"Harry!"
The voice calling out to him was one he'd recognize anywhere. He grinned at the sound of Ron calling to him, and with Magic next to him, hurried over to him.
"Hey, Ron!" He said. "Is Hermione here, too?"
"Right here, Harry. So, how are things going? You look like you've been out in the sun a lot." Hermione commented.
"A bit, yeah." Harry said. "Oh, and with Sharen being my new guardian and all, I've gotten my Hogsmeade form signed, so I'll be able to go and enjoy it with you!"
"Is that so?" Ron asked eagerly. "I can hardly wait, myself!"
"Tell us about Sharen, Harry and Magic. How is she, what's she like? How's she different from the Dursley's?" Hermione asked her typical rapid amount of questions, all to collect and gather knowledge. Harry grinned.
"Sharen cares." He said as he found a seat and sat down at the small table with Ron and Hermione. "The Dursley's didn't. She's fun, too, she's not always serious. She loves me and Magic both, and, please don't be judging about this, Ron. She's a Squib."
"Well, Squib's aren't all bad." Ron responded. "And if she loves you, that's all that really matters."
"I knew I could count on you for your support of friendship." Harry said with a smile.
"What do you think of her, Magic?" Hermione asked. "What Harry thinks, right?"
"Harry loves her, wishes her safe. She, he, and I are safe." Magic stated.
"You're so boring, Magic. Why not say something new for once." Ron said.
"I state things accurately." Magic replied.
"Harry, did you get that new book of ours, the Monster Book of Monsters?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, and Magic's copy doesn't try and bite at us, either." He replied. "Hagrid sent it to me."
"Really?" Hermione asked eagerly. "I wonder why he did that."
"Who knows." Harry replied.
"The shop keeper in the book store almost cried when we said we needed two. He's been having a lot of trouble keeping them in line, too. They're always ripping at each other and what not, and he swears he'll never purchase them again." Ron said.
"I don't blame him." Harry responded. "So, anything new with either of you, other than the vacations you're both on?"
"We'll all be staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight, and going off to Hogwarts tomorrow." Hermione said. "But of course, you know that already from our letters."
"Yeah." Harry said.
"Check this out, Harry." Ron said as he heard him pulling something from a bag. "My new wand. It's Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair."
"Cool." Harry said, reaching out.
"No." Magic stated. "Don't touch."
"Oh." Harry responded. "Right. Sorry, Magic."
"Something wrong?" Ron asked.
"I don't want to touch those limiting things." Magic stated. "I don't like being limited."
"Then you must have hated being petrified the previous..." Ron cut himself off and Harry heard Hermione hiss quietly, "Ron!"
"It's okay." Harry said with a grin. "It actually makes me smile now, because she's here and will never go through that again. When Athis, my phoenix, merged with Magic, it rendered her immune to the Basilisk stare. So if we ever encounter one again, she can stare straight at it without a problem."
"That's good." Hermione said. "I hated seeing you like that..." She trailed off.
"You know, having Magic back in my life was the best thing that ever happened to me." Harry said. "Just thinking about it makes me happy. Isn't that right, Magic?"
"Yes." Magic stated, her left arm wrapping firmly around him, just as Harry wanted from her.
"So, what subjects did you decide to take, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies..." Hermione was cut off by Ron.
"What are you taking Muggle Studies for? You're a muggle-born, you know all about them already."
"But it'll be fascinating to study it from the wizarding point of view." Hermione responded with some earnestness in her voice. "I'm sure witches and wizards view Muggles a lot differently than someone like me."
"Sounds like you're taking all the subjects." Harry said after a moment. "You sure you're going to be able to eat or sleep, or did you just plan on powering through the entire twenty-four hour day and staying awake?" Ron snickered.
"I've still got ten galleons." Hermione said, having apparently ignored what Harry had brought up. "It's my birthday in September, and my parents gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."
"There's an idea." Harry said. "I'll have to see if Sharen... No, that wouldn't work I suppose." He mumbled his last words and lowered his head, feeling awkward about how much money he actually had in his vault.
"You could get yourself a nice book." Ron said in an innocent voice to Hermione.
"No, I don't think so." Hermione responded. "What I'd really like is an owl. I don't have one, and it'd be really useful if I got one. You've got Errol, Ron..."
"No, I don't." Ron responded. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers, and I want to get him checked out. I don't think Egypt agreed with him."
"I can help with that if you want." Harry said. "Magic, would you feel Scabbers? You know how I mean."
"Exhaustion." Magic stated. "Stress. No signs of old age."
"Huh." Harry said. "That's odd. Well, I suppose we could go to the pet store or something."
"I see it." Hermione replied. "We'll see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and I could check into getting an owl."
The magic between people, animals, and plants was distinctive, and easy to determine. Strangely enough, when Harry entered the magical pet store and could hear all the animals making their various sounds, sense their magic, he once again thought about how odd Scabbers was in terms of his magic, which seemed closer to a person, but also that of an animal. It was like Scabbers was in between the two somehow, something that all the other magical animals here didn't possess. The sound was rather loud, and Harry didn't feel too comfortable in the store. He wanted to stay with his friends, though, and Magic's hands firmly on his shoulders, along with her simply being with him, gave him a fairly comfortable presence and a sense of security.
