This Train Don't Stop

It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Angelina couldnÂ’t help but think that the grounds reminded her just a little bit of Hogwarts. She almost expected Hagrid to appear at any moment from the little cottage behind the sloping hill. She almost had to pinch herself to remember that Hogwarts was a thing of the past. The emerald hills were not magical, nor were the people who inhabited the little village.

“What do you think, Angie? Better than the city, don’t you think?” Callisto grinned and patted her niece on the back before replacing her hand on the wheel of the motor car. Nodding her head to the left, she pointed out the drive that the car would turn on. “The house is just down this road a bit. I haven’t finished unpacking everything, but now that you’re home, the job should go a bit more quickly, I think.” She winked.

Angelina’s eyes were plastered on the scenery flying by her window. “Aunt Callie, it’s just lovely.” She sighed. “It’s so different from London!”

“Of course it is, honey. Most of the folk that live here are old farming families. Mrs. O’Leary down the road was amazed when she saw that I had a Muggle car…” Callie’s voice drifted off as she glanced towards Angelina to see if she had taken notice of her slip. Sighing with relief, Callie noticed that the girl hadn’t even flinched.

“How much longer until we arrive at the house?” Angelina fingered the hem of her shorts. After ten months of wearing robes, she felt out of place and self-conscious wearing such and ordinary outfit. ‘Ordinary for Muggles, that is,’ she couldn’t help but add silently. Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly by the appearance of a large cottage coming into view.

“This is it, sweetie. Welcome home.” Callie pulled the car onto the lawn by the side of the house and unlocked the boot. “Come on and give me a hand with your trunk, will you?”

Angelina grinned. “Aunt Callie, I could just levitate it. I’ve graduated now so I won’t have to worry about any of those nasty letters from the Misuse of Magic office anymore.” Without waiting for her aunt’s answer, she pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed it towards her luggage. “Wingardium Leviosa!”

Angelina beamed at her aunt as her steamer lifted into the air and floated above her head. She had waited seven years to demonstrate some of the magic that she had learned at Hogwarts. Each time she had tried over the summer holidays, Callie had quickly reprimanded her and warned about the Misuse of Magic office. Angelina had always assumed that Dumbledore had sent a letter home to Muggle parents warning against such activity.

Callie smiled. “I’m impressed, Angie. Let’s go inside shall we?” Unlocking the door, Callie moved aside so that Angelina and the trunk could pass before her. “Go upstairs and pick a room for yourself and get everything situated. After that, come on downstairs and you can help me with the last of the unpacking.”

Angelina nodded and gingerly climbed the stairway. She couldnÂ’t help but notice that the house was much larger than it seemed from the outside. Glancing behind her to make sure the trunk was following, Angelina opened the first door on her left. She gasped as her eyes drank in the spacious bedroom that seemed as if it had been decorated just for her. She marveled at the pale blue walls and elegant floral border around the chair-rail. It was much better than the converted closet she had called home in the small London flat the Johnsons had occupied previously.

Lowering the trunk at the foot of the bed, Angelina moved to the window to drink in the view of the lovely countryside she had witnessed from the car only moments before. Opening the shade, Angelina sighed with contentment as she looked out over the green meadows scattered with wildflowers. She could see the blurred outlines of several cyclists and a few birds off in the distance. Angelina choked a sob and turned away from the picturesque countryside. She felt the sting of never again feeling the wind on her back as she floated meters above the ground, a Quaffle in her hand. Glancing wistfully out the window, she could almost see the silhouettes of the birds melt into the shapes of wizards and witches on broomsticks engrossed in a friendly game of Quidditch and enveloped herself in her daydream:

**She had been so excited to find out she had made the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Most of her housemates had been surprised as she was a Muggle and had never played or flown before she had arrived at Hogwarts. Because of this, she had been extremely nervous to attend her first practice.**

**She had heard that the team captain was very hard on his new recruits and knew that Oliver Wood could easily rake her across the coals. She realized numbly that she had neglected to ask Madame Hooch to fully explain the rules of the game.**

