Chapter Four:
The Hidden Platform
Cedric was sitting at the kitchen table. Allison shoved a plate in his direction. It was loaded with bacon, eggs, toast and sausage. "Eat up, Cedric, dear," Allison said. "I'm not sending you off on that train without filling you up right."
"But Gamma," Cedric complained. "I'm too excited to eat!"
Allison smiled. "Your mother said the very same thing. But I didn't let her go without a nice hearty breakfast either."
Cedric gave in and ate his breakfast. It was around ten o'clock when Allison and Cedric began their drive to London so Cedric could catch his train. "What platform do I go to, Gamma?" Cedric asked his grandmother.
"Platform nine and three-quarters," she answered. Allison pulled a ticket out of her purse and handed it to him. "The ticket has all the information on it. Oh! and your father asked me to give this to you."
Cedric took the ticket from her and small yet heavy bag from her. "But aren't you going to walk me in?" Cedric asked.
"I would, Cedric, but Mrs. Rudington went in for surgery on her leg and she'll be coming around about the time you train leaves," Allison told him. "And she really wants me to be there."
For the next hour of the trip, Cedric started on his History book. He loved history, both muggle and magical. Cedric liked to think about what it would have been like to live in the middle ages as a wizard or a witch. He found a story in his book about someone who let muggles catch her because she *liked* to get burned.
Cedric was so into his book that he didn't realize they had arrived at Kings Cross Station until his grandmother had already gotten out of the car and had his things on a dolly. He closed the book and hopped out of the car. "You have your ticket right?" Allison asked Cedric.
"Yes, Gamma," he replied and patted his pocket.
"Good," she said. She kissed his forehead. "I'll see you during Christmas break."
Cedric smiled. He waved to her as she drove away. Cedric watched his grandmother drive away until she
was out of sight. Then he turned around and went into the station.
Cedric looked around the station and found the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. But there was not Platform 9 and 3/4. Cedric looked at his ticket. It said 9 and 3/4 just like his grandmother had said. Cedric looked around the station but still could not find a Platform 9 and 3/4.
A man passing by asked him, "What platform you looking for there, sonny?"
"Platform 9 and 3/4," Cedric told him.
"What's that, boy?"
"Platform 9 and 3/4," Cedric repeated. Then it came to him. Did muggles not know of Platform 9 and 3/4?
"There is no Platform 9 and 3/4," the man said. "Probably why you can't find it."
"Thank you anyways," Cedric said. He pushed his trunk over beside the barrier and sat down on it. Cedric looked at his watch and watched as the time got closer and closer to 11 o'clock which was when the train left.
"There is NO Platform 9 and 3/4!" someone shouted. "Have fun living here for the rest of the year!"
Cedric looked to see who it was that was being shouted at. It was a boy his age pushing a trunk infront of him. "Going to Hogwarts?" Cedric asked the boy.
"If I could find the bloody platform," he replied.
"Same here," Cedric told him. "I'm Cedric Potter."
The boy smiled. "Zachary Myles. But me friend call me Zach."
The two of them sat there talking for a few minutes. Cedric found out that Zach was an orphan and came from an orphanage where he lived with thirty other kids. When he had gotten his letter he thought it was a joke. Then a man named Cage Rambous, who taught at the school, came and took him to Diagon Alley to get his stuff. "I don't know who pays for me to go to this school," Zach told Cedric. "Because I don't have any money and I know that the orphanage people wouldn't pay for it."
"My father was the same way," Cedric told him. "Only his parents left him money to pay for school."
"Your father was an orphan, too?" Zach asked.
"Yeah. Lived with his aunt and uncle and cousin. They hated him. Treated him real bad. Almost kept him from going to Hogwarts even."
"That is worse than what I-" Zach began to say but was cut off.
"Cedric!" someone shouted. It was Ron Weasley. "Why aren't you on the train? It leaves in five minutes!"
"We don't know where the platform is," Cedric told him.
"Harry didn't tell you?" Cedric shook his head. "Jade, you go first."
