The Hogwarts Express

For Angelique, the beginning of a new school year had a certain flavour, a certain feeling, a certain price. The beginning of the new year always brought with it new possessions. Not necessarily because she needed them, but because Angelique was a proper purebred young woman, and ostentatious displays of wealth were one of the things that purebloods did best.

One of those displays was hovering in the middle of the corridor right now, as Angelique paused to check each compartment in the carriage. Her new trunk was made of black dragonhide, studded with silver. It was smaller than most of her peer's trunks - wizardspace was a gift from Merlin - but even that couldn't induce Angelique to use her strength to move it, rather than her magic.

There were giggles from further up the corridor, and three much shorter children pushed past Angelique. She reached for her wand, but was stopped short by a familiar voice.

Amelia Lyons thought she was so clever, and that wouldn't be nearly as irritating if she wasn't clever at all. Unfortunately, Amelia was not only conceited, she was intelligent too. Not intelligent enough to realise her faults, but not completely stupid, either. It made Angelique want to blow her brains out.

'Lique finished watching the other girl put the children in their place, and then moved on to the next compartment. Yet another one full of overexcited third years. They all seemed to be talking about which electives they planned to take this year.

Lucy Weasley wrote:Lulu had dumped her trunk in one of the compartments and was now looking for her friends. There was lots to talk about before they got to Hogwarts if Lucy's plans for this year were going to go off without a hitch.

Before she found anyone, she found a couple of ickles wandering around the corridors. Poor things, probably already missing their families.

"Hey newbies, you lost your seats or something?" she called out.

(Was this directed at me and Ethel?)

Luna turned to the person that she heard call her a newbie, "No, we're exploring. Besides, if I wanted to sit, I would've sat with Brienne! What's with all the disrespect for first years anyway? I've noticed a lot of it among older students. Is it a game for all of you? Does it amuse you? I'm dying to know." Her face was a bit flushed with warmth, but any color was not noticeable because of her skin color.

Brienne heard Luna over the bustle of the train. "Just let it go, please. Yes, it's a game to them. It's best to just ignore it, that's what I did. It happened to me when I was your age too, except I wasn't picked on for being short since I wasn't. In fact, DJ was the only one that had any detectable altruism towards the firsties. He's real good with kids, since he realizes that he was once a child himself."

Lucy frowned at the ickle, and then at Ravenquist for encouraging her. She ought to have known better.

"Nobody's picking on you," she stated. "The only reason you think they are is because you insist on talking back to people who are older and wiser than you. I was going to help you find somewhere to sit, but since a vile little creature like you will just end up sorted into Slytherin anyway, you might want to ask Angelique's advice on that."

She pointed to the older girl, just up the passageway. Sometimes, you just had to be cruel to be kind, but Lucy didn't envy the first years if they did try taking her advice.

A screech was heard above, the volume and pitch raising dramatically until the ground shook, and the train lurched to a sudden halt, in a very violent manner. Malphas screeched again, before walking forward towards the train and stamping down, destroying, the tracks in front of it. "Children," he shouted in an unearthly tone, "Your time is nigh, don't bother hiding it'll only prolong the inevitable," it shouted, before he waved his arms and sent them skywards, his skin shooting flames from small cracks all around him, this was the signal for the others to join him.

Angelique's trunk hit the floor and skittered down the corridor.

This time there was no hesitation when she reached for her wand. Blasting open a nearby compartment she caught a glimpse of startled faces before roughly grabbing the three youngest children from away from Brienne and stuffing them in there.

"Sit down on the floor and stay quiet, all of you," she ordered the occupants.

A wave of her wand closed the compartment's blinds and she shut the door and locked it, because she was sure Brienne's little friend would be eager to get herself in trouble despite what she'd been told to do.

Angelique looked at Brienne and Amelia.

"Something's wrong," she stated the obvious. "Get anyone in fifth year and above patrolling the corridors and make sure the others stay in their compartments. Lock the doors if you have to."

Behind the train in a flash of purple light Neqa'el appeared. The demon wore a robe with a hood to hide his face if he was flying he may even be mistaken for a dementor except for the fact his robes where very clean and un-torn. He removed his hood to reveal a half ashen face half human face. His eyes looked like lava he shouted in a booming voice "Is est meus terra" which anyone that spoke latin would know that ment this is my land. He walked to the back of the train and extended his hand. The door folded into nonexistence he boarded the train and looked for a victim.

