Language English
Fandom Harry Potter
Characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Luna Lovegood & Albus Dumbledore
Words 2.624
Summary After a prank goes wrong in fifth year, Albus thinks of a creative detention for the students caught; repaint the Hogwarts Express.
Beta'ed Yes, by a friend who studies English.
Disclaimer Harry Potter and co. are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
Repainting the Hogwarts Express
"It's your fault!" The shrill voice of Hermione Granger broke the silence that hung between the eight teenagers.
"My fault? Whose brilliant idea was it to plan it right there?" Yelled a red haired, red faced Ron Weasley back at the bushy haired girl. The boy with raven black hair just shook his head and kept walking towards the train.
"Oi, you two..." Started another red haired boy called Fred Weasley.
"The fault lies..." Continued the boy that looked like the exact copy of the older red head, George Weasley.
"With all of us..."
"So shut up..."
"And keep walking!" They finished together, shooting angry glances at the two fighting teens.
"You shouldn't make so much noise. The Nugwurts might attack you and make you hallucinate." Said a blonde girl with a dreamy voice while she skipped forwards to join the black haired boy in front of her. The other six teens just looked at each and a brown haired boy, Neville Longbottom, mouthed "Nugwurts?" at the rest. The twins shook their heads while they both heaved a bag with cans higher on their shoulders. The last of the red heads, a girl named Ginny Weasley, winked at Neville and smiled. Neville ducked his head while he blushed bright red.
"It's Luna, Neville. No-one gets her." Ginny whispered, making sure the blonde girl couldn't hear her.
Harry Potter looked over his shoulder at the group of six teens and shrugged. He noticed the blonde haired girl skipping towards his and smiled faintly.
"Hey Luna. Do you have an idea for the train?"
"I say we paint it pink with green, purple and blue clouds on it." Said the strange girl. Harry blinked.
"I'm not sure if those colours are appropriate for a school train..." He said, not certain of it.
"But it would attract a Crumple-Horned Snorkack and keep away the Nargles." Replied the girl but sighed and nodded as she hung her head. "I suppose the School Board won't be pleased about it."
Harry slung an arm around her shoulder. "You could ask Dumbledore if he knows a wall or room that needs to be repainted? It would bring some colour to the gloomy castle." He whispered in the girl's ear to cheer her up. And it appeared to work when Luna looked up and beamed a brilliant smile at Harry.
"Perhaps he wants me to repaint his office, it needs more colour!" She said happily and skipped on. Harry followed her with his eyes and smiled, glad that she was happy again. He also heaved a bag with brushes and spray cans higher on his shoulder as they entered the empty station where the red and black steam train stood waiting for them. Harry dumped the bag on the ground and waited for the rest to arrive. The twins were first and set their bags with cans next to Harry's and stood beside him, looking at the school train. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were the last to arrive on the platform and they too set bags with brushes and cans filled with paint next to the other bags. Luna, who was looking at the engine of the train, skipped back towards the group.
"Alright, who has any experience with painting stuff?" Harry asked, turning towards the group. Only Luna put her hand in the air.
"No-one else?" Harry asked and sighed as the other teens shook their heads.
"Fine. Okay, Fred, George, we have permission to get all the filth off the train by magic, but the rest must be done by hand. You two spray water on the train and dry it afterwards. We will argue about what colours we will use to repaint the train."
"Yes sir!" The twins made a salutation at Harry and walked to the front of the train and started spraying scalding hot water on the train. Brown water dripped off the train, taking the grime with it and leaving the train a brilliant black and red again.
Harry watched the twins for a few seconds to be sure that they did as he said before turning around and facing the other teens.
"Any ideas? Luna, you have some knowledge about this."
"Well, I'm not very good, but we could paint the passenger carriages in the colours of the Houses? So one with red and gold for Gryffindor, one yellow and black for Hufflepuff and so on?" Offered the blonde girl. The rest of the teens pondered this idea and they nodded.
"I like the idea. This way the train represents all the Houses in an equal way." Hermoine said to the rest.
