Chapter 15:
Alicia hardly slept a wink that night and she was first up the next morning. Her trunk was repacked as she double checked everything and she carefully hulled it down the stairs quietly. Noel joined the trunk a moment later in the hall near the front door, but not obstructing it. Alicia then moved to the kitchen and made herself breakfast before the rest of the house began to get up.
Mrs Weasley was moving about in a tis, worried they would miss the train as she got everyone else up, Harry being the last to awake. Mad-Eye Moody rocked up with several other Order members and Alicia found out that she and Harry were being guarded on their way to the train in which she was a little annoyed at but didn't argue. Everyone was sure Voldemort would keep his cover so she doubted he would jump out at them on their way to the train in a packed Muggle street or train station.
Alicia helped Ginny bring her things down the stairs and was almost knocked down two flights of stairs with the girl when Fred and George decided to use magic to float their luggage down the stairs to try and save time. Ginny's tumbling and the hurtling of the trunks caused Mrs Black to wake up and start shouting as Mrs Weasley began to do the same.
"— COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS —"
"— FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS —"
Hermione hurried up the stairs as Alicia helped Ginny to the kitchen were Mrs Weasley patched her up. Hermione was returning Hedwig to Harry who had returned with the girl's letter from her parents regarding the prefect badge.
Alicia stayed by her trunk and owl as Mad-Eye complained about missing Sturgis Podmore who was supposed to be joining their guard, the man being to paranoid to leave with one missing guard member. Alicia kept watching the clock as Mrs Weasley bustled around and more trunks were added to the landing while Mrs Black continued to shout, no one bothering to shut her up as Mrs Weasley shouted up and down the stairs and everyone was too busy thumping trunks and chatting, racing around for it to do any good. No one was capable of being quiet at this very moment.
"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley suddenly bellowed, causing Alicia to jump as Hermione came running down the stairs with Crookshanks in her arms and Harry quickly followed with Hedwig in her caged, his trunk being dragged behind him. The twins had joined Alicia by the door and Ginny grabbed her own trunk as Ron followed suit.
"Harry, Alicia, you're both to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT !" "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage… Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"
A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as Harry clambered over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley who was standing beside Alicia.
"Oh honestly…" said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!" Alicia and Harry shared a slightly worried look as Mrs Weasley wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry, Alicia and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.
"Where's Tonks?" Harry said as Alicia yawned, looking around as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.
"She's waiting for us just up here," said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.
An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled grey hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.
"Wotcher, Harry," she said, winking. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.
"I know, I know," moaned Mrs. Weasley, lengthening her stride, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis… If only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again… but Fudge wouldn't let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days… How Muggles can stand traveling without magic…"
But the great black dog gave a joyful bark and gambolled around them, snapping at pigeons, and chasing its own tail. Both Alicia and Harry couldn't help laughing. Sirius had been trapped inside for a very long time. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in an almost Aunt Petunia-ish way.
"I don't blame him for being excited." Alicia said to Harry who agreed as the girl turned her head to the sun with a smile of her own.
It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for the twins' 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 onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.
Alicia smiled at the gleaming red steam engine and the image of the castle entered her mind as it would be taking her straight to Hogwarts.
"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.
"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.
"Thanks, Lee," said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.
Alicia patted the dog before looking around at the people to see if she spotted anyone else she knew. As she looked over the faces however she noticed many people staring at her. She wasn't surprised but the fact that her strong attitude returned did. Yesterday she'd been dreading the attention and now she decided she didn't need to care.
"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look…" Alicia was drawn from her thoughts and turned to see, with a porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody come limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks.
"All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed…"
Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Lupin.
"No trouble?" growled Moody.
"Nothing," said Lupin.
"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."
"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Alicia and Harry last and gave Harry a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful, Alicia."
"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too and then Alicia's. "And don't forget, all of you — careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."
"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and Ginny followed by Alicia. "We'll see you soon, I expect."
A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto 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 onto its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders after Alicia had stooped down to give him a hug, but Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away toward the train door hissing, "For heaven's sake act more like a dog, Sirius!"