The scent in the store reminded Harry of any normal Muggle pet store, though there were some differences, which he wasn't surprised about, as there were many magical animals that didn't and wouldn't exist in a Muggle pet store. The line to the counter wasn't long, though, and Harry crept closer when they moved, his hand on one of Hermione's shoulders.
"What can I do for you today?" The witch at the counter asked.
"It's my rat." Ron replied. "He's been a bit off color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."
"Bang him on the counter." The woman stated.
Through all the sounds of the other animals, Harry couldn't hear Ron putting the rat on the counter, but he went behind Hermione and stood next to Ron, curious to hear the witches explanation, even though he already knew the cause.
"Hmm. How old is this rat?" The witch asked, picking him up.
"Dunno, quite old. He used to belong to my brother." Ron replied.
"What powers does he have?" The witch asked.
"Er..." Ron trailed off.
"How about long life?" Harry asked curiously. "It's older than ten years, I know that."
"And how would you be aware of that?" The woman asked.
"I can feel magic, know what it feels like at certain levels of age." Harry responded, though thought that, perhaps, it would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all.
"Well, he's definitely been through the mill. An ordinary, common rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so, and if your friends right about his age, I'd say this rat has powers you don't quite know about yet. We could offer you a replacement if you want." The woman said.
"No, they're just showoffs." Ron muttered.
"Then try this rat tonic." The witch said, Harry hearing her voice move as she went under the counter.
"Ouch!" Ron shouted out, and Harry could hear something hissing and spitting wildly.
"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" The woman cried out.
"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, and Harry sent a thought to Magic.
"I have him!" Magic called out in acknowledgement, and Harry could feel her levitating Scabbers, who was twisting and flailing in a terrified sort of way. The cat, Crookshanks, was continuing to hiss and spit wildly at the levitating Scabbers, directly under where he was. Ron was hurrying over to where Scabbers was, but Harry heard him shout out in pain. At his thought, Magic picked up Crookshanks and said firmly, "Calm down!"
"That bloody cat!" Ron shouted angrily.
"He's lovely!" Hermione said in a cheerful sort of voice.
"You can have him if you want him, but no one ever has before, he's been in here for ages." The witch said. "And I'm so sorry about that, sir."
Harry heard Ron making his way over to the counter again, and Magic carried Crookshanks over to Hermione, who was cooing over him.
"So." Ron said, sounding a little grumpy. "How much for the rat tonic, then?"
After Ron paid for the rat tonic and ensured Scabbers was out of sight, or so Harry presumed, Hermione paid for her cat and they headed from the store. Ron, however, was less than impressed about Hermione's choice of pet.
"That thing tried to kill Scabbers!" He said in an indignant voice as they walked down the street. "If Harry hadn't been there, Scabbers probably would have gotten away and then who knows what would have happened!"
"Cats eat rats, Ron, it's just instinct." Hermione responded, calm in comparison to Ron.
"Well you just keep that thing away from him. He needs rest and relaxation, not more stress." Ron growled angrily.
"Calm down, Ron." Hermione said. "Everything will be just fine. I'll be keeping Crookshanks in my dormitory and Scabbers will be in yours, so there's no problem."
"We'll see about that." Ron stated, still not sounding happy.
Their next stop was the Leaky Cauldron, where they'd be eating, and where Harry would rent a room for the night to sleep. After he took care of paying for his room, he walked over to where Mr. Weasley was with Ron and Hermione.
"Harry. How are you?" Mr. Weasley asked pleasantly.
"I'm good." Harry replied. "And you?"
"Doing well for the most part." Mr. Weasley responded, though Harry thought his voice sounded a little stressed. "Everyone's been pulled off their jobs at the ministry to try and find Black, but we've not seen any sight of him yet."
"Would we get any money if we caught him?" Ron asked.
"Don't be ridiculous, Ron. Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen year old wizard." Mr. Weasley responded.
"Bet you could catch him, couldn't you, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Probably, but I'm not going to." Harry said.
"Why not?" Ron asked.
"Because, for one thing, it's not worth it. Granted, he betrayed my parents, but what's catching him really going to do? Even if I did, the most I'd do is turn him in, but I'm not going to go looking for someone who's trying to find and kill me. You wouldn't go looking for Voldemort, would you?" Harry asked, ignoring the gasps he heard from Ron and Mr. Weasley.
"No." Ron responded, sounding mollified.
"How did you know?" Mr. Weasley sounded completely shocked and surprised.
"Sharen read me the addition of the Daily Prophet which detailed his escape, and speculated that he was out to kill me." Harry said. "I think that addition was retracted, though. The only reason we got it was because of our postal boxes."
"And you're not... Doesn't that bother you?" Mr. Weasley asked, seeming even more shocked about Harry's casual attitude.
"Of course it does. But I can't do anything, and I'm not going to help anyone by trying to find Black and give him my form of justice, or whatever." Harry said. "Besides, Magic doesn't want me to kill him, so I won't."
