AN: Remember how I said I would reply to every review I got last chapter? Yeah, that didn't work out so well. There were just so many! However, I would like to say that I truly appreciate every single review I received. It makes me feel great to hear from you guys, so keep it up! Thanks goes out to B00kw0rm92, Guest, becuzitswrong, Majerus, Books are air, To the TARDIS, magitech, Jmw, Lady Sabine of Macayhill, notcroaker, MariusDarkwolf, Valentina Alexandrea Sparrow, Lady Eleanor Boleyn, Penny is wise, Wonderbee31, Tellur, monbade, serialkeller, and DEP61. The next update should come on either Saturday or Sunday, so keep an eye out.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise.
At Platform 9 ¾ the next day, Harry was greeted by many familiar faces. There was Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Professor Longbottom had cautiously allowed Neville to get on the train by himself while she stayed at the school, though she had warned him extensively about the consequences, should he fail to complete his mission. At least, that's how Seamus had spun the story when Neville wasn't around.
Lavender's mother, a skinny, blonde who wore far too much lipstick, reminded Harry of what Aunt Petunia could be like if she were actually nice. She didn't have much in the brains department, but she made an attempt to seem like she had it together. Lavender's father, on the other hand, had a comb-over and an impatient expression. He also reminded Harry of a smarter, kinder, thinner Uncle Vernon. A little conceited, and the tiniest bit obsessed with appearances, but an altogether good person.
Parvati's parents frightened Harry. When Mrs. Patil shook his hand, it felt like she was trying to see something in his eyes. He tried hard not to look too shifty or suspicious, but he had a feeling that hadn't worked out too well. Mr. Patil had grilled him extensively on everything from his grades ("I understand you may be unfamiliar with the grading systems used, but try your best.") to his hair ("Have you tried using an extra-strong hold hairspray? Parvati could probably lend you some…"). Harry didn't feel singled out though; most of the others received the same treatment.
"If he's like that towards your friends, how's he gonna react when he meets your boyfriend?" Lavender whispered.
"Please," Parvati scoffed. "My parents aren't gonna let me date till I'm thirty!"
Harry hadn't expected the sudden hug from Seamus' mother. In all honesty, the only one who had anticipated it was Dean, who had already met her a dozen times before. Seamus' father, she explained in a lilting Irish accent, got a little jumpy around too much magic. Seamus had nodded along dutifully, his expression showing that he was bored to tears.
Before Harry could meet the other parents though, Mr. Weasley whisked him away for a "small chat."
"Harry, before you leave, I need to tell you something-" He whispered tensely.
Harry paused. "It's about Sirius Black, isn't it?"
"Er, yes, it is. How did you guess?" He asked, bewildered.
"I—I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I overheard you and Mrs. Weasley talking last night," He told him, staring over his shoulder to watch as Oliver was scolded by his mother for who knows what.
"Oh, well, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out that way." Mr. Weasley fiddled with his glasses.
"No, it's alright. I know what to do," Harry attempted to assure him.
This only served to make Mr. Weasley more nervous. "Harry, I need you to promise you won't go looking for Black," He said urgently.
"I'm not going to," Harry swore. "Honest, I'm not. I know that I need to stay away from him, it's okay. I'm not going to try to be a hero, or anything like that. I'll stay on my guard, and make sure I don't do anything stupid, and then I'll be fine."
"Good, good. But Harry," Mr. Weasley started to sweat. "You may hear some things that will make you want to change your mind. But, listen, Harry-"
"Arthur! Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called frantically. You're going to miss the train!"
"We're coming, Molly!" Mr. Weasley shouted hurriedly. "Harry, I need you to give me your word-"
"I won't, Mr. Weasley," Harry said, itching to board the train.
A loud whistle sounded, and Harry saw his friends struggling to wait for him, as guards began to walk up and down. Mrs. Weasley began to push them along, still watching Harry and Mr. Weasley.
