Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything Harry Potter!

Darkened Days

Chapter One

A scream.

That's all it took for Hermione Granger to jump out of bed, and run out of her room in the Burrow, where she had been staying that Easter, as her parents were in America. She saw that Fred and George Weasley had also stumbled out of their room to see what was going on. With one frantic look at Hermione, Fred rushed downstairs; shortly followed by George.

She decided she'd get Ginny, Ron and Harry first. Hermione ran into Ron and Harry's room, and shook them both telling them to get downstairs, before running into her own room and waking up Ginny telling her what she'd heard.

As the 3 fifth-years (and the 1 fourth-year) ran downstairs, Hermione going first, they all became stunned. Fred and George were on a long sofa, on either side of their mother who was crying into her hands. Identical silent tears were streaming down the Twins' faces.

Hermione saw it just after Ron, Harry and Ginny did. It was Arthur Weasley, lying on the floor; his blue eyes, once filled with the same mischief as Fred and George, was gone; he was staring blankly up at the ceiling.

'He's…' Hermione whispered, but her throat wouldn't allow another word to come out her mouth.

Ron and Ginny knelt beside him on the floor, both sobbing uncontrollably. Harry took a few steps back, dumbfounded.

Arthur Weasley was dead.

8 MONTHS EARLIER~

'Come on, dears! We're going to miss the train!' Molly Weasley called out to Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny as they ran on to Platform 9 ¾.

'See you, mum!' Fred and George called as they ran on to the train to find their friends; about to enter their last year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

'Bye, mum. See you at Christmas, love you,' said Ginny, giving her a hug. Harry and Hermione also said their goodbyes, and Ron gave her a hug before the 4 teenagers also ran on to the Hogwarts Express to find Neville and Luna.

They found their friends in a carriage near Fred and George's, and as they sat down, the 6 began talking excitedly about their summers, and how happy they were that they were back at school. They had been talking for about 20 minutes, when Fred came bursting in. He sat in between Hermione and Luna, and put his arms around both of their shoulders.

'Hello, ladies!' He winked. Luna laughed lightly and Hermione blushed, looking away.

Fred took his arms off from around the two girls, and stopped smiling. 'On a more serious note, I heard that some woman from the Ministry's going to be teaching us Defence against the Dark Arts this year… Goes by the name Delores Umbridge.'

'What's so wrong with that?' Harry asked. 'We have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher every year, what's different about her?'

'Lee tells me that his father says she can be really… Mental,' he finished, looking around for a reaction from the fourth and fifth years. After no one's expressions changed, he added; 'Do none of you care, that some evil bitch of a teacher is going to be controlling us?' Still nothing. 'Fine then,' he said. 'I'm leaving.'

Fred Weasley got up off his seat from between Luna and Hermione, and went back to see George, Lee, and whoever else he was with in his carriage.

'Seriously, guys,' Ron said. 'There's no point being worried about a new DADA teacher. We'll still learn all the stuff; probably even better, now that it's someone from the Ministry. My dad said that most people there aren't too bad, we should be fine; Fred's just worrying about his NEWTs.'

'Well,' Harry begun, looking round. 'Let's not jump to any conclusions. She could be nice, she could be a bitch. We'll have to just wait and see!'

'You have your OWLs this year, don't you?' Luna mused, changing the subject.

'Yes, we do. I'm so worried about them!' Hermione whined. 'I should start studying as soon as possible. And I might take out Hogwarts: A History again, just in case I missed anything in History of Magic.'

'Hermione you're the best in our year,' Neville laughed. 'You have nothing to be worried about! I think I need to pay more attention in Transfiguration… and Potions… And just about everything else, at that.'

The teens laughed, and continued to talk and enjoy each other's company until the train pulled up slowly to Hogsmeade Station.

'4 to a carriage!' Hermione heard Professor Flitwick call. Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione all climbed into the carriage drawn by supposedly nothing. Although Harry could see the Thestrals that pulled them along to Hogwarts; he had seen Cedric Diggory die only a year beforehand.

'Haven't seen Malfoy yet,' Harry stated.

'Good. The bugger shouldn't come back to this school,' scoffed Ron, as the carriage pulled away and the four teens set off to start their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

AN: okay hi guys this is my first story! I might just not finish it, if I feel like it's not going anywhere. But, it all depends.

Okay review it, and all that jazz :-)