Suddenly, the lights flickered off in the compartment and the train grinded to a hault. Somebody screamed, somebody else swore. Lilly could hear her friends being slammed against the compartment walls and against each other. She was thrown back into her seat, and found she couldn't move because something was holding her down. She twisted and turned, trying to get free, but she couldn't.

"Stop moving!" Somebody from above her hissed. She went limp.

"Oh shit." The voice from above her said, "She's fainted."

About ten seconds later the lights in the compartment came back on. Sirius was the first one on his feet. He looked around the compartment. There were papers from Remus' bookbag scattered everywhere. Jessie was laying across the aisle with a cut on her cheek and blood running down the side of her face. Remus was leaned against one of the seats, on the floor, trying to comfort Beth. He had his arms wrapped around her and she leaned against his chest, crying into his shirt. Sirius turned towards the back of the compartment and was shocked at what he saw. Lilly was leaned against the back of one of the seats, unconsious, and James was holding her in his arms. Sirius stepped over Beth and Remus, trying to get to Jessie. He lifted her up and sat down, then eased her up into a sitting position.

"You alright love?" He asked, ripping off a piece of his shirt and pressing it to the cut on her cheek.

"I'm fine—oh Lilly!" Jessie said noticing Lilly and James for the first time. "Is she---?"

"No," James said, "I think she just fainted." James shifted in his seat so that Lilly was cradled in his arms, leaning against his chest with one of his arms around her back and the other rubbing her arms to keep her warm. He took off his school cloak and threw it around her, then got her situated once again. Sirius noticed for the first time that James had a nasty cut on his hand and another on his forehead, so he ripped off another piece of his shirt and tossed it at James.

"Here, mate, clean yourself up. You're about to make me sick with all that blood." Sirius cracked a smile and returned to patching Jessie up. A few minutes later, Remus had calmed Beth down, and since both were unhurt, they went around the compartment picking up papers, books, and cleaning up ink.

"Sirius," Jessie said, grabbing his arm when he stood up to help.

"Yes love?" He asked, turning around and kneeling down.

"You're hurt." Jessie gently pushed him so he turned and looked at his arm. There was a long cut running from his elbow to his wrist. She quickly ripped off a piece of fabric from her skirt and tied it around his arm so the bleeding would stop. It looked pretty bad, but Sirius shrugged it off.

"Just a scratch. Don't worry about me, just get some rest." He pushed her softly back into the seat and kissed her lightly.

"James, Sirius, c'mon, let's go up to the front of the compartment and see what's going on." Beth traded places with James and Jessie sat on her knees in the aisle at Lilly and Beth's feet and smoothed the fiery red hair off Lilly's face. James looked back once at Lilly, then followed Sirius and Remus out of the compartment.

Twenty minutes later, the boys returned looking slightly shaken and very pale. James immediately went over to where Beth had layed Lilly out on the seat and kneeled down next to her. Jessie dashed over to Sirius with a very frightened expression on her face.

"Sirius? Sirius what's wrong?" Sirius didn't say anything, he just put his arms around her. After a minute, he said quietly:

"There's nobody left on the train. They're all gone. We're pretty close to Hogwarts though, Remus thinks we should be able to walk there by morning. Right Remus?" Sirius and Jessie turned to where Remus had his arms around Beth and was whispering to her.

"Right." He said, turning around. Beth clung to him, but tried to straighten herself up and put on a brave face.

"But what about Lilly?" She said quietly.

"We can try to wake her up." Jessie suggested. Sirius shook her head.

"That girl isn't waking up anytime soon." He said, then looked at James, knowing what he was about to do. "Mate? Penny for your thoughts."

"I'll carry her." James said, then he picked up his bag and put it on the seat. He opened it and looked around on the floor until he found Lilly's bag, which he stuffed into his own. He asked Remus to carry it, then gently lifted Lilly up into his arms. When everyone else had gotten their things together, Remus, with James' bag and his own in hand, led the group out of the train and they followed the train tracks to the castle.

Four and a half hours later, the group stumbled into the front doors of the castle. Jessie had twisted her ankle while they were walking, so Sirius was carrying her. Lilly had woken up, but promptly fainted again when she saw that James was carrying her and he had blood running down his face. James' legs were about to break from carrying her for such a long time. He sunk to his knees, as did Sirius, and Beth and Remus ran to get help. Moments later, Professor McGonagall was bustling towards them.

"Oh my—"She said, then turned to see Madam Pomfrey rushing towards them. Her face went white as she saw the two girls on the floor, one with a nasty cut on her cheek, tear stains running down her face, and the other—sheet white and unconsious, shivering even though she had on two Gryffindor robes wrapped around her shoulders. Then she looked at the two boys, one with blood stains on his white shirt, which was torn into shreds, and the other, shivering, with no cloak on, blood caked on his face and hands and looking so tired he could hardly breathe.

"Oh my goodness!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, then with lightening speed, she and Professor McGonagall conjured up two stretchers for the girls, and told James and Sirius to follow her. Remus and Beth had to half carry James and Sirius, since they were so tired and weak. They finally reached the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey had the four injured students in bed in a flash. Remus sat in a chair between James and Lilly's beds and Beth tied her hair back and rushed about the room, fetching things and helping Madam Pomfrey. Within an hour, Madam Pomfey was shooing Remus and Beth from the hospital wing, slamming the door shut with a 'bang'.