Harry got dressed and was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage

"She was scared of having another trip like the one before second year. I can't say I blame her," Harry muttered.

Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater.

"You don't even drink tea," Bill said, looking at Ron in confusion.

"I know! Only Percy, you, mum, and dad drink tea. But he was blaming me."

They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl.

"Molly."

"Mum."

"You made a love potion?"

"It wasn't anything bad. Arthur and I agreed to make one and use it. It was only a mild one and it was to see if we acted differently under the potion or not. We knew we were in love and wanted to see how the potion affected us and if the artificial love it made, made us act differently," Mrs Weasley said, blushing slightly at all the looks she was getting.

A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heap of trunks, spitting loudly.

"Crookshanks really hates his basket," Hermione sighed.

"What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

"Poor Scabbers. Poor Scabbers can deal with it," Ron grumbled.

They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights.

"Wish all cars were like that," Dean muttered. Honestly, the amount of times they got stuck in traffic just in the trip to and from Kings Cross for school each year was extremely annoying.

Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry's elbow all the way into the station.

"And again with the not thinking I can look after myself or do anything on my own," Harry muttered.

I'll go through first with Harry."

"You know, I actually didn't care about being first. I am never going last after what happened second year," Harry said.

"Agreed," Ron said quickly.

With a meaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier.

"That is a good way to get through. Running can attract attention from the muggles," Kingsley said approvingly.

How could you know?"

"Because we find out everything," the trio deadpanned.

"Honestly, expecting us to not find out just proves how little you know about us," Hermione added.

"I'm not," said Harry sincerely.

"I really wasn't," Harry agreed.

"He really wasn't," Ron and Hermione agreed.

"Harry, swear to me you won't go looking for Black."

"Why would Harry go looking for Black? Especially since he knows that Black's after him," Hannah said.

"Well, he did go after Hermione knowing there was a troll," Ernie said.

"And he did go down to the Chamber when he knew there was a basilisk down there," Justin agreed.

"Oi! Those were times when I was trying to save someone, I didn't go after the actual thing that wanted to kill me. I do have self-preservation, thanks," Harry called, overhearing the conversation.

"Why would I go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?" said Harry blankly.

"Exactly."

"Harry. If it would save everyone else, you would go looking specifically for You-Know-Who. and You know he wants to kill you," Hermione said.

"Yeah mate. And if it would save others, you would literally sacrifice yourself and let him kill you. And you know it," Ron agreed.

"That's totally different. And you really should stop with his stupid nickname. Riddle works, and it serves to annoy him at the same time. Or you could use one of the other nick names I've given Snake Lover."

"Go away, Ginny," said Ron.

"Ronald," Mrs Weasley exclaimed. Ron just shrugged.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train.

"Hadn't you already found a compartment?" Neville asked.

"We found one for our trunks, but when we got back on the train, Fred and George had already claimed that compartment with Lee, so we went to look for another one," Harry said with a shrug.

"We figured it was probably safer than trying to make the twins and Lee move, or sharing with them," Ron said.

This had only one occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window.

"Why were you on the train Remus?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore wanted me there in case anything happened. And I'm glad I was there because the thing he hoped wouldn't happen did. Besides, I couldn't go to the castle the day before since it had been a moon the night before."

"Oh. So that's why you looked so dead on your feet," Ron said.

"Professor R. J. Lupin." whispered Hermione at once.

"How does she know everything?" Cho asked.

"How'd you know that?"

"It's on his case," she replied,

"Oh."

The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.

Snuffles seemed to stare at Remus for a moment before he barked, his tail wagging frantically.

"Why were the letters peeling? That would have been the first time you were a professor, wouldn't it?" Tonks asked.

"It was. But it was a Christmas gift in my seventh year from the other three boys in the dorm. They were all adamant that I'd teach one day. And we had a running joke that I was already a teacher with the number of times I had to remind them that we actually did have homework that we needed to hand in unless we wanted to get even more detentions than the ones we got for our pranks."

"Trouble usually finds me."

"It's true. Troubles find me. I do ask for all those things to happen," Harry said at all the looks he got.

Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be much more frightened of Black than he was.

"Of course, we were. You had just told us that you had a mass murderer, who had broken out from a prison it's meant to be impossible to break out of, after you," Hermione said.

"Plus, you said it in such a matter-of-fact tone, like it didn't even matter. I was worried for your sanity, even if Mione wasn't," Ron added. Harry kicked him for the comment about his sanity, even though he had to admit that, yes, the way he had told them about it probably gave them a reason to question his sanity.

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."

"It woke you, didn't it," Harry said dryly.

"Yes," Remus said.

"And you pretended to stay asleep to eavesdrop."

"Yes," Remus agreed, completely unrepentant. Harry just shook his head, grinning; he hadn't expected anything less from the Marauder.

"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 —"

The trio all turned away from the general hall as they tried to keep a straight face, before calming themselves down and turning back around.

