Chapter 26: Hogwarts Express.
"Okay, people, settle down now." The hubbub of the prefect compartment on the Hogwarts Express died away as head girl Cho Chang held up her hands to get peoples' attention. "Welcome back to a new year at Hogwarts." She started.
"And welcome to the new fifth year prefects." Josh Bishop, the tall Hufflepuff who was head boy added. "Before we take the newcomers aside to explain your duties, we have a few general announcements to make."
Cho nodded. "I'm sure you are all aware of the dangers that have been reported in the Daily Prophet over the summer. You-Know-Who has returned, and because of this Dumbledore has given us some extra duties just to make sure that the students stay safe."
"Cho and I had a meeting with him in the Leaky Cauldron last week." Josh continued. "And I won't pretend that what he told us didn't scare me. Hogwarts, to most of us, is the safest place we know. And even though that may do something to reassure you, you must also be made aware that it makes us the prime target for You-Know-Who's attacks."
Cho spoke above the gasps and sudden mutterings that erupted
around the compartment. "Because of this, Dumbledore wants us all to be extra
vigilant this year, and has put into place several new rules. Quidditch
practises will be limited to daylight hours only," she held up her hand again
at some of the protests. "Though he did say that spot-lit practises could
possibly be organised, but only with supervision from a professor. He also
wants prefects to become firmer when applying curfews. From now on, absolutely
no one is allowed outside their common room after nine o'clock, unless they
have written permission or a legit written explanation from a professor.
Prefects will be patrolling from then until midnight, just to make sure
students keep to these rules. And a professor or Filch will be patrolling from
midnight until day-break. Josh and I have worked out an initial rota for this."
She watched as he fellow head started to hand out the pieces of parchment. "These
will be changed fortnightly, and if you have any special requests or problems
then come and see Josh or myself and we'll try and sort them."
"Dumbledore has always been one for allowing students an element of freedom." Josh said, once more taking his place besides Cho. "And I'm sure you can all appreciate the severity of the situation due to the fact he has found it necessary to make these rules. He has also told us to warn the students that, if the curfew is broken for some reason, then he will go as far as to introduce a role-call to be held in the common-rooms every night at nine o'clock." He shook his head as the protestations started up again. "I know it sounds harsh. But he is only thinking about the safety of the students." His eyes darted to where Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat at the back of the crowd along one wall. "He is being particularly cautious due to what has happened over the summer. He doesn't want any of us to get hurt."
"Which is why he wants us to continue the DA." Cho said, her eyes also flitting to where the three Gryffindors sat. She took a slightly shaky breath, and bit her bottom lip nervously, before continuing. "For those of you don't know, last year Harry Potter started a defence club, where we practised the practical side of defence due to the substandard teaching we were getting. Even though Professor Lupin is more than capable of teaching us defence, he feels we ought to open this group to all prefects, and any of the older students who want extra practise. This would give us the opportunity for some practical experience, and make us feel more confident if and when we are faced with danger."
There was a general increase in positive conversation when the prefects heard that Remus Lupin had returned to teach at the school. But the excited murmurings soon died when they recalled the rest of Cho's words and they spotted the two Weasleys and Hermione sitting quietly in the corner.
"But whose going to run it?" Ernie Macmillan asked from Hufflepuff, looking awkward and uncomfortable. "I mean, doesn't You-Know-Who still…well, you know."
The room fell silent again, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny once more found themselves the focus of their gazes.
"Voldemort hasn't got Harry." Ron made everyone jump, with both the suddenness of his statement cutting through the silence and his use of the Dark Lord's name. "He escaped earlier this summer. Though he was hurt pretty bad."
"So he's safe?" Hannah Abbot asked, her voice full of hope. "Why didn't the Daily Prophet say anything? When will he be well enough to come back to school?"
"We didn't say anything about knowing where he is." Ginny said.
"All we know is that he was disappeared from Voldemort's circle…" Hermione said.
