Chapter 2
Startled, I looked up. A boy about sixteen was glaring at me with silver eyes, framed by blond hair. He was sitting near the window, surrounded by two large boys the same age. They both looked extremely strong and not that smart. "Erm," I muttered, standing up quickly. "Olivia…" I did not want to tell them my last name, Camelle, so I used the first name that came to my head. "Olivia Potter."
The boy's eyes narrowed and he stood up. His friends rose to their feet as well. I soon regretted saying that. "Potter? Not related to the famous Harry Potter are you?" I nodded slowly. We stared at each other for a moment. I could almost see the gears in his brain working like mad. The other boys shuffled forward a little. A shadow moved in the hallway, but I did not look back to see who it was. They stayed motionless by the door.
Then he stopped glaring and actually stuck his hand out. "Draco Malfoy." I shook it albeit uneasily. There was something about the way he said 'famous Harry Potter'. However, I couldn't waste time pondering over that. "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he pointed to each boy beside him. I nodded to each.
"So, why were you hiding?" He appeared curious. "I thought Potters were brave and courageous."
"Um…I was…" I searched my brain for an excuse. "I was hiding from my cousin," I finished hurriedly.
Draco looked disgusted for a second before saying, "I can see why." I didn't ask why. Sitting down, my backpack slid off my shoulder and onto the seat. Outside in the corridor, people were walking back to their compartments. A few were muttering loudly but others sounded shaken up.
"You get along with Potter?"
"Well, I guess. I mean, I haven't seen him in a long time." This part was the truth. My hands fidgeted with the zipper on the bag. I dropped my scarf into the bag, and retrieved my green hooded sweatshirt, sliding it over my head. It was a bit unnerving, three people staring at you as if you were pulling a prank on them. "Um…" I stopped for a second, "so you know my cousin?" Draco nodded slightly.
"A royal mess he's been, famous Potter. I honestly don't know why he is in Gryffindor. I bet he just makes stories up and gets credit for them. I wouldn't doubt it if he caused the security breach for attention. Has bodyguards everywhere you look."
This puzzled me. As far as I could tell, only two adults were with him. "Really?" I asked. He gave me a fleeting look of surprise.
"You don't see them?" Draco stood up, his cronies doing the same. "Come on, I'll show you." He led the way out of the room, pausing at the door. I hadn't moved. "Well? Are you coming?" A moment of indecision was upon me. I could stay here and wait for, well, I do not know what, but I'd wait. On the other hand, I could follow him; possibly make some friends in the process. He seemed nice enough, though there was something about his glare earlier. A little scary, it was. Reaching my verdict, I stood up and trailed behind him. Crabbe and Goyle stood on either side of him, so they hid me from view, though that was not their purpose.
We passed by many compartments, most of which were full. "Won't you lose your compartment?" I questioned. Draco glanced back.
"No. I jinxed the door." We reached the doorway leading outside. Draco jumped down, his robes billowing in the breeze. Wait a minute. Who wears robes in this time? The people here must be some club, convention, or something. I leapt off as well, landing in a crouch. I stood up instantly and moved just in time before the large boys landed on me.
Draco pointed to the right a bit. There was Harry Potter, still with the red haired family and bushy haired girl, was now surrounded by five serious looking adults; a man with shabby robes and graying hair, a man with an eye that moved everywhere, even into his head, a woman with spiked cotton-candy-colored hair, and two other men. All of them were holding those sticks. I then gazed at the wall, which I had entered. Adults heavily guarded it, also holding sticks and talking to each other in hushed tones. Everyone in the vicinity was searched, for anything dangerous perhaps. They were handing over their sticks to a person carrying something like a credit card slot. The sticks were examined and waved over the small machine. The machine then slid out a piece of paper with something typed on it. The receipt along with the stick, returned to the owner and they could leave or enter the train.
A tap on my shoulder made me turn. The man with the tatty clothes was standing in front of me. His stick pointed at me. I had to stop myself from laughing. What was he going to do with a stick, hit me? He spoke clearly, "I need to see your wands." It was a simple request, yet I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Er," I began, looking for help at the others. Draco pulled out his stick, and handed it to the man, who waved it over the small box. A small receipt appeared. The man glanced at it.
"Draco Malfoy, the last thing used this wand for was to jinx a door on the Hogwarts Express," he read aloud with one raised eyebrow. "Very well." He handed the 'wand' and the receipt to Draco who sneered and pocketed the items. The same thing happened with Crabbe and Goyle, both who passed inspection. "Crabbe, you used this wand to hex a first year on the last day of school." Crabbe looked very happy about this. "And Goyle, this was used to throw food in someone's face this morning." He nodded. Then the man turned to me. I did not know what to do. I did not have a wand! Maybe they would arrest me, but I rather wanted to stay and find out what they were doing, now that I was there.
The man spoke. "Where's your wand?" I searched for an excuse.
"I-I forgot it on the train." He gazed at me for a moment, not saying anything. Then he called out, "Severus. Come here please." The murmur of people around died down. Some turned to look at us, and I am sure my face reddened. I could see out of the corner of my eye, Harry and his groups were watching. Draco was looking for something in the crowds. I couldn't see anyone coming.