"You actually have desires and wants of your own, Magic?" Ron asked, surprise in his voice. "I thought it was always what Harry wanted."
"The majority is what Harry wishes, but I don't like being constricted, limited, or bound, and killing changes the soul which is not recommended." Magic stated.
"Well, there you go, Ron, Hermione, Mr. Weasley. You know Magic a little better. Now wasn't that refreshing?" Harry patted Magic's shoulder.
"No." She stated.
"Oh well." Harry responded, hearing a group of other people entering the pub.
"Harry." He heard Percy Weasley say as if he was just meeting him. Harry turned, a bit confused. "How nice to see you."
"You too, Percy." Harry responded, shaking his hand after Percy grasped his.
"I hope you're well." Percy's voice was rather pompous, though Harry didn't quite know why.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Harry responded.
"Harry." He heard Fred push Percy out of the way and bow as he spoke. "Simply splendid to see you, old boy."
""Marvelous." George pushed Fred out of the way, also grasping Harry's hand and shaking it firmly. "Absolutely spiffing."
Harry chuckled.
"That's enough, now." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Mum!" Fred said cheerfully, and Harry grinned, laughing a bit harder. "How really corking to see you..."
"I said, that's enough." Mrs. Weasley was putting some bags down, and Harry guessed they were some supplies for Hogwarts for some of her children. "Hello, Harry and Magic. I suppose you've heard our exciting news? Percy's the second Head Boy in the family!" Mrs. Weasley sounded proud of her son's accomplishment.
"And last." Harry heard Fred mutter.
"I don't doubt that." Mrs. Weasley stated, her voice a bit more severe and firm. "I notice the two of you haven't been made prefects."
"What would we want that for?" George asked. "It would take all the fun out of life, having to follow rules and regulations."
Harry heard what sounded like Ginny giggling.
"You want to set a better example for your sister!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.
"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example. I'm going up to change for dinner." Percy interjected, and Harry heard his footsteps as he went toward the stairs leading to the rooms. George sighed.
"We tried to shut him in a pyramid, but Mum spotted us." George said quietly to Harry, but Mrs. Weasley's hearing was apparently better than he'd thought.
"You were well aware of how irresponsible that was to try." Mrs. Weasley's voice was firm with indignant anger. "And if you ever do something like that again..."
"We know, Mum, you already lectured us." Fred interrupted. Mrs. Weasley let out a short sigh, but said nothing more.
The gathering of the Weasley family, Harry, Magic and Hermione remained a group when Tom, the man behind the bar, put three tables together, allowing them to eat a delicious five-course meal for dinner that evening. Harry and Magic sat across from each other, Harry between Ron, who was on his left, and Ginny, who was on his right. He participated in the conversation with the Weasley's, enjoying the last moments with a family, and the feast before the beginning of year feast at Hogwarts. Just as they had last year, they were going to take Mr. Weasley's car to Kings Cross the next day, and while it would possibly be a bit more cramped than the previous year, Harry didn't mind at all. Just as he was last year, he found himself eager to go to Hogwarts, learn what he could from its classes. He was curious to see who had been hired as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as each year so far had held a different teacher for the position.
Pleasantly full and tired, Harry retired to his room with Magic, preparing to get some sleep before the journey the next day, and once again realizing how smart it was that he was already packed, unlike Ron, who had apparently put all of his items on Percy's bed. Harry was just climbing into bed with Magic standing a few feet away, watching him, when he heard a commotion from a room near him. Curious, he climbed from the bed and opened his door, hearing the voices of Ron and Percy through a crack in the door.
"I'm sure it didn't just up and leave, Ron! "It was here , on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing..." Percy was saying, then was interrupted by Ron.
"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron shouted in response.
"What's up?" Harry asked, pushing the door of the room open a little wider, facing the inside of the room where Ron and Percy stood.
"My Head Boy badge is gone!" Percy angrily shouted in Harry's direction.
"So's Scabbers's rat tonic!" Ron added, and Harry could hear him tossing things around. "I think I might've left it in the bar..."
"You're not going anywhere until you've found my badge!" Percy shouted.
"I'll get Scabbers' tonic." Harry offered. "I'm already packed."
As Harry made his way toward the bar, his cane almost silently moving along the floor, he heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley angrily talking to one another, stopping for a moment to listen to them.
"He already knows about it, he told me earlier today. But I want to be sure he's not going to go looking for him!" Mr. Weasley called.
"He knows? What did you tell him, Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley shouted back.
"Nothing!" Mr. Weasley responded, his voice also raised. "He found it out on a retracted print of the Daily Prophet, only about fifteen or so got released!"
"And he's being so casual about it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "He didn't even show any concern! Is he crazy!"
"He can look after himself, Molly, he doesn't need a minder!" Mr. Weasley replied. "He knows how to protect himself!"
"Like he did last year? He lost his magic for heaven sakes!" Mrs. Weasley shouted back. "If he already knows, then he's going to need protection and I won't let him go off to that school without..."
Usually, Harry didn't feel very angry when conversations involved him, but the statement about his previous year made his heart pound with anger. Stepping quietly toward the door to the parlor, he found it slightly open and pushed it the rest of the way, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley going silent instantly.
