Chapter FOUR
The Hogwarts Express
Rick woke up the next morning from someone shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up boy or you'll miss your train." It took Rick a moment to identify the gruff voice of the innkeeper and even longer for the meaning to get through to him. With a jolt he bolted upright and looked at the clock. It was already ten o'clock, he needed to hurry if he wanted to get to King's Cross and catch the train. Quickly gathering his things, he said a brief goodbye to Albert the innkeeper and stepped through the front door back into the muggle world.
The sun was already shining brightly, making his long trek to King's Cross Station that much more exhausting. He got more than a few curious stares from the muggles in his ragged clothing and dragging his heavy trunk but Rick pressed on, eager to get to the station in time.
When he finally reached his destination and managed to drag his trunk onto a trolley, his shirt was drenched in sweat and his muscles were aching but he had no time to dwell on that because it was already ten to eleven and he still had to get to the right platform. Finding platforms nine and ten turned out to be not that difficult, it was finding the one that lay in between that was a bit more challenging. Even after he had seen brick walls move to clear a passageway, seen flying brooms and self-stirring cauldrons in Diagon Alley, Rick was still a bit doubtful about walking straight into a wall. Everything Harewell had said had turned out to be true so far, so he really had no reason to expect her to lie about this. Perhaps it was the fact that the barrier looked decisively real and he did not feel like cracking his skull against a brick wall that made him feel a little unsure about it all.
Rick looked at the large clock, it was five to eleven. If he was going to do it, he shouldn't wait any longer. Without thinking, he set his trolley on a collision course with the wall and broke out in a run. Three feet from the brick wall, it occurred to him that this was madness but he could not top anymore so he closed his eyes and braced himself for the collision. Only, it did not come. Instead the cart passed through the barrier with ease so either he had gotten a tremendous amount of strength out of his meagre meal last night or this really was the right passage to platform 9¾. He opened his eyes and the first thing that caught his attention was a giant red steam locomotive regurgitating large clouds of steam as it prepared to depart. A plaque on the wall next to it informed him this was the right platform (as if any more hidden platforms were to be discovered between existing ones) and a sense of relief washed over him.
Platform 93/4 was bustling with activity. He passed adult wizards and witches all wearing strange robes and discussing work or the latest news. Weaving through the adults were scores of young wizards and witches, running around greeting each other after a long summer, running after escaped pets or just standing rather unsure next to their parents as they greeted colleagues or old friends. Rick weaved his way through the crowd to the entrance of the train and tried to haul his heavy trunk all the way to an unoccupied compartment. He had barely boarded the train when he found his way blocked by a brown haired girl. She was a little smaller than he and she looked a bit annoyed.
"Have you seen a boy? He's about as tall as you, has reddish brown hair, blue eyes and he answers to the name Rigel."
"No sorry, I haven't seen him." Rick replied truthfully. The girl sighed and moved past him without another word. Rick continued on his way, dodging students running up and down the train. He finally found an empty compartment somewhere in the back of the train, managed to get his trunk in the luggage compartment and had just sat down when the conductor blew his whistle to signal the train's departure. Rick saw the last students hopping on the train, hanging out of the window to say goodbye to their families. Rick wished they would hurry up, he felt excited and couldn't wait for the train to leave now that he was on it. A few seconds later, he got his wish and the train pulled out of the station.
Rick stared out of the window as they passed through greater London. He had never seen such a big city and he wondered if there were more magical passageways hidden in it. He could not wait to discover them all. Soon, however, they were leaving the busy city behind and the scenery became rather monotonous. In the corridor, students of very different ages were passing by his compartment, running up and down the train until Rick noticed two of them stopped just outside of his compartment. Two nervous-looking girls, a redhead and a brunette, were looking into his compartment, obviously discussing whether they should come in or not. They looked about his age so he guessed they were probably first years as well. He waited for them to make their decision when the redhead turned and looked at him unsurely and Rick realized he had seen that girl before. It was the redheaded girl from the Leaky Cauldron and she seemed reluctant to enter the compartment. The choice was taken away from her when her friend resolutely opened the door.
