Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1
Chapter 12
The Journey to Hogwarts
"So we have to run through a wall to reach the station?" asked Liz skeptically, her eyebrows raised. "On a crowded muggle platform where anyone can see us randomly falling through a solid brick wall? And in spite of this the Statue of Secrecy is maintained?"
"Yes," said Remus smiling. "It does seem ridiculous when you put it that way but that is the way it is."
"All ready, Liz?" asked Lily, entering the sitting room. Trippy followed her, levitating Harry and Liz's trunks by magic. "Do you know where Harry is? It is time we left."
"He went to the dueling room for some last minute practice with Padfoot." said Remus.
"Again? Does he want to kill himself before the school year starts? Honestly, my dear brother can be a little obsessive at times but this is taking it a bit too far."
"Not at all, sister dear." Said Harry, entering the sitting room where all the trunks were kept. His shirt was drenched with sweat and he had a huge gash across his left arm."Since there has not been a competent defense teacher at Hogwarts for the past twenty years, I think I am justified in trying to cram the entire year's syllabus in a month's time."
"You have already graduated idiot." Snapped Liz, rolling her eyes.
"Yes he has. However that did not prevent me from incapacitating him with a cutting hex that nearly sliced off his forearm." Said Sirius smugly. He looked even worse than what Harry did. Cuts ran all across his shoulder and his hair was singed. His shirt was shredded and he was limping.
"You mean after I managed to use Sectumsempra on your leg?" countered Harry.
"Alright, alright," said Lily exasperatedly, "If you are both done with killing each other, can we leave? Harry, go and get ready. We are going to be late."
"Right away, mom." Saluted Harry, racing up the stairs.
"What is the result today?" asked Remus, his lips twitching.
Sirius scowled. "You have to ask? Prongslet beat me seven times compared to my four. And each match barely lasted for five to ten kid is a prodigy."
"Aw, come on, Uncle Sirius," laughed Liz. "You are only disgruntled that a sixteen year old boy managed to beat you, a fully trained Auror. By the way, when will both of us start dueling?"
"Get through me first Liz." Smiled Remus. "Once you can incapacitate me more than five times in a row then you can duel Sirius."
"But I beat you four times out of our last twelve matches! Isn't that good enough?"
"It is creditable for your age Liz," said Lily calmly. "Remus is an excellent dueler. However, if I am level one, Remus is level two and Sirius is level three, Voldemort is at level five, I guess. If you and Harry are going to have to face him in battle, you need to get your basics right first. Did you manage to master the bone breaking curse yet?"
"Nearly. I can make ten bones shatter at the same time if I concentrate; however I am trying to make the hex powerful enough to take out twenty bones at a time with causing enough pain to make a person black out. I should be able to master it by Christmas."
"Good enough." Nodded Remus approvingly. "Not many seventh years can do it. It should prove to be useful in battle."
"Alright, I am ready." Shouted Harry, rushing down the stairs, taking them three at a time.
"Finally. Now let us leave." Said Lily, glancing at the watch. "We are cutting it a little fine."
"Bye pup, bye cub." Said Sirius, hugging both Harry and Liz, his eyes suspiciously bright. "Have a good term and remember, keep your wits about you. If you see anything suspicious at all, contact us at once. I have given you the mirrors to use."
"Bye Padfoot," said Liz, kissing his cheek. "I will keep Harry out of trouble, don't worry."
"I don't go looking for trouble." Objected Harry. "It just seeks me out, wherever I go."
"Right." Deadpanned Sirius. "Also, I can't believe I am saying this but don't get sorted into Gryffindor. Get out of Dumbledore's influence as much as you can. Try to make get into Slytherin if possible, Liz. Blaise will be there to help you and tell you about the power play in the house. Harry, I suppose any house but Gryffindor is fine for you. I doubt Dumbledore will harass you after what happened at the Wizengamot meeting that day. Also, both of you need to keep your masks up at all times. I know it is tiresome but it is necessary. Dumbledore should find you both unapproachable."
"Yes, Padfoot. Don't worry. We will be careful." Said Harry, shaking his hand for the last time.
Finally, after a series of tearful goodbyes courtesy of Mimsy and Trippy they were off. It had been decided that Lily and Remus would accompany the children to the station. Sirius had a meeting with Scrimgeour.
The new Minister had got along splendidly with them. He was not corrupt or in league with Death Eaters (Sirius had used mild Legilimency to determine that) and was also looking for the best way to end the war as soon as possible. Being a former auror, Scrimgeour knew too well how devastating a war would be for the wizarding community. So Sirius and Lily had decided to involve Scrimgeour in their plan to a small extent. Enough to keep the death eaters on their toes.