"With the two of you shouting, I couldn't help but overhear what you said." Harry stated coolly. "I really don't appreciate that, Mrs. Weasley, and for your information, I lost my magic due to extenuating circumstances that will never be happening again. I killed that thing with nothing more than the skills of a Muggle and the help of a Phoenix, and you have the audacity to claim I can't protect myself! Well I did a pretty good job last year, didn't I, but some people are just too blind to notice, I suppose! Who, exactly, is the blind one, Mrs. Weasley? You? Me? I've seen things better than you ever have and I don't appreciate you making a mockery of my abilities!"
Harry wasn't thinking, only feeling anger, fury at how Mrs. Weasley had used last year's circumstances, which were quite rare, to claim he couldn't protect himself. His heart pounded and he trembled as the fury poured through him, hardly even thinking about what was coming out of his mouth.
"So! What will it be next time, Mrs. Weasley? Are you going to want to help me with every little thing now, because the blind boy needs help? Is that it? Try and protect me from every cruel thing in the world that wants to get me? Shelter me from everything and lock me away because poor Harry can't do anything to protect himself or reliably get around? I have had that all my life and I thought you'd be different, but you're no different than anyone else who judges me before they get to know me! I am not happy with you Mrs. Weasley, and absolutely disgusted that you would think so low of my abilities!"
He said nothing more, simply stepped from the room, slammed the door behind him, and moved down the hall, entering the bar. Finding the three tables, Harry searched underneath them, grabbing the bottle he assumed was Ron's rat tonic for Scabbers. He heard footsteps approaching and straightened up, turning to face them.
"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley's voice was soft, but also firm.
"What?" Harry asked angrily.
"I know you're angry, but I also know you don't understand how much I worry about you. I care about you Harry like you're one of my own, and to see you... To know what happened to you last year... I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry about what I said. But you hurt me, Harry." Mrs. Weasley was crying a little, Harry realized, and the knowledge that his words hurt her dampened his rage to guilt. He let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry." Harry replied. "I... I just got so angry when you used what happened to me last year to say I couldn't protect myself. But it won't be happening again, not at Hogwarts, and not ever. Can you forgive me for what I said?"
"Yes, Harry, of course I can." Mrs. Weasley responded, and they hugged, Mrs. Weasley calming down as Harry felt tears in his eyes.
"I really am sorry about that, I shouldn't have said anything." Harry said. "I shouldn't have even gotten involved in that."
"That's okay, Harry, you haven't anything to worry about, dear. I've been shouted at by my own sons before, so I'm a little used to it." Mrs. Weasley said.
"Well, I'm glad that... I'm glad we could forgive each other." Harry said. chuckling a little with the relief he felt.
"Do you need any help back to your room, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No. I'll be okay, I just have to follow the shouting of Ron and Percy, if they're still at it. Or, count the doors. I'll manage." Harry replied.
"Ron and Percy shouting?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "About what, exactly?"
"Percy's angry about losing his badge or something. I'm sure they'll quiet down." Harry said.
"You might be right, but I'll go with you." Mrs. Weasley stated in reply.
Harry, with Mrs. Weasley following him, made his way back to his room, stopping bye Ron's to give him Scabbers rat tonic. Mrs. Weasley, having caught sight of Fred and George in the shadows, quietly, but firmly berated them for stealing his badge and trying to modify it. Percy got it back, and as Harry closed the door of his room and walked over to the bed, putting his cane on the bedside table, quiet descended. He climbed into his bed, closed his eyes as he lay on his back, then said, "Good night, Magic."
"I'll watch you." Magic stated, but Harry wasn't bothered by that, only smiled.
Harry woke earlier than just about everyone else, dressing for the day in silence, and shrinking his trunk after putting his pajamas in the wardrobe compartment in his trunk. With Magic behind him, he went to the bar and got himself some breakfast. Mr. Weasley soon joined him, reading the news paper, then Mrs. Weasley, Hermione and Ginny, who were chatting and giggling about some love potion Mrs. Weasley had made as a girl, came in. As he'd come to expect from the Weasley's, it was a chaotic time when they left, so Harry didn't get much of a chance to talk with Ron or Hermione. He wanted to tell them what he'd learned about Sirius Black, though in the excitement of seeing them again, had forgotten. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's conversation, however, had given him a bit of a reminder, so it was fresh on his mind.
They got to Kings Cross with twenty minutes to spare, and walking with Mr. Weasley and Magic, he went through the barrier between platforms nine and ten, hearing the familiar sound of the Hogwarts Express. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George followed Harry and Magic on board the train, and Percy importantly told them he was going to the Head Boy compartment. Of course, that was after he'd reunited with his girlfriend, though Harry didn't know her name. Fred and George joined up with some other friends of theirs in another compartment, and as the train began to move, Harry said, "I've got to talk to you guys."
"Okay, mate." Ron replied, then added, "Go away, Ginny."
"Hey!" Harry said indignantly as Ginny huffed.
"Oh, how nice, Ron." He then heard her storming off and sighed.
