Thank you all for such reviews! My email simply burst. And as promised, I will continue! Hope you enjoy! And thank you for that critic, very kind of you. I will take it into account. You see, I was rushing as I did the previous part and I hadn't the time to put much effort. I hope these upcoming chapters will be more to your liking. Enjoy! Do review please!
Harry watched out the window as the car drove to the train station. Scenery flitted by along with various cars. The impossible driving scared Harry at first, but he soon came to enjoy it. He sat by Ron and Hermione, who were talking about their recent trips to France and Egypt. "Why, it was simply raining the whole time! But I sense magic hidden in the Louvre particularly," Hermione had sad promptly.
Ron nodded and added in all the curses his family endured walking into the Pyramids in Egypt. Having gone nowhere special over holiday, Harry didn't find it well to join in. He was relieved to have made it to the station, in record time too. Mr. Weasley spoke to the wizard driving and thanked him. They headed to the platform.
England, meanwhile, was also in the train station. He felt somewhat lost, unsure of how to get to platform 9 ¾. In the midst of bustling muggles, England looked anywhere for a familiar face. He spotted a tired, worn out man headed towards a pillar. He ran over, recognizing the man instantly as Remus Lupin, and smiled. Remus gave England a look that one might give to a ghost or some other paranormal creature. "Arthur Kirkland?" he cried out, in a mixture of delight and fear, "you haven't aged a day, and that's not just a compliment…" he looked to the right, his worn eyes looking into the past of when he had first met with Arthur.
Arthur replied with a smile, a smile that was tired of being used yet continued on. "You'll understand in time. Are you heading to Hogwarts, old pal?" he patted the man on the back gruffly. Remus nodded.
"Yes, indeed. I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year," he smiled and looked rather young next to England. England's own shoulders were slumped and he looked ready for a nap. "Say, you seem to have something dreadfully heavy on your mind," Remus stated, looking into those eyes that enchanted Harry not too long ago.
England looked far off again, as he did before. He looked down, his smile falling and for the smallest fraction of a second, he looked his true age. It was short lived, though, and England soon came back with a nod and a smile. They merged through the pillar and entered the train without speaking another word. Settling into a comfortable looking compartment, Lupin closed his tired eyes and fell asleep. England felt for the poor fellow. He knew how heavy his burden was and prayed that he will not have to carry it alone for much longer. He seated himself more comfortably in the seat and pulled out a book. All was quiet and dim for several minutes, until the doors to the compartment slid open and Harry, Hermione, and Ron entered. The paused when they noticed England and Lupin. Hermione turned to leave but England called out, "oh dearest me! Don't leave, do sit down, I won't be a bother… Neither will he."England joked and nodded at Lupin who was fast asleep and snoring very softly and gently, the sound of leaves falling, England thought.
The three thanked him and sat down. England watched them for several minutes before opening the book again. He read at peace for a good few minutes, until an uneasy feeling came over him. It's the kind of jolt in the stomach one gets from getting a sudden realization. The Honeydukes Express rolled in at the moment and all too eagerly England jumped up and bought some chocolates, stuffing them inside his pocket he sat down. His eyes, once joyful and masking a deep pain were now afraid. The fear caused great tears to form at the sides, and those great tears shimmered. They were not natural human tears, as those are rather salty and watery, but these tears were like gems. England wiped them away before anyone took notice. He tried to remember the last time he cried out of fear, but the memory scared him and he tried to forget about it. Hermione must have noticed the sudden changes in expression that danced upon the Brit's face for she nudged Harry. "What do you think he's thinking?"Hermione asked.
"I bet he's wondering how to make sweaters out of those eyebrows," Ron joked and he and Harry had to stifled laughter. Hermione huffed, scolding them for how rude that statement was, though she did giggle. At any rate, England seemed at ease again, not crying or making face anymore. He pulled his book back out and continued to read. He found it quite difficult to read. Harry also found himself shiver.
He looked at England, worrying gravely as to why the train was getting so cold and his nerves so on end. The train seemed to grow darker and dimmer. Quietness rung as loud as screams. The doors slid open and both Harry and England felt their faces grow hot and their bodies tense. The dark shadow that entered the room drowned both into darkness. The last thing Harry saw was the strange, shabby teacher stand up and cry out some sort of spell. He did not see England fall unconscious beside him, nor did he see Hermione and Ron crowed around him.
