An Enemy

Chapter Four- How?

Running through what I was sure was a completely solid brick wall was the major difficulty I was having. Doing so without Muggles seeing was relatively easy- they weren’t the most observant of people to begin with, and as they hustled and bustled about around the large domed building that was littered with Muggles between platforms, they seemed only barely to see each other let alone the three of us left waiting to go through.

“It’s really not that bad Imogene, you just have to sort pretend to lean against it when no one’s looking and you’ll just pass through.” Hermione coached me. I looked to her with apprehension.

“Sorry, forgive me for not wanting to look like an idiot and walk face first into something that my head is telling me is completely solid.” I sighed angrily, looking again at the rough red brick, whose crevasses appeared to be the perfect housing for woodlice and other assorted creepy-crawlies.

Just close your eyes and go through.

I looked around, stunned, trying to find out where the voice had come from. Deep inside though, I got the feeling that no matter where I looked in this moggy, hot and greasy place, I wouldn’t find where the voice had come from.

Accepting this I knew that I wouldn’t see anyone, but the unmistakable voice made me wish I had. It was Sthyss’, I was sure of it this time.

“Alright,” I whispered to myself, looking at the wall, straying from beside Hermione, who was looking at me strangely, I walked straight towards the brick, eyes closed, and felt a sort of light buzzing around my body.

When I opened my eyes it was to the sight of a great red and black behemoth, I’d never seen anything like it. It was the largest vehicle I’d ever seen, the bright, gleaming red bulk of the train was spewing out clouds of smoke and the students and their parents scattered over the platform looked like the insects you’d find between the bricks I’d passed through, in comparison to it.

“Imogene, Hermione, hurry up we need to get your things in the train.” A hurrying Mrs Weasley called to me, shepherding her children and Harry, myself and Hermione who had just come through the wall behind me.

The others hurriedly handed over our luggage to be placed in the rear carriage and I followed my friends into the second of four carriages just as the conductor blew the whistle for last boarding.

“We’d best find somewhere to sit quickly before all the compartments are taken.” Harry suggested as we separated from Fred, George and Ginny.

Finally we piled into a free compartment and sat down, we hadn’t started moving yet but the smoke began billowing thicker past the window and I got the feeling we’d be departing soon.

“Are you alright Imogene?” Ron asked, I hadn’t been paying attention to what was going on inside the train, and Ron’s voice brought me back sharply.

“Yeah I’m fine.” I smiled and returned to gazing out of the window.

“You’ve never been on a train before have you?” Hermione asked and I shook my head, we’d begun to move and the platform was receding and soon it wasn’t visible at all, the waving parents and younger siblings of all the students on the train began disapparating or merely vanishing from sight as the train rounded the corner and the rain swept leaves of the Ivy and Honeysuckle that grew down the wall of the very end of Kings Cross station and gradually became dull green bushes as we headed out into the country and further away from the city.

It’d been raining all morning and while it was not doing so as heavily as it had been when we’d left the Burrow, the large droplets of water from the deep grey heavens began to thunder against the windows as the train continued through the heath at full speed.