CHAPTER 6:
HOGWARTS EXPRESS
The rest of Harry's summer at the Burrow was quite uneventful. By the end of August, his eyes had lost almost all of their redness, and he was thankful that he wouldn't have to board the train with a paper bag over his head. Before he knew it, the first day of September had come, and he, along with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, were aboard the Hogwarts Express.
Harry and Ginny were in their usual compartment while Ron and Hermione were in the prefect carriage.
A few moments later, Neville Longbottom opened the compartment door, one hand clutching Trevor, his toad, as usual. "Hi, guys," he greeted.
"Hey, Neville," Harry replied.
"Is this seat taken?" Neville asked.
"No, you can sit here."
"Thanks," Neville said, and he sat down next to Harry.
"How's your plant doing?" Harry asked.
"The Mimbulus mimbletonia? Oh, it's doing great!"
"Hang on. You mean that's not your only plant?"
"Oh, heck no! I've got my own personal greenhouse in my backyard. My great-uncle Algie built it for me when he saw my O.W.L.s. I have about a hundred different plant species in it right now, but I'm gradually getting more. A few days ago, Uncle Algie got me a new one, a Rafflesia arnoldi, from Southeast Asia! It's a big red flower, the largest known, so far. The blossom's able to grow up to three feet in diameter!"
"Oh, my Mum would love to grow something like that," said Ginny. "It sounds really pretty."
"It is," said Neville. "But I doubt your Mum would want it after she takes a whiff of it. It gives off a fragrance like rotten meat. That's part of the reason I didn't bring it to school with me."
The compartment door opened again. Luna Lovegood was standing in the doorway, holding the newest issue of The Quibbler. "Hi," she said in her usual vagueness.
"Hey, Luna," Ginny greeted.
She sat down, opened her magazine, and said nothing more.
The compartment door opened once more, and Ron and Hermione entered and sat down, their prefect badges pinned onto their robes.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"Well," Ron began. "Malfoy is still acting like the backside of a hippogriff."
"Big surprise," said Hermione.
"Why do you let him get to you?" asked Luna, looking up from her magazine. "You're almost twice his size."
"I know, but he's driving me crazy! How would you like it if he started following you around like your shadow, just to throw snide remarks behind your back?"
Harry looked out the window, watching the hills and forests as the train sped onwards.
Suddenly, a large dark shape zoomed past the window.
"Did you guys just see that?" he asked.
"See what?" said Neville.
"I just saw something fly by the window. Something big."
"What did it look like?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know. It just looked like a blur, it was going so fast."
In a few minutes, however, Harry was drawn back into a conversation with the others and had completely forgotten about what he had just seen. That is, until after the sun went down.
Harry looked back out the window. The moonlight, mixed with the darkness of the night, made the otherwise beautiful hills and forests look eerie and forbidding. For a few moments, he just watched them go by.
All of a sudden, the same thing that he saw fly by the window earlier swooped down again. But this time, it didn't just zoom by. To Harry's disbelief, it was flying alongside the window. This isn't possible, he told himself silently. Not very many things can fly fast enough to keep up with a train!
In the darkness, he could only see its silhouette against the moonlight, like some sort of flying shadow. But, he could tell that the creature's body was about eight feet long and covered in either hair or feathers. It had two large wings, and a wingspan of about ten feet.
The creature then turned towards Harry, and he saw those familiar big red eyes staring back at him. The creature didn't seem to have a head. Instead, the eyes were located near its shoulder area.
"Guys, look!" he cried to the others. "Look out the window!"
But the creature swooped upwards before any of the others could turn their heads.
"What?" Ron asked.
"You remember that...thing...I saw that night at your house?"
Ron nodded his head.
"I just saw it flying beside the window."
"What do you mean, thing?" Neville asked, Luna also looking interested.
Harry told them about the creature he saw during his stay at the Burrow.
Neville gave a slight whimper. "And...and you just saw it again, out this window?"
Harry nodded.
There was a loud THUD from above, and the light hanging from the ceiling swung back and forth.
They all looked up at the sound to see that the ceiling was slightly bent inwards in one spot.
"Guys," Harry began, his voice quivering slightly. "I...I think...it's on...the roof."
"But, how could it be standing on top of a speeding train?" Hermione questioned.
"Shh!" Harry hissed. He heard another sound from the roof.
SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD-CLICK. SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD-CLICK. SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD- CLICK.
It sounded like clawed feet shuffling towards the front of the train.
"I don't like this," Neville whimpered. "I really don't like this."
"We've got to warn everyone!" Ron exclaimed.
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Hermione asked. "Oh, hello, Professor Such-and-Such. When do you expect we'll be reaching the school? Oh, by the way, there's some sort of frightening creature on the roof. Would it be too much trouble to climb up there and take care of it?"
"Well, we can't just let it find a way inside!" Ron argued.
"Ron, we don't even know if this creature's dangerous. And, even if it is, it couldn't possibly get inside." But then, she gulped a large gulp, nervously. "Could it?"
Harry didn't want to think about it. Seeing one or more of his fellow D.A. members' (who were all his friends) partially eaten bodies would probably drive him insane.
There's no need to say that the remainder of the trip to Hogwarts was incredibly nerve-racking. Occasionally, they would all jump at small noises, or make for their wands whenever they saw someone move past their compartment door.
When they finally reached Hogsmeade Station, Harry rushed off the train and looked up at the roof.
"What is it, Harry?!" Ron asked as he jumped out of the train as well.
Harry looked down the entire length of the train's roof for those chilling red eyes, again and again.
