The rush of finding out he could do magic faded quickly as Malcolm came to understand the jokes that the others had been making. "You've been laughing at me all along," He said in dismay, "I am such a jerk."
Neville patted his shoulder and said, "Sorry, we have, but you had the last laugh, and that was the best one. We were only trying to get you to believe magic was real. We didn't expect this to happen."
Malcolm looked surprised. "You mean that everyone can't do magic."
Neville gave him a brief history of magic, and how the magical community had isolated itself from the non-magical world. When he finished, Ginny added her own comments. "You have to understand our surprise, Malcolm. It's not that common to find people trying to sneak on board this train. What are the odd's that you would find my brothers' tickets, find your way to the train, and end up here, showing yourself to be wizard?"
When she paused, Malcolm said, "Based on the most recent population statistics, 3,968,433,192,060 to 1. That won't be accurate, of course, because of the margin of error in the statistics used, but it shouldn't be more than 3.8 percent off."
Breaking off her stare, Ginny told Malcolm, "I know someone you would really like. Her name is Hermione."
Two red heads appeared in the doorway. "Hi, Neville, Hi, Gin," said one of the heads. "What's up with Harry and them?"
"Another secret meeting. They want to get an early start this year." Ginny nodded her head, adding, "This is Malcolm, he found one of your tickets."
Twins smile lit the two faces. One of them extended his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Malcolm, I'm George Weasley, and this is my brother, Fred."
"He's lying, you know," said the second twin, "I'm George and he's Fred." They pushed their way in. and sat down.
"So, how does your mom feel about you sneaking off?" Fred asked.
"I think I'm safe for now," Malcolm answered, "She may not even know yet, that Reese and I got off their train."
Fred and George looked at each other, smiling. Asking permission of his brother, George continued, "Yes she does. Two of the porters came to our compartment and asked me and Fred for our tickets." "We told them the truth, we lost them, like we do every year." "And they were really insulting, too. Telling each other it was obvious we were the cause." "It was obvious what they were talking about." "That's why we decided to look around." "Glad to meet you, Malcolm." "Oh, Neville, your grandmother is with them, as well as someone from the ministry."
Malcolm thought it over, and asked how long it was until they train reached Hogsmeade. He than asked, "Fred, uh, George, uh, Heck, how about I call you Gred?"
"I'm Forge, he's Gred," came the reply.
Malcolm shook his head and tried again. "Can you teach me how to turn someone into a frog?"
"Sorry, Malcolm, you need a wand to do that."
Malcolm turned to Ginny and asked, "Can I borrow your wand, again."
Both twins reacted to the word, 'again,' and looked to Ginny. She nodded yes, as she handed over her wand. They turned to Neville who gave them a wide smile. Turning back to Malcolm they said, in unison, "Now all we need is a volunteer."
[Well, it's almost over. When the train stops, Reese and I will be dragged back to Mom and Dad, and I'll be grounded forever. But the great thing is, they won't know I can do magic. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this.]
"It's Malcolm, isn't it," Lois screamed. "If one of them is capable of magic, it has got to be Malcolm. Reese doesn't have enough brain cells working to even understand the real world."
"Isn't that a bit harsh, Madam," said the ministry aide, "To talk about your own son in such a manner?"
"Harsh," Lois snapped, "Of course, it's harsh. It's no picnic out in the real world, mister, and I'm not going to lie about Reese just to feel better. That will hurt him more in the long run. And if my yelling at him can force him to learn even a little bit more, I'll scream my lungs out." She turned to her husband, and began to cry.
Hal hugged her saying, "It'll be okay honey, the boys know how to take care of themselves. Malcolm is a smart kid, and Reese knows not to pick on anybody bigger than he is."
Lois stopped crying, and looked Hal in the eyes. "That was a lot of help," she said sarcastically, and went back to pacing the floor.
Hal motioned to one of the assistant, who obligingly pulled out his wand and tapped a can of beer, chilling it to 5 degrees Centigrade. "Do you know how hard it is to find cold beer in this country?" he asked rhetorically.
It was hard enough finding out that the children were missing. Then they had to wait until the train they were on arrived at the next station. After that they had to return to London to talk to the police. That was were they first met Mrs. Longbottom, and the man from the Ministry of Magic.
It was hard for Lois, being told about magic, and about the Hogwarts express. That accounted for Reese and Malcolm, but Dewey was still missing. Searches were being made in London, and where any trains may have stopped. But he was still missing. The Ministry of Magic did a magical search of the train when they realized they had two extra passengers, but they only discovered there was only one muggle.
"Don't worry, Madam," the aide assured her, "because of a search being made in the area for an escaped prisoner, the train is to be stopped. It is a standard precaution, and there is nothing to worry about, but we have informed the people in charge. When they search the train, they will look for your two sons as well."
