Since they left the ice cream shop, it was nothing but fear that kept them going.
The idea that more Snatchers were on their way to get the four of them made their pace pick up on the pavement. Blending in without looking suspicious was becoming more difficult, especially since anyone on You-Know-Who's side, such as a Death Eater or Snatcher in disguise, could be watching them.
Oliver did his best to remain calm, but it was hard for him to not turn around every so often just to make sure they weren't being followed. He was certain that he was just being paranoid, but given the close encounter he just had with Snatchers, he didn't want to let his guard down at any moment.
As the evening began to turn into night, the four arrived at the train station, where there was a decent crowd of people, waiting to get on the train. They looked at the scheduled times of arrival and departures for numerous counties.
"Okay, the ride is four hours," Jacob explained, then looked down at his watch. "It's almost eight o'clock now, and the train leaves in just five minutes, so we better get a move on."
So the four got their money straight, getting one-way tickets to Dorset, where the Scamander family resided. It was a risk to get one-way tickets, but maybe it was best to do just that, hoping the chance of Death Eaters or Snatchers raiding the county was more unlikely than they thought.
They boarded the train, moving past people and other compartments until they got to one with four bedrooms, away from other passengers. Oliver and Jacob took one set of bunk beds, while Mary and Eliza took the other one across from them.
Jacob huffed a sigh, climbing to the top bunk, plopping on his bed. "Four hours in a tiny compartment with you lot. This should be fun."
"Yes, we're all thrilled," Eliza replied sarcastically, getting adjusted in her bed. "At least we've got a lot of time to talk and figure out what we're going to do once we get to your house."
"It'll just depend on what we find," Jacob pointed out. "Hopefully, it's something good."
"And maybe we'll get there before anyone else does," Mary added.
Jacob eyed Mary down below. "If your friends have invaded my home and messed with my family by the time--"
"Jake," Oliver cut him off. "Like you said, we'll be here for four hours. The last thing we need is any arguing. Maybe some sleep will be best. We've had a long day."
Instead of responding, Jacob merely huffed a sigh.
When the train began to move, they got comfortable in their beds, where all of them were unable to keep their eyes shut for some sleep. The noise of the train leaving the station rang in their ears, followed by the wheels turning on the tracks at a slow pace before picking up after a couple of minutes. With the rattling and bumpy ride beginning to bother Oliver, he sat up from his bed and leaned against the wall.
"This is going to be a long ride," Mary commented.
Oliver nodded. "Yeah," he muttered, facing her. "But we'll make the most of it."
"By sleeping, like Ollie said," Eliza spoke up. "We all need it."
It didn't take long for her and Jacob to do just that, while Oliver and Mary took a little bit longer to get settled in. But when she finally got on her back and made an attempt to drift off to sleep, he did the same. Closing his eyes, he was able to escape the real world for a while, but he knew it would be short-lived.
Oliver dreamt about anything that was good, which was mostly memories of him and his best friends at Hogwarts. He didn't care that it was just the simple and little things that happened over the years, because they were all things that occurred before things got bad in the Wizarding world, back when no one had a target on their backs.
Back when no one cared about his blood status.
The ride was quicker than anticipated, with the train coming to a halt nine minutes past midnight, just like their tickets stated. The four woke up with groggy expressions, yawning and rubbing their eyes before gathering their rucksacks and hopping off the train and onto the station.
"Welcome to Dorset, everyone," Jacob announced.
He led the other three off the platform and onto the road. Luckily for them, the Scamanders didn't live too far from the station. Nevertheless, the risk of being out in the open was high, but that risk was elevated since it was so late at night.
"We're almost there," Jacob assured them. "Still be on the lookout, though. You never know who's out here watching."
Right, exactly what we've been doing since we left Hampstead, Oliver thought.
Before they knew it, Jacob's house was in view. While the two-story house looked normal on the outside, with the yellow vinyl siding and vines hanging from the windows, something was still off.
Jacob slowly approached the front door, his hand gliding down the frame, observing it, then he let his fingers linger on the door. With almost a sad look, he looked back at the others. "They've been here."
Oliver heard both girls gasp a little. "How do you know?" he asked.
"Someone tried to kick the door open. It's just about ripped from the frame." Jacob eyed the door once again before slowly opening it. "Yeah, they've definitely been here."
The other three followed him inside, taking a look around at the mess. The tables and chairs were flipped over, drawers pulled out, and everything in them on the floor. The furniture was torn apart, the remains of the cushions on the floor.
"They really did a number in this place," Eliza stated.
Jacob scoffed in response. "No kidding," he muttered, heading for the window. "My grandparents' cottage looks empty as well. They must've left with the rest of my family." He paused, turning around and huffing a sigh. "I'm going to check out the bedrooms."
When he left, the other three took their time wandering around in the living room. They did their best to avoid stepping on any glass while picking up pictures that fell. Despite the frames being broken, Oliver and Eliza would put them back on the stands. However, Oliver caught a glimpse of Mary studying the pictures for a moment.
"I wonder where his family went," Mary commented.
"Wherever they are, I'm sure they're okay," Oliver assured her, taking the picture from her hands.
Suddenly, the sound of Jacob's feet came back down the stairs in a hurry. He was panting, a piece of parchment gripped in his fingers. "You need to see this." He rushed over to the trio, unfolding the parchment for the others to read.
Pink Floyd and his Blueberry friend went out to find Willy Wonka and Liza Minnelli, to which they hoped the two had a Graham Cracker with them.
"This makes no sense," Mary spoke up after reading the note. "What's this, some sort of code?"
"That's exactly what it is," Oliver told her. "The five of us have code names. I'm Graham Cracker, Eliza is Liza Minnelli, Jacob is Willy Wonka, and then--"
"--Andrew is Pink Floyd and Violet is Blueberry," Eliza finished. "Which means they were here, too."
Jacob nodded. "Yeah, they were."
Oliver nodded as well. The question is, where are they now?
A/N: Song is First Journey by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
So the meaning/explanation of the code names will be established in the next chapter! Maybe Mary will get one, too. ;)
I know I keep saying this, but PLEASE COMMENT. I can't stress enough how much they mean to me and how frustrating it is to see ghost readers.
So COMMENT, vote, more will come soon.
-A