"Hi there, can we sit here? Everywhere else seems to be full." She asked. Rick shrugged and the girl took it as a yes. "Great!" The two girls took the seats by the door and continued the animated conversation they'd apparently had before finding their seats.
"I just can't wait to see it, I mean, it's supposed to be beautiful, at least, that's what my sister says. Did you know that the staircases move?" The brunette asked her friend.
"Yes, I read about it in Hogwarts, A History and I couldn't believe it at first! I just can't wait to see it for myself!" The redhead replied, seeming to have already forgotten that Rick was there. "I hope the classes aren't going to be too difficult, though. I mean, I've read all my school books and some extra just in case but it must be easier for you, having magical parents and all."
"I wouldn't worry about it." The brunette assured her. "There are loads of muggleborns every year and they do just fine. Besides, I may know a few spells already but I'm just as close to casting them as you are, so really, you have nothing to worry about." Rick saw the redheaded girl was relieved to hear that and he couldn't deny that it made him feel more at ease as well. After that, the conversation turned to wizard bands and who was the best looking member of something called the Weird Sisters. Twice, the conversation was interrupted by another girl - obviously other first years - asking if they could join them after which the amount of girly giggles was doubled in the small compartment. Rick tried to tune them out as best as he could but after an hour or so, he had had enough of loud, mindless chatter and saw his chance to escape when a woman with a cart came by, asking if they would like something. Rick didn't have any money to buy anything but he readily took the opportunity to step out of the compartment and leave the overly chatty girls. He went looking for another place to sit but quickly found that the girls hadn't been lying, everywhere else was full. He passed compartment after compartment but nowhere seemed an suitable place for him to sit. The few places that were free were in compartments with older students who looked at him funny or shooed him away when he tried to enter so he roamed the corridor for a while until he heard someone call his name.
"Hey Rick!" Rick turned to see Robert Henderson, the boy from Diagon Alley, poking his head out of a compartment door to greet him. "Are you looking for a place to sit?" Rick nodded. "Come sit with us." Rick wondered who 'us' was but gratefully accepted the invitation. Henderson's compartment was already pretty full so Rick took the only free aisle seat with Robert sitting opposite him.
"Everyone, this is Rick O'Connell." Robert introduced him. "Rick, this is Andrew Platt." He indicated the brown haired boy with the long face sitting next to him. Platt rather haughtily looked Rick up and down before nodding to him in greeting.
"By the window is Rigel Bailey." A boy with messy reddish brown hair and wearing finely tailored deep blue robes looked up - he had been staring out the window, almost bored - and greeted Rick with little interest.
"Across from him is Evan Murnaghan." A blond haired boy smiled in greeting and offered his hand.
"Nice to meet you." Rick shook his hand and nodded in acknowledgement.
"And these are Christopher and Peter Barlow. I don't know which is which, I always get them confused." Two identical boys grinned at him and offered their hands as well.
"I'm Peter." Said the one sitting farthest from him.
"And I'm Chris." Said the other one as he shook Rick's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Rick answered.
"O'Connell?" Platt said as if he was trying to recall the name. "I can't say I know the name. What does your father do?"
"Oh, Rick's parents are dead." Henderson replied matter-of-factly before Rick had a chance to.
"Oh, I guess that explains why you look so-" Platt trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Rick got the impression that whatever he was going to say, it wasn't a compliment.
"So what?" He prodded.
"Nevermind." Platt dismissed the question and studiously looked away. Rick decided he did not quite like this Platt kid. There was a brief uncomfortable silence before Murnaghan broke it.
"We were just talking about classes." He said, clearly seeing the benefits of changing the subject. "I think Potions will be a real doozy, just think of all the ingredients we'll need to memorize! Robert, however, thinks Transfiguration will be more difficult. What do you think, Rick?" Rick didn't have a clue but he was spared the need to reply as Platt interrupted.
