The train sped north through rain that grew fiercer by the minute. Heavy clouds blotted out the sky, turning daylight to dusk. Condensation coated the windows and blurred the view outside, so the carriage lights had to be switched on even though it was still day.
As lunchtime approached, the snack trolley made its way down the aisle. Harry bought a heap of cakes to share with the others for lunch. Jerry wasn't thrilled. Cakes for lunch? But they were free, so he made do. It was the first day of term, after all, and the welcome feast at Hogwarts that night was sure to be lavish.
That afternoon, Jerry also asked Ron about what had been happening at the Ministry of Magic over the past few days. Ron mentioned that Mr. Weasley had received an urgent message from Alastor Moody that morning.
"Alastor Moody? You mean Mad-Eye Moody?" Neville asked. "Gran told me he was an incredible Auror. He put half the prisoners in Azkaban behind bars!"
"That's him, all right! He's made plenty of enemies over the years, though. And as he's got older, he's become more and more suspicious. He hardly trusts anyone now." Ron shook his head in disbelief. "This morning, he actually said a dustbin attacked him!"
At that, Jerry knew Voldemort and Barty Crouch Jr. had put their plan into motion.
So far, Voldemort's soul had been split seven times, leaving eight fragments. One lay hidden inside Harry Potter, another remained in Voldemort himself, and he had made the other six into Horcruxes.
Jerry had accidentally absorbed the soul fragment sealed inside Riddle's Diary, and the fragment in Ravenclaw's Diadem had also fallen into his hands. He was in no hurry to get the four that remained. Even if he collected them now, it