"Harry, whatever happens, whatever you hear-"
"Mr. Weasley," Harry interrupted, frustrated. "Why would I go looking for some I know wants to kill me?"
Harry raced over to the train. His friends had boarded, and quickly helped him up. He leaned against the door, panting heavily.
"I need to talk to you all. Somewhere, where no one can hear us," He gasped out. "It's about Sirius Black."
Everyone straightened up immediately.
"We won't all be able to fit into a compartment," Hermione informed them gently.
The others began arguing over who Harry should tell first.
"Alright, alright!" Percy shouted over the noise. "Penny, Alicia and I have to head up to the Prefect compartment."
"You're a prefect?" Fred yelped, his head swiveling around. "You never told me that!"
"You never asked," She retorted loftily.
"Right, well," Percy cleared his throat. "Also, Fred, George, Lee, your 'arch nemesis' is in the last compartment on the left."
"Pucey," Lee growled. He and the twins marched off to face him.
"I should probably make sure they don't leave any evidence," Angelina sighed, following after them.
"And, Oliver, I think you'll be interested to know that Marcus Flint is in that compartment as well."
"What?" Oliver asked. "I thought he was supposed to graduate."
"Yeah, that didn't work out too well for him," Percy muttered.
Oliver grinned broadly. "Excuse me, ladies, gentleman, Percy."
"Don't get caught!" Percy called after him half-heartedly.
"What's the matter with you?" Ron seemed amazed. "Isn't he being weird?" Ron turned to Harry.
"It is a little strange," Harry admitted.
"Narrowed down your choices though, didn't I?" Percy nodded toward the remaining Gryffindors. "Although I'd appreciate it if you kept it down. I'll still take my Head duties seriously." With that, he straightened his tie and re-pinned his Head Boy badge before taking off down the train.
"Harry, you can tell us later," Katie told him kindly, gesturing to Cormac and Leann. "I needed to go talk to some of the other fourth years, anyway."
Harry did a quick count of the remaining people. "I dunno. There's nine of us…"
"Nine?" Ron muttered, looking around. "Ginny, what are you doing here? Don't you have some club you wanna talk to?"
The girl flushed red in anger. "Fine, Ron. I'll leave. But next time you wanna hang out with my friends, I won't let you."
"I'm heartbroken," He mumbled.
"Oh no," Neville moaned. "I can't find Trevor!"
Seamus sighed. "C'mon mate, I'll help you find him."
The final six began to trudge down the train to find an empty compartment. Yet everywhere they looked, there seemed to be only a seat or two left.
"I think this is the best we'll get," Dean said, motioning towards a compartment with only a sleeping man inside.
"Is he okay?" Harry wondered.
"His wardrobe definitely isn't," Lavender said, wrinkling her nose.
"Maybe he can't afford better clothes," Parvati suggested.
"Who is he?" Ron asked.
"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione provided.
"How did you know that?" Ron asked in amazement.
"Well, it is on his case," Dean pointed out.
"Do you think he's actually sleeping?" Harry asked, studying him closely.
"It looks like it," Lavender whispered.
Harry stood up anxiously and shut the compartment door. "I have to tell you guys something. Remember how we thought Sirius Black was after me?"
Lupin stirred slightly.
All six jumped and began to watch him carefully. Dean crept a little closer to see.
"'Kay, I think we're good," He whispered.
"Well, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking last night, and it sounds like we were right," Harry continued softly.
Parvati pulled her legs into her chest. "You mean Black's after you because of You-Know-Who?"
Dean shook his head. "Why didn't they tell you about it?"
"That's what Mr. Weasley was talking about with me before we got on the train," Harry said grimly. "But the strange part is, he made it sound like I would go after Black."
"You won't, will you Harry?" Hermione glanced at him, eyes wide.
"No, of course not. It just makes me wonder why he thinks I would."
"Maybe it's because of everything we've done so far," Ron pointed out. "I mean, we went after Quirrel and the Basilisk, maybe he just thinks you're gonna do it again."
