This fic is very AU, and I couldn't make up my mind on what year to put it
in, so I just put it somewhere, it doesn't really matter.
"Hi Harry! Been here long?"
Hermione and Ron had just entered the compartment, Hermione holding her wand out to levitate both their trunks inside.
"Have a nice summer? The Dursleys treating you all right?"
Harry smiled at their enthusiasms.
"Relax with the questions. I have been here for about half an hour, the Dursleys had to get somewhere before that so they just dumped me off. Couldn't wait to get rid of my lazy ass they said. How was your summer?"
Ron immediately launched into a detailed story of his holiday in Norway. Charlie had invited him to come with him, living in the wild for six weeks, researching dragons and other wild magical animals there. All the while Hermione was wrestling with Crookshanks, but Harry wasn't quite sure whether the cat was supposed to be in is basket or out of it.
"And the chicks in Norway are just awesome. There was this one girl; her name was something like Tove or something weird like that. But anyway" Ron said as he ravenously ate the sweets and junk food he had just bought.
"We got that Ron. You've already said that four times. I'm not interested in any of your escapades over the summer, and I hardly think Harry is either." Hermione said dryly as she played with Ron's chocolate frogs.
"What? You mean Harry's gay?"
"Oh, Ron, you're so daft sometimes. Of course Harry isn't gay. Not that that would be a problem," she added hurriedly, "I just meant that we don't want to hear about some silly Norwegian girl you snogged. There are more important things to talk about then that."
"Oh yeah, like what? Hogwarts, a History, or maybe spew?" Ron asked, raising his voice slightly.
Hermione's lips pursed very much like McGonagall did. "Yes, for example. But that was not what I was thinking of. I cannot imagine that you spent much time studying this summer, and we can't afford to lose such valuable time."
Ron's ears were turning red. "Well, I can bet Harry didn't spend his whole summer studying, there must be some girls, or boys," he added with a glance at Harry, "Harry was with. I mean, summer is the time for love, not studying. Come on Harry, you agree with me on that?" Ron turned pleadingly to Harry, as this was a no-win situation.
"Erm, actually I didn't get out to spend much time with other kids my age. The Dursleys didn't want me on 'public display' as you could say." Harry grinned wryly "But since we're on that subject, Dudley got himself a girlfriend this summer. A really nice girl actually, she and Dudley made a lovely couple. Let's just hope they won't decide to get married, they wouldn't fit together in the same car." Ron snorted and Hermione grinned lightly. "But what is this annoying sound? It's been getting louder for that last few minutes."
"What sound Harry? I can't hear anything." Hermione asked puzzled
"Me neither." Said Ron, unwrapping a chocolate frog.
They all frowned and sat silent for a few minutes, Ron and Hermione both straining their ears trying to hear something, and Harry wondering what that sound that was getting louder by every passing minute was.
"I'm sorry Harry I can't hear anything. What kind of sound is it?" Hermione asked sounding worried.
"It's really strange, a high, kind of screeching, It's getting higher and higher and starting to get really on my nerves. You sure you can't hear anything at all?" Harry said.
"You don't think this has something to do with you-know-who do you?" Ron asked paling considerably.
"I hope not. And isn't the train warded against something like that?"
Hermione stood up. "I'm going to ask the guard, don't go anywhere." She added trying to lighten their moods and disappeared out of their compartment.
"You ok Harry?" Ron asked after a couple minutes silence.
"I don't know, but this is really uncomfortable. I'm amazed you can't hear it, I had to really concentrate just to hear what you were saying, and the strange thing is, the sound isn't like it's in my head but all around me."
"Yeah, I dunno, seems pretty queer to me."
They both lapsed back into silence, Harry slightly frowning because he was starting to develop a headache.
The minutes dragged by, and Ron sighed in relief when Hermione entered with a nervous Prof. Sinistra. Harry saw Hermione open her mouth but he heard nothing of what she said. The sound reached an all time high and he blacked out.
Harry blinked. His head was swimming and it took a while for him to realize he was lying on the floor. He raised him self slowly up and sat with his head in his hands. He was alone in the compartment so he figured Hermione and Ron must have gone to find someone to wake him up. But that couldn't be, they had already found a teacher when he blacked out.
He stood up and found that his head was feeling much better now, though his insides felt like they were all upside-down. He peeked out of the compartment and saw no one. Where were Hermione and Ron?
Just then a voice announced the arrival at Hogwarts and Harry realized he wasn't dressed yet. He shut the compartment and went to put his uniform on, but found that his trunk wasn't there. Neither were Hermione's nor Ron's. That was strange.
