'd like you to keep an eye out for me. You know? I don't have..." Harry completely lost his center and felt a tremendous sense of loss well up inside him. Damn it; he didn't want to cry.

Remus put his arms around Harry and gave him an embracing hug. "We can keep an eye out for each other, how's that?" he said quietly. Harry nodded into his shoulder not saying a word; he couldn't have spoken if he tried. Remus stepped back still holding Harry by the shoulders and looked into his wet eyes.

"Harry, if you ever need to talk about something, know that you can always come to me. Okay?" Harry nodded, wondering how much Lupin knew already.

The warm memory flittered across Harry's mind as he grabbed another shirt and stuffed it in his bag for the holiday. Why didn't he just go to Grimmauld place? He looked up at Ron and sighed.

"You know what Dumbledore says. He still thinks--"

"That's rot!" Ron cut in, having heard Harry's reasoning for the hundredth time. "How can he think you're safer there than at a home surrounded by Aurors? It's ridiculous is what it is, some sick pleasure in watching you suffer."

Harry scowled at the insult not saying a word.

"Well," said Ron, "I just don't get it. Now that you've settled things with Lupin, the place is going to be overflowing with wizards." He levitated his travel-bag off the floor and onto his bed. "Er... do you think I should bring more socks?"

Neville and Seamus had already gathered their things and were downstairs, but Dean seemed to enjoy listening to Harry and Ron banter. He was going to spend the holiday at the Weasley's ostensibly to help out the injured minister. At least, that's the story he told his parents.

"You know, Ron," said Dean, "if you'd just go barefoot, you wouldn't be wearing holes in them all the time."

"That's just gross," said Ron with a face that looked like a prune.

"He's afraid he'll step on a spider," said Harry flatly, zipping his bag closed.

"Am not!" shot Ron. "I'm simply--" he started, but was cut out by the laughter as Dean began making little crawly figures with his hands, and crept toward Ron with a sinister grin. Ron was near ready to draw his wand when Hermione popped her head in the door.

"You have two minutes! Move!" she commanded with a heated voice, and then as she turned to leave she called back, "And don't forget to bring plenty of socks, sweetie!"

In the train, on the way to London, Dean and Harry told the story to Neville and Seamus, who told it to some friends, who told it to some more friends, and before long everyone on the train was asking Ron if he'd brought enough socks. He was fuming when he finally finished with the Prefect's meeting at the front of the train and entered Harry's carriage.

"Can I kill you now?" he asked, steaming a bright red. "Because... I'm getting tired of waiting for Voldemort." Harry nearly fell over.

"Ron," exclaimed Harry with a look of shock. "You said it! You said his name!"

Against the wall, Luna was reading her father's paper. Without looking up she tapped the page with her finger and said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You know Ron, Gambol & Japes is having a sale on hole-healing socks... three socks for a Sickle."

"Gambol & Japes?" Ron questioned blankly, wondering why a joke shop would sell socks. "Why three?" But Luna said nothing more. Just the thinnest of smiles appeared across her face.

For a moment, Harry smiled too, but the happiness quickly ebbed away. Ron's words had started his mind to thinking again and that was never good. His thoughts landed squarely on the prophecy of his fate. Months had passed without his making some kind of a link with Voldemort, something Harry had almost grown accustomed to. He had hurt the dark wizard deeply by using the stone, but he was sensing his return to strength and wondered once more if it might not be wise to try again.

Both Neville and Luna sat at his side, a testament to the power he now had at his fingertips but hesitated to use. It was meant to heal, for love, for something other than destruction, and a part of him was worried that if he did use its power to seek out another to deliberately cause harm, however evil, there might be consequences. Gabriella had been so insistent that he tell her everything when he first used the stone and again when he reversed its power on Voldemort, he wondered what her reaction would have been if he had used it for some selfish purpose; she was certainly capable of.... He sighed, shaking his head; it was all too confusing. Hermione, who followed Ron into the compartment, saw the scrunched look on Harry's face.

"Harry," she asked, "what's the matter?"

She had been watching him for weeks, he was sure of it, but he wasn't sure if she was more concerned about his health or the fact that he'd been speaking to Tonks again about the clues for which he was now sure he had an answer. His mind flashed back to the last full moon.

"What's the matter, Harry?" asked Tonks, as he looked out across the lake at the silver ball's shining reflection. Harry held a flat stone in his hand and skipped it over the smooth water, breaking the moonlit rings into shimmering bands that splintered across the surface. "You haven't stayed after class for weeks."

