Chapter One

I was nervous as the Hogwarts Express pulled into the train station to deposit all the students for a summer of fun and excitement. Honestly, I don't think anyone felt very excited as we all prepared to step off the train. Cedric's death was still fresh and no one was quite sure what to think of Harry's story of events. I for one believed him and that made the aspect of summer frightening.

"You ok?" George Weasley muttered, sliding into the seat beside me after hauling his luggage down from the luggage rack.

I gave him a reassuring smile, hoping that it looked sincere, "I'm fine."

George nodded but didn't seem satisfied, "You've been quiet the whole trip."

"We've all been quiet," I pointed out, reaching to get my own luggage and silently pleading with him to drop the subject.

"That's true," George glanced over at his twin who had fallen asleep with his girlfriend and my best friend, Natalie asleep on his shoulder. "Do you think it's true? Do you think He really is back?"

I stopped fidgeting with my case and bit my lip. I didn't want it to be true. "Harry said he is. He wouldn't lie about something like that."

"That means everything is about to change," George whispered as he gazed out the window at the faces of family members gathered on the platform.

As the train gave a final sigh and the doors opened, I knew George was right. I also knew that he had no idea how right he was and what that meant for us all.

George nudged his twin awake who in turn gently prodded Natalie awake. Natalie was still yawning and sleepy eyed as we stepped off the train onto the platform.

"Geez, that was a fast trip," She declared after Fred and George said their goodbyes and headed toward the direction of their family.

I chuckled, "You slept the whole way."

With a shrug, she replied, "It's not like there was stimulating conversation going on to keep me awake." Her gaze swept the platform and her cousin, Draco Malfoy, joined us.

"He's not here yet," Draco stated, knowing that Natalie was looking for her uncle and Draco's father, Lucius. I smiled and did a little finger wave at Draco, trying to be polite, but he simply looked away. Natalie had always insisted that her cousin wasn't what he seemed to be, he only put on a front because he wanted attention from his father. I had never seen this better side of him, but I was always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, after all, I wasn't one to judge a person with daddy issues. Heaven knew I had plenty of my own.

Without having to see the look on his face, Natalie gave her cousin a light shot to the arm, "Be nice, Draco. Say hi."

"What?" Draco frowned, rubbing his arm.

"Nicole waved. She's trying to be nice to you. I keep insisting to my friends that you're not a bad guy but you're not helping your case," Natalie was now on tip-toe scanning the crowd for her uncle. "Geez, he's always late. You'd think after four years he'd be able to get the time right."

With a sigh, Draco turned to face me, his blue eyes hesitant before they finally rose to meet mine, "Hi."

Even though I had passed Draco in the halls and classrooms, I had never talked to him. He mostly insulted Harry and the Weasleys, ignoring all the other Gryffindors. He always came off as arrogant and self-important but as I meet his gaze, I saw vulnerability and uncertainty. I saw someone I could relate to.

"Hi," I grinned, finding my usual spark of life flowing to the surface. "It's going to be some bombshell of a summer. Natalie told me you guys always have a good time, are you ready for it?"

Draco cocked an eyebrow, confused at my sudden enthusiasm, "I suppose."

I was about to reply when through the crowd, I saw my mother. Normally, I'd be excited to see her after so long away but even from a distance, I could see something was wrong. She was stiff, standing with her arms flat against her sides, her mouth a hard line and her eyes serious. My heart was suddenly racing in my chest and my throat went dry.

Turning back to Natalie and Draco, I tried to keep my smile warm and pleasant, but it was too late. Draco had seen my smile falter for that split second. He looked like he wanted to ask about it, but he kept silent.

"Well, there's my mum," I said, hoping my voice sounded happy and carefree.

Natalie glanced over at me, pausing in her search for her uncle, "Oh, well, I'll see you later, then. Are you going to come to the Burrow?"

Crap. I'd completely forgotten about the Burrow. We spent at least half the summer there every year, "I-I don't know. My mum might have plans for us, she's really been missing me, you know." I quickly collected my luggage and began walking away, desperate to get away before Natalie could ask any more questions. "See you guys."

"Bye," Natalie smiled and waved, nudging Draco with her elbow. He managed a curt nod all the while watching me curiously.

When I reached my mother she didn't say a word, just turned and led the way out of the station to a car waiting for us. My heart rate instantly jumped to warp speed. I didn't recognize the car and I couldn't see into the darkened windows but I didn't need to to know that whoever was in the car was going to suck all the fun out of my summer. My mother got in first, sliding into the back seat as a tall, bald man stepped out of nowhere to take my trunk and load it into the back of the car. Knees shaking, I took a deep breath before climbing onto the seat beside my mother.

There were two other people in the car. The driver was an older man, probably in his early fifties. His skin was wrinkled and worn like old leather and only a few strands of gray hair stuck out of his scalp. He kept his eyes forward and didn't say a word as we pulled into traffic. The other person was a woman seated in the passenger's seat. She had short black hair slicked back into a tight bun. Her eyes were cold and black as she turned in her seat to look at us. And when she spoke, her teeth were immaculate.

"The Dark Lord wishes you a very happy summer," Her voice was as cold and empty as her eyes, sending a chill down my spine. "He would have come personally to see you safely home, but extenuating circumstances prevented him from coming. He hopes you will understand." When neither of us spoke, she continued, "The Dark Lord also requests that you stay home this summer. He will be paying you a visit as soon as he is able and would be very disappointed if he missed you."

My heart was pounding so hard, I barely felt when my mother took my hand and squeezed it. We both knew that this was always a possibility. After Harry had defeated the Dark Lord, Dumbledore knew it was not over and had warned my mother. All these years later, here we were facing the cold hard truth that Dumbledore was right; the Dark Lord hadn't died and was now in a position to gain power again. I was starting to get annoyed with how often Dumbledore was right.

The rest of the trip home was silent. The two Death Eaters sat facing forward, not uttering a word or even glancing around. Finally, we pulled to the curb of our little house in Essex. Nether Death Eater moved as my mom and I scrambled out of the car. I pulled my luggage from the trunk and slammed the lid closed. We wasted no time in rushing across the lawn and diving into the house, both of us panting and hearts knocking out of our chests.

When I looked up at my mom, she had tears rolling down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry, Sweetie. This is all my fault."

"No, mum," I straightened and pulled her into a hug. "It's not your fault. We always knew this would happen sooner or later."

She wrapped her arms around me, "But I can't protect you. You're old enough now, he'll expect you to-" A sob caught in her throat and she hugged me tighter.

"Yes, but now that I'm older, I can take care of myself. I don't have to be what he wants me to be," I reassured.

"We need to talk to Dumbledore," My mom muttered; however, neither of us moved. We stood there, hugging each other until the fear subsided and we felt ready to take charge.

Just as my mom reached for the owl, my father waltzed through the door. He was dressed in his work uniform, a coverall with Merton's Electric embroidered on the breast pocket. He was six feet of sturdy German decent with an easy smile and soft blue eyes. He always came in with a smile on his face and a whistle on his lips. One look at my mother and I and he stopped mid-whistle, his smile turning to concern.

"What's wrong, Gloria?" His voice was deep and rich, also filled with concern.

My mom opened the window and let the owl fly off before turning to answer, "Bob, Nicole's father is back."