Liar. Harry Potter's sister ~ Book 2

chapter six

The gravel crunches beneath my feet as we follow the path towards the carriages, awaiting to carry us to the castle, our heavy rucksacks and pet cages weighing us down. Draco and I had bid goodbye around half an hour before the train was due to arrive. The cold wind nipped at my skin and ruffled my hair as we approached a long line of the horseless carriages that students were now pouring into in large groups.

I had to do a double-take.

Except, they weren't horseless. A strange creature was stood in between the carriage shafts. It had a dragon-like head, with pearly-white staring eyes fixated into the skull. The creature was completely fleshless and simply looked like a very daunting skeleton, with large, leathery wings protruding from its wither. They stood silently but had an eerie feel to them that made my arm hairs prickle. I stare in bewilderment at these creatures.

I look over at the others, who are acting quite normally, queuing for a carriage, paying no attention to the creatures standing there at all. I look to my left at Harry, whose eyes are glazed over in the exact state of perplexity I was feeling inside.

"What are they?" I ask, as we moved forward in the line. The creature on the first carriage silently, but swiftly began to move along the track, pulling along its, now full, carriage with it.

"What are what?" Ron asks, passing Pigwigeon's cage into my hands while he adjusted his bags. He seemed completely unfazed by the creatures. Harry and I look at each other in confusion.

"Pulling the carriages?" Harry says.

"Nothing's pulling the carriages, Harry," Hermione says, her voice laced with concern. "It's pulling itself like always." Now at the front of the queue, Harry and I stop for a moment, staring at these skeletal creatures. I shoot Hermione a look of annoyance.

"But they're right there!" I say, gesturing towards the creature, "Can't you see it?" I look ahead and see Ginny and Neville climbing into an empty carriage, soon followed by Luna, who stops for a second and turns to face us with dreamy eyes.

"Don't worry, your not going mad," she says, her voice quiet and airy, her eyes drift over the winged creatures and she gives them an approving smile, as if they were friends. "I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am."

Comforting.

Harry and I give each other looks of uncertainty, before hoisting ourselves into the carriage after Ron and Hermione, still not feeling a hundred percent reassured.

~

An excitable buzz of chatter was hovering over the heads of students as they poured into the Great Hall, hungry and tired, and fixated themselves on the four, long tables that stood under the starry ceiling. Candles were drifting over our heads, illuminating the dozens of silvery ghosts that were now talking happily amongst the students, despite their pallid and miserable looking faces. As Harry and I took our seats at the Gryffindor table I felt as though every pair of eyes in the room was burning holes in me. Frantic whispers could be heard as we passed and I heard my name being spoke several times. I puff my chest out and clench my jaw, gritting my teeth and ignoring them.

Within no time, the Hall was filled with excited students, and the large doors were opened once again. Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of very frightened and cold looking first-years, wearing robes that seemed far too big for them and expressions of amazement as they took in their first sight of the Great Hall. A three-legged stool was placed at the end of the Hall and the Sorting Hat was placed upon each of their terrified little heads, sorting them into their destined houses. It was overall a quick process, and I didn't pay much attention to it, only clapping occasionally when someone got sorted into Gryffindor, and it was over in around fifteen minutes.