Magic of the Night (Harry Potter/Twilight Crossover)

Chapter Thirteen:

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

The Portkey took us to Mallaig, in Scotland. Mallaig is a port in Lochbar, on the west coast of the Highlands of Scotland. The local railway station is the terminus of the West Highland railway line, which also happens to be the train line the Hogwarts Express takes, and where the West Highland railway line ended, the hidden railway line to Hogwarts began.

Luna, having spent more time at Hogwarts then I did after the Carrows began their tyrannical rule of the castle, had warned us of the Caterwauling charm set on Hogsmeade. Our best chance, she had explained, was to Portkey somewhere close to the castle, close enough that we could apparate to the Hog's Head Inn.

I had been, and understandably in my opinion, confused by this bizarre instruction, and Luna had only smiled mysteriously, holding out her hands to Katie and I.

When we appeared inside the Inn, I was shocked to see it teeming with members of the DA. A grumpy looking old man who I recognized as the barkeep and owner of the Inn, Aberforth, was scowling at the crowd as they all made their way towards...

"Is that a tunnel?" I asked, surprised.

"It's the only way in and out of Hogwarts that the Carrows don't know about." Luna said, and her normally dreamy smile had more then a hint of fierce triumph in it.

The passageway looked like it had been there forever. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth; as we walked, our shadows rippled, fanlike across the wall. When we reached the end of the passage a small flight of steps led to a door like the one we'd gone through at the Hog's Head.

It was pushed wide open, and the room behind the passage was filled with people. It was like a dorm; enormous, and looked rather like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicolored hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from the balcony that ran around the dark wood-paneled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings. I can see the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wood-cased wireless.

All around us, people were crying and cheering, greeting everyone with hugs, hair ruffling, pounding on the back, and shaking hands. Harry, Hermione and Ron seemed to be the most highly accosted, but a shrieking Isobel pushed her way through to yank both Luna and I into a rib-crushing hug. Isobel had dragged Sue after her, and both Luna and I gave her a hug as well.

                 

"You're Cathy, right?" Isobel asked once she's released us, the fiery Scottish girl smiling at Katie. Her eyes were bright, and her skin was flushed- that seemed to be a common factor across the room. The excitement and anticipation in the air was so thick it was practically tangible. "You were one of the home-schooled kids that came to Hogwarts when the new law was put in place."

"Er, it's Katie, actually. Katie Marshall." Katie smiled, looking a bit timid.

"Katie is Angela's girlfriend, Sue." I say, and Sue perks up, smiling at Katie even as she blushes fiercely.

"Well, it's good to meet you again." Isobel says, "thank Merlin you got out of this hell-hole safe." Her words make my excitement at seeing her shrink as I take a good look at her. She's thinner then I remember, and there are purple smudges under her eyes and two scars on her left cheek.

She sees where I'm looking and grimaces, reaching up to brush her fingers along the raised lines. "The Carrows enjoy their discipline," she spits, eyes flashing, "I got involved in an argument in Muggle Studies. It's compulsory, now, and we have to listen to that cow Alecto explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drive wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being reestablished. When Neville asked how much Muggle blood Alecto and her brother had then, I may have laughed. A majority of the class did, and there was cheering too. We were all punished."