Michael Corner and The Education of Wizards

Michael Corner and The Dungeon of Doom

'Do you remember,' I said to Boot, 'when we used to get on this train and it was the gateway to a world of excitement and adventure?'

Terry looked gloomily at the Ministry security crews that were patrolling the platform. 'Seems like another world,' he said. 'You didn't have any trouble with your family, did you?'

'No, we're okay,' I said. 'Dad's a Muggle but Mum's wand goes way back.' I didn't need to ask about his family. They were one of the oldest in the Books, so I was quite surprised when he leaned close to whisper.

'We had a visit from Security, a couple of days ago,' he said. 'That idiot Dawlish. Wanted to check on our blood sympathies.'

'Yours?' I said. 'Or your family's?'

'Ostensibly, the family's,' he said. 'But I had a very thorough inquisition.'

'Is that because of the DA?' We had both been members of Dumbledore' Army, the Defence Against The Dark Arts practice group in our OWL year.

'Probably,' he said. 'Did you get anything?'

'No interest at all,' I said, and it was true that I hadn't been bothered in the holidays. But the Ministry knew about my involvement with the DA. My stomach clenched at the memory. The previous term I had told a wizard from the Ministry that the DA had disbanded, which had seemed innocuous enough at the time. I had a horrible suspicion that this information had prompted the attack in the summer term and the death of Professor Dumbledore. I hadn't told anyone about it but the sense of guilt had been gnawing at me all during the holidays.

'Hey, Tone!' drawled Boot as Tony Goldstein sloped up to us. 'Skiving prefect duties?'

'Not much to do,' said Tony. 'Face it. No-one's going to misbehave with this lot around.' He nodded at the Security. 'And the firsties are still saying tearful good-byes.'

'Do you know if the Security will be with us on the Express?' I said.

He shook his head. 'No clue,' he said. 'Mind you, I didn't think there'd be such a heavy presence here. I mean, what are they looking for?'

'The people who aren't here,' said Terry.

'The Potter Brigade?' said Tony. 'Surely they can't have expected them to turn up.'

'Ginny's here,' I said.

'Well, Ron ain't,' said Tony. 'I heard he's got a lurgy, which seems a bit convenient.'

'I was thinking of Muggleborns, actually,' said Terry. 'I saw them chucking a Muggleborn off the train a few minutes ago, and they confiscated his wand. I think they may be detaining Muggleborn parents who turn up with their kids. Tim Knaresby's mum's Muggleborn and I saw her surrounded by uniforms.'

'I saw Tim a moment ago,' said Tony. 'He looked okay.'

'They let her go,' said Terry. 'For now. But I bet they know where she lives.'

There were many Security men on duty on the train. Two in each carriage. All of them were wearing mesh capes over their robes, to deflect minor jinxes, and all of them were unshaven. They all had their hoods up and I could only see their chins. I suppose it was to make them look tougher, and they did look slightly sinister, but the main effect was to make them look untidy.

Two things struck me about them. The first was that they were all quite young, for all that they were trying to look hard. The second was that I didn't recognise any of them.

'Do you think they were at Hogwarts?' I muttered to Mandy Brocklehurst.

'They must have been,' she said. 'There isn't anywhere else. Not in the UK.'