The Godmother

3. saviour

THE TRIO BEGAN TALKING SOFTLY ON THEIR OWN ABOUT THEIR HOLIDAYS. Remus read his book and Elizabeth store out the window. She felt so let-down. Living 12 years in solitude for Harry, and this was their first conversation. He thought that she'd insulted James. Bloody idiot is probably laughing from the other side, she thought to herself.

She picked in on what Harry was saying, often listening to Hermione and Ronald too. Ron's family had won a holiday to Egypt, so his intricately large family spent the holidays there, while Hermione had stayed at home with her mother and father. Harry had done 'the usual stuff', as he directly called it, until he told his friends the story of how he blew his Aunt Marge into a balloon and ran away.

While Elizabeth knew Lily would have been frightened and upset, James would have been laughing to himself through the entire dilemma. Harry explained how he caught the Knight Bus, and stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, even meeting Cornelius Fudge while he was there. It was satisfying to listen to. To hear Harry's story, just listening to how his days had been spent. Elizabeth liked hearing it from him. She liked listening to his voice. It was an exact mixture of Lily and James. James' punching attitude and Lily's calming voice mixed in a pot and slowly poured into Elizabeth's ears.

They had rolled out of London and were steaming across the countryside. The train was clattering at a high speed. The trolley lady came around, and Hermione bought herself and Ronald a pumpkin pasty, and Ronald a chocolate frog card after a consistent minute of him begging.

Elizabeth felt out of her own body. Shadowed by the knowledge that she was sitting next to her nephew. Next to James' son.

Eventually, as time grew on, clouds began to form outside the train. The sky that was once blue had turned into a dark pearly colour and was threatening to rain. By the time they wore halfway through the journey, it poured outside. Rain lashed against the windows and the sky outside had gone dark, almost like it was night.

Thunder roared above the huffing of the train and lightning forked across the mountains by the horizon. Hermione had turned the cabin lights on.

Then, the train began to slow down.

Hermione looked worriedly up at Ronald and Harry. Elizabeth looked up at Remus, a torn and confused expression igniting her face.

"We can't be in Hogsmeade yet?", Hermione calculated, "Its still a few hours away."

The brakes screeched and engine fought to keep up with what the conductor was demanding of the train. The slow winding-down of the engine brought the train to a stand-still in the middle of a grassy field.

It was still raining outside, thunder rumbling, when the train jolted. The lights above flickered and turned off.

"Harry," Ron whispered frightenedly.

Elizabeth looked at the window, only to find it encased in a layer of ice that prevented her from looking out. And like the flick of a switch, it suddenly became freezing cold inside the cabin. Elizabeth grew goosebumps and held her arms warmly, trying to heat up.

"What is this?", Hermione whispered, looking between Remus and Elizabeth.

"I have no idea," Elizabeth said.

"What if its... S- Sirius Black?", Ron whimpered as though the name were as equal as Voldemort's.

"It's not Sirius Black," Remus said factually, making Ron sound silly.

It got colder and colder, Elizabeth could hear the windows cracking in the dark of the night. She reached for her wand that was in her pocket and held it up towards the door.