Jade stepped infront of her father and ran straight at the barrier. Just as she was about to hit, she disappeared. Cedric watched in amazement. "Where'd she go?" Zach asked.
Ron laughed. "Go straight through the barrier," he told them. "Don't worry, you won't hit it. Just run
straight at it. You go first, son."
Zach took a deep breath and pushed his trunk infront of him. In a second they had gone through the barrier. "Now you, Cedric."
Cedric pushed his trunk out infront of him and ran at the barrier. As he got closer he though, 'I'm going to hit it. I'm going to hit it.' He closed his eyes just as he was about to hit. But nothing stopped him. He kept running. He stopped and opened his eyes.
In front of him was a scarlet steam engine. On the platform there were kids hugging their parents and younger siblings, getting their things on the train and carrying owls and cats around. "Over here, Cedric!" Jade yelled from a car towards the end of the train.
Cedric pushed his trunk down that way. He was running to get there and accidently rolled over one of the younger students' robes. "What it!" he yelled.
"S-sorry," Cedric said and kept running. He came to the car and Zach and Jade helped him get his stuff into the car.
"We got one of the bigger compartments," Zach told him as they carried his trunk onto the train. Zach led
Cedric to a large compartment. Jade slid the door open and let them get the trunk in. It *was* a large compartment and could have easily sat eight to ten people if the need came. They pushed Cedric's trunk under one of the benches beside Zach and Jade's trunks.
The door slid open a minute later. A girl and boy their age stood there. "Got room for two more?" they asked in unison. Zach stared at the two of them wide eyed. Their ears were pointy. Cedric thought they looked like... elves.
"Sure," Jade told them. "Come on in. I'm Jade Weasley."
"We're Spock and Kacey Lupin," the boy said. "We're twins."
"I'm Cedric Potter and this," Cedric said pointing at Zach, "is Zachary Myles."
"Potter, eh?" Spock asked. "Don't you recognize the name? Lupin?"
"Uncle Remus!" Cedric shouted.
The twins smiled. "Yep. He is our dad," Kacey said.
The five of them sat down as they felt the train begin moving. Cedric heard a crash out in the hallway. He slid the door open and saw a girl struggling with a trunk. Cedric went and helped her pull it into their compartment. She pushed her pale hair back out her face. "Thanks," she said to Cedric. She looked around. "Oh shoot, I dropped my money bag..."
"You stay here and get you trunk taken care of," Cedric told her. "I'll go look for it." He stepped out of the compartment and walked towards the front of the car. He saw a blue bag similar to the one his father had left for him. He picked it up. 'This has to be it,' he thought.
"Hey look!" someone shouted from the front of the car. "It's that kid who rolled over my robes." Cedric looked up. It *was* the boy who's robes he had accidently ran over. And he was talking to three husky, bodyguard- like boys. 'Uh-oh,' Cedric thought.
The four of them walked over to Cedric. "Whatcha got there?" the one he'd run over asked
"Doesn't matter to you," Cedric told him.
"I'm Lester Leroy, perhaps you've heard the family name. And whatever I say is my business is *my* business," he said to Cedric.
"I haven't heard the name."
"Muggle born?" he asked with a sneer.
"No."
"Elias, get me that money bag," Leroy said to the large blonde boy behind him. He came towards Cedric and punched him in the stomach. Cedric continued to keep the bag from him. "Just give him the bag and you'll be left alone," Leroy told Cedric with a smile.
From behind him, a black dog jumped over Cedric and growled at Elias. The dog barked and chased Leroy and his cronies into the next car. Cedric got up with a groan. A boy came from the other car. Cedric would have recognized him anywhere.
"You okay, Cedric?" Darione Black asked him.
"Yeah," Cedric told him. "I'm okay. Who's dog was that?"
"Erm... I- I... dunno," Darione said a bit paniced. "Come on, back to your compartment."
