Chapter VI

Expect the Unexpected

The jolting train passed rapidly through all the little villages it usually did, through the wind and rain the train sped over England. The muggles standing on platforms, briefcases and coats, unblinking as the Hogwarts Express whizzed past them.

The trip from London usually took a long time. This was no different. Except that this time there were much fewer students, and the train was laden with many things to do and see; as well as the added spell practice everyone was getting in.

"Have you seen the suits of armour?" James ran into the Ravenclaw compartment. He had been exploring the train and found many dark and dingy corridors that seemed to go on for ages.

Remus and Georgina were studying History together, hands locked. Amanda however was chatting to the other Ravenclaw boy, a sixth year called Malcolm Hunt. She was twirling her curled brunette locks between her fingers and leaning in at every opportunity. James shook his head as everyone ignored him.

"What did you say?" Isabelle sat up and walked to the door, James leaned back out. "Sorry, I was practicing a Transfiguration, I here that's your subject. You want to help me?"

Before he could answer, Isabelle had grabbed his tie and dragged him across the room. Still, no one had looked up at him. He was stuck until Remus took his eyes out of the book and away from his girlfriend.

"It's a sixth year spell, but Malcolm didn't know how to do it either. But since you're a whiz at Transfiguration, I suppose you would be able to." Her smile was sickly sweet, James grinned awkwardly. "I'm trying to turn an inanimate object into an animal." she said simply.

"What object and what animal?"

"This rock," she picked up a smooth pebble from the desk. "And a cat."

"That's not big enough to be a cat." James said bluntly

"Well what would you suggest?"

"Try something that is a similar shape and size, like a shrew?" she smiled her sickly smile again, "Um, let me have a go. I haven't actually done anything like this yet but I'll have a go."

"The incantation is 'Lapis Transformare',"

"Okay then," James focused his mind on the pebble. The more complicated Transfigurations were changing non-complex objects into complex ones. You had to give them life at the same time as a different shape, the only thing more complex than making something an animal was making something a human.

"Lapis Transformare!" the blue spark curled in a spiral around the rock, as James focused hard on keeping the spell going. He could see the rock shrink to the right shape, then gain fur and skin. The spell continued as the little body filled with organs and body parts, and eventually it twitched. He had done it.

"Amazing!" Malcolm stared at the little shrew. "The best I can do is turn a cow into a horse, and then it always has udders or horns."

Isabelle picked up the shrew. It's eyes darted this way and that as the pebble came to terms with being able to move and think. It suddenly felt the urge to feel scared. "Ah!" she shrieked and dropped the shrew to the desk. "It's cold, it's dead!"

"Well, it is a difficult one James." Malcolm patted him on the back, James picked it up again.

"It's heavy as rock. Must have started to change back, insides first. Ah well, it sort of worked." he smiled.

"Oh my lord, do neither of you have any compassion? It's dead! It's dead!" a tear started to form in Isabelle's eye.

Malcolm stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, Amanda wanted to slap her, but Malcolm obviously didn't agree. "It's okay Isabelle, it's a rock. It always was a rock, and now it just a rock with fur. The only life it ever had was ten seconds long and probably consisted of it wondering why it wasn't a rock anymore."

She seemed to calm down at this. Whether it was a revelation of sense or just because Malcolm had his hands on her, she smiled and carried on chattering away. James now had the attention of Remus, who smiled and called him over.

They sat on the large blue sofa as Georgina went to take Isabelle's attention away from James, "So did you want to talk or anything or did you just come to see your fan club?" Remus' grin stretched across his face.

"I just came to see why everyone was in here," James moaned, "I wish I hadn't!"

The two sat joking and talking for awhile, about Isabelle, Georgina, but more importantly, Lily Evans.

"Does anyone fancy a duelling competition?" The bright-eyed face of Agora Oppingham peered around the door of the Ravenclaw compartment. The Raven in the window was obviously not approving, with painted feathers fluttering about the window.

"We just thought it might be a good way to pass the time, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins are already agreed." she beamed. Agora was a seventh year Slytherin with a reputation for being highly strung and totally barmy. She was supposedly the daughter of some noble pure-blood family, but mingled with all sorts just to annoy them.

"I'm up for it!" James leaped out of his seat and joined the growing lines of students in the wide hallway.

Prof. McGonnagal was standing in the hall, telling all the students about the various rules and etiquette of duelling. The duelling arena was marked by the long purple rug that ran the length of the hallway. It's mny silvery stars sewn in glistened and twinkled beneath their feet as the first couple took their places, two Fifth Years: "Remus Lupin and Severus Snape!" McGonnagal called.

The two boys eyed each other and bowed. With their wands at the ready they were poised. "To disarm only remember. We won't reach Beauxbatons for a while yet and I don't want to turn up with injured students!" she nodded at the boys. "Begin!"

Severus immediately cast an Expelliarmus Jinx, the red light shot down the way only to rebound on Remus' Protego Barrier. Remus smiled as the jinx hit the wall. The Gryffindors cheered.

"Digipinguis!" Remus shouted. Cone of yellow light shot from his wand like a blanket, slowing rapidly in the air, Severus' wand was under it as he cast his counter spell.

"Consistere Incantatum!" the blanket of hazy yellow stopped in mid-air and fizzled out of existence. "Rictusempra!" This spell shot like a bullet, with sparks like confetti behind it, and a comical whizzing followed.

Remus bent double in a fit of laughter and dropped his wand to the floor. "Severus Snape wins the duel!" Prof. McGonnagal shouted, then removed the tickling jinx from Remus. He stood, walked up to Severus and shook his hand. The two exchanged a smile.

"Snivelling worm!" James whispered as Remus joined the line again, "You should've-"

"Leave it, it was a fair match," Lily had come to stand beside them. "Why did you use the Butter Fingers Jinx and not Expelliarmus?"

