Chapter Four

Recipe for a Nightmare [has not been looked at by my beta yet

Harry could almost hear it, the background theme music most muggle films contained when showing stock footage of a crowd of happy people together. He stood there and took it all in, the steam of the Hogwarts Express, the smell of the mixed perfumes all the mother's wore, and the sounds of laughter and crying first year's. He was standing off to the side, having crossed to Platform 9 3/4 and just waiting for the Weasly bunch to cross over too. Harry soaked in the scenery for one last moment before Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs.Weasly came through almost all at once. Mr.Weasly couldn't make it because he had an emergency at work, but it got no one's spirit down. He smiled at everyone and laughed at how silly they looked, and just shook his head.

"Allright! hurry along now, Ginny! remember what I told you! Ronald you're going to be late! Harry..." she stopped him to give him one of the biggest bear hugs he had ever received so far from Mrs.Weasly. "Harry...have a good year." She kissed him on the top of his head and waved him off. He flushed from embarassment and waved good-bye before heading towards the train. When he got on he knew the routine already, Ron and Hermione had Prefect duties before they could chat with him but they always got on and reserved him his own compartment which he humbly accepted. Harry poked his head out of the window to see if he would get a final glimpse of Mrs.Weasly before the train departed for Hogwarts. He could barely make out a crop of orange hair in the crowd when something else caught his eye. He turned, suddenly he was face to face with Lucious Malfoy, so close he could smell a faint scent of what seemed to be chocolate on his breath.

"Harry Potter..." Lucious spoke in his normal dull yet sarcastic tone. "Now, here I was thinking you had finally gone off your rocker but no, I have been mistaken...Now you have finally plumeted." He smirked, his lips curving into a vicious and mocking smile. Harry shook his head in disgust, he hated the Malfoys more than he hated You-Know-Who. But as he was about to pull himself back into the compartment, Lucious grabbed him and whispered in his ear. "I know your secret..." the words alone sent shivers down Harry's spine, and what happened next sent him into a coma-like state. Lucious Malfoy opened his mouth slowly, almost teasingly, and flicked his tongue over Harry's ear like that of a snake. Then he let go and dissapeared into the crowd.

Harry was shocked, he did not know what happened and before he knew it the train was whistling and lurching forward. He snapped out of his trance, looked out the window but it was too late, Lucious was gone. He shuddered and made a grotesque face, wanting to vomit but it just wouldn't come up. Disgusting people the Malfoys were, disgusting, vile, putrid, and rude! His blood began to boil and before he could even muster up some anger the door to his compartment flew wide open! He jumped, too many things were already happening unexpectedly and he was already growing tired of it. He turned his head to yell at whomever had the nerve to disturb him until he saw a familiar face or two. "Harry!" the girl who had opened the compartment came flying at him, lunging into a tight embrace.

"Cho! what are you doing here?" he hugged her back and she nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"I heard you were here so I decided to come and say hi! Ginny showed me the way." The ginger girl who was leaning in the doorway smiled and waved at harry, who waved back.

"Hello Ginny" he smiled.

"Hi Harry! sorry, I can't stay, Neville and the others are waiting for me. See you at supper" she smiled, turned around, and left after closing the door.

"Oh, Harry, I've missed you so much! I can't believe it's our sixth year! can you?"

Harry shifted a bit and shrugged. "I guess so, I don't see too much special about it."

Cho looked at him, eyes wide. "You don't see anything special about it? Harry, it's our second last year! soon we'll be looking for jobs, buying our own homes...getting married and starting families." Her voice changed at the last staement she made, becomming more seductive and she kissed the corner of his lips. "I'll see you later..." she winked and stood up, leaving before Harry could even get a word in. What the hell was going on? Why were all these things happening? Cho's reaction didn't bother him much, in fact, it felt him feeling quite pleased with himself. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, recalling the memory of how he romantically won back the love of the Irish, Chinese Ravenclaw girl Cho Chang. He sighed contently, hopeing and praying the rest of this trip would be calm until Ron and Hermione showed up.

An hour went by and still nothing happened, Harry had changed into his school robes and had bought a snack from the trolly. He was just about to dive into a good read when...

