Hello all! This is the second chapter of The Past Express.
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Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling and publishers own All the Harry Potter bits, while Smoking Car Productions might own some of it too.
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Right first things first. I don't know were about the Orient Express travels at present (it might well be India), but this story is set on the original Orient Express (Which travelled through Europe, I don't if there was a version of this train in any other continent). It's actually the last journey the train made, as it was put out of service at the start of world war one and didn't resume until 1932.
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Paris, July 24 1914
As the darkness ebbed away, the rattling sound of a train carriage filled Harry's ears. Opening his eyes Harry found himself slumped in a corner of a small rich navy blue carpeted area, his back pressed up against hard polished wood.
Looking around this section of the train, Harry found that all the walls were made of the same wood that he could only identify as mahogany, which was varnished and glossy. Behind him there was a door that looked as though it opened to the outside, in front of him there was another door which also seemed to lead outside.
There were two more doors one, to Harry's left, and one to his right.
Standing up Harry glanced behind him, through the window of the first door and saw the countryside speed by as the train rapidity moved along the tracks, it seemed the initial two doors did take you outside.
Harry now attempted to brush any dust off his person, with both hands and at that moment realised he didn't have his weekend bag with him, he turned in a complete circle looking all around but it wasn't there.
Ok, Harry thought, he'd ether left it back in Dumbledore's office or he'd somehow lost it during the trip back in time.
Harry quickly ruffled through his pockets until he found the letter for his Great-grandfather, well he thought to himself at lest nothing else is missing…He trailed off as he noticed something was missing…. the Time-Turner was gone.
How could he have arrived here with out the time-turner, if it had been lost during the trip, it would have pulled him along with it to its new destination.
So that left one other possibility, someone must have taken it when he was unconscious, he'd have to get it back otherwise he had no way of getting home.
Harry was sure his great-grandfather would be able to help, once he'd convinced him of who he was. Taking a deep breath Harry composed himself and opened the door to his left and walked through it.
On the other side of the door there was a panel that looked like it housed some sort of controls. Side stepping the wall on which the panel was situated, Harry found himself looking down a corridor of what looked like a sleeping car.
Harry started making his way down the verdant green carpeted hallway to his left there was window after window each with it's blinds half drawn against the quickly falling night sky, and to his right he past doors and their numbers, one after the other, ten, nine, eight, seven-
'Excuse me mousier' said a man, with a distinctive French accent, as he past. He was wearing some kind of brown uniform with gleaming brass buttons and hat, he seemed to be some kind of guard…. a conductor perhaps.
Moving his hand to the man's arm, Harry stopped him; the man seemed to work on the train, so he would surly know his way around. The conductor turned to Harry expectantly.
'Excuse me, can you tell you tell me which compartment is Christopher Potters.' He asked hopefully
'Oh Monsieur Potter, excuse me, your compartment is number one'
The conductor then continued up the corridor the way Harry had come and seated himself in a chair that Harry must have past but never noticed. Once settled in his chair the conductor had a perfect view of everyone going in or out of their compartments.
Harry then decided to make his own way to his great-grandfather's compartment, considering what the conductor had said Harry ether looked a great deal like his great-grandfather or the conductor hadn't met him yet.
That brought another problem to Harry's mind. How were they going to explain an extra passenger; they'd ether let Harry stay on board, on account of the fact the compartment was a double and already paid for, or they'd throw him off at the next stop, and he'd never unravel what was going to happened to great-grandfather.
As he past the rooms he started counting the door numbers off in his head again. Five, four, three, two…one.
Standing outside the door he took time to appreciate its design, there was a large green panel on the top half of the door which had a large gold coloured pattern of a single thin leafed plant painted upon it. The rest of the door was the same mahogany as the walls, although it seemed slightly darker, it was most probably just the light, Harry thought to himself.
Harry then realised he'd been purposely stalling himself, from entering the room, he couldn't put it off any longer, taking another deep breath he knocked on the door neatly with his knuckles and braced himself for an answer.