"Alright, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Ginny, each of you can paint a carriage. Please don't put Gryffindor next to Slytherin. If everybody sits according to their Houses, Malfoy hopefully won't bother us next time we ride the train. And leave the Prefect carriage like it is right now. Luna and I will think of something to do with it." Harry ordered the teens.
"I'll do Gryffindor!" Ron yelled and quickly grabbed a few brushes and paint cans with red and gold paint. Hermione shook her head and grabbed yellow and black paint along with a few brushes. Ginny looked at Neville and pointed at the blue and bronze paint. Neville just sighed and walked to the green and silver paint cans after stopping by the bags with the brushes. Ginny got the Ravenclaw colours and picked the carriage between Ron and Neville, making sure that there was at least one carriage between the two rival Houses.
The Hogwarts Express traditionally exists out thirteen carriages, with four compartments in each carriage. Twelve of the carriages were for the students while the first carriage was for the Prefects, Head girl and boy and any teachers that travelled with the Express. In front of the train was the steam engine and the fuel, an open coal-car. The train only needed a driver because the coal was magicked into the boiler of the steam engine. The four teens started working on the first four student carriages, Hufflepuff first, then Slytherin, Ravelclauw and Gryffindor as last of the line which would then start again with Hufflepuff.
While the four teens were painting the cleaned carriages, the twins cleaned the rest of the carriages with the water their wands produced. After they finished the last carriage, they joined the other teens and started painting a carriage.
In the meanwhile Harry and Luna wondered what to do with the steam engine.
"It should be something that represents Hogwarts." Offered Harry.
"What about painting all the House Crests on it?" Luna said, walking around the engine.
"I don't know. It should be something that gives future students an idea how magical Hogwarts is. How wonderful the school is and what they can expect for the seven years that they will live here." Harry murmured, thinking back to the moment he first saw the Express. Although it was a beautiful view, the red and black steam train, surrounded by wizards and witches, it didn't really inspire him.
"How about... painting the four House animals on the train with the House colours trailing behind them. And they should move. I think professor Dumbledore knows a few spells to animate the painting. And perhaps, on the front, the castle itself? As a small logo." Luna closed her eyes, imagining the paintings on the train itself. Harry followed her lead, mentally seeing it. A beautiful red and gold griffin, flying around the engine, red and gold sparks trailing behind the magnificent animal. A green and silver snake slithering around the steam pipes and window, leaving a green and silver trail behind, showing the path it had slithered. A bronze and blue raven, flying with the griffin. A yellow and black badger scurried around with the snake. Harry snapped his brilliant green eyes open and smiled at Luna.
"You are brilliant. The question is, can we finish this during the detention?" He wondered. Luna just smiled and tapped Harry's nose.
"Silly you. We have a detention for the whole week. We will finish it, I'm sure of it." Harry nodded, smiled and went to get some brushes and the paint they would need. The first thing they did was painting the whole engine and coal-car a light grey colour. This would serve as the background colour for the animals. For the front, Luna painted a small version of the Hogwarts castle with the Hogwarts Crest across it, while Harry started on the first animal, a large black and yellow badger of Hufflepuff.
The next few days were spent painting the Express. When the others were done with the carriages, they started helping Harry and Luna. Hermione discovered that she was rubbish at drawing and painting fine details and just stuck to painting the background. Ginny realized that she was very good at drawing and helped Luna with the difficult bits Harry couldn't quite manage. Ron and Neville chose the coal-car and just painted long lines that decorated the whole car.
Half the lines followed the bright House colours, starting with yellow that slowly faded into green, the green fading into a royal blue colour. The blue faded into red again and the red would fade into yellow, starting the process over. The other lines on the coal-car were painted with the other colours, starting with black that turned into silver, silver then turning into bronze and the bronze brightened into gold. The gold would darken until it was black again and so continued those lines. Ron and Neville had painted the lines straight, waiting for Dumbledore to animate the lines and the different animals on the steam engine.
When professor Dumbledore came by at the end of the week, the train was almost done. Ginny and Luna were adding the last touches on the animals and the trails behind them, as the rest were washing the brushes and sorting through the paint cans, forming three different piles. One for empty cans, the other for opened cans and the last one for unopened cans.