Darione walked with Cedric back to his compartment. The two of them walked in and Cedric gave the girl her money bag. Darione walked over and sat by the twins. "Hey you two," he said.
"Hey, Dar," Spock said. He pulled something out of his pocket. "Got Ptolemy?" he asked. Cedric watched them with no clue what they were talking about.
"You have Agrippa and the holographic Dumbledore?" Darione asked and pulled out a bunch of cards bound by a rubber band from his pocket.
"Yep," Spock said and handed Darione two cards.
"Me too," Darione said and handed him a card.
"What are those?" Cedric asked.
"Famous Witch and Wizard cards," Jade said from where her and Kacey were talking. "They come in the Chocolate Frog packages."
"Oh!" Cedric exclaimed. "I have some of those."
"Yeah?" Darione and Spock asked. "Let's have a look."
At that moment the door slid open and in came two boys. "Got room? Everywhere else is full up," one said. Cedric thought the face looked familiar and soon remembered it was Mark Dansfield from PBP Robes and Attire.
"Sure do," Kacey said. "Come on in."
"I'm Mark Dansfield," Mark introduced himself to everyone.
"And I'm Eddie Harris," the black boy behind Mark told everyone.
"I'm Rachel Malfoy," the girl who's money bag Cedric had rescued sid.
"Cedric Potter," Cedric said.
The rest of them introduced themselves to everyone and they were soon friends. Cedric remembered what his father had said about a Malfoy who went to school with him. But Cedric wouldn't hold the name against Rachel. She was really very kind, not at all like the Malfoy his father had described.
"I'm last in my family to go to Hogwarts. Well... besides my Uncle Orion's kids. He has a kid, Iras, who isn't even at Hogwarts yet," Darione told everyone. "And my oldest brother is a teacher there. Cyrus Black."
"You keep saying the name Black," Mark said. "Related to the murderer Sirius Black? And the Coalition leader Lyria Strider-Black?"
"My dad *was* cleared, you know," Darione said a little annoyed. "And my mom *is* the leader of the Coalition."
Mark was overwhelmed. "Potter, Black, Strider, Weasley and Malfoy blood all in one compartment!"
Eddie looked at Rachel and Jade. "Yeah... ain't your parents running against each other to be Minister?"
They nodded. "Still doesn't mean we can't be friends does it?" Jade asked.
"I think Hermione Weasley'd be a better Minister than my dad, anyways," Rachel said.
"Really?" Eddie asked.
Once again the compartment door slid open. "Wanna buy any- Oh, hey Darione!"
Cedric looked at who was talking. It was an older boy pushing a cart full of candy and snacks. He had short and very neat kept brown hair. He was already in his Hogwarts robes and had a badge with HB on it. "Aragorn!" Darione said. "All ready to be Head Boy I see."
"Yes I am," Aragorn said. "Any of you want something off the cart?" Everyone got up and bought something except Eddie (who forgot his money bag) and Zach (who had no money). Cedric purposely bought much more than he needed and distributed the snacks to Zach and Eddie.
"Thanks!" the boy said.
Cedric smiled. "No problem."
"Who was that?" Mark asked.
"Aragorn Strider. My cousin," Darione told him.
The lot of them talked for the next hour or so. It began to get dark and it was annouced that they were an hour out of Hogsmeade. The girls went and stood out in the hall for a moment so the boys could get their uniforms on. Then they alternated and the boys waited outside the compartment. As the boys were coming back into the compartment there was a shudder and the train justdied. All the lights went out and someone further down in the car screamed.
"That sure is comforting," Darione said sarcastically. "We can now rule out any monster that lets its victim scream."
"Shut up," Spock said.
"Don't tell me to- hey!" Darione said as five larger figures fell into the compartment.
"Ahhhh!" Kacey screamed.
"Ahhhh!" one of the figures shouted.
Darione sighed. In an announcer voice he said, "Introducing James, Remus, Remus, Scotti and Forbes! All Blacks except for good old Remmie Parker!"
"Thanks for the introduction," James Black said sarcastically.
