[Hogwarts Between] Kadyn, Cyrus, and Amber on the train

[Patrick McCartney]

While they were discussing money, there came a loud clattering noise in
the corridor outside.  The door of their compartment slid open and a
plump, kindly-looking witch peeked in.

"Anything off the trolley, ducks?" she asked the three children.

"uhm... can you give me costs for "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans",
and chocolate frogs?"  Kadyn had a fairly large collection of Chocolate
frog cards at home, but was still missing quite a few. He turned back
to Amber and Cyrus.  "Do either of you need anything?"

"Yes." said Amber. She got up from her seat and looked at the trolley.
Colorful wrappers overloaded the cart. Packages marked 'Cauldron Cakes'
and 'Peppermint Patties', 'Birdie Bots Every Flavoured Beans" and small
cases of 'Chocolate Frogs'.  Amber ordered all mentioned, getting an
extra frog for Kayden, a small payment for the lost tips.

"Anything for you, love?" the witch asked Cyrus.

"Um, sure," said Cyrus. He purchased several Cauldron Cakes and
Chocolate frogs, and put down his book to eat.

The treats were priced so as not to break the budgets of
schoolchildren, so they didn't deplete the children's spending money
too alarmingly.  Most of Kadyn's Chocolate Frog cards turned out to be
ones he had already, as usual, but there were a couple of new ones. 
One of these was a witch with a mane of black hair, wearing a blue
velvet gown that matched her eyes.

"Winifred of West-Mere-Land," the text read, "also called the Witch of
the West-Mere-Land, was a well-known healer and Animagus of the 13th
Century.  Her animal form was
a black mare. The venerable wizarding family of Windermere claims her
as an ancestress."

"Blimey, I've never even heard of her before..." He turned the card
over, seeing that the witch had disapeared.  "I'll look her up in a
'History of Magic' book, see if it says
anything more." He opened a box of "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans"
and dug in
his bags for his "History of Magic" book, and then swallowed what he
thought was a cherry bean.

Amber looked at the card. Nothing. All there was was a dark black
background. "So, what's so special about this?  It's just...blank."

"Well of course its blank, you can't expect her to wait around all day?
she's got places to go, just like any portrait." Kadyn popped another
bean in his mouth, then spit it out.
"ugh...jalapeno..."

Her eyes widened. She grabbed her suitcase and rummaged through it,
scattering clothes and nick-nacks all around the compartment, until she
reached a glossy piece of paper.  Amber stared at her young face and
the faces of two adults.  One had long red
hair and green eyes, the other blond hair and glasses. They were still.
Amber sighed. She knew in the back of her mind they wouldn't move,
they're a muggle picture. She put them back and started to clean up her
stuff.

Just then the witch on the card popped into view again, as if coming to
look out a window.  She waved and smiled...but she didn't seem to be
looking at Amber or Kadyn.  She
seemed to be waving in Cyrus' direction.

Cyrus happened to glance up at that moment. His face flushed scarlet
when he saw the Chocolate Frog card, and he reached for his book again.

"Do you know her, Cyrus? She certainly seems to know you..." Kadyn bit
into
another Berties Bott's Bean, and gagged.

"Umm... yeah. She's a distant ancestor of mine." said Cyrus.

"Ancestor?" Kadyn exclaimed. "Wow, all my family is Muggles." Kadyn
knew that this was only mostly true, but he thought it was close
enough.

"My family is Muggles also. Well, my grandparents are." said Amber.

"My mum's a muggle," said Cyrus. "All my dad's family are purebloods
though. They were kind of angry with him for marrying a muggle." Kadyn
shook his head. "My parents are both wizards. They are just both muggle
born wizards."

"Purebloods are...?" asked Amber.

"They're wizards with no muggle blood," Cyrus replied. "A lot of the
older wizarding families pride themselves on being pureblooded."

Kadyn nodded "Almost all purebloods are related though, due to their
being fewer of them then their were years ago."


The cabin door suddenly slid open with a slap and was replaced by a 14
year old girl.  She was wearing her school robes and holding a blue
balloon by a string.  The balloon kept floating in and out of the
doorway.

“Oh, excuse me.  I am looking for my friend Dagobert, have you seen
him?”