As the old wizard stepped onto the platform, his mouth fell open from amazing. The steam engine was decorated with the four House animals, a different kind of trail following behind them. A red and gold griffin soared above the green and silver snake and the yellow and black badger. Next to the griffin was a blue and bronze raven. Behind the griffin was a trail of stars with the same colours as the animal while the raven had a trail of blue and bronze sparks behind it. The two ground animals left tracks on the train, a slithering trail for the snake and for the badger a trail of claws, each trail in the colours of the animals.
The open coal-car was decorated with straight lines that faded into different colours while the Prefect carriage was painted in all the House colours with a blazing Hogwarts crest on the sides. The other twelve carriages were painted in House colours, Hufflepuff first, then Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor the last in the series.
On the front of the steam engine was Hogwarts itself painted with the crest above it. The train was absolutely stunning.
Dumbledore started clapping, drawing the attention of his students to him.
"You have done a magnificent job with the train, children. I should have thought of a detention like this one a long while ago. The Express is beautiful. Now, Harry, you said that you needed my help for something?" The Headmaster praised his students before turning to Harry and asking his question.
Harry nodded and walked over to the Headmaster.
"Luna said that you might know a few spells to animate the paintings. We wanted the animals to come to life so that they can run over the whole steam engine or perhaps the whole train, if that is possible. And Neville was wondering if you can also animate the lines on the coal-car so that they swirl around the whole car." Explained the young man. Dumbledore looked thoughtful before nodding.
"I suppose I could do that. If you could clean up the brushes and paint cans, then I will enchant the animals and the lines to move. The students will be stunned when they see the train at the end of the year." The old Headmaster smiled at the young Gryffindor before pulling his wand and aiming it at the paintings. He started chanting a long string of Latin words while waving his wand in a elaborate pattern.
Harry in the meantime made sure that the brushes they had used were clean and that the empty cans were Vanished by Fred and George, while Ron, Neville and himself put the lids back on the opened cans and stacked them neatly in the bags they had used to transport the cans of paint from the school to the station and back.
Hermione collected all the brushed after she dried them with a spell and put them in another bag. Ginny and Luna were finished just as the Headmaster started chanting and cleaned the two brushes they had used for the last details and put them in the bag with the other brushes.
As the Headmaster finished with his chanting, the animals came to life. The lines on the coal-car started swirling around, creating a dizzying effect for the eight students. They stood there, watching for a few minutes as their creations came to life.
"Well," Spoke Dumbledore as he clapped his hands. "It is quite late already and you have classes tomorrow. We better go back to the school."
The students collected the bags with the cans and the brushes and went back to the magical castle.
School had ended and the students were travelling back to the station in the Thestral-pulled carriages to board the Hogwarts Express that would take them back to King's Cross in London.
When the students arrived at the platform were the train stood waiting, they were stunned into silence. Instead of the usual black and red train, this train was painted in the different House colours. The carriages for the students were painted according to Houses, three for each House. The Prefect carriage was done in all the House colours with a blazing Hogwarts crest on both sides.
The coal-car has swirling lines, a few with the bright House colours, such as the Gryffindor red, the Hufflepuff yellow, the Slytherin green and the Ravenclaw blue, while the other lines were done in the other House colours, gold for Gryffindor, silver for Slytherin, bronze for Ravenclaw and black for Hufflepuff. But the best part of the train were the four different animals that flew, slithered or walked on the steam engine.
The train in whole was cleaned and polished until each surface gleamed and you could see your own reflection.
Of the eight students who had painted the train, stood six proud on the platform. Even Harry came out of his depression when he saw the effect the repainted Hogwarts Express had on the students.
Eventually, the students boarded the train and left for London where the train received the same gob-smacked expressions from the parents and siblings that stood waiting.
Fred and George Weasley looked at each other and smiled as their mother fell silent as she saw the train. From all the many detentions they had received during their six-and-a-half years at Hogwarts, repainting the Hogwarts Express was the best one.