Here's my first ever Harry Potter fic. It's set at the start of Harry's fifth year coz I actually came up with it before the sixth book came out. Most of this chapter is very similar to the book because I think it is a good start but the future chapters will be completely different. Please review and tell me how good or bad my first attempt is.
Thanks,
Talking In Whispers
Only Toads and Horses
Harry pressed his forehead to the train window, trying to get a first glimpse of the Hogwarts Castle that he had missed over the summer, but it was a black, moonless night. He'd missed the castle with its secret passage ways and moving portraits. He'd missed the ghosts, the Gryffindor common room, his four-poster bed in his dormitory, everything. But he had not missed anything as much as he had missed Quidditch. Harry just couldn't wait until he was back on his Firebolt soaring through the sky with the wind in his face.
He snapped out of his daydream about flying as the train finally began to slow down and the usual racket of everybody scrambling to get the possessions assembled and ready to get off burst out along the train. Ron and Hermione disappeared out of the carriage as it was their duty as prefects to supervise this.
Together, Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna shuffled out of the compartment and felt the first sting of the icy night air attack their faces. They became separated as they joined the crowd of students moving off along the platform and out of the station. Harry allowed himself to be shunted forwards on to the dark road outside Hogsmeade station. Harry squinted through the darkness for his friends.
"Hey Harry" He heard the familiar voice of Ron calling.
"Over here Harry" Harry could see Hermione waving to him from the edge of the large crowd. Harry forced his way through the mass of students to Ron and Hermione. Ginny was already with them. Together they made their way to the long line of carriages that always took students above first year up to the castle.
"I'll get a carriage before they all fill up" Hermione said as she lead the way to the nearest unoccupied carriage.
Harry began to follow but stopped dead. The once horseless carriages were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. If they had to be given a name, Harry supposed he would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Wings sprouted from each wither-vast, black, leathery wings which looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Their heads were dragonish and their pupil-less eyes, white and staring. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister.
Harry couldn't understand why, this year, the carriages were being pulled by these horrible horse-like creatures when every other year they had been perfectly capable of moving themselves.
"You ok?" Ron looked at his friend, a puzzled look on his face.
"What are those?" Harry stared at the horrible horses harnessed to the carriages.
"What? Where?" Ron turned his head to look behind him, "I don't get it! What?"
Harry wheeled Ron around so that he was face to face with one of the winged beasts. Ron looked straight at the horse, which was watching with empty white eyes, and then at Harry, still bemused.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?"
"There-between the shafts-attached to the coach. You're right in front of it!" A horrible thought suddenly struck Harry as the bewildered look remained pasted across Ron's face.
"Can't...can't you see them?"
"Can't I see what Harry?"
"Ok, what do you see pulling the carriages?" Harry asked, trying to take a different approach, hoping for an answer. Ron looked down the line of carriages and shook his head.
"Harry, I can't see anything" An alarmed look replaced the bewilderment on Ron's face. "Are feeling alright?"
"I...yeah" Harry felt as baffled as Ron had just looked. The horse was right there in front of him, gleaming solidly in the dim light issuing from the station behind them, vapour rising from its nostrils in the chilly night air. Yet Ron couldn't see it at all
"Shall we get in then?" Ron said uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him.
"Yeah, go on"
"It's alright" Said a familiar dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron disappeared into the dark interior of the coach. "You're not going mad, I can see them too"
"Can you?" Harry said desperately, turning to Luna. The skeletal creatures were reflected in her silvery eyes.
"I've been able to see them since I started here. They've always pulled the carriages." She smiled faintly at Harry "Don't worry, you're just as sane as I am" Still smiling slightly, she climbed into the carriage after Ron. Not entirely reassured, Harry followed.
Nobody said much as they sat together in the musty carriage which jingled and swayed as it moved in convoy with the others up the road. Harry kept his eyes up ahead through the window. As they passed between the tall stone pillars, topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, Harry spotted the hut at the edge of the forest which belonged to Hagrid. There was no light inside and there was no smoke coming from the chimney. 'That's odd' Harry thought. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Hagrid at the station rounding up the first years either. Harry hoped he was alright.
The Hogwarts castle loomed ever closer, a towering mass of turrets jet black against the dark sky. The carriages rattled to a halt at the foot of the stone steps which lead to the huge, oak front doors. Harry got out first, followed by Ron. Resisting the temptation to look back at the creatures pulling the carriages to check if they were still there, Harry followed his friends into the crowd of students hurrying up the stone steps to the castle.