"So you think you're so great, huh?! you think you're all that?! Harry Potter, the boy who fucking lived to shag and tell everyone about it!! Well get it through you're damned head that YOU ARE NOT ALL THAT!!" Harry was aghast, and suddenly picked up by both arms. His feet were above the ground and his glasses had fallen off in the process of the ambush. Even without his glasses though, he could easily tell that the boy before him was Draco Malfoy. Harry struggled against the two boys holding him, which he now suspected were Crabbe and Goyle, but failed miserably.

"What the hell is your problem Malfoy? not getting enough?" Harry soon regretted his words after a thick fisted punch hit him right in the jaw. He cried out in pain, he could taste a small amount of blood and had to pry his tooth out of his lower lip. "What the bloody -" he was cut off as another fist made contact with his eye.

"You disgust me..." Those were the last words Harry heard before a barrage of punches and kicks were cast over what seemed to be every part of his body.

"Let him down, and go! I'll clean up the mess..." Malfoy was pleased. He stared down at the limp body of what used to look like Harry Potter, but was now a mass of bruises, swelling, blood and crippled limbs. He was barely breathing, but it didn't matter to him. The only thing that matteredright now was to hide the body and all evidence. But how could he do this? only one way...the invisibility cloak...Draco began to rummage through all of Harry's things, from his school bag to his trunks until he found it. The silky cloth, the instrument of invisibility, the cloak! He placed it neatly on top of Harry, as much as he hated the other boy he was still a Malfoy and Malfoy's never did a sloppy job of anything! After the clean up, Draco knealt down beside the slightly concious Harry Potter and smiled. "To be honest, I really didn't have a better reason to do this than that I hate your very guts. In fact, I think I can see your very guts!" he laughed and stood up. "Don't bother worrying about Cho, I'll take goooood care of her for you..." he made a sexual hint by winking before leaving the compartment.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hogsmead

The train whistled, pulling into Hogsmead as the second step to reaching Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. The students piled out, first year students gathered to one side, their sheperd was a half giant named Rubeus Hagrid and he was the grounds keeper at the school. The other students filed to the other side, grouping together and going off on their own to the carriages that to the average eye moved all on their own. But to the eye that has seen death, they were pulled by horse-like creatures called thestrals. The cheering faces of the students and the laughter of excitement was all Harry could see or hear as they walked past his compartment. His bags were already gone, summoned by the powerful magic of the headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he could barely breathe and he was in terrible pain. Everywhere on his body hurt, the pain forced him to relapse from conciousness into unconciousness. He forced himself as best he could to stay awake, the thoughts of Malfoy going at it with Cho made his blood boil to the point where he was actually perspiring. The only noise he made was a low grunting noise as he tried to move, to at least get some of the cloak off so someone could see he was there! His prayers were answered when he heard the door to the compartment open nd a familiar voice call out for his name. "Mr.Potter? Are you in here?" the voice sounded that of an angel's to him, a blessing in disguise! He couldn't make out who it was there but he was glad to have them trip on him.

"Damnit! what in the...?" the mysterious person had, indeed, walked in and tripped on the invisible Harry. They prodded around, looking for a source and finally found it. Tearing the cloak away from him, Harry heard a deafaning scream echo from the one who found him. He heard foot steps now, many of them clambering their way to the destination of him, the mass that was Harry. He recognized the voice now, Prof.McGonagal had found him! It was the first time he really heard her swear but it didn't matter now, he was safe. He heard a conversation start, but the words were muffled by a growing rining in his ears. He knew what it meant, and yupp, it happened. Black out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hogwarts

No...it's not happening...not again...stop! don't go! I need to know why! Sirius, why!? Don't do this to me...I need you...wait...who is that? Sirius, where did you go? Who are you? where did you take Sirius?!...no, you don't care for Sirius...this is different...I feel different...My ring, it's glowing! but why? You're making his happen...what is this? why is there a red lace around my finger? is it connecting to you? who are you?Cho...oh my sweet Cho...but no, it's not you...who is it? Wait! don't cut it! I need to know!

He woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing and his cheeks flushed. He felt only a dull throb over his body, but he didn't dare open for he could tell it was bright in the room he was in. Just as he was about to move, he heard someone beside him...crying? He layed there stiff as a board, wondering who could be crying over him like this. He strained his ears as he felt a hand caress his hair, and heard the mysterious mourner whisper between sobs. "I love you"

End of Chapter Four