"Saving Snape's esteemed arse whilst he was at it." Ron added in a low voice.
"… and we haven't seen him since." Hermione finished, sending the male Weasley a warning look. "All the information we know is from a letter he sent us just over a week ago, saying that he was safe for the meantime, and that he'd return home when he's ready."
"Ready for what?" one of the older prefects asked.
The trio shrugged, and Colin piped up excitedly. "I bet he's secretly training, ready to defend Hogwarts when You-Know-Who comes…."
"Oh, Puh-leese." The group turned to see Draco Malfoy sitting in the corner by the window with Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin prefects, his arms crossed his chest and his characteristic sneer was on his face. "You really think that that pathetic loser can beat the Dark Lord, the most powerful wizard in a century? Did you have any idea what they did to him? How he reacted? I heard that he was turned into a quivering wreck and crying for his parents when they did nothing more than hold a knife to his throat! And that was just the start of it! He'd never beat the Dark Lord."
"But he was strong enough to escape through his anti-apparation wards." Ron argued forcefully, leaping to his feet and causing many of the other prefects to look at him with wide eyes.
"He was running scared." Draco calmly shot back in a slow drawl. "When Snape was discovered as Dumbledore's spy, Potter realised that his last line of protection was gone. And now he has experienced first hand what the Dark Lord his capable of he'll probably stay in hiding. I wouldn't hold out much hope for your hero now."
"Harry would never desert us." Ginny said in a voice trembling with heated passion as she went to stand next to her brother. "He has more courage than you and your father put together. He has no reason to stay away."
Draco raised an eyebrow and stood up, crossing the compartment steadily to stand in front of the two red-heads. "Really?" he asked, and Ron's fists clenched at his oily voice. "Well, it seems that I'm better informed than you are, Weasley. For I know what was in that prophecy you were so keen to get your hands on at the ministry last year, and Potter has every right to be scared."
Ron and Hermione's jaws fell open at Draco's claim. "How do you know about the prophecy?" she asked with a gasp.
"My father tells me everything." He said with a smile, misinterpreting their shock. "Let me see now… "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…" It seems to me that Potter's luck ran out when he unbelievably vanquished the Dark Lord when he was a baby. But it didn't last, and now the Dark Lord is back and looking for revenge. I'd say Potter has gone and inadvertently done the Gryffindor thing, sacrificing himself and directing attention away from the school to buy time for Dumbledore to work out some sort of protection. But that won't last long. As soon as he's dead, the Dark Lord will head straight back for Hogwarts!"
"Harry wouldn't do that!" Ron shouted, shaking in his attempt to control his anger. "He would stand and fight alongside the rest of us. He knows we can look after ourselves."
Draco raised his eyebrow again, and looked down at Ron's bare arms, still bearing the faint scars he had received when fighting the brains in the ministry. "Evidently." He murmured simply.
Ron snarled and leapt forward, his sister on his heels, before a stiff arm across his chest stopped him, sending Ginny careening into his shoulder. "I suggest you leave, Malfoy." Cho said coldly from where she stood to the left of Josh. "And don't forget that we are perfectly within our rights to confiscate your badge for what you have said today."
Malfoy continued the staring match with Ron, seemingly ignoring the Head-girl's words.
"Malfoy." Josh's warning tone diverted his gaze for an instance, before he sneered again.
"I'll go and start the first patrol then, shall I?" he said, pushed past the two heads, and disappeared out into the corridor, the other Slytherin prefects following his lead.
The room fell silent once more as he left, until Ron turned to Cho. "We'll run it," he said.
"Huh?" Cho responded, momentarily confused.
"Ron!" Hermione shouldered Josh aside and placed her hand on Ron's arm. "Don't listen to him, Ron." She dropped her voice slightly, so that only he could hear her. "You know that wasn't the complete prophecy."