**She stood in a line with the two other second year chasers – Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet. She knew them to be nice enough girls, but really hadn’t associated with them much in her first year. She wrung her hands and gripped the broom Professor McGonagall had fetched her from the school’s supply closet. Fingering the worn wood with the thumb, she realized that she really had gotten herself into much more than she had bargained for.**

**Just as she was about to turn and run from the pitch, a hand slapped her on the shoulder. “Angelina Johnson, right? I sit a few rows behind you in Potions.”**

**She turned to find herself looking into the face of a tall and lanky redheaded boy that she recognized as being a fellow second-year. He was the one with the twin, she was fairly certain. Nodding quickly, she looked down at her feet.**

**“I’m Fred Weasley, a beater. I saw you were looking pretty nervous over here so I just wanted to ease your fears a bit. Oliver, the captain, used to play under my brother so I know his bark is worse than his bite. He won’t go easy on you, but if you can survive today, you’ll be fine. I’d be happy to help you learn the rules of the game after class sometime since you’re a Muggle and all.” Angelina could only stare as Fred Weasley grabbed her hand and kissed it like she had seen the gentlemen do in so many of her aunt’s old Hollywood movies.**

**Her eyes followed him as he ran to his twin and began whispering to him. She hardly had time to reflect over their exchange as practice begun and was promptly interrupted by the explosion of several dungbombs.**

She quickly wiped her eyes before her tears could spill from them as a result of her memories. ‘Get a hold of yourself, Angie,’ she scolded herself. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’ She felt no comfort from her thoughts. She hadn’t wanted to think about Fred.

Feeling as if she might as well go downstairs in order to help her aunt finish unpacking, Angelina closed the door to her room behind her and silently padded down the steps. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, however, she realized that the foyer was devoid of her aunt. “Aunt Callie, where do you want me to move these boxes?”

When she wasnÂ’t met with an answer, Angelina quietly crept into the sitting room where she was almost certain that she could ear voices. Peering into the room, she could see her aunt crouched on the floor peering at something, her face green with the reflection of some sort of light. Angelina thought she was talking to herself, but realized quickly that there was a second voice. She hadnÂ’t heard the doorbell ring. Not wanting to interrupt, Angelina ducked out of sight and eavesdropped on the conversation.

“I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing here,” Callisto stated blankly. “With the rebirth, I’m not sure if this is the safest place for her. The Headmaster assured me he would have her protected, but I think London was more crowded, more concealed.”

Angelina gasped as a decidedly male and very familiar voice answered back. She had heard it before, but couldn’t seem to place it. “Cal, you’re doing the best you can. Your brother has to be concerned with his own safety and would never endanger her if he could help it. If the Hollow is safe enough for him, then it’s safe enough for Angelina.”

Callisto answered quickly. “I know, but it’s been hit once, why would You-Know-Who look here again? If she were found, Angie wouldn’t have a prayer of survival.”

Angelina gasped and then quickly covered her mouth to prevent her aunt from hearing her. Someone was looking for her and wanted to kill her. There was no way she could have misinterpreted that portion of the conversation. She leaned in closer to hear more distinctively.

The man’s voice cut through the silence. “That’s not true, Callie. Her secret is safe with me. You know that I’d never do anything to let any of you get hurt. Even though your brother is a mindless git, I would do anything within my power –“

Angelina yelped as she lost her balance and fell into the room. Within a split second the green light had disappeared and Callisto appeared by her side, shock written across her face. “Angie! What are you doing in here? I thought that you’d be upstairs –“

Angelina reddened. “I’m sorry, Aunt Callie, I you weren’t in the foyer and I heard voices from in here and I was just about to knock…” Angelina drifted off, hoping her aunt bought her story.

“You didn’t hear anything, did you?” Callie’s eyes seemed so frantic that Angelina didn’t want to upset her any more than she had already.

“No, Aunt Callie,” she could almost see her aunt relax with relief.

“I need to meet a friend in the pub down the road. Can I trust you to take the boxes in the foyer up to the attic? Your uncle should be arriving tomorrow afternoon and I’d like the house to be somewhat presentable when he does.” Angelina nodded as Callie continued. “I may not be home until much later this evening, but I’ve already made up the beds. If I’m not home before you turn in, make sure you lock all of the doors.”