"Come off it," He sneered. "I already told you, Potions is just a matter of studying. My dad says Transfiguration is way more difficult since there are a lot more difficult equations and diagrams that you need to fully understand in order to make a spell work." He said haughtily. The boys launched into a discussion about the difficulty of the various classes they would be taking. Platt was annoyingly vocal with his opinion and Rick noticed most of his arguments started with 'my father says'. The other boys were less obnoxious in their advocacy but Rick couldn't say that that made them any more interesting companions. He was just thinking about excusing himself and finding another place to sit when one of the Barlow twins addressed him.
"So which house do you think you'll get into, O'Connell?" Rick, surprised to be addressed, didn't immediately reply. He hadn't really thought about which house he wanted to be in, he didn't think it mattered much.
"I don't know, which is the best one?" He asked.
"Ravenclaw, of course." Platt interrupted proudly. "That's the house my father was in. 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure'."
"I'm hoping to get into Hufflepuff." The blond boy, Murnaghan, said.
"Hufflepuff?" Platt sneered. "Why?"
"My dad was a Hufflepuff, he says the common room is the best ever and it's close to the kitchens if you want a midnight snack." He said with a cheeky grin. Rick raised his eyebrow sceptically. Murnaghan was the last who should need a midnight snack, he was already quite pudgy.
"So?" Platt countered unimpressed. "Ravenclaw's common room is in one of the towers and has the best view and they've got a private little library too for if you suddenly feel like reading at night." He said decisively, though Rick could not see what was so much fun about that. It had been a few years since he had gone to school but even back then, he felt he and books didn't get along. They were tedious and difficult and he did not understand why you would need them to learn magic.
"I think I'll pass then." He muttered dryly but Platt had heard.
"Your loss then." He scoffed. "Come on, Bailey, you'll support me on this, right?" Platt continued, oblivious to Rick's annoyed look. "You want to be Ravenclaw too, don't you? Your entire family's been there." The auburn haired boy in the corner looked nervous and uncomfortable at the question.
"I don't know, the other houses aren't bad either." He answered evasively. Platt looked surprised for a moment but didn't let it put him off.
"Anyway, my father wants me to do well so I've already read all of my books twice, just to be prepared." He continued, looking rather pleased with himself. The other boys looked impressed but Rick decided he had had enough. He would rather spend the rest of the afternoon roaming the corridors than spending another minute in the presence of this obnoxious boy and his boring mates.
"Really? Only twice?" He said sarcastically. "I would read it again if I were you, you may have missed something." The compartment suddenly fell very quiet as they all stared at Rick in surprise.
"I'm sorry, what is your problem?" Platt asked irritated.
"Nothing really, it's just, you could read a thousand books but at the end of the day, you have to do it and no book is going to do it for you. It will be a cold day in hell when I learn magic from reading a book." Rick told him.
"With that attitude, I'm sure you'll make for a very poor wizard." Platt sneered.
"And I'm sure that I'll make for a very boring wizard otherwise." Rick countered again. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He got up and stepped out into the corridor but he hadn't taken more than a few steps when one of the idiots was calling his name. It was the auburn haired boy, Bailey, Rick thought he was called.
"That was pretty cool what you did back there." The boy said. "Platt needed that, badly." Rick did not know what to make of this boy and wondered what he wanted from him.
"That's not a very nice thing to say about your friend." He remarked.
"Oh, he's not my friend, more like an acquaintance." The boy explained. "My father is good friends with his father."
"Maybe you'd better return then." Rick remarked bluntly. He was in no mood to play nice with a swot.
"Are you kidding? I was glad for the excuse to get out of there. They're boring, I'd much rather listen to what you have to say, see how many more people you can insult." The boy said with a grin and Rick found himself hesitantly returning it. "I like your view that magic should be practical and fun, though my dad would disagree." Rigel said as they walked down the corridor together. "He's very strict and has pretty much the same views on learning magic as those boys back there. You know he had me study the whole summer?"
"So then you know some spells already?" Rick asked, his interest and regard for the boy growing.
"Yes, well, mostly in theory that is. Dad never allowed me to actually practice them, Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and what not."