Ron turned to her and leant in to speak into her ear. "Even so, Malfoy was right. Just because they don't know the whole thing won't stop Voldemort from targeting Harry simply for who he is." He took a deep breath and continued in a louder voice. "I've promised myself that I'm going to stick by Harry, and I'm going to do just that. By running the DA we can get better at duelling, and I can stand by Harry's side when Voldemort comes knocking." He sniffed a bit. "I won't let Harry face Him alone again."
"So that's settled then?" Josh asked cautiously, looking to Hermione.
The Gryffindor looked deeply into Ron's dark eyes before smiling slightly. "I guess means there'll be three of us standing behind that door." She said.
"Four!" Ginny corrected with a smile. "He was my friend too."
"And anyone can join this club?" an older Ravenclaw who hadn't been in the DA the year before asked.
"We should probably limit it to fifth years and above." Cho said. "The younger students should be kept protected, rather than be trained to fight."
"What about Slytherins?" a soft voice asked from the back of the group, and they turned to see a blonde haired girl standing there, the green and silver crest of the segregated house standing out boldly on her chest. "I appreciate that not all of us are welcome, but I could vouch for a few that are against You-Know-Who and his ambitions. We are in Slytherin because we are cunning and devious, not because we have fool-hardy desires for power and to rid the world of those less worthy." She smiled slightly. "You might even find our traits remotely useful."
Hermione made quick eye contact with Cho and Ginny before looking at Ron who didn't know whether to scorn the girl's words or look amazed at her nerve to speak in such a way. "Remember what the sorting hat said last year?" she asked, looking around the circle of prefects. "That we must unite in order to become strong? Maybe its time that we let this rivalry go the best we can. Fighting between ourselves will only help Voldemort achieve his goals."
"I can scout out the other Slytherins for you." The girl offered. "I know of a definite few who will stand with us, and we can offer membership only to those that prove their worth."
Cho smiled grimly. "Just get them to sign that contract of Hermione's," she said. "Then we'll soon see who stands with us."
Hermione blushed defensively. "I did warn you in advance…" she started, but Cho shook her head and smiled, with a hint of apology in her look, causing Hermione to fall silent.
"So, what do you say?" Josh asked, turning to Ron. "As new leader of the DA, whatever you say goes."
Ron's eyes opened wide. "Leader?" he asked. "But… Hermione…
I thought…"
"Oh, she'll be in her element researching new things for us to learn." Ginny said with a grin at her brother's embarrassment. "But that's a full time job! We'll need someone else to organise the evenings and take charge of events. Someone who has a sharp mind for forward planning and strategy." She winked at her brother and her grin grew wider. "Who better for the job?"
Ron, suddenly aware of the attention he was getting, put his hands in his pockets, hunched his shoulders and let the tips of his ears turn red. "Well, I guess it'll be okay." He said and the Slytherin girl smiled in appreciation. "But no insulting other members, no causing unplanned fights, and no Malfoy." He added firmly.
"Sure." The Slytherin grinned and held out her hand. "Jessica Gage."
Ron hesitantly took her hand and shook. "Ron Weasley." He replied and the girl snorted slightly.
"As if I didn't already know." She said. Ron carefully kept his face neutral, suspecting her next words would claim that she knew him for his friendship with Harry. He was pleasantly shocked at her reply; "Those were some impressive saves you made last year…"
*********************************
Hello folks – hope this chapter is okay for you. I'm beginning to get a little frustrated and worried that I might be losing the plot a little bit… but I just can't wait to get onto the interesting bits, you see. And most of those are already written. These fill-in chapters are essential but take up sooooo much time… I hope you lot out there aren't getting too bored with them. I know the quality drops a little bit in them and I'm sorry. I promise you it will get better. Meantime, keep reviewing so that I know you're still out there!!! Lol. Take care. Kit. Xxxx
FrozenWings: I'll certainly try not to starve you for long periods, and shall certainly warn you if I am going to. Afterall, what would bring a smile to my face each day if I stopped getting all your great reviews?? And cheers for the good luck wishes, I think I might just need them.