"W-what happened to the lights?" his twin, Remus Black, asked.
"They went out, Remmie," Remust Parker Lupin told him. "Kinda hard to miss that fact, isn't it?"
"Not for him," Scotti said.
"Hey!" Remmie Parker shouted.
The other four broke out laughing.
Jade took out her wand and muttered, "Lumos." A light shun from her wand. "Is is just me or is the compartment a bit... crowded?"
"With stupidity you mean?" Darione asked.
His older brothers, cousins Scotti and Forbes and Remus Parker glared at him. "Same gene pool remember?" James remarked.
"Must be why I'm so smart. They used up all the stupid genes on you two," Darione remarked.
"Good one, cousin!" Scotti Black, Sirius Black's little brother Orion's son, shouted.
Both James and Remus turned and threatened to hit him. Scotti jumped back out of the compartment. James slid the door shut. "What do you guys want?" Darione asked.
"Can't we come see if our baby brother is scared of the dark and comfort him?" Remus asked innocently.
"No. Now, what do you want?"
"We need to borrow some dungbombs from Everett," Remus Parker said. "Know where he is?"
"Not in here," Spock said.
They all shrugged and walked out of the compartment. It was possible to hear Scotti complaining about being left outside as they continued up the train. Darione shook his head. "Sometimes I find it hard to believe I'm related to them."
"I don't," Kacey said with a smile.
Darione glared at her. Just then the lights came back and the train started again. "I wonder what happened," Eddie said.
"Me too," Mark added.
The rest of the ride was relatively uneventful. Darione set off a dungbomb right outside Lester Leroy's
compartment and he, Cedric and Spock had thrown pumpkin pasties at them will Jade and Zach tossed Bertie
Bott's Every Flavor beans on the floor for them to trip on.
Darione observed their work and turned to the others. "Nice," he commented. "We're going to make a
wonderful team. Hehe."
They went back to their compartment and ate sweets with the others. Two hours later, the Hogwarts Express arrived in Hogsmeade.
The Hidden Platform
Cedric was sitting at the kitchen table. Allison shoved a plate in his direction. It was loaded with bacon, eggs, toast and sausage. "Eat up, Cedric, dear," Allison said. "I'm not sending you off on that train without filling you up right."
"But Gamma," Cedric complained. "I'm too excited to eat!"
Allison smiled. "Your mother said the very same thing. But I didn't let her go without a nice hearty breakfast either."
Cedric gave in and ate his breakfast. It was around ten o'clock when Allison and Cedric began their drive to London so Cedric could catch his train. "What platform do I go to, Gamma?" Cedric asked his grandmother.
"Platform nine and three-quarters," she answered. Allison pulled a ticket out of her purse and handed it to him. "The ticket has all the information on it. Oh! and your father asked me to give this to you."
Cedric took the ticket from her and small yet heavy bag from her. "But aren't you going to walk me in?" Cedric asked.
"I would, Cedric, but Mrs. Rudington went in for surgery on her leg and she'll be coming around about the time you train leaves," Allison told him. "And she really wants me to be there."
For the next hour of the trip, Cedric started on his History book. He loved history, both muggle and magical. Cedric liked to think about what it would have been like to live in the middle ages as a wizard or a witch. He found a story in his book about someone who let muggles catch her because she *liked* to get burned.
Cedric was so into his book that he didn't realize they had arrived at Kings Cross Station until his grandmother had already gotten out of the car and had his things on a dolly. He closed the book and hopped out of the car. "You have your ticket right?" Allison asked Cedric.
"Yes, Gamma," he replied and patted his pocket.
"Good," she said. She kissed his forehead. "I'll see you during Christmas break."
Cedric smiled. He waved to her as she drove away. Cedric watched his grandmother drive away until she
was out of sight. Then he turned around and went into the station.
Cedric looked around the station and found the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. But there was not Platform 9 and 3/4. Cedric looked at his ticket. It said 9 and 3/4 just like his grandmother had said. Cedric looked around the station but still could not find a Platform 9 and 3/4.