"Regardless, it still seems a little extreme to think you'd deliberately try to find a murderer," Parvati mentioned.
"They need to catch him. They have to catch him," Lavender looked ready to have a panic attack.
"They have the Muggle police looking for him too, so it's not like he could just hide there." Dean folded his arms across his chest.
"Wait a minute. What's that noise?" Ron asked, rubbing his ears.
A high pitched whistle rang out in the compartment.
"I think it's coming from your trunk, Harry," Hermione said.
Ron dug around in Harry's trunk and pulled out the Pocket Sneakoscope. The group appeared almost transfixed by the glow the spinning Sneakoscope emitted.
"That's a Sneakoscope, isn't it?" Hermione stated interestedly. "I wonder what's so untrustworthy?"
"Might be broken," Dean suggested.
"Well, it was a pretty cheap one," Ron admitted, ears turning pink. "I guess we could get it checked in Hogsmeade," He added, shoving it back in the trunk.
"Do any of you know much about Hogsmeade?" Hermione asked keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain-"
"Yeah, I think I've heard that," Ron told her, clearly not at all interested. "But I want to go there for Honeydukes!"
"What's Honeydukes?" Dean asked.
"It's a sweetshop, see." From there, Ron launched into a detailed description of each type of candy Honeydukes carried, as the others continued their conversation over him.
"I heard they have like, a ton of clothing stores there. I mean, I'll probably still have to modify some of it, since Wizarding clothing is so old-fashioned, but it doesn't help to have a little variety." Lavender leaned back, and smoothed out her skirt.
"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-" Hermione seemed to be on a roll, jumping from famed Wizarding buildings to impressive feats of magic to popular wizards and witches who lived in Hogsmeade.
"What are you looking forward to most, Harry?" Dean asked politely.
"I'd love to get to go at all," Harry said gloomily.
The others all screeched to a halt.
"You mean you're—you're not going?" Lavender asked, shocked.
"The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."
"But—but—what about—you could probably get Burbage—or, or even McGonagall to sign it—" Ron sputtered.
Harry shook his head. "I don't think they'd actually go against the rules for that."
"We could always ask Fred and George, they know all the secret passages—"
"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Honestly, do you hear yourself? What you're suggesting is going against the rules! At least have the decency to wait until a teacher isn't around."
"I'm really good at forging signatures," Dean spoke up. "I should be able to do it, as long as you provide a sample of your uncle's handwriting."
"I dunno…"
"It's not going to be nearly as much fun without you," Lavender said sadly.
"Maybe it's better this way," Parvati suggested.
"What?" Ron choked on one of his sandwiches.
"No, she's right," Hermione agreed. "With Black on the loose, Harry should probably stay on Hogwarts grounds."
"I'm sorry Harry," Dean told him dully.
The rest of Harry's friends voiced similar sentiments, and the compartment fell silent. Somewhere along the way, Harry was pretty certain he'd fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, the compartment door slid open as Draco Malfoy, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, swaggered in.
"Well, well, well, look who it is, boys," Malfoy drawled. "A bunch of Mudbloods and some poor excuses for wizards," He sneered.
Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.
"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"
Ron stood up quickly, as did Dean and Harry, prepared to hold him back. Professor Lupin gave a snort.
"Who's that?" Malfoy asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"It's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Didn't you know?" Dean replied. "What were you saying before, Malfoy?"
Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Let's go," He snarled to Crabbe and Goyle.
The boys sat down again as Ron vibrated in anger.
"Who does he think he is?" Ron demanded angrily. "He's such a—a—ugh. I wish Percy would catch him saying stuff like that, just once. I bet Malfoy wouldn't try anything like that after having detention every night for a month."
"Ron, you really shouldn't say stuff like that," Lavender whispered quietly, tilting her head towards Professor Lupin.
The train felt ridiculously cold as the rain poured down outside. The sky was impossibly gray, and the wind whistled loudly. A few times the kids slid around a bit as the train rattled with force.
"We have to be there soon," Dean mumbled impatiently.