They had not even needed to turn him against Dumbledore as Rufus was himself quite disgruntled about the Headmaster's lackadaisical attitude about the war and his belief of giving captured death eaters second chances instead of sending them to Azkaban. It was common knowledge that the dark mark could only be taken willingly. Fudge had been stupid to allow Lucius Malfoy to walk off scot free after accepting his excuse of being under the Imperius Curse.
Still, things were looking up. It would not be very difficult to get the ministry on their side if need be and Boris was already gathering forces from Salem as back up. As the 'steward' of the Houses Black, Potter, Slytherin, Peverell and Gryffindor, Remus was trying to renew his contacts with some of his werewolf friends in the rest of Europe which would also be important later on.
As the four of them arrived at platform nine an three quarters, Harry could not help thinking that this was going to be an interesting year to say the least, if the behavior of the people around them was any indication. However, it was to be expected. Rita Skeeter had done a special feature on Harry and Liz as the 'first members in recorded history to be the heirs of four houses'. It had been at Sirius' behest, of course.
Good publicity was extremely important in order to win over the public who were fickle minded to say the least. Rita Skeeter was a force to reckon with in her own way with being the most popular journalist at the Daily Prophet. She had been more than happy to be their private spokesperson and not print any article mentioning the five of them without running it past Sirius first. It did not hurt that Harry and Sirius together owned about seventy percent of the Daily Prophet and knew that she was an unregistered Animagus – courtesy of Blaise Zabini.
Most of the people were openly gaping at them while some of the darker families muttered among themselves, glaring at Harry in particular. It seemed like they had taken Kyle Pucey's defeat by a sixteen year old as a personal insult. Lucius Malfoy shot Harry a cruel smirk. That was unsettling, to say the least.
Two red heads detached themselves from the crowd as they approached the train. The woman was short and round with red hair. She was followed by her a tall lanky boy with a freckled face. Harry knew who they were. Molly Weasley and her youngest son Ron. Staunch supporters of Dumbledore. He had half expected her daughter to also be with her. After all, Dumbledore had apparently created a betrothal contract between Ginny Weasley and him. However, maybe the contract had been destroyed after the youngest Weasley had been sorted into Slytherin and had been dubbed 'dark' by her family. You could never say with Dumbledore.
"Oh my dears! It is so good to see you!" gushed Molly; clasping Lily's hand as though they were the best of friends. "I am Molly Weasley and this is my son Ronald. I think he will be in Harry's year. He will be more than happy to show both your children around Hogwarts."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Thank you ma'am but that will not be necessary. Harry and Liz have already made some friends of their own who will be more than happy to help them out."
Molly looked horrified.
"But surely you do not mean the Greengrasses! You might not know this as you all have been away for a few years but they are a dark family all in league with You-Know-Who. They will betray you all to him the first chance they get. They are not to be trusted."
"I am sorry, but I don't know who." Interjected Liz irritated. "Why don't you call him by his name – Voldemort."
"Young lady! I will not have such impertinence from you!" squawked Molly, flinching on hearing the dark lord's name.
"Leave it mother," said Ron with an air of superiority, regarding Liz as though she was nothing more than an irritating fly. "She is only a child and the entire move to England must have been very taxing. She did not mean it. Mate," he added, turning to Harry, "I will be more than happy to show a fellow lion the ropes. Come to me if you need any help."
Harry regarded him coolly. "I thought that we were sorted into our respective houses only once we reached Hogwarts. I was not aware that it was pre decided."
Ron laughed nervously. "Well, it is obvious that you will be a Gryffindor. You are the Boy-Who-Lived! Also, you are the descendent of Godric Gryffindor himself. It is not like you are going to end up being a snake."
"Although he is a direct descendent of Slytherin too?" added Lily her voice hard. "You insult one house which my son belongs to while exalting the other? And have you forgotten that your sister is a member of the House of Slytherin as well?"
Ron turned as red as his hair. "But he cannot be a filthy snake! It is bad enough that he has to marry one. That too looks awfully fishy if you ask me. Are you sure that you were not confounded when you signed the contract, ma'am?"
Quick as a flash, Harry had his wand pointed at the boy's throat.
"Insult my betrothed or my mother again and I will not hesitate to maim you at the very least. Now get lost. I have had enough of your drivel."
"Aren't you going to tell him anything?" asked Molly aghast. "He just threatened my son!"
"He did not do anything wrong." Said Remus, his eyes cold. "It is you who needs to teach your son not to insult an Heir of an Ancient House unless he wishes to take part in a wizarding duel. Now kindly excuse us. We have to get going."
