Aboard the Hogwarts Express
There was a real end of the holidays gloom in the morning air when Arthur woke up.
There was heavy rain that splattered against the window as he dressed himself in jeans, a white v neck t-shirt and a red button up shirt. He and the others would change into their school uniforms when they got on the Hogwarts Express.
He, David, Chrys, Mike, Mary and the twins all reached the living room when Martha ran out into the entrance hall, looking harassed.
"BEN! URGENT MESSAGE FROM THE MINISTRY!" She called up the staircase.
Everyone all parted away when Ben sprinted past them, wearing his usual leather blazer and white button up shirt, into the kitchen, where they saw him bending over the fire with a quill and parchment.
Arthur had to do a double take when he saw Amos Diggory's head sitting in the middle of the flames like some large bearded egg. It talked very fast, very unperturbed by the sparks that flew around it and the flames that licked its ears.
"...Muggle neighbours heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what d'you call 'ems… please men, Ben, you've got to get over there -"
"Here you go." Martha said, pushing a piece of parchment and a bottle of ink into her husband's hands.
" - it's a real stroke of luck I heard about it." Amos' head said. "I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off - if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Ben -"
"What did Moody say happened?" Ben said as he unscrewed the ink bottle and loaded up his quill to take notes.
Amos' head rolled its eyes before saying "Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says they were creeping towards the house, but they were ambushed by his dustbins."
"What did the dustbins do?" Ben asked.
"Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell." Amos said. "Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please men turned up -"
"They're called police men. Anyway, what about the intruder?"
"Ben, you know Mad Eye." Amos' head rolled its eyes again. "Someone creeping into his yard at the dead of night? More likely there's a very shellshocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad Eye, he's had it - think of his record - we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something you can handle, being an Auror, along with Weasley. What are exploding dustbins worth?"
"A caution at best." Ben said, still writing fast with a furrowed brow. "Did Moody use his wand? Did he even attack anyone?"
"I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window…" Amos said. "...but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties."
"Okay, then, I'm off." Ben said, stuffing the parchment with his notes on it into one of his pockets before dashing out of the kitchen.
Amos' head then looked at Martha.
"Sorry about this, Martha…" It said calmly. "...bothering you so early and everything… but Ben's the only one with Weasley who can get Mad Eye off, and Mad Eye's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why had to choose last night…."
"Whatever, Amos." Martha said. "Sure you don't want a bit of toast before you go?"
"Oh, go on, then." He said.
Martha took a bit of buttered toast from a stack on the long kitchen table and put it into the fire tongs, transferring it into Amos' mouth.
"Fanks." He said in a muffled voice before a small pop was heard and he vanished.
Arthur could hear Ben making hurried goodbyes to Rob, Kenny and Sam. Within five minutes, he was back in the kitchen, smoothed his clothes out and cleaned up his hair.
"I need to hurry off, have a good term, you lot." He then said before he prepared to Disapparate. "Martha, will you be alright taking them all to King's Cross?"
"Don't worry, honey, just go look after Moody. We'll be fine."
Then as he vanished, Rob and Kenny entered the kitchen.
"Did we just hear mention of Moody? What happened this time?" Rob asked.
"He says that someone tried breaking into his house last night." Martha replied as everyone started having breakfast.
"Who is this Moody?" Arthur asked everyone as they seemed to know him well while he had a bacon sandwich.
"He's a retired Auror. He's arguably the greatest Auror ever, even being friends with Dumbledore." Kenny said. "I once met him when dad took me to work with him. It's because of Moody that half of Azkaban is full. He's made so many enemies, especially the families of those he caught. Because of that, he's become extremely paranoid as he got older, it's why he's referred to nowadays as Mad Eye. He doesn't trust anyone any more, seeing dark wizards everywhere."
Both Rob and Kenny decided to see everyone off at King's Cross station, whereas Sam said that he needed to go to work.
"Crouch is demanding that I be with him so I can't take any more time off." He informed everyone with resentment.
Martha was able to use the telephone in the village Post Office to order three normal Muggle taxis to take them into London.
"Ben tried borrowing Ministry cars for us." She whispered to Arthur as they all stood in the rain soaked ground in front of the manor, watching the taxi drivers heave seven Hogwarts trunks into their cars. "There weren't any to spare. I feel bad for these blokes."
