Hey. I know this took a long time but I don't think really anyone's reading it anyway so I guess I can take my time. If there is anyone reading it, I have to let you know it was written quickly. LOL. This is almost done and I'm so glad because I've grown kind of board of it.

Chapter 14: Hogwarts

They flew for only a few minutes before touching down in the dark, yellow washed, parking lot outside the station. It was quiet, no cars or people roamed the dim lot. Harry took in a large, cool gulp of air and turned to the others, just visible by the distorted visions they threw behind them.

"You guys, if you want to turn back…" He started, but James stopped him.

"Look, bro." He snapped. "If you don't shut up I'll stick my foot up you're…"

"We're coming." Ginny interrupted. "No matter what, we'll be there." Harry felt a smile creep across his face. It felt so good to have such wonderful friends. Nodding, he climbed back on his Nimbus and kicked off from the ground.

They soared over the station and looked down on the dark tracks below. A few train cars sat abandoned here and there, but for the most part, all was dark. Harry found this kind of strange. Why would no trains be moving, even this late at night?

"Which one do we follow?" He called back. He could just see the distorted outline of Buckbeak. Hermionie was moving, her hand held out, palm up, her wand moving in circles. She was using the four-point spell. Finally, she pointed to the third track below her.

"I'm sure it's that one." She said matter-of-factly. Praying she was right, Harry sped off in along that track, watching it through the gloom as it twisted and turned. The moon shed almost no light and soon they were hovering just above the twisting metal.

They met no trains and no houses. The countryside around them grew wilder and denser, fields giving away to forests and soon a dim light on the horizon threw all into pink and yellow.

The sun came up and they were able to fly higher above the tracks. Harry shifted restlessly on his broom which was growing increasingly more uncomfortable. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the others in hot pursuit but couldn't see their faces. He was sure, though, that they wore identical looks of unease. His butt had grown numb.

As exhilaration gave way to anxiousness, anxiousness to unease and unease turned to boredom, the village of Hogsmede suddenly loomed in the distance, small and silent. Ron's excited cry made Harry slow down and smile. Just over the hilltops was Hogwarts castle, grey brick and abandoned windows shrugging off the glow of morning.

"Yes! I wish we were just here for fun." Ron called. "I would kill to get into Honeydukes right now." Harry shook his head and heard Hermione's tutting behind him. Ron's stomach won under every circumstance.

After five more minutes they were touching down on the sprawling Hogwarts grounds. The castle looked so large and imposing…and quiet. Harry cast his broom aside where it hovered as his eyes swept over the castle face. Though it was so quiet and empty…it was home to him.

Hermionie climbed awkwardly off Buckbeak first and groaned, straightening her back with a loud crack. "I never want to do that again." She sighed. Reaching up a hand, she helped James down off the Hippogriff. "Stay Buckbeak."

"Well, now what?" James asked. He'd come up beside Harry and was staring up at the castle with his hands on his hips. Finally, he sighed. "Can we get this charm off of us?"

"No." Hermionie said, joining them. "We don't know who may be here. And, besides, members of the order may be looking for us. They might guess that we were coming here."

"I doubt it." He said. James pushed past Hermionie and ran across the grass, pounding up the steps three at a time. At the top, he reefed on the front doors but they wouldn't open. The others joined him at the top and stood back, watching his little disillusioned self pulling and straining. Finally, giving up, he kicked the doors in anger. "Please!" He hissed.

With a loud creak, the doors swung open and revealed the gapping entrance hall, dark and quiet on the other side. Harry stared, open mouthed at his twin who had sprung back in alarm and was staring at the hall as well. "Thanks." James said uncertainly, leading the way inside.

It was unnerving. The walls echoed their every step, which seemed loud and clumsy in the silence. "I've never heard anything so quiet before." Ginny whispered, her voice magnified to twice its normal level and bouncing off the walls violently. "It's like a nightmare I once had."

James snorted. "I like it." He said simply. "No girls staring at me, no teachers tailing me to make sure I don't do anything bad…no Draco pushing me around." There was a sad note in James' voice and Harry knew he was missing his friend.

They moved up the marble staircase and now Harry took the lead, walking as quietly as possible through the deserted corridors. He was making his way to the Room of Requirement. Hopefully, there, they would find something to get them to Azkaban.

The trip to the room was not very exciting. They met no one and the time passed quickly. "Okay." Harry said, standing in front of the bare stretch of stone. "Think of something, a way to get to Azkaban. That's what we need." They did as they were told and formed a line behind Harry, moving back and forth in front of the wall.

After three repetitions of this, Harry stopped and watched the door materialize out of thin air. Behind him, James whistled. "Wow." He whispered. "I like this. Now, when Ron and Hermionie need a place to make out, I can send them here."

"Ewe." Ron groaned, slapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry retaliated by slapping Ron back. "Oh, sorry Harry." He laughed. "I thought you were the other one." Reached out, he smacked James across the head.

"Oh, Ron, grow up." Hermionie snapped. She sounded really hurt by his reaction and was the first to step into the room, as though wanting to hide her face. The room was dark but Hermionie whispered that light would help and the torches along the walls sprung to life. There, in the middle of the room was the towering Mirror of Erised. It reflected them normally, as though no disillusionment charm had been placed on them. The others stepped to the sides along the wall and let Harry have the mirror to himself.

Behind him the room filled with people…his family. They sat and stood around him, smiling. Harry felt his heart tearing in his chest as he reached out and ran a hand along the glass. But they disappeared until only his mother stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder. Harry dug deeper into his soul, his heart encompassing Sirius and soon the man was there, huddled in the corner of the room.

Harry turned around but saw only the empty corner of the room of Requirement. Turning back to the mirror, he saw the room shrinking and soon Azkaban's vision swam in and out of focus as sheets of rain pounded down on her. Harry smiled and motioned the others to him. Somehow he knew what to do.

"Hold hands." He said. Looking back, he saw everyone had done as he had instructed. Swallowing hard, he reached out a trembling hand and touched the mirror. There was a violent jolt in his stomach and he was thrown forward into the glass. All went black…

To My Reviewers:

Ilana Starr: Hey, yeah, I never thought of it like that before but I think the main reason is that Harry is having serious trust issues at the moment. They got help in the end of the 6th one from the order members and Sirius still 'died' so Harry wouldn't believe anyone could help him. Also, they do tend to go off and do things by themselves with out the adults knowing about it.

DragonHunter200: LOL, thanks. I'm not sure if this whole plot would even world but whatever. It's just a story and in the world of Harry Potter, nothing is as it seems. LOL, I still haven't figured out what to do! Man, I hate boys sometimes. Oh well.

AND TO ANYONE ELSE, THANKS.