Chapter Four: The Hogwarts Express
The rest of the summer wore on, but finally, the day came when everyone would be departing for Hogwarts. The trio gathered their things, and departed for King's Cross, ignoring the stares from passerby, both Wizard and Muggle. A man even walked up to them, asking where their guardian was, and why they were travelling alone, but they only told him that they were fine on their own. King's Cross was packed with people trying to get to their own trains, and the three found themselves being jostled about before they caught sight of the right pillar.
"Okay, on three," Katrina said. "One, two…three!" She ran straight at the barrier, eyes closed. She opened them when she heard the steam engine. The scarlet train that took students to Hogwarts was all too familiar to her. Behind her, Isaac shimmered into being, stopping at her left side. Ron came last, stopping at her right. "Well, guys…this is it. Who's up for another adventure at Hogwarts?" Ron inquired. The other two nodded vigorously before making their way to the train.
"Katrina…is something wrong? Why'd you stop?" Ron asked, coming to her side. Katrina laid a hand on his shoulder, keeping him from going any further. "He'll see you. Don't move." The train was about to leave. Ron looked at Katrina, then out into the fog that issued from the engine. He could just barely make out a black silhouette in a black cloak. He whitened, grabbing Katrina's hand. "Let's go," he whispered. Katrina didn't need to be told twice.
The two quickly climbed aboard the train, and went to the empty compartment that Isaac had saved for them. He looked up from his book as Ron and Katrina entered, still white. As they sat, Isaac asked, "Guys, what's wrong?" Katrina glanced out the window, and then at the compartment door. She closed it to make sure that no one would be listening.
"We saw a Death Eater at the station, Isaac. He didn't catch us, but he was definitely there. They're on our trail." Isaac leaned back, and swore softly. "Well, at least we lost them," he said as a way of comfort. Katrina and Ron were not at all comforted by that thought.
"They could follow us to Hogwarts, though, Isaac. Think about it: Death Eaters invading the school, letting no one stand in their way. Not leaving the school until we've surrendered, and even leaving the school in ruins when they do leave. Voldemort did that very thing." Katrina shuddered. Ron took her hand, comforting her.
The trip to the castle was one filled with fun times. Each of the three friends was desperately trying not to think about what had happened to them in the past few days. It definitely wasn't something they wanted to think about. About halfway to the trip, Isaac suggested they all change into their robes. When they got back, they found their good times interrupted by a boy who leaned against their compartment door, blocking any point of entry. His strawberry-blond hair was enough to tell him from anyone else; he was one of the only students with hair that color. He was smirking.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Katrina asked irritably. Like her grandfather, she preferred to address the scum by his last name. At least Draco had changed by the end of his seventh year. His grandson was so vile that she didn't know whether he'd ever change, no matter how many years he had to go before he turned seventeen. Scipio Malfoy sneered at Katrina's scowl.
"Oh, I was just coming to confirm the rumors that have been going around," Malfoy replied innocently. "I hear you three have been chased by actual Death Eaters; one of them could have been my father. Am I right, Potter? Are you too cowardly to face them? You should be; they'd tear you to pieces before you even got a chance to curse them." Katrina's cheeks flared. "Shut up, Malfoy, before I make you," she growled, brandishing her wand. Scipio laughed. "Oooh, scary. What are you going to do, curse me?"
That was when Katrina lost her well-controlled self-control. "Very well, Malfoy; just know that you asked for it." She pointed her wand directly at Malfoy, and he sailed through the air, eventually ending staring straight into Katrina's emerald-green eyes. "P-Put me down, Potter!" he cried, terrified, as the blood began rushing to his face. Katrina smirked, keeping silent. She had learned this trick from Harry a long time ago. Now she was happy to use it on someone who deserved it. It was a spell spoken in the mind, one that caused the victim to be yanked up and dangled upside-down by ankle, dangled by an invisible thread as Malfoy was doing now. She was glad Harry had shown it to her.
"I'll only put you down when you promise to get off all our backs, Malfoy," she replied calmly. Ron and Isaac nodded vigorously.
"I-I'll do whatever you want me to, I swear! Just put me down, please!" he howled, reaching furiously for the thread that held him. With a bang and a thud, he landed on the ground seconds later, only to run straight past them. "Freak!" he called back to her as he disappeared. She took no notice, as usual.
"Well done, Katrina! You had him running as if you'd done worse to him!" Katrina waved away Ron's praise, shaking her head. "It was nothing, really; I must have Harry Potter's mischievous side." She smiled at her companions, who smiled back. It wasn't until they were nearly at the school that Isaac asked, "Guys, what are we going to do with the Death Eaters? As Katrina mentioned earlier, they could easily track us here, and I know we can't allow that." Katrina's face paled, and the three stared at one another, with absolutely no answer to Isaac's question.