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In the engine room, the battle was in full force. The conductor attempted to apparate away, knowing that his cover had been blown, yet Callum hit him in the chest with a hearty "Stupefy!" and forced him to stumble backwards. The Death Eater recovered quickly though, hissing out "Crucio!" as he took his revenge on Callum. He hit the auror dead on, sending Callum to the ground, withering and screaming in pain.

"Bombarda!" Flynn intervened, blasting the Death Eater and breaking his concentration, allowing Callum's torture to end. The explosion opened up gaping wounds over the Death Eater's entire body. Lionel wasn't as fast as his younger companions, casting "Expelliarmus" yet his aim was not true. He missed - a fatal error.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" the Death Eater shouted. There was a flash of green light. Lionel slumped to the ground, his wand rolling from his hand. It would stop inches away from where Georgina was, hidden by Mary's charm.

Tears welled up in Bonnie's eyes, but she couldn't stop fighting for a single minute. "Petrificus Totalus!" Bonnie cast. "Protego!" the Death Eater countered. Bonnie's spell hit the shield with such force that Bonnie was blasted backwards, hitting her head against the wall. She was still conscious but a trickle of blood had formed.

"Aqua Eructo!" Lyra shouted. A jet of water came screaming from the tip of her wand, slamming into the Death Eater. The force pinned them up against the wall, stunning them momentarily. She didn't dare lower her wand, lest the Death Eater get the chance to escape.

Compartment 1 -

Penny hugged Madalyne back tightly, her face as white as a ghost. Compartments 1 and 2 were right next to the engine room, meaning that they could hear every spell in painful detail. A thin wall was all that separated them from the aurors and the Death Eater. One stray spell and they'd be dead. "We need to get out, if one of the spells goes awry..." Penny swallowed.

Talbott nodded in agreement. "Come on," he said, taking Madalyne and Penny's hands. He dragged the two of them out of the compartment and they dashed down the train quickly, running into the nearest compartment with room. The other prefects, along with the Head Girl and Head Boy, followed suit, dashing into compartments with friends.

It was a good thing they evacuated, as moments later, there was a gigantic sizzling hole in the wall of compartment 1 approximately the size of Hagrid.

Compartment 3 -

From the compartment, they would be able to hear everything going on with the fight. They would see the prefects fleeing from compartment 1, with those in compartment 2 relocating as well out of fear and terror. There was a near symphony of compartment doors sliding shut, doors locking, older students casting protective charms. Someone on the train was crying.

Compartment 13 -

"Nothing good," Andre gulped, his own wand at the ready. He wasn't much of a duelist. He wished that Zelda's best friend was back - Paige was captain of the dueling club, probably one of the best witches at Hogwarts when it came to fights. Three people then burst into the compartment and Andre yelped, peeing his pants a little (thankfully not enough for anyone to notice). "Talbott! Bloody hell, don't do that!" Andre snapped.

Talbott was a Ravenclaw in their year, the other prefect for the fifth year cohort. Penny Haywood, the most popular witch at Hogwarts, was holding his hand. Talbott's other hand was securely around the wrist of Madalyne Crane, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain.

"It's horrible, there's a Death Eater on the train," Penny explained. "Have either of you seen Beatrice?" she then asked, worried.

"She's next door, playing Snap," Andre immediately reassured Penny. A visible weight was lifted from her shoulders.

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Beatrice looked at Fae with confusion for a moment, before her mouth curled into a similar smirk as she understood. She took the pile and split it in half, making Chiara take the quarter. She wasn't about to let her best friend be defenseless, no matter how terrified she was. "We're gonna be f-fine," she whispered to her friend. Chiara just nodded meekly.

Paige was enraged with Fae, wanting to snap at her even more, especially after Fae's physical posturing. Yet she knew that the Death Eater on the train was the far greater threat and she didn't dare turn her attention away from the compartment entrance. She was the best duelist at Hogwarts (her own words) and it was her responsibility to protect everyone. She highly doubted that Fae would be able to cast a defensive spell if her life depended on it. Barnaby's brawn was incredibly useful and she knew he could throw a hex if needed. Elizabeth was decent and dependable as well.

