The train lurched. Hard. Everyone stumbled, someone's trunk went flying, and somewhere down the carriage, a second-year started crying.

The engine gave a mournful groan. Then a sputter. Then nothing. The lights flickered once, twice, and died, plunging the corridor into near-darkness before emergency lanterns clicked on with a dull orange glow.

Through the rain-streaked windows, the landscape had disappeared completely. No hills. No trees. Just grey. The train had stopped in the middle of nowhere, and the storm outside was getting louder by the second.

The compartment door slid open, and Draco Malfoy stepped out, hair slightly damp, expression caught somewhere between annoyed and amused. He looked down the corridor at the chaos, then back at his friends.