Leaning his head back against the train-seat, Harry smiled silently to himself. He had left the Dursley's for the last time and never had to go back there again.
Ron was sat beside him, and Hermione opposite Ron, her head stuck in a book, eyes flickering from side to side as she attentively read it's contents. They were returning to Hogwarts for the last time, but Harry silently vowed to stay in touch with his best friends after he left school.
This was his last year at Hogwarts, and he knew already that he was going to miss it when it was over. He would even miss the lessons, perhaps not divination, or potions with Snape –
Snape, that bastard, thought Harry viciously. He had always hated Snape, and never trusted him, but last summer his hatred had been justified. Snape had betrayed Dumbledore, the very man who had solely put his trust in him.
Harry would never forgive him, no matter what.
The train rolled through endless countryside, but Harry watched the scenery, for he knew it would be the last time that he boarded the train to Hogwarts.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?"
"Oh yeah, umm.. two pumpkin pasties, and a cauldron cake, please?" Hermione asked, and then added. "D'you want anything, Ron, Harry?"
"No thanks," Ron murmured, looking up.
"Every flavour beans, please?" Harry asked, standing up and taking the money out of his pocket.
He sat back down with the jellybeans, offering Ron and Hermione some.
"Ew! Cotton wool!"
Harry sniggered at Ron, who mock punched him on the arm. "Gimme another would you?"
Harry put the packet on the seat between the three of them, and they sat chatting and eating.
"I wonder who's gonna be in charge this year, what with Dumbledore gone," Ron said between mouthfuls of sweets.
"Professor McGonagall I suppose," Hermione replied, looking up from her book.
"That'll be cheerful." Harry snorted.
Suddenly, the train came to an abrupt halt, sending the packet of jellybeans flying onto the floor and scattering everywhere. An eerie silence followed, which seemed to extend for several minutes as Harry stared worriedly at Hermione, who returned his stare.
Harry was reminded unpleasantly of the time Dementors had boarded the train, but it was still daytime and he could not feel the cold, horrible feeling that he usually associated with Dementors.
Eventually he stood up and opened the door to the compartment, peering down the corridor. It was filled with students doing as he was – poking their heads out of their doors and looking curiously up and down the carriage. Suddenly a red light filled the corridor, and unmistakably a curse was shot at the ceiling, rebounding and smashing through a window at the far end of the corridor.
Many students screamed, and cleared back into their compartments, but some were staring, shocked at the source of the attack. Hermione appeared behind Harry to look down the corridor.
"What's happen-" she began, but then saw the approaching figures at the end of the corridor and instantly jerked Harry back into the compartment and slammed the door shut, locking it with her wand.
"What is it?" Ron asked hurriedly.
"Death Eaters" Harry and Hermione spat in unison.
"They're here for me," Harry whispered. He was panicking, and couldn't think straight.
"Harry get under your invisibility cloak." She implored, adding "Now!" as he sat shock still.
He reached for his cloak as more windows smashed down the corridor, and screams erupted from a compartment near theirs.
Hermione was muttering a torrent of spells under her breath, her wand pointed at the door. "Harry get under your cloak!" she repeated furiously.
"Fine, but you two are coming under as well, though," he told them both.
"Harry don't you think an empty compartment with protective spells on it is going to look a bit suspicious?"
"Then take off the spells!" he dragged the cloak over them all, and indicated to them to move towards the window, away from the door.
Hermione reluctantly waved her wand to remove the protective spells, and backed up against the window with him and Ron, hidden under the cloak, all three of them clutching their wands tightly.
There was a loud crashing in the neighbouring compartment, and shouts from the Death Eaters.
"WHERE IS HE?" a deep, male voice yelled.
"I-I don't know!" Harry's heart sank as he heard Ginny pleading with the Death Eater, followed by the unmistakable sound of a body smashing against glass.
"I have to help!" Harry whispered urgently, ducking down to get out from under the cloak, but Hermione held him back. "No Harry, you can't!"
Ron was clenching his fists and looked as though he was about to be violently sick. "You must stay hidden."
A door smashed open, the glass shattering outwards so that Harry could see the fragments flying past the door of their compartment. Three Death Eaters appeared at their door, and Harry pressed himself more firmly against the glass windowpane, his jaw clenched and his breathing fast but steady.
One was lumpy and stooping, one short and chubby and the other looked rather like a bodybuilder – huge and muscular. All were cloaked in black, their faces covered with ornate shielding masks and their wands brandished, ready for any attack.
"This one's empty," the short one grunted.
"I realised that Alecto. Worth a check though, eh?" the muscular one sneered, pushing open the door roughly. He walked into the doorway, casting his eyes around the compartment, at the jellybeans scattered across the floor and the discarded potions book that Hermione had been reading.
"Oi, Dolohov? Whats that?" the stooped man said, pointing to the luggage rack. Harry's heart missed a beat. In their haste, they had left their trunks and Hedwig's owl cage on view.
The tall, muscular man, Dolohov, let out a low, venomous chuckle. "Well, well... well. Take a look at those, Amycus." He kicked aside the packet of jellybeans and held his wand up, pointing at their cases.
The lumpy, stooping man, Amycus, obeyed silently, leaning up to pull Harry's trunk off the rail. "Ha! Look at this, Dolohov!" his voice was waspish and full of delight, "Property of Harry Potter."
The stubby Alecto let out a low, wheezy giggle.
"Homenum Revelio!" Dolohov shouted suddenly, flicking his wand in a circle around the small compartment, and Harry felt something swooping over him like a great shadow.
"Someone's there!" he shouted triumphantly. He pointed his wand directly at the spot where Harry, Ron and Hermione stood pressed against the glass pane. Harry raised his wand, ready for an attack.
"Show yourself."
Silence. Hard, shallow breathing.
"Stupefy!" Dolohov shouted, the red light illuminating the compartment suddenly. Harry, who had been preparing for an attack, deflected the spell instantly, but with such power that he knocked into Hermione. She slipped and her wand shot upwards, sending sparks flying at the ceiling. Dolohov shot another curse which hit Ron, who was too busy trying to lift Hermione and keep her covered by the cloak. He fell from under the cloak and slumped against the seat, unconscious.
Alecto and Amycus were both firing spells now, not caring who or what they hit. The entire space within the small compartment was filled with bright sparks as curses deflected from the walls. Hermione shot a well aimed "Petrificus Totalus!" at Alecto, who crumpled, frozen. Yelling with rage, Amycus sent the Cruciatus curse at the point were Hermione's arm had slipped from under the cloak, narrowly missing her, but rebounding off the wall behind them and hitting Harry square in the back.
His invisibility cloak flew off both of them and he was sent crashing to the ground in excruciating pain. As the pain subsided, bright lights tore above him, and Hermione fell onto the seat next to the unconscious Ron, her wand blasted out of her hand and a gash on her left cheek.
Harry rolled onto his stomach and tried to get up, but a heavy foot slammed between his shoulder blades, smashing him painfully onto the ground again, and his wand was wrestled from his grip and jabbed sharply into his neck.
The huge man knelt down beside him and whispered dangerously in his ear.
"Gotcha."