That just left the two first years and Fae as deadweight - at least the first years had an excuse.

Barnaby's eyes widened as Eliza conjured a dead rat, a cinder block, and then blew up the rat. The guts were splattered all over him. He had a soft spot for creatures and he let out a heavy sigh. The world was so sad...

"Ugh, so grody!" Paige complained. She had gotten a decent spray of rat guts all over her too. Her protective enchantments didn't do much about guts and blood. She brushed some of the bits off of her with her free hand, before resuming her focus on the corridor. Elizabeth's cinder block would help slightly at least. She hoped they wouldn't need it - she hoped that the aurors would come out and say this had all been a misunderstanding. "If the arses come, disarm them. Expelliarmus is your friend. They can't hurt us if they can't do magic and most Death Eaters don't have a lick of luck when it comes to wandless spells."

Artemis' voice boomed down the hallway, telling all of them to lock their doors and stay in their compartments.

"Gee, never thought of that..." Paige muttered.

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Madalyne held Penny tightly as well, she was scared as well hearing each and every spell that was being cast literally just outside of their doors. She nodded a little bit towards Penny she didn't have any issue with leaving the cabin that they were in, though she was scared that the Death Eater would immediately target them the moment that they fled from the cabin as well. "I agree with you." Madalyne said when she felt her wrist being grabbed by Talbot and ran out of the cabin with all of the other prefects and those who were in cabin two as well. Madalyne looked over her shoulder when she heard a small explosion and saw that there was a large Hagrid sized hole now that was cabin one now.

She ran past her friends who were in Cabin Three, when she heard Artemis saying to stay in their compartments, they were still pretty close to the source of the fighting as well. Not as close as Cabins One and Two were, but they were close enough in her opinion, they were then further back in the train in cabin thirteen. Seeing Andre there and her friend Zelda as well which was a relief to see a friendly face as well. Madalyne went over and gave Talbot a friendly hug, she was grateful for him just getting her to safety, before letting go and smiled slightly. "Thank you.." Madalyne said to him, when Andre answered Penny's question, and smiled towards Penny at least her sister was safe.

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Eliza huffed at Artemis's warning saying, "Right right, counterpoint." She said, and stepped back from the door, pointing her wand outwards, "Let's do somethin' a bit more useful." She closed her eyes, and thought for a moment, summoning up the happiest memory she had: watching the sunset over the poppy fields from her childhood home. Nothing would ever be so beautiful, or fill her with such comfort as that. "Expecto Patronum!" She shouted, and, erupting from the tip of her wand, came a silver, beautiful unicorn, bristling and ready to run. Taking a step forward, she said, "Run out there and keep them death eaters from focusing, distract best you can." The unicorn charged out the room in response. In the mean time, Eliza pointed her wand at the door, and with a swish of her wand, whispered, "Engorgio!" Causing the cinder block to swell up this time, and block them in. Tilting her head towards Paige she said, "I'd say you should send yours out at well, whatever edge we can give the aurors is worth it."

Meanwhile, the unicorn ran out the room, and down the corridor towards to Engine room, only to find a single death eater being forced against a wall by a water jet. Pausing for a moment, it backed away a bit, not wanting to distract the auror by mistake. It seemed like they had the situation under control, and doing anything more would risk messing that up. The unicorn stood by the side, ready to charge at and try to scare the Death Eater if it got out of it's current situation.

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"Get Georgina." Mary hissed at Artie, sparing a glance for Apollo who sat on the floor. She was concerned about him and would check up on him, after doing something incredibly stupid. In an action that was the exact opposite of what was wise she stepped out into the hall. A unicorn Patronus flying passed her, she made a mental note to compliment whoever had cast it later. She figured that was from someone down the train trying to help, which she hoped would help the right side and not the death eater.

Mary putting everything she thought she could summon into it cast Salvio hexia placing it in the hallway between where cabin one and three met. There wasn't much of cabin one left, and Mary hoped and prayed (despite her hatred of the practice) that everyone who had been there had escaped. The magic felt strong a true and she trusted it to hold.