He heard distant screams, calling him and pleading something, the words were undistinguishable but sounded to be the voice of a woman. England was having a more difficult time. He heard screams of young woman, he heard the word "madness" in the darkness, and he heard screams. Screams more terrible than even Harry could imagine, screams that would chill every little bone in someone who was not a nation, and those screams hurt England. England was about to go mad, songs played in his head, but he was awoken by Remus shaking his shoulder. He looked up groggily, his face was pale as salt and he could barely manage any words. Harry, who was holding the chocolate in his hands weakly, studied England. He concluded that what he felt was a dozen times less worse than what England had endured. England pulled out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and ate it. As soon as the creamy goodness was in his mouth, color returned and his eyes looked less troubled.
Harry looked at Hermione and Ron, expecting to find them on the floor as well. He felt embarrassed, but less so than if England hadn't fallen with him. "Didn't you all pass out too?" he asked, biting the chocolate and feeling instantly better. The warm feeling spread from his toes to his nose. Hermione shook her head and so did Ron. He felt wary, suddenly, and looked over at England. England didn't look so far away anymore. "Why did you fall?" Harry asked, trying to remain polite.
England took a moment to respond. "I've seen horrible things, Harry, things you will never see," and he left it at that. He sat up and looked at hi swatch, which he took off and tucked into his bag. The bag was large and brown. Inside, in the momentary glimpse Hermione had caught, were two books, a thin wand, and some other objects Hermione couldn't see very well. He slapped the bag shut and seated himself back. He turned to Remus and spoke quietly, "I'm sorry, lad,"
Remus shook his head and tried to look into England's eyes, but failed and turned away. "I'm sorry, but you will be seeing many more dementors around the campus lately, you know, with Sirius…" Remus didn't finish his sentence, as he fell silent and croaked the name. He spoke with a betrayed tone, not a sort of tone you make when a friend gives you a toy you didn't want when you clearly asked for something else, but a tone that held such pain and woe that even Harry cringed to hear. He had spoken with Mr. Weasley early and wondered what relation this new teacher would have with the man who was "after" Harry. Feeling suddenly down, he tried to think of something more pleasant. Like, when he blew up his aunt or when he got a bigger room, or even that dashing firebolt. He day dreamed of riding that charming broom until they reached Hogwarts.
Hargid's voice boomed through, calling the first years. He caught sight of Harry and others and waved greatly before turning his attention back to the scared eleven year olds. England and Lupin strayed from the three children, who were at last left for themselves. They talked about the whole incident from earlier. "Why do you think he fell too? He's a grown man, isn't he?" Ron asked, coming off more snarky than he meant to. Hermione shrugged.
"I think he's a kind man," she said, "he must be very knowledgeable. Did you see how many books he had? And a watch, too, he must be familiar with the muggle world." At that moment Professor McGonagall called Hermione and Harry over.
At the feast, Dumbledore called everyone's attention by simply standing up. England looked at him with a certain admiration one usually reserves for their children or grandchildren. Dumbledore raised his hands and smiled. Looking over his spectacles, he began speaking. "Hello, and welcome back," he then went on to explain the dementors, "we also would like to welcome two new members of the staff. Professor Remus Lupin will be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts this year," Remus stood up and smiled weakly (and Snape regarded him resentfully), "and also, let me welcome back an old friend of Hogwarts and of my own, Arthur Kirkland. He will be doing a similar job as the dementors, but you may speak with him. Do show respect to him, as he is your elder," after some last words he sat down and instructed them all to eat.
What really peeked Ron's interest was Snape's reaction to Mr. Kirkland. He did not give the same foul look, but a rather kinder one. He looked at Arthur as one would an elder, most everyone at the table did. They smiled at Arthur (except for Snape, who remained to his somewhat kind, somewhat suspicious face). Dumbledore spoke with Arthur directly, and Ron nudged Hermione to take a look. Most students did, even Draco Malfoy who had been jeering at both the new men. Even the bitter child found it difficult to insult Arthur. Arthur brought a rich feeling to the hall. A different feeling than the magical and wise one Dumbledore tugged with him. It was a warm feeling, a feeling of honor to be around the man. Dumbledore spoke with Arthur in a playful tone, asking him how he was doing. It was easy to speak, as he was on the right hand side of Dumbledore himself. Arthur was biting into his bread and nodding. They spoke and laughed together and the other teachers found themselves laughing as well. Although the students couldn't quite make out what they were saying, the found themselves smiling. The mere sound of laughing from Arthur and Dumbledore was powerful enough for them to do so.
They found themselves tired and stuffed to the rim. Heading up to the towers, they fell quickly asleep without much sway. It is very comforting to sleep on a full belly and high spirits.
