Hermione looked back at Ron, after staring at the red-tinted window for quite a long time. He stuttered and he was shivering out of fear. Ron was also shaking. His eyes were wide and vague, a true gaze of fear for Ronald Weasley. Each Weasley has a distinctive fear stare... and Ron's was utterly comical!
Hermione tried to stifle a laugh, Ron looked so funny. Forgetting all of his fears, Ron asked, "What?" vaguely still, but with meaning.
Hermione giggled a little and just answered, "Nothing. Ron... what do you think is out there?"
"I...I d-don't know, He-Hermione, b-but it c-can't be good!" he smiled weakly, trying to be reassuring.
"Yeah! Ron, we've got to go see what's out there! What if it tries to hurt other people on the train?" Hermione asked vaguely also, but she knew what they had to do.
"You're right, we have to see what's out there.... Hermione... d-d'you know any courage enhancing charms?" he asked weakly, half-smiling at the last word. By the look in his eyes Hermione could tell that he was serious. She shook her head solemnly, and stood up slowly.
"So, I guess we should go see what's out there...." Her voice trailed off when a shrieking sound came from another carriage, distant as far as Hermione could tell.
"Ginny... I-It's got... G-G-Ginny!" Ron cried, opening his mouth slowly like a fish. "My sister! NO! We've got to save h—"a male yell came from the same direction.
"Harry! Ron, Harry and Ginny must've been sitting together! It's the only way they could've been attacked by the monster at the same time! We've got to go help them!" Hermione heard muffled sniffling. Ron was crying, he couldn't take it. Rarely did he cry... but this wasn't a regular cry, these for him were tears of fear and anticipation.
"You're right, Hermione, we've got to go save them! And fa—"his voice too trailed off, when the sound of nails screeching across a chalkboard came from a distance too. The sound of Cho screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Let's go!" Hermione cried, pulling Ron who was wiping away his tears from the seat. She opened the door and peered out, holding Ron's wrist in her hand to make sure he didn't cower away. It wasn't like her to be courageous as she was being now, but it seemed the adrenaline rush from the terror was making her so.
Glass and wood, clothing and trunk pieces, pages of books and pieces of jewelry were scattered everywhere on the train floors. Almost every door was open, containing limp and scattered wizards and witches on benches and floors of different carriages.
"Ron, I know a spell that can help revive some of these people. You'll have to go on though, to find Ginny and Harry and I'll meet you there so I can help make the conscious. We're going to need all the help we can get! If you find any other conscious prefects, bring them with you. I have to leave you.... Good luck!" she smiled weakly and kissed him on the cheek gently as she pulled away entering one of the open carriages.
Ron heard the spell Hermione was using bounce off of the walls of the train. Her shouting was like a train whistle sounding, echoing throughout mighty lands. He smiled gently, and placed his fingertips on the place where she had kissed him. He smiled remembering, and paid no attention to the sound of people around him whimpering. Ron then heard another loud scream, like the sound of a Humpback Whale blowing water out of its blow hole, when he immediately snapped back into reality.
Ron trudged forward looking for his friends and sisters, and also some other prefects that had been left alone by the monster. Ron wished greatly that Malfoy wouldn't be the only prefect left to help him.... Ron shuddered at the thought. He looked to his right, finding a closed prefects' carriage, and opened it. Two wide-eyed Ravenclaw prefects were staring at him.
"I need your help! I need to find all of the prefects I can so we can go and find this monster that's out there! C'mon!" Ron yelled, sounding brave, very unlike him. The boy prefect nodded, though unsure, while the girl whimpered. She seemed young, but that was not the case. She was a fifth year. "C'MON!" Ron yelled more angrily than persuasively.
The Ravenclaws stood up and followed Ron out of the carriage.
"I need you two to go find more prefects—I have some other duties I need to fulfill! GO!" he yelled maniacly, pushing them out of the carriage toward the opposite direction he was going. They ran in that direction and went to find other prefects to join them.
Ron ran through the narrow pathway between carriages briefly looking into carriages to see who the occupants were. Once he found someone he knew, he yelled at them trying to revive them. For many of the people he tried, there was no luck.
Ron stopped dead in his tracks from anger and frustration. He kicked a carriage door, and heard a loud "Hey!" come from the room. It was a voice that sounded oddly familiar.
Ron opened the door wide, and saw inside a sleeping, wounded Cho lying on the left bench, Marietta Edgecombe sitting on the right bench mad and scared.
