Notes: What's this? Two chapters posted in one day? Wow, I can't believe it and I wrote it. I'm posting these as I finish them. Hopefully I'll keep up my momentum on this story. I'm already working on the next chapter and at the risk of jinxing myself, it should be ready sometime tomorrow. And if you want more chapters sooner, remember to leave feedback. It helps to fuel my ego and my writing. Thanks and happy reading!


Harry Potter and the Mystery on the Hogwarts Express

Part Three


Muffled laughter and excited chatter could be heard all through the train as Draco made his way down the corridor. He walked slowly, occasionally stopping to eavesdrop, as a snatch of conversation caught his attention. He paused outside Harry's compartment and Granger's voice drifted out to meet him. He moved closer, listening for Harry's voice, but the girl never stopped talking. Even when she finished a sentence with a question, she continued on without waiting for an answer. Draco didn't think even the most studious Ravenclaw could match her enthusiasm for schoolwork.

Still unsure whether Harry was inside, Draco decided to move on before someone caught him listening in.

He stopped when he heard the faint sound of scratching against a door. He followed the noise to the far back compartment that held all the students' baggage. He looked at the closed door curiously as the scratching continued.

Cautiously he reached out his hand and pulled on the handle. The door slid open and Draco jumped back as large orange streak shot past him. He laughed nervously when he realized he'd been startled by a cat. His eyes glanced downward briefly from where the cat had sprung from and then froze there. Small red tracks led away from the doorway. He knelt down and saw that they were cat prints. He ran his fingers over one and the sticky liquid smeared. He lifted his hand and studied the dark red substance. He sniffed it and nearly gagged. It was blood. He quickly wiped it off on his robes and looked inside the darkened room nervously.

The cat hadn't seemed injured, so he wondered where the blood could have come from. His heart skipped a beat when he remembered he was supposed to meet Harry there. Looking down the hall, he saw no one else around. The sound of students cheerfully laughing was the only noise that met his ears. Feeling slightly foolish, he pulled out his wand and stepped inside.

His feet slipped on the floor as he passed through the doorway. He looked down and saw a pool of blood, bleeding out beneath his feet. His heart pace quickened and he tightened his grip on his wand. He pushed back the white-blond hair from his eyes with his free hand and look wildly around the cramped compartment. Light flooded in through the open door and helped illuminate the shadowy room, but Draco could see no one else there. He followed the blood to a large steamer trunk. A lock lay broken next to it. His jaw tightened as he reached a shaking hand to undo the gold colored latch. He winced as he noticed the blood dulling its shine. Using both arms he pushed the lid open. Inside was a young woman. She lay stiffly with her knees pulled up to her stomach and her eyes stared blankly ahead.

Draco had never seen a corpse up close before, but he hadn't needed to, to know that she was dead. The amount of blood covering her once white blouse was enough evidence of that. Draco wasn't sure how he should react after seeing the mutilated body of a fellow student, but he was fairly sure the numbness he felt wasn't right.

Her long sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. Grey eyes studied the bared forearms curiously. Her skin had taken on a bluish-yellow hue that no longer seemed human. Gingerly, he took her hand into his own and turned it over. His eyes widened as he saw the archaic symbol etched into the flesh of her palm and ripped his hand away as though it had been scorched. He backed away frightened, unable to tear his eyes away from that of the girl's.

A noise startled him further and he turned to see a figure standing in the doorway. Before Draco could raise his wand or speak, a blinding light hit him and everything went to black.


End Part Three.