(Coeus Black - PoV)
Wow, the spatial expansion charms on this thing are no joke.
Having decided to go searching for the "more" in the cart, at this point I have more or less climbed inside it. I can still see fine, so it looks like someone even sprung for inner light charms. Nice. This thing is a real treat!
Squirming about, I push through row after row of every type of candy imaginable, including many I have never seen before. Some are obvious duds, (Liver cakes. Why?) but others sound awesome. Speaking of, is that a mint Chocolate Frog?! Dibs! Just a little scooch here an- something moves in the corner of my eye and I whip my head around.
...
Nothing but more candy, as far as the eye can see...which isn't very far, admittedly. This thing is packed.
Still...uh...maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
There's only one reasonable thing to do in this situation.
((Get the fuck out, obviously.)) ((No! Go deeper! What is it? You want to know! You *need* to know! Glory! Knowledge! Power! Secrets!))
Narrowing my eyes and squaring(wiggling really) my shoulders, I pull out my wand.
Dive deeper!
Bracing myself, I prepare to climb the rest of the way into the cart for a proper exploration and potential hunt when someone grabs my ankle and starts pulling.
Hey! Wait! Quit it!
((What? No, something is wrong, I need to get out.)) ((No, everything is fine! This is where the *real* adventure starts! The entire point!))
I'm just getting to the good part!
I struggle a bit, fighting before whoever is pulling at me finally receives a decent kick.
((NO! NONONONONO! THIS IS NOT RIGHT!))
The tugging continues. Ugh, fine. Relenting, I cease my resistance, allowing myself to be dragged out of the cart.
Phoebe looks down at me, more concerned than I have ever felt her.
What? That's weird...
"Phoebe?" I ask, blinking up at her.
Are her eyes watering?
She shakes her head.
"Idiot," she replies, before hugging me.
"You bloody idiot..."
Returning her hug, I look around the compartment.
Everyone is staring at us, looking as confused as I am.
I give Daphne, sitting beside us, a questioning glance.
She shrugs but looks rather concerned.
"We were talking about the Express when she suddenly panicked and started trying to drag you out."
What? Oh.
...
I take it my hunt doesn't go so well then?
Phoebe lets out a choked half laugh before hitting me.
"You reckless idiot," she complains, "You don't come back..."
...
"Much of the time, if you go all the way in, you don't come back out."
...
Oh.
...
The compartment is silent, processing that fact. Most of the group eyes the cart with rather more wariness than before.
...
"I thought I saw movement and went to go chase after it," I admit.
Everyone stares at me.
"You are such an idiot," Daphne confirms.
Everyone nods.
I frown but have no defense. It was obviously a terrible idea, what was I thinking?
"Gryffindor," Draco mutters.
"Hey now, that is just uncalled for!" I object.
He looks me in the eye.
"Then tell me that was not a Gryff thing to do!"
It was one of the most Gryffindor things I have ever heard of.
"It totally wasn't! I was just curious, I wanted to know what it was! I had no idea it was a real threat! I didn't expect the Trolley Lady to keep something that dangerous in the bloody candy cart!"
Draco opens his mouth to argue, before closing it and shaking his head.
Partial success at least.
"She...sort of warned us? But not really?" Iris says.
Daphne huffs.
"More than candy indeed."
"So, uh...what is up with her? Even before the, er, death candy cart, she certainly seemed a bit, off, what with the...well, everything." Iris asks, gazing at me rather intently.
Death Candy Cart, I like it. Hrm or Candy Cart of Death? Oh, Death Trolley of Candy! I may be getting off-topic.
I shrug at her question.
"No one knows, really. There are all sorts of rumors, of course, but about the only thing people are confident on is that she's worked the Express since it first ran."
"That was 150 years ago!" Hermione speaks up.
I nod.
"Sounds about right."
"That would make her older than Dumbledore!" She sounds shocked. "Significantly older, even. I remember reading all about the train in Hogwarts: A History, and it mentioned Ottaline Gambo making a deal with the Headmaster, Honeydukes, and an older witch to sell snacks every year to help fund everything. I had no idea it was the same person. If she was described as older even back then..."
I shrug.
"Dumbledore is pretty old for a wizard, but there are lots of things out there waaay older than him."
Nice job actually reading that book though, no one else does. It has a lot of boring crap to wade through to get to any good stuff.
"Father always leaned towards the whole "spirit of the Hogwarts Express" theory, but I doubt that at this point, since she referred to the Express separately," Draco speaks up.
Daphne nods. "She's obviously physical, so I think most ghosts and spirits are out."
And you want to move away from the topic of the train I bet.
"What about poltergeists?" Draco suggests. "They can still affect the world, Peeves is a well-known nuisance. I liked the theory about a poltergeist that possesses dead bodies. It would explain why she drastically changes appearance occasionally."
"Wait, she changes appearance?" Hermione interjects.
"Completely," Draco says, nodding along as he gets into the conversation, seemingly forgetting he was talking to a muggleborn. "I've heard some of the older wizards say she was even a man for a couple of years back during the 40s but wouldn't tell anyone why."
"She always changes back eventually though," I say. "So either she's just trying different things out or she's like, shapeshifting them into her preferred form or something? I don't think poltergeists can manage that."
Draco frowns, hmming thoughtfully.
Hermione and Iris stare at the rest of us like we are crazy.
"What?" I ask. "I mean, it could be worse. She could be a Hag or something."
Daphne rolls her eyes.
"Well, at least I know you can deal with those."
Phoebe and I chuckle.
