Author's Ramblings: Bonjour! And welcome to another exciting episode of random-stuff-written-as-a-means-of-ignoring-homework! Hope you like it. Um, the teacher's compartment is about to get VERY full, so please remember, it WAS ENLARGED TO FIT EVERYONE COMFORTABLY EARLIER, AND CONTINUES TO ENLARGE ITSELF TO FIT THE INCREASING AMOUNT OF PEOPLE IN IT. IMAGINE A REALLY QUITE LARGE HALL OR SOMETHING LINED WITH CUSHIONED BENCHES, 'KAY? ON WE GO…
Disclaimer: Say hello to Denial! Don't be too loud though, he's quite shy…
Super yay for horntail07 beta-sama!!!!!!
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Mind: The Gap.
Chapter 8.
"What were you thinking, hmm? Did you think you were clever?" scolded the angry Hufflepuff ghost in a loud whisper. Neville stood stock still, eyes darting with slight panic and confusion, mouth opening and closing in an amusing goldfish impression. Hermione wasn't much better. The ghosts surrounded them, their faces set in disapproval, except the Baron's, who looked positively furious that an ex-Slytherin should disobey his express orders.
Daring Darla huffed at the silent response and shoved Neville forward with a ghostly hand. To him, there was no pressure as such, but as he stumbled forward he realised that he'd been pushed with sheer force and will of mind, a usually unused ghostly trick, except by poltergeists, and it was this that broke his stunned reverie.
"Aah! What are you doing? What have I done?! Hermione!"
Hermione, in turn, stepped forward, "I don't know what's going on, and why you ghosts are on this train, but I suspect it's something to do with why the teachers are on the train too- and, and if it's about that plant we really don't know what happened, I mean Ginny-"
"Don't trouble yourself dear, you couldn't have known," the Duchess threw over her retreating shoulder, still pushing the helpless Neville down the corridor with her mysterious spectral powers.
Hermione started. "Wait! Wait! Um, I'll come with you!"
The procession proceeded along the train, heading towards the teachers' compartment, where, hopefully, all would be revealed.
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"I must say, Headmaster, this spell is really quite useful, an adaptation of the enlargement spell I assume?" said Professor Flitwick, admiring the spacious compartment with twinkling eyes.
The aged man nodded, smiling beneath his beard, "yes, I discovered it – hmm, was it really 27 years ago? – it's quite an interesting story actually, you see there was this-"
A light and timid knock was heard at the door, it slid open, the lock clicking as the catch was passed.
"-this means that the ostrich effect spectrums the drumming motion in a gangrenous flowing bucket of- oh! Neville, Hermione, it's only you, only the other teachers mentioned these two fellows- never mind, come in, come in." Dumbledore beckoned them in, and his eyes only widened a little as the entourage of ghosts followed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
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Ron was if anything, a little desperate, and a lot freaked out, if that made sense. He ticked off the compartments he'd been to: the freaky Ravenclaw one, then about five other before…before…ah, the weird Japanese kids with crazy hair, and that 'magician' kid, Ron shuddered, and then there was that whole supermodel/goblin affair that really, really didn't need to be relived, thank you very much. It had been, if anything, an interesting journey, however, he sobered, not a very fruitful one- oh where could Ginny be? He felt she was so close now, if only one more door away.
He knocked on yet another compartment door, hoping against hope, that it would be his last. No-one answered, and with a sigh, he went to move on, only to pause as he heard a mysterious and repetitive rhythm of clacking, broken and disjointed, as if it were a lurching march of very small tin soldiers. Well, anything's possible. He opened the door.
A girl sat there, maybe a fourth or fifth year, not in her uniform yet, but dressed in ordinary muggle clothes, although she seemed to rather favour red, ribbons and impractical earrings. Her hair was long, straight and brown, and she had it pinned behind her ears, although bits of outgrown fringe fell in front of her blue eyes. She stared grimly at a glowing screen on what looked like a sideways metal book of sorts. Ron thought, a konpayuter? Conpoota? Or was it the other one- a lapdog? No…that wasn't right…lapshirt? Comlapter? He decided he couldn't care less.
