My Godfather is an Innocent Convict (Rewrite)

Issues with Train Security.

The Scarlet steam engine looked the same as always.

Harriet took her time saying goodbye to her family. The photo album was in the same place in her trunk as her mother's journal. She hadn't made complete sense of it yet but it seemed the two had some correlation. The journal was the puzzle and the the photo album contained clues, so to speak.

The invisibility cloak was once again at the bottom of the trunk. Considering how often she used it, it would probably have been smarter to leave it at home. The thought occurred as she dragged her luggage onto the train.

"Thanks to you taking your sweet time almost everywhere is full!" Blaise complained as he led them through two carriages.

Draco simply followed them. Despite slowly starting to remember things, he wasn't quite in what one might call working condition. He completely missed most inside jokes, was generally quiet and reserved and seemed to creep around his friends. Right at that moment he looked completely lost.

"You okay?" Harriet asked him, recieving a very hesitant nod in return.

Eventually, after walking the distance to Timbuktu inside the train, they found a nearly empty compartment. The only person inside was a man sleeping in the corner.

"Who is this guy?" Pansy asked obviously displeased by his shabby clothes.

"Professor Remus J. Lupin." Harriet read off of what seemed to be his trunk. "I assume he's the new defense against the dark arts teacher."

"Woah! How do you know that?" Blaise asked sounding impressed.

"It's written on his trunk." Harriet rolled her eyes.

"He looks like a homeless guy." Pansy commented wrinkling her nose.

"Oh lay off." Harriet told her. "We can't all afford Madelaine Beccari clothes and Quendon Goldington shoes."

She had a feeling the man wasn't acctually asleep. He was breathing too evenly, like it was trained.

"Whatever." Pansy said shaking her hair out of her face. She had gotten it cut into a short bob a week ago.

The train carried on racing through the countryside. Blaise suggested a card game that Pansy took him up on. After five rounds of losing she decided she didn't like it.

The blue sky turned into a sheet of grey clouds and the sun was washed away by heavy raindrops splattering against the window.

Harriet's mood worsened. She went from being bored to being bored and annoyed. Pansy and Blaise were still arguing about the sodding card game. Draco was failing at being a peace keeper and was slowly drifting onto Blaise's side of the situation.

At least one thing was still normal.

Resting her head on the back of her seat, Harriet stared at the cieling. The lights were flickering slightly.

The train lurched to a halt.

Harriet fell forward almost hitting Blaise who was sitting oposite her. Hastily, they all got back into their seats and checked for injuries.

When she was certain no-one was hurt, she made her way to the window and peered out trying to distinguish something. Anything to tell her what was going on.

"Is it just me, or is it getting cold in here?" Draco asked, wrapping his cloak around himself. Pansy huddled closer to Blaise, stealing a corner of his.

Harriet watched as ice crystals crawled across the window pane, a feeling of horror spreading through her. It felt as if all the happiness was being sucked out of the room. The lights had gone off.

Could a magical train have a power cut?

She shivered and hurried back to her seat.

They sat there, waiting. Confusion and fear written on all their faces. Nobody made a sound.

Then they heard it. A deep rattling breath that sounded like a skeleton trying to breath.

Harriet tried to stay calm. She was scared to the bones. Was it showing on her face? Her hands started to shake. She clenched them into fists, digging her nails into her palms and hoping no one would notice.

The compartment door slid open. Was there a ghost on the train? But ghost's weren't malevolent and most weren't invisible. A specter maybe?

A grotesque looking hand wrapped around the frame. Decidedly not belonging to a spirit. It was scabby and looked like rotten flesh.

There was no smell. That ruled out most living things. Most dead things too.

Well, as far as she knew.

Another rattling breath. A hooded figure glided into the compartment. It hovered there, seemingly taking in everything.

Could it see them? What did it want?

Harriet shrank back into her seat. That thing was dangerous. Decidedly so.

The creature turned it's head towards her.

Her breath caught in her throat and she panicked. She couldn't breathe. 

Air! She needed air!

Her vision blurred.

Someone was screaming. Someone needed help!

Everything was going dark.

Was she dying? 

She couldn't die she needed to save her friends from the thing.

The world was getting darker and darker and darker...

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XOXO, Drachma