Window into the Past

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"I'm looking forward to going to Zonkos," Ron piped up. "I really want to see the Shrieking Shack, it's the most haunted building in Britain," Hermione told us.

"It's not," I stated. "I'll tell you everything on our first visit."

Hermione smiled at me, looking forward to it.

"But there's loads of other things in Honeydukes," Ron told me. "Good thing I brought plenty of money then," I laughed.

"Won't it be fun Harry?" Hermione asked Harry. "Suppose it will be, you'll have to tell me everything," Harry sighed.

I tilted my head in confusion. "The Dursleys didn't sign my form," Harry told us. "Bloody pillocks," I swore.

"Joy!" Hermione scolded me. "But surely McGonagall would," I mumbled. "Highly doubt that," Harry lamented.

The subject was immediately changed once Hermione was opening Crookshanks' basket.

"Don't let that thing out!" Ron ordered. Hermione didn't listen and Crookshanks leapt onto his knees. "Get off!"

I flinched away from the cat and ended up tripping over Lupin's foot and he stirred. I held my hands up in surrender, my panic position. He shifted into a more comfortable position and kept on sleeping.

"Sorry," I grimaced.

***

"Anything from the trolley?" the trolley lady asked us. I was sitting closer to Lupin so I tried to wake him up. "Professor Lupin?"

I tapped his shoulder but he made no acknowledgement of being awake. "Damn, he's a heavy sleeper," I shook my head, sitting back down as Harry tossed me a Cauldron Cake. "I'll be up front if he wakes up," the trolley lady told me. "Are you two related? You look alike."

I looked at Lupin. "Do we?"

Hermione tilted her head. "Sort of."

"He's not dead, is he?" Ron wondered. Lupin gave a quiet grunt. "Yep, he's alive," I told him.

It was a good thing that Lupin was with us because Malfoy couldn't harass the others.

"We need to whoop his arse in Quidditch this year," I grumbled. "I second that," Harry piped up.

"I'm not taking any crap from him this year," Ron grunted.

The sky slowly turned dark, we were getting nearer to Hogwarts. "How is he not awake yet?" I wondered, looking at Lupin.

The train stopped all of a sudden and I frowned. "We can't be there yet."

"Why are we stopping?" Ron asked us. "How am I supposed to know?" I grumbled.

All the lights went out and we sat in complete darkness. "Did we break down?" Harry wondered.

The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell over. "Sorry, do you know what's going..OW!"

"Neville?"

"Harry?"

"Here, sit here."

"I'm going to see what's going on," I sighed getting up. The door opened and I let out a yelp as I collapsed onto the floor with someone on top of me. "Joy?"

"Ginny?"

"Where's Ron?"

"He's here, just sit here."

"Someone's on my lap!"

"For Merlin's sake, shut up, you're gonna wake Professor Lupin," I muttered.

"I'm already up but I appreciate the concern," a hoarse voice said. Lupin was awake.