The train was exactly as Harry remembered it. Shiny red with a black finish, the locomotive was kept in perfect condition. Harry wondered why he thought that it would look different during the summer. Where did it stay during the school year, anyway?
The others followed him on board, toting their luggage. Neville, who kept tripping over his trunk, was designated the "pet holder" and given Hedwig and Pigwideon's cages and Crookshank's wicker basket to carry. Harry, Hermione, and Ron each took a piece of Neville's luggage and stowed it into the rack, along with their own. Their animals they took with them into the first compartment they entered.
There were no other students on the train. Harry thought it felt odd, as there was always the chatter of hundreds of people and the clatter of luggage before the train moved out of the station. He knew that the train driver was somewhere, and there was probably some kind of bellboy that took their luggage (or maybe Dumbledore just used magic to summon it up to the castle). However, it still felt like a ghost town-or ghost train.
The four didn't talk much as the city faded into the countryside. Outside the window, the landscape passed by in a blur. The sky was relatively clear, with a few puffy clouds, and the moors were wide and undisturbed.
Harry turned to look at his friends. Ron was sitting with his nose pressed against the window, and Hermione had her nose stuck in a book. Magical Schools of the Last Century, the cover read. Harry assumed she was reading up on Durmstrang, and left her to it.
Neville, mourning Trevor (who was probably hiding somewhere) didn't talk much.
There was a noise. A faint scratching sound. Harry froze and strained his ears. It came again. He looked wildly around for the cause, his mind making up all kinds of scenarios where Voldemort, or Death Eaters, or dementors came and dragged them away...
Then Harry realized it was Crookshanks, wanting to be let out of his basket. His pounding heart calmed down somewhat. He looked at Hermione for permission to let Crookshanks out. She didn't look up from her book so Harry undid the straps until the ginger beast could poke his head out comfortably.
Neville gasped loudly from next to Harry.
"What?" Ron said, turning away from the window.
"Trevor!" Neville yelled, pointing into the shadows of Crookshank's basket. Harry and Ron peered inside. Hermione lowered her book.
Trevor's small eyes reflected the lights in the compartment. Neville reached into the basket but his arms were too short.
"I can't reac-"
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
"The trolley?!" Ron said. "I thought it wasn't going to be here!" He and Harry ran out with handfuls of wizard money to buy a small feast of candy and snacks.
"Wow, thanks!" Neville said, as he accepted a pile of Pumpkin Patsies, Chocolate Frogs, and Cauldron Cakes.
Trevor looked up at the crinkle of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans wrapper. Neville wafted a bean in front of his mud-colored face until the bumpy toad was lured out from his hiding spot. Neville tucked him securely into his robes.
Hermione was still reading. Her eyes skated over the page so quickly Harry wondered if she was actually reading it. As if in a daze, her hand reached out and she took a Cauldron Cake, biting into the pastry.
"Er, Hermione? What're you reading about?"
"Oh, Durmstrang, of course. You know that." She turned the page.
"Sooo...what did you find out?" Ron said, leaning over to look at the book.
Hermione snapped the book shut. Her eyes were bright and excited. She looked like the time when the Polyjuice Potion was ready in their second year.
"Their fortress, or their castle, is really far in the north. They have fur as part of their uniform because it snows a lot up there. Their school color is mainly blood red, and they have lots of vigorous training for martial arts. Did you know that they have several Defense Against the Dark Arts classes a day? Imagine that! They're extremely competitive in almost all categories. What do you think their living quarters are like? I get the impression that it will be nothing like the Gryffindor common room. Do you think we'll get a tour? Who's headmaster now that Karkaroff is gone? Isn't it strange that they're being so open with the location of their school? I mean, we opened our gates to them during the Triwizard Tournament, so maybe they're returning the courtesy. Ooh, what if we got to visit Beauxbatons after this?!"
She said all this very quickly. Harry was briefly reminded of his first impression of her that time on the Hogwarts Express for the first year of school.
Ron and Neville blinked in silence.
"Hey," Ron said as though an idea had just occurred to him. "D'you think we'll get a fancy entrance like the foreign students had during the Tournament?"
"Maybe," said Harry. He just hoped that they made it there safely.
"Oi, are we almost there?" Ron asked. The landscape outside the window was dark, the reflection of the compartment was more clear than the outside scenery.
Hermione checked her watch.
"About time, anyways. Come on, get on your robes and get your luggage down. I don't think anyone's going to bring it out for us, since we're not staying at the castle."
"Good thinking," Neville said rather shakily. It seemed like the fact that they were going to be living in a completely new environment was finally sinking in. Neville was pale.
Hermione went to another compartment to change. After they'd all put on their wizard attire and stuck their wands in their pockets, they struggled with the luggage (almost dropping it on several occasions) and finally got it tucked underneath their seats. Then they waited until the train finally stopped.