The mysterious clacking sound came from her fingers, which stabbed at the buttons on the horizontal half of the…thing with a furious intensity. She didn't look up when he took a few steps forward, and even leaned forward towards the screen a bit more as he closed the gap between the two, the speed of her finger-clacking increasing rapidly. She seemed in her own rapturous world, her face a picture of concentration, her eyes staring unblinking into the harsh white screen.
Ron reached her and leaned over her shoulder, he read the screen. It said: Ron reached her and leaned over her shoulder, he read the screen. It said: Ron reached her and leaned over her shoulder, he read the screen. It said: Ron reached her and leaned over her shoulder, he read the screen. It said: Ron reached her and leaned over her shoulder, he read the screen. It said:-
He stopped reading and ran.
It said: He stopped reading and ran.
The girl grinned, and tapped out a line of 'x's.
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"Well, I must say, this is a bit unorthodox- Hermione, I thought you knew better than to disturb teachers (who might be having an important discussion) unless it's something extremely urgent. Can't it wait?"
Dumbledore waved a hand, "Now Minnie, I'm sure these people have an excellent explanation for coming, don't you children? Have a seat."
Hermione nodded gratefully and sat down next to Professor Flitwick, who shuffled to the side to make room for her. Neville sat next to her, still shaking, both wore expressions of confusion and nervousness, a glance upwards at the still standing (well, floating) stern-faced ghosts did nothing to quench their fears.
"Actually sir, we were rather hoping you could explain some things to us- incidentally, why is the staff on the train? And the ghosts- and what's Neville done? He's been with me-"
"Now, now, Miss Granger," said Nearly Headless Nick, "I understand if you are confused, you have every right to be, but little do you know, that boy you are protecting is none other than Lucius Malfoy!"
Hermione and Neville looked taken aback, and both started protesting at once.
"What? No I'm not-"
"Neville's been with me all day-"
The teachers joined in.
"Impossible! This boy doesn't even look like the fellow!" said Professor Flitwick, flapping his short arms in his direction.
"Lucius Malfoy! I should think not, shame on you ghosts of Hogwarts- such uncalled for-"
"-Dangerous accusations!"
Dumbledore took another sherbet lemon from the plate in front of him and lodged it firmly in his cheek, calmly staring at the strange and noisy gathering. He leaned forward, white beard almost touching the floor, eyes twinkling in that twinkly way of his.
"I'm afraid there's been a bit of a, hmm, misunderstanding here. Neville, my dear boy, you have nothing to fear from us- I think you and I both know you are most definitely not Mr Malfoy, the ghosts are simply mistaking you for someone disguised as you, I assume?" he asked, knowing full well he was right (all-seeing as ever).
He leaned back into the soft furnishings, the group of students, staff and ghosts staring intently at him- finally, an explanation. But the Headmaster only smiled in the silence and moved his lemon drop from one cheek to the other lazily, stretching the pause of expectation to bursting point as he formed his next words carefully in his mind.
"Lucius Malfoy…is on Hogwarts Express."
Hermione stood up, jumped up really, eyes darting, hair frizzing and ruffled, like a startled cat. "He's here? Where? Why?! Shouldn't we catch him? Oh no, the students- what if he…oh, I can't think of it, a Death Eater! On the train, we- oh Harry! And where's Ron? And Ginny! What are we going to do professor?!"
"Calm down dear, it is little known, between only a few select members of the Order- and only recently I might add, he has been anonymous until now- that Lucius Malfoy has defected and become a spy for the Order, for the good of wizardkind."
The girl sat down, deflated, but not completely defeated. "How do you know, I mean professor, he's got no reason to do such a thing, he's Vol- You-Know-Who's right hand man! Why would he give up that power, everything he's ever believed in? I don't think I could believe it."
"One simple answer Miss Granger: Love."
"What?"
