hello :) it's finally here! My new Harry potter story, Promise…! It's based in third year, because it's my favourite book :P the characters might seem OCC, but I need them to be slightly so my story idea will work… I will try to keep them in character though, but no promises XD oh yeah, before I forget, Harry knows about the prophecy.

Disclaimer for the whole story: Do I own Harry Potter? Well if I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I would be out there making millions, so I do not own. You've made me sad now :(

Promise…

A great start to a new year

Rain pounded against the window, creating a shimmering, mini waterfall as the crystal drops smashed harshly against the cold glass. Thunder rolled in the sky, and lightning flashed with such force that the black clouds light up with the white electricity. Wind howled, creating an awfully annoying whistling as a red train roared through countrysides and small towns.

On this train, dim lights flickered in long carriages as they rocked side to side. They were cold; the students were wrapped up in cloaks and huddled together, some students jumping every time thunder crashed or lightning flashed. However, there was one boy, who wasn't bothered by the rain, the lightning, or even the thunder. This boy had his head against the freezing window, green eyes glazed with old memories while his friends worried only about the storm going on outside. Each flash was green to his mind, and the rumbling thunder was a whisper compared to the piercing scream that echoed around his skull. This boy, a third year, has had a horrid life with his only relatives, the Dursleys. They were spiteful, mean, and violent, only caring about themselves and their perfect little lives. To them, this boy was a freak. A monster. An alien from another world. Therefore, they must treat him this way, to knock the freakishness out of him, even though they knew that the boy would never become part of their family. So it was normal for them to hit the child, to scream at him, to lock him away in a dark cupboard under the stairs and to feed him scraps of waste for food. It was okay to treat a child this way, because if he was stuck on someone else's doorstep at the age of one, they knew that the people there would've done the same.

The boy sighed. Many thoughts and questions were flashing in his mind.

Why was he alive?

Why did his parents die to protect him?

What was his point of living?

Why was it he who is destined to kill the dark lord?

Well he knew one answer. He merely lived for one thing; to kill Voldemort. After that, he will just exist, with no purpose and no goal to work towards. When he defeats the monster that killed his parents, he will be alive, just so he can exist. He will be nothing.

A soft hand gently touched his shaking shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. He knew who it was, but he couldn't stop the flinch at the touch. He looked up into Hermione's eyes. They were full of emotions. Concern, worry, fear…, and anger?

'Hey, 'Mione.' He mumbled, moving his eyes back to the window.

She frowned. There was no need to give a response. He wouldn't hear it anyway. So instead, she took the seat beside her hurting friend, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her chest. Harry didn't react; he was too far gone in his mind.

Harry's skin was freezing to the touch. He only wore his school uniform, his thin robe loose and open. Hermione laid her head onto his shoulder. Gosh, he was so skinny. She could feel his shoulder blades digging into her chest, feel his ribs under her hands, and he was so small. He only just made it to her height. However, what scared her most were his eyes. The once, endless depths of emerald green have now turned dull and dead. No life seemed to show in them, no spark of emotions… there was nothing.

She looked down at him, and her eyes widened slightly as she realised he was fast asleep. Well, it shouldn't surprise her that much. Her friend looked exhausted. His skin was pale, and black bags hung under his eyes. As he got on the train, she saw that his movements were sluggish, like his limbs weighed a ton.

She looked over at the other boy in their compartment, his ginger hair gleaming in the dull, flashing lights, blue eyes narrowed with confusion and worry. Even Ron had noticed something different about their friend.

She hugged Harry's slumbering body closer to her, smoothing his unruly, raven hair with one of her hands.

'He's worse than last year,' Ron's voice whispered, hardly heard through the pounding rain and clapping thunder. 'I wonder what those bastards did to him to make him like this.'

Hermione lifted her whisky eyes away from Harry's face, meeting with blue that showed as much emotion as her own. 'He really needs to talk to us about it.' She replied, going back to staring at Harry's face. 'If he keeps it bottled up, it'll tear him apart.'

Ron frowned, leaning his forearms on top of his knees. They have only been on the Hogwarts Express for just over an hour, but it felt like night-time, not early afternoon. Before they got on the train, it was a clear blue sky and only a couple of clouds by the horizon. Around half hour into their journey, black clouds swallowed the azure sky, and a fierce storm raged into life. The air was cold and clammy, making the students on the train wrap up in their winter cloaks to try to stay warm as the cruel air wafted through gaps in the window frames.

Ron pulled down Harry's trunk from the storages above, and rummaged through it until he found what he was after. Pulling out a winter cloak, he flapped it in the air for it to unravel, then wrapped it round his unconscious friend, Hermione helping. Even in sleep, Harry's face was pinched and pained. Hermione kept her grip on him, trying to give him some sort of comfort as her mind ached for information.

The train seemed oddly quiet. Apart from the rumbling thunder, howling wind and the rattling of the windows, the lack of the normal laughter, chatter, and singing seemed oddly eerie. Never in their two years has the train ride been this quiet.

A quiet nock clipped against the closed door, waking Harry from his sleep. It opened slowly to show three of their friends with smiles on their faces. Harry was instantly on guard. He could sense a dark aura from them, and he fingered his wand in his robe pocket.

'Hey Gin, Luna, Neville,' Hermione smiled, frowning slightly as she felt Harry tense in her arms. 'How are you guys?'

'We're fine,' Neville said curtly, sounding nothing like his clumsy self. 'May we sit down?' he pointed at the spare space next to them.

