The Snake and The Osprey

Chapter Six

"I need to tell you guys something," Angelina whispered.

The rumble of the train made it easy for us to speak without people outside the compartment hearing, but she lowered her voice anyway.

"What is it?" Alex asked, shoving a chocolate frog into his mouth.

"This may sound a little odd but here it is." We all lean in to hear what she has to say.

'I'm generally a pretty light sleeper and about six weeks ago I was woken up in the middle of the night. Just as I woke up the door to the dorm closed. I looked around and in the moonlight I could see that Ginny's bed was empty."

I scowl at the mention of her name.

"I thought maybe she was just going to the toilets, but after a few seconds, I heard her leave the common room."

"So what are you saying?" Alex asks.

Well, here's the weird part. That first time nothing happened so I just let it go. But then a few days later, it happened again. And the day after that Colin Creevey's body was found."

"I'm all for accusing Ginny of being evil," I say, "but what exactly are you implying? Seems like it was just a coincidence."

"I thought so too, and again I let it go, but a few weeks later it happened again..."

We all lean in closer.

"And the next day Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick's ghost was found!"

"So, you're saying that Ginny petrified Ms. Norris, Colin, Justin, and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington?" Luna chimes in.

"Luna's right," I agree. "It seems a little far-fetched that a first year could do that."

Luna shook her head. "Oh, that's not quite what I was-"

"And besides," I continue, "let's say Ginny was able to produce a curse that strong. Why? Why would she do that?"

"I don't know... but why would she be leaving the common room? It's not like she has any other friends she's going to see."

"Look, I'm not saying anything. I'm just letting you know what I saw. It's very possible that she's been doing this every night and I just didn't wake up. Why don't we just drop the subject and enjoy our Christmas."

So we did.

◾◼◾

"Mom!"

She squeezes me until I can't breathe and kisses the top of my head.

"Stop it, mom!" I say, my cheeks burning.

After the introductions ("Thank you so much Ms. Rem-" "You can call me Artemis") we push our trolleys back through the barrier. Xenophilius and my mother take the lead while Angelina and Luna walk in between, chatting away. I fall back in line with Alex, who was unusually quiet.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Oh, er, nothing," he says.

"Something on your mind?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Just thinking"

I stay silent waiting for him to continue.

"It's just... I've never really had something like this before. Or at least for a long time. Since my mother died it's really just been Annie and I. For five years-"

He turned his head away from me and I could hear his voice grow thick.

"-for five years it was just us. I mean we had friends at the orphanage but we didn't have anyone that we really... trusted. We didn't have anyone that was... family.

He turned back towards me as he said that, and in his glazed eyes I could see myself reflected.

With anyone else, other than Luna and Angelina, it would have been awkward, but I slipped my hand into his. It wasn't awkward with Alex. Awkward was the last word to describe it.