"And what happens then," asked Hal, holding out another can to be chilled.
"Assuming we find the youngest son, and that none of the boys has any magical abilities we will simply erase your current memory and replace them with pleasant thoughts."
"No, you won't, " snarled Lois, "I want a reason to punish those boys." Pushing her face right into that of the aide, she added. "And you had better make it a good one, Mister."
Mrs. Longbottom let out a hearty laugh. When Lois turned to look at her, she smiled and said, "I told Reese that you were a wise woman. It is refreshing to see that you care so much for your children." She walked over to Lois, and handed her a cup of tea. "This is the hard part, dear. We have no choice but to wait."
To everyone's surprise, Lois went along when Gran led her to a chair. She sipped the tea, gratefully. Relaxing a little, Lois asked, "This tea is wonderful. What did you put in it?"
Gran smiled and said, "It is a potion from a recipe my mother handed down to me. I call it Peppermint Schnapps." The two ladies laughed, and Gran turned the conversation to a more serious tone.
"If your son has a talent for magic, he will need to be trained in it, even if it is just for his own safety. I've taken the liberty of asking some friends of mine to make inquiries with our American cousins, as to how they manage such things. I've also asked that Hogwarts school be notified about a possible surprise guest." Lois listened carefully as Gran laid out the options for her. Planning helped her stay in control, since there was nothing she could actually do. Gran's last words were a surprise to her and helped her even more. "I was fairly good in Divinity in school, and I have a feeling, just a feeling mind you, that your youngest boy is fine, and will show himself at the opportune time."
Lois placed her hand on Gran's and said, "I trust your feelings more than I trust any facts he gives me." The last words were said with a nod toward the ministry aide.
"We're slowing down," said Ginny, "but the station is still a half-hour away." Ginny and Neville excused themselves to go look for Harry and the others. Fred and George had told Malcolm they would be right back with some spare robes so that he could look the part when they got to the school. "After all," said George, "since you can do magic, they might let you in." That was why Malcolm stayed in the compartment by himself. As the train stopped, he tried to look out the window. Then the lights went out.
Malcolm felt his way to the compartment door and slid it open. He could see nothing in the darkness. Suddenly a dark form bumped into him, knocking him back onto the seat. The dark form proceeded to fall on the floor of the compartment with a loud thump.
"That hurt," said a voice, as the boy fumbled for his wand. "Lumos," he called out, and a soft light filled the small space. Draco Malfoy found himself looking right at Malcolm's knee. Lifting himself off the floor, he sat in the opposite seat. "You're that Yank's brother, aren't you." Malcolm nodded. "Please tell me you are not as bad as he is. He is so obnoxious. I had to get away from him. He is incredibly two-dimensional."
Malcolm laughed, "For Reese, that would be compliment."
Draco sat up in disgust. "You actually mean that. What kind of people are you Americans, anyway?"
"Look, buddy," Malcolm retorted, "You're the one who came by with your two goons and started to harass me and Neville, making fun of his name, just like my brother did. Then you called me a mudblood, whatever that is."
"That explains it," Draco shouted with a gleam in his eye, "The two of you snuck on board this train. You're both muggles."
"Oh S***," Malcolm yelled backing up to the window.
"Tut Tut, dear boy, to use such language," Malfoy admonished.
"I'll be as polite as you want," said Malcolm fearfully, "just tell me what that thing is."
Draco had already begun to feel the coldness, and knew what he was going to see. In the doorway stood a dementor. Draco made a quick imitation of Malcolm, including use of the S-word. "It's a dementor," Draco hissed, "They bring out your worst memories and kill you with misery."
[This is terrible. That thing made a noise just like that puppy did when mom accidentally ran over its mother. Oh my God, why did I think of that, that's a horrible thought. I'll try thinking about nice things. Like the time I bumped into that lady with the crutches, and she ended up breaking her other leg. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't think of anything.]
The dementor looked the two boys over, then turned and continued down the train. In the silence they could hear Reese talking. Both boys looked out of the compartment to see the dementor standing behind him, while he talked to a terrified Goyle. "And I just remembered this one. This is great. You'll get a kick out of this. We're walking down the street, me and my brother, and this lady walks by on crutches..."
"What's wrong with him," Malcolm asked.
"Muggles can't see dementors," Draco answered, "Your brother has no idea that it is there." Draco looked at the other boy, and said, "Do you know what a muggle is? That is the name we use for someone who can't do magic. Your brother is obviously a muggle, but you are not. How long have you known you could do magic?"
"About an hour," Malcolm answered, "This girl, Ginny, tried to show me a magic trick, and when I tried it, it worked."
"Floating Feather?" asked Malfoy. "It is one of the easier ones, but a good start."