Harry looked up at her. She was wearing a bright cobalt blue shawl, and her hair was a limp black. It was the first time she had spoken to him outside of class all term and he adjusted his glasses with his hand as if trying to refocus on what he was seeing.

"Maybe... maybe it's because you told me to bugger off," he said, turning away. He tossed another stone out into the lake, this time it splashed hard on the first go. "Maybe it's because you told me--"

"Listen," Tonks interrupted, "I was just having a bad time, that's all." She glanced around, and Harry noticed a nervousness in her eyes that had been absent of late, a look that concerned a part of him, a look that also meant there was a chance to save Sirius again. "You... you said it's water. What water?"

"The falls," Harry replied. He had meant to be dispassionate about the whole thing, but already he could feel his pulse quickening. "In the center of the forest, there's water... special water. It has powers... cleansing powers, healing powers; I'm not sure." He recited the verse he now had memorized,

"Liquid of life that springs eternal

From birth of light to death infernal

Welled from source of endless magic

To bring back those whose loss was tragic.

"In the center of the Forbidden Forest there wells a spring that leads to a waterfall which fills a great pool of water. It was in the Sorting Hat's song this year--Gryffindor cleared the land from the mountain to the falls to build Hogwarts. It has to be the proper ingredient, I'm sure of it."

"I've been through the Forbidden Forest, Harry," answered Tonks, "and there's no waterfall; there's no waterfall anywhere near here."

"I'm telling you I've seen it!" Harry snapped. "Hell, I... I swam in it and since then this..." he held up his fringe to reveal his now clear forehead, "this has been gone, and so has my connection with Voldemort. So don't tell me it's not there. It's what we need to bring Sirius back; I'm sure!"

Tonks stared into Harry's green eyes for a moment, as if trying to ascertain if he was indeed telling her the truth. His look was sincere, but she still didn't believe. She cast another nervous glance about to see if they were being watched.

"So when can you get me, er, us some of this... this water you're so keen on?"

"Tonight," he said with confidence.

And that night, with tremendous difficulty, Harry did fly to the falls. The sky was clear and the moon shone bright. When he arrived, he saw the dark pools beneath him reflecting the starlight above. The roar of the water splashing down onto the rocks below filled his ears. He flew high above the shimmering pools searching all around for danger. Seeing it was safe he finally flew down to gather up the water. As he grew near, there was a snap and where once was water now stood a grove of thick trees. He looked around--the whole scene had changed; even the moon had shifted in the night sky. It took him a moment to gather his bearings, but he realized he'd been transported to a different part of the forest.

"A charm?" he muttered to himself.

He flew back above the trees, found his position and flew back to the falls. They were there as he expected, but when he flew back down to gather water he was again transported to a different part of the forest. Three more times he tried to gather water from the falls and each time found himself in another part of the forest. No matter how hard or how fast he flew, or what angle he approached from, he was transported somewhere else.

He had told Ron and Hermione he would only be gone an hour and it was already approaching two. He knew he'd soon be missed, if not already. He cursed under his breath and returned to the castle; it would have to wait for another day.

But the day never came. Try as he might to slip away, Harry seemed to have someone with him every night. Even when he'd wake up before the first break of dawn, there was a professor or ministerial wizard watching over the encampment. He was sure Hermione had her hand in it.

Now, back on the train, Harry was keen to wonder what role Hermione really played in all this. He sighed, scrunching up his face and thinking he was making much ado out of nothing.

"Harry," said Hermione again, "are you daydreaming about Quidditch, or Voldemort?"

"I wish you wouldn't," said Ron with a grimace. "I should have kept my trap shut."

"Is it possible to daydream about both?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely," interjected Luna, looking up from the paper. "Ever since the incident with the Magpies, father has had his best investigators looking into the possibility that Voldemort's master plan is to take total control over the world's Quidditch industry."

"That's daft," groaned Ron. Luna ignored the statement.

"They've already discovered that he hates to fly himself because he's afraid of heights, and intends to make all Quidditch matches played below twenty feet so he can compete."

"Apart from Albus Dumbledore, Voldemort isn't afraid of anything," said Harry, slumped against the cushion in his carriage.

"Yes he is," said Hermione. "He's afraid of you, Harry."

Shaking his head, Harry just let out a breath of air and waved his hand dismissively.

"That's right." Both Neville and Luna spoke at once, and the unison of their voices made an odd musical chord that resonated in the carriage for just a moment.

"That's all he ever really talked about," said Luna.