A man passing by asked him, "What platform you looking for there, sonny?"
"Platform 9 and 3/4," Cedric told him.
"What's that, boy?"
"Platform 9 and 3/4," Cedric repeated. Then it came to him. Did muggles not know of Platform 9 and 3/4?
"There is no Platform 9 and 3/4," the man said. "Probably why you can't find it."
"Thank you anyways," Cedric said. He pushed his trunk over beside the barrier and sat down on it. Cedric looked at his watch and watched as the time got closer and closer to 11 o'clock which was when the train left.
"There is NO Platform 9 and 3/4!" someone shouted. "Have fun living here for the rest of the year!"
Cedric looked to see who it was that was being shouted at. It was a boy his age pushing a trunk infront of him. "Going to Hogwarts?" Cedric asked the boy.
"If I could find the bloody platform," he replied.
"Same here," Cedric told him. "I'm Cedric Potter."
The boy smiled. "Zachary Myles. But me friend call me Zach."
The two of them sat there talking for a few minutes. Cedric found out that Zach was an orphan and came from an orphanage where he lived with thirty other kids. When he had gotten his letter he thought it was a joke. Then a man named Cage Rambous, who taught at the school, came and took him to Diagon Alley to get his stuff. "I don't know who pays for me to go to this school," Zach told Cedric. "Because I don't have any money and I know that the orphanage people wouldn't pay for it."
"My father was the same way," Cedric told him. "Only his parents left him money to pay for school."
"Your father was an orphan, too?" Zach asked.
"Yeah. Lived with his aunt and uncle and cousin. They hated him. Treated him real bad. Almost kept him from going to Hogwarts even."
"That is worse than what I-" Zach began to say but was cut off.
"Cedric!" someone shouted. It was Ron Weasley. "Why aren't you on the train? It leaves in five minutes!"
"We don't know where the platform is," Cedric told him.
"Harry didn't tell you?" Cedric shook his head. "Jade, you go first."
Jade stepped infront of her father and ran straight at the barrier. Just as she was about to hit, she disappeared. Cedric watched in amazement. "Where'd she go?" Zach asked.
Ron laughed. "Go straight through the barrier," he told them. "Don't worry, you won't hit it. Just run
straight at it. You go first, son."
Zach took a deep breath and pushed his trunk infront of him. In a second they had gone through the barrier. "Now you, Cedric."
Cedric pushed his trunk out infront of him and ran at the barrier. As he got closer he though, 'I'm going to hit it. I'm going to hit it.' He closed his eyes just as he was about to hit. But nothing stopped him. He kept running. He stopped and opened his eyes.
In front of him was a scarlet steam engine. On the platform there were kids hugging their parents and younger siblings, getting their things on the train and carrying owls and cats around. "Over here, Cedric!" Jade yelled from a car towards the end of the train.
Cedric pushed his trunk down that way. He was running to get there and accidently rolled over one of the younger students' robes. "What it!" he yelled.
"S-sorry," Cedric said and kept running. He came to the car and Zach and Jade helped him get his stuff into the car.
"We got one of the bigger compartments," Zach told him as they carried his trunk onto the train. Zach led
Cedric to a large compartment. Jade slid the door open and let them get the trunk in. It *was* a large compartment and could have easily sat eight to ten people if the need came. They pushed Cedric's trunk under one of the benches beside Zach and Jade's trunks.
The door slid open a minute later. A girl and boy their age stood there. "Got room for two more?" they asked in unison. Zach stared at the two of them wide eyed. Their ears were pointy. Cedric thought they looked like... elves.
"Sure," Jade told them. "Come on in. I'm Jade Weasley."
"We're Spock and Kacey Lupin," the boy said. "We're twins."
"I'm Cedric Potter and this," Cedric said pointing at Zach, "is Zachary Myles."
"Potter, eh?" Spock asked. "Don't you recognize the name? Lupin?"