"That wasn't very nice, Ron." Harry said.
"Agreed." Daphne's voice came from behind Harry, with a bit of iciness to it.
"Well..." Ron cleared his throat. "I just assumed you wanted to talk with us alone, Harry. Well, with Magic, of course." Harry was satisfied at Ron sounding uncomfortable.
"At least you feel guilty about it." He said. "Come on, let's go find an empty compartment."
Harry made his way down the corridor with Hermione on his left side, she, Ron, Daphne and Magic all looking for an empty compartment to sit in. The last compartment on the train turned out to have only one occupant, and from what Harry could hear, the person was snoring lightly.
"It's not empty, but looks like he's asleep." Hermione said quietly as the five friends made their way into the compartment.
"Who do you reckon he is?" Ron asked as they all sat down in the seats furthest from the sleeping man.
""Professor RR. J. Lupin." Hermione whispered immediately.
"How do you know that?" Ron asked.
"It's on his case." Daphne stated. "You're not very observant, are you, Ron?"
"I do okay." Ron replied. "By the way, how'd your summer with Professor McGonagall go?"
"It went fairly well, actually." Daphne replied. "But, we should get something more important out of the way first. Harry, Sirius Black, who's your godfather and who betrayed your parents, is out to kill you."
"Yeah." Harry responded, unaffected by what he already knew. "That's what I was going to tell you guys."
"And you don't even care?" Ron asked, shocked at Harry's cavalier attitude.
"He can't be worse than Voldemort, and I beat him once with my magic and once without." Harry replied.
"Twice with your magic." Magic stated.
"Well, if you count when I wasn't aware of anything as a child, then yeah." Harry responded.
"With Black out to get you, Harry, you can't go looking for him. He'll be ready for that, and you need to be really, really careful." Hermione sounded agitated and anxious.
"I've never gone looking for trouble." Harry responded. "Would I really look for something to petrify Magic and make me lose the ability to use magic, or perhaps look for a professor, possessed by Lord Voldemort, who tried to kill me when we were alone?"
"Yeah, Hermione, Harry's not that thick." Ron stated in reply, but he also sounded uncomfortable. "But who knows what dark powers Black's got. No one's ever broken out of Azkaban before, and they don't know how he got out."
"But they'll catch him, won't they?" Hermione asked earnestly. "They've got all the Muggles out looking for him, too."
"I reckon so, eventually." Harry responded, then curiously turned his head toward the sleeping man. "Something's... Strange."
"What?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. But his magic, it's... It's different somehow. Part of it's restless, and getting a little more powerful as the day's continuing, but it feels like it's being held back by something as well." Harry responded. "It's a strange feeling."
"Is everyone different in one way or another?" Hermione asked.
"Very slightly, and I'm starting to identify the differences between one person to another, other than just power levels. But it's hard to do that." Harry replied.
"Do you think there's something wrong with him?" Ron asked. "He doesn't look very healthy, either."
"He's tired, yes, but it's because of that odd restless magic." Harry said.
"I wonder what it could be." Hermione said.
"What do you think, Magic?" Daphne asked. "Is it dangerous?"
"It would be dangerous if the unknown magic wasn't holding the restless magic back." Magic replied, sounding placid and calm as usual, and completely unconcerned with the potential danger.
"So, Harry, did you manage to get your Hogsmeade form signed by your new guardian?" Daphne asked.
"Yeah." Harry responded. "And how'd you know about that?"
"It was in the Daily Prophet." Daphne responded. "One of the most famous people, who's also blind, getting a new guardian due to the Dursley's lack of care, isn't going to stay hidden."
"Great!" Ron said eagerly. "You can go with us to Hogsmeade, Harry! There's all sorts of things there that I think you'd like."
"I usually don't just go shopping to shop, but I could try it one of these days. I might not go the first time." Harry said.
"I've read that it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain." Hermione said.
"Yeah, I think it is, but I just want to get inside Honey-dukes!" Ron said with eagerness.
"There's far more useful things there, such as a postal service." Daphne said.
"But there's also historical value to it as well." Hermione replied, her voice eager. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain."
"Sounds boring, Hermione." Harry said.
"Well, the candy in Honey-dukes won't be, I'll tell you that." Ron said in a dreamy voice. "Pepper Imps, they make you smoke at the mouth, and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next, and massive sherbert balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them..."
"Okay, okay, if you're trying to sell it to me I'm sold." Harry said. "Magic, how about you?"
"I go where you wish." Magic stated.
"Magic, you must want things of your own." Daphne stated curiously. "Clearly, your petrification last school year proved that you're an entity separate from Harry."
"I'm Harry's magic. I don't like being bound, limited or constrained in any way." Magic stated.
"That's it?" Daphne asked. "Everything else you want, or where you go, is what Harry wishes?"
"Yes." Magic responded.
"I thought you knew her better than that, Daphne." Harry said in response, then footsteps and the sliding compartment door caught his attention.
"Oh." Ron stated. "What do you want, Davis?"