Her heart was pounding in her throat with fear. She saw the unmoving body of the Auror on the ground. And knew that Georgina had to have witnessed that. Her poor dear friend. Mary wasn't going to stay in the hall though. She ducked into the room and looked to Apollo. He looked messed up. What in the world had he done? Mary considered slapping him but went for a more gentle touch first. "Apollo?" She asked in just above a whisper. "What is wrong?"

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Georgina was thankful for Mary's quick help in securing her hiding space. The fact they didn't stop her meant they understood her. She wasn't about to see another Death Eater escape. Once she was safely covered up, she maneuvered down the hallway to the engine room where the fighting was happening. There, she saw the Death Eater flinging spells at the Aurors, who were doing their best to counteract and protect, but it mattered little to some of them.

The older gentleman had missed his spell and was, in turn, targeted. The Death Eater hit him hard as he slumped to the ground near her. Georgina took a deep breath. She had never seen someone die before, but it was not something she hoped to see again if she could help it. But that was the Auror's work. Callum, she noticed, had attempted to attack as well, but was hit with one of the unforgivable curses as he writhed to the ground. She felt the urge to run to him to aid, but the other Aurors managed to stop the curse from continuing, but he was still on the ground in pain.

The battle raged onward as some others took hits, but eventually, they managed to pin the Death Eater down. Seeing that there was not much she could do for any of them, especially Callum, at this point, she stepped back and slid her way back into the compartment, making sure she took off her invisibility before entering. Once safely inside, she shook off what she saw. "They took care of it, but one of them was killed. Callum was cursed. There wasn't anything I could do." And that hurt worst of all.

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Fae watched with confusion the rat began to grotesquely swell, filling up like a water balloon of pure horror. When the vermin increased past its breaking point, its skin splitting at all sides in a repulsive explosion of crimson rat blood and guts, Fae did her best to put herself between the explosion and the first years. She managed to get her eyes shut before she felt the feeling of the cool, wretched splash across her face. She slowly reached up and wiped the blood off her lips, before doing the same with her eyelids. As she opened her eyes, looking down at her now bright red fingertips, her pursed lips couldn't help but lift up into a smile at the absurdity of the situation.

"Oh rats!" she exclaimed lifting her head up, grinning at her own pun. Though her smile faded as she read the room. Her timing seemed less than ideal, with the girls shivering in the corner and the pair of witches casting their spells, actually helping rather than standing around holding a half deck of Exploding Snap cards. As Elizabeth's Patronus elegantly leaped through the door, Fae leaned closer to her, her voice coming out low, but not so low that the others couldn't hear.

"Maybe I should go out there too, see if I can give some hands-on help," she said, before looking to the enlarged cinder block. "I think I can probably move that just enough for me to get out," she then stopped, hesitating for a moment, before continuing, quieter. "I don't like being cooped up in here when people could be dyin'. Makes me feel like a pussy."

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The spell ended as Arty dropped his wand to turn and summon Georgina back at Mary but Georgina had already done the deed for him. He jumped back into the compartment and slammed the door shut behind him. He let out a sigh of relief, far more comfortable with something between them and the commotion, and turned to talk to Georgina. She’d seen something awful and support was definitely something he could do, even if he could feel his hands trembling when he heard the killing curse and a subsequent thump on the floor. But his attention was snatched away from her in a flash when he saw his brother trembling on the floor, a poor job of a disillusionment charm cast over him. He couldn’t have hit his knees faster, instinctively reaching out with his mind to figure out what happened to him.

The first thing he felt was fear. Fear and dread and horror and uselessness. It was unrelenting and brutal and Artie went slack jawed as he pulled at the image in his brother’s head. All of them bound and dressed identically, all of them on slabs, all of them watching in horror as a knife plunged into his own chest. Artie wasn’t sure if he screamed out loud or if it stayed in their connection but his wand was at Apollo’s head immediately. The incantation was out of his mouth before he could stop it, sending his brother into an enchanted sleep even as he tried to keep his own breathing under control. He could feel the panic rising and flying across their connection.