They pushed through the crowd of onlookers who had gathered all around. Finally, they spotted Blaise near the last carriage.
"Care to enlighten me about what just transpired?" Grinned Blaise.
"Weasley was being an idiot that is what happened. And his mother was even worse." Said Liz, rolling her eyes. It was a testament to how angry Lily was that she did not even rebuke her daughter.
"That is nothing new." Chimed in Amanda. "The Weasleys have been staunch followers of Dumbledore since a really long time. They practically worship the ground he walks on."
"What about the girl? The one who was sorted into Slytherin?" asked Remus curiously.
"Ginny is not bad." Answered Blaise. "After the incident in her first year she mainly keeps to herself. Her family had all but disowned her but for the twins. Ron and Percy went out of their way to make life miserable in her first year. Her mother sent her a howler for becoming a snake. Even after the incident with the diary nothing changed. In fact that only cemented the belief in her mother's mind that she had turned dark. Most of the house hates her for being a blood traitor. So it is not easy for her at all. But she is alright, by far and large. She is clever and resourceful. She hexed Ron Weasley last term and put him in the hospital wing for a week. The prat had warts sprouting all over his face and could not talk without belching out slugs. The twins helped her with that I think."
"Sounds interesting." Mused Harry. In the distance, the whistle blew. The three of them climbed into the train. "Well, bye mum. Bye Moony. See you at Christmas. Bye Mrs. Zabini."
"Stay out of trouble and look after your sister." Smiled Lily, blinking back tears. "And be safe."
Remus shook Harry's hand one last time, loath to let go.
Just a second later, the train started. The platform faded into the distance. Harry grinned. They were finally going to Hogwarts.
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It had been nearly impossible to find a vacant compartment. Every compartment was packed with curious onlookers, eager to catch a glimpse of the famous Boy-Who-Lived and his mysterious sister. Liz was sick of the faces pressed against the glasses of the compartments they passed. Honestly, if you had to stare you could be discreet about it! Finally, Blaise stopped before a compartment that was right at the beginning of the train. There were three occupants in it – Daphne, Astoria and a girl with short blonde hair and sharp grey eyes. That must be Tracy – her future sister-in-law's best friend.
To be honest, Liz did not know what to make of Daphne. Astoria was easy enough to read. She had a love for pranks that rivaled Liz and was completely against the house prejudice that existed. Her boyfriend Colin Creevey was a muggleborn and a Gryffindor to boot! And she had a friend who was a Hufflepuff.
Daphne was more difficult. Liz knew that even her brother was finding it difficult to decide how to act with his betrothed. Oh yes, he would put on a brave face in public but she had seen how undecided her brother was. He did not know whether to treat Daphne as a friend or something more. Hell, he did not even know if she could be trusted to be his friend. At times, her brother could be too damn noble for his own good. He had gone out of his way to save Daphne from the marriage contract of Lucius Malfoy by making his engagement public – and Harry hated publicity.
If that was not enough, he had also refused to let Daphne swear a vow of loyalty to him for Merlin's sake! It was apparently too 'barbaric' on his part if he did so. He wanted to treat her as his equal. Liz could only hope that Daphne would not betray Harry. Harry put his family's needs and happiness above his own after he had come to know about the circumstances regarding their father's death. It had been hard on him and Liz knew that he blamed himself to a certain extent for it. If Daphne were to betray Harry, he would be devastated. The more Liz thought about it, the more she felt the need to talk to Daphne personally and ask her about her intentions regarding her brother.
It was about three in the afternoon at the moment and they were about halfway on their way to Hogwarts. Harry and Daphne were having a quiet conversation, probably trying to get to know each other better. Tracy, Blaise and Astoria were playing a game of exploding snap. Uptil now, Blaise's eyebrows were singed while Astoria's fingers were blackened with soot. Tracy was grinning widely at the two of them. She was a genius at the game.
Liz was staring out of the window while pretending to read a book. She loved to observe people and fancied herself to be a good judge of character. From what she had seen till now she knew that Tracy and Blaise fancied each other, regardless of how much they tried to hide it. However, they were both too oblivious to make the first move. Harry and Daphne were on the verge of forming a temporary friendship. Tracy was also going to be a welcome ally to them, if Liz's gut feeling was right. And Astoria was dying to visit a certain Mr. Creevey for a second time if the glances she was shooting at the door were any indication.
A sudden crash jolted her out of her reverie. Harry leapt to his feet, wand drawn.
"What was that?" asked Astoria, worriedly. "This had never happened before."
