| HIDDEN IN SECRETS |

chapter two

THE JOURNEY ON THE SCARLET TRAIN

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Seven years of bad luck. That is the superstition if you were to crack a mirror. Verena believed in some superstition which was why she had tried to fix her mirror before it was too late. Never having tried the spells she read about, she was failing, disappointingly so.

"We will be late again, Verena!" Damien yelled.

"And whose fault was that last time?!" she called back.

"That was last time!" Damien retorted. "Stop bringing up the past!"

"No wonder he failed History of Magic," Verena said in a softer tone.

"I can hear you," he said with agitation in his voice, and in the reflection was her brother, arms crossed. "What is taking you so long?"

"My mirror cracked," Verena explained. "Seven years of bad luck, I'm not risking it."

"Mother's been feeding you lies," Damien said with a sigh. "I told you not to listen to her. Even Father believes it stupid."

"You crack a mirror and see what awaits you," Verena said. "You don't believe in it anyway."

There was a moment of silence. He drew in a breath and said, "No." Verena smirked, shaking her head.

He used the incantation for mending broken objects. A few seconds later, the crack was no more. Verena smiled at her brother in thanks, then glanced at her large trunk, which was half her size.

"Help me with my trunk?" Verena asked, hopeful.

He laughed and said, "You wish. Now, hurry up. Quarter 'till."

"Damien!" Verena called. "We will miss the bloody train if you— " She paused, seeing her trunk float out of her room, and she smiled.

"What have I told you about using magic?!" Duvessa warned Damien.

"No one will know," he said with a shrug. "Besides, this time I'm helping my sister."

"And if you blow up our house?" Duvessa questioned.

"Don't worry," said Damien. "That'll be Verena's doing. She was the one to set her room on fire."

"Very funny," Verena said in a sarcastic tone.

"Are we ready now?" Silas asked, buttoning the cuffs of his sleeve as he approached. "Have everything?"

"Yes, yes, let's go," said Duvessa, hurrying her children along.

Seven minutes were all they had. They spent another two minutes getting into King's Cross Station. One more loading their trunks into carts. Three minutes left. The Salvadors rushed towards their train. Two minutes. Quickly, and without thought, the four ran into a brick wall.

The hoot of the train sounded, signalling the last call to board the train. The four pushed their way through the crowd. Their parents helped their children lift their trunks onto the train. Then, the scarlet train hooted again, slowly starting to move.

"Let's never be late again," Damien said, out of breath. "Come on then. Slytherin's compartments are this way."

"Damien, I was wondering... " Verena sighed. "If I get out into a different House, what happens then? What if I'm put into Hufflepuff or Gryffindor?"

"Verena, that's not gonna happen," Damien said.

"But if," Verena said. "If I'm sorted into a different House, what happens then? Do you think they'll still be friends with me? The Slytherins?"