Alicia pushed Hermione and Ginny onto the train as Ron, the twins and Harry followed her hastily, Mrs Weasley muttering for them to hurry up.
"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.
"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.
"Oh lighten up," said Ron, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."
"Plus nothing happened." Alicia nodded letting out a breath of relief.
"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.
The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.
"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Alicia, Ron and Hermione.
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks as Alicia nodded before raising an eyebrow.
"Er," said Ron.
"We're — well — Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly. Alicia's eyes narrowed but she instantly removed the annoyed expression.
Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."
"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."
"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."
"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather — but we have to — I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.
"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned.
"Better hurry though," Alicia said and she grabbed her trunk, nodding her head she looked at Ginny who nodded and did the same. Alicia felt slightly weird, she and Harry had travelled together to Hogwarts every year with Ron. Even in their second year when they'd missed the train Ron had been with them. She felt a little sad for Harry for this.
"Come on," Ginny told Harry as he didn't move to follow, watching Hermione and Ron hall their trunks off towards the end of the train with Crookshanks and Pigwidheon. "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."
"Right," said Harry, picking up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other. Alicia gave him a somewhat reassuring look as he followed the two girls. The three of them struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Alicia tried very hard to ignore the looks that followed, not only Harry for once, but her also with great interest. Several of them nudged their neighbours and pointed the two of them out. It didn't surprise that people had being reading the Daily Prophet of which had been telling its readers all summer what a lying show-off Harry was. And although she hadn't been spoken about in the Prophet, Dumbledore had announced her as the missing Potter child to the entire school, something she was sure no one would soon forget, whether they believed it true or not.
In the very last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, the twins' fellow fifth-year Gryffindor, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.
"Hi, Harry," he panted. "Hi, Alicia, Hi, Ginny… Everywhere's full… I can't find a seat…"
"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here —"
"Loony?" Alicia questioned looking at Ginny slightly appalled.
Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.
"Don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's all right."
She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside it. Alicia, Harry and Neville followed.
"Hi, Luna," said Ginny. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"
The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Alicia couldn't deny that the girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness, explaining Neville's reluctance. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry and Alicia. She nodded.
"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her. Harry and Neville stowed the four trunks and Noel and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry and Alicia, who had sat opposite her.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.
"I know I am," said Harry.
Neville chuckled. Luna turned her pale eyes upon him instead.
"And I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.
"No you're not," said Ginny and Alicia sharply. "Neville Longbottom — Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice. "Is it true you're Alicia Potter, Harry's missing sister?" she said to Alicia.
"Yes." the raven haired girl answered simply. She braced herself to expect that question a lot at least in the beginning of the year.
Luna said nothing in return but simply raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. Harry and Neville looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. Ginny suppressed a giggle as Alicia shrugged at her.
The train rattled onward, speeding them out into open country and Alicia had dug one of her new text books out of her trunk to read, having not been able to touch a single one yet. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.
"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.
"Another Remembrall?" said Harry, remembering the marblelike device Neville's grandmother had sent him in an effort to improve his abysmal memory. Alicia chuckled
"Let's not let this one get thrown through the air for Harry to catch this time." she said
"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago… No, look at this…"
He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.
"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly.
Harry stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.
"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."
Neville's favourite subject was by far Herbology.
"Does it — er — do anything?" Harry asked as he looked at the plant with obvious confusion, not knowing what it really was or what it did.
"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me…" Alicia was watching them, having averted her gaze from her textbook for the moment.
Neville dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his school bag. Luna Lovegood's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, watching what Neville was doing. Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.
Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, and Alicia had whipped her wand out with a Protego to stop herself from getting covered at all, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure.
Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.
"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before… Didn't realise it would be quite so… Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor.
At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.
"Oh… hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um… bad time?" Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at him: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.
"Oh… hi," said Harry blankly.
"Hey Cho," Alicia smiled
"Hi Alicia," Cho replied, looking her over slightly "How was your holiday?"
