Author's Note:

Yeah, if I owned any of this stuff do you really think I'd be doing this in my free time???

I don't own HP, as much as I wish I did. So please, no court cases… I'd rather like to avoid complications.

Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep… B—

Harry looked at the clock and groaned. How he would love to hit the snooze button just one more time. Prolly a bad idea though, since I've already hit it 26 times… Harry glanced over at the bed next to his, and groaned again.

"Ron… Ron... RON!!!" Harry ducked as an arm emerged from underneath Ron's blankets and aimed a throw at his head.

"Hey Ron, the train leaves in 2 ½ hours."

"WHAT??? WHY IN BLOODY HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT AN HOUR AGO???" Ron was on his feet and pulling his jeans on as he was still yelling at Harry.

"Well why didn't you wake up when the alarm went off 27 times???" Harry joined Ron in getting dressed, and then threw all his last minute stuff into his trunk and tucked his wand into his pocket.

"I'll meet you downstairs!" Harry called as he ran down the stairs to the Weasley kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, Harry was at once bombarded with multiple greetings and one yell of "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T JUST WAKE UP!" from Mrs. Weasley.

"Okay, then I won't tell you." Harry reached across the table and grabbed some toast and then proceeded to pour himself a glass of juice.

"Mum's been going crazy since 4:00 this morning, so don't take it personally. She came into my room around 5 and started telling me that I was going to miss the train if I didn't get up that minute." Ginny reached for seconds on her breakfast as she whispered to Harry. No sense in setting off Mrs. Weasley again if it could be helped.

"Harry dear, I've washed some spare robes and socks for you. They're on the chair there. Go on up and put them in you truck. And tell Ronald that I'll have his skin if he makes everyone else late."

Harry crammed the remaining half of his toast in his mouth and downed his last gulp of juice. As he coughed and sputtered, he realized he'd made the mistake of trying to do both at the same time. When he could breathe again, Harry picked up his clean clothes and started the ascent to the top of The Burrow.

"Hey Ron, your mom is about ready to explode. You better get downstairs." Ron's head emerged from his trunk, flaming red hair sticking up every which way. "And might I suggest combing your hair?"

"Shut up Harry. I'd take a look in the mirror before making that comment next time." Harry felt the top of his head and shrugged as he tried, in vain, to make his messy, corrupt hair lie flat.

"RONALD WEASLEY!!!" Mrs. Weasley's voice came catapulting up the stairs from the kitchen.

The two boys closed their trunks with a snap and pulled them out into the hall. They then continued to pull, push, shove, maneuver, and throw their trunks down the stairs.

"Could you two make any more noise?" Fred and George each picked up an end of their trunks as Harry and Ron struggled into the kitchen with them.

"Probably," answered Ron, who promptly tripped over a shoe lying in the doorway on their way outside to load the first taxi that that had just pulled into the driveway to take them to Kings Cross.

A half hour later, everything was packed and loaded up, and the Weasley family piled into the back of the taxis, on their way to Kings Cross. They pulled up in front of the station with 20 minutes to spare.

"Wow… we made good time this year. Aren't we normally like, about to miss the train?" Ginny asked her mother as she took her trunk from the trunk of one of the taxis.

"Now don't you go jinxing our luck Ginny. Let's just get you kids on the train." Mrs. Weasley hurried into the train station with the rest of her family and Harry trailing behind her.

"Here we go," she said, stopping in front of the brick wall that would transport them onto the magical Platform 9 ¾. "Well, let's go. Fred, George, go on ahead. Your father and Ginny and I will come after you." The group watched the twins walk casually through the wall as if it was perfectly normal. Of course, in their world, it was perfectly normal. "Alright, ready Ginny? You boys come right through after us. No dawdling you hear? You don't want to miss the train after all." With that, the three of them walked through the barrier.

"Think Hermione's here yet?" asked Ron.

"Well, I guess we'll see her soon, even if she isn't. But then again, this is Hermione. She's prolly been here since last Tuesday."

The boys laughed as they leaned against the barrier, slipping gently through into wizarding world.

As they wheeled their carts onto the platform, the train whistle blew. Mrs. Weasley was standing by the train, herding Ginny and the twins onto the train. When she saw them, she waved her hand frantically at them.

"You two better get on board! It's about to leave!" Mrs. Weasley hugged them each as they boarded the train. "We'll see you at Christmas. I'm sure we'll be in touch before then though. Have a good term!"

"Bye Mrs. Weasley! Thanks for letting me stay over!" Harry called over his shoulder as he and Ron were jostled aboard by the many students forcing their way into them small doorway.

Harry and Ron got on the train and wandered through the corridor looking for an open compartment. They were about halfway down they train when they heard someone behind them call out their names. Turning around, they saw Hermione sticking her head out of the compartment they had just passed.

"Harry!! Ron!! Here, I saved you guys seats."

"Hermione! Hey, how was your holiday in America?" asked the boys as they pushed their trunks into the compartment and stored them overhead two of the empty seats.

"It was awesome. I just got back a few days ago. We were staying with some of my family there, and decided to stay a bit longer."

"Awesome. Sounds like fun." Harry sat down in the seat Hermione had saved for him. "So whaddya do?"

Harry soon regretted asking that question as he and Ron spent the rest of the trip having their ears talked off by Hermione. She told them all about the history of the wizarding community in America that she had learned all about from her books while there.

Finally, the conductor's voice came over the PA system. "We will shortly be arriving at the station. Leave all luggage on the train, it will be brought to the school separately."

Harry and Ron were able to shut Hermione up by telling her that they had enough learning to do that term, and they didn't need Hermione filling their heads up to brimming before school even started.

The three of them got off the train together and gazed up at the towering castle that was in front of them.

"Home at last," said Harry. "Wonder what we're in for this year."

Author's Note:

Yeah, I know that it's short, and I know there's no plot yet. But hang in there… there will be next time I post. And that may be a while. I'm insanely busy what with drama after school, soccer, music lessons, and "practicing". I'll try my best though. Just keep checking back. Love to all… specially LeManchotDuDestin for forcing me to write something, and PinkyTheSnowman for telling me to post. And reviews are highly appreciated here. I need as much help as I can get!

StarzInHerEyes