An answer, that he didn't get.
So he knocked again, once, twice, three times. No answer. ' Hello?'. Again no answer.
'Hello? Mr. Potter, are you in there' It felt strange to be calling someone else Mr Potter. Maybe he's in the dinning car having something to eat, Harry thought to himself, he couldn't go walking the dinning car, with everyone watching and enounce he was from the future, he'd have to wait until his great-grandfather came back.
Harry then made up his mind to wait inside the compartment, there was no point waiting outside. Especially when his great-grandfather could arrive at any minuet and Harry didn't think it would be wise for them to be seen together, not until they had sorted out what they were going to tell people, like the conductor.
Harry slowly placed his hand on the shining gold plated door handle and pushed it downwards while quickly pulling the door open, and froze in the doorway.
The sight that met Harry's eyes was horrific, the first thing he saw was a young man's face, three deep cuts ran down his face parallel to each other, the start of the cuts was just above his eyebrow, they travelled over his closed eyelid and across his cheek.
The man, who could only be Harry's great-grandfather, was sprawled on the floor he was wearing dark brown trousers, waistcoat, and bow tie with a plan white shirt, all covered in blood, he was indisputably dead.
Waking himself out of his current state of insensibility, Harry quickly glanced out of the compartment and down the corridor, were he saw, to add to his now mounting panic, the conductor making his way towards him.
Harry quickly pulled his head back in the compartment and slammed the door shut. He then attempted to lock it, but his hands were clammy and he couldn't turn the catch…after a couple of seconds, Harry calmed himself down enough to wipe his hand on his jacket, and finally turn the lock with a satisfying 'click'.
Everything was going wrong; if he or the body were found he was sure to be arrested at the next stop and he couldn't stay locked in the compartment the conductor would have a key and he needed to find the time turner.
Making up his mind, Harry steeped over his great-grandfather's body and pushed up the window, allowing the roar of the train to fill the compartment and the wind to whip at his hair.
Soundlessly, Harry then quickly bent down and hauled the body into his arms, this man was heavy and he staggered slightly under its weight.
Just at that moment several knocks sounded from the door in quick succession 'excuses me Monsieur, it is the conductor' came the distinctive French accent.
Not saying a word Harry quickly moved back towards the window and, muttering a silent good bye, tipped the body out, it landed on it's side and then rolled and tumbled away into the gloom of nightfall, as the train continued on it's pre-marked path.
'Monsieur, Potter are you in there' It was the persistent voice of the conductor.
Striating his cloth, Harry was just about to open the door, when he glimpsed a patch of dark carmine blood on the arm of his jacket.
Harry didn't know how he could have been so dim-witted, as to not realise the body's vital fluid, would end up on himself, if he picked the remains of his great-grandfather up.
Smoothly moving back towards the window Harry shrugged off his jacket and through it out. Turning to the side Harry spotted what must have been his great-grandfathers coat; it was dark green, fitted and looked as though it would reach halfway down his thigh.
'Monsieur Potter, it is the conductor' he said rattling the door handle 'could you open the door please'
Wasting no time, Harry through on the coat, which was made of a thick fabric, and fastened the buttons and tied the belt, as he moved towards the door ' yes' he called to the conductor as he opened the door.
' Monsieur Potter, Herr Schmidt is waiting for you in the restaurant car' he paused for a moment then asked 'shall I bring him a message'
Herr Schmidt? Harry thought. 'I'll be right there' he said to the conductor, who nodded and made his way back up the corridor.
Harry shut the door and collapsed on to the rich green sofa to the right of the door. He needed to think.
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A/N: Well is it a piece of art…or a piece of something else…
(Do you know who I am?) Is that your name or a question? And I don't unless you're the anonymous unnamed one…thank you all the same.
Amy potter: yes it will be, hopefully he'll meat someone who looks familiar…
Lothlorien: I hope you liked this bit…
Tsar: thank you
Korinna Myorin: thanks, what do you think of this chapter?
Review if you like it, don't review if you don't like it.
