Chapter 4 - The Train

Lily and Albus boarded the train, Hilaria right behind them. It was the very image of the Capitol's luxury. Cakes and treats were displayed on stands all around the carriage, crystal chandeliers hung from the decorated ceilings and strangely coloured drinks filled glass bottles that sat on the tables. It was like a moving five-star hotel that was destined to take Lily and Albus to their doom.

'Well, isn't it wondrous?' Hilaria asked the children.

'It's like the common room,' Lily said.

'The what?'

'Nothing.'

'Oh, OK then. By the way, someone asked if since the tributes are from the newcomers, the mentors could be too.'

Lily and Albus turned to Hilaria, full of hope.

'And are they?'

'Yes. I contacted President Snow for them, and he seemed to be quite happy to do so.'

'So who's our mentor?' Albus asked.

'Good day, Potters,' came a voice from behind the children. They turned around, to see a woman in an emerald green robe standing the doorway.

'Professor!' Lily shouted.

'The train shall be moving soon,' Hilaria interrupted. 'It would be wise to take a seat, not that the ride is bumpy. It's just that the doorway isn't the best place to stand.'

They all walked forward. Lily and Albus sat on a settee each, McGonagall sat in front of them. Hilaria walked away to the next carriage to apply some more make-up to her face. Lily looked out the window, and saw District 7 moving away. It reminded her of why she and Albus were on the train.

'You are incredibly brave, the both of you,' McGonagall said to the children. 'You have taken today's events very well, indeed.' The two children smiled back, nervously. 'I brought you something,' McGonagall said to them. 'Did you know that tributes can take tokens from their districts into the arena to remind them of home?'

'No, professor,' said Albus. 'Have you brought us something to use as a token?'

'Yes, Albus, I have. I thought, since District Seven is the lumber district, that some sticks of wood would be fitting as tokens.'

McGonagall reached into her sleeve, and pulled out Lily and Albus' wands that they had left in their small wooden house.

'Now, tokens will be confiscated if they are shown to give any advantage to the tribute, so use them wisely and discreetly in only the most desperate situations, and I mean it. No conjuring of food or water, the arena will have some in someplace. Only use spells that will not make it obvious that you are using a magic wand.'

'Yes, professor,' both children replied.

'There will be training before the games, so practise using muggle weapons. You will also be able to practise things like setting snare traps and using camouflage.'

'Professor,' said Albus. 'How do you know this?'

'I was talking to a lovely young woman called Johanna. She had played in the Hunger Games before, so she knows quite a lot about them. Maybe I should have let her mentor you.'

'No, professor,' Lily replied. 'We're both glad that you could be here.'

'I'm glad. If you'll excuse me, I wish to speak with Hilaria.'

The two children sat in silence for a while, before Lily decided to speak.

'Why did you do that?' she asked Albus.

'So I could protect you,' he replied.

'But we can't both win!'

Albus didn't say anything, he just stared straight ahead. Lily thought it best to change the conversation.

'So,' she said, 'who visited you?'

'Scorpius, Slughorn, and McGonagall and Longbottom. You?'

'McGonagall, Hugo and Rosie, and James.'

'James? Is he alright'

'He seemed distant, as if he was hiding something.'

'I hope he's alright, I wonder what he's doing now.'

Suddenly, the train stopped. Albus shot up and ran to the window.

'This can't be it!' He said. 'We're still on the railway!'

Hilaria and McGonagall walked in, both looking completely in shock.

'I just received a message,' Hilaria said quietly. 'It's from the Capitol.'

She pulled out a small, rectangular panel of glass with curved edges. She tapped it, making icons appear all over the front of it. She kept tapping, cleared her throat, and prepared to read out the message:

'"Dear Tributes of District Seven, the President of Panem, Coriolanus Snow, has decided that your mentor shall be a past Victor from your district. Minerva McGonagall shall be escorted by hovercraft back to District Seven, and your new mentors shall arrive on your train as she leaves. Apologies for any inconveniences caused. May the odds be ever in your favour, The Gamemakers."'

'No!' Lily shouted. 'Why are they doing this?'

'I wondered that too, Lily,' McGonagall said. 'I've figured it out. Snow was happy for me to mentor Scorpius, because he believed that I would have not helped him at all, maybe even told him to die. But I wanted to help you, and now he knows who's been reaped, and he's changed his mind. Don't worry; the Victors will help you in ways that I could never try help you in. Keep safe, listen to them, and learn what they tell you. I believe in both of you.'

They hugged, as the hovercraft appeared over the train. McGonagall walked out of the carriage, towards the end of the train. A whooshing sound filled the air, and the hovercraft was gone. Two people walked in the door that McGonagall had just walked out.

'Lily and Albus,' Hilaria said. 'Meet your mentors, Johanna and Blight!'

Albus walked up to them, and stretched out his hand. 'Albus Potter.'

Blight looked at him, nodded, then walked away. Johanna shook his hand. 'Johanna Mason, and that's Blight. I'll be mentoring Lily, Blight will be mentoring you.'

Lily walked forward, and gave a sort of curtsy to Johanna.

'You're manners are certainly good, not that that will help you when you're fighting to the death. We understand that Minerva would be first choice for a mentor, but we will help you in any way we can. Please, sit down.'

Albus and Lily sat back down in their original seats, Johanna and Blight sat across from them.

'So,' Albus started. 'Any hints you want to give us?'

'Water's good,' Blight answered. 'So is shelter, and sponsors. Get people to like you, then they'll help you out.'

'How do we find shelter?' Lily asked.

'There should be caves or something,' Blight answered.

'But if you're really desperate,' Johanna added, 'there's always the Cornucopia.'

'The what?'

'The Cornucopia is a giant, golden horn full of weapons in the arena,' Johanna replied. 'The tributes start around it. By the way, don't go to it at the start if you wish to live.'

No-one said anything after that. Lily and Albus felt as though a huge chunk of information was missing, but didn't know what it was.

'What happens before the games begin?' Albus asked.

'Well,' said Blight. 'There's the parade where you're shown off to the Capitol, then training, then your interview with Caesar Flickerman. You have a stylist in the Capitol who has your outfits for the parade and the interview ready. The both of you seem good-looking enough for whatever costumes they throw at you.'

Albus and Lily couldn't tell what he meant, but both didn't want to talk about this anymore. They didn't fear the Games; they accepted that they were a part of them. For some strange reason, they felt calm and confident about the whole thing. However, neither of them knew why.