And we're back! Book three starts below, but please read this warning first.
The third book will be darker than the first two. I'm putting a general warning here, but if you are triggered by/uncomfortable with topics of death/prejudice/sexuality then I would advise you not to read this book. I think those are the main topics, and if there is anything else I will let you know as the book proceeds. I will put trigger warnings if necessary at the beginning of this chapter. There is a mention of death at the end of this one, so you have all been warned. I'm sorry if anybody is deterred from the story because of this, and if are unable to read it, then let me know and I can put together a short summary at some point so you can still find out what happens.
Without further ado, I present to you The Court of Slytherin.
September 1st, 1993
"Blaise!" Hermione exclaimed, hesitating for only a second before launching herself at the dark skinned boy.
"Just hug her back and she'll let go quicklier," Harry called from behind the pair.
Hermione broke away from the hug to scowl at her friend. "Quicklier is not a word, it's more quickly," she said matter-of-factly.
"Quicklier," Harry shot back.
"Not a word!"
"Quicklier!"
"Okay," Blaise interrupted, holding his arms between the two. "I know I haven't seen you two for over two months, but you're acting like my younger cousins do whenever they come to visit."
Harry flushed, but Hermione got the impression that he was secretly pleased. "Harry's been staying with us for most of August," she explained in a slightly bossy tone.
"Oh, so was that the reason you couldn't come visit me in Italy?" Blaise teased.
It was Hermione's turn to blush. "Well, we were visiting relatives in France for the first month, and then when Harry came we needed to stay in England," she protested.
"I sense there's a story in that," Blaise said, raising an eyebrow.
Harry glanced around the crowded train platform. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time," he said reluctantly. Hermione nodded, knowing that Harry probably wouldn't want to talk about the upcoming court case anytime soon. It was good that he trusted Blaise enough to even think about telling the taller boy, since she wanted her best friend and her somewhat-adopted-brother to be friends.
"Should we grab a compartment?" Hermione interjected. "Daphne and Tracey said they'd be coming later, and to save them seats."
Harry and Blaise both nodded, and the trio grabbed their trunks and began lugging them onto the train.
"Did you hear about Sirius Black?" Blaise asked in a hushed voice as soon as they had settled into a compartment.
"Not much," Hermione said. "But he's a mass murderer, right? Broke out of the wizard prison and is now on the loose. They're placing some special defense at Hogwarts too, because of him."
"He killed a ton of people and was sent to prison for life," Blaise confirmed. "And he broke out early this summer. No one knows how he did it, too. And yes, they're sending Dementors. They're these creatures that can suck out your soul if you get close enough. They make everything super depressing, and normally guard Azkaban, but Fudge thinks that they'll be a good defense against Black."
"What's Azkaban?" Harry asked.
"The wizard prison," Blaise answered.
The compartment door slid open with a thud, and a beaming Daphne bounced into the small room. Tracey was right behind her, with Astoria by her side.
"Hermione!" she squealed, enveloping her friend into a hug. "Blaise, Potter," she nodded to the other two.
"Hello," Harry said hesitantly. "And call me Harry, please."
"Morning, everyone," Tracey said with a wave, plopping down next to Blaise. "Ooh, food," she said with a grin, reaching over the dark-haired boy to snatch some of his chocolate.
"Hey, that's mine!" Blaise complained, poking her shoulder.
Tracey giggled, and something tightened in Hermione's body. "So how was everyone's summers?" she said abruptly.
"Bo-ring!" Daphne exclaimed. She went off on a tangent about how Astoria had been pestering her non-stop, but Hermione tuned her out for the most of it. Said sister had disappeared, likely to make friends of her own. She was drawn back to reality when the door opened again and Parvati Patil hurried in, smiling at everyone and handing a book to Harry. Harry in turn opened up his trunk - leading to compartment space complaints from Daphne and Blaise - and handed her a book.
"What was that all about?" Hermione asked curiously when Parvati had waved and left the compartment.
Harry shrugged. "We've been exchanging books over the summer," he said casually. "I was bored, she needed something to do."
Hermione's eyes lit up. "So that's who Hedwig's been going to," she realized. "And that why you were so eager to visit the bookstore."
"I like to read," Harry objected.
Hermione smirked at him. "Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shakespeare is a classic," Harry protested.
Blaise leant forwards in his seat. "I'm very curious as to what other books Harry picked out," he commented.
Harry flushed, and a grinning Hermione answered for him. "The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Little Women," she listed. "And a couple of romance novels, too. I was a bit skeptical on those, I have to admit."
"Hey, those were murder mysteries!" Harry said defensively.
"Romances," Hermione smirked back.
Luckily for Harry, the door opening again saved him from floundering for a reply. Harry shot Hermione a glare as Draco Malfoy stepped into the compartment.
"Not another person," Tracey groaned. "This place will literally explode in a minute."
"Hermione, Blaise, Daphne, Tracey, Potter," Draco greeted them all cordially. "Hermione, may I have a word?"
Hermione met his eyes. "Perhaps tomorrow? It would be rude to leave my friends right now, and the train isn't really the best place for private conversations."
Draco inclined his head at her, before turning to leave. Something stopped him though, and he turned back to Hermione. "The matter we were discussing at the end of the year," he said after a moment, "were you right?"
Hermione hesitated for a second. Over the summer, she had gotten the full story of the Chamber out of Harry, and had been shocked to discover that it had been a memory of Voldemort that had been implanted in the diary. She wasn't sure how much she wanted to tell Draco, however, and settled for simply saying, "Yes."
A pained look filled Draco's eyes, before he nodded. "I look forward to our conversation tomorrow, then. Nice seeing you all again, and good luck with your sister's sorting, Daphne."
Harry snorted as soon as Draco was gone. "I don't think he was happy to see me, but whatever. Tracey, how was the concert you went to over the summer? You never told me how it was."
Tracey leant forwards eagerly, drawing Harry into a conversation about muggle music. Hermione half-paid attention as she pulled out a book from her trunk, diving into the world of advanced Charms.
Some time later, a hand tapped her shoulder. Hermione blinked, glancing around the compartment.
"It's cold," she realized.
Blaise nodded grimly. "Dementors," he exclaimed. "They're the best explanation, at least."
"But why would they be here?" Tracey wondered.
Daphne gulped, thrusting a finger towards the door. "Guys?"
They all turned to look at the rattling doorknob.
"No," Harry said suddenly. "No. Don't!" Hermione turned to him as he fell off of the seat, arms clutching his head. "No!"
Hermione glanced between her shaking friend and the opening door, gasping as something black filled the room. The room grew colder and smaller, and somewhere in the back of Hermione's mind, she wondered if this was what claustrophobia felt like.
"I wonder which of you I should kill first," a dark haired boy mused.
Darkness swirled around her.
"You don't belong here."
"I won't let you hurt Ginny!" another boy exclaimed.
Hermione tore her mind away, almost tripping over herself as she made her way to Harry.
"Why don't you just kill yourself, mudblood. You'd make our lives a lot better."
White light filled the compartment, and Hermione was able to breathe again. She looked around for their savior, but her attention was caught by the prone body on the floor.
"Harry!"