Iris tilts her head.
"What's a Hag?"
Oh, haven't gotten to that in the books yet, then?
I see Hermione's mouth opening but manage to speak up before her. "Near-human species, sorta like goblins, giants, merfolk, etcetera." Brown eyes glare at me. I stick my tongue out at her, very quickly. "They like raw meat, and have a reputation for eating children."
Iris and Hermione both recoil at the last bit, shocked.
"What?" Hermione asks. "Nothing I read mentioned anything about that!"
Frowning, I actually focus on her.
"Show me the books you read? Or actually, let me guess, all new ones? Very standardized, formal, and reputable looking?"
She hesitates a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, that's why." I shrug. "Politics. A lot of the new books leave out all the actually important bits about how dangerous most Dark Creatures are."
I shake my head.
Hermione frowns at me.
"Umm, do they really...?" Iris asks.
Daphne snorts, drawing everyone's attention.
"We slipped away from my parents last year and were wandering Knockturn when we ran into one. She tried to snatch Astoria right off the street."
Daphne smirks a bit.
"Poor choice for her. Astoria has a fondness for sharp objects and cut off her fingers with whatever she was carrying that day, then while she was screeching Coeus set her on fire and blew her down the alley." Daphne raises an eyebrow at me. "Then spent the rest of the day complaining about how it ruined his afternoon away from Diagon."
I sigh.
"Ugh. Of course, we immediately got dragged back to Diagon after that little incident, didn't matter that we dealt with the threat." Frowning, I have a realization. "Did I show Astoria my new dagger?" I ask Daphne.
She stares at me.
It is her turn to sigh.
"No. I assume it is something special then?"
Nodding, I pull out my anti-were dagger and show it off once more, catching Draco and even Hermione's attention as well.
Iris appears, conflicted, about matters, while Phoebe remains...attached.
I'm sorry Phoebe...
Hermione takes advantage of my lapse to bring up Werewolves.
"I was under the impression they were just people who had been cursed," she says. "Obviously they are dangerous on the full moon, but isn't that fairly easy to avoid?"
I shake my head again.
"Same books?" I ask once more, before continuing before she can even respond. "The important bit there is curse. The curse isn't on during the full moon and off otherwise, the moon just makes it stronger."
I lean back in my seat, so Phoebe and I can adjust our positions to get more comfortable.
"Just about everything that makes a were dangerous during a full moon? The rage and aggression, the strength and madness, the bloodlust and outright cannibalism? It's all there. All the time. Just not quite as strong, and they don't transform."
Hermione is quiet, brown eyes boring into me.
"Some can deal with it. Like anyone else with major mental issues I guess? But it's like going through life with this force screaming in the back of your head, kill kill kill. All the time."
I shake my head.
"So, some can deal with it. Most...can't. Most weres are really violent, and end up killing people. And then there's the transformation itself. You would think it would be easy to contain, but it is not. They might look like wild animals, and almost act like it, but they are not. They are still just as smart as before. And then there's quite possibly the worst part."
I take a breath, accidentally giving a dramatic pause in the process.
"The curse. It is very much a curse, and the full moon amplifies it. The curse itself, though, is quite possibly the single nastiest piece of magic in history. Even aside from everything it does to the people it affects, it often appears actively malicious. During and around the full moon, things go wrong."
I frown deeply, remembering stories...
"Families with Weres? You would think setting up a safe room or a good, sturdy cage with reliable enchantments and locking them up each month would be fine. Problem solved, right?"
I shake my head again.
"But it never lasts. It will work for a while, but the enchantments always seem to fail. Locks don't set properly, or bars break. Things just go wrong, and the were gets loose. And then...well..."
Even Iris and Hermione need no elaboration from there.
Daphne speaks up in agreement. "It's what happened to the Parkinsons. The family had more power a few generations ago, but one of their members was afflicted. Due to the stigma, they decided to hide it, and simply lock him away during the moons. It worked for over a year before he escaped during an important party. Killed 14 people."
Oh, so that's what it was. I think Andy might have mentioned it, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time. Whatever, not like they matter anymore since the boar go- ah. Since he offed himself. Totally.
Hermione is frowning deeply. She does that a lot.
"That's -"
The door opens once more. Laughing, Dora's firstie form darts inside, shutting it behind her.
Ignoring the empty seat, she plops down into our laps, before thrusting a fist into the air.
"Hah! Victory!" She announces.
Everyone stares at her.
"Caught Lee and the Twins with the spider out," she smirks. "Not only that, but they were showing it to Angelia even, for bonus points. Lit some of ol' Fillibuster's finest fireworks, opened the door, tossed em in, closed it, locked it, then literally watched the fireworks."
She cackles.
"Hmm, I suppose this form is a bust now, but totally worth it, totally worth it."
Returning to her normal form, purple hair and all, she sighs in satisfaction, leaning back on top of us. Because of course she does not get off of us when she returns to her full size, instead squishing us into the seat.
I really want to complain, but the story is pretty good payment. That sounds awesome.
"Anyhow, it was just a matter of time before someone got their act together, so I had to take off. Figured I would come see what you lot were up to."
She twists around in a manner that would be uncomfortable for anyone other than a metamorph.
"They get the door open yet Phobes?"
Phoebe just shrugs, not even opening her eyes, head resting on my shoulder.
Dora pauses, before turning to me.
"Okaaaay...Coeus?" She asks.
"She's been...yeah. You know. Ever since I almost got eaten or something."
"..."
"Ok, hold up. Fucking what?"
