6th year explorations

******Stinky Train Ride******





Platform 9 ¾ was crowed and noisy. Hermione and Ron were prefects again this year and were helping the 1st years get on the train and find compartments. Harry and Ginny found a compartment with Dean and Seamus. They talked about their summers and how they couldn’t wait for quidditch to start. Harry had spent much of his summer at the burrow practicing new strategies with Ron, Ginny and their brothers. He didn’t talk about how empty he felt since the death of his godfather, Sirus. Harry forced it all into the back of his mind. Sirus’s death, the Prophecy – everything. It was just too much to have at the forefront of his thos als all the time.



Neville came into the compartment.



“All right if I sit with you guys? Everywhere else is full.”



Ginny’s mouth was gaping open at Neville. She hadn’t seen him at the bookstore. He smiled embarrassingly at her and she snapped her mouth shut.



“Yeah, come on in, Nev. We were just about to go ‘visit’ some of the other compartments.” Dean said as he and Seamus got up. Harry noticed that their pockets were bulging with stink bombs. They left with evil grins on their faces.



Hermione entered as they left thom. om. “What are they up to?” She asked with her lips pressed in a thin line. Harry glanced up and smiled weakly trying to look innocent, knowing someone was going to have a smelly ride to Hogwarts.





Samantha Aldrick sat quietly on the bench against the window looking out at the ing ing scenery. She looked nervous and out of place compared with the others in her compartment. She was on edge. Her posture said it all. Back straight, perched at the edge of the seat, feet planted flat on the ground and hands on her knees. Like someone was going to strike or attack her. She didn’t want to be here. She shivered as every fiber in her body screamed to get out of there. No one noticed though and why would they? She was taught to control her emotion and she did it verll. ll. She continued to stare out the window.



Next to her Draco Malfoy sat relaxed and sprawled on the bench. He conversed with two massive boys, Crabbe and Goyle, who took up the whole bench across from them. On the opposite side of Draco was Pansy Parkinson, a girl Samantha had just been introduced to at the station. She had glued her self to Draco’s side at the station and was now slowly stroking his thigh back and forth. Draco didn’t seem to mind.



“Where did you say you were from again?” Pansy asked in an, I don’t really give a shit I’m so much better than you, tone of voice.



Samantha already didn’t like her.



“I didn’t say where I’m from.” Samantha said not caring if she sounded snooty.



“What did you just say?” Pansy spat obviously ticked off and lurched over Draco toward her. Draco pushed her back off him into the corner.



“Back off Pans’ I told you Aldrick here is from the ole US of A.” He looked over at Samantha and flashed her his Malfoy smile. He had attempted several times to ‘put the moves’ on her while she stayed at the manor but she always found a way out of his grasp. Draco thought to himself that she wasn’t going to have anywhere to run at school. “Our dads are old chums from way back. They got business together now. Don’t they?” He smirked and flicked his eyebrows at her.



Her head whipped around to look at him as he made that last statement.



* Does he know? *



She looked him in the eye and tried to scan his thoughts. Legilimency and Occlumency were two skills she had been train in over the past two years. Draco quickly walled off his mind sensing an invasion. He too had been secretly train in such areas.



* He’s quick. *



She looked away and he squinted his eyes at her. Just then she felt her forearm start itching. No, no now it was burning. She had to out out of there. QUICK! She stood up, showing no emotion and excused herself telling them she needed to use the bathroom. She barely made it through the bathroom door, shut it and locked it before she started tearing at her sleeve. The pain was searing now and she knew once she got her sleeve up there would be a huge burnt blister of flesh there. She tore at the button on her sleeve and it flew off. She pulled the fabric up and saw – nothing. Nothing but creamy flesh – but it burnt. She ran her arm under cold water in the sink hoping to sooth the burning feeling. It didn’t help. Her eyes started watering from the pain, she panted and hissed through gritted teeth. The burning sensation continued. The pain brought her to her knees in front of the sink gasping, trying not to cry out.



Then …it was gone. She lowered her head to the counter, eyes streaming. She looked at her left forearm where her right hand grabbed at the chunk of flesh there. Her grip was so tight that her nails had dug into the flesh causing little trickles of blood to come from the punctures. She slowly got up and rinsed the wound she had given herself, wrapped it in paper towel from the dispenser, trying to remember the healing spell.



* You’ll remember it just calm down. *



She took another 20 minutes to pull herself together, cast the healing spell, straighten hebes bes and mentally scold herself for losing control.



* Pain is in your mind! There for you can control it! * She had been told that so many times she had lost count. She stared at herself in the mirror not really seeing herself but seeing her failures and this was just another one to add to her guilt.



