Harry Potter plunged into the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. His eyes met a scarlet steam engine and he grinned. This was his last year at Hogwarts, but he would make sure it was his best. He heard Ron and Hermione entering Platform 9 ¾ after him. They both shared his sheepish smile; they were thinking along the same lines as he was. They heaved their luggage into the train, and Ron panted. "Is it just me, or do our bloody belongings get heavier each year?"
Harry chuckled and went off to find a compartment. Ron had prefect duties and Hermione was Head Girl, so they had to go meet with Professor McGonagall to talk about what was expected of them this year. Harry found an empty compartment near the end of the train and sat down gingerly on one of the benches. He knew it wouldn't be long until someone he knew came barging in to sit with him, so he counted off the minutes in his head. After about 3 minutes, Ginny, Neville, and Luna came in. Neville sat next to Harry and Luna and Ginny took the bench across from them.
"I bet it's going to be a rollercoaster of a year. You know, with Dumbledore gone." Ginny said somberly. The other three nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a bit, before Ron and Hermione came barging in, oblivious to the downhearted people inside.
"Who's Head Boy?" Harry asked curiously.
"The pompous git, Zacharias Smith." Ron said, scowling.
"Oh, come off it Ron. He's not that bad." Hermione retorted. Ron just rolled his eyes, but Harry laughed. They could be so funny together sometimes. The five Hogwarts' students talked about different things until they reached Hogwarts. It was magnificent as ever. The castle held a melancholy beauty; it was proud, but it held dark secrets of the past.
The five piled into a carriage, talking nonstop until they reached the castle. Entering the castle, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny sat at the Gryffindor table while Luna made her way to the Ravenclaw one. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, and a woman by the name of Clementine Bristow was the new Transfiguration teacher. And Minerva McGonagall was the new Head Mistress.
Professor Sinistra brought out the Sorting Hat and set it on a wooden stool, facing the Great Hall. The professor then went to get the first years. The doors to the hall opened and the woman was leading many worried looking eleven year olds. They stopped before the staff table, and nervously glanced up at the teachers. Headmistress McGonagall gave them a thin-lipped smile before stepping forth.
"I would like to say a few things before the Sorting starts.." She paused and waited for the large room to quiet down. "This year will be a rocky year. With the leave of one of our professors, and the death of our former Headmaster. One of your classmates also fled."
Ron could be heard coughing something that sounded oddly like "Malfoy."
"Mr. Weasley." Said McGonagall sternly. He quieted quickly. "I wish you a safe, happy, and enjoyable year. Now I turn this over to our lovely hat."
The hat was old, battered, and worn. It had a tear that substituted as a mouth. Overall, it looked like a hat with a long, rough life. Many of the first years were startled when it began speaking.
It was at least a thousand years ago,
When I was first conceived.
I was made to sort you,
On what each founder believed.
First came bold Gryffindor,
From primitive moor beyond,
He took pride in his courage and nerve
And liked his students to be headstrong.
Then there was intelligent Ravenclaw,
Who was from secluded glen out yonder,
The dame took pride in her smarts and wit,
And liked her students to sit and ponder
Soon came gentle Hufflepuff,
Descended from smooth valley distant,
The lady took pride in her loving temperament,
And liked her students to be most pleasant,
Last came -
All of the sudden, everything went black. Gasps and screams could be heard throughout the Great Hall. Harry tried to light his wand, but was unsuccessful.
"Great. Just fuckin' great…" Harry muttered. Other than being annoyed, Harry was quite worried and became alert. Nothing like this ever happened at Hogwarts without some kind of dark, evil magic being involved. It couldn't be a power outage for obvious reasons.
The door burst open and a dim light filled the large hall. Several hooded figures came charging up the room, and thrust the first years aside. They stopped, and a lone figure walked up the same path they took. The students sat, immobile. They knew who he was, but why was he here? The Great Hall was silent as the individual finally spoke.
"Last came cunning Slytherin,
Derived from dark fen obscured,
The lord took pride in his devious manner,
And liked his students to be canny and shrewd." The… thing paused. Most students couldn't place this being as a human or creature. They new one thing; he was Lord Voldemort. He had crimson snake-like eyes, with no nose (only two crevices that allowed air to pass), and was a pasty pale color. He wore a dark robe and went barefoot.
