CHAPTER 5

Tulip found herself staring out the compartment window of the train. Coal, the newly named raven, was in her hands eating dried corn seeds. Cedric was beside her playing his acustic guitar, he had bought it during the summer. They have been getting pretty good at playing the guitar. Professor Flitwick noticed their interest and brought an electric guitar last year. They went crazy on it. Tulip liked the electro more but Cedric seemed favor the acustic.

"Do you like it ? I made it up last night."

Tulip doesn't hear him. She was lost in her mind. Thinking about the same idea she was having for months. Cedric called for her shaking her slightly.

"Huh"

"I said do you like it?"

"Like what?"

"Were you even listening?" Cedric was looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry Ced, I was thinking about something."

"About what?" he asked.

Tulip paused to clear her thoughts. She shook herself a little and answered.

" I was thinking of a project for a while. I think I'll bring a life to student body... I was thinking of a newspaper, well a magazine for students. We can write about different subjects and talk about classes. Maybe you can make cartoons for it... What do you think?"

She was looking at him nervously, gauging his reaction. Cedric was nodding his head and smiling slightly.

" It's a brilliant idea Tulip."

"Really?"

"Really, I mean it's so brilliant that, are you sure it's not my idea?" He teases her. She shoves him laughingly.

" We can have a quidditch page and write about house matches. Talk about exams and classes. We can write about new inventions or products, like the fire bolt. " She told him enthusiastically.

" We can write about music, muggle bands!" He exclaims.

" Yes exactly. I was thinking about writing on muggle life actually. Because most students don't know anything"

"That's brilliant. We can definitely do this"

Tulip felt ecstatic. She spent all her dreadful summer thinking about this. It felt great to be appreciated. They conversed and came up with ideas. Cedric paused suddenly. He was focused as if he was trying to hear something. Tulip did the same but she heard nothing unusual. Then it clicked.

" We are stopping" he stated.

"We still have way to go."

Tulip move to the window to look outside. It was empty, sun was going down and it was growing dark. She saw her breath at the window and shuddered suddenly felling cold. Their lights went out and they looked at each other warily.

The compartment door opened, they couldn't see who came in.

" Tulip, are you here?" It was her brother. She left her breath out in relief.

"Yes Rik, I'm here. What's going on? Why did we stop?"

She feels the air around her to find his brother. Her hand hits what she assumes to be her brother.

"Ow! Tulip stop failing your hands" Cedric cries.

"Sorry" she mumbled as his brother whispered "lumos". He comes to sit next to her. Suddenly everything goes dead quiet. Hushing on the train stops. Their door starts creaking. Tulip sees a cloak flowing, she trails it up with her eyes. A wet, rotten looking hand is gripping their door. Tulip looses all sense as fear grips her heart. Her happiness from minutes ago feels like it's dripping away from her. Her control over her powers slipping as her mind starts to fill with million thoughts of misery and sadness. Then it's gone. The cloak moves forward as quickly as it appears. She is being shaken. Her brother slaps her cheek to bring her forward.

" I-Uh. Was..uh, was that a...?" She trailes.

" Yes. Are you ok?" Cedric asks looking at her concerned. Tulip shakes her head to clear it. She feels something on her cheek, tears, she realises. She quickly cleans them.

"Tulip?" Her brother asks this time.

" Fine, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting that."

Addition to her family Cedric knows about her gift in Legilimency. She didn't tell him but Cedric figure it out quickly. Unlike most people he was observent and her ability to know certain things didn't escape him. After Cedric figured it out Tulip became extra cautious near Hermione. She is still baffled that Hermione didn't figured it out.

They see glowing light from a few compartments down. They wait in silent for a few minutes then lights came back on and the train starts moving. She feels a shift in her hands as her brother is prying Coal from her hands, she just realises she was hiding him in between her palms. He puts him back in his cage and pushes her hair our of her face.

"I'll be fine Ulrik. It's ok."

" Wait here. I'll bring you some chocolate."

"Wait! I'll come with you. I want to check Hermione, their compartment was there" she said pointing towards where the glowing light came from.