"Can you show me?" Rick asked, ignoring Rigel's reply, too eager to try out his new wand. Rigel seemed a little unsure.
"We're not supposed to do magic outside of Hogwarts..." He began but he could not stop the wicked grin from appearing on his face. "But since this is the Hogwarts Express, technically an extension of Hogwarts, we're not breaking any rules, are we?" Rick grinned, he was already beginning to like this boy.
"Let's try the leg-locker curse, it causes the victim's legs to literally lock together, completely hilarious! I remember when I first got it right and I cast it on my cousin and she had to hop around until she could find someone who could stop it." Rigel's face lit up at the memory.
"I thought you said your dad didn't allow you to practice magic?" Rick asked.
"No, he doesn't but that doesn't mean I listened." Rigel winked. "Now, the spell is 'Locomotor Mortis' and you have to wave your wand like this when you cast it." Rick got out his wand and repeated the movement Rigel showed.
"Locomotor..."
"Not on me!" Rigel yelled alarmed. "Come on." He beckoned Rick over and pointed down the corridor. A bit further, a group of girls were talking. Rigel motioned to them and nodded in encouragement. "Give it a try." Rick pointed his wand at one of them and said:
"Locomotor Mortis."
The spell hit one of the girls and she started to shriek as her legs immediately snapped together and she had to hop on both legs to keep her balance. Rigel burst out laughing as Rick stared at the girl with open mouth. Was that his doing? The girl tried to balance against her friends trying to separate her legs but only managed to fall over. The other girls panicked and general chaos ensued. It was mightily funny and Rick could not help but laugh as well. Their laughter got the attention of one of the girls and when she turned around to look at them, Rick saw it was the same redheaded girl that had pilfered his compartment earlier. Her gaze travelled to the wand in Rick's hands and her eyes narrowed as she scowled. Rigel noticed it too and he quickly grabbed Rick by the elbow and hastily went the other way, still chuckling.
"That was hilarious!" Rigel gasped between laughs. "You're good! I didn't expect you to be able to get it right the first time. Did you cast that spell before?"
"No." Rick replied, equally amazed. Using magic was amazing, every fibre of his being was buzzing. He couldn't wait to do it again.
"Brilliant." Rigel said.
"So is that one of the spells your father taught you?" Rick asked curious.
"Merlin, no!" Rigel replied. "He's way to strict for that. No, my uncle Demetrius taught me that one."
"Is everyone in your family magical?" Rick asked as the two made their way down the train looking for an empty compartment.
"Yeah, and they all went to Hogwarts too." Rigel replied.
"So that makes you a pureblood?" Rick thought about what Robert Henderson had said about Mordaunt and purebloods and wondered if this boy would be the same.
"Yeah, I am. What about you?" Rigel asked.
"Muggleborn." Rick replied.
"Well, I wouldn't have guessed." Rigel said. "I mean, you nailed that spell." He sounded impressed but Rick couldn't help but feeling a bit insulted.
"And a muggleborn can't cast a spell?" He demanded.
"No, of course he can but... if that was the first time you cast that spell, then you're pretty good. I mean, it took me a couple of tries before I got it right."
"Oh," was all Rick could say and a look of understanding dawned on Rigel's face.
"You thought because I'm a pureblood I would look down on muggleborns?" He interpreted Rick's reaction.
"Well, yeah." Rick admitted.
"Who told you that?" Rick explained how he had met Robert and how the boy had told him about Mordaunt and his idea of pureblood supremacy.
"Not every pureblood family is like the Mordaunts." Rigel explained. "I have nothing against muggles and muggleborns." Feeling slightly embarrassed about his reaction, Rick though it wise to change the subject.
"Do you know any other spells?" He asked eagerly.
"Well, I know the Jelly Legs Curse, a good Trip Jinx and I have a good idea on a few others but that's about it." Rigel replied.
"Can you teach me?" Rick wanted to know.