Remus smiled as the effects of the tickler were still working a little through his system, "Because it can't usually be blocked, except with a slowing charm. Seems he knew about that."

"Kiara Hubble and Malcolm Hunt!" Prof. McGonnagal called. These were two sixth years. Kiara Hubble was known to be a perfectionist to the extremes. She had always had first class grades and never lost anything, she got in a foul mood if anything threatened that. She twisted her face into a malicious sneer.

Malcolm smiled politely back as they bowed and took poise. "Begin!"

The two quickly shot curses at each other, which met and rebounded to almost hit their casters. "Carpe Retractum!" Kiara quickly yelled, and a long whip of orange sparks winded it's way down to the un-expecting Malcolm. The spell hit his wand perfectly and wrapped itself around it.

Kiara yanked her wand back, jolting Malcolm forward and pulling the wand from his hand. When Kiara let go of her spell, the wand span through the air and landed near her feet. She grinned widely. "Well done Miss Hubble!" McGonnagal cheered, "Very original use of spells there I feel."

The crowd filled with noise as Prof. McGonnagal chose the next two. "Two Year Sevens, in fact our only two seventh years here are Agora and Anna."

Anna Jacob was a Hufflepuff, the only thing people remembered about her was that she once had a dizzy fit in Potions class and fell head first into a cauldron of slime. Agora cackled wickedly as Anna nervously took to the stage. "And Begin!"

With a haze of white light, Anna had cast up an ethereal Patronus to guard against harmful spells. The cone of light swirled in a circle at the centre of the runway. Agora had also cast a Protego shield and immediately retracted the spell.

Agora's wicked smile returned as an idea crept in. After a while, Anna saw Agora's hazy form stand still and do nothing. The spell was wearing out, and with a quick twist of the wrist she flung a Flippendo through the fading light of the Patronus.

It hit Agora's leg, which span from underneath her. She managed to keep her balance, spinning round to face Anna again, "Stabilifors!" She cried, and a group of sparkly white motes of light danced about and flew towards Anna. She tried to knock them away, but had to watch as they kept spinning about her. It was so hard not to look at them, and suddenly the world swept upwards and Anna was flat on her face.

The crowd laughed at this, and Agora strode up the way to stand just above the fallen form. "To disarm only!" Prof. McGonnagal warned. So Agora stopped and raised her wand, the crackle of red electricity jolted about the tip of the wand.

"Expell-"

"Flippendo!" Anna screamed, as her arm and wand swung from the floor to cast a full force jinx at Agora. The spell not only knocked, but flipped Agora through the air to land on her side. "I won't be humiliated again!" she said to herself.

The shocked Agora lay still for a minute as Anna got up. "Expelliarmus!" she cried, and the red bolt shot at Agora. Her wand tried to buck away from her hand but her grip was firm. Shooting up, she span on her heels and the green trim of her robes and ribbon in her hair whipped about her. The two girls now stared each other down. Everything was to play for.

The crowd gasped as the girls became locked in a competition of the minds. Neither would stand down.

"Stabilifors!" Agora cried. But this time she was ready.

"Consistere Incantatum!" and the dancing group of light motes slowly came to a stop before her. None of them moved, but unlike Remus' spell, they didn't fade. "Reditus Incantatum!"

The motes now whizzed back at Agora, who wasn't fully prepared, managing a counter spell, "Consistere Incantatum!" she yelled in fear. But the spell had no effect and the motes danced about her head. She tried not to look but only gazed harder at the rapid moving dots.

The world span about and dropped down as she fell backwards to the floor. The wand rolled out of her hand.

Every house cheered at the stunning display of magic they just saw. "What a duel!" James rejoiced, "I thought they would be there for hours!"

"That was pretty good," Amanda smiled, "And I don't even like duels."

The moods were high after that, Prof. McGonnagal had said she thought that was quite enough duelling for today and sent them all away. Anna was praised by everyone, and seemed to enjoy her spot in the lime-light.

The commotion from earlier died away as a few witches came around the train with trays of food. The Gryffindor Compartment was silent as they each received a healthy portion of juicy sausages, creamy mashed potatoes and a rich gravy with peas.

Scoffing the hot food n their mouths, they realised the train had come to a stop. Dumbledore's voice filled the compartment, as the four looked about them.

"We have now stopped in London. I thought we would give you time to finish your meals before we attempted crossing the English Channel, I warn you that you will need to be seated firmly before we embark."

The train exhaled and the windows were blasted with a flourish of steam. They ate quietly, until all of them had finished and sat in the largest red sofa at the back of the compartment.

"I knew we'd go over the channel," James said excitedly, "Do you think we'll be going really fast to keep afloat then?"

"Probably, that's why we have to sit securely. Do you know that even magic can't make large things manoeuvre over water, except boats and things? It's one of those non-magic rule thingys."

"Like the common cold, no one can cure that either." Lily added, "They can make great recovery potions but not prevention."

"Isn't it weird how they can travel through time, but not prevent a simple virus like that?" Amanda was met by stares at this. Apparently the others didn't know about Time Travel.

"Here we go!" Dumbledore's voice faded as the train started up and gravity pulled them back in their seats. They saw the racing buildings and lights of London as the train sped faster and faster. The four were crushed backwards and began to feel uneasy.

Then they felt as if the track beneath them wasn't there. Were they flying? But then the inevitable fall to gravity, they realised that wasn't it. Screams filled the train, as the train began a speedy decent.

SPLASH!

Everything became slower, at least the train resumed it's normal speed of racing through the muggle world. The four sat up and Remus wiped the steam from the inside of the window. They saw something that wasn't expected. They saw that they were speeding beneath the surface of the English Channel.