"It was good…" Alicia said, realising that wasn't true halfway through the automatic reply "Yours?" she asked continuing
"Yeah." Cho nodded before she looked back at Harry. She paused on what to say next though.
"Um…" said Cho. "Well… just thought I'd say hello… 'bye then."
She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. Alicia rolled her eyes and sighed
"Never mind," said Ginny bracingly. "Look, we can get rid of all this easily." She pulled out her wand. She paused
"Scourgify." Alicia prompted
"I know." Ginny rolled her eyes earning a grin from the girl. "Scourgify!"
The Stinksap vanished.
"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.
Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Alicia, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.
"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig and Noel, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the Frog's head, and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.
"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."
"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.
"Malfoy," replied Harry at once, his worst fear confirmed.
" 'Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.
"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll…"
"You'll probably find the heads of house have something to do with it." Alicia said "Snape would definitely pick those two." she sighed turning back to her book, she'd changed it for another since earlier.
"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.
"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione. She looked at Alicia who had looked up. Ginny sent Alicia a grin too and she turned her eyes back to her book.
"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.
Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.
"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.
"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."
She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused.
"Luna Lovegood." Alicia said simply "Ravenclaw." Ron looked back at the girl before he checked his watch.
"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry and Neville, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something…"
"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.
"They should have thought about that before giving it to him then." Alicia shrugged
"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.
"So you're going to descend to his level?"
"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."
"For heaven's sake, Ron —"
"You realise that that could end up with me and Harry in unspeakable trouble from Malfoy in return." Alicia said as she turned a page. Ron didn't listen.
"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. "I… must… not… look… like… a… baboon's… backside…"
Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. She laughed so hard that her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor.
"That was funny!"
Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron. Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backward and forward, clutching her sides.
"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.
"Baboon's… backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.
Everyone else was watching Luna laughing, but Alicia had reached for the magazine Luna had dropped, her movement grabbed Harry's attention and the two looked at the page in which the front had caught both of their attentions. Upside down it had been hard to tell what the picture on the front was, but it was now recognisable as a fairly bad cartoon of Cornelius Fudge; the lime-green bowler hat giving him away. One of Fudge's hands was clenched around a bag of gold; the other hand was throttling a goblin. The cartoon was captioned: How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?
Beneath this were listed the titles of other articles inside the magazine.
CORRUPTION IN THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE: How the Tornados Are Taking Control
SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT RUNES REVEALED SIRIUS BLACK: Villain or Victim?
Harry and Alicia shared a look.
"Luna, may we read your magazine?" Alicia asked as Harry said "Can I have a look at this?" Harry eagerly. She nodded, still gazing at Ron, breathless with laughter.
The two opened the magazine and scanned the index. Alicia remembered this to be the magazine Kingsley had handed Mr. Weasley to give to Sirius, of which it must have been this edition of The Quibbler. They found the page and turned excitedly to the article.
This too was illustrated by a rather bad cartoon; in fact, Harry would not have known it was supposed to be Sirius if it hadn't been captioned. Sirius was standing on a pile of human bones with his wand out. The headline on the article read:
SIRIUS - Black As He's Painted?
Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?
Alicia already started chuckling as Harry read the sentence several times. Harry nudged her and she managed to stop to read the article itself.
For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest man-hunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the dementors.
BUT DOES HE?
Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings.
"What people don't realise is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs. Purkiss. "The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognised him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister of Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now."
Alicia snorted as she tried not to laugh covering her mouth as Harry looked at her in disbelief. He took her side of the magazine and slipped back a few pages to the piece on Fudge. Alicia leaned over his shoulder to read this article as well.
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister of Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to "cooperate peacefully" with the guardians of our gold.
BUT DOES HE?
Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge's dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be.