"That verse is very true." Came his sickeningly soft voice. "Seeing as I was the model Slytherin." He looked around and finally came to rest on Harry. He had a grimace on his face, trying his best not to clutch his forehead and whimper in pain.
"Harry Potter…" The Dark Lord said as he stepped towards the boy. "So we meet again. What a shame Dumbledore isn't here. I'm sure he started to fear death when it looked him in the eye a few months ago, don't you agree?"
Harry snarled in rage, but didn't say anything. He knew that a slip of the tongue could mean death. He had to keep Voldemort talking, at least long enough to get the rest of the students out. But Voldemort turned away from him and strolled up to the staff table, talking as he did so.
"I am not here for Mr. Potter. I am here for all of you. Only a select few shall live." Many of the Slytherins were smirking; it amazed Harry how self-involved they could be when their classmates were about to die. Harry then had an idea. It wouldn't save the whole school, but better some than none. He said very low, as so the Death Eaters and Voldemort couldn't hear.
"When Voldemort says his spell, and not a moment before, use the most powerful shield charm you can conjure. Then run. Tell as many people as you can, but do not let yourself be heard."
The evil lord continued. "…… So I will destroy Hogwarts. Its become so infested with… filth. It is what Lord Slytherin would have wanted. Estremità!""
And with that, about 40 of the population of Hogwarts shouted "Protego!" at the same time and deflected the worst of the spell and the rock that was falling all around them. The students that didn't die from the spell were running as fast as possible toward the exit. How they all managed to get out with all the confusion and destruction around them was unknown. They just kept running and running until they were at the edge of the Forbidden Forest before the stopped and looked back. In a matter of seconds, Hogwarts lay in ruins. All was silent on the grounds. Tears mingled with sweat and blood as the remaining students looked back at their once majestic school. Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat huddled together, mourning for the unlucky teachers and classmates. Harry looked down at the grass and thoughts raced through his mind. What to do? Where to go? How to survive? Who to contact? When he heard a few gasps, the boy looked up at the castle again. The Dark Mark loomed threateningly over Hogwarts' ruins. People around the Trio took to low whispering.
"Well, since they probably disapparated, we can look around for our things. I doubt they've been brought up yet." said Hermione quietly. The three friends got up and walked until they reached the abandoned carriages. One was larger than the others and Ron pointed to it. Both Hermione and Harry nodded and the trio made their way towards it. Harry cautiously opened the door, and was somewhat surprised at what he saw. The carriage was magically made larger inside, and all the students' belongings were stuffed inside. Harry had only about 3 small suitcases along with Hedwig's cage; Ron had about 2 and Pig's cage; and Hermione 4 with Crookshank's travel crate. They stepped inside and scouted for their own things. After about 15 minutes they were found. They made their way back to the spot by the forest; it was the "unofficial meeting site."
Ginny approached the three, her face contorted with concern. "Where did you get those?" She asked after Ron, Hermione, and Harry had settled down. "The largest carriage by the entrance to Hogwarts." Mumbled Ron bluntly. Ginny merely nodded and proceeded to get her luggage.
Ron dozed off a few minutes later, and Harry and Hermione sat talking. They talked for hours, well into the daylight. At approximately 1 AM, she pointed up at an alabaster owl. Harry breathed a sigh of relief; Hedwig was their ticket out of there. No one knew what happened in the outside world. And it they didn't soon, it was very possible that the 160 students could die. Harry whistled to the bird, and she was mildly astonished to see him down there. She soared toward him, and landed on the boy's arm, and nipped his ear affectionately. She had a questioning expression on her face, encouraging Harry to explain.
"Voldemort destroyed Hogwarts and killed most of the students. Most of the owls are gone too; thankfully you were out hunting." Harry gave a sad smile and Hedwig hooted dolefully. He set the bird on the ground and asked Hermione is she had any parchment. He scrambled to retrieve a quill from one of his suitcases. Harry grabbed the piece of paper and started pouring out what happened on the sheet. Once he was done, he gave it to Hedwig to carry in her beak.
"To Lupin, Mr. Weasely, Tonks, anyone. Just make sure no one from Voldemort's ranks sees you. Fly quickly." Hedwig took off towards London. Hermione was now in a deep sleep, her head resting against Ron. Harry smiled. Voldemort could do anything to thwart them, but he could not split up the Golden Trio.