A/N: First off, I'd like to say in our defense, that this is a good sized chapter. But sorry it took us so long; Ashley was in Juvenile hall for a while, and I was a cat…..
Then we lost our lonely family hobo Jake, it was a tough time. But he was found, and so was our muse (it was in the fridge under the broccoli-
Actually, Ashley that was your sauerkraut, that's why our muse smells like pickles
That was Jakes sauerkraut, sniff I missed him so much he ate the whole jar when he got back
(That's why Jake smells like pickles too!
Anyway, so here we are with a finished chapter.
(Explanation courtesy of Ashley, though the lonely family hobo Jake belongs to Jessica)
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter, but we do have JK Rowling locked in our closet. Ha ha, and you thought she was working on the seventh book, and you thought this story was really our work.
Ch 7
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Serine stared at Neville a few more seconds and seemed to make up her mind about something. Then she turned to Hermione and said, "Actually, I found it rather intriguing."
"What the bloody heck are you talking about," (Yes, we don't cuss in this story. Ashley, enough with the insignificant interruptions!) Asked Ron, perplexed, then turned to Harry, "You see, now this ones gone loony too!"
"Do shut up Ronald!" Hermione said, and asked Serine, "What do you mean?"
"Hogwarts, a History," Serine replied, "It was positively enlightening. I picked it up at flourish and blots when we got our books, and read it in one night."
"Ohh! What else did you pick up?" Hermione said, wedging herself between Ron and Serine. The conversation that followed encompassed the topics of several different books, ended with three heated debates, and eventually drove everybody out of the compartment but the two girls, and a very confused Neville. Neville had been the go-to guy in each debate and for the life of him couldn't make either girl happy.
"Alright, that's my cue. I'm going to go find Ron and Harry." Neville said getting up when the subject changed to house elves (Neville had had a rather traumatizing experience with S.P.E.W. when it was first started, involving the twins, complicated charms homework, and a cauldron sticker designed by Hermione as an advertisement. Need I say more?) . But just as he reached the door the train jolted to a stop, and Neville was sent sprawling sideways.
After helping Neville up, he, Serine, and Hermione joined the rest of the confused students following the instructions blaring through the train to exit as normal. Once outside they found themselves on a makeshift platform where you could see the top spires of Hogwarts castle in the distance. Soon Hermione found Ron and Harry, and joined Serine and Neville in a carriage.
"We seem to have arrived here rather early," Hermione commented, looking at the light blue sky, as the carriage jolted to a start.
"And how long did it take you to figure that out?" a voice cackled from above them. (Ack! The keys on the keyboard are so slick. My fingers are falling off. You mean they're slipping off of the keys? Of course that's what I mean. You'd be the first to realize it if my fingers were actually falling off. Get your head out of the clouds.) Everyone looked up in search of the bodiless voice.
"Sweet Phanny Feeney! Is that a ghost?" Serine shouted, more shocked than scared.
"Interesting choice of words," Harry said dryly, "But yes, this is Peeves; Hogwarts' most annoying ghost."
"He's more accurately a poltergeist," Hermione corrected, cutting in.
"Oh no, don't think that you're going to live down the stupidity of your last statement by using your knowledge of a ghost's position in the afterlife," Peeves said becoming visible.
"Get the bloody heck out of here Peeves," Ron snapped.
Peeves smiled mischievously and…(We will not burden you with the knowledge of Peeves' next move. I still have nightmares. We will, though, tell you that it involved a Spork (yes wizards have them), a bag of Bertie Bots every flavored beans, Ron's scarf, Neville's left shoe, and a very irked niffler. All manipulated in a way that only Peeves' twisted mind could scheme and achieve)
When Peeves had finally sparked the highest amount of chaos possible he left the carriage, which was no longer headed for Hogwarts but deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
Now to make a long and terrifying story short, the carriage ended upside down, several miles into the forest, with no one knowing which way led back to Hogwarts.
