Sadie laughed brashly at George’s comment, tipping her head back with her mirth. He was being really rather nice. She didn’t doubt the lengths that jerk’s like her brother would go to in pulling a prank. She supposed the train was a bit out of his reach, but as a professional younger sister she’d learned that there was [i]always[/i] a chance she was being messed with. Especially considering she tended to give as good as she got.

“Maybe it’s just a massive prank and there’s loads of hidden cameras everywhere,” she grinned, although she had visibly relaxed in her seat. “And instead of Hogwarts we’re just going in a big loop and we’ll end up back at King’s Cross. My dreams can be right terrible sometimes.”

George offered her a small blue bean, which she accepted. She blinked as he told her not to eat it—and her mouth dropped when he explained what it was. Sadie was aware she looked daft, but this was too wild to be stupid like Brennan and feign apathy.

“A [i]dragon egg[/i]?” She repeated, her little mind blown by the implications. “Like, there are enough dragons in the world that eggs can just be like, shrunk and passed out in sweets?”

She stared at the little blue bean—[i]egg[/i]—in her palm, pale fingers reaching out to better examine it. It was so wee; and a little sad. She’d much rather it be a proper egg, with a proper dragon. Still, it was wonderful.

“Thank you,” she breathed, rather enthralled, her brain working a mile a minute. She didn’t process his question about the time, still puzzling over the egg, and then, rather alarmingly, something dropped in her lap and the compartment when black.

“Ack!” Sadie coughed, reflexively covering the egg with her hands to keep it safe. The light had been extinguished. It was oppressively dark, pressing in all around her, and Sadie let out a desperately uncool [i]squeak[/i]. Her lungs burned and her heart raced in terror. She had to get out, it was too dark, she didn’t have her phone to use as a light and—

The window opened, the air clearing almost instantly. Sadie breathed deep, grateful for the fresh air and all the precious [i]light[/i]. Black powder streamed out in large swirls, but her heartbeat was taking longer to slow down. She relaxed against her seat as George went to the compartment door. An empty sachet sat in her lap, which she carefully turned over.

“’Weasley Wizard Wheezes Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder’,” she read aloud, a painful knot in her throat. A humiliated flush had crossed her cheeks, freckled ears burning bright red. Sadie knew it was silly and childish, her fear of the dark, and wished desperately that she could be less pathetic. “That’s, um… s-something else.”