Chapter Two – Harry Potter Returns

Song for the chapter – Coming Home by Diddy and Skylar Grey

Two years later (current time).

"Ora, get up! We're on the last leg again!" Ora's mum shouted in her face.

"Ahh, do I have to?" Ora replied tiredly.

"Of course you do if you actually want to go to school this year! Don't you want to see Fred and George?! Don't forget its your brother's first day too! You don't want to miss the sorting ceremony for him!" Mum pointed out.

This is when Ora began to stir as she realised everything her mum was saying was true. She loved Fred, George and her brother to bits and of course she loved her school and wouldn't miss seeing her brother's face on the train as he first sees Hogwarts for anything.

I need to get back to the place I belong.

She got up, washed herself quickly and pulled on her high waisted distressed boyfriend jeans and a plain white long sleeved t-shirt. She pulled her backpack over her shoulder and rushed downstairs and pulled on her black and white converse and left the house, locking it behind her. She ran into the car, with everything already loaded once again as they had done the previous two years. The car journey was filled with her brother, Walt's, excited questions about Hogwarts despite her already having answered the exact same questions throughout summer.

When they arrived at platform nine and three quarters, Ora immediately spotted the Weasley family thanks to their bright red hair. Suddenly, Ora had an excellent thought about how she would say 'hello' to her favourite twins. She told her parents she would put her and Walt's trunks on the train and after having done as she had promised she crept up behind the twins and shouted "WEASLEYS" incredibly loudly in their ears.

They jumped away from Ora, startled by her sudden presence and shouted, "ORA!" and jumped towards her again and hugged either side of her tightly.

The rest of the Weasley family smiled widely and said 'hello' to her as Ron's eyes opened wide in a scared fashion. Ron had always been a little frightened of Ora ever since she went to stay with the Weasleys for the middle two weeks of the summer holidays (as she had done last year and was told she would be able to continue doing for as long as she liked by Mrs Weasley) after her first year at Hogwarts and thanks to Fred and George, she had opened up a lot more. She was still suffering from her anxiety but as long as they were with her, she felt as though she could do anything, including talking to their family and teasing Ron every chance she got along with the twins. So, although Ron loved Ora like a sister, as did the rest of the Weasley siblings, she still scared him a little.

"So, shall we get on the train, its leaving in two minutes?" Ora asked the Weasley children who were attending Hogwarts that year.

"Yep, we'll just say our farewells-" George began.

"And goodbyes." Fred finished as they both made overly dramatic interpretations of emotional farewells and began fake sobbing.

Ora rolled her eyes and left them to say their goodbyes and went over to her own family who were now squeezing Walt so tight in a hug, she thought they might have killed him. She pulled him away from them and told them she would look after him and make sure he sent a letter every week, just as she did. They hugged Ora and bid their goodbyes as they got into the compartment Ora had saved for them and waved their hands out of the window at their parents until they were out of sight.

I'm coming home, I'm coming home. Tell the world I'm coming home.

They then sat down as Fred and George came to join them five minutes later.

"Hiya Walt!" They said together.

Walt beamed at them and said "Hi Fred, George. How's your summer been?".

Walt had always looked up to Fred and George as he only had an older sister, and as much as he loved Ora, he wished he also had an older brother so they took him under their wings and treated him as they treat Ron. Perhaps even kinder than they treat Ron since they knew Ora would kill them if they even dared try to pull a prank on Walt.

"Well, we started with using dungbombs in Ron's bedroom as soon as we got back, thanks to Ora's suggestion." Fred ended with a wink in Ora's direction. "Then we got Charlie to hex Percy's books so that they wouldn't open to his touch at all so he couldn't be 'reading ahead to be prepared' as he calls it through the summer." Fred continued.

"So, whenever he wanted to study, they either didn't open at all or they did but immediately shut on his hand!" George ended the story as they both fell into hysterics along with Walt and Ora. They continued talking about all the pranks they had pulled over the summer on their unsuspecting siblings and once even on their own mother. Ora voiced her impressed views on this as she knew Mrs Weasley had always scolded them for their pranks.

