"Hermione! Over here!" Ron yelled to Hermione who was at the top of the staircase. He was setting all of his items, and Hermione's, in the luggage compartment at the top of the empty Prefects' carriage. Hermione trudged over to Ron, her luggage getting caught on edges of other carriage doors. With every snag she sighed.
Ron was sitting contently on the left bench of the brightly-decorated Prefects' carriage. Everything for prefects was better! The carriages even had gold handles! Hermione sighed and threw her luggage up on the right luggage compartment after pulling out a quill, some ink, a scroll of parchment, and a piece of white string.
"Thanks for your help, Ron!" she said sarcastically glaring at him.
"No problem!" he answered very bored, pulling out some Licorice Wands from his pocket. Hermione shrugged angrily and sat down hard on the opposite bench. She took out her wand from her front pocket of her jeans and yelled "Stiffify!" A bright diamond glow escaped from her wand making the parchment stiff and easy to write on.
Hermione began to write on her parchment, asking her mother why she had looked so tired that morning. Once she was done she set the paper on the empty space beside her on the bench. Again she pulled out her wand and yelled "Limpify!" The paper was limp and back to normal.
"Ron, I need Pig!" she said delicately.
"All right!" he said, happy for Hermione wanting to use Pig. He got him out and put his forearm next to Hermione's for Pigwidgeon to step onto. Hermione rolled up the parchment and tied it around the owl's leg.
"Alright Pig, I need you to go to my Mum as soon as possible, okay? And don't get lost or my Mum will get very mad at me!" Hermione smiled at Pig who blinked at her. The owl set off out the window, and Hermione followed the owl's trail as far as she could see and then she turned to look at Ron she saw him staring at her.
"What?" she asked, her heart aflutter.
"Nothing! It's really cold, isn't it?" he asked looking at the now closed window, finishing off his candy.
"Actually, you know... it is! I didn't notice it before!" Hermione sighed and sat back in her seat, crossing her arms from the cold. She reached out to the window and pressed her face against it just as Ron had done in the third year when the dementors were coming. Frost traced her hand, but this time it was orange, red, and gold steam, as if it came from a large magical fire.
She turned to look at Ron, but when she did he was staring at the small window at the top of the carriage door. A dark figure stood just in front of the window peering in with great fiery eyes. It didn't stop at the door, however, but kept on moving toward a different carriage. Hermione turned to look at Ron when he swallowed hard. She was worried, and she could tell by his face that he was too. Something was out there... something dark and evil....