When everyone had finally disentangled themselves they agreed that something had to be done. It was originally decided that everyone would leave the carriage and together search for Hogwarts. But with much complaining and grumbling from Ron and Neville, mostly about certain lost, or rather stolen articles of clothing, it was decided that the two would stay behind, and wait for a rescue party of sorts in case one should come.
"Now, my shoe is the real reason I don't want to leave," Neville said looking at Ron, once the others where gone, "let's hear yours."
"It's the bloody forest spiders," Ron said trying to sound somewhat justified, "I'm an arachnophobe, and these aren't your average creepy crawlies. They're twenty times bigger, hairier, twitchier, aggressiver," Ron said a note of hysteria creeping farther into his voice with every adjective, "and did I mention the traumatizing 50 yard dash for my life! And-" A thud sounded on the top (or in this case the bottom, which was facing up) of the carriage interrupting Ron's rant.
"What was that?" Neville whispered.
"The spiders, they've come for me. I'm going to die, I'm gonna die." Ron raved, before starting to scream outright. When a thud landed beside the door of the carriage Ron started from his screaming "I need a weapon!" With this he went for the window across form the door and started yanking at the curtain rod.
The door handle started to rattle, and Neville grabbed Ron away from the window, "Keep it together man," he shouted, not quite 'together' himself, but having the presence mind to pull Ron to the back of the carriage. The door started to rattle harder, and the two found themselves holding onto each other tightly when the door opened. Neville let out an ear piercing scream.
0o0o0o0
"We're lost! Hopelessly, completely, and utterly lost. And it's getting dark." Ginny moaned, turning around in a circle and seeing, again, nothing but trees, bushes, dead leaves on dirt, and only a slight bit of fading blue sky above it all. "I thought you said you had a good sense of direction!" Ginny snapped, marching up to the front of the group next to Serine.
"I do!" Serine said cheerily, keeping her eyes straight ahead.
"Then, why aren't we at Hogwarts?" Ginny challenged.
"We almost were a half hour ago, but then I saw a light and couldn't help but follow it!" Serine said, as if that was all fine and dandy. Everyone but Serine stopped dead in their tracks; Harry was completely speechless, Ginny was growing red in the face, and Hermione looked as if her suspicions had been confirmed.
"What?" Ginny shouted, "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Hey, that never occurred to me! I just thought it would be obvious." Serine called back to them matter-of-factly, walking on ahead, unhindered.
"Stop walking," Harry called, "Following this thing isn't going to lead you anywhere you want to be."
"Already tried," Serine called back in a singsong tone, adding, "silly Harry." When she said Harry's name something had changed in her voice, and her speed had increased. Serine reached out and grabbed a branch, stumbling a bit before breaking into a fast skip.
"Oh, crap," Harry said, and broke out into a run to catch up with Serine. After following her through some high bushes Harry faltered. Up ahead was a good sized drop off, not a cliff, but a hazard none the less. With a last burst of speed, Harry caught up to Serine at the edge. He grabbed her shoulders as she made to jump, and lost his balance coming back from the edge. Maneuvering the best he could, they landed, somewhat (no very) conveniently in a dip. Looking down at Serine, Harry saw something flicker, and change in her eyes, like a fog lifting.
"That was scary," Serine breathed.
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"How did you know?" She asked, slightly ashamed, "I was being so stupid."
"The branch, I thought you'd tried to stop yourself with it," he started, but before Harry could finish his answer, a low, and familiar, growl issued from beside him. Harry looked up and saw Sukura, glaring menacingly at him. He promptly dropped Serine, and as she fell she grabbed his shirt pulling him down with her. Not a moment later he was up on his feet again, and pinned against a tree, with Sukura right in his face.
"You saving my sister and ending up in that ridiculous position, fine." She spat, "But staying in that position, not fine."
"Sukura, don't hurt him!" Serine wailed, sitting up, "Please, back away slowly."