Samantha exhaled stiffly and resolutely opened the bathroom door to return to her compartment. She stepped into the narrow hallway only to have a throng of people come surging from the front to the train. She was swept along with them only to be confronted by another group of students surging from the back. Everyone was shouting and clamoring and then the smell of the stink bomb hit her square in the face. *uck*



The hallway was full of students packed in like sardines in a can. She was pressed up against the wall and something kept poking her in the back. Putting her hand behind her she felt a doorkngavegave it a twist and it popped open. Everyone pressed in after her but they didn’t get far. It was a small room meant to store the candy cart but still people packed in trying to escape the stink smell. She got pinned in the corner with shouting bodies all around. The little room didn’t have any windows and the stink smell was getting thicker. Samantha could barely breath and it didn’t help that she was pinned in facing the back corner. She twisted herself around pushing oodieodies and came face to face with his eyes.







Harry’s eyes widened as his green eyes met golden. He didn’t notice her eyes flash quickly over his scar.



A surge of bodies pressed the two together. Samantha winced at the pressure and let out a little gasp. She choked at inhaling some stink bomb smell. Instinctively she put her hands on his chest to push him back to get more space, her back compressed against the wall. She couldn’t move. People were choking, shouting and yelling all around making the scene very chaotic. Another surge of people crunched them further together. He could feel the warmth coming off her body and the curves of her form through his tee shirt. Harry was also gasping and panting for fresh air. His breath was felt on her neck. They were very close.



“ I can’t… breath…” Samantha said tilting her head up trying to find fresh air, not finding any she began to cough more. Harry was cing ing too and his eyes were watering. Harry braced his arms against the wall on either side if her waist and tried to push back against the people behind him to little effect.



“ Come on you guys back up!” Harry yelled, adding his voice to the already noisy situation.



“What’s happened?” She asked, her eyes beginning to water too.



“Looks like we’ve got some new jokesters this year.” Harry said thinking of how big the Weasley twins shoes were to fill. “Stink bombs in just about every compartment.”



Harry could hear Hermione yelling out in the hallway; telling people to stay calm and that they were working to clear the compartments.



Just then the train lurched and thumped along the tracks. Samantha grabbed Harry around the waist; her hands clenched his tee shirt tightly. She looked at him embarrassed aowerowered her hand back down to her sides.



“Sorry.” She said and averted her eyes. *Dam, he’s all muscle under there*



“I’m Harry by the way.” He said smiling, wishing that the train would lurch some more.



“Samantha.” She replied returning his smile.



Hermiones voice was closer in the hallway and people started to thin out. Everyone in the candy cart room could start to move easier and finally make their way out to the hal. Ha. Harry spied Hermione and by the look on her face realized she wasn’t in the mood to talk. She stomped to the back of the train and everyone moved out of her way. Samantha walked out behind Harry leaving the candy cart room. The stink smell was definitely going away but still lingered. She turned and headed toward the front of the train and her compartment.



“Hey!” Harry called to her. She turned



“See, ya ‘round.” He said. * Can’t believe I just said something so stupid. Stupid. Stupid!*



She didn’t say anything but gave him a smile. She turned to continue and bumped smack-dab into Draco. His cronies flanked him and were in effect blocking the whole hallway with their bulk. She looked up at his face but he wasn’t looking at her. Draco’s eyes looked over her shoulder at Harry. They stared each other down, while she looked from one to the other.



“Potter.” The word slid venomously from Draco’s lips. “Should have known it was you and your mudblood friends that are stinking up the place.”



Harry opened his mouth to spout something back but his voice caught in his throat as he watched Malfoy place a protective arm around Samantha. She stumbled to his side as his arm pressed her to him. Malfoy turned and lead her down the hall his eyes never leaving Harry’s. Grabbe and Goyle lingered, flexing their hulk at Harry but seeing that he wasn’t intimidated they soon followed Malfoy back to the front of the train.



“You OK?” Draco asked sounding as concerned as a Malfoy could.



“Yeah.” She replied and wanted to shrug off his arm but didn’t. “Are all the train rides this eventful?” She hugged her arms still feeling the body that was pressed against her just minutes earlier.



“There’s always some crap going on when Potter’s around.” Draco hissed. He was looking at her as they walked side by side down the corridor. He tried to catch her eye but she kept them focused on the ground. Stopping in the hall, Draco grabbed her by the upper arms and searched her face as he furrowed his brow. Startled she looked back at him questioningly.



“Did he touch you?” Draco whispered harshly, inches from her face. She didn’t answer.



“Did that fucking mudblood lover lay a fucking finger on you?” His grip tightened.



He couldn’t read her face. *She’s good at this but I’m better*



“Draco. Let go of me.” She said firmly keeping the tone of her voice level. Her face not showing how much his grip was hurting.



“Not till you answer me.” Draco said.



“No, he didn’t touch me.” She lied. “Now – release your grip.” His eyes raked over her face looking for something. She noted that Malfoys were known for having complete control over their emotions and that it was interesting how Draco had non when it came to Harry Potter.



* Interesting. * She stored that bit of information away.



He released her and they returned to the compartment in silence.