Artie struggled for a moment, banishing the scene of his own death away for the time being, and conjured up far happier ones and slammed them across the telepathic bond. He smothered every image he saw with their happier ones: when they received their letters, those time after therapy they felt overwhelming relief, every aced test, every time they’d pranked their parents with their skills, or the feeling of managing to pick out perfect gifts even when they actively focused on keeping their minds to themselves. The first time they cast their patronuses after practicing day and night for so long and the relief at the first time his brother’s wolf patronus wound it’s way into his history class right after they were dismissed. Artie had been drowning in loneliness that day and it made everything so much better and he sent that, every moment of appreciation, every moment of giddy happiness, everything he could to overwrite everything he could while his brother slept safe from his own head.

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Apollo gripped his head tightly as he could only focus on the imagery that was thrust upon him. His vision was a blur as his focus remained on the scene, half of him wanting to expunge it from his mind while the other fought to keep it present. He could hear Mary speaking to him, asking him what was wrong though her voice was echoed and distant as his shattered brain continued its battle. He tried to push the scene out, failing to do so and having it flood back like a wave. Engulfing him as he watched the dagger plunge towards him once more. He wanted to hex the person responsible, no...he wanted to curse them. Torment them the way they did to him and the Auror before. Their screams of agony filling the scene that looped in on him. Another push as he felt the waves of his mentality working until the dam broke and caused it all to flood back once more.

It was becoming frighteningly clear to him that this would be no simple task. There was no therapist who could sort this out no matter how many memories Artemis shared with him. They held a light in the tunnel that was slowly swallowing that happiness in dark ichor. Apollo tried to reach out to an Auror, share the memories with them so that his brother could wipe them clean from his head. His mind latched on to Callum and he immediately pulled back, not wishing to show the potential traitor what knowledge he now held. Tears swelled down his face as his eyes grew red from pain. Apollo looked pleadlingly to the group before him. "P-p-please. Take my memories o-out. Store them in my glass s-sherbert jar. D-dont obliviate me. They need to know. The Aurors need to know". With his final breath he was placed under a charm and sent into a magical sleep.

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"Probably," she muttered, watching the door ever so slightly. She wasn't going to flat out admit it out loud, but she was somewhat worried about her parents. Zelda knew that it was their jobs as Aurors to take down dark wizards, but growing up that had not been the best thing in the world to have to deal with. It also made it so that sometimes her parents weren't really home too much, so it was part of the reason why she didn't have the best relation with either of them. Right now though, she was more then ready to defend herself should someone come through that door.

However, she relaxed slightly when she saw who it was that came through the door, seeing who looked to be mainly the people from the front of the train in the Prefect compartment or something. "...So there actually is a Death Eater on the train? Well that's just great... This day definitely just keeps getting better and better," she commented sarcastically as she lowered her wand and looked at them. "...Something tells me there is probably another reason that you came running back to this end, so what happened exactly?"

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Callum was obviously upset and grieving, his eyes a little red. "That only smarted a bit," he tried to joke, wincing with each movement he made, with every breath that he took. The Cruciatus Curse had been brief, yet that made it no less painful. Every limb felt like it was on fire. Every muscle ached. Every cell of his body screamed. He shuffled into the corridor, looking to make sure that all of the children were still inside. He thanked his lucky stars seeing that compartments 1 and 2 had evacuated.

The unicorn and bat patronuses were hanging back in the compartment. The bat had perched itself upside down from the ceiling, whereas the unicorn was pawing at the ground. None of the aurors paid them any mind. It was widely believed that Death Eaters were incapable of producing a patronus, so they figured they had been sent by well meaning students. They could deal with them later.

"Protego!" Frederick threw up a shield around his wife. Bonnie's head wound was bleeding more quickly now. She collected her wits and began a song-like incantation, "Vulnera Sanentur," as she dragged her wand through the air above her head. The blood slowed. "Vulnera Sanentur." The residue vanished. "Vulnera Sanentur." Her skin began to knit together, until all that remained was a scar.

Lyra continued her spell, the poor Death Eater pinned by a never ending stream of water. "Frederick, contact Madam Bones and Headmaster Dumbledore." She considered her options for a brief second, her eyes narrowing. "Petrificus Totalus!" Lyra cast. She needed to knock out the Death Eater and restrain him. The conductor tried to defend himself, yet Lyra's spell missed. "Incarcerous!" Thick ropes appeared, ensnaring the Death Eater and binding him completely.