Wytil: Good point, I never intended to make it common knowledge, but I have seemed to have forgotten to mention that not many people there know about it. I'll try and make that point in some of the chapters to come. Thanks for pointing that out. Kit. Xx
Wizardmon92: Well, I don't think having a bit of luck with killing the Basilisk was great swordsmanship. There was a bit in chapter 21 where Orson gives Harry his first sword and asks if he has handled a sword before, and Harry thinks its safer not to mention his experience in the chamber. As for not being allowed to take part in the class, that comes out a bit more when you learn about Orson later. And I don't think that was a particularly bad thing to say – I've heard worse!!! Besides, I appreciate people telling me about bits that haven't been made clear. It tells me what I need to include in future chapters!! Take care. Kit. Xx
CountessMel: Lol. I don't think I'm anywhere near being on a par with any of those authors!! Bit out of my league I think. I'll do my best about keeping the mush out of the plot, though I'm afraid some is inevitable. I'll do my best to keep it brief for you, though!!! I'll keep in mind about the whole Harry/Snape thing. I think you're right, and that was kinda what I was trying to say… or maybe not. I can't really remember, but I agree with you on what you said anyhow. Though I might take it a little further and make that respect overcome any hatred… see how you interpret what happens in later chapters… As for the lagging thing, I've made my apologies above. And I'm glad someone else thought that OotP had that problem. I'm trying hard to prevent it, though I am struggling a little, I just don't think my writing skills are quite up to it. My imagination lags and I lose motivation…you'll soon recognise all the bits I've enjoyed writing, they're written so much better!!! As for the timeline thing, I'm not trying to write each day, or even each week. There are going to be a few large jumps soon, but I think that these parts of the year a quite vital for setting the scene, and giving snippets of info that are needed later. And thanks for the review, it does help, a lot!! Hope to hear from you soon. Kit. Xx
Padfoot: Lol, I was beginning to worry!! Here I was writing my review follow-ups and thinking you had forgotten about me!!! I think this post might just go up before your friend reads this, so elvenears might just get two chapters to read!! Lol. And hope this chapter soothes your Hermione, Ron and Co cravings!! Hear from you soon. Kit. xx
J: Spot on, with one of your suggestions anyway. Help wise… read next chapter!!!
Bylokonnor: cheers mate, I'm forever getting confused about who calls who what. I'm also really unsure of how to address Lupin in the story. I mean, he's really a main character, so do I call him Remus? Lupin? Or what?? Appreciate your input! As for television clichés… might have to point out exactly what you mean. I know in my summary it is a bit clichéd, but let me know if add too many in the story. Cheers again. Kit. Xx
Solar: He comes out about chapter 45/46, though he doesn't stay there the whole time… I'll keep you guessing for the rest though!!!!
Chocoliciouz: Cheers for the great review. Some of the description is still there, but as I mentioned above, I'm just too impatient to get onto the interesting bits.. so I will admit that I could possible write some segments a bit better. I think I might go through the whole thing once it's finished and post an amended version for all those who are interested… see how things turn out!
Gaull: Sorry mate, think cross-wires there somewhere. Harry can only change into a phoenix, hence he is taking on qualities such as a raised body temp, etc. Thanks for pointing it out though, I'll try and make that clearer in future chapters. Keep reviewing! Kit. Xx
Hunta: Most of the action stuff is written, just need to get to the right points to post it… lol. As for the burning day… nah, I won't say anything. Lol. ;-)
Thanks also to: LunaLovegood61, Mrs Tom Riddle (easily amused, huh? Lol. Bless ya!), Blip-Dragon (sorry mate, I feel really guilty sticking you down here! Ask us a question and I'll write you an individual reply. Lol.) and FroBoy!! You're all great. Mwah!!! XXXXXXX