And you thought I wouldn't update...;)

Chapter 9: The Hogsmeade Train

"Why are you honking the horn like that Herm--" Malfoy's droll voice was silenced by a pair of hands grasping his neck from behind. Ron clenched his hands tightly and with a quick twist that he'd been studying, there was a loud snap and Malfoy was dead.

Hermione turned the car back around without changing any of the expression on her face. Ron, however, was trembling ever so slightly as he heaved to pull Malfoy's limp body over into the back seat of the car. Once the body was secure behind the back seat and covered with the blanket, Ron pulled a lock of Malfoy's hair out of his head and jumped over to take a seat next to Hermione.

"You positive the Polyjuice Potion is ready?" Ron said nervously as he began to unscrew the bottle.

"Of course," Hermione replied without feeling, "But hurry it up, we'll be to the station in just a minute."

Ron watched the potion bubble and fizz as he dropped Malfoy's hair into the bottle. He glanced over at Hermione hoping to get a reassuring look from her, but her eyes were fixed on the road and her hands held steady on the steering wheel.

"Well, bottom's up," he muttered to himself as he tipped the potion bottle to his lips. A horrid lurching sensation filled Ron's stomach and he downed the last drop of the potion. "Arrrrgggh!" he groaned as he doubled over in the front seat while his red hair turned blonde, his face became long and pointed, and and his freckles disappeared. Within moments he was the perfect image of Malfoy. Hermione didn't glance over to see if he was okay.

Ron didn't want to look over at her now either. He was now hurrying to pull the towel out of his jacket so that he could wrap it around his leg to fake a cast. He was thinking of how the polyjuice potion had once turned him into an old friend of Malfoy's but today the sensation felt different. He thought that he'd be able to see into Malfoy's mind, but for some odd reason Ron only had cold and empty thoughts in his head. He shook the feeling off as they pulled into the station.

"Stay right there," Hermione said as she opened her door, "I'll have to help you out so that it looks like you are really hurt."

Ron adjusted the towel around his leg underneath his pants to make sure it looked believable as a cast as he waited for Hermione to get the luggage out of the trunk and the crutches out of the back seat.

"Come on now, Draco dear, let me help you out of the car," Hermione was now acting sappily sweet to Ron in case anyone that knew the couple happened to pass by.

As they trudged through Kings Cross Station to find their way to the secret entrance to platform 9 3/4, various attendants tried to help "Mr. Malfoy" along, but Hermione kept snapping at them to back off because she claimed he didn't want any help from anyone but her.

They crossed the barrier and entered platform 9 3/4 and the train for Hogsmeade was waiting there with smoke billowing out of the engine car. Hermione waved some attendants over to take the luggage onto the train and she put her arm around Ron, who was looking just like Malfoy and walked him up to the train car entrance.

"Do be careful on that hurt leg of yours darling. I'll miss you while I am gone!" Hermione planted a hasty kiss on Ron's--well not exactly Ron's--lips and helped him limp up onto the train.

Ron was feeling like the plan was working perfectly and he was suddenly overjoyed with the emotion that overcame him after Hermione's kiss. "I love you, Hermione," he said as the train attendant began to close the door.

"I know," Hermione said back with a dark look on her face.

Ron's heart sunk as the door shut and the train began pulling away from the station. He tried to glance out the window to see if she was waiting to watch him leave, but Hermione had already walked off the platform and was making her way back to the car with Malfoy's body inside.

The train to Hogsmeade was crowded and Ron was having a hard time faking his broken leg as he walked with his crutches back to the observation deck in the back of the train. His assigned seat was near the front in car 2, seat 7A but Ron had no intention of ever sitting there. As he passed by the gossiping young adults and stoic business wizards, Ron caught a glimpse of his new persona in the window.

"Funny, he thought...Malfoy isn't this tall is he?" Ron thought to himself and then shook off the thought so he could concentrate on making his way to the back of the train.

"Pardon me," Ron said as he squeezed past a young lady carrying a baby in her arms. As he turned to make room for her to pass, he saw his reflection once again in the window. Tufts of red hair were now growing out from under his hat.

"Bloody hell!" Ron thought as his eyes grew wide at the site of his transformation. The polyjuice potion was wearing off fast because Ron and Hermione had failed to read the fine print in their potion book which said that the potion won't work to it's proper strength if the transformation is to be that of a dead person. Ron wasn't thinking about why the potion didn't work, he was just trying to hurry up and get off that train before anyone recognized him.

When he reached the observation deck he thought he was in the clear, but he was startled by the gruff voice of an Irish man sitting out there already smoking a cigarette.

"Hello there sir! My looks like you had a bit of an accident there?" the stranger was friendly, but too friendly for Ron's liking. "Would you like a cigarette?"

Ron turned his face away from the stranger and started patting down his pockets as if he were looking for something.

"So where you heading, sir? You look real important with that business suit on!"

"Oh, just to Hogsmeade," Ron was trying to do his best Malfoy impersonation voice, but was failing miserably at it.

"That's great, the first wizard's only settlement! What a great place! I'm from Northern Ireland myself, so I'll be changing trains when we get to Hogsmeade, perhaps we can have a butterbeer when we arrive! My names Godric Grimsby, and you?"

"Malfoy," Ron stuttered out, "Draco Malfoy..." He was still searching for something in his pockets.

"Well Draco, it is certainly nice to meet you. Care for a cigarette?"

"Actually," Ron realized there was a way out of this, "I prefer cigars, but it seems I left them back at my seat...car 2, seat 7A, I'd better go back for it..."

"Oh no, not with that broken leg of yours!" Godric was cheerful and willing to help, "I'll go get them for you, car 2, seat 7A?"

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Ron said as he let out a deep breath and kept his body turned away from Godric as he left the observation car.

Ron heard the door shut and he turned his head to make sure it was clear. Without a moment of thought, Ron tossed the crutches over the railing at the end of the observation car and jumped off the back of the train.

Moments later, Godric Grimsby was back on the observation deck exclaiming that a nice London man had offered him a couple of cigars but the deck was empty and Mr. Malfoy was no where to be seen.