"Uncle Remus!" Cedric shouted.
The twins smiled. "Yep. He is our dad," Kacey said.
The five of them sat down as they felt the train begin moving. Cedric heard a crash out in the hallway. He slid the door open and saw a girl struggling with a trunk. Cedric went and helped her pull it into their compartment. She pushed her pale hair back out her face. "Thanks," she said to Cedric. She looked around. "Oh shoot, I dropped my money bag..."
"You stay here and get you trunk taken care of," Cedric told her. "I'll go look for it." He stepped out of the compartment and walked towards the front of the car. He saw a blue bag similar to the one his father had left for him. He picked it up. 'This has to be it,' he thought.
"Hey look!" someone shouted from the front of the car. "It's that kid who rolled over my robes." Cedric looked up. It *was* the boy who's robes he had accidently ran over. And he was talking to three husky, bodyguard- like boys. 'Uh-oh,' Cedric thought.
The four of them walked over to Cedric. "Whatcha got there?" the one he'd run over asked
"Doesn't matter to you," Cedric told him.
"I'm Lester Leroy, perhaps you've heard the family name. And whatever I say is my business is *my* business," he said to Cedric.
"I haven't heard the name."
"Muggle born?" he asked with a sneer.
"No."
"Elias, get me that money bag," Leroy said to the large blonde boy behind him. He came towards Cedric and punched him in the stomach. Cedric continued to keep the bag from him. "Just give him the bag and you'll be left alone," Leroy told Cedric with a smile.
From behind him, a black dog jumped over Cedric and growled at Elias. The dog barked and chased Leroy and his cronies into the next car. Cedric got up with a groan. A boy came from the other car. Cedric would have recognized him anywhere.
"You okay, Cedric?" Darione Black asked him.
"Yeah," Cedric told him. "I'm okay. Who's dog was that?"
"Erm... I- I... dunno," Darione said a bit paniced. "Come on, back to your compartment."
Darione walked with Cedric back to his compartment. The two of them walked in and Cedric gave the girl her money bag. Darione walked over and sat by the twins. "Hey you two," he said.
"Hey, Dar," Spock said. He pulled something out of his pocket. "Got Ptolemy?" he asked. Cedric watched them with no clue what they were talking about.
"You have Agrippa and the holographic Dumbledore?" Darione asked and pulled out a bunch of cards bound by a rubber band from his pocket.
"Yep," Spock said and handed Darione two cards.
"Me too," Darione said and handed him a card.
"What are those?" Cedric asked.
"Famous Witch and Wizard cards," Jade said from where her and Kacey were talking. "They come in the Chocolate Frog packages."
"Oh!" Cedric exclaimed. "I have some of those."
"Yeah?" Darione and Spock asked. "Let's have a look."
At that moment the door slid open and in came two boys. "Got room? Everywhere else is full up," one said. Cedric thought the face looked familiar and soon remembered it was Mark Dansfield from PBP Robes and Attire.
"Sure do," Kacey said. "Come on in."
"I'm Mark Dansfield," Mark introduced himself to everyone.
"And I'm Eddie Harris," the black boy behind Mark told everyone.
"I'm Rachel Malfoy," the girl who's money bag Cedric had rescued sid.
"Cedric Potter," Cedric said.
The rest of them introduced themselves to everyone and they were soon friends. Cedric remembered what his father had said about a Malfoy who went to school with him. But Cedric wouldn't hold the name against Rachel. She was really very kind, not at all like the Malfoy his father had described.
"I'm last in my family to go to Hogwarts. Well... besides my Uncle Orion's kids. He has a kid, Iras, who isn't even at Hogwarts yet," Darione told everyone. "And my oldest brother is a teacher there. Cyrus Black."
"You keep saying the name Black," Mark said. "Related to the murderer Sirius Black? And the Coalition leader Lyria Strider-Black?"
"My dad *was* cleared, you know," Darione said a little annoyed. "And my mom *is* the leader of the Coalition."
