Chapter 2:

Harry sighed as he stared out of the grimy window at the countryside whizzing by, the image of the English countryside marred by the reflection of scruffy dark hair that would not lie flat, deep emerald green eyes, and the characteristic lightning-bolt scar he had received as a child from one of the darkest wizards to have lived.

His eyes were focused not on his reflection, but on an undefined spot in the distance and every now and then a small smile would grace his face as another memory would cross his mind. Memories of his school life, of his friends and the adventures they had shared. Of his teachers, especially of one in particular who had helped him and held Harry's life over his own until the very last moment.

He sighed again and turned away from the window, knowing nothing could be done about the past and the prophecy had promised that his future wasn't going to get much better for him and the two friends that insisted upon sharing the journey.

Ronald Weasley sat in the chair next to him, his long legs sprawled in the aisle and his red tousled head resting against the back of his uncomfortable coach chair. Every now and then a soft snore would sound from his wide open mouth. Across the aisle he saw his other friend, Hermione Granger, the smartest student witch of Hogwarts. Her nose was, unsurprisingly, stuck in a thick book with a deep red leather binding and various bits of torn parchment sticking out of pages she thought relevant to her research.

Beside her on the spare chair in the row were piled three cages. In one sat Harry's large snowy owl, Hedwig, staring with half closed eyes at the antics of Ron's tiny hyperactive owl, Pig, whilst Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, was staring hungrily and the small bundle of feathers.

Hermione looked up when she sensed Harry's gaze and smiled at him. Her eyes moved to their snoring friend and she rolled her eyes. "How can you sleep in the same dorm with that?" she asked in a soft voice.

Harry shrugged. "Get used to it." he said with a smile. "Especially when you've got Neville and Seamus in the same room as well."

Hermione nodded. "Maybe I should get some rest now, before I'm sleep deprived for the next month and a bit."

Harry's lips parted in a grin, before his smile fell a little. "Were your parents okay… you know, with you not going home this summer?"

On the station he had left Ron and Hermione to face their parents alone, not wanting to see looks on the faces of their parents as they blamed him for taking their children away. He had met them just outside the muggle-side entrance of station 9 ¾'s, both of them dragging their trunks and trying to put on a brave face for their friend.

Hermione sighed and adjusted the book in her lap, absently smoothing out a non-existent crease in her skirt. "I think they think they've lost a daughter." she admitted. "I've been writing to them a lot over the past few weeks, and explained as much as I could to them last holiday, but I don't know if they'll ever really understand."

Harry nodded, knowing first hand from his aunt and uncle that there was an inability for non-magical folk to know what was going on in the magical world and how it could affect those who knew nothing about it. He briefly wondered if the inability to understand and perform magic was what had caused his mother and his aunt to fall out so many years before.

"I do really appreciate you and Ron coming with me." he said, glancing down to study the back of his hands and feeling his heart swell with the dedication his friends had for him and the quest he had ahead of him. He had realised over the weeks following Dumbledore's death, that no matter what was ahead of him, he thought himself to be lucky to have found such loyal friends. "I know Ron would probably shrug it off," he said. "but it gives me confidence knowing you two are going to be there."

He sensed movement beside him, and looked up to see Hermione leaning over the aisle, her hand reaching for his and an unnatural shine in her eyes.

"We wouldn't leave you, Harry." she said. "Whatever people say or think, you were never meant to face this alone."

Harry nodded, his heart filled with emotion at his friend's words. "Dumbledore always told me to keep you two close… I guess that means that I need you there whether I want you there or not. I certainly wouldn't have got through everything else without you or Ron helping me out."

"Oh, puh-lease" a grumpy voice said from between them. "Can you keep the soppiness out of this coach? Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

Both Harry and Hermione laughed, breaking the tension caused by the emotional moment, and Harry's bushy haired friend gave Ron a slight thwack on the side of his head as she leant back on her chair. "We're nearly there, anyhow" she said, pointing at a sign as they pulled off the motorway.

Ron stretched his hands above his head, his toes pointing as he stretched his legs past the seats in front of him and grunted as the person behind him kicked his seat to stop him fidgeting.

He glanced over his shoulder with a frown and muttered under his breath. "Why couldn't we have just apparated?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed in a sharp whisper, glancing around at their neighbouring travellers. Two old ladies in front glanced down their noses at her, and the teenager with torn jeans behind them was staring at her as if there was a funny smell in the coach. "You can't say that around muggles!"

Ron screwed his face up a little and sat up in his chair. "It's not as if they know what we're talking about." he said. "Besides, they were staring at us more when we first got on the coach. I mean, we packed three trunks on the coach when they had all those little canvas bag things on wheels. Not to mention we have two owls and a cat. I just think there's easier way of travelling than being stuck in cauldron on wheels like this."

"There probably is." Hermione said. "But until you and Harry go back to the ministry and take your exams, we're just going to have to do things the normal way."

"Normal for who?" Ron muttered.

"I'd get used to it." Harry said, shifting forward on his seat, and organising the rucksack he had at his feet so that they could escape the coach quickly as soon as they stopped. "My uncle won't take any "unnaturalness" when we're staying with him."

"I really don't know how you do it, Harry." Ron said. "Living all those years without mag… you-know-what." he amended his words at a sharp cough from Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "It was nothing to me." he said. "I only found out about my parents when I was eleven. I didn't know of any other way of life until I met Hagrid."

Ron laughed slightly. "And what a way to be introduced to your inheritance." he said.

The coach pulled into the station, and Harry heaved a deep sigh as the engine died.

"Well," he said at his friends' questioning looks. "Welcome to Misery."