Murder on the Hogwarts Express

Murder on the Hogwarts Express

Maddie Herr

Chapter 1- Reunion

"Ron, Harry, Ginny!" Hermione shouted as she ran toward her friends from whom she had been away from for so long. "I haven't seen you since we left Hogwarts!"

"And defeated Voldemort," Harry reminded her.

"How could you forget that?" Ron asked rhetorically. Hermione just smiled. She was glad to see her, now adult, friends again.

"Hermione, what have you been up to?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I'm thinking about applying for a ministry job, but I'm not sure if I'll get it."

"Of course you will. You're the brightest witch of your age!" Ron said. Hermione blushed.

"I heard you got that job as an Auror, Harry," Hermione said, smiling.

"Yes he did, and I'm so proud of him!" Ginny beamed and kissed him on the cheek.

"And you're a Healer?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"A Healer in training. Technically I'm a nurse."

"What have you been doing, Ron?" Hermione switched her attention to him.

"I'm an...uh...assistant at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

"Is that a fun job?"

"Fun enough to get me out of bed in the morning," Ron snorted.

"I think this is such a cool idea to bring us all back together for Spring Break!" Ginny said.

"Yeah, It'll be good to see other former Hogwarts students all grown up," Harry remarked.

"I wonder what Malfoy has been up to," Ron jeered. Everyone laughed and pondered this thought.

"We'd better apparate to the train station or we'll be late!" Hermione said. They all disappeared from the Burrow's front yard and reappeared next to the Hogwarts Express.

"Ah the Hogwarts express, good times, good times," Ron whispered to himself as he ran his fingers over the shiny red paint.

"All aboard!" the engineer shouted. The four friends got onto the train with no delay.

Once on the train, they looked into a compartment and found a grown up Neville Longbottom. The five conversed until long after the train left the station.

"I got myself a new toad, one that doesn't run...er...hop away all the time. I call him Tremor," Neville explained.

"Really?" Harry asked, trying to sound interested.

"Why don't we get some dinner?" Ginny asked, standing up.

"Great idea, I'm starving," Hermione moaned, holding her stomach. They sat down at a table together in the dining car of the train. After they had ordered, Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle entered the car looking disgusted to have those people in their presence. Draco had grown tall, but was as pale as ever. His hair was pushed back using hair gel. He wore his mother's scowl and had his father's pride.

"His mum probably made him come," Ron whispered between snorts of "quiet" laughter.

Not long after those three came in, Pansy Parkinson entered as well with Luna Lovegood trailing behind her. Pansy glared at the five friends, glanced over at Malfoy's table, and couldn't have run over there faster. She took a seat and began talking to Malfoy (they were too far away to hear).

Having lost her entertainment, Luna decided to have the five companions substitute.

"Hello there, my friends. I don't know if you heard, but I got a job as a news reporter for the Daily Prophet!"

"Congratulations Luna!" Hermione beamed, but couldn't make herself sound excited.

"Anyway, I'm the gossip columnist," Luna said. "Oh! Did you hear that Pansy Parkinson has a thing for Draco Malfoy?" Luna strutted over to Malfoy's table.

"Where has she been?" Ginny asked. "Hasn't Pansy always fancied Malfoy?" Everyone laughed.

Chapter 2- Malfoy's Mistake

Ron, Harry, Neville, Ginny, and Hermione got up from the table and began walking to their compartment when Malfoy got up from his table. He walked toward the group.

"Hello there, Potter," Malfoy sneered.

"Hey," Harry said without looking at him.

"I see you're still hanging out with these...this crowd," he said, glaring at Harry's companions.

"Yeah," Harry replied blankly.

"If you'll excuse us," Hermione said, pushing Malfoy aside.

"Watch yourself, Mudblood," Malfoy shot at her. Hermione turned toward him with fire in her eyes. Harry and Ginny had to hold Ron back, for he was ready to curse Malfoy.

"Don't get yourself in Azkaban, Ron," Harry whispered in his friend's ear.

"Like he can do that to me," he replied harshly. He was still glaring at Malfoy.

"He can get his father to," Harry shot back. Ron finally cooled down. Hermione took a deep breath and calmed down, too.

"Longbottom, how are your parents doing? Still don't remember you?" Malfoy jeered.

"Shut it, Malfoy," Neville whispered, near tears.

"How about yours, Potter? Oh yeah, you don't have parents. Don't get me started on your parents, Weasley." Everyone was steaming.

"Whatever!" Ginny said walking past their foe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I can't stand him! The older he is, the meaner he gets," Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"Me either," Hermione replied. The girls sat down on the benches in their compartment.

"Sometimes I wish he would just jump off of the train," Harry said.

"Same here!" Ron said.

"I know," Neville agreed.

One of the train assistants knocked on the compartment door.

"Come in," Hermione said.

"If you'll follow me, we have sleeping berths this way," she said, gesturing toward another train car. Ginny and Hermione went in one room, and Ron, Harry, and Neville went in another.

Malfoy walked down the hall with a burning candle in one hand.

"Where am I supposed to get a midnight snack around here?" he whispered to himself.

The hall suddenly got longer, darker, and scarier. He took shallow, quick breaths to the time of his heartbeat. A freezing breeze ran a chill down his spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up like bristles. The candle he held was instantly snuffed by another, harsher breeze. Malfoy sensed something behind him. His eyes widened; but he didn't dare look back. Then, suddenly a hand went over his mouth. He tried to shout, but the hand prevented him from doing so. Terrified, he was pulled into the shadows.

The next thing he knew, a bright light shone in his eyes and he turned to look his captor eye to eye. The mystery person shoved him out of the open door, and Draco felt his face collide with rough soil. "I'm gonna get you-" The sound of his voice was cut off as the train sped past his muddy face.