"I hope the sorting's not too long, I'm starving!" Ron mumbled to Harry and Hermione as they took their seats at the long Gryffindor table.
"Honestly Ron, you say that every year. It's like all you think about is your stomach" Hermione said with a slight smile on her face. "It wasn't that long ago since you finished off all those chocolate frogs I bought on the train"
"Yeah well, it's been long enough" Ron replied, his eyes travelling to the teachers' table at the front of the Great Hall. "Who's that?"
Harry recognised immediately the same toad-like woman who'd been at his hearing earlier that summer. She was talking to Dumbledore and she was wearing a ridiculous pink cardigan and matching Alice band in her mouse-brown hair. Harry immediately felt a sudden dislike towards this woman.
"It's that Umbridge woman"
"Who?"
"She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge"
"Then why is she here?"
"Dunno"
Harry was looking up and down the staff table, his eyes landed on Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had covered some of Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons before. What was she doing back here? Where was Hagrid?
The doors at the end of the hall opened and Professor McGonagall appeared leading a line of frightened looking first years for the sorting ceremony. She placed the three-legged stool with the sorting hat on top, in front of the first years. Everyone in the hall waited with baited breath as the rip in the brim of the hat opened wide and it burst into song. (A/N See the book coz I'm not gonna write it in).
After the sorting, they began the huge feast. Ron had piled so much onto his plate that it didn't seem possible that he'd ever get through it all. However, he began eating at a ridiculous speed, cramming so much into his mouth at once that it was nearing exploding point, and before long he had polished off everything on his plate, plus a few extra potatoes and three more chops. By the time desert came, it seemed virtually impossible to think that Ron would be able to manage two helpings of chocolate cake and a cream tart, but he did.
As the food began to disappear from the tables, leaving the plates sparkling clean, and the noise began to rise, Dumbledore rose to his feet. The hall fell silent immediately.
Dumbledore gave them the usual notices about the forest and not using magic in the corridors. He also introduced the new teachers.
"We have had two changes in staff this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who shall be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons. We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
A round of polite but unenthusiastic applause filled the room for a moment. Dumbledore had just opened his mouth to continue when he stopped and looked enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. There was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped as she was not much taller standing as she was sitting, but when she cleared her throat ('Hem, hem') it became clear that she intended on making a speech. (A/N I'm not going to write it all out, it'll take too long and bore you to death)
"Thank you Headmaster" Every person in the hall was now staring at the toad-ish woman. "It's lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say" She smiled before clearing her throat again with another 'hem hem' and continuing. However she sounded more business like and her words had a boring, learned by heart sound. This was when most of the hall switched off and only heard snippets of what she was saying (except Hermione, who listened carefully taking in every word).
When Umbridge had finally concluded her dull speech, Dumbledore continued with what he was saying prior to the interruption. Harry felt as though he wasn't the only person in the hall who loathed this woman. Many of the teachers were looking rather displeased, especially Professor McGonagall, who seemed to look even more hawk-like than ever.
"Well that was certainly illuminating" Hermione said in a low voice.
"You're telling me you actually enjoyed it? That was the dullest speech I've ever heard. I enjoyed poking lettuce down a flobberworm's throat more than that."
"I said illuminating, not enjoyable. It explains a lot"
"Does it" said Harry in surprise, "Sounded like a load of waffle to me"
"There was some important stuff in that waffle" Ron and Harry exchanged confused looks. "Look, it sounds like the ministry's interfering with Hogwarts. I've got a bad feeling about whatever that Umbridge woman is going to do with the school"
Harry too had horrible feeling inside. It was something that told him that whatever Umbridge was up to, it was not going to good.
"She can't change anything without asking Dumbledore can she?" Harry wondered out loud
"I suppose the ministry can find way of changing what they want" Ron answered grimly.
"Ron, hurry up we've got to show the first years where to go" Hermione stood up "First years, this way please" Hermione called, Ron followed as she lead them towards Gryffindor tower. Harry too made his way to the Gryffindor common room, still wondering what Umbridge was up to and also wondering where Hagrid was.
As he climbed into his four-poster bed, sleep overcame him and he drifted off into a dream where he was flying through a cloudless sky on his broomstick. He was enjoying the dream until he looked down and saw Umbridge laughing manically as she sat upon Dumbledore's chair at the centre of the Great Hall and declared herself Head mistress. He slipped off his broom and fell down...
...down...
...down...
Please review! Thanks for reading! Del x