The acrid smell of smoke started filling the compartment. In the corridors, screams could be heard.
"An attack." Said Blaise grimly, standing up as well. Just then, the window of the compartment splintered. Shards of glass rained over the occupants of the carriage.
"Liz, stay here." Barked Harry. "No matter what happens, do not leave this place. Put up the protective charms around the compartment as you have been taught. Put them up in such a way that only students who do not mean you any harm will be allowed to enter. If I am correct, it is me that these bastards want." Saying so, he rushed out of the compartment, Blaise following him at once.
"I am going too." Said Daphne determinedly. "Tracy, look after Astoria and Liz."
"Daph –" Tracy started to rise. But it was too late. Daphne had left the room. Liz started casting all the protective spells she knew.
"Salvio Hexia! Protego Maxima!" chanted Liz; modifying them to allow any other students to enter.
"Fianto Duri!" added Tracy.
" Repello Inimicum!" chimed in Astoria.
The spells were cast not a moment too soon. The next instant, an almighty bang sounded and the entire train overturned, leaving the single compartment upright.
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Soot and dust greeted Harry the moment he left the compartment. He nearly choked on it before casting a bubble head charm on himself. Then, he cast a disillusionment charm too. From the corner of his eye, he saw Blaise do the same. The corridor was a mess. The roof of the Hogwarts Express was destroyed and Death Eaters kept pouring into the train from above. There was a mad scramble to get into a compartment. Children were screaming. Bellatrix had kept three of them under the Cruciatus. Some sixth and seventh years were trying to fight but it was of no use. There were just too many Death Eaters.
White hot anger roared up in Harry. Where the hell were the aurors?
"Sectumsempra!" he snarled. The spell hit its mark. Bellatrix was thrown back, her leg bleeding.
"There is someone there!" she shrieked, throwing a killing curse in the direction that Harry was standing. He ducked the flash of green light by a few inches.
"Impedimenta! Incarceous! Stupefy!" yelled Blaise. Two death eaters collapsed upon being hit by the stunning spell. Another one was bound by thick ropes.
"Reducto!" said Harry, aiming at the floor. Shards of metal blasted into Bellatrix's face, temporarily disorienting her and blinding three others. A well placed cutting hex by Blaise severed another death eater's head while the bone crushing curse by Harry sent another one back screaming. Unfortunately, the disillusionment charms had worn off by now, making the boys open targets.
The two boys were now standing back to back firing spells in all directions like they were a single entity. But Bellatrix was not going to give up so easily.
"Crucio!" she snarled, her eyes gleaming. The curse hit Blaise, who started writhing and screaming on the floor.
Harry transfigured the pillars near Bellatrix to vipers.
"Kill her." he ordered in Parseltongue. One of the vipers lunged at her throat while another bit at her wand arm. A powerful banishing hex by Bellatrix killed them both. However, it gave Blaise the respite he needed.
Leaving Bellatrix to deal with yet more snakes that he had conjured, Harry moved ahead to deal with the rest of the enemy.
"There he is! Take the brat!" yelled Lucius Malfoy. A quick Petrificus Totalus and Expulso threw him out of the train before he could draw attention. Green light of about a dozen killing curses sped towards Harry from all directions.
"Riptide!" called Harry. The snake appeared instantly. It spun, swallowing the killing curses from all directions and throwing them back at the death eaters in vengeance.
"Harry! Help!" yelled a voice behind him. He whirled to see Daphne dueling three death eaters at once – Pucey, Crabbe and Goyle. She was losing. A killing curse missed her by a millimeter.
"You thought your family could escape so easily from us, girl? Crucio!" laughed Kyle Pucey, maniacally. A stream of fire shot out from Harry's wand and surrounded the man. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. The other two tried to escape but wolves conjured from the metal doors ripped their throats out.
"Well, well, well, looks like I have got a worthy opponent at last." Crooned Bellatrix as she approached him, leaving a path of destruction in her wake. The carriage behind was aflame with Blaise, Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones trying their best to put it out. Children of eleven and twelve were distraught, screaming for help.
"Let us see how well you can dance." She laughed, releasing curse after curse at him. Riptide emerged, swallowing any killing curses heading his master's way. Harry retaliated with the entrail expelling curse and another Sectumsempra which hit Bellatrix's left arm. She laughed with glee on getting hit.
"Looks like the itty baby knows his curses after all! It will give me great pleasure to torture you once you are captured."
"Bombarda Maxima!" yelled Daphne, knocking Bellatrix off her feet.