The auror walked up to him, snatching his wand, yet she had missed something critical.

"Chimera will rise," the conductor promised, before biting down on a capsule hidden within his mouth. He began to foam at the mouth and convulse violently. Within seconds, he was dead. There would be no interrogation, no knowledge to gain.

Just a name - Chimera.

Compartment 13 -

Talbott stiffened, as if Madalyne had just hit him with the Full Body Bind Curse. He didn't know what to do. Only his eyes moved, looking helpless and confused as she hugged him. When she released him, Talbott awkwardly took a few steps back and nodded at her. He was entirely speechless - though that in itself wasn't unusual for Talbott. He did tend to fly solo.

"I think that's the first time Talbott's been hugged," Andre commented. "You alright, mate?" he asked. He and Talbott were both Ravenclaw students, after all. He couldn't help but be familiar with the aloof Prefect.

Penny was tugging on her hair nervously, nodding a bit as Zelda asked what was going on. "We, uh... We heard the aurors fighting the Death Eater... I think the conductor... And, erm, Talbott pulled us out just in time... An explosion destroyed the compartment right after we left."

"...I'm sure your mum's okay," Andre reassured Zelda.

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Had they not been in mortal peril, Paige likely would have argued with Elizabeth, pointing out that Death Eaters were different from dementors. Patronuses wouldn't be able to hurt them. Yet her nerves were frazzled and if Elizabeth thought it might help, well, it wasn't a totally rotten idea. Maybe it would confuse the Death Eaters. And besides, it wasn't like anyone else in the compartment was capable of producing one. "Expecto Patronum!" Paige cast. Only a few wisps left her wand. She hadn't concentrated enough on a happy memory.

She forced herself to bring one to mind - it was her and her dad, touring a dragon reserve in Romania. He was telling her all of the facts that he could as they watched the majestic creatures roast their food alive and swallow them whole. Pain then flickered through her though, remembering that just days later, the Ministry of Magic had raided their home, looking for her brother. "Expecto Patronum..." Her focus wasn't enough. "Expecto Patronum..." She saw Simon's face on the wanted posters - how thin and gaunt he looked.

"Paige, you've got this," Barnaby said, giving her words of encouragement. "Try thinking about crup puppies? Or baby kneazles?" he suggested.

She nodded, picking another happy memory. She thought about her home in Bristol, about dangling her legs into the water, looking at the aquatic magical creatures that swam up to greet her. She remembered the scent of her mother's perfume as she worked on an article behind them, the sound of her father's laugh as he jumped into the water. "Expecto Patronum!" she cast. Her mind was clear and focused. A brilliant long winged bat burst from her wand, flying through the cinder blocks that Elizabeth had created. It flew down the corridor towards the fight, knowing that Paige wanted it to help the aurors.

"Are you sure it's safe to go out there?" Beatrice asked Fae, looking worried. "And what's a pussy?" she asked.

"Please, stay here," Chiara added softly. It was the most she had spoken in a while, ever since her panic attack. She could hear the sounds of the fighting and she didn't want to think of a single person leaving the compartment, potentially never to be seen again alive.

"I hope Penny's okay..." Beatrice then whimpered, squirming slightly.

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Mary gave Georgina a sympathetic look. Seeing someone die must have been horrid. And her family friend had been cursed right in front of her. She was thankful that it hadn't been Callum that had been killed. Though, if he was a death eater - She cut the thought off. And drew her attention back to Apollo. Her best friend was suffering, and now Artie seemed messed up too. Apollo must have used his Legillimens and seen something awful and then Artie had tried to see what was wrong. She looked between the twins worried about both of them.

Mary reached over and grabbed the glass bottle. She wasn't certain if she could do this. She knew the theory. But that wasn't the same as having done it before. Her wand was already out, so she pressed it against Apollo's temple. There was something horrifying about the imagery of that and she hated it. A part of her thought of how in American movies they would put guns against enemies' temples to threaten them.

After a few deep breaths, she let her mind settle on only the thing she wanted to do. Then she reached and pulled the memory out of Apollo and into the glass bottle as he had requested. Her stomach was twisting and she felt like a headache was just at the edge. She hopped that concentrating on this wouldn't cause the shield out in the hall to fall. She had no idea if the fight was still going on or not.