He decided to just get into a carriage and explain the situation to McGonagall. He got alone into one of the last not-so horseless carriages and wondered where everyone had gotten to.
Harry entered the Entrance hall and nearly walked into Professor McGonagall. "Professor, I'm glad I found you, but, why aren't you meeting the first years?" Harry wondered. The first years should be arriving now, what was she doing here?
McGonagall eyed him strangely. "I don't know what you are talking about, I think you should come with me and talk to the headmaster."
She motioned for him to follow her as she walked briskly off; Harry barely managed to keep up with her.
They finally stopped outside of an enormous painting with a very old and a very fat cat, who opened a bleary eye and stared at them. Harry wondered why he had never seen the painting before, it wasn't exactly hard to miss, it was so big, and strange, like something from Alice in wonderland.
"Adolfus Merlin, I'm here with this young man to meet the headmaster, please let us through." The cat yawned and poked his paw to a small door in the corner of the painting.
The door started to grow in the painting until it reached full size. The cat poked it again and the door swung open. Harry jumped back to make room for it, but he noticed it went straight through McGonagall. He assumed it was some kind of a magical door, not really being there at all.
Harry followed McGonagall through the door and in a long hallway with an elegant door at the end. McGonagall knocked on the door and turned to Harry.
"Behave yourself in front of the headmaster and don't speak unless you're spoken to. The headmaster is an important man and does not tolerate impertinent teenagers." She told him stiffly.
Harry wondered why she was telling him this, he knew the headmaster was important, but why shouldn't he speak out of turn? And what was it with this office?
Maybe it was some kind of a secret base, or just his private chambers. But what would the headmaster be doing here now and not at the feast?
Harry's musing was broken when he noticed McGonagall was on her way inside the door, but what really shocked him were her words.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you Lord Riddle, but we seem to have a stray wizard here, perhaps a muggle-born. I thought I should come to you with him."
Harry froze. Lord Riddle? The headmaster? What was going on? And what did she mean by a stray wizard? She knew who he was, and that wasn't muggle- born. Not that there was anything wrong with that he added hastily to his thoughts. This was all too confusing and he didn't know what to do, so he did the anything logical in this situation. He turned on his heel and ran.
"Hi Harry! Been here long?"
Hermione and Ron had just entered the compartment, Hermione holding her wand out to levitate both their trunks inside.
"Have a nice summer? The Dursleys treating you all right?"
Harry smiled at their enthusiasms.
"Relax with the questions. I have been here for about half an hour, the Dursleys had to get somewhere before that so they just dumped me off. Couldn't wait to get rid of my lazy ass they said. How was your summer?"
Ron immediately launched into a detailed story of his holiday in Norway. Charlie had invited him to come with him, living in the wild for six weeks, researching dragons and other wild magical animals there. All the while Hermione was wrestling with Crookshanks, but Harry wasn't quite sure whether the cat was supposed to be in is basket or out of it.
"And the chicks in Norway are just awesome. There was this one girl; her name was something like Tove or something weird like that. But anyway" Ron said as he ravenously ate the sweets and junk food he had just bought.
"We got that Ron. You've already said that four times. I'm not interested in any of your escapades over the summer, and I hardly think Harry is either." Hermione said dryly as she played with Ron's chocolate frogs.
"What? You mean Harry's gay?"
"Oh, Ron, you're so daft sometimes. Of course Harry isn't gay. Not that that would be a problem," she added hurriedly, "I just meant that we don't want to hear about some silly Norwegian girl you snogged. There are more important things to talk about then that."
"Oh yeah, like what? Hogwarts, a History, or maybe spew?" Ron asked, raising his voice slightly.
Hermione's lips pursed very much like McGonagall did. "Yes, for example. But that was not what I was thinking of. I cannot imagine that you spent much time studying this summer, and we can't afford to lose such valuable time."
Ron's ears were turning red. "Well, I can bet Harry didn't spend his whole summer studying, there must be some girls, or boys," he added with a glance at Harry, "Harry was with. I mean, summer is the time for love, not studying. Come on Harry, you agree with me on that?" Ron turned pleadingly to Harry, as this was a no-win situation.
"Erm, actually I didn't get out to spend much time with other kids my age. The Dursleys didn't want me on 'public display' as you could say." Harry grinned wryly "But since we're on that subject, Dudley got himself a girlfriend this summer. A really nice girl actually, she and Dudley made a lovely couple. Let's just hope they won't decide to get married, they wouldn't fit together in the same car." Ron snorted and Hermione grinned lightly. "But what is this annoying sound? It's been getting louder for that last few minutes."