"Potter this, and Potter that," added Neville.

The two never wanted to talk much about their time at the Burrow, and the students had been instructed not to ask, but the time seemed right.

"What else did he talk about?" asked Hermione. Everyone sat up straighter in their seats, even Harry.

"Well," Neville began slowly, with a tremor in his voice, "all I remember is him talking about Harry better come save me, or I'd end up like my parents."

"I'm sorry Neville," said Harry with true remorse, "I never--"

"Sorry?" interrupted Neville, his voice growing stronger. "You saved me... us, didn't you? Well, you three and Gabriella. I don't think he ever dreamed it would happen."

"I don't think he thought he could ever take ill," said Luna, now folding the paper in her lap and leaning forward. "It's probably all that dark magic he's been doing. It's catching up to him. Father says we may just watch him self-destruct, although when he first crumpled to the floor he kept cursing your name, Harry."

"And moaning something about a stone," added Neville.

"That's right, 'The stone. The stone,' over and over again," said Luna. "Kinda spooky, really. Other than that he was pretty boring." She turned back to her paper. "Kill the Mudbloods, world domination, and all that rot."

Hermione and Ron cast a look at Harry. He had told them he had seen Voldemort take ill, he had never told them how it happened by his use of the vivificus stone.

"Well, he's not ill anymore," said Harry taking to his feet. "I need to take a walk." He opened the carriage door and Ron stood to join him, but Harry stopped him patting him on the chest. "I'll be right back; I'm just going to take care of business." Ron nodded and sat down next to Hermione taking hold of her hand.

Harry shut the door behind him and walked down the corridor passing the water-closet and on toward the rear of the train. He passed carriage after carriage of laughing, sleeping, and pensive students each carrying on with their own lives. Harry stopped and leaned back against the side of the corridor. He felt separate, alienated, wholly apart from the students living their lives on either side. He had often dreamt what that might be like, to simply live out one's life in an ordinary way. What would it be like to have a family that loved him? What would it be like to go to school without a care? What would it be like to live, grow old and die like every other normal wizard in the world? Harry took in a deep breath and let out a long, low sigh, then turned to return to his carriage.

"Hey, Potter!" a voice called from down the corridor. Harry jumped, and turned to find Cho stepping toward him. She was smiling at his reaction to her sharp voice. "Good to see you've kept your edge." She took the moment to give him a hug. "How are you?" The question was soft and filled with concern. "We haven't had a second alone to talk."

"Kinda hard with Anthony on your arm all the time," said Harry with hint of sarcasm. "Where is he now, anyway?"

"Sleeping," answered Cho defensively. "You really aren't very fair you know; he's quite sweet."

"Sweet. Right," answered Harry not really sure what to say. He had no right to be jealous, but there it was dribbling out of his mouth. Cho just narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, but her lips still had a smile.

"You should be careful who you vilify, Harry," said Cho coolly. "In fact, some of your closest friends--"

"Hey, Potter." This time the voice made both Cho and Harry jump. Blaise Zabini stepped out of the water-closet heading back to the rear of the train where most the Slytherins sat, Cho and Harry directly in his way. "Chang," he said with a nod.

Even though there was a look of camaraderie in Zabini's eyes, Harry instinctively wrapped his hand about his wand, preparing to withdraw it and defend himself if need be. In the same moment, a spell was cast and hit him from behind.

"Expelliarmus!"

The spell, ejecting Harry's wand from his hand, seemed to surprise even Blaise as Harry spun to find Theodore Nott standing in the corridor, heading their way.

"What timing," Nott said clucking his tongue, his wand firmly pointed in Harry's face. "Looks like they were about to attack you, Blaise. Lucky I happened to be walking by." Hesitantly, Blaise pulled his wand, pointed it at Cho and motioned for her to hand over her wand, but Cho had something else in mind.

She made a motion with her right hand as if looking for her wand while her left hand slipped it out from down her sleeve. Before Blaise could react, his wand arm was hit with a beam of green light and began to swell up to the size of a large hog pulling him down to the floor. She turned to Nott, but too late. A blast of blue light knocked her backwards down the corridor. Then he pointed his wand at Harry. "Time to do what that little blonde puke couldn't," spat Nott.

"Stupefy!"

Harry looked down; at his feet Nott was out cold, stunned in the back. Carriage doors swung open and students flooded into the corridors to see what was going on. Harry looked back to see who had cast the spell, a glint of gray and a flash of shimmering hair spun about and disappeared into a sea of faces. An instant later, Ron was at Harry's side handing him back his wand, his own drawn, and Hermione was helping Cho to her feet. Blaise was yelling for someone to shrink his arm as he helplessly faced at least a dozen wands, while Nott remained motionless.

