GOLDEN BLOOD

Chapter VIII Freezing Train Ride.

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again. No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

Hagrid is dragging a massive Christmas tree to the castle. Hermione walks to the Great Hall entrance with her luggage and the ghosts are singing Christmas songs. "Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Ring the Hogwart bell. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas..."

Hermione looks from the massive Christmas tree as Flitwick uses his wand to put another ornament on the tree to Harry and Ron as they play Chess and walks towards them. "Knight to E5." The Knight moves to its destination. Hermione walks up behind Harry. Ron with a smug face"Queen to E5." Hermione watches as Ron's queen goes over to Harry's knight and whacks the knight with her chair. Ron grins.
"That's totally barbaric!" She states with a shocked face.
Thea enters the Great Hall with her brother Benjamin. They split up, Ben goes to say goodbye to his friends and Thea to hers.
"Good morning. I see Ron is winning, again." She says noticing the disaster on the chess table. "That's wizard's chess." He Looks over to both girls. "I see you've packed."
"I see you haven't." Hermione answers.
"Change of plans, my parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother, Charlie. He's studying dragons there." He says."Good. You can help Harry, then. He's going to go and look in the library for information on Nicholas Flamel." Comments Thea."We've looked a hundred times!" Ron says looking at Thea then at Harry.
Hermione Leans over on the table closer to Ron and Harry. "Not in the restricted section. Happy Christmas." Hermione leaves Ron, Thea and Harry.Ron looks over at Harry "I think we've had a bad influence on her."

"Good luck for you two, you are going to do this alone. I'm also going home for Christmas. Merry Christmas, see you in a few weeks." Thea waves and leaves with her brother.

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Thea walked with her brother at the Hogsmade Station. Students were walking around, getting in the train.

"Come on Thea, it's going to be fun. We are going to bloody Milan!" Ben speaks excitedly. "We only get to go there every five years and it's the best, and we meet everyone, and we get plenty of presents from Nan and, and- Oh, it's just bee's knees..." He spoke like it was a dream.

"Ben, calm yourself please. I just think that Aunt Diane doesn't quite fancy us..." Thea said not so excited. "And Nan Josephine keeps her eyes on me at all times during our time there. And blimey! She doesn't let me be alone with you nor our cousins." Thea said frustrated. "Oh you're being dramatic, besides you are totally Nan's favourite." Ben says.

The train ride was calm, with casual chatter from the Wolbellthorn's siblings.

"Do you think Uncle Matt will be there? It's been a while since we last saw him." Thea asked. "True, I miss him. We haven't met again after he had Vivianne." Ben said while opening another chocolate frog. "Oh, another Nicholas Flamel, seriously?"

"Nicholas Flamel? Let me see." Thea sits at her brother's side. "Who's that?" Thea asked. "Nicholas Flamel celebrated his six hundred sixty fifth birthday last year. He used to work with Dumbledore in some alchemist things years ago. Maybe Nan knows more about him. WHy are you and your friends so interested on him?" Ben asked. "In the name of Merlin, mind your own business." The says in a sassy tone.

The rest of the train ride was on silence, both enjoying the view and snacking on whatever they got from the trolley lady. Nemo, Thea's cat was sleeping on the girl's lap.

As the train screeched to a halt, Thea shifted in her seat, Nemo got off from her lap, her legs heavy from the long ride. She glanced at her older brother, who was already gathering his things. The compartment was dim, the afternoon sun failing to pierce the thick clouds outside.

"Budge up, Thea" he urged, nodding toward the door. He got his stuff and went out. She reached out, pressing her hand against the cool, worn wall of the train to help herself up. But the moment her palm touched the surface, the air around her changed, it became dense, sharp, as if there wasn't any warmth left in the world.

Her breath caught in her throat. The temperature dropped rapidly. Icy surface under her fingers, creeping like a malicious shadow. It slithered across the walls, frosting over the windows. She could see her breath now, each exhale a puff of white mist.

Suddenly, a voice, low and raspy, filled the air, hair-raising. It was cold, like the crackling of ice but darker, hollow, freezing the blood in her veins.

"You're not supposed to be here. Are you going to Milan... pretty girl? ...We are going to see each other just you wait..." The voice went from chilling to eerie loud and funny, like a circus clown.

The words wrapped around her, seeping into her mind, paralyzing her body. Her hand, still on the wall, wouldn't move. She tried to call out to her brother, but her voice had vanished, swallowed by the voice's terrible weight.

She wasn't sure what was more terrifying, the cold, or the presence lurking in it.