"Incedio!" snarled Lucius Malfoy clambering into the compartment. However, no damage was done. The flames did not touch Harry or the other students. Instead, they hit the remaining death eaters who screamed in agony. Harry smiled grimly. Having a phoenix as a family totem had its advantages – one of which being his control over fire spells.
Several pops signified the arrival of Aurors to the scene. The Death Eaters disapparated at once. Bellatrix snarled at Harry. "You will pay for this! My lord will kill you!" she screamed before she disappeared.
"Augmenti!" chanted Harry and Daphne together, sending jets to water to douse the fire created. The water combined to form a whirlpool, reducing the raging fire in the previous compartment to a few dying embers. Blaise, Neville and Susan whirled round in surprise at the force of the spell.
The aurors led by Mad- Eye Moody entered the train. They gazed at the destruction inside. The floor or rather what was left of it was charred black and blood was spattered everywhere.
"What in Merlin's name happened, boy?" asked the grizzly auror, rounding up on Harry angrily. "What have you done?"
"Your job, I suppose." Said Harry coolly. "After all, being the head auror isn't it your responsibility to prevent death eaters from attacking the Hogwarts Express?"
An exclamation from the woman behind him prevented Moody from killing Harry on the spot.
"Are these Pucey, Crabbe and Goyle?" she asked in amazement, gazing at their mutilated forms. "You did this?"
"Yes. I did. It was either kill them or allow students to be tortured. I hope I did the right thing." Added Harry sarcastically. The woman's lips twitched; her hair changed from dark brown to a lurid pink. Moody looked furious at his impertinence.
"How many casualties are there Kingsley?" he finally asked the quiet man who had just emerged from the next carriage.
"Ten death eaters are killed and five are gravely injured. My team has taken them to the holding cells where they will be treated and then questioned. As for the students, about twelve have been under exposure to the Cruciatus but there is thankfully no lasting damage. Several others have minor scratches and burns but nothing too serious."
"Well, thank you very much for your help, Mr. Potter. You have done us a great service." Added the woman seeing that Moody was unable of speech. The rest of the aurors were the same way. They were gazing at him in fear or awe. "Shall we go, Mad-Eye?"
Moody nodded jerkily and after giving Harry one last glare disappeared with a pop. The woman and Kingsley remained behind.
"We need to take your statements regarding the attack." Said the woman apologetically. "Of course, it can wait until your injuries have been treated. There is no rush."
"You seem to have faced the Cruciatus curse lad." Said Kingsley, turning to Blaise. He handed him a potion. "Drink this. It will relieve the shaking in your limbs."
Blaise took it thankfully. After giving the aurors their statements the three of them trudged back to their carriage which had thankfully escaped unscathed. It was full now. About twenty students were crammed in from all four houses. Looking at them all, Harry smiled softly. Maybe it would be possible to overcome the prejudice between the houses that existed after all. Looking at Tracy sitting awkwardly next to Parvati Patil and trying to make conversation for the rest of the journey, Harry had to laugh.
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"What do you mean the brat escaped, Bella?" hissed Voldemort in anger. Nagini twisted on the floor uneasily. Voldemort in his rages was no joke. For the past hour, Malfoy and Nott had been screaming under the Cruciatus.
Bellatrix sobbed at his feet. "I am sorry my lord. It will not happen again. I was a fool."
"It will not happen again? It should not have happened in the first place. The students remain unharmed and ten of my death eaters are dead including Kyle! Not to mention the twenty odd who are severely injured. Five of them were foolish enough to get captured by the Ministry!" Thundered the Dark Lord. "Crucio!"
Bellatrix screamed in pain. It felt like a thousand hot knives were stabbing her all at once. After about five minutes, the curse lifted.
"The next time you fail me Bella, I will not be so very lenient." Said Voldemort coldly. "Now get out of my sight all of you!"
Watching Lucius, Bellatrix, Rudolphus and Henry limp away Voldemort scowled. This would not do. The boy had to be killed. It was bad enough that his mudblood mother was claiming to be the heir of Slytherin. They all needed to be slaughtered – the boy, his mother and his sister. Then no one would challenge his birthright. He clenched his fists. Next time he would take no such chances. He would kill the boy himself. But first there was something else that needed to be done. It was time that he heard the prophecy at last.
So that was Chapter 12 finally! I hope you liked the battle. This is the first time I have attempted to write a battle scene so I hope it turned out fine.
A big thank you to all of you who have continued to support my writing this story. You are all brilliant.
The next chapter should finally deal with Harry's sorting at long last. Do continue sending me your suggestions and ideas regarding the plot of the story in general. They really help a lot.
See you next week with the next chapter!