Niov followed Malphas, cackling her high pitched cackle that did not match her voice. Nothing about Niov matched her. She almost looked pitiful when she was simply walking somewhere or when she hung back, clothed in shadows. But now... she was smiling, a smile full of grey pointed teeth that distorted her face into the face of ugly hatred and destruction. Her hair was matted and stringy as usual, her pointed chin and her eyes flashing. She ran a hand over her horn and tossed her head, pushing past Malphas once his announcement was made.

She skipped down the train corridor, giggling as she did. She saw two tiny little first years and a young girl with her and her smile widened. She veered towards them when suddenly her path was crossed by an older girl, who shoved them safely out of view and locked them into a compartment. The girl turned her back to speak with other students and Niov felt a smile flick across her face.

She strode over and let a hand fall lightly onto the girl's shoulder, her yellowed fingernails tapping an eerie rhythm onto her shoulder. "Ickle firsties don't know better. Ickle firsties are dispensable. Surely you know that..." She laughed and waited for the girl to turn and meet her doom.

Jack was wondering about her luggage so before Eli could respond she stood. "I'm going to go grab my things." She left quickly, working up a nerve to speak to her friends again, planning to rescue her things. She ahd no idea she would find a sobbing Chase....


Jack stepped slowly down the corridor, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck raise as she realized how quickly everyone had fled. Unease and the beginnings of fear settled into her gut as she was forced to a stop.

Terrible, disfigured creatures stood at the end of the hallway. Jack's insides went cold and she felt all the color drain from her face. She backed slowly into a compartment, tripping over the legs of students who were cowering in their seats.

She ignored them, they were a group of third year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws she did not know. She closed the door and stepped forward, placing her hand and nose against the window as she peered out. One of the girls began to cry and Jack shushed her. Her voice caught in her throat.

A thing was approaching.

She turned her head and whispered, "Quiet! No one move a muscle." The students obeyed and stared at her, wide-eyed and shaking. The only sound Jack heard was her shallow breathing as she faced towards the window.

A shadow passed by and Jack slammed her eyes shut, one of the students let out a whimper, but the thing continued. Relief washed over Jack but froze in her heart.

It was approaching Chase's compartment.

Jack left the compartment, ignoring the cries of the students. She locked the door behind her and turned to see a frightening thing standing outside of the compartment Jack had left to figure out what was going on... Where Chase sat alone.

Jack strode forward, holding back her churning, disgusted stomach as she raised her wand to the cloaked creature with a mutilated face. "Leave."

Angelique rolled her eyes. Daddy said there'd been a huge fight at the Potter house, so now the Death Eaters would run the school with no interference from either the Order or the Ministry. There was no reason for them to attack the train, unless they wanted to cull the unworthy before they got to Hogwarts.

She turned slowly to look at the creature before her. Angelique knew inferi couldn't speak, so she assumed it was an illusion or charm, designed to unsettle those with weaker constitutions than her own. This was why she ought to be the leader of the Death Eater Youth, rather than Julia. At least she'd have made sure everyone on their own side was prepared for this.

"Right," she answered. "You've terrified them very well now. I'm sure all the mudbloods and halfbloods will be writing letters to their parents, begging to go home just as soon as they get to school. I, however, am on your side, so I suggest you find someone else to intimidate."

Luna felt red hot in the face, "Oh...well, I don't really read the intentions of others very well. Even Brienne has trouble with that." Suddenly, she heard and saw the Demons. She'd been shoved into a compartment and ordered to the floor. She didn't like that one bit, but the Demons were a bit scary.

Brienne looked up at Angelique, and put away her book. "Will do", she said. Suddenly, one of the foul creatures was behind the girl who'd given her orders. She took out her wand and pointed it at the creature.

"Stay away from us," she warned the beast in a deep voice she only seemed to adopt when attempting to intimidate, "I'll hurt you in ways that you'll regret ever crossing my path." She was really doing that for show, but she did have a couple tricks up her sleeve if this didn't work.

"Angelique, break the window! I don't care how! Just...do it! We need to evacuate these little ones, quickly!"