Hermione nodded, eyeing the three with narrowed eyes. Something wasn't right. What happened to the nervous Neville? The three sat down on the opposite side of the golden trio, eyes hard and nothing like they should be.

The air was tense and clammy as an awkward silence befell. Harry gripped his wand tighter as Ginny smiled happily, brown eyes still hard and cold. He glared back at her, not falling for their act. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at them when he saw their hands discreetly slip into their own pockets, no doubt to pull out their own wands.

'Harry!' Hermione scolded, trying to push down his wand hand.

Ignoring her, he moved his eyes to Ron for a split second, noticing his red face for pointing his wand at Ginny. 'Ron, go and check the other compartments for our real friends,' he said, wand still pointing at the fakes, their eyes hardening and sneers covered their faces.

Ron didn't move.

'GO!' Harry yelled, ducking as a stunner flew over the top of his head from Ginny. Ron left in a hurry, finally noticing something wasn't right.

Standing straight, he saw Hermione had her wand pointed at the imposters, eyes narrowed. He pointed his wand at Luna and sent a stunner, redirecting his wand at Ginny at the last moment, Luna ducked, but the stunner hit Ginny right in the chest. She fell to the floor, unconscious. Neville let out a snarl and sent a cutting curse. Harry wasn't quick enough to dodge it completely, and it caught his arm. Pain ripped through it in sharp spasms, and he grimaced. Not letting his injury affect him, he quickly sent a few stunners at him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to dodge them in the small place.

Fake Neville managed to dodge two, but the third hit him on the arm, sending him spiralling into the back wall, and falling unconscious. Just to be sure, he sent a Petrificus Totalus to keep them in place.

Breathing heavily, he turned to look up at Hermione, who was staring back at him, whisky eyes clouded with confusion as she took down Luna. Why would someone attack them on the train in all places?

The compartment door slid open once more, and Ron appeared with the real Ginny, Neville, and Luna. They looked worried, but it soon turned into relief when they saw the imposters unconscious and bound on the floor.

'Harry! You're bleeding!' Ginny rushed over, eyebrows burrowed as she gently took Harry's injured arm and pushed up the cloak and robe sleeves. The cut was deep, and little rivulets of blood started to flow down his arm, gathering at the crook of his elbow before slivering down to his wrist.

'It's nothing,' Harry mumbled, trying to yank his arm away from Ginny's firm but gentle grip, but she didn't let go.

'It's really deep! How can it be nothing?'

Harry looked away, flexing his fingers at the tingly feeling that spread through them. 'I've had worse,' he replied in the same dull mumble.

Ginny frowned as she dug around in her pocket, pulling out a hanky and pressing it hard against the wound. Harry winced slightly, but it was undetectable to the untrained eye. The other occupants in the small space shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do to help.

'Is everyone alright?' a strange voice floated into the compartment. 'I heard there was a fight going on down here.'

Harry turned his head to the man that was standing awkwardly in the doorway, one foot in, as if he was deciding whether to come in or not. 'We're fine, thanks.' Harry wondered who could be stupid enough to fight on a train, let alone with them!

The man turned his amber gaze to the three crumpled forms stunned and frozen on the floor, then turned to the bloody cloth that was now crimson with blood from Harry's arm.

'Let me look at that,' he said softly, walking into the room and taking Ginny's space, holding Harry's arm like it was going to fall off any second.

He took off the cloth, using it to wipe the wound clear from blood. Harry used this time to study the man in front. He wore old, tatty clothes; the brown trousers faded and cloak patched with coloured squares. Brown shoes were scuffed at the toes, and the shirt seemed grayer than white. Salt and peppered golden hair shone dully in the flickering light, and amber eyes seemed soft and friendly. The man's face showed more exhaustion than his own; lines looked like they were a permanent feature, along with the bags and waxy skin. His hands were calloused, but soft at the same time as they examined his arm. A calm atmosphere followed this man, and it made Harry let his guard down slightly.

'Who are you?' Harry asked, finding the cut on his arm rather interesting.

The man looked up after placing the bloody cloth back over the injury. 'I'm Remus Lupin, the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. You must be Harry Potter.'

Harry nodded, frowning slightly.

Remus just smiled at him. 'You know, you're not like James at all, are you? Your features are like Lily's but your hair is James, and possibly your Quidditch skills.'

Harry looked up, green eyes wide and curious. 'You knew my parents?'

'Yes, rather well. They were my best friends at Hogwarts, and all those years after. I used to visit you and your parents when you were tiny. They were so proud of you, Harry. They loved you so much.' Remus sighed, a sad smile on his face as he remembered the old days.

Harry looked away, having no idea how to feel about this man now. If he was a family friend, why did he never come to visit him at the Dursleys?

'There,' Remus said, rotating Harry's arm to look at the now clear cut. 'It's stopped bleeding, but I advise you to go to Madam Pomfrey when we get there okay?'

Harry nodded, pulling his arm away and dragging down his sleeves, grimacing at the rip in them.

Everyone stepped aside when Professor Lupin knelt down next to the three prone figures crumpled on the floor. Harry guessed they used Polyjuice Potion, and by the look on Hermione's face, he knew it to be true. Professor Lupin took out his wand and gave it a swift wave, the imposter's bodies floating behind him as he walked out.

'See you at the feast, Harry!' he smiled just as he disappeared down the carriage.

Harry looked at his friends, who all looked as confused as he felt. This Lupin was a strange fellow, but he couldn't help but like him.