"It wouldn't be the first time, either," said a Ministry insider. "Cornelius 'Goblin-Crusher' Fudge, that's what his friends call him, if you could hear him when he thinks no one's listening, oh, he's always talking about the goblins he's had done in; he's had them drowned, he's had them dropped off buildings, he's had them poisoned, he's had them cooked in pies…"
Alicia didn't laugh at this one but simply rose an eyebrow and looked at Harry. They flicked through the rest of the magazine. Pausing every few pages to read an accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom-tampering, and torture; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to prove it; and an article on ancient runes, which at least explained why Luna had been reading The Quibbler upside down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy's ears turn into kumquats. In fact, compared to the rest of the articles in The Quibbler, the suggestion that Sirius might really be the lead singer of The Hob-goblins was quite sensible.
"Anything good in there?" asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine.
"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer, "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."
"Excuse me," said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor."
"I — oh," said Hermione, looking embarrassed. "Well… it's got some interesting… I mean, it's quite…"
"I'll have it back, thank you," said Luna coldly, and leaning forward she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Rifling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time.
Alicia gave Hermione a disapproving look before they turned to the doorway. Every train trip to Hogwarts consisted of one annoying tradition; Malfoy and his cronies Grabbe and Goyle would appear at the door of what ever compartment Harry, Alicia, Hermione and Ron were in.
"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.
"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."
"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."
Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed. Malfoy's lip curled.
"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.
"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.
"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."
"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.
"Hermione you're depriving Malfoy of his Harry time, after all the git does come and find Harry every train ride, he clearly has some unhealthy obsession." everyone in the train cart snickered again and Malfoy looked at her angrily. Alicia simply twirled her wand between her fingers. "Shall we also continue the tradition were I hex you, I'd love to see you give me a detention with your nose stabbed into the carpet."
Malfoy gave Alicia and Harry a last malicious look and departed angrily, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry and Alicia, who's taunting smile was gone. All three of them had registered what Malfoy had said and been just as unnerved by it.
"Chuck us another Frog," said Ron, who had clearly noticed nothing.
Despite what the three picked up on, they could not talk freely in front of Neville and Luna. The twins exchanged another nervous look with Hermione and then Harry stared out of the window while Alicia turned to her book.
Sirius coming with them to the station had been a bit of a laugh, but suddenly it seemed reckless, if not downright dangerous… Hermione had been right… Sirius should not have come. What if Mr. Malfoy had noticed the black dog and told Draco, what if he had deduced that the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks, and Moody knew where Sirius was hiding? Almost more than ever Alicia wanted to shoot the boy a hex just on principle.
The weather remained undecided as they traveled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a halfhearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag, and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.
"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, as usual, prompting Alicia to put her book away. Hermione and Ron pinned their prefect badges carefully to their chests and Ron checked his in the black window.
At last the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure. Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this; they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Harry and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon.
"I'll carry that owl, if you like," said Luna to Harry, reaching out for Pigwidgeon as Neville stowed Trevor carefully in an inside pocket.
"Oh — er — thanks," said Harry, handing her the cage and hoisting Hedwig's more securely into his arms. Ginny took Noel for Alicia as she grabbed Croockshanks for Hermione from his personally acquired seat by the door.
They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly they moved toward the doors. The smell of the pine trees along the lake reached Alicia's nose and she turned next searching for the familiar call of "Firs' years over here… firs' years…"
But it did not come. Instead a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling, "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!" The twins shared a look confused as a lantern came swinging toward Alicia and Harry and by its light they saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.
"Where's Hagrid?" he said out loud.
"I don't know," said Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."
"Oh yeah…"
"He mustn't be back yet." Alicia thought frowning. She didn't know how long it took for Giants to become friendly or accept an alliance… or what ever it was Dumbledore was asking for.
"From where?" Harry asked but Alicia simply grabbed his hand to prevent their separation as they moved off the platform and through the station. She concentrated on getting them to the carriages as Harry's attention was elsewhere. Hermione and Ron were no where to be seen and so Alicia simply pulled on Harry's hand and allowed the crowd to shunt them forwards and onto the dark brainwashed road outside Hogsmeade Station.
"Alicia!" the girl turned at her name curiously, not noticing Harry's hand slip from her's before she spotted a mass of red hair next to dark hair.