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Madalyne backed up from Talbot and gave him a slight smile, as she started to calm herself down somewhat she just hoped that the Aurors took care of the Death Eater by now. They were safe now and that's all that matters, looking over at Zelda and gave her friend a slight smile being the first time since she had seen her since summer vacation started. "Long time no see Zelda." Madalyne said while looking at Talbot rubbing the back of her neck slightly. "Sorry I didn't mean to give you a hug or anything." She said to him, as Penny explained what had happened to their compartment, and realized that some of her bags were in there as well and hoped that they could be salvaged at least.

Madalyne turned towards Penny knowing that she was pretty worried about her sister and her friend. "Once we get the okay we could go and check up on your sister if you'd like?" Madalyne suggested, Felix quickly came trotting into the compartment and jumped up onto one of the seats meowing at Madalyne to be picked up and demanding attention, she was happy to see that her cat was alright as well.

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Elizabeth shook her head at Fae's idea, "Nah love, patronus' is one thing, you stickin' yer head out to the death eaters is another." She loved Fae dearly, and the fact that she was ready to go out and kick some ass made her happy in ways she couldn't express, but she wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost her, especially to a death eater. Elizabeth already had a deep desire for vengeance in her, and she didn't know who she'd be if that got deeper through the loss of a close friend. "Stick in here for now, and get ready to sock it to one if they show their face anywhere near this cabin, 'right?"

In the mean time, she was slightly proud of herself for being able to summon her Patronus on the first time, where Paige had seemed to struggle. There was something to be said for having a years worth of experience on her, and even more for mountain of natural aptitude she herself possessed. However, her teeth gritted for a moment at Beatrice's question, thinking on her feet, she said, "You've never seen a cat before? I'll let you meet mine after this is all done, 'er name's Shadow, and she's just the fluffiest void around." Hopefully the promise of a fluffy cat to play with would scrub her mind of Fae's vulgarity.

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Georgina took steady breaths as Mary began to work. Apollo wasn't looking too good and it was all she could do to try to help, but Mary was doing as he asked and if she tried to interfere in any way it could be harmful to Apollo. Artemis wasn't doing good also, seeing his brother on the floor in pain. Georgina had to do something, she couldn't stand idly by and watch her friends slowly succumb to their respective troubles.

She stood up and stared the door down. She took out her wand and motioned down before she finished. Salvio Hexia." She was able to match Mary's previous spell and hold on to it. After all, even though the Aurors had the Death Eater pinned down, there could be more. Or worse. "Mary, I can maintain the shield charm, focus on helping Apollo." She was also prepared to unleash a torrent if any Death Eater came their way. Train full of students. A prime target.

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Artie watched Mary like a hawk. It wasn’t he didn’t trust her but they’d only been taught theories and memory magic of any kind was a tricky bit of magic. He wouldn’t let go of his twin through the entire process, even as Mary pulled the memory out. He kept deathly still, his wand pressed between his hand and the spot he was holding his brother after putting him under the Bewitched Sleep. He was terrified to move, catching himself holding his breath, as he prayed to every God and Goddess his parents spun stories in hopes that something would make sure this worked.

He couldn’t help his thoughts flitting back to his own death. It was… unnerving. It felt like a nightmare but seeing it come from his own twin’s mind was horrific. The fanged blade flashed in his mind and he couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through him. What was Chimera? Was it a spell? Was it a group like the death eaters? And why were they tied up and being killed? Why did Apollo get this in his head? Artie felt overwhelmed suddenly and curled around his brother protectively. He wouldn’t let anyone break his spell on Apollo until they got to school. Everyone knew Dumbledore was the only wizard you-know-who feared. The headmaster would know what to do. Apollo would be safe for now.

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Fae's lips curled down into a frown as Elizabeth shook her head. Fae was about to protest. She wasn't sure what exactly she was going to say, but she just knew that she didn't want to stay where she was, even if Elizabeth's worries were valid. There was an energy pumping through her body, a tension her insides were pulled into. She wanted, almost needed, to punch something, preferably a Death Eater. Being forced to stay locked up in the compartment was torture. She felt like a water balloon being filled up to full, or a dead rat who'd just been hit with the Growing Charm; she felt ready to pop. Luckily, Beatrice's words managed to distract her from doing so.