Wizards with lights on their wands began coming down the corridor, "Back in your compartments," they yelled. One of them pushed the two boys inside, closing the door on them. They heard someone shout, "come along, you two, you don't belong here." Reese and Goyle could be heard complaining as they were rushed of the train. Fortunately, the dementor went with them.
Draco gave a wicked grin as the lights came on, and the train began to move again. "Well, my friend, it looks like you will be going to Hogwarts after all. It will be a while before they find out that Goyle is the wrong person. Do you need anything?"
"You're going to help me," Malcolm asked, "what's the catch?"
Draco put his arm on Malcolm's shoulder. "It is simple, really. I have a reputation to maintain. Everyone should know that I was not affected by the dementors at all. The testimony of an unbiased eyewitness would help quite nicely."
Without hesitation, Malcolm said, "Your bravery was an inspiration to me, and I will always be grateful to you for the help you gave me."
[This part I understand. This is Reese if Reese had a brain. Better yet, this is the type of thing Francis would do.]
"Also, I'm going to need a hat."
"I'll send one around promptly. Deal?"
"Deal."
The two boys shook hands. "One more thing," Draco added, "If you get that far, and you are put in Slytherin, I will stand by you. There is something about you that I like." Then Draco left to cause more misery on other people.
"Lois, dear, We've had some news," Gran said to the napping woman. "They found Reese, but the boy with him was one of the students."
"Reese is safe," his mother said, "Good, that way I won't feel so bad when I kill him." Lois looked at the older woman and asked, "Is there anything about the other boys?"
"Not yet, but they will turn up," Gran assured her. "A few other things have happened though. My friends received word from the Americas about Malcolm. He is on their list, and he was scheduled to receive an invitation to the Brentwood Academy, but they never received a reply. It would have arrived on his eleventh birthday, or on mid-summers day."
Lois thought hard, but the name didn't ring any bells. "Hal," she called out, "Have you ever heard of the Brentwood Academy?"
"Yeah, they sent Malcolm a letter on his birthday."
Lois got up off the couch and walked over to Hal. "And?" She asked in her most polite threatening voice.
Hal looked around nervously, planning possible escape routes. "Well, dear, we were getting ready to start this trip, so I left it on his dresser, I think."
"Hal, this is important, what happened to the letter?"
"Lois, honey, you know I love you," Hal said as he squirmed in place. Suddenly his face brightened, "Now I remember. When he went to say goodbye to Stevie, I saw he hadn't opened it. So I put it in the car. I stuck it above that sun visor thing, whatever it is." Slumping in defeat, he said, "It's in the car. Do you want me to go get it?"
Lois had to laugh. All of this trouble, because Malcolm did not bother opening his mail. She would be fair about it. Reese would be grounded for life. Malcolm, however, would be made to suffer with ever breath she took.
Gran took charge of the situation. Since Goyle had to be returned to Hogwarts, Reese was being taken along. She decided it would be best for everyone to go to the school. When the ministry aide began to quote regulations, she lashed out at him, "Shame on you, Sir. This woman has two children missing and one only recently found. Do you dare to quote regulations in a situation like this? Then you, Sir, may tell this poor distraught woman that she may do nothing to find those poor souls."
The aide looked over at the poor distraught woman, who looked as though she would distraught his head off if he said the wrong thing. Giving in, he went to get the floo powder that Gran had requested.
As they waited, she explained to Lois and Hal how the powder worked. They would arrive at Hogsmeade Tavern, where a coach would be waiting to take them to the school. Hal perked up at the word, tavern, and lost interest again at the word, school. When the aide returned, the four of them went to the fireplace. As instructed, Lois threw in a pinch of floo powder, carefully pronounced the destination, and pushed Hal into the flames. She followed him quickly, with Gran and the aide right behind her.
Hal looked around, listened to the music playing and said, "You know, Honey, this is a nice place."
"You are coming with us up to the school," Lois said, "I don't want to argue about it."
"Oh, I know dear," whined Hal, "but do you really need me at the school. You know how terrible I am at PTA meetings."
The aide, seeing a way out of his dilemma, said, "I will be more than happy to keep an eye on him, Madam, if it would be of help."
Giving up on a losing battle, Lois shouted, "Ok, stay, don't worry that Malcolm is missing. Don't worry that he might be dead. Don't worry that your own flesh and blood may be in mortal danger." As she turned around to leave, Hal took a victory stance, while the relieved aide ordered two butterbears.
"You know," Hal told the ministry aide, "We're lucky she's so worried about the kids. You should see her when she's in a bad mood. Here, let me get the next round."
"Nonsense," said the aide, "this falls under ministry business. I'm putting the entire thing on a voucher."
Hal nodded his head and asked, "What kind of food do they have here?"