Angelina nodded. “You can count on me, Aunt Callie.”

“Goodbye, sweetie! I’ll see you tomorrow morning!” Callie practically ran out of the house, shutting the door behind her.

“Aunt Callie, I did hear something, I wanted to ask you…” Angelina followed her aunt out the door, but stopped abruptly when the front yard was deserted. Thinking that she hadn’t heard the car start, Angelina walked around to the side of the house and confirmed the car was still parked on the grass. Wondering where her aunt had disappeared too so quickly, Angelina shook her head and wandered back inside, forgetting to bolt the door behind her.

“I might as well start getting these boxes into the attic,” she said softly to herself. Running upstairs to retrieve her wand from her dresser, she pointed at the three cardboard boxes and chanted, “Wingardium Leviosa.” Making her way to the attic, she opened the door and sneezed loudly from the dust that billowed at her feet. Realizing that no one had been in the musty attic for years, Angelina dropped the boxes and pushed them into a corner. After performing a quick cleaning spell, she turned to leave but stopped abruptly, noticing the boxes she had just deposited had the names Jessie and Orion carefully inked on them in her aunt’s cursive handwriting.

Moving to the corner where she had placed the boxes, Angelina ripped the duct tape used to secure them off of the top of one of the boxes. Tossing aside several packing peanuts, Angelina gasped when the contents of the box came into view. Several cloudy vials and jars sat on top of a piece of shiny green silk. Reminding her of the vials that held her potions ingredients, Angelina picked one up carefully and tried to read the label. The ink had been smeared as if it has been exposed to water and was, as a result, unreadable. Quickly removing each of the small bottles, Angelina lifted the piece of green silk out of the box. Holding it up, she noticed that it was a cloak. The silver clasps were badly in need of polishing and the silver lining was torn in several places. Throwing it aside to further explore the box, Angelina stopped abruptly when she noticed the familiar snake design of Slytherin House embroidered by the bottom left hem. Folding the cloak up carefully, Angelina placed it on the wooden floor before reaching into the bottom of the box. After feeling around for a bit, her hand brushed up against a leather folder, much like the one that she had received along with her diploma earlier in the day. With trembling hands, she opened her treasure and gasped at the discovery.

The folder was an album of sorts and only housed one picture. Angelina could tell the picture was very old by its yellow and dog-eared corners. If this were a picture of her parents, she should not have been surprised at the age of the photograph. She was most taken, however, with the movement of the characters in it. The photograph had not been taken with a Muggle camera. A black haired boy, about Angelina’s age smiled brightly as he wrapped his arms around a petite girl with light brown hair, who was waving and pointing to an unmistakable red and gold Gryffindor prefect badge that had been pinned to her robes. Robes. There was no way to be certain if the picture she held in her hands was that of her parents as she had never seen them before, but she could see the resemblances between herself and the teenage couple. And there was no mistaking that her father was wearing the Slytherin cloak that Angelina had just discovered. Letting the picture flutter to the grounds, Angelina whispered softly. “I’m not Muggle-born…”

She suddenly noticed the darkness that had crept over the attic. The sun was no longer giving light through the window. Realizing how late it had become, Angelina lit her wand and replaced the items she had found back into the box. She would have to sneak up here tomorrow to sift through the other two.

Making her way back to her room, she extinguished her wand and returned it to her night table. After changing into her pajamas, she climbed into bed and fell instantaneously into a fitful sleep. In her dreams, she was replaying the conversation between her aunt and the nameless voice. Who was trying to kill her? Was she safe?

~*~

Ron Weasley was extremely fed up with his older brother. He usually was, but quite often for a different reason. Fred and George continually played pranks around the house and were normally quite loud and boisterous to the point that they were downright annoying. Ever since he had graduated from Hogwarts, however, Fred was quiet, pensive, and utterly listless. And Ron had quickly passed beyond being concerned to being quite angry. His eyes wandering over to the fireplace, they couldn’t help but fall on the form of his brother, slumped on the sofa staring off into space. Motioning to Ginny, Ron stood up and walked to the door. “Come on, Gin. If you’re going to go out for chaser this year, someone’s going to have to practice with you.”