"N-nothing," he answered, a confused look on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED
HOGWARTS EXPRESS
The rest of Harry's summer at the Burrow was quite uneventful. By the end of August, his eyes had lost almost all of their redness, and he was thankful that he wouldn't have to board the train with a paper bag over his head. Before he knew it, the first day of September had come, and he, along with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, were aboard the Hogwarts Express.
Harry and Ginny were in their usual compartment while Ron and Hermione were in the prefect carriage.
A few moments later, Neville Longbottom opened the compartment door, one hand clutching Trevor, his toad, as usual. "Hi, guys," he greeted.
"Hey, Neville," Harry replied.
"Is this seat taken?" Neville asked.
"No, you can sit here."
"Thanks," Neville said, and he sat down next to Harry.
"How's your plant doing?" Harry asked.
"The Mimbulus mimbletonia? Oh, it's doing great!"
"Hang on. You mean that's not your only plant?"
"Oh, heck no! I've got my own personal greenhouse in my backyard. My great-uncle Algie built it for me when he saw my O.W.L.s. I have about a hundred different plant species in it right now, but I'm gradually getting more. A few days ago, Uncle Algie got me a new one, a Rafflesia arnoldi, from Southeast Asia! It's a big red flower, the largest known, so far. The blossom's able to grow up to three feet in diameter!"
"Oh, my Mum would love to grow something like that," said Ginny. "It sounds really pretty."
"It is," said Neville. "But I doubt your Mum would want it after she takes a whiff of it. It gives off a fragrance like rotten meat. That's part of the reason I didn't bring it to school with me."
The compartment door opened again. Luna Lovegood was standing in the doorway, holding the newest issue of The Quibbler. "Hi," she said in her usual vagueness.
"Hey, Luna," Ginny greeted.
She sat down, opened her magazine, and said nothing more.
The compartment door opened once more, and Ron and Hermione entered and sat down, their prefect badges pinned onto their robes.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"Well," Ron began. "Malfoy is still acting like the backside of a hippogriff."
"Big surprise," said Hermione.
"Why do you let him get to you?" asked Luna, looking up from her magazine. "You're almost twice his size."
"I know, but he's driving me crazy! How would you like it if he started following you around like your shadow, just to throw snide remarks behind your back?"
Harry looked out the window, watching the hills and forests as the train sped onwards.
Suddenly, a large dark shape zoomed past the window.
"Did you guys just see that?" he asked.
"See what?" said Neville.
"I just saw something fly by the window. Something big."
"What did it look like?" asked Hermione.
"I don't know. It just looked like a blur, it was going so fast."
In a few minutes, however, Harry was drawn back into a conversation with the others and had completely forgotten about what he had just seen. That is, until after the sun went down.
Harry looked back out the window. The moonlight, mixed with the darkness of the night, made the otherwise beautiful hills and forests look eerie and forbidding. For a few moments, he just watched them go by.
All of a sudden, the same thing that he saw fly by the window earlier swooped down again. But this time, it didn't just zoom by. To Harry's disbelief, it was flying alongside the window. This isn't possible, he told himself silently. Not very many things can fly fast enough to keep up with a train!
In the darkness, he could only see its silhouette against the moonlight, like some sort of flying shadow. But, he could tell that the creature's body was about eight feet long and covered in either hair or feathers. It had two large wings, and a wingspan of about ten feet.
The creature then turned towards Harry, and he saw those familiar big red eyes staring back at him. The creature didn't seem to have a head. Instead, the eyes were located near its shoulder area.
"Guys, look!" he cried to the others. "Look out the window!"
But the creature swooped upwards before any of the others could turn their heads.
"What?" Ron asked.
"You remember that...thing...I saw that night at your house?"
Ron nodded his head.
"I just saw it flying beside the window."
"What do you mean, thing?" Neville asked, Luna also looking interested.
Harry told them about the creature he saw during his stay at the Burrow.
Neville gave a slight whimper. "And...and you just saw it again, out this window?"
Harry nodded.
There was a loud THUD from above, and the light hanging from the ceiling swung back and forth.
They all looked up at the sound to see that the ceiling was slightly bent inwards in one spot.
"Guys," Harry began, his voice quivering slightly. "I...I think...it's on...the roof."
"But, how could it be standing on top of a speeding train?" Hermione questioned.
"Shh!" Harry hissed. He heard another sound from the roof.
SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD-CLICK. SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD-CLICK. SSCCRRAATTCCHH-THUD- CLICK.
It sounded like clawed feet shuffling towards the front of the train.
"I don't like this," Neville whimpered. "I really don't like this."
"We've got to warn everyone!" Ron exclaimed.
"And how do you expect us to do that?" Hermione asked. "Oh, hello, Professor Such-and-Such. When do you expect we'll be reaching the school? Oh, by the way, there's some sort of frightening creature on the roof. Would it be too much trouble to climb up there and take care of it?"
"Well, we can't just let it find a way inside!" Ron argued.
"Ron, we don't even know if this creature's dangerous. And, even if it is, it couldn't possibly get inside." But then, she gulped a large gulp, nervously. "Could it?"
Harry didn't want to think about it. Seeing one or more of his fellow D.A. members' (who were all his friends) partially eaten bodies would probably drive him insane.
There's no need to say that the remainder of the trip to Hogwarts was incredibly nerve-racking. Occasionally, they would all jump at small noises, or make for their wands whenever they saw someone move past their compartment door.
When they finally reached Hogsmeade Station, Harry rushed off the train and looked up at the roof.
"What is it, Harry?!" Ron asked as he jumped out of the train as well.
Harry looked down the entire length of the train's roof for those chilling red eyes, again and again.
"N-nothing," he answered, a confused look on his face.
TO BE CONTINUED