[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 i 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?"
> > >
> > >"No, I don't think anyones been in here, besides the trolley
> lady..."
> > Kadyn shook his head. "Sorry."
> > >
> > >"What's he look like?" asked Amber, "Maybe if he shows up we can
> tell
> > him your looking for him."
> > >
> > >She looked up trying to envision him in her mind. One foot went up
> > onto its toes.
> > >
> > >"He has very dark straight hair, parted on the side. His eyes are
> a
> > deep brown, and he has the cutest little bump on his right ear."
> She
> > paused and then looked down at them. "Perhaps you have seen
> > his younger brother, Childeric? He's about your age."
> > >
> > >Amber thought. She could have sworn she had seen him before. He
> was
> > the boy she had fought with at the station. When she remembered her
> > face went bright scarlet, "No, I don't think I've seen him before."
> > >
> > >Kadyn thought too. "hmm..." He thought that was who Amber had been
> > fighting with, but he couldn't remember. He assumed Amber would
> have
> > remebere if so, so he said nothing.
> >  >
> > >"Thank you." She slid the door shut catching a part of the
> balloon,
> > making it look as if she had caught it on a nose. She slid the door
> > open and pulled the balloon free. As she re-closed the door
> > they could hear out in the hallway, "Sorry about that."
> > >
> > >Amber was so embarrassed that she had just met, what could have
> been,
> > the boy's girlfriend that she stole the book Cyrus had been reading
> and
> > turned to a random page hiding her face behind it.
> > >
> > >Cyrus noticed this, but chose not to comment. He had been silently
> > watching the interplay, eating his Cauldron Cakes. Having not seen
> > Amber at the station, he was unsure why she was suddenly so
> > embarressed.
> > >
> > >Kadyn saw Amber blush, and tried to figure out why. After a sudden
> > revelation, he exclaimed "I was right! The boy she was looking for
> was
> > that boy you were fighting with, back on the platform!" Kadyn
> smiled,
> > then began to think of why she was blushing over this.
> > >
> > >Amber shot Kadyn a dark glance then started to actually read the
> book
> > Cyrus had been reading both to distract her mind and also to lose
> some
> > redness of her face.
> > >
> > >"What?" Kadyn frowned. "What did I say?" Kadyn shook his head.
> "Girls"
> > he thought silently to himself. He looked at the book. " What are
> you
> > reading? "Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them". Where did you
> pick
> > that up, Cyrus?"
> > >
> > >[OOC: What's in the book?]
> > >
> > > "Flourish and Blott's, in Diagon Alley." Cyrus replied.
> > >
> > >"Oh, I didn't actually get my books there. I got mine back from a
> > local shop back in Hogsmeade." Kadyn peeked over Amber's shoulder.
> > >
> >
> > >"This is brilliant!" said Amber "It's called a 'Thestral'. It
> says,
> > 'you can only see them when you've looked into the face of death.
> From
> > those who've see this strange but terrible beast have said that it
> > resembles a bony horse with black bat wings.' Also there's a
> rectangle
> > that looks like a picture should be there. Is this one of those
> strange
> > pictures where they walk in?"
> > >
> > >"No, you probably just can't see it because you haven't seen
> death."
> > Kadyn
> > shrugged and looked over where the thestral should have been.
> > >
> > >[OOC: It is there but Amber can't see it. She hasn't seen death.]
> > >
> >
> > [OOC:  This train even happens in all the threads simultaneously. 
> All
> > threads sync with this event.]
> >
> > They felt a thump followed by a sharp jolt in the floor of the
> train.
> > There was an unnatural silence – no train engine sounds were heard.
> >
> > A crack sounded as the train came to a sudden and complete stop.
> > Luggage, books, personal items, and students filled the air.  Those
> > students who did not fly out of their bench seats bounced off of
> the
> > cushions behind them and landed on the floor.
> >
> > Outside the windows the landscape was motionless.
> >
> 
> "Ow..." Kadyn rubbed the back of his head, where something had bumped
> into
> his head. "What's happened? I don't think we're there yet..." Kadyn
> peeked
> out the window, trying to see if they were anywhere near Hogsmeade
> station.
> 

As Kadyne looked out the window he could see the highland hills
trailing off into the distance.  Nothing was nearby but scrubby bushes
and a rocky stream.

He could also see that the train was upright and still on the tracks. 
A bend in the track allowed a view of the engine several cars ahead. 
It was sitting there, proper but idle.  No smoke was coming out of its
stack.