Mark was overwhelmed. "Potter, Black, Strider, Weasley and Malfoy blood all in one compartment!"
Eddie looked at Rachel and Jade. "Yeah... ain't your parents running against each other to be Minister?"
They nodded. "Still doesn't mean we can't be friends does it?" Jade asked.
"I think Hermione Weasley'd be a better Minister than my dad, anyways," Rachel said.
"Really?" Eddie asked.
Once again the compartment door slid open. "Wanna buy any- Oh, hey Darione!"
Cedric looked at who was talking. It was an older boy pushing a cart full of candy and snacks. He had short and very neat kept brown hair. He was already in his Hogwarts robes and had a badge with HB on it. "Aragorn!" Darione said. "All ready to be Head Boy I see."
"Yes I am," Aragorn said. "Any of you want something off the cart?" Everyone got up and bought something except Eddie (who forgot his money bag) and Zach (who had no money). Cedric purposely bought much more than he needed and distributed the snacks to Zach and Eddie.
"Thanks!" the boy said.
Cedric smiled. "No problem."
"Who was that?" Mark asked.
"Aragorn Strider. My cousin," Darione told him.
The lot of them talked for the next hour or so. It began to get dark and it was annouced that they were an hour out of Hogsmeade. The girls went and stood out in the hall for a moment so the boys could get their uniforms on. Then they alternated and the boys waited outside the compartment. As the boys were coming back into the compartment there was a shudder and the train justdied. All the lights went out and someone further down in the car screamed.
"That sure is comforting," Darione said sarcastically. "We can now rule out any monster that lets its victim scream."
"Shut up," Spock said.
"Don't tell me to- hey!" Darione said as five larger figures fell into the compartment.
"Ahhhh!" Kacey screamed.
"Ahhhh!" one of the figures shouted.
Darione sighed. In an announcer voice he said, "Introducing James, Remus, Remus, Scotti and Forbes! All Blacks except for good old Remmie Parker!"
"Thanks for the introduction," James Black said sarcastically.
"W-what happened to the lights?" his twin, Remus Black, asked.
"They went out, Remmie," Remust Parker Lupin told him. "Kinda hard to miss that fact, isn't it?"
"Not for him," Scotti said.
"Hey!" Remmie Parker shouted.
The other four broke out laughing.
Jade took out her wand and muttered, "Lumos." A light shun from her wand. "Is is just me or is the compartment a bit... crowded?"
"With stupidity you mean?" Darione asked.
His older brothers, cousins Scotti and Forbes and Remus Parker glared at him. "Same gene pool remember?" James remarked.
"Must be why I'm so smart. They used up all the stupid genes on you two," Darione remarked.
"Good one, cousin!" Scotti Black, Sirius Black's little brother Orion's son, shouted.
Both James and Remus turned and threatened to hit him. Scotti jumped back out of the compartment. James slid the door shut. "What do you guys want?" Darione asked.
"Can't we come see if our baby brother is scared of the dark and comfort him?" Remus asked innocently.
"No. Now, what do you want?"
"We need to borrow some dungbombs from Everett," Remus Parker said. "Know where he is?"
"Not in here," Spock said.
They all shrugged and walked out of the compartment. It was possible to hear Scotti complaining about being left outside as they continued up the train. Darione shook his head. "Sometimes I find it hard to believe I'm related to them."
"I don't," Kacey said with a smile.
Darione glared at her. Just then the lights came back and the train started again. "I wonder what happened," Eddie said.
"Me too," Mark added.
The rest of the ride was relatively uneventful. Darione set off a dungbomb right outside Lester Leroy's
compartment and he, Cedric and Spock had thrown pumpkin pasties at them will Jade and Zach tossed Bertie
Bott's Every Flavor beans on the floor for them to trip on.
Darione observed their work and turned to the others. "Nice," he commented. "We're going to make a
wonderful team. Hehe."
They went back to their compartment and ate sweets with the others. Two hours later, the Hogwarts Express arrived in Hogsmeade.