CHAPTER 4: THE OTHER HALF
Harry moved rather lackadaisically with his cart full of Hogwart's supplies through King's Cross Station. He was too preoccupied with the latest clue from "The Road to Nowhere" to be motivated, even by the prospect of going back to Hogwart's. Several times Hermione had to turn around and beckon to him impatiently. When they reached platform 9, the caravan of carts including Ginnie, Ron, Hermione, George and Fred Weasley (Ron's older twin brothers, two seventh-years), and Harry stopped at the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. One by one they ran at the wall with their carts and disappeared. Harry was the last one to go. When he reappeared, he was on platform 9 ¾. The Hogwart's Express stood magnificently on the tracks, it's red paint gleaming. Harry waved distantly at several people as they called his name. The Caravan walked through the steam emanating from the huge engine car of the train.
As they boarded the train, Ron, Hermione, and Harry found an empty compartment. The lugged their heavy trunks and cages onto the train and Hermione promptly ran off to retrieve Crookshanks, her cat, who had jumped out of her arms and taken off down the platform outside.
Harry stared out the window and didn't even notice when Hermione came back onto the train. The Hogwart's Express started moving, and Harry continued to gaze blankly at the glass, thinking about his latest clue. The trees and the flowers that zoomed past outside were synonymous now, and the sounds of Hermione's and Ron's voices blended together into an unintelligible murmur.
"So, what do you think about it, Harry?" Hermione asked Harry expectantly, her hands folded and her lips pursed.
"er… about what?" Harry blinked jadedly at her.
"Harry, weren't you listening?" Ron sounded slightly perturbed at Harry's unawareness.
"We were just talking about-" Ron was interrupted by the opening of the sliding door into their compartment. Harry gulped. Standing in the doorway was Madeline Lecour.
"Excuse me, Monsieur, but are you Meestair 'Arry Potair?" Madeline looked into Harry's eyes. Harry was positive that the irises in her large blue eyes changed to a different shade of blue each time she blinked.
"Yes… yes I am." Harry gulped. "How can I, er- help you?"
"Meestair Potair, I have sometheen very eem-portahnt to geev to you." Madeline blinked and her eyes changed from a bright blue to a light sky blue. "Meestair Potair, my nem ees Madeline Lecour. I am a transfair student from Beauxbatons in France. My family moved 'eer so I 'ad to transfair schools." as she blinked, Madeline's eyes changed to a dark blue, almost black. "Meestair Potair, eet ees of zee utmost urgency zat I speak wees you about someseeng. May I plees speak privately wees you een zee corridor, Monsieur?"
Harry gulped again, nodded slowly, and rose. He glanced back at a timorous-looking Hermione before following Madeline into the corridor.
Madeline took a few paces before halting, turning to Harry, and staring at him gravely. She blinked slowly, and her eyes morphed into the colour of the sea.
"Meestair Potair-"
"Please," Harry interrupted, "Call me Harry."
"'Arry, would it be of any significance to you if I mentioned a glowing rose?"
Harry nearly fell over. "How-How do you know…" Harry couldn't finish him sentence.
"I know because I own zee ozzur half."
"The other half? There are two books?" Harry's eyes darted around the corridor as he tried to think things out.
"Yays. Let me explen. You see, I bought my book last March. 'Airmione, zat ees air nem, no?"
Harry nodded, listening intently to Madeline.
"I saw, as one of my first gleempsees of zee fooshure, 'Airmione purchasing your book in a store in London. I saw air deleevair eet to you. I recognized you, of course. Zat ees why my family moved to England. I am going to help you."
"Help me?" Harry thought he might know what Madeline was talking about, but it was becoming obvious that he was wrong about why Sirius was coming to Hogwarts. Harry had thought Madeline was in with Voldemort, and that Sirius needed to keep an eye on her.
"Yays. What 'appened to you in zee Leaky Cauldron, eet also 'appened to me when I found my rose in a leetal store in France near Beauxbatons. Eet was Voldemort. Voldemort ees aftair you and me. You see, my parents and your parents, zay worked toogezair een zee fight against Voldemort. My parents wair also keelt, I leef wis my grandmuzzair. Zat, 'owevair, was my first encountair wis Voldemort."
