The Worse Train Ride Ever
Harry decided it would be too dangerous to ride the train standing up. So he slowly laid down on his stomach. He knew this would be the most dangerous situation he has ever been in. At any moment he could fall to the side and be crushed by the trains massive steel wheels. Or fall into a lake and drown. He didn't want to think about the dangers of this right now. But he was terrified at the thought of it never less.
The wind changed direction and finally the smoke wasn't blowing right in his face. The noise was over bearing though. The whistle didn't blow, because it didn't need to, being the only train on this track. But the chugging noise it made, and the wind howling in his ears was enough to drive him mad.
He sat up slightly, so he was in a crawling position, and started to make his way to the ladder. Slowly and carefully he was now only two cars away. He got excited, he knew that he was going to make it! Just a little further and he would find the ladder!
The train takes a sudden turn and Harry loses his balance. He has nothing to hang on to on top of the train except a tiny handle. He grips onto it hard trying to regain his balance. But his feet slip out from under him and he tightens his grip on the small handle. He struggles to pull himself up. His arms are like rubber and he can't find the strength to do it. He tries to find something to stand on. A windowsill, another small handle. He can feel a small divot in the train and figures it to be a window. Hopefully whoever is in the car under him will see his feet and save him.
Inside the train Aglaia is walking from suite to suite, peeking in and looking for Harry or Ron. She is in the fourth car of the train when she finds Ron.
"Ron thank god." She gives him a tight hug which startles him. "I got separated from you guys, when I tripped onto someones trolley then they just pushed me into the luggage compartment." She frees Ron from her embrace. He looks at her and she has tears in her eyes.
"You must have been pretty scared. It's okay now. We'll find Harry together. We usually sit in the last car of the train."
They start walking to the end of the train when Ron hears Malfoy and Pansy coming up behind them. Ron quickly opens the first suite door to his left and shoves Aglaia in it. He knows Harry wouldn't want her to hang out with Malfoy.
"Don't worry. Let me get rid of this git and we'll finish looking for Harry." He shuts the door quietly and stands up against it.
"What are you doing Weasley? What are you hiding in there?"
"Shove off Malfoy. I'm doing random checks. Prefect duties if you can't remember what your responsibilities are."
"How you ever became a prefect I'll never understand. Slimey prat if I ever saw one."
Pansys throws her head back, and laughs like a hyena at Dracos very pitiful comeback. Draco looks at her and sneers. "I have got to get rid of her soon." he thinks to himself.
"Why don't you put a muzzle on your old lady Malfoy? She's scaring the first years. I can hear them crying in the first car."
Any other time, Malfoy would have punched Weasley for making a comment like that. But since he could no longer stand Pansy, he found it quite humorous. Pansy on the other hand didn't. She stepped back to slap Weasley and slap him hard. She drove her arm back and it started its fast descent onto Rons face.
"Rictrasempra!"
The spell came from behind them. It hit Pansy with a strong force and she went tumbling down the hall. Ron opened the cabin door and slammed it shut. He was not going to be in the middle of this war between Pansy and her assailant that he could only guess was Hermione. As he was stumbling in the suite, he stepped on someones foot.
"Ow Ron. Watch it man." Dean Thomas snapped at Ron.
"Sorry Dean. But there's a war going on out there soon, and I think your foot will recover."
"What happened Ron?" Aglaia asked. She was sitting next to Seamus. Neville Longbottom was also there, looking quite scared that someone was going to get him.
Ron pressed his head up against the frosted glass trying to hear what was going on. He couldn't hear anything on the other side. He started to step back when the door burst open and he was pushed on top of Seamus and Aglaia.
"That . . . that . . . ugh I just want to . . . " Hermione was having trouble with words describing Draco.
Aglaia took the cue. "That asshole? You just want to beat the crap out of him?"
"To be completely blunt, yes. I'm Hermione Granger. You are?"
"Oh I've heard all about you! Neville and Dean were telling me you are the smartest witch to ever attend Hogwarts. I'm Aglaia Elddir by the way. It's so nice to meet you. I hope we can be good friends."
"Yes, I'm sure we will."
She eyed Aglaia over and noticed how mysterious looking she was. She had black curly hair that looked as if it would reach her bottom when she was standing, she had stone gray eyes, and she was very pale, ghostly pale. Yet she was pretty. She had a high forehead, her eyes were round and large. Hermione saw a resemblance in her to an American actress, Christina Ricci.
"Are you American Aglaia?"
"Well sort of. I'm Greek-American. My father moved to America when he was 20 and met my mother, an American. We moved back to Greece when I was seven. But I consider myself Grecian."
"Does your name mean anything?"
"Yes it does. I'm named after one of the three graces. Aglaia was the goddess of splendor. Then there is Thalia the goddess of good cheer, and Eurphrosyne is the goddess of mirth. My owl Nyx, is named after the goddess of the night."
Nyx gave an appreciative screech upon hearing her name.
"So you believe in Greek Mythology?"
"Yes! It's a fascinating religion. I've been interested in it since I was only eight."
"Hermione, what did you to Malfoy?"
"Well after Pansy went flying down the hall, Malfoy was about to curse me. So I did Petrificus Totalus on him. Then I shoved him in the louve across the hall and locked the door. Someone will find him when they've realized he has missed the feast."
There was cheers of a job well done for Hermione. Ever since their 3rd year Hermione had stopped letting Malfoy bully them.
"That's brilliant Hermione. But that spell is awful. You just stand there, or in my case lay there, bored out of your mind."
"Sorry about that Neville. I promise to never do another spell on you as long as we both live."
Seamus patted Neville on the back.
"Oh yea." Seamus looked at Ron. "Did you guys happen to find Harry? He was looking for Aglaia earlier."
"That's what we were doing when Malfoy came along. Where did you see Harry?" Ron answered.
"He was standing on top of the train. I asked him if he wanted me to help, he said yes. And I found her. But I figured he would be looking for her on the train. So I told her we ought to stay in one place. That way they wouldn't miss each other while looking."
"Well I'm going to at least look for him." Ron stood up and left the suite. He continued walking back the way him and Aglaia were originally going. He was in the second to last car when Dennis Creevy ran up behind him.
"Ron, Ron! I've been looking all over for you! Someone's outside. On top of the train! You've got to see this!"
"Harry." Ron whimpered. He ran to the suite where his friends were. They had to rescue Harry fast before it was too late!