"What happened, Harry?" asked Ron itching for an excuse to stun Nott again. Harry's gaze remained fixed down the corridor toward the Slytherin end of the train. He said nothing.

"They jumped us while we were talking," said Cho rubbing the back of her head.

"It wasn't me!" cried Blaise. "I... I--"

"Cho!" yelled Anthony Goldstein, his wand brandished and face flush.

At the same moment, a group of Slytherins, including Pansy Parkinson, began pushing their way down the corridor. They too had wands drawn.

"Teddy!" wailed Pansy as she dropped down to try and revive Nott.

"Teddy?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear. "I thought she and Malfoy..." Harry just shrugged as the Slytherin at his feet began to open his eyes.

"They... they jumped us," Nott said blearily.

"YOU!" Pansy screamed pulling her wand and pointing it at Harry, but Ron stepped in the way his own wand in her face. Soon, wands were pointing in every direction and accusations began to fly. Harry looked around wondering why no professor or guard had yet come to break up the brawl that was soon going to turn bloody.

"Stop it," he called, but his voice was barely heard above the din. "STOP IT!" The carriage silenced. "Don't you see? Don't you see what's happening?" Distrust was everywhere. "We've worked together all year, for what? To cast spells and hexes on each other?" He slipped his wand back into his jeans' waistband and looked at Ron to do the same. Ron looked at Harry, then at Pansy, then at Harry one more time, then finally lowered his wand and slipped it away.

"Hermione," asked Harry, "can you take care of Blaise's arm?"

"I can," said Cho, and she lowered her wand at him. Crabbe stepped in the way.

"Get out of the way, moose," said Blaise, hitting Crabbe on the leg with his good hand. Cho knelt down, reduced the arm to normal and handed Blaise back his wand. Blaise took to his feet and put the wand away. When he did, everyone followed in kind -- everyone that is except Nott.

"It's not that easy, Potter!" he spat. Harry turned to find Nott's wand in his face again.

Everyone reached to draw their wands again, when Harry yelled, "Put them down!" He looked directly into Nott's eyes. "Well, Theodore, what is it you want to do?"

"Harry--" Hermione started; Ron hushed her.

"You can stun me if you want, but I'll wake up again like you did just now." Harry stepped closer to Nott, making the tip of Nott's wand poke him in the throat. "You'll have to kill me if you want to be in his good graces, anything less would be failure and you know what he thinks of failure."

"Who's he talking about," someone whispered from behind.

Nott looked about at the staring faces and his hand began to tremble slightly; Harry could feel the quiver into the flesh on his neck. "Well?" Harry asked. There was no answer, but neither was there a withdrawal of the wand. Harry reached his hand up and wrapped it over the hand of Nott steadying his hand and poking the wand deeper. "Say it," he whispered. "Make... daddy... proud."

Nott's eyes held a look of terror mixed with tinges of hatred, only Harry wasn't sure the hatred was directed at him.

"Damn you," he whispered back. There was a commotion down the corridor; someone was coming. Harry expected to hear the voice of a professor; it wasn't.

"Nott, what the hell are you doin'?" boomed Greg Goyle. Without hesitation, he stepped up to the two wizards, grabbed Nott's wand arm and pulled him away from Harry. A look of relief spread over Nott's face, but he quickly recovered.

"Goyle, you... you've turned soft!" Nott spat. "They brainwashed you while you were over there."

"We're in the lead for house-points," retorted Goyle sharply, "and I won't have you ruin it for the rest of us. Come on!" He grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him back down toward the Slytherin carriages. The move was very un-Goyle like and Harry liked the new Greg.

With the excitement over, the crowd thinned and everyone returned to their carriages. Anthony held Cho's hand as he walked her down the corridor, and Harry couldn't help but watch them disappear into their compartment, leaving him alone with Ron and Hermione.

"Brilliant, Harry," said Hermione, now that no one was about. "That was really stupid!"

"What was?" asked Harry.

"You know he was probably there when Hogwarts was attacked; he's certainly on his way to becoming a Death Eater along with Parkinson, Crabbe and Malfoy. He could have used the Killing Curse."

"Hermione," replied Harry, "for someone who's so passionate about helping the less fortunate and eliminating discrimination in this world, you sure jump to conclusions when it comes to the Slytherins."