"Sure." Rigel replied, looking somewhat taken aback. "Let's find an empty compartment and I'll show you." Rick couldn't wait to get started and enthusiastically set off anew to look for empty seats. Half-way down the train, however, they were stopped in their tracks when a compartment door was yanked open and a boy was shoved out right in front of them. He was small and scrawny and already wore his raggedly patched up Hogwarts robes, accessorized with a pair of too large glasses balancing on his nose. Overall, he looked a bit nerdy.
"Hey, watch it!" Rigel exclaimed as the boy nearly bumped into him.
"S..s..sorry." The boy stammered but he was interrupted by a large boy who followed him out of the compartment. He was massive, almost twice as large and five times as wide as the boy with the glasses, with arms the size of tree trunks and a fat face with an uncommonly large nose and little beady eyes.
"Problems?" He asked slowly and in a deep voice, giving the impression that he was a bit retarded.
"Yeah, why are you-" Rigel trailed off as he took in the massive boy. "Wow, you're big."
"This compartment is ours." The big boy said sluggishly, as if he was having trouble stringing words together. Rick didn't know what compelled him – the boy was twice their size – but something in him rebelled at being talked down to like that.
"I don't see your name on it." The large boy lazily looked at him and then reached out to grab Rick by his collar and pushed him into the wall, making Rick grunt.
"Whoa, easy there big guy." Rigel tried to appease the giant boy but he did not let go and threw Rigel a withering look.
"What's the hold up, Trevill?" A slender boy with a shrewd face joined them from the compartment in the corridor. He grinned maliciously as he took in the scene.
"A disagreement on seating arrangements it seems." Rigel replied, sounding ill at ease.
"Sadly, our compartment is full so why don't you go looking for trouble elsewhere?" He said threateningly, making Rigel take a step back.
"What's going on here?" The question came from a much older looking boy who was wearing a gleaming badge on his chest with the letter 'P' on it. "Let go of that boy, Trevill." He addressed the massive boy but Trevill did not move. "I said, let go." The older boy repeated.
"Mind your own business, Salman." Another voice sounded from the compartment and a girl emerged from inside it. She had to be a second or third year from the looks of her but her cold grey eyes exuded malice and from his precarious position pressed up against the wall, Rick thought he saw the older boy hesitate slightly.
"Come now, Maeve. That's no way to talk to a Prefect." Another female voice from inside the compartment said serenely. It belonged to a tall girl with dark hair and even darker eyes that gave the Prefect such a cold stare it sent shivers down Rick's spine. This was not someone to be messed with. "You can let go now, Trevill." She said lazily and finally, the huge boy let go of Rick.
"Apologies, Salman." The dark haired girl said smoothly, not looking the least bit sorry. "It seems the boys got a little carried away." Salman the Prefect stared back at her and Rick though he looked a little… nervous?
"Keep you dogs on a leash in the future or I'll have to deduct points." He said finally and the dark haired girl's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Naturally." She said icily. "Now, let's leave the ickle first years to their business, shall we?" She beckoned her three companions back inside the compartment, all the while defiantly holding the Prefect's gaze, daring him to contradict her. He did not so the girl followed her companions inside and promptly closed the door. The Prefect released a relieved breath.
"You'll want to be careful around those people." He advised them. "Zayne and Trevill won't hesitate to come after you if Domville or Rydell tell them to."
"Rydell?" Rigel repeated surprised.
"You know the name?" Salman asked and Rigel nodded. "Good, then you'll know to stay away from her." And with that warning, the Prefect went on his way.
"Who's Rydell?" Rick asked immediately after he was gone.
"My brother told me about her." Rigel explained. "Not a girl to be messed with. Orion suspected her of being behind a lot of bullying and cursing people but he could never prove anything as she always has people like that Zayne and Trevill to do her dirty work for her. What were you doing in her compartment anyway?" He asked the bespectacled boy. Rick had nearly forgotten he was still there as well.
"I was just reading my book." The boy replied. "Then they came in and told me to get out, that that was their compartment. I didn't know we had assigned seats?" He said apologetically.
"We don't, they just saw an opportunity to get a compartment to themselves." Rigel said darkly.