" Maybe just sit for a while." Cedric insists. Ulrik nods agreeing with him.

She stands up, stumbles a bit but puts her hands out to stop the annoying boys from catching her. She straightens slowly.

" I'm fine alright. I just need chocolate. I'll be back in a second" she says turning towards Cedric.

" Alright, I may as well go check the boys too" he says referring to his friends.

Tulip trails after her brother holding onto the doors. She feels hollow. It may be a few seconds but the thoughts were still fresh on her head. Her mind is normally well closed but now she can't control it as the fearful thoughts of students fills her head. She can feel her headache growing. They stopped at a compartment and her brother hands her a bunch of chocolate frogs. She quickly nibbles on one. Her brother looks at her worriedly.

"Do you have calming draught with you?" He whispered.

" I have some, It'll do for now. I'll see you at dinner. Ok?"

"Be careful."

She mumbled a reply and she walks down the train. She saw Blaise and Tracy and chatted with them quickly. She glances inside to see Draco whiter then usual and shaking slightly. Even though her head is filled with a train full of thoughts she liked seeing him shaking with fear.

She finally reached her destination. She opened the compartment door and before she saw the inside her mind is again filled up with fear and concern. Compartment crowded than she expected. Addition to the trio, Neville and the youngest Weasley was there too. She didn't know much about the girl to have an opinion but hopefully she was a bit more like the twins. The twins like to prank slytherins but they were much better than Ron Weasley, at least they were fun. Neville was also fine in her opinion. In fact she thought of him as a friend. He was always kind to her as she was to him.

" Hey, are you guys ok?" she tries to sound normal but her voice betrays her.

" We're fine, are you alright?" Hermione looks towards her slightly shaking hands.

" Fine" she sits next to her and offers them her chocolate frogs. Girl Weasley and Neville takes one as boy Weasley look at chocolates in distastes. Looking at others in the compartment. She is surrounded by lions. She smiles at them nonetheless, although it is forced. Everyone looks shaken but Potter looks the worst. He seems lost in thought.

" Do you know what the bloody hell was that about? I saw a light coming from here? "

" Apparently they were looking for Sirius Black. They were looking in here but the new teacher repelled them with a spell." Hermione informs.

Tulip stiffened when she heard Sirius Black.

" Why were looking for him in the train? Were they expecting him to find him in Hogwarts robes, trying to pass as a student?"

Hermione didn't reply, she gave a concerned look to Potter. Tulip couldn't help when her mind was filling with memories. She hears the shrilly voice of a woman.

"Arthur, the truth would terrify him

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry"

She sees a tall man with ginger hair. He looks at her seriously.

" Harry swear to me you won't go looking for Black."

He is coming for me

Tulip hears a piercing scream. She winces slightly.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Hermione brought her back to now.

" Just a bit shaken from earlier. They passed our door too. Anyway I should go back. "

She stands up and quickly mumbles a goodbye. Great, she thinks. Sirius Black is after Potter. She pauses for a second and thinks about the scream. She didn't hear a scream on the train, so it was a memory but he thought of it as real. Such a strange thing. When she reach the compartment she stumbled in. Her head was killing her. All the paranoia around her was clouding her.

She fumbled in her trunk to find the calming draught. With shaking hands she tried to open it but she dropped it. She made a sound of surprise when a hand picked it up. She hadn't seen Cedric inside. He pushes her into the seat.

"You should've stayed here." He scolds her as he helps her drink the potion.

" I'm fine" she says but only mumbling sounds comes from her lips. Her eyes are closed

" You are so reckless sometimes"

He massages her scalp. She mumbles something in return. After a few minutes like this she opens her eyes to look at him.

" I didn't know this would happen you know. I have never seen a bloody dementor before. Next time I'll know." She says slowly.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time. What were they doing here anyway?"

" Looking for Sirius Black apparently" she slurs a bit.

" In the Hogwarts train?" He looks baffled. She shrugs in reply. Cedric opens the Wizarding Wireless and they listen to it in silence.