I'll Take it Shaken, Not Stirred

Chapter 3: The Serpent and the Skull

Origins of the Recipe: all ideas, usages, concepts, etc. belong to the Master chef herself, J.K. Rowling. I'm a cheap rip off who doesn't get paid. Such is life.

Recap of Last Time: Lily travels on the Hogwarts Express, discovers that James is the reluctant Head Boy, and converses with her friends (Alice, Lexi, and Eden- who are more than they appear, and WON'T become Mary- Sues). Just before the train should arrive at school, it breaks down. The lights go out, and we pick up this chapter with the girls in the dark.

One last N/C: Minor language in this chapter... well... minor to medium... because these guys are seventeen-year-olds. What do you expect? Please review!

"Courage is fear that has said its prayers." -Dorothy Bernard

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Sounds of panic began to fill the air from the other compartments, but for the time being, there were no more jolts, and the compartment remained still. It was entirely dark, except for the light of the half-moon, which shimmered through the window.

"What's going on?" Alice whispered, after a moment. There seemed something immoral about talking in a normal tone right now.

"I dunno," replied the other three in unison (except that Lexi said "We dunno). Lily felt around in the dark for her wand, which she located in her uniform pocket and pulled out. "Lumos," she murmured, and the tip of the wand was suddenly alight. Lexi and Alice followed the suit, but Eden was now standing on the seat, trying to fix the light fixture on the ceiling.

"The problem with broken lights," she muttered irritably, "is that you can't fix them when they're broken, because it's always too dark." Lexi picked up the trunk that had fallen to the ground, and with Lily's help, managed to get it onto the overhead rack again.

"C'mon," said Alice, "we should go see what's going on." Eden hopped off the seat, but unfortunately landed on Lexi's foot, which caused both girls to swear violently, and Alice to give them both a disapproving look, which they couldn't see, but could feel. The four girls exited the compartment and found the outer corridor noisy and chaotic.

"What's going on?"

"Why won't the lights work?" "ls, the train broken?"

"Ouch! Who stepped on my foot?"

Complaints and fearful interjections sounded loudly throughout the car, but Lily tried to block them out of her head with the single objective of getting to the first car. It seemed that everyone important would be in the first car: the Head Boy, the Ministry of Magic workers, and the conductor...

"I'm going to the first car to see Korcesh- that guy from the Ministry of Magic who came by the compartments earlier," Lily muttered to Alice and Eden; Lexi had disappeared.

"Alice, you help me calm people down," Eden said urgently to the other friend. Alice presumably agreed because both girls made their way towards a group of eleven-year-old girls who were in tears.

Lily headed in the opposite direction, and with great difficulty made it to the door that led to the first car. But it wouldn't open. She pulled hard on it, for she was reluctant to put out the light on her wand and use magic to open it. She grasped the knob and twisted, pulling it with all her strength. Just then, however, a delayed jolt shook the whole car and threw Lily backward onto Eddie Bones, who, by some coincidence, was standing a few feet behind her.

Many people screamed, but Lily was not one of them. Eddie helped her off of him. "Are you okay?" Lily asked, hoping she hadn't been the result of any broken limbs on her friend.