"Come on, let's look further down the train for a compartment." Rick urged Rigel, eager to leave the nerdy boy behind and hear more about the wizarding world from Rigel. His new friend nodded but then turned around to address the nerdy boy.
"Hey, why don't you join us?" He offered, much to Rick's dismay. He wasn't looking to make more friends, especially not ones like this boy.
"I'd love to." The nerdy looking boy replied. "I'm Cedric, Cedric Carmichael." He greeted them awkwardly and held out his hand in greeting. Rigel accepted it first.
"Hello Cedric." He said. "I'm Rigel and this is Rick." Rick too accepted Cedric's hand now, albeit reluctantly.
"Are you first years as well?" Cedric asked and the two boys nodded. "I can't wait to see Hogwarts. Do you think the classes will be hard? I hope I have prepared myself enough. I read every one of my books at least twice. I hope that was enough." Rick rolled his eyes. What was it with these people and their obsession with books?
"I would have read it at least three times, but that's just me." He bit back, if only to shut the nerd up. Cedric turned to him, slightly alarmed.
"Really?!"
"No." Rick answered dryly. Rigel snorted.
"Oh." Cedric uttered, clearly put off. He didn't say anything more as he followed them until he suddenly cried out. "What about here?" He pointed to a compartment that Rigel and Rick had missed. They turned around to take a look. Only one person was sitting there, a girl, and she was immersed in a book.
"No, not here." Rigel said quickly.
"Why not? There's plenty of room." Cedric asked.
"Trust me, you'll regret it." Their arguing must have attracted the girl's attention for she lifted her eyes from her book and sprang to her feet in an instant. Rick recognised her as the girl he had seen earlier when he first boarded the train, the one who was looking for someone.
"Let's go." Rigel said almost panicked and he quickly turned around to walk away. He did not get very far as the girl opened the door of her compartment and called out to him.
"Rigel, there you are! I've been looking for you all over the train!" She called out and Rick saw Rigel visibly cringe. "I thought you said we'd sit together on the train and then you just disappeared from the platform. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been hiding from me." Judging by the look on Rigel's face, Rick suspected that was exactly what he had done.
"Come on, I saved you a seat!" The girl said. "You're welcome to join as well, of course." She addressed Cedric and Rick. "Any friend of Rigel's is a friend of mine." Rick glanced at Rigel and saw that he was not at all happy with the offer.
"Rigel, aren't you going to introduce us?" The girl admonished and Rigel sighed.
"Rick, Cedric, this is my cousin Regina. Regina, this is Rick and Cedric."
"How very nice to meet you." Regina said as she shook their hands. "Come on in." It took some persuading but Rigel eventually consented to sitting with Regina, only because there did not seem to be another choice.
"I was just brushing up on my magical herbs and fungi." Regina chatted, showing them the book she was reading. Rick recognized it as one of the books on their booklist. "Did you know that Devil's Snare..."
"No one wants to hear about that, Regina." Rigel interrupted her. "I think Rick and Cedric would much rather talk about Quidditch."
"About what?" Rick couldn't help but ask.
"Quidditch." Rigel repeated. "Don't tell me you've never heard of Quidditch?" He asked when he saw the confused look on Rick's face. "I fear I will have to tell you all about it." He said, looking rather pleased. "Sorry Regina, looks like your fungi will have to wait." Rigel apologised, not looking sorry at all and he proceeded to explain the game of quidditch in minute detail, preventing a rather peeved Regina from talking about her book. Cedric tried to chip in with a detailed and lengthy history of a ball called a quaffle but Rigel thankfully interrupted him to tell them all about the different teams and his favourite players. He was just giving a detailed description of a game he once saw with his uncle when the compartment door slid open and the old woman with the trolley appeared again.
"Anything off the trolley dears?" She said with shrill voice.
"Excellent!" Rigel said and he jumped up, already forgetting all about the game he'd been reciting. "A box of Every Flavour Beans, some Pumpkin Pasties and a bag of Chocolate Frogs please." He ordered. Rick could only wonder what all of that was and watched as Rigel returned with his arms full of confectionaries and dumped them on the empty seat next to him.
