The Train Ride to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I'm not Rowling.

A scream rent the air from one of the room upstairs. Harry and the rest rushed upstairs. Kitty who was in the room next to it, also hurried to see what was the matter. Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.

"But, it couldn't be," thought Kitty, "Ron was downstairs, wasn't he?"

'R-r-riddikulus!' Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.

Crack…

Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever.

'R-riddikulus!' she sobbed again.

Crack…

Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.

'No!' Mrs. Weasley moaned. 'No ... riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!'

Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry...Dead Kitty…

Kitty moved forward, staring in amazement at her dead body. Crack. The boggart turned into Lord Voldemort, his snakelike eyes menacing, his wand raised.

Kitty stood dumbstuck with fear. "Kat, move!" said Harry, pulling her from behind. Crack…

Voldemort turned into a dementor. "Riddikulus!" shouted Harry, pointing his wand at it. The boggart vanished in a wisp of smoke. He turned around.

Kitty was sobbing uncontrollably on Ron's shoulder, and Mrs. Weasley had buried her head onto Remus's shoulder, who was patting her on the head.

'Kat it was just a boggart,' Harry said soothingly, rubbing her back. 'Just a stupid boggart...'

'Molly, that's enough,' said Remus firmly. 'This isn't like last time. The Order are better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to-'

Mrs. Weasley gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name.

'Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing his name-look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time. You weren't in the Order then, you don't understand. Last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one...'

'Being silly,' Mrs. Weasley muttered, mopping her eyes, 'It's all my fault, Kitty dear, don't worry about it." Kitty dried her eyes and gave her a watery smile, "Don't say that Mrs. Weasley. It's okay."

Kitty woke up on September 1st, feeling excited. When she went downstairs, she saw Mrs. Weasley waving her wand over Ginny who was covered in bruises. "What happened?" she asked.

"Fred and George bewitched…ouch…their school trunks to fly downstairs and they knocked me down the stairs—Ow!" said Ginny.

'Guard?' said Harry entering the room. 'We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?'

'You both have to go to King's Cross with a guard,' Hermione corrected him.

'Why?' said Harry irritably. 'I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in.'

"Why me?" asked Kitty, "Harry is the boy who lived." Harry gave her a scathing look.

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort might capture you to bait Harry," said Hermione in a low voice. Kitty's eyes grew wide in fear. "Hey can you stop doing that!" said Harry to Hermione irritably, as he put an arm around Kitty.

'Harry, Kitty, you're to come with me and Tonks,' said Mrs. Weasley, 'Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... Oh, for heavens sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!' A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley. 'Oh honestly...' said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, 'well, on your own head be it!'

It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for their entertainment. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through on to platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

'Oh good,' said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, 'here's Alastor with the luggage, look...'

A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a trolley loaded with their trunks.

'All okay,' he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks, 'don't think we were followed...

Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged on to the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage trolley when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Remus.

'Well, look after yourselves,' said Remus, shaking hands all round. He reached Kitty last and gave her a hug, "Remember what I told you, Kitty."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train.

'Quick, quick,' said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice, 'Write... Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... Onto the train, now, hurry...'

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared on to its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders, but Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away towards the train door, hissing, 'For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!'

'Shall we go and find a compartment, then?' Harry asked. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. 'Er,' said Ron. 'We're-well-Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage,' Hermione said awkwardly.

"Sit with us, Harry," said Kitty entering a compartment in which sat Vandyll, Luna and Dennis. "Hey Van!" she said hugging him, "And how're you two?"

"Never better. You two had an interesting holiday, I heard," said Dennis, grinning. "Yeah," said Kitty. "Um, Kat," said Harry.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Neville's calling me. I think I'll go join him. Ginny's there too."

"Okay."

"Um, interesting necklace," said Kitty looking at Luna, who had worn a necklace of Butterbeer corks. "Thanks," she said.

"So, had a nice holiday?" Kitty asked everyone. "Fair," said Vandyll, "Mum and Dad heard what happened last year. They shouted themselves hoarse at me, telling me not to be friends with you."

"Um, they're not…I mean…"

"No, they aren't Death Eaters," said Vandyll, "But Mum reckons that we should join him. You see, Dad is an author, he's famous. So, He Who Must Not Be Named knows all about him. Plus, we're one of the old pureblood families. Mum thinks we should join him before he kills us."

Kitty looked at him in horror. "But if they join, then you—I mean Voldemort will know all about you being friends with me, and he'll expect you to—"

"Don't worry, Kitty, if they join I'm leaving."

"Where will you go? You're just twelve."

"I'll come stay with your godfather."

Kitty snorted. "Yeah right," she said.

Malfoy passed their cabin at that moment, stopping for a moment to look at Kitty, and then went on. "What's wrong with him?" said Kitty after he left, "Why does he keep staring at me?"

"He's the Slytherin Prefect, you know," said Vandyll. Kitty groaned.

"Kat!" said Harry, coming into their compartment suddenly, "You know what, Malfoy just came into our compartment and said that he would be dogging our footsteps. Do you think he recognized Sirius at the station?"

"Oh my god, I knew Sirius shouldn't have come. Looks like he did recognize him. I just hope Sirius has got back safely to Grimmauld Place."

"Look, Kitty, we're almost there, we should change," said Dennis. Saying so, he and Vandyll got up and left the cabin. "I'll see you later, Harry," said Kitty, as she got up to take out her robes from her trunk. Harry nodded and left.

"When you say Sirius, do you mean Stubby Boardman, the singing sensation?" said Luna.

"Yes, of course. Who else could I mean?" said Kitty sarcastically, shaking her head.

"Well, he's innocent you know," said Luna.

"Well, that's news."

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