"Which one?" Neville asked.
"Wait, what," Harry said, looking up and seeing Ron standing by Ginny and Hermione, and Neville helping Serine up. "How did you guys get here?" Both pointed at Sukura. "Huh?"
"Well…" Ron began.
0o0o0o0
FLASHBACK (Dee dee dee dee, dee dee dee dee)
"Shut up." Sukura snarled, standing in the doorway. Ron quickly put a hand over Neville's mouth. "Wasn't interrupting anything was I?" she said, looking at the two hugging boys and lifting an eye brow. Neville simply began to stutter, and an indignant Ron pushed him away.
"Blimy, why did you sneak up like that?" Ron asked angrily.
"I wouldn't exactly call that sneaking. Besides, I heard your pathetically hysterical voice before I even saw the carriage." Sukura shot back, "Now, more importantly, where is my sister?" her tone was threatening. Neville raised a shaking finger and pointed in the direction the group had left. Sukura looked in the indicated direction, closed her eyes, tilted her head, and after a moment, seemed to resolve something.
"Right," she commented, and forcefully pulled the two boys out of the carriage. When Neville stumbled as they hit the ground, Sukura spotted his sock clad left foot, and seemed about to say something. Instead she shook her head, grabbed the front of each boy's shirts, and proceeded with her search.
END FLASHBACK
0o0o0
"That explains a lot," Hermione said, pulling a leaf from Ron's hair.
"So what exactly happened here?" Sukura said, eyeing Harry, then growling at Neville, who was, in her opinion, standing to close to Serine. Neville backed away.
"Serine was following a hinkypunk," Hermione sighed.
"I don't know if that's what it was." Harry said.
"It wasn't." Sukura said harshly.
"What was it then," Ginny asked quietly.
"Spiders." Ron said softly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I don't think that's it." said Neville looking at Sukura.
"So what, we should stick around and see what it was?" Ginny said sarcastically.
"I vote not!" Serine said, raising her hand.
"Then let's go." Sukura said, turning to leave.
"Wait, you know which way the castle is?" asked Harry.
"Uh, yeah." Sukura said, rolling her eyes and pointing off into the distance. Above the tops of the trees that were down hill a little from the drop off, they saw the distant spires of Hogwarts castle. They were easy to miss due to the fading light. "Now, let's get back before morning shall we?"
After a few minutes of walking Hermione broke the silence, "How did you find up anyway." She asked Serine.
"You leave a messy trail." Sukura shrugged, not bothering to look at Hermione.
Noticing Sukura's unfazeing forward stare, Hermione asked nervously, "You're not following a light are you?" Sukura turned and glared, "Just checking," Hermione said defensively.
"Well, how did you know we were in trouble in the first place?" Ginny asked, disconcerted by the fact that Sukura was now walking backwards to prove her point.
"I saw a carriage careening off into the forest," Serine smiled, amused, "but I didn't know it was any of you guy's until the feast started, and you weren't there."
"So, then you told the teachers and snuck off to look, right?" Hermione asked hopefully, but already knowing the answer.
"No, but they must know by now." Serine said, turning around and giving McGonagall, who had just emerged from between trees, a pointed look.
"Indeed." McGonagall replied sternly.
"We're saved," Serine squealed in delight.
0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o
A/N: Finally!
Duck!
gasp Where? gets hit by a voodoo doll Ow, hey! That's not what I look like.
Yes it is.
Sigh I guess you deserve a real, sauerkraut free explanation. I promise that at least two of the five months are justified. You see, one was spent dealing with end of school fun gags, and the other in moving, and being internetless sigh. Now another month, true, though it's not that justifiable, was spent in a Buffy coma, squee Spike!
Too tired to go on! collapses
Oh, no, Ashley! You've collapsed. collapse
Gah! Three straight hours of typing, hope your happy.
Peeves still has Neville's shoes.