"Oi, Ora. You'll never guess who we just met!" George started.

"Only bloody Harry Potter!" Fred finished.

"You're joking?!" Harry Potter?! I didn't even realise he was the same age as Ron but I guess he must be if this is his first year. Is it true then, does he have the scar?" Ora questioned.

"Well, why don't you see for yourself? He's in the next carriage." Fred said.

And just as Ora got up to leave she could hear Walt questioning Fred and George on Harry Potter, a subject that Ora hadn't thought of broaching with him. She then left their compartment and headed straight to the one with Harry Potter in but before she could, she saw Ron sat in a section with someone sat across from him and thought she would go and talk to him first and make sure the twins didn't ruin his summer too much.

She slid the door open to Ron's compartment and he turned with a startled look to see her coming in to sit next to him.

"Alright, Ron?" How've you been?" Ora started the conversation.

"I'm alright thanks. Its been difficult trying to dodge Fred and George's pranks all summer but oh well, I'm here now aren't I?" Ron replied.

Ora then turned to his friend who was sat across from them and was listening to their conversation, smiling.

"Hi there, I'm Ora Fia Wrenne. I'm in third year. I'm guessing your a first year?" She questioned the boy who wore round glasses over his bright green eyes and wore baggy clothing.

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you!" The boy replied.

"Well, if you need anything, just come and find me! I remember the panic I felt in my first year, not just at the beginning but all the way through it so I'll help you any way I can!" Ora beamed at him. "Oh and sorry, I didn't catch your name." She added.

"That's really kind of you to say, Ora. My name's Harry Potter." He said as he didn't seem to notice the startled look Ora had given him after he had introduced himself.

"So, its true what Fred and George said then? You're actually here at Hogwarts, finally!" She said. "Anyway, I better go back to my brother, he's just starting this year too so hopefully you guys can be friends!" She then turned to Ron this time and added, "God knows what your brothers are telling Walt now. They better not be sullying his innocent mind." And with that thought she stormed out of their carriage and almost ran into the door of their compartment due to the speed she was travelling at.

"He seems nice, that Harry Potter." She said sitting down.

"Well, you have to be when you've spent you're entire life in a cupboard under the stairs. It makes you humble," George said.

"He lives in a cupboard?!" Ora asked.

"Yeah, but don't go telling people." George replied.

"We were earwigging." Fred confirmed Ora's suspicions of how they found out this information.

The train journey was then taken over by various tales Fred and George were telling Ora and Walt about Harry Potter, though a lot of them seemed like lies to Ora.

As they pulled into the Hogsmeade station, they got off the train in their robes and Ora gave Walt one last hug before he set off towards the gamekeeper, Hagrid, who was in charge of getting the first years across the Black Lake safely. Ora and the twins set off towards the carriages that seemed to be pulled by nothing, though Ora had been told before that there were creatures there but only those who had seen death could see them. They managed to get a carriage to themselves and they set off towards Hogwarts with Ora eagerly awaiting the sorting ceremony to see what house Walt would be put in. She was hoping it would be Gryffindor so she could keep an eye on him, or Ravenclaw because he was very smart for his age, or perhaps Hufflepuff for the trait both Walt and Ora shared, loyalty. But she hoped it would not be Slytherin. Although she would never discriminate against her own brother just because he was in Slytherin, she would still find it difficult to believe that he wouldn't get mixed up with the wrong sort in that house. These thoughts trailed away from her as the carriages came to a halt outside Hogwarts as they had arrived.

Ora, Fred and George made there way to the Gryffindor table and took seats near the front in anticipation for the new arrivals to their house.

Lots of ups, lots of downs but made it back.

"So, do you reckon Ron'll be in Gryffindor?" Ora questioned the twins.

"I'm guessing so, Weasleys tend to be." Fred answered.

"Though we don't mind if he's not. In fact, we'd prefer it." George said.