"Anyone else?" The kind lady asked the other three occupants. Rick was starving but he did not have the money to buy anything and he didn't dare steal again. Besides, Hogwarts surely was not that far away anymore and he could eat there. Cedric and Regina passed as well and the lady with the trolley moved on.
"You're going to ruin your appetite." Regina piped up as she saw Rigel wolfing down his treats.
"So? What do you care?" Rigel bit back and Regina shrugged before returning to her book. "Mum never lets me have these, this is great!" Rigel exclaimed gleefully as he grabbed one of the chocolate frogs, opened it and stuffed an actual living, jumping chocolate frog in his mouth before checking out the box it came in.
"Bummer! I've got this one already." Rick was still trying to comprehend what he'd just seen and didn't have a clue what Rigel was talking about. "Every chocolate frog had a card of a famous witch or wizard in it that you can collect." Rigel explained and he showed him the card of Merlin. "I've got loads already, my collection is nearly complete." He handed Rick card as he went for another. Rick was just examining Merlin's portrait when Cedric struck up a conversation with Rigel's cousin.
"So, what do you think about Spore's view on the benefits of Moly?" He asked Regina, who seemed all too happy to talk about something else than quidditch and chocolate frog cards.
"It's brilliant, she's amazing, she just really knows what she's talking about. I've read her book like five times already - of course, I jotted down some of my own thoughts and remarks in it - I swear I know it inside and out. Go ahead, ask me anything." Cedric seemed a little taken aback at Regina's enthusiastic response but complied with her wish anyway.
"Oh! Uhm.. do you know a different name for Monkshood?" Cedric started off. Rick did not have a clue what he was talking about but apparently, Regina did.
"That's easy. Aconite!" She answered proudly. "Ask me another one!"
"What helps against most poisons?" Cedric obliged. Rick was about to suggest 'not taking them' but he was pretty sure that was not the answer Cedric or Regina was looking for.
"A Bezoar. You can find it in a goat's liver." She answered proudly.
"Actually it's his stomach." Cedric corrected.
"What?" Regina was taken aback.
"A Bezoar. It's found in a goat's stomach, not his liver." Cedric explained.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's the liver." Regina argued feebly, leafing through her book to find proof. Cedric didn't say anything and waited for her to find the chapter she was looking for. When she did, her face flushed bright red.
"Well, I know that it's actually the stomach, I was just momentarily confused." She tried to cover up her mistake. Rick and Rigel looked at her disbelievingly, making Regina look extremely uncomfortable. "Well, I have to go." She said highly irritated. "I'll see you all later." She abruptly rose and left the compartment. Rick and Cedric stared at her retreating form.
"Well, she's a poor loser." Rick stated and Rigel started to laugh. It took several minutes for him to calm down and Cedric and Rick stared at him inquisitively, wondering what he found so funny.
"That was priceless!" Rigel exclaimed. Cedric smiled sheepishly. "You don't know how long I have waited to see her be proven wrong." Rigel continued to laugh so much that it became infectious and a smile formed on Rick's face. Only Cedric didn't think it was so funny and suggested they should go after Regina, which Rigel immediately waived away.
"It'll do her good." He said. Rigel and Rick did not let Regina's departure bother them and made full use of their new compartment as Rigel introduced Rick to the game of Exploding Snap, a card game where the cards tended to explode at unexpected moments. Rick and Rigel amused themselves with a few games (Cedric said he was content to watch) until it began to get darker and the lights in the compartment came on. A woman's voice announced that they were approaching Hogwarts and Rick was very glad to hear it because his stomach was starting to ache from hunger. They changed into their Hogwarts robes and Rick was a little embarrassed to see how his second-hand robes looked really poor against Rigel's custom made and brand new ones. But at least his were in better shape than Cedric's, whose robes were obviously second-hand as well and in a worse state that Rick's, with patches and frayed ends here and there and a little long, causing Cedric to trip over the hem practically every other step. Before long, the train began to slow as they rolled into a station and Rick began to get a little restless in nervous excitement. In a few moments he would be at Hogwarts.