"My gosh! Dracy! He ran away from the litter. What are we ever going to do about you?"
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THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment. Crookshanks had now settled in an empty seat next to Llewelyn, his squashed face turned towards Ron, his yellow eyes on Ron's top pocket.
At one o'clock the plump witch with the food trolley arrived at the compartment door. Aurora had been waiting for this moment ever since they got onto the train.
"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding towards Professor Lupin.
"He looks like he could do with some food," Aurora said, standing up and walking over to the food trolley.
As Aurora did that, Hermione approached Professor Lupin cautiously."Er – Professor?" she said. "Excuse me – Professor?" He didn't move.
"Don't worry, dear," the witch said as she handed Harry and Aurora a large stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be upfront with the driver."
Aurora was about to pay for the food with the leftover money she stole from her brother when Harry said, "Don't worry about it. I'll pay."
Before she could protest, Harry paid for the food and sat back down with a grin. Aurora rolled her eyes at him but a little smile started on her face.
"I suppose he is asleep?" Ron said quietly, as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean – he hasn't died, has he?"
"No, no, he's breathing," Hermione whispered, taking the cauldron cake Harry passed her.
Mid-afternoon, just as it had started to rain, blurring the rolling hills outside the window, they heard footsteps in the corridor again, and their three least favourite people appeared at the door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.
"Well, look who it is," Malfoy said in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. His eyes spotted Aurora who gave him a look. He ignored it. "Potty and the Weasel."
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.
"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," Malfoy said. "Did your mother die of shock?"
Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks' basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort.
"Who's that?" Malfoy said taking an automatic step backwards as he spotted Lupin.