"And why is that?" Ora folded her arms.

"We'd see him less!" They answered together while laughing.

"You guys are such dic-" But before she could finish, they were silenced by the arrival of the first years into the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall began explaining to them what would happen before she began reading out the names. The entire hall listened and waited for someone to be called into their house and when they did, the corresponding table stood up and began heavily clapping and screaming with joy.

Finally the first Gryffindor was announced this year as Lavender Brown and they all stood up and were cheering for her as she sat near Ora. Then came Seamus Finnigan who came bouncing up to the table with a cheeky grin on his face. The next Gryffindors to be announced were Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom who came back to the table still wearing the hat and then had to go back to return it as Ora and the twins laughed and clapped.

Then came the name that Ora immediately recognised: Draco Malfoy. She had heard a lot about the Malfoy family, including Draco and his father Lucius from Kimbra, one of her room-mates, who told her she was distantly related to them and hated it. Ora was told that to the Malfoy family, Kimbra and her parents were classed as 'blood traitors', so the two families did not get along.

A few more names went by until the name that everyone was dying to hear was read out.

"Harry Potter." McGonagall said.

The Boy Who Lived walked up to the stool and spent a few minutes there until the sorting hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" and the twins and Ora stood up and were boasting "We got Potter! We got Potter!" in sing-song voices.

Harry sat near them and began shaking many peoples hands on the table.

"Well done, Harry!" Ora shouted over the cheering as it began to die down.

Another name was read out before it was Ron's turn. He walked up to the stool looking very pale and waited a moment before it was decided he was to be in Gryffindor. He ran up to the table and sat next to Harry looking very relieved.

"Well done, Ron, excellent!" Percy said to Ron.

"Yeah, congratulations, Ron!" Ora added.

"Yeah, maybe you can follow in Percy the Prefect's footsteps, Ron!" Fred joked.

Ora elbowed Fred as if to tell him to shut up as Ron and Percy looked red in the face.

Then came the name Ora had most been looking forward to hearing throughout the sorting ceremony.

"Walter Pelagius Wrenne." McGonagall said.

Ora's brother stepped up to the stool and sat down. It seemed to be five minutes before the sorting hat settled on a house to put him in which slightly worried Ora. She hadn't known others to go on this long.

"Slytherin!" The sorting hat shouted.

Ora couldn't have looked more stunned if she had tried. She turned to Fred and George and they were sharing her expression and staring at her too.

"He's in Slytherin?" She muttered with a disbelieving tone to her voice.

Can't make up for it or conceal it but you deal with it.

She had warned him about Slytherin since she returned home after her first year at Hogwarts. He seemed interested to learn more about them but didn't seem too keen on the way they viewed blood status and how often they seemed to go down the wrong path in life. And the more she thought about it, the more she began to think that somewhere inside Walt, he must have wanted to be in Slytherin. After all, the hat took your opinion into account and if he truly didn't want to be in Slytherin, the hat wouldn't have put him there.

Ora had always known that Walt was cunning and very ambitious but she thought his other qualities might have won out over them.

Walt gave her a happy look as if he hadn't realised she was shocked at the hat's decision and took off towards the Slytherin table.

"Hey, isn't that your brother?" Ron asked Ora.

"Yeah, it is." She replied, still stunned by this revelation.

"Oh no..." Ron began. "I hate to tell you this, Ora... but he's sat with Malfoy too."

Ora turned her head quickly and saw them chatting happily together.

Shit. She thought. Anyone but Malfoy. Walt was good and kind and she didn't want that to change because he befriended the wrong people.

Dumbledore then stood up and gave a short, funny speech before the food appeared before them and they dug in. Her thoughts about Walt continued throughout dinner and even though Fred and George tried their best to cheer her up and change the subject, she couldn't get it out of her mind.

As Ora ate, she overheard Harry's conversation with Percy which took her mind off Walt for a moment due to the subject of the discussion.

"Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he had directed his question to Percy who had responded and they continued talking about Professor Snape for a few minutes until Percy had started talking to a first year sat on his other side.

