Notes: Its late, I'm high on vanilla coke, and this hasn't been beta read. I really shouldn't be posting this just yet, but I was so excited to see that I'd already gotten two reviews for the first chapter that I couldn't wait. Thank you NuTtErS169 and goth serphyona so much! Your comments mean a lot to me. ^_^ I'm glad you liked it. I'm not sure I'll be able to get the rest of the chapters out as quickly as this one, but I'll certainly try.


Harry Potter and the Mystery on the Hogwarts Express

Part Two


Harry realized too late as he entered his compartment that he forgot to think up an excuse for leaving with Draco, the way he had. As it happened it wasn't needed. Hermione was sitting alone, with her feet pulled up onto the seat and a book propped open on her knees.

"Where's Ron?"

Hermione looked up. "Hmm? Oh, you're back. Crookshanks got out and Ron volunteered to go find her. I rather think he just wanted an excuse to go look for you. I'm surprised you didn't run into him."

Harry sat down across from Hermione and wondered why she wasn't asking him about his mysterious visit with Draco. She seemed somewhat distracted.

"I hope she's alright."

"Pardon?"

"I don't suppose you saw her on your way back?"

Harry realized she was talking about her cat and shook his head. "Sorry." Hermione looked worried, so he added, "I'm sure she's alright. I bet she got stuck in a compartment full of coddling first years or something."

Hermione smiled faintly and said, "I'm probably worrying over nothing, but still... she's been acting very skittish ever since we got on the train."

Harry wondered how this was any different from how the cat usually acted, but wisely kept the thought to himself. He redirected their conversation onto the homework that was assigned over the summer in an effort to distract her. Unfortunately it worked a little too well and Harry had to force an enthusiastic smile on his face as Hermione recited (verbatim, he reckoned) her essay for Arithmancy.

In another compartment not too far away, Draco sat near the window, rapping his knuckles against the glass impatiently. He glanced across his seat at Blaise Zambini, whose head was slumped against the glass, asleep. The scenery outside passed by in a blur but went mostly unnoticed by Draco whose thoughts were with a certain Gryffindor Seeker. His eyes glazed over as his mind drifted onto the events leading up to their whirlwind romance.

After the humiliation he suffered on the train at the end of his fourth year, Draco had spent the first month of his summer break planning and plotting his revenge. He knew his father had to know where Harry lived, since he worked at the Ministry of Magic and had many connections. He questioned him for two weeks straight until his father finally caved in and told him. After divining his son's purpose, his sole advice to Draco was not to get caught. Draco had no intention of getting caught. He was on his last warning for using magic outside the school. One more violation and he would be expelled. But Draco was cunning like all good Slytherins are and knew he could get his revenge without the use of a wand.

Everything was going swimmingly, right up until the point Draco swooped down on his shiny new Silver Streak 3000 broom in front of number four Privet Drive and caught his first sight of The-Boy-Who-Lived. He was working in the garden... shirtless... sweating... with a hint of a tan dusting his normally pale skin. Draco felt his throat go dry and immediately forgot why he'd come. He found himself frozen in place as Harry stood up from where he'd been kneeling, weeds falling off his dirt speckled jeans onto the neatly trimmed grass at his shoeless feet, and stretched. As though he sensed Draco's presence, his bright green eyes shot open and stared directly at him. It was then that he opened his mouth and said something that Draco would never forget for the rest of his life...

"Hckgckoo."

Draco blinked rapidly and his eyes refocused on the Slytherin across from him. He sneered in disgust as he realized the uncomely noise had come from Blaise. His concentration thoroughly broken, Draco decided enough time had passed and that he'd head back to the luggage compartment to await Harry.

Meanwhile Harry's own eyes were glazing over in boredom as Hermione moved on from Transfiguration to Charms and a new spell she was eager to try out as soon as they returned to school. He ticked off the minutes in his head until he could escape and see Draco again. Briefly he wondered where Ron had gotten to and as Hermione launched into a discussion on the effects of the use of artificial versus natural ingredients in potion making, Harry envied him, wherever he was.

In fact Ron probably would have gladly traded places with Harry as he left a room fool of giggling second years after his third search through the train. He silently cried out in frustration. The cat just wasn't anywhere to be found. He decided to start his fourth search in Dean, Seamus, and Neville's compartment, the reason of which had nothing to do with the fact that he'd seen them raiding the snack cart during his last inspection. He rubbed his stomach as it growled and wondered if they'd gone through all the Chocolate Frogs yet.

End Part Two.