Taxi drivers don't normally transport owls, one of which, Goliath, was making over excited hoots. And there was the fact that a number of Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet Start, No Heat Fireworks went off unexpectedly when Jack's trunk sprang open, making the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks clawed his way up his leg.
The journey was an uncomfortable one as they were jammed in the back of the taxis with their trunks. Crookshanks ended up taking a while to recover from what happened with the fireworks, resulting in the trio being all scratched up when they entered London.
Everyone was relieved to get out at King's Cross, even if the rain was now coming down harder than ever, soaking them all as they carried their trunks across the busy road and into the station.
Arthur was now used to getting onto platform nine and three quarters at this point. It was a simple thing to do. He had to simply walk straight through the apparently solid barrier that divided platforms nine and ten. The only thing about it that was tricky was doing it in an unobtrusive way to avoid attracting the attention of the Muggles.
This time, they did it in groups. Arthur, David and Chrys (being the most conspicuous with Goliath and Crookshanks) went first. They'd lean casually against the barrier, chatting normally and sliding sideways through it. Platform nine and three quarters now materialised in front of them.
There was the Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, with clouds of steam billowing from it, through which there were many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appearing as though they were dark ghosts. Goliath hooted excitedly from the many other owls through the mist.
The trio all set off to find some seats and soon stowed their luggage in a compartment that was halfway along the train. They then hopped back onto the platform to say goodbye to Martha, Rob and Kenny.
"I just might end up seeing you sooner than you think." Kenny teased as he hugged Mary and shook hands with Arthur at the same time.
"Why is that?" Jack asked very keenly.
"Don't want to spoil the surprise, but you will love it." Kenny said.
"It makes me wish I was back at Hogwarts this year." Rob said, looking downright wistful at the train.
The whistle then blew and Martha all led them to the train doors.
"Thanks for letting us stay, Martha." Mike said, gesturing to himself and Chrys as they all climbed aboard and closed the door and leaned out the window to talk to her.
"And thanks for having me stay during the whole summer." Arthur said.
"It was my pleasure, you lot. And anything to help you become an Animagus. Of course, I'd invite you for Christmas, but let's just say that something's going on at Hogwarts that you'll want to stay there."
"Why can't you just tell us?" David asked, now sounding irritated.
"Don't worry, knowing Dumbledore, he'll tell you this evening. It'll be exciting." She said.
The pistons now hissed loudly, the train now starting to move.
Everyone on the train just watched as Martha, Rob and Kenny all smiled and waved. Before the train turned the corner, the three all Disapparated.
The trio all went back to their compartment, seeing that the thick rain splattering the windows made it difficult to see through it all.
David decided to undo his trunk and pull out his grey blazer and place it over Goliath's cage to muffle his hooting.
"Why is it that everyone knows and isn't telling us? So what if we want the surprise spoiled." He groaned, hating the fact that he and the others were keeping them in suspense.
"Hey, do you hear that?" Chrys said, pointing towards the compartment next to theirs. Arthur and David listened closely and heard a certain drawling voice drifting in through the open door.
"...father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood lever - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riff raff. But mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defence rubbish we do…."
Chrys got up, tiptoeing to the compartment door and slid it shut to cut off Draco's voice.
"It's no surprise he thinks Durmstrang suits him more." Chrys spat. "If only his whiny momma let him go. We wouldn't have to put up with that stupid git."
"Safe to say that it's another wizarding school?" Arthur asked.
"Yep." Chrys nodded. "It has a nasty reputation, thanks to its emphasis on the Dark Arts. Especially with its current Headmaster, who is probably another Death Eater that evaded being imprisoned in Azkaban."
"I'm sure I've heard of that place." David said as he stroked his chin. "Where exactly is it?"
"No one knows." Chrys said.
"How come?" Arthur asked in curiosity.
"There's always been a lot of rivalry between all the different wizarding schools. Both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts to ensure no one steals their secrets."
"But Durmstrang has to be roughly the size of Hogwarts. How would they be able to hide such a large castle?" David questioned.
"Well, Hogwarts is hidden, remember?" Chrys said. "In Hogwarts: A History, it says that it's bewitched so that Muggles would only see an old ruin with a sign over the entrance that says DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE."