From her place in a chair on the other side of the room, Ginny stood and followed Ron to the door. “You’re welcome to join us, Fred. George promised to act as beater, but we still need someone to play seeker. We’ll be outside if you want to come out.” Taking one last look at her brother, Ginny went outside and closed the door behind her.

“Thank god,” Fred whispered to himself. He thought they’d never leave. For the two days her had been home, he hadn’t spoken a word. Angelina had promised to write him and he still hadn’t received any word. Truth be told, he couldn’t get her off of his mind. He wanted to send her an owl, but Pig had returned earlier that morning with Fred’s letter still tied to his leg. “Damn that owl,” Fred muttered to himself.

He couldnÂ’t understand what was happening. When Angelina had gone home over Christmas, Fred hadnÂ’t felt so left out and disconnected. He knew he was only a shadow of his true self and couldnÂ’t help but feel that Angelina had taken a part of him with her when she kissed him goodbye. Thinking of her kiss, his hand instinctively reached up to touch his cheek. He kept trying to remind himself that it had only been a friendly way to say goodbye. His hormones, however, kept willing him to think otherwise. Stretching out on the sofa, Fred leaned his head on his hands and promptly drifted off to sleep. He hadnÂ’t been getting much sleep lately, and his body felt compelled to get some while it could.

After a few hours had passed, Fred felt a gently shaking by his shoulder. Opening one eye, he sighed when he recognized his twin leaning over him. “What do you want, George?” he grumbled.

“Percy told Mum that you’d fallen asleep down here. She sent me down to wake you up and make sure you got to the bed after giving Percy a good talking to about how she has enough to worry about without her children not getting a good night’s sleep. You should’ve heard how she let Percy have it – ‘You’re old enough now that you can take matters into your own hand. Percival Weasley, you know quite well that you could have woke your brother up without having to run to me first.’” George spouted in a perfect imitation of Molly Weasley.

Fred sat up and grinned for the first time since they had come home from Hogwarts. “So Perfect Prefect Percy finally got what was coming to him, eh? Wish I could’ve been there.”

George’s smiled mirrored that of his brother perfectly. “It was worth it. Now you’d better get your bum to bed before I get a scolding of my own!” With that, he turned to climb the stairs.

Fred followed George into their room and shut the door behind him. Climbing into his bed, he stared at the ceiling before turning on his side and closing his eyes. “Angelina, what have you done to me?” he whispered before he drifted off to sleep.

~*~

Angelina tossed and turned. In the back of her mind, she felt very uncomfortable being alone in such a big house. She was used to the three-room flat she had shared with her aunt so much so that she was paranoid. She couldnÂ’t help but entertain the thought that someone was looking for her to kill her as well. Her thoughts calmed considerably, but just as she was about to drift to a more peaceful sleep, Angelina bolted upright in her bed.

“The bolt on the door!” she whispered hoarsely as she groped around her night table for her wand. Grasping it in her hand, she whispered “Lumos” and began to creep down the hallway towards the stairs. Just as she was about to begin her descent, she heard the door open.

“Aunt Callie, thank goodness!” She whispered to no one in particular. Suddenly remembering her discovery in the attic earlier in the evening, Angelina took the steps two at a time, wanting to waste no time firing questions at her aunt.

When she reached the foyer, however, Angelina stopped abruptly in her tracks. The shrouded figure standing in the doorway was much too tall to be the woman she had grown up with. Pointing her wand at the intruder, she narrowed her eyes. “Who’s there?” she managed to say through clenched teeth. She hoped her beating heart and shaking hand did not betray her nervousness. She could see the light at the end of her wand bouncing with each tremor in her hand.

The hooded figure turned around. “It’s only me, Angelina.” The voice was deep and masculine. Angelina deduced that it belonged to a middle aged man.

Stepping closer, she could not help but replay the conversation she had overheard earlier in her mind. She had to be brave. She would not die a coward. Squinting her eyes, she raised her wand higher. “Tell me now. Who are you?”

Laughing, the man lowered his hood and looked into her eyes with his own dark ones.

Turning white with fear, Angelina’s words barely escaped her lips before she fainted. “Sirius Black!”

~*~