"Er...uh..." Fae stammered out as the young Haywood girl questioned her profanity. It was suffice to say that brutish girl didn't have a filter, especially when it came to her language. She'd learned to curse from her pops at around age four, and had only been introduced to the concept of censoring when she came to Hogwarts. Clearly, even after all her years there, she still hadn't gotten used to it. Luckily, Elizabeth jumped in, her sharp wit stringing together a reasonable lie. Fae quickly nodded in agreement, proceeding to build upon Elizabeth's deception. "Yeah, it's, like, Welsh slang for scaredy cat," she said, shooting Elizabeth a look of both gratitude and praise. When Chiara's soft voice rang out, her adrenaline began to drain from her bones, her shoulders dropping, a look of compassion taking over her face. The urge to attack softened into an urge to protect, and she nodded.

"Of course, dwt. Of course," she replied, her normally powerful voice softening in attempt to meet the softness of Chiara's own. She then turned her face back to the door, keeping in place ready to flick her cards at anything that might come through the entrance.

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Divination

Apollo held the vision in his mind. Even as he fell into a bewitched sleep, he stayed focus on the nightmarish thought. Replaying the dream over and over in his sleep, doing all he could to help them capture the memory. Slowly the vision began to fade however. It started later and later into the sequence of things until finally all that was left was the plunge of the dagger and then nothing. Perhaps someone outside of his mind was capable of taking the thoughts, freeing his mind of this nightmare. There was silence, darkness, nary a thought left as Apollo slumbered. Slowly he began to hear a sound, roaring waters in the distance growing louder and louder.

The sound grew to a booming roar as Apollo was thrust into a river. Its waters now threatening to overflow the banks as he was bashed left and right through the flow of the river. Apollo struggled for breath until the rush of water threw him onto a nearby bank. It was dark with no source of light, though he was able to see clearly. There was a pack of wolves before him, attacking something. He feared to get closer as he worried if it would only show him again. His curiosity grew larger and he inched forward, the visage getting clearer and clearer as he noticed the pack was attacking The Grimm. In a display of strength the wolves killed The Grimm and then suddenly the dream ends.

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Zelda had to admit it was somewhat amusing seeing Talbot's reaction to Madelyn giving him a hug. She knew that he didn't tend to really enjoy those sort of things, and he preferred to be alone for the most part. Luckily for her, she managed to stop herself from making a comment that would more or less say that she found it amusing, since now definitely was not the time for this sort of thing. "Hey there Madelyn," she settled on saying, looking around the compartment a bit more as she listened to everyone else.

She stiffened somewhat given what Penny had said about the Death Eater and the aurors. The fact that the Death Eater had likely been the conductor of the train was not exactly a good thing. Nor was it a good thing to hear that the explosion at the front of the train had likely nearly taken out those who are now in the compartment. Zelda heard Andre's words towards her, and she turned to look at him, "Honestly, kind of used to the idea of my parents going out and probably nearly dying all of the time. So it's whatever..."

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Frederick Flynn vanished with a crack!, going to inform Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic as Lyra had requested. Callum McFenwick's mouth twitched slightly, as he looked at the fallen form of Lionel. He had someone he cared dearly about on the train however and he went to compartment 3. Bonnie Flynn, specializing in magical autopsies and things of that matter, began taking the magical precautions for preserving the Death Eater's body. Muggles had forensics and the ex-Head Girl didn't see why wizards couldn't do the same.

Lyra Burke knelt and closed Lionel's eyes, taking a moment. She rose and pointed her wand at her throat, casting "Sonorous!" Her voice was amplified then so that way everyone on the train could hear her. "Hello, witches and wizards. I am Lyra Burke, an auror with the Ministry of Magic. I appreciate your patience, as your journey will be delayed longer. Please remain in your compartments. If you need urgent assistance, please cast Lumos and stick your wand into the corridor. An auror will come assist you."