"Clearly, something you're not willing to offer me, Weasley, but I'd have thought that my helping Harry last school year might have earned respect in your eyes. Clearly, I'm still unworthy to be a friend to you, as I'm a Slytherin." Tracey stated.
"Let her in, Ron." Harry said. "Well, don't be so judging. Give her a chance, okay? And Tracey, I'm sorry about how harsh I was to you last year."
"It's fine." She said with a bit of a sigh, coming to sit next to Harry. "I know you were grieving at the time."
"Yeah, but that's not an excuse for what I did." Harry stated. "I acted like Malfoy, or other prejudice people and put you in the category with everyone else."
"Yes, you did." Tracey said. "But you weren't thinking clearly. However, if you ever, ever do that again, I won't be so easy to forgive it."
"At least your family's willing to tolerate you being friends with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Magic." Daphne said.
"At least you weren't left drifting." Tracey replied. "I'm glad you've..." She trailed off, perhaps seeing something on Daphne's face.
"You say that as if it's a good thing." Daphne replied with some frostiness in her voice. "Every day, I miss my parents and sister, and want them back. But I'll never have them back unless they choose to change their views. Even then, I'm no longer a Greengrass. I'm now a McGonagall because my own parents chose to shun me based on the prejudice that I was always taught, and came to know as being silly from Harry's eloquent speeches."
"Sorry." Tracey muttered. "I... I probably shouldn't have said anything. That was insensitive of me."
"Hermione, don't let that thing out!" Ron called, then Harry heard Crookshanks jump to the floor before jumping on his lap, curling up, and going still.
"Hey there." Harry said, petting the cat's fluffy fur with a smile.
"Do you like cats?" Hermione asked.
"They're okay." Harry responded, remembering Mrs. Figg's house with all the cats she loved to speak about, who would sometimes want Harry's attention.
Harry heard Professor Lupin stir a bit in his sleep and let out a bit of a louder snore before he settled again. The train moved over a bit of a bump in the tracks, and outside the closed door, he could hear people running past their compartment. They all chatted about what the school year was likely to be like, curiously speculated on how the Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Lupin would compare to the other teachers, and got to know a little more about Tracey Davis. At around one o'clock, a clattering was heard outside the compartment door indicating the snack lady. With a grin, Harry stood up and Crookshanks leapt off of him to the floor.
"Anything this afternoon, dears?" She asked Harry.
"Sure." He responded, giving her a list of items.
"Do you think we should wake Professor Lupin up?" Ron asked, sounding a bit awkward. "He looks like he could do with a bit of food."
"Er, Professor? Excuse me, Professor?" Hermione asked in a cautious voice.
"Don't worry, dear." The witch said as Harry took a stack of Cauldron Cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."
"Thanks, as usual." Harry said with a smile after he finished taking the rest of the sweets he'd gotten for everyone, the witch closing the door behind her as she left.
"I suppose he is asleep." Ron's voice was quiet. "I mean, he hasn't died, has he?"
"No." Magic stated.
"He's still alive. If he wasn't, I wouldn't feel his magic." Harry explained as he sat between Tracey and Magic again. "You didn't really think he was dead, did you, Ron?"
"Well, he looks like he could have died and we wouldn't know the difference." Ron said as Harry handed Hermione some sweets, and Magic took some as well.
"Ron!" Hermione said, almost snapping.
"What? It's true." Ron responded.
"You might be kinder." Daphne indicated.
"Besides, you don't know if he's really awake, and just pretending." Tracey added.
"Oh. Well, didn't... Didn't think of that." Ron sounded rather uncomfortable and Harry grinned a bit.
"You always this thick, Ron?" Tracey asked.
"He is." Harry said in reply.
Harry had always enjoyed the sound of the rain, listening to it beginning as his friends continued to talk some minutes later. It wasn't long until the compartment door opened again, and Harry heard the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy, someone who he thought wouldn't be returning.
"Well, look who it is. Blindy and the blood traitors." Malfoy drawled.
"And here I thought you wouldn't be coming back. Something about your father sending you to another school?" Harry asked.
"That was only temporary, blindy, guess that's why you're worth nothing at all. You can't even make the simplest connections." Malfoy stated, then Harry heard a bit of a louder snore from Professor Lupin. "Who's that?"
"New teacher." Harry said. "See, Malfoy? I knew who you were talking about."
Malfoy left the compartment, closing the door behind him.
"Good one, Harry." Ron said.
"Well, don't count on that lasting long." Harry said.
"He'll undoubtedly try and find a way to insult your family because of that gold your family won, as he usually does." Daphne stated.
"Well if he does, I'm not just going to lie back and take it this year." Ron stated, a little anger in his voice.
"And what are you going to do?" Harry asked. "Get yourself into trouble? You won't be able to do anything that'll be worth doing. Trust me, it's better to let it alone."
"Harry, you serious?" Ron asked with shocked surprise. "He's insulted both of us and you just want to leave him alone? And what about your sensitivity to prejudice attitudes and such, he's got the most of all."
"Ron, I've not gotten angry over his insults. And... Well, I learned something about acting before thinking about a situation first. Last night, your mother made a comment about me being unable to protect myself last year, because of what happened. I yelled at her, but found out later that she only did that because she cared about me, though she did admit she wasn't thinking, either." Harry said.