"What sound Harry? I can't hear anything." Hermione asked puzzled
"Me neither." Said Ron, unwrapping a chocolate frog.
They all frowned and sat silent for a few minutes, Ron and Hermione both straining their ears trying to hear something, and Harry wondering what that sound that was getting louder by every passing minute was.
"I'm sorry Harry I can't hear anything. What kind of sound is it?" Hermione asked sounding worried.
"It's really strange, a high, kind of screeching, It's getting higher and higher and starting to get really on my nerves. You sure you can't hear anything at all?" Harry said.
"You don't think this has something to do with you-know-who do you?" Ron asked paling considerably.
"I hope not. And isn't the train warded against something like that?"
Hermione stood up. "I'm going to ask the guard, don't go anywhere." She added trying to lighten their moods and disappeared out of their compartment.
"You ok Harry?" Ron asked after a couple minutes silence.
"I don't know, but this is really uncomfortable. I'm amazed you can't hear it, I had to really concentrate just to hear what you were saying, and the strange thing is, the sound isn't like it's in my head but all around me."
"Yeah, I dunno, seems pretty queer to me."
They both lapsed back into silence, Harry slightly frowning because he was starting to develop a headache.
The minutes dragged by, and Ron sighed in relief when Hermione entered with a nervous Prof. Sinistra. Harry saw Hermione open her mouth but he heard nothing of what she said. The sound reached an all time high and he blacked out.
Harry blinked. His head was swimming and it took a while for him to realize he was lying on the floor. He raised him self slowly up and sat with his head in his hands. He was alone in the compartment so he figured Hermione and Ron must have gone to find someone to wake him up. But that couldn't be, they had already found a teacher when he blacked out.
He stood up and found that his head was feeling much better now, though his insides felt like they were all upside-down. He peeked out of the compartment and saw no one. Where were Hermione and Ron?
Just then a voice announced the arrival at Hogwarts and Harry realized he wasn't dressed yet. He shut the compartment and went to put his uniform on, but found that his trunk wasn't there. Neither were Hermione's nor Ron's. That was strange.
He decided to just get into a carriage and explain the situation to McGonagall. He got alone into one of the last not-so horseless carriages and wondered where everyone had gotten to.
Harry entered the Entrance hall and nearly walked into Professor McGonagall. "Professor, I'm glad I found you, but, why aren't you meeting the first years?" Harry wondered. The first years should be arriving now, what was she doing here?
McGonagall eyed him strangely. "I don't know what you are talking about, I think you should come with me and talk to the headmaster."
She motioned for him to follow her as she walked briskly off; Harry barely managed to keep up with her.
They finally stopped outside of an enormous painting with a very old and a very fat cat, who opened a bleary eye and stared at them. Harry wondered why he had never seen the painting before, it wasn't exactly hard to miss, it was so big, and strange, like something from Alice in wonderland.
"Adolfus Merlin, I'm here with this young man to meet the headmaster, please let us through." The cat yawned and poked his paw to a small door in the corner of the painting.
The door started to grow in the painting until it reached full size. The cat poked it again and the door swung open. Harry jumped back to make room for it, but he noticed it went straight through McGonagall. He assumed it was some kind of a magical door, not really being there at all.
Harry followed McGonagall through the door and in a long hallway with an elegant door at the end. McGonagall knocked on the door and turned to Harry.
"Behave yourself in front of the headmaster and don't speak unless you're spoken to. The headmaster is an important man and does not tolerate impertinent teenagers." She told him stiffly.
Harry wondered why she was telling him this, he knew the headmaster was important, but why shouldn't he speak out of turn? And what was it with this office?
Maybe it was some kind of a secret base, or just his private chambers. But what would the headmaster be doing here now and not at the feast?
Harry's musing was broken when he noticed McGonagall was on her way inside the door, but what really shocked him were her words.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you Lord Riddle, but we seem to have a stray wizard here, perhaps a muggle-born. I thought I should come to you with him."
Harry froze. Lord Riddle? The headmaster? What was going on? And what did she mean by a stray wizard? She knew who he was, and that wasn't muggle- born. Not that there was anything wrong with that he added hastily to his thoughts. This was all too confusing and he didn't know what to do, so he did the anything logical in this situation. He turned on his heel and ran.