Harry had never been further away than Hogsmeade on a school trip before. He stepped eagerly onto the train, breaking into a brief jog to catch up with Ron and Hermione.
"Excited, guys?" He asked earnestly, brushing past a group of Ravenclaws.
"Well, I don't have a personal interest in the place, but Mr Binns says that Castle Rock is very culturally significant, and learning about the events that happened there will help us immeasurably..." Hermione began. Harry wasn't paying much attention; he found Ron's mumbled vague insults towards his least favourite teacher a far more satisfactory answer. They opened the compartment door, and sat down. Hermione, previously oblivious to her friends lack of interest, noticed that they weren't looking at her, didn't appear to be deep in concentration, and that Ron's eyes were unfocused. He then recieved a particularly nasty bruise on his left arm for his efforts.
Harry sat idly drumming his hands against the window. It was starting to get dark.
"How far is this place, anyway?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed.
"Don't you pay any attention in History of Magic? Don't answer that. It should only be about an hour and a half by now."
One of the doors in the compartment was thrown open with such force that even in their compartment it made everyone jump a foot in the air. Ron turned to the others angrily
"I swear to god, somebody needs to-"
"IMMOBILUS"
The entire group froze on the spot. The charm was heard throughout the carriage, alongside the screams of their fellow students. One student was running down the carriage; Harry forcefully panned his eyes over to them. It was Neville! He came to a screeching halt upon seeing the frozen bodies of the trio.
"Harry-" He began
"EXPULSO" shouted a nearby figure in a dark brown robe.
Neville exploded. The windows of the compartments were splattered with blood. An ear slowly rolled in through the barely open compartment door.
Harry tried to scream but no noise would come out.