"And what does that have to do with Malfoy?" Ron asked.
"Think about it." Tracey stated. "If he insults your family and you get into a fight, what's that going to do?"
"Make me feel good, that's what..." Ron began.
"No, Ron. It'll get you detention, then you might feel even more resentful toward him because in your eyes, he made you get into trouble, when it was what you did, not what he did, which caused that in the first place." Tracey said.
"Who are you, Hermione?" Ron asked jokingly.
"No, I'm observant, I think. I'm a Slytherin." Tracey responded.
As the train continued on its journey, the rain fell harder and grew louder, wind blew it against the windows, and through it all, Professor Lupin still slept. In the midst of the loud storm, Ron said, "We must be nearly there."
"Not yet." Harry said as he checked his watch and felt the train starting to slow down.
"But we're stopping, so we must be." Ron said as Harry heard him getting up and looking out the window. "I'm starving."
"Harry's right, we can't be there yet." Hermione added.
"So why are we stopping?" Ron asked.
The train slowed further, and the sound of the rain seemed to increase in volume. Harry heard Tracey stand and go to the door, opening it a bit.
"There's other people wondering, too." Tracey said before the train came to a stop with a jolt, and Harry heard thuds from other compartments.
"What's going on?" Ron asked.
"Tell me." Harry replied.
"It's all dark." Ron said.
"Ouch!" Hermione gasped. "Ron, that was my foot!"
"Harry, you can see better than any of us..." Tracey began before she slammed into him and fell into his lap.
"Careful." Harry said. "Now, listen carefully. You've got no vision to guide you, so use your ears, hear the sounds around you."
"Is this really the time for a lesson, mate?" Ron asked as Harry heard a squeaking from the window. "Besides, I think people are coming aboard."
Tracey, who had found her seat next to Harry again, said, "It might be a good idea so we aren't stumbling ar..."
The compartment door opened and Harry felt someone trip over him and heard them hit the ground. Neville's voice said a bit nervously, "Sorry, do you know what's going on?"
"No." Harry said as he stood and helped Neville up. "But hi, anyway."
"That you, Harry?" Neville asked.
"Very nice, you recognize my voice." Harry said. "Find a seat and sit down."
Harry heard a hissing and Neville cry out in pain.
"Not on Crookshanks!" Harry cried.
"Too late." Neville replied. "Man, Harry, how do you manage?"
"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on." Hermione said.
"I wouldn't." Harry responded. "Just stay where you're at. If you've got..."
The compartment door opened again and Harry felt someone slam into him.
"Oh, sorry!" Ginny's voice said.
"That's okay, Ginny. Here, sit down next to Tracey here." Harry replied. "Okay, no one move."
"Then what are we going to do, just stand around?" Ron asked.
"No." Harry responded. "Hermione, the driver's at the front of the train, right?"
"Right." Hermione replied.
"I'll go and ask what's up." Harry stated.
"No." A hoarse voice stated suddenly. "Stay where you are."
Harry could hear movement where Professor Lupin had been seated, realizing quite suddenly that his voice had been the one to speak. Moments later, a soft, crackling sound filled the compartment, then Professor Lupin stood up and began to move toward the door. Before he got to it, the door slid open again, slower this time.
Harry got a rather ominous feeling, and in response to his anxiety, Magic swiftly moved toward him and put her arms around him from behind. Almost immediately afterward, he heard the sound of a long, slow, rattling breath and felt an icy cold settle over the compartment, but the cold seemed to go deeper than the air itself. It went beyond his skin, into his chest. He was shivering hard as memories swirled through his mind, of Quirrell being killed at his hand, of Magic being petrified and he touching her statue body, the grief he'd felt at that moment magnified beyond anything he remembered feeling at the time. He felt almost as if he couldn't catch his breath, grabbing for Magic's hands and realizing, distantly, that she was still with him.
"I am here, Harry." Magic stated placidly. "Harry doesn't like you, creature. You're taking his happiness from him. Go away."
Harry could hardly focus on anything else but his feeling of grief and loss that Magic would never return to him, despite the fact that she was with him, and while he knew he needed to focus, couldn't muster up the strength needed to do so. Magic's hands ran over his cheeks and he heard and felt her slap him a little, everything coming into focus for a moment. It was the moment he needed to feel the magic that was at work, feel it pulling from him all that was happy and good, making the worst experiences of his life come to the front of his mind. Trembling and shivering, Harry sent a desperate thought to Magic. She acted. He felt his flame of magic touch the magic pulling at him, dispelling it. Everything but the cold of the air left him almost instantly and he took a deep breath, though was still shivering from the experiences and the cold of the air around him.
"None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." Professor Lupin announced firmly.
The thing simply continued to take its low, rattling breath, but Harry could hear it coming closer. Within moments, he felt another type of magic, one that seemed to be pure happiness, though somewhat deluded, driving the thing away. With another thought, he felt the flame of magic take all that was happy, loving and caring, infuse it into the magic he'd felt from Professor Lupin, and duplicate it. His was far more pure, and the thing that had caused the cold left more quickly. With another thought, Harry had Magic close the door gently, then she pulled him to where she'd been sitting, he in her lap, still shivering a little.