"What happened?" Ron asked demandingly, a gleam of leadership in his eye.
"Well, if you must know, I was sitting here, and so was Cho, and we were talking, and then the lights dim and an orange film covers all of the windows. Then this monstery guy breaks the door off of its hinges and comes charging in shouting some curse. It'' forbidden I think...."
"Do you remember what the curse was?"
"No.... But it began with A, I know that, and was two words. I've heard it before... in Defense Against the Dark Arts class... but... I'm not quite sure...."
"Okay, thanks. I need your help—"Ron's voice was teamed with the feminine voice of anothers. He turned around to see Hermione standing there.
Hermione smiled weakly. "I helped all the people I could, but I think I know who is behind all of this.... If he's using the Forbidden Curse, the killing one, it's definitely Vo—o, I can't say it! Uggh! Okay.... Volde...mo...rt." Marietta shivered and her eyes went wide. She stared at the window with wide, scared eyes.
"Alright.... Hermione, you need to revive Cho and we'll go find Harry and Ginny... then we'll fight him...." The last word was said awkwardly by Ron. He sighed, turned around, and left the carriage containing two Ravenclaws.
"Animono Revivo!" Hermione shouted, a blast of powerful light covering Cho. "Now, stay here, and lock your door! Make sure no one comes in! I'll put a forever-lock charm on it." Cho's eyes opened with the sound of 'forever-lock charm', and she tried to mutter "But how will we get out?" with no luck. "You'll be able to use "Alohamora" to unlock it later, don't worry!"
Hermione turned around, shut the door and put the charm on the door, which was no sealed with an eerie green glow. She turned around and went in the direction that Ron headed in.
Hermione met Ron in Harry's chamber.
"Hurry!" Ron yelled as Hermione pulled out her wand to mutter the dual spell which would revive more that one person. It worked well, sending a rush of red and gold magic throughout the two's veins. Harry's eyes flew open first, then Ginny's.
"Wh-Where are we?!" Ginny asked, half-closed eyes darting around wildly.
Hermione walked over to the empty empty bench in front of the now-awake girl and boy. "We're on the train. Something, or someone, has been attacking the students...." "Yeah, and we're going to need your help to find him!" Ron said approvingly, a hint of excitement in his voice. He was leaning against the wall in the doorway of the carriage.
"But... how?" Harry asked confused, while Ron edged his way toward Hermione.
"Well, we'll need to get out of here, and follow the fire," Hermione pointed to the window looking out on the dew-covered land. It was traced with gleaming fire, and seemed to be melting its way through the glass. While Hermione was talking Ron sat down next to her, quite close.
Hermione turned to look at him, and he smiled edging a little to his right. Hermione pulled him back. She didn't mind....
Harry noticed the action, and said immediately, "Well, we should get started then...." Harry stood up and pulled Ginny out of the doorway and they headed down to the very back of the train.
Hermione looked at Ron again, and she smiled and then darted her eyes to the doorway of the carriage. Ron followed her gaze and nodded, deliberately pulling her wrist to get her to follow him.
The prefect duo followed Harry and Ginny, they caught up with them because of Ron's long stride, carrying them toward the two. Hermione had to run once in a while to keep up with him. When they got to Ginny and Harry, they had to stand directly behind them because of the narrow pathway. Ron gently slipped his hand into Hermione's, and she turned to look at him. This time she smiled first and they trudged forward, being a lot behind Harry and Ginny.
Harry was looking briefly into every carriage on the train that his eyes could see into, looking for traces of fire. In the new section of carriages however, there was fire strewn across everything, though all doors were closed. Harry opened one carriage door, only to see four scared to death 1st years staring back at him with fear. He flicked his hand in dismissal, fed up with not finding this evil creature.
Ginny followed everything Harry did, and when he looked into any carriage compartment her head would follow. Being just a bit shorter than him, she poked her head in beside him. Whenever he sighed, she'd take his hand for a short while to give him more courage, however she too needed more stamina. She knew time was running short to save all of the pupils on the train, and she knew that the duo behind her would stop at nothing; also the boy to her right.
Ron and Hermione had done their job for the moment; herding up some troops to help them find the monster, and fight the battle soon to come. Heading forward, a blast of orange light illuminated a carriage to their north west, and a maniac snicker was heard by all conscious occupants. A scream followed the laughter, a scream of a girl, a familiar voice, a voice growing old and tired. A voice like Professor McGonnagal's....