Chapter 80 - 80. Choo Choo Cachoo (2/2)

”Just you and Ryan, then,” said Tonks. ”So go on – how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?”

”It's bewitched,” said Hermione. ”If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE. ”

”So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?”

”Maybe,” said Hermione, shrugging, ”or it might have Muggle-repelling charms on it, like the World Cup stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable -”

”Come again?”

”Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?”

”Er. . . if you say so,” said Harry.

”But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north,” said Hermione thoughtfully. ”Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms. ”

”Ah, think of the possibilities,” said Luna dreamily. ”It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident. . . . Shame his mother likes him. . . .” The rain became heavier and heavier as the train moved farther north. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. The lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor, and Ryan bought a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for them to share and some spare items for his gate it never hurts to have more candy stockpiled even if I can't eat it all. that's the good life he had like 3 barrels of bertie botts beans in there and everything from blood pops to hubba Bubba bubblegum he didn't skip out on Muggle candies what type of fool you take him for. He had even gotten a stock of Ramen noodles like a true shut in.

Several of their friends looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including Dean Thomas, and Neville, Dean was still wearing his Ireland rosette. Some of its magic seemed to be wearing off now; it was still squeaking ”Troy – Mullet – Moran!” but in a very feeble and exhausted sort of way. After half an hour or so, Hermione, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk, buried herself once more in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, and started trying to learn a Summoning Charm.

Neville listened jealously to the others' conversation as they relived the Cup match.

”Gran didn't want to go,” he said miserably. ”Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing though. ”

”It was,” said Tonks. ”Look at this, Neville. . . ”

She rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum.

”Oh wow,” said Neville enviously as Tonks tipped Krum onto his hand.

Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean had left ajar.

”No poor people allowed, Malfoy,” said Ryan smugly. Malfoy went pink and started to stutter. Then it evolved into him bragging about how he was in on the secret that was happening this year and was promptly hit with a silencing charm by Ryan and a banishing charm firing the three out the door before locking it with a smirk. as the people in the compartment were angrily staring they really wanted to know what's going on this year.

Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station.

As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Hermione bundled up Crookshanks in her cloak, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads.

”Hi, Hagrid!” Harry yelled, seeing a gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform.”All righ'?” Hagrid bellowed back, waving. ”See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!”

First years traditionally reached Hogwarts Castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid.

”Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather,” said Daphne fervently, shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd A hundred Thestral carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. They climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.