"Michael." she smiled as he and Ginny came through the crowd.
"Anthony was looking for you." he admitted
"Oh… I guess he's busy being a prefect at the moment isn't he…" Alicia muttered looking around
"Heard Ron and Hermione got them too." Michael confessed as Terry Boot, Michael's fellow Ravenclaw appeared.
"Not surprised Granger got it." Terry said
"Where's Harry?" Ginny suddenly asked and the girl turned surprised
"Um…" she began and Ginny sighed
"You lost him."
"You distracted me." Alicia complained as she looked around.
"Terry!"
"Anthony, done already?" Terry asked as the blond, blue eyed boy emerged as they had begun to move outside of Hogsmeade Station.
"Yeah." Anthony nodded as he turned to see Alicia looking over the heads of everyone for Harry's unruly hair. "Hi Alicia,"
"Hey." she smiled at him "How was your holiday in Germany?"
"It was good," Anthony nodded "German wizards are rather interesting and they've got quite a few historical monuments." he confessed
"Awesome." Alicia nodded
"What about you?"
"Well, could've been better, but considering everything." Alicia nodded as Ginny glanced at her.
"Why what happened?" Michael asked and Alicia looked at Ginny unsure on what she could say. They exited the station and Alicia was distracted from answering by the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Alicia however stared surprised. The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. They were not exactly horses but for another name Alicia could not think of. These animals had something reptilian about them. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister.
"Woah…" she mumbled as she looked at the creatures, understanding flooding her expression as she recognised the creature from a book.
"Alicia, we need to find Hermione, give her Crookshanks." Ginny said to the girl, distracting the boys from their discussion of their holidays.
"Yeah right." Alicia nodded
"We'll see you later." Ginny said to Michael and Alicia waved to Anthony before taking Ginny's hand. They looked around for the familiar faces before Alicia jumped and managed to make out Ron's tall figure beside Harry's unruly black hair and Hermione's bushy brown.
"Found them." Alicia said as she pulled Ginny along.
"Hey," Alicia said as the girls reached them
"What happened to you?" Harry asked
"Busy crowd, but I found Ginny so don't worry." Alicia assured "Here Hermione." and she handed the girl the ginger cat in her arms.
"Thanks," said Hermione again as Alicia thanked Ginny and took Noel's cage from her. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up…"
"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione was already heading off toward the nearest unoccupied coach.
"Hermione! You need to be a little more aware of your friends around you." Alicia said following her as Ron and Harry stayed behind, hoping Luna would appear with Pig.
Alicia handed Noel in to the carriage Hermione had chosen, Ginny following the girl and climbing in. Alicia turned to the boys to see Luna and Pig now joining them as they made their way over to them.
"What horse things?" Alicia heard Ron say as they reached her
"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently; they were, after all, about three feet from the nearest one; it was watching them with empty white eyes. Ron, however, gave Harry a perplexed look.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about — look!"
Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face-to-face with the winged horse. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at Harry.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?"
"At the — there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front —"
But as Ron continued to look bemused, a strange thought occurred to Harry.
"Can't… can't you see them?"
"See what?"
"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?" Alicia rolled her eyes at her brother .
"Harry, Ron can't see them." Alicia confessed and Harry looked at her "You know if wouldn't kill you to pick up a book now and then." she admitted and Harry looked confused as Alicia climbed into the carriage with the two girls.
Ron however was looking seriously alarmed now.
"Are you feeling all right, Harry?"
"I… yeah…"
"Come on boys." Alicia called impatiently.
"Shall we get in, then?" said Ron uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him.
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on…"
"It's all right," said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach's dark interior. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."
"Can you?" said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide, silvery eyes.
"Oh yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."
Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.
"Don't worry, I see them." Alicia said as Harry sat opposite her
"Really?"
"Sure." Alicia nodded and she left it at that, causing Harry to just nod, earning a confused look from Ron who then turned back to Hermione.
Alicia then turned for the window and watched, waiting for the magnificent castle to come into her view.