"Then what do you think Durmstrang would look like to outsiders?"
"Who knows." Chrys shrugged. "Maybe it could be Unplottable."
"Huh?" Both Arthur and David said.
"It's where you enchant a building so that it's impossible to plot on a map."
"So where would it be, if you had to guess?" Arthur asked.
"Probably far north and somewhere very cold because fur capes are a part of their uniforms."
"Oh… just imagine pushing Draco over into a glacier, making it look like an accident… if only his mother didn't love him…." David said dreamily.
The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier as the train kept heading north. The sky was so dark and the windows were so steamy that the lanterns were all lit by midday. The lunch trolley came and Arthur bought a bunch of Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties to share with David and Chrys.
Several others all looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including the likes of Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom, a round-faced and forgetful boy that had been brought up by his grandmother, who was a rather formidable witch.
Seamus still wore his Ireland rosette with some of its magic now wearing off. It still sqeaked "Troy! Mullet! Moran!" but in a more feeble and exhausted way. After about half an hour of this, Chrys was getting tiresome of non stop chatter about Quidditch and so she started learning how to perform the Summoning Charm.
Neville listened to the chatter jealously as they talked of the Cup match.
"Gran didn't want to go." He said miserably. "Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing, though."
"Oh, it was." David said. "Look at this."
He pulled his miniature Viktor Krum figure from his trunk.
"Oh, wow." Neville said enviously when David tipped the figure onto his pudgy hand.
"We even saw him up close in the Top Box -"
"For the first and last time in your life, Merlon."
Draco had appeared in the doorway with Crabbe and Goyle behind him, his two large and thuggish cronies, who had each grown a foot during the summer. They clearly overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar.
"We didn't ask you to join us, you git, now sod off." Arthur spat coolly.
"Merlon… what is that?" Draco said, spotting David's blazer that covered Goliath's cage.
"Just part of my tux, Draco." David spat as he grabbed it and placed it in his trunk before Draco could get his slimy hands on it.
"So… going to enter, Merlon? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know…."
"I don't even know what you're talking about, stupid. And my family name already has glory behind it." David coolly replied.
"I suppose you will, Pendergast? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?" Draco said.
"The only one here who likes showing off is you, Draco, now can you please talk some sense and not be cryptic." Arthur replied.
"Don't tell me you don't know?" Draco said in delight. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about ages ago… heard it from Cornelius Fudge."
"Yeah, well, my dad felt it should be a surprise… unlike yours, who spoils you so much that you complain over the smallest thing, like a little cry baby, now go away or I'll beat you to a living pulp, regardless of your troll bodyguards." David retorted.
The Slytherin trio all growled and glared at David before they left.
David got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass actually shattered.
"David!" Chrys gasped before pulling out her wand and muttering "Reparo!", making the glass shards fly back into a single pane and back into the door.
"Honestly… what a rotten child in more ways than one." David snarled before he gulped down the remains of his Pumpkin Pasty that he was currently eating.
Thankfully, the encounter with Draco didn't sour their mood as they continued chatting for the rest of the journey.
They eventually changed into the Hogwarts robes as the Hogwarts Express slowed down and stopped in the pitch black of Hogsmeade station.
As the train doors opened, there was a definite rumble of thunder overhead.
Chrys bundled Crookshanks up in her cloak and David used his jacket that he wore before changing into his robes to cover Goliath as they left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed through the downpour.
The rain now came down so thick and fast that it seemed like buckets of ice cold water were being dumped repeatedly over their heads.
"Hi, Hagrid!" Arthur yelled happily as he saw a gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform.
"Alrigh', Arthur?" Hagrid bellowed back, waving at him. "See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!"
It was a tradition for first year students to reach Hogwarts castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid.
"I'd hate to cross the lake in this weather." Chrys noted, shivering as they all inched their way slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the students. There were a hundred carriages that many believed moved on their own, whereas Arthur suspected that they're being pulled by Thestrals, since they are invisible, waiting for them outside the station. The trio and Mike all climbed with relief into one of them, the door shutting with a snap. A few moments later, with a lurch, the long procession of carriages rumbled and splashed its way up the track to Hogwarts castle.
Draco really ruins the fun. But at least Arthur and David have some ammo to use on Draco later.
