Chapter 1 - Back to Hogwarts
Harry Potter lay in bed thinking. Outside the rain was pouring down. He glanced at his wardrobe door where his soaking wet clothes hung. "It's just typical," he said to Hedwig, who looked at him sleepily. " The day I plan to meet the Weasleys to get my Hogwarts things, is the first day it rains all summer!" Harry thought the day had gone pretty well apart from the weather. He had got everything he needed in one go, and Hermione announced that she was to be a Hogwarts prefect, much to Fred and George's disgust. He then glanced at the birthday cards that were pinned to his wall, and felt suddenly sombre when he saw the big green one. Mrs Diggory had sent it to him, with a letter thanking him for everything he had done for her family at the end of the last term. When Ron and Hermione had visited the day after his birthday (with much apprehension from the Dursleys) Harry had kept this letter hidden under the handy loose floorboard in his room. He felt he shouldn't share this letter with anyone, it was too personal for anyone else to read. His eyes then wandered to the chart on his door counting down the days until his return to Hogwarts. Now there were no empty spaces, in a few hours he would be returning to Hogwarts. When Harry arrived at Kings Cross station he couldn't see any sign off anyone he knew, so he crossed through the barrier to platform 9 ¾ and the familiar scarlet steam engine the Hogwarts Express emerged in front of him. "Harry" he turned round and saw Mrs Weasley coming towards him, "the others are already on the train. They wanted to get their own compartment, come on I'll show you where they are". Ten minutes later the Hogwarts Express was pulling out of the station. Harry sat back in his seat and looked around at the others in the carriage with him. There was Hermione and Ron his two best friends, Fred and George; Ron's older twin brothers who were entering their last year at Hogwarts and Ginny; Ron's younger sister. "So Harry, how were things at Privet Drive after the rain the other day?" asked George. "Our garden was flooded, the gnomes were trying to make boats out of leaves. It was very funny, you should have been there". "Wish I had been, life in Privet Drive hasn't been good since Ron and Hermione's visit. I thought Uncle Vernon was going to explode after you'd left, you know how he feels about there being a wizard in his house, well 3 wizards was a bit much. Especially as I didn't tell him you were coming" "Well it serves him right" said Ron, "after the way he talked to Hermione and I, if you hadn't have shut him up by saying you'd write to Sirius about him, I would have shut him up permanently." "You Weasley, you wouldn't even be able to shut up our old house elf". Draco Malfoy appeared at the compartment door accompanied by his cronies Crab and Goyle. "Oh what do you want?" said Fred. "Have you forgotten the nice dose of hex's we gave you at the end of last term, or do you want another reminder?" Fait tinges of pink appeared in Malfoy's cheeks and Crab and Goyle's eyes narrowed. "No we haven't Weasley, and we wont. We'll get you back, just you wait". "Oh, I'm sure they're looking forward to it," said Hermione in an annoyed voice, and she whipped out her wand and said "shutsoie" and the door of the compartment slammed shut in Malfoy's face. "Right then" said Ron with an admiring glance at Hermione. "Who fancies a game of exploding snap?"
Harry Potter lay in bed thinking. Outside the rain was pouring down. He glanced at his wardrobe door where his soaking wet clothes hung. "It's just typical," he said to Hedwig, who looked at him sleepily. " The day I plan to meet the Weasleys to get my Hogwarts things, is the first day it rains all summer!" Harry thought the day had gone pretty well apart from the weather. He had got everything he needed in one go, and Hermione announced that she was to be a Hogwarts prefect, much to Fred and George's disgust. He then glanced at the birthday cards that were pinned to his wall, and felt suddenly sombre when he saw the big green one. Mrs Diggory had sent it to him, with a letter thanking him for everything he had done for her family at the end of the last term. When Ron and Hermione had visited the day after his birthday (with much apprehension from the Dursleys) Harry had kept this letter hidden under the handy loose floorboard in his room. He felt he shouldn't share this letter with anyone, it was too personal for anyone else to read. His eyes then wandered to the chart on his door counting down the days until his return to Hogwarts. Now there were no empty spaces, in a few hours he would be returning to Hogwarts. When Harry arrived at Kings Cross station he couldn't see any sign off anyone he knew, so he crossed through the barrier to platform 9 ¾ and the familiar scarlet steam engine the Hogwarts Express emerged in front of him. "Harry" he turned round and saw Mrs Weasley coming towards him, "the others are already on the train. They wanted to get their own compartment, come on I'll show you where they are". Ten minutes later the Hogwarts Express was pulling out of the station. Harry sat back in his seat and looked around at the others in the carriage with him. There was Hermione and Ron his two best friends, Fred and George; Ron's older twin brothers who were entering their last year at Hogwarts and Ginny; Ron's younger sister. "So Harry, how were things at Privet Drive after the rain the other day?" asked George. "Our garden was flooded, the gnomes were trying to make boats out of leaves. It was very funny, you should have been there". "Wish I had been, life in Privet Drive hasn't been good since Ron and Hermione's visit. I thought Uncle Vernon was going to explode after you'd left, you know how he feels about there being a wizard in his house, well 3 wizards was a bit much. Especially as I didn't tell him you were coming" "Well it serves him right" said Ron, "after the way he talked to Hermione and I, if you hadn't have shut him up by saying you'd write to Sirius about him, I would have shut him up permanently." "You Weasley, you wouldn't even be able to shut up our old house elf". Draco Malfoy appeared at the compartment door accompanied by his cronies Crab and Goyle. "Oh what do you want?" said Fred. "Have you forgotten the nice dose of hex's we gave you at the end of last term, or do you want another reminder?" Fait tinges of pink appeared in Malfoy's cheeks and Crab and Goyle's eyes narrowed. "No we haven't Weasley, and we wont. We'll get you back, just you wait". "Oh, I'm sure they're looking forward to it," said Hermione in an annoyed voice, and she whipped out her wand and said "shutsoie" and the door of the compartment slammed shut in Malfoy's face. "Right then" said Ron with an admiring glance at Hermione. "Who fancies a game of exploding snap?"