"Love. Over the years of the Dark Lord's absence he's, well, gotten a bit soft I suppose. Over a decade- a lot of time to reflect, and during that time, Lucius Malfoy's son has grown- into a fine young man I might add, despite his poor behaviour at times. Mr Malfoy worshipped, loved his master, but not with the love, the choking grasp of that tricky heart, that he has for his son. He knew the life his son would have to live if he joined the Dark side. The horrible experiences Lucius himself has had, torture of the soul you might say, it has aged him inside, well beyond his years; he is too far-gone now, he knows that, but his son is as yet unscarred, pure and free from such heavy burdens. Malfoy knows only too well what awaits him, even with the tips, the spying, the change of heart, he has done too much to expect anything less than a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, but he is willing- this is what convinced me, I might add, I am no fool- to sacrifice all that, everything he his, himself, to save his son. Love is the strongest bond there is, that there will ever be."
Neville looked thoughtful, staring intently at his clasped hands. "But why is he on this train? And why did the ghosts think I was him? Mightn't he be lying?"
Dumbledore sighed, not impatiently. "I trust him, I am not one to trust lightly, and I am not so easily duped as some might think. His reasons strike true, and just as I trust Severus, I trust him."
"But that's just it sir, for years we've not trusted Snape-"
"Professor Snape."
"- Professor Snape, we think he's dangerous! But no one ever listens, we have more than enough proof…"
"Miss Granger, I'm sure you are no fool either, and I understand your feelings, but Professor Snape and I have an understanding of each other, and I would trust him with my life. But this is beside the point, I'm afraid we might not have much time, so I shall explain quickly. Lucius Malfoy is stowing aboard the train so that he may reach the relative safety of Hogwarts castle, as, you may have guessed, his treachery has been discovered. He is no danger to the students, I assure you. Unfortunately there have been some, incidents, and Mr Malfoy is currently disguised as you, Mr Longbottom- thanks to these honourable ghosts and a few helpful boys and their exceptional sweet-making skills. I trust he is safe Nicholas?"
The ghost looked uncomfortable, his usually healthy pale pallor turning an unpleasant shade of grey.
"We left him in the compartment…"
Just then the door slid open once more and Severus Snape himself walked in, looking as domineering as ever in his long black cloak and stern expression.
"I have been unable, as yet, to locate Draco Malfoy, Headmaster. However, it has come to my attention, in my searching that there are some strange and altogether disturbing rumours along the train, and I fear an explanation is in order if you would be so kind."
"Aah, I feel perhaps, that you should have come a little earlier," said Dumbledore as Snape observed with some reserved astonishment, the odd array of people and ex-people in the increasingly large compartment who all stared back at him surreptitiously.
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"So we followed him, and we heard him talkin' to himself, right-"
"Get to the point man! Did you get him or not?"
"Not as such…"
"Well? Why not! There are two of you, one of him, and he can't use magic because he apparently left his wand behind when he flitted."
"But we did find someone that might be him, but see, he was disguised or somthin' as, um, Longbottom."
Draco Malfoy smirked, "at least you're not totally useless then."
The two large Slytherins grinned at this rare praise and Goyle jumped in with the final juicy detail, the one sure to earn them that nice fat reward of praise and food and privileges for weeks to come.
"He went in the direction of the teacher's compartments, the main one."
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"So Lucius Malfoy is currently on the train, but we do not know where?" said Severus after Dumbledore finished. The Headmaster nodded gravely.
"Well, the Express is not too large, I'm sure we can locate him and put him somewhere safe in no more than an hour's time."
Now the Headmaster shook his head gravely.
"I'm afraid we may not have even that short amount of time."
"Until what?"
There was a bang, a flurry of robes and running people, yells of surprise rent the clogged air and chaos roamed untamed until a deathly silence fell as the compartment's occupants all noticed an entirely unwelcome and wholly scary sight; Crabbe and Goyle were clutching at each of Neville's arms in an iron-like grasp, and Draco Malfoy was holding him steadily and unwavering at wandpoint. Just as the group began to come to terms with this sight, the doorway was once again filled with people, and in spilled unceremoniously, the sweating and panting and clearly terrified figure of…Neville Longbottom. And landing on top of him with a snarl and a pounce was a crazed and bewitched redhead- none other than Ginny Weasley.
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A/R 2: Sorry, I lazed out and went to Spain without updating… not that any of you care…anyway, sorry to leave you at a cliffy, can't be helped, and I know better than to promise a fast update, soooooo, I'll try, but I'll hinthint need some HINTHINT encouragement. Pwease?
This is Squibakou signing out.