"I know he looks intimidating, Harry but he's not that bad," Ora attempted to reassure him. "Well, Fred and George don't like him… in fact loads of students don't like him but he seems nice to me."

Fred decided this was the right time to voice his opinion on the subject, "That's because he is nice to you, Ora."

George continued, "He must have a soft spot for you or something. Always treats you better than the rest of us mugs!"

Ora considered this for a while. She never really thought too much about it but suddenly memories of being in Professor Snape's potion class for the past two years entered her mind. Fred and George were right, he did seem to treat her slightly better than the rest.

The feast seemed to go on forever in Ora's mind, perhaps it was because she wanted to talk to Walt after the meal which made it drag on in her mind.

When the plates had all emptied, Dumbledore stood up and gave his usual notices about the forbidden forest, making sure to cast a glimpse at the twins and Ora since he knew they sneaked in there every year. He reached the last notice which was about the third-floor corridor on the right hand side being out of bounds to everyone which had never been imposed before.

Before they could go to their dormitories, they sung the school song which Fred and George chose to sing to the funeral march tune which Ora suspected was to cheer her up. They succeeded in this as she couldn't help but let out snort of laughter after they had finished singing.

They were now all crowding the corridors as the first years scrambled to meet their prefect for the year who took them to their dormitories. Ora could see Walt chatting away with Malfoy and two other boys as they walked away following their prefect and decided she was better talking to him tomorrow.

Fred, George and Ora made their way up to the Gryffindor dormitory along with others in their house and Alicia Spinnet who was in front of them said the password to the Fat Lady, "Caput Draconis".

They entered and settled themselves on what had become their favourite perch in the common room, four comfy chairs surrounding a table in the corner of the room near a window. This was where the three of them and Lee Jordan often sat and discussed their upcoming pranks.

Lee came over to them and they all began discussing what they had done over the summer, pranks they had come up with and the prospect of having Harry Potter join the Gryffindor house.

Eventually the conversation died down and they decided it was time to go to bed, however Fred and Ora lagged behind for a bit.

Out of no where, Fred filled the silence before Ora could, "So, Walt's in Slytherin".

This sounded more like a statement than a question but nevertheless Ora responded by saying, "Yes".

"Are you okay with that?" He questioned again.

"I guess I'll have to be. Its not my decision what house he's in and the people he associates with. I just thought I'd told him enough about Slytherin for him to be weary of the house and the people in it." She replied.

Fred suddenly stood up and patted her on the back in a sympathetic way before saying, "I'm off to bed." And turned to leave but as soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs to the boys dormitory, he turned back to Ora. "Don't worry too much about him, Ora. He's a good kid and me and George'll keep an eye on him. Make sure he carries on down the straight and narrow path like us." He ended with a wink as Ora laughed at the thought of the twins going down the 'straight and narrow path'.

"Thank you," she said quietly before he left.

She then got up herself and made her way to her room where her room-mates were patiently waiting for her to discuss everything that had happened throughout the summer and the new additions they had to the house.

The talking finally died down as they all closed their curtains to their beds and laid down falling into a state of unconsciousness. But before Ora could sleep she went through the day in her head as she usually did and her thoughts lingered on three things.

Harry Potter first came to mind. She wondered whether now Harry Potter was back in the wizarding world, would Voldemort attempt to become stronger again to seize another chance to kill him? Would Hogwarts be safe from him?

The next thought was for her younger brother. How did he end up in Slytherin? Why didn't he heed her warnings? Were him and Malfoy going to be friends? What would she say to him tomorrow?

Her final thoughts were for Fred. It was great to see the twins again and she appreciated the way they tried to cheer her up through dinner. Her heart suddenly began to race when she though of the way Fred had talked to her before he went to bed. The soothing tone he used, the pat on the back for reassurance and the kind look he gave her when she thanked him. And with that being her last memory of the day, she turned on her side and began snoring after a short while.

I'm back where I belong, yeah I never felt so strong.