"What was that thing?" Harry asked as he felt a bump, then the train began to move again.
"A Dementor, one of the Dementors of Azkaban." Professor Lupin said, then Harry heard a loud snap. "Here. It'll help."
It was chocolate, he realized, though his hands were still shaking somewhat. Without much hesitation, he bit into it, and not only did the flavor of the chocolate fill his mouth, but a warmth seemed to pour through his body from the inside out, starting to get rid of the effects from the Dementor.
"Harry didn't like the Dementor." Magic stated, seemingly completely unaffected by the entire thing.
"I'm not surprised." Professor Lupin replied. "They'll make you relive your worst experiences."
"Well, thanks for the chocolate." Harry said. "It's helping."
"All of you should eat it, even you, though you don't seem effected." Professor Lupin said, and Harry felt one of Magic's arms remove itself from around his body, heard her beginning to eat her piece of chocolate. The warmth filling him seemed to increase, come from his flame of magic. He sighed and Magic's other arm casually dropped to her side.
"I'll be back in a moment. I need to speak to the driver. Excuse me." Professor Lupin was strolling out of the compartment. Harry let his head lean back against Magic's shoulder as he finished his chocolate, and with a thought, Magic cleaned his hands and face of the remnants.
"That was horrible!" Neville's voice was higher pitch than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"
"I felt weird, like I'd never be cheerful again." Ron sounded uncomfortable.
"I felt like Magic was gone again, like I'd never get her back. It was worse than..." He shuddered at the memory. "It was worse than remembering the grief, which at least made me glad Magic was there, but it was like..." He trailed off, not sure how to express himself.
"And that phoenix you made at the end, bright and silvery, what was that?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know, just duplicating Professor Lupin's magic after I got rid of the Dementors effects on me." Harry said. "I couldn't think with that thing pulling all my happiness away."
"Is that what it was doing?" Neville's squeaky voice was terrified.
"Yeah." Harry replied. "All that was good and happy, sucked away into... I don't know what. I didn't want to examine it too closely, but if we encounter them again, Magic knows what to do. And thanks for helping me focus, Magic."
"You wished it." Magic stated, even as Harry felt the soothing closeness that came with the deepening of his relationship with Magic.
"Figures." Ron grumbled. "You run into a Dementor and it's like you aren't effected at all."
"Are you really going to let jealousy effect you like that, Ron?" Harry asked with a tired voice. "I'm not jealous about you. Really, you can avoid things without running into them, without the need for an extra person feeding you a constant stream of pure statistical data. It's silly to be jealous of something like that."
"Well you could have protected the rest of us, you know." Ron said as he heard Ginny let out a sob.
"I'm not going to argue with you, Ron." Harry said, sighed, then took Magic's hands in his.
The compartment door opened, then Harry heard Professor Lupin say after a few moments, "If I'd have poisoned that chocolate, Harry would be quite ill by now, I suspect. Are you doing better, Harry?"
"Yeah." Harry said. "A little tired maybe, weak, but I'm okay."
"By the way, that was quite the patronus you conjured." Professor Lupin said, sounding impressed.
"I just copied your magic, felt it and used the same kind." Harry replied. "It wasn't that hard."
"Showoff." Ron grumbled.
"Ron. That is enough." Daphne stated in a voice of ice.
"How would you like the ridicule, Ron, of someone who's blind and people thinking you can't do anything, or how would you like the petty, jealous people trying to hurt you? Maybe you'd like the unjustified anger and scorn directed at you for things you never did." Harry said. He didn't feel angry, only tired, though if he'd been less exhausted, he imagined he probably would have been incensed.
"It's not like anyone can hurt you." Ron stated in response.
"There are worse things than being attacked. Shunned, vicious words..." Harry trailed off, then sighed again. "Talk to me about this tomorrow, Ron, I really don't have the energy to deal with this today."
"Harry's council is wise. You might wish to consider it." Professor Lupin said, and Harry guessed he was talking to Ron. "We'll be at Hogwarts in a little less than ten minutes."
There wasn't much talking after that, and the group was fairly quiet as they changed into their robes and exited the train. Magic stayed close to Harry, her arm around him as she led him through the driving, icy rain that Harry protected the group from with a thought.
"Firs' years this way!" Hagrid's familiar booming voice said, then added, "All righ' you five!"
They didn't have a chance to speak to him, as they were being pushed along by the crowd on to the muddy track leading to the carriages. After they climbed inside the carriage, Magic still holding Harry close, they began to move just as they had the previous year. Harry could feel the magic of the Dementors as it pulled the happiness and warmth from not only the people but the air as well, realizing they were getting closer to them. With a thought, he dispelled the magic before it got to anyone in the carriage.
"Thanks." Ron mumbled, though Harry realized he sounded a bit awkward.
"You're welcome." Harry responded.
Despite the Dementors that were seemingly guarding Hogwarts, Harry felt glad to return to the first place he'd ever called home.