"Well, Malfoy for sure!" said Ron emphatically.

"You turned Goyle around, Ron; why not Malfoy?" Ron hur-r-rumphed, but Harry continued. "You brought the Longbottom's back from nothingness; I wonder if you reached into the darkness of Nott's mind what you'd find?" asked Harry.

"More darkness," Ron sneered. "I'm hungry; where's the trolley?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Ron," she said with a sigh, "will you ever stop thinking about food?"

"No," he answered heatedly.

Hermione smiled. "Well, nobody was seriously injured. With all the commotion, I'm surprised no professors showed up."

"Or guards," added Ron as they turned back toward their carriage and then the redhead stopped. "Or... guards," he repeated slowly.

"What? What is it, Ron?" asked Hermione.

"I told you earlier," he said to Hermione, the colour draining from his face. "That ministerial Legilimens they brought on board the train kept crawling into my mind at the Prefect's meeting. I've been trying to shut him out since we left Hogsmeade, but..." he paused, "he's not there. It's like he's disappeared." Harry didn't wait for an explanation, nor did Hermione, they both grabbed their wands. In the next breath, all three had their wands out and Harry tapped on the carriage door that Cho and Anthony had just entered. All inside looked up surprised.

Eventually, the entire back half of the train including the carriages containing mostly Slytherins was alerted that something was wrong. At the end of the train, Harry opened the carriage door containing Nott, to find Malfoy holding his wand over Nott's back, bathing it in blue light.

"When we get our hands on the bastard, Nott, we'll take him out," Malfoy said in a slow drawl and then looked up to find Harry in his compartment. There was a momentary look of surprise, but Malfoy quickly regained his composure and held his wand at Harry.

"Hard to believe I have to perform rudimentary healing myself," said Malfoy with a look of distaste in his mouth. "There's not a healer to be found."

"Death Eaters," Harry whispered. Malfoy's eyes widened as the rest of the Slytherins in the compartment drew their wands.

"I don't know where you get your information, Potter, but we're not--"

"Not you," Harry hissed impatiently. "There are Death Eaters on the train. All the adults we know of have disappeared." These words put considerable concern on all the faces in the carriage including Nott's.

"That's not possible," Nott said, bewildered by the news. Malfoy also looked perplexed. Harry explained.

"From my compartment to here, we've searched the train and other than students we haven't seen a soul. We're going to take a group and move forward." Some of the Slytherins, including Pansy, were looking scared and their expressions made Harry second-guess his initial supposition. "The corridor's too narrow for us to all go forward; only a handful should move up. I need the best wands with me."

"With you?" Malfoy drawled again.

"No, I didn't think so," said Harry as he moved to close the carriage door.

"Wait!" A large hand stopped the door from closing; it was Greg Goyle. "I'll go."

Harry was actually hoping for the Slytherin Head Boy, Giles Adder, who was well known as the best duelist in Snape's dueling club. Nonetheless, the offer represented an opportunity for unity of the houses, and Harry took it. When Hermione saw Goyle, she cast Harry a questioning look, and without speaking he flashed her eyes that said not to ask.

Harry, Hermione and Goyle were joined by Terry Boot of Ravenclaw, and Laura Madley who was one of only two students from Hufflepuff on this end of the train. Slowly they made their way forward. Carriage after carriage opened to reveal students that were oblivious to what was happening. Finally, they reached the last passenger carriage that held students. Up ahead were the meeting carriages and those reserved for adult passengers including professors, guards, and other Hogsmeade travelers. Harry poked in his head, telling the group of fifth years what was up.

"I've been wondering what was taking so long with the food trolley," said Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff. "Professor Ulrich from Goblin Studies just stepped out two seconds ago; she's not there?" Harry glanced down the empty hallway and shook his head. "Here," said Ernie, "Laura, I'll take your place. I know a thing or two when it comes to using a wand." Harry saw Hermione roll her eyes as Ernie swapped with Laura, puffing out his chest.

As Harry slipped back out of the carriage with Ernie, Goyle took the point and started toward the front of the train. Harry was suddenly overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of foreboding; he was about to tell Goyle to wait when, through the glass doors to the box ahead, Harry saw a witch in dark robes suddenly appear in the corridor. She glanced back for only a moment revealing a sinister smile and piercing green eyes. There was a flash of familiarity and Harry yearned for a closer look, but was unable to pass Goyle's broad shoulders. It didn't matter; an instant later she was gone and an instant after that the front of the train exploded with a tremendous white flash.