Then, finally, a greasy haired man strode toward us. He said quite clearly to the crowds, "Nothing to see here." The people seemed to accept this and went back to business. He approached the other man, grimacing.
"What is it?" Severus was a tall, bony man with terribly greasy black hair. His eyes seemed to blaze at the mere thought of being summoned by the other, and he was wearing dark robes that reminded me of a bat. He acknowledged the boys around me; they did the same.
The shabby man pointed to me. "This girl has seemed to forgotten her wand on the train. I was hoping you could tell us if she is telling the truth." Severus stared at me for a moment. There was something about his eyes, as if they were seeing right through me. I quickly looked away; the thought was unnerving.
"How did you get here?"
I answered still staring intently at my toes, "through the wall by platform nine." My finger pointed to the wall that I indeed entered.
"Look at me," Severus' cold voice startled me into looking up. Then the strange feeling of something going through my mind came over me. I felt almost disconnected from my body, as if I was floating away. Suddenly the sensation stopped. "The girl is telling the truth, Lupin," he muttered to 'Lupin'. "Tell me," he asked, "what house and year are you?"
What could I say? I don't even know what the houses are! Well the year would be sixth, because I am sixteen. Then I remembered something Draco said earlier. '…don't know why he is in Gryffindor…' I decided to try it. "I'm in Gryffindor, sixth year." Lupin and Severus exchanged looks. Draco also had a, dare I say, surprised expression.
"Gryffindor you say?" I nodded uneasily. "We shall see." With that warning, Severus Snape departed, vanishing into the crowds.
Draco glared at me. "You're a Gryffindor?!" He stalked off without another word, his cronies following suit.
I was rather bewildered. Lupin spoke up. "Have we met before? Your face seems familiar."
"No, I don't think so." I said goodbye quickly and hurried on the train, stopping only to glance back. Lupin was again standing by Harry Potter. They seemed to know each other, talking with ease. Then the group got onto the train on another set of steps.
I climbed up the stairs at the one nearest to me. Halfway down the hall, I froze. My backpack was still in Malfoy's compartment! I raced down the corridor to the end. Should I wait for him to open it, and then grab it? Will he even come back to this one? Slowly, I approached it. He jinxed the door, but I don't even know what it would do. I reached out my hand, and quickly grasped the handle.
Immediately, I was lifted up into the air by invisible threads. The ceiling seemed to bend so I could be raised up even higher. It must have been ten feet! I could hear someone screaming. I looked down and saw many people gathering around where I last stood. At last, a voice cried out, "finite incantatem!" The strings holding me up vanished and the ground came to meet me. Then I felt myself slow down and landed on my hands and knees gently. Someone pulled me onto my feet. "Are you alright?" a teen's voice asked. I nodded uneasily. This morning's breakfast was fighting to re-enter the world. I pulled myself together and looked up. The inquirer was standing in front of me, surrounded by his friends and others; all of them had their wands out. It was Harry Potter.
The man with the ever-moving eye had one eye on me, the other on the compartment door. Lupin muttered something under his breath and the door opened with a click. Inside, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, and a group of other teens were inside laughing. Just the look on their faces made my blood boil.
"Malfoy." Harry growled. He pulled out his wand. Malfoy did as well, and advanced toward him. Lupin grabbed Harry's arm.
"Harry, don't do anything rash, Sirius would be furious if you got hurt."
But he didn't listen and soon enough Harry and Malfoy were facing each other in the hallway. The crowds retreated several feet. I did the same. The girl with bushy hair grabbed the boy next to her and moved back. I saw several wands come out of pockets and a few rose up. This reminded me of an old western movie my father watches; the hero and villain duel, raise up their guns and whoever is faster, well, wins.
Before Malfoy could utter a word, Harry yelled, "Conjunctivitis!" Draco dodged easily and sent out an array of lights towards Harry.
"Petrificus Totalus! Locomotor Mortis!"
Harry blocked the 'spells' and returned with another shot of light. People began to run away from the scene. Harry's 'bodyguards' were also conjuring bubbles around Harry.
Just then, twenty robed people appeared out of thin air. Masks hid their faces. A shrouded individual then called out in a deep man's voice to a person masked on his left, "the girl, she is related to the one he wants." He pointed at me. I gazed at him with wide eyes. 'What? Does he mean Harry?' Then I remembered the earlier conversation with Malfoy.
"Who are you?"… "Olivia…" "Olivia Potter."
The man must have been the shadow by our door and heard us talking! My heartbeat quickened as I saw the person next to him turn. I wanted to run, to flee from the area. But my feet were heavy as boulders and they wouldn't listen to my mind. The other appeared very pleased. The veiled being began to approach me. Five feet away, he stopped, wand raised at me.
"Is that so?" the person hissed. Out of the corner of my eye, the other nodded, now sending a curse at Lupin. "He will be pleased to know another threat is out of his way." The man raised his wand a little higher; I finally regained control over my body and began to back up.
"Avada Kedavra!" he roared.