As if on cue, the train slowly rolled to a stop.
"Finally," Ron groaned. "I'm starving. Those sandwiches weren't nearly enough."
"We can't possibly be there yet," Hermione said.
"Why are we stopping?" Parvati wondered.
The train stopped completely with a strong jolt, as luggage fell down from the racks. Harry peered out of the compartment to see if he could find out what was going on. There didn't seem to be anything unusual happening, but as he ducked back in, all the lanterns went out.
"What's going on?" Lavender asked fearfully.
"Could we have broken down?" Hermione suggested.
"Can the Express break down?" Dean asked.
Footsteps were heard in the hall, and the compartment door slid open again.
"Hullo? Er, could we please come in your compartment?" A voice called out.
"Seamus?" Dean whispered. "Is that you and Neville?"
"Yeah, is that you, Dean? Blimey, it was lucky we found your compartment."
"C'mon guys, sit down."
Neville and Seamus shuffled around the compartment in complete darkness.
"Maybe I should go ask the driver what's going on," Hermione said.
"I'll come with you," Parvati volunteered.
The door opened again, but there came a thud and exclamations of pain.
"Who is that?" Hermione muttered.
"It's Ginny. I'm so glad I managed to find you guys, I wanted to find Ron-"
"Ginny, I told you to go be with your own friends," Ron objected, though his voice lacked any real power behind it.
"You can come and sit down," Lavender invited kindly.
"Thanks. The others wanted me to find out what was going on, so I came here in the dark," She explained, searching for a seat.
"Ouch!" Harry said as she stumbled into him.
"Sorry!" She squeaked.
"No, Ginny, I'm sitting here," Dean said loudly.
"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.
Harry surmised that Professor Lupin had finally woken up.
A soft noise echoed around the compartment, and suddenly Harry's friends' faces were bathed in light. Professor Lupin seemed to be holding a handful of flames. His stern face surveyed them carefully. "Is everyone alright?"
The others nodded noiselessly.
"Now, find a seat and stay there," He commanded.
Some scrambled for a seat as he made his way to the door. But before he could reach it, the door slid open.
In the doorway was one of the most frightening things Harry had ever seen. A tall, cloaked figure loomed over them. The face was covered completely, although a hand was protruding from the folds of its cloak. The hand seemed fit for a dead person, not a living human. The creature pulled its hand back in. The thing breathed in, seemingly drawing something from the air around it.
The compartment dropped from chilly to freezing. Harry could hardly breathe. In fact, his heart seemed to ache from the cold…
Harry was too cold. It was too much to bear the overwhelming darkness and cold, the gloom, the fright, the pain, the sensation of drowning. There was an awful feeling in him, like his blood had frozen solid and his heart had stopped beating.
Perhaps worst of all was the terrible scream that rose up from far away. It was a terrified scream, one that seemed almost familiar as it pleaded. Harry needed to help the scream. He attempted to reach out and save the scream, but it was almost all he could do to inch his hand to the side. There was a fog moving closer towards him, trying to suffocate him—
And that was all Harry could remember.
Reply to review by Jmw:
If they do end up going pro together, it won't be anytime soon. Harry's currently got a 'mass murderer' after him, so he'll try and stay out of the public eye. Next year's the tournament, and then after that we get into Voldemort. However, I'm still debating on whether or not to have a sequel, and if I do, then the pro Quidditch idea is much more likely. Though I think you're right, I've never seen a fic where the whole Gryff team goes pro, so that would be fun.
If you wanna see more about Fred, George, and Lee's babysitting adventure, check out Chapter 4 of Lion Unity Outtakes. There's some very nice details in there for blackmail.
It's good to be back. Thanks for reviewing!
A general question for all readers:
Is there a character out there who you want to see more of in LU? Well, review and let me know who it is! No promises, because if there's a billion different responses, it'll be hard to fit them all in. But I shall try my best. I want to know what you want, but I'm not a mind-reader, so tell me!