The lighting in the train was still a harsh green. The trolley witch was sobbing into a handkerchief at the back of the train with her cart of goods.

Compartment 3 -

Callum entered the compartment, looking a little worse for wear. It mostly showed in his eyes what he had suffered while under the Death Eater's curse. His Scottish accent was thicker than usual from grief. "Georgina, ur ye an' aw alrecht?" he asked, before swallowing. He was grateful that he was still alive to go see his fiancée, yet it was never easy to lose an auror. Lionel had been so old and experienced. "We lost an aurur - but th' death eater's bin taken caur ay."

Compartment 13 -

Talbott acknowledged Madalyne's apology with a bit of a nod, though he did seem a bit more at ease. He wasn't the most talkative of people, so it was pretty much the best reaction that Madalyne could expect to get out of him.

Penny looked at Zelda with pity and sympathy. "That's just... just awful," she lamented. She couldn't imagine constantly worrying for the safety of her parents like that. Even during the war, Penny's family had been relatively lucky. They were purebloods and didn't partake in being a Death Eater - or fighting them. They were like Switzerland, relatively safe and secure.

"Yeah, but Zelda's mum is pretty rad," Andre pointed out, as Lyra's announcement filled the air. He wished that Lyra would have mentioned that Zelda's parents were definitely okay.

"I c-can't stand this, I'm going to check on Bea," Penny suddenly announced, springing up to her feet. Hestia meowed up at them, as if trying to remind them what the auror said, as Penny rushed out of compartment 13. It wasn't too long before Penny spotted her sister in compartment 15 through the window. An enlarged cement brick prevented her from entering.

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Paige bit her lip, trying not to laugh too hard at Elizabeth and Fae's predicament with explaining the word pussy to Beatrice. Most Slytherin students generally knew about every foul word by the time they made it to second year. Some of it was because of the pureblood supremacists spreading the language, yet a non-insignificant part was from the insults the other houses were direct at them. "You can meet Hestia too, she likes curling up by fireplaces like her namesake," she told Beatrice.

Chiara tilted her head slightly, looking unconvinced.

The auror's voice reverberated through the compartment and Paige flinched, before relaxing. The fighting must have been over if the aurors were able to stop and make announcements. She couldn't hear anymore spells being thrown about either. As the tension left her body, her patronus flickered out of existence in the engine room. Scarcely a minute later, the face of Penny Haywood was peering in through the glass, her smile brightening as she spotted her sister.

"Penny!" Paige blushed slightly. "Erm, Barnaby, would you mind?" she asked, gesturing towards the cinder block.

Barnaby nodded, smirking slightly. "I am pretty strong, aren't I?" he said almost too innocently. He put his back up against the block and pushed, sliding it out of the way and rotating it ninety degrees (as he wasn't able to push it out of the way otherwise due to the seats in the compartment). The obstacle removed, Penny rushed into the compartment, enveloping both Beatrice and Chiara into a tight hug.

"Thank Merlin you two are alright!" Penny gushed. She let go of her sister and Chiara, before beaming at those in the compartment. She gave each girl a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you all were here with Bea and Chiara - if something had happened to them, I think I'd have gone mental."

Paige was blushing furiously. "Oh, it was no problem, Penny."

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Mary could feel sweat forming on her brown as she finished pulling the memory from Apollo. She put it into the jar, and then she let herself shake. She handed it to Artie since he was hovering anyway and took several deep breaths. Mary had tuned everything out to help Apollo and she now saw the looks on her friends' faces. Something awful had happened.

That was reinforced when Callum came in. She suddenly wished she hadn't handed Artie the vial with Apollo's memory in it. What if he gave it to Callum? Mary didn't trust the Auror. Her mind went to the sneak-o-scope shoved into her bag. If the Death Eater was dead...It should have been whistling from when she first got on the train. He was the conductor. It should be stopped if it was just him, but it wasn't stopped. She could hear it still in her bag. One of the Aurors was bad news.

Something didn't line up and Mary wasn't certain what it was. The actions of the sneak-o-scope implied that the train conductor wasn't untrustworthy. How much could she trust the item? It was just shy of being a toy. Her father had thought it was important she have it, but he was a doctor not an expert on dark detectors.