When the students heading up, England made his way to his own room, which was a small and comfortable looking square room with a four-poster bed. He plucked his shoes right off and got into a night-gown, but though he was tired, he could not fall asleep. He lay staring at the ceiling for moments on end. He snuggle deeper into the comfortable bed. The effort was useless and he sighed. Too much was on his mind. He wondered what France was doing. France never showed any signs of acknowledging the magical community, England wondered if he knew it at all. Of course, it was preposterous for France to not know. There were many witches and wizards living there, but the other nations had grown so dull in the past few months. Dull as stone, they grew too logical. Though this helped when they played chess, it didn't help when they brought up the subject of the magical world. England often pulled it into the conversations they had, but some flatly refused to continue. Others laughed and said there was no such thing. England wondered if they had forgotten about the wizards. This both terrified and saddened Arthur, as he was much in love with magic. Heaving another great sigh he fell asleep.
Harry and his friends heading to Divinations class, lead by the comical painting. The class bothered Hermione, who felt she had too much to do as is. The death omen came and they all left with tender tempers. Classes went on, and the first few were absent of England. England was watching in the corner of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, after several moments he left. They saw him again in Hagrid's class, talking some comforting words to a Hippogriff who was sitting by him. England didn't seem to be speaking in English, but no one really noticed. Draco was a sore spot, as he always was, and upset the dear hippogriff. England was out of sight by then. The last time the trio saw them that day was during potions. He was mixing something that fumed wispy clouds of smoke in the corner. His strange appearances troubled Hermione. She chose a seat near the back, where she could hear England. England was humming some old song. She mixed her potions and watched Neville painfully as he messed up. Snape was especially bitter that day, scolding and ignoring all of Hermione's answers when he asked questions. He left them to work and stalked around like the dark figure he was. He ended near England and, keeping his mouth in a scornful position, asked if the man needed help.
"I have been cooking potions for longer than you have, though I do feel out of date… Care to explain what this is…?" England pointed to an ingredient. Ron looked at Hermione with wide eyes. He nudged Harry as well.
"Did you see that? He's talking kindly to him!" Ron said in an alarmed whisper. Hermione nodded, not sure whether to trust England or not. Her gut said yes, her mind said perhaps, and her logic said no. She stirred the potion she worked on angrily. Snape walked over and commented about her angry which set her off even more.
The next few days went by as so, England appearing in odd classes doing odd jobs and at time simply resting. He spoke to teachers during passing periods, asking about spells and news. He didn't pay any attention to the students until a particular comment came up. "'Mione, you went to France, didn't you?"
England looked over, like a dog who heard his name and a whistle. He edged closer, hope flashing in his eyes. Hermione took notice and looked at him, "yes, sir?"
"Dear lass, did you see a tall fellow, long blonde hair and a small scruff of a beard when you were there?" he asked sweetly, only too sweetly.
"Why no I didn't! How peculiar, who is he? A friend?"Hermione asked, though she didn't mean to sound impolite.
"Nothing, I was just curious," with that England left and disappeared for another few days. He turned up at long last during a Quidditch practice. Oliver Wood was announcing that they were up against Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin, as Draco was still "hurt" from the wound the hippogriff placed upon him. Harry fumed with anger. England sat, watching them from the stands and trying not to disturb.
The Hogsmead trip couldn't have been worse for Harry, or better, seeing as he didn't go at all. He stayed behind and went into Lupin's classroom. Snape walked in, talking in the same dark tone he used with everyone besides Arthur and Dumbledore. He asked what Harry was doing in the room. "I was just showing him the next specimen," Remus said weakly, averting Snape's gaze. Snape spitefully sneered and placed the steaming goblet on the desk.
"I suggest you take it right away," he said and turned away, hunched and dark as a shadow, he slipped through the hallways. When he left, England walked in. He looked at Lupin with a warm look and smiled.
"Sugar won't fix how it tastes," he said, watching as Lupin drink the liquid. He frowned and nodded. Harry continued to watch, still in shock that Lupin actually drank what Snape had given him. He made a mental note to tell Hermione and Ron.
England turned to Harry. "Hello Harry, did Uncle Vernon not sign that form as he had promised?"
Harry looked at England, wondering how he knew his Uncle's name and how he knew about that promise. "Um, yes, he didn't sign it," he replied quietly.
England nodded, "I'm dearly sorry for that. Hogsmead is a nice place. Though I get the feeling you will be going soon," he looked at Lupin, who was just as confused as Harry. "well I best be off," he turned and left.
"What a strange man he is…" Harry said when England was out of sight,
"Oh it gets better…" Lupin said whimsically.