Harry was now completely baffled. Madeline knew about his parents?
"'Arry, zee situation is grave. We are seeting on a time bomb. Eef we do not feegure zees out…" She paused and looked at the ground. When Madeline looked back up, her eyes were a blue of almost unimaginable brightness. She furrowed her brows and brandished a look of determination. "Eef we fail, 'Arry, zee rest of zee weezarding comoonity could be doomed. Eet ees up to us. We share a common mission now. I haf zee first sree clues. Your friends, weel zay 'elp us?"
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and looked back into the compartment where Ron and Hermione sat. They were whispering to each other. Ron's eyes held fear, and Hermione's looked as though they contained absolutely no feeling whatsoever.
"Yes." Harry looked back at Madeline. "They will help. And so will Sirius, I know he will."
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Later, Madeline, Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat I their robes in their compartment. Everything had been explained to everyone. No one spoke.
"Madeline," Hermione said quietly, "What were the next two clues? Other than the rose?" Everyone turned eagerly at Madeline, who rummaged about in her bag and extracted the crystal Harry had seen in his dream and in the book, and a golden feather.
"Zees," Madeline said, "Are zee next clues. The crystal glows een some people's hands but not een ozzairs."
"The Crystal of Hamradera," Hermione mumbled. When all of the other eyes in the compartment turned expectantly towards her, Hermione continued. "I read about it. It's a Crystal that used to be used to distinguish Dark wizards from good wizards, and it doesn't lie. If there is the slightest hint of the Dark Arts in your blood, the crystal will stay dull. But if the wizard or witch is pure and good, the crystal will give off a green light. Madeline, test it. Hold it tightly, now, that's right." Madeline squeezed the crystal tightly in her fist. When she let go, the stone was glowing a fierce kelly green. The same thing happened when Harry tried it, Hermione and Ron got the same result. Just then, the compartment door slid open again. In the doorway stood Harry's greatest enemy other than Voldemort, Draco Malfoy and his motley crew, Crabbe and Goyle, two beastly excuses for intelligent life.
"Ah, Potter, back again this year," Malfoy sneered, "How wonderful. And who's this? A new student? Are you Lecour?"
"'Ow do you know my nem?" Madeline demanded, seeing the look of hatred on Harry's face. "Oo are you?"
Malfoy mocked Madeline's accent. "I aired all about you, Mademoiselle. You're the one who's come because you're too good for Beauxbatons, eh?"
"Zat ees not correct. I have a perfectly good reason for transfairing to 'Ogwarts."
"One," Hermione derided Malfoy, "Far beyond your inferior intellect."
"I wouldn't be so sure you're everything you think you are, Granger," Malfoy said, jeering at Hermione. "And what's this? Collecting rocks?" He seized the Crystal of Hamradera and held it in his fist. Suddenly, he let out a shriek.
"That rock burned me!" he exclaimed. "Look!" Malfoy held out his hand, which was red from the heat of the now-sweltering rock. He threw the steaming crystal back at the table. It had turned jet black. Malfoy hissed at Harry, "Potter, I don't know what you're up to now, but whatever it is, you'll regret it!"
He stormed out of the compartment, slamming the sliding door behind him.
"Zat ees a Dark Weezaird!" Madeline exclaimed. "'ee is evil, I tell you, zee rock has stayed dull, but nevair, nevair 'ave I seen eet go black!"
"We knew he was bad news," Ron said, "But I never thought he was that bad." The compartment was silent for a moment, each inhabitant lost in their own thoughts.
"What's the third clue?" Hermione blurted suddenly.
"Eet ees thees fethair," Madeline said, picking up a small golden feather the size of Harry's finger. "I found eet on zee ground where zee book told me to look."
The feather was passed around from person to person. Nothing happened, there was no reaction with feather and flesh.
Suddenly, a black shrouded figure passed the compartment in the corridor. The figure was too short to be a Dementor, or guard from Azkaban.
Harry's hand shot to his forehead. His scar was burning again.
"Voldemort!" Hermione and Madeline hissed at the same time.
"You-Know-Who?!" Ron's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "He's following Harry! That means- That means… Voldemort's going to be at Hogwart's!"