"Why does everyone care that it's haunted anyway? We have heaps of ghosts in Hogwarts, and none of them are able to hurt us. Peeves is the only one who can interact with the physical world, and he's a poltergeist, not a ghost, and they just make mischief and chaos, not actually hurt anyone," Hermione said.

Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, was very strict.

Every Gryffindor, past and present, all made noises of agreement; they all knew better than to seriously cross their Head of House. Those from the other houses nodded their agreement as well.

"Black wouldn't dare —"

"Really Ron?" Bill asked. "Thirteen people with one spell, remember? I doubt he'd care about you and Hermione."

"I meant with everyone at Hogsmeade. He'd practically have to kill half the village. Especially with how packed it gets during Hogsmeade weekends," Ron said.

Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Remus, who shrugged, not at all embarrassed.

"I could tell an argument was coming."

"Potty and the Weasel."

"Those are so outdated. You'd think that a Slytherin would be able to come up with something more cunning," Ginny said.

"Did your mother die of shock?"

"Mr Malfoy!"

Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.

"Unless that teacher's name is Snape," was heard muttered all around the hall. It wasn't just Malfoy either. All the Slytherins were smart enough to not pick a fight around a teacher unless that teacher was Snape. Snape never punished his Slytherins.

The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.

Many students paled, knowing why the train had been slowing. That hadn't been a pleasant experience, and the rumours around the school had said that the Dementor was sent away after encountering Potter. And the rumours also said that Harry had fainted when the Dementor got to his carriage – which wasn't hard to believe considering what had happened at that Quidditch match.

"So why're we stopping?"

"Nothing good," many students muttered.

Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

"What? Why?"

"D'you think we've broken down?"

"It's a magical train. Magical trains don't break down," Tonks said.

"I think people are coming aboard…"

"What? Why was someone coming aboard?" Mrs Weasley asked. Ron pushed her calming draught closer to her.

"Not people," many people through the hall murmured.

The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry's legs.

Harry grimaced slightly at the feeling of Neville falling over his legs but didn't react much more than that; he knew worse was to come.

"Sorry about that," Neville said.

"It's fine," Harry said, waving him off.

"I'm here!"

"Sorry about that," Ginny said with a wince. Harry just waved her off.

Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last.

"I realised I couldn't stay quiet any longer more like," Remus said with a small smirk, despite knowing what was coming next.

Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames.

"I never asked. Why holding a handful of flames? Why not a simple Lumos?" Hermione asked. Remus smiled.

"I happen to have an affinity to fire and fire spells," Remus admitted, snapping his fingers, and causing a flame to appear in his palm. "I just don't spread that around. Being a werewolf is enough, let alone a pyrokinetic werewolf. Plus, it left my wand free for later."

"That's so cool," Lee breathed as Remus closed his palm, snuffing the fire out. Seamus stared at the place the fire had been flickering – he had always had an affinity to fire, hence all the explosions he caused. Maybe he could ask Professor Lupin about it later.

"Thank you, Lee."

But the door slid slowly open before Lupin could reach it.

"What?"

There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, greyish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water…

"A Dementor. There was a Dementor on the train!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed.

"They were permitted to go aboard and search for Black," Amelia said, her very tone indicating what she thought of that idea.

And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

Those who had never encountered a Dementor before shuddered at the rattling sound that echoed around the hall. Those who had met a Dementor before didn't react much better.

It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart…

Harry shivered at the cold feeling of dread that seemed to overtake him, spreading through his chest and to his entire body, as if a Dementor was really there, right in front of him.

And then, from far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams.

Harry squeezed his eyes tightly shut as the feeling of dread dragged him down and his mum's screams that he heard every time he was around Dementors bounced around the hall.

He wanted to help whoever it was, he tried to move his arms, but couldn't… a thick white fog was swirling around him,

Harry felt his consciousness slipping away, a fog seeming to fill him like it did before he could defend himself from the horrible creatures.

Someone was slapping his face.

Harry rubbed his cheek as his slip into unconsciousness disappear, being brought back to the present by the sting in his cheek.

"I can't remember which one of you slapped me, but that hurt," he grumbled. Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, grinning with a small shrug.

"Sorry mate."

"No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still.

"Wait, no one screamed?"

"So who was screaming?"

"But we heard screaming."

"What do you mean no one screamed?"

Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.

"It's a good thing Remus is a chocoholic. He always has chocolate on him," Harry said.

"I am not a chocoholic, thank you."

"You just carry chocolate on you at all times because you can then," Ron asked.

"That is beside the point."

"We saw you over the summer Remus. Admit it. You're a chocoholic," Hermione said. Remus simply turned away from them and didn't reply.

"It'll help.

"Why does chocolate help?" Neville asked, curiously. He had always wondered, but had never had the confidence, or the chance, to ask before.

"One of the ingredients in chocolate helps the brain make serotonin, which makes you feel happy, meaning chocolate basically kick-starts your brain into being happy again to combat the depressing effects of the Dementor," Remus explained, before grinning and adding, "I just like to say it's because chocolate fixes everything though."

"Well — that thing — the Dementor — stood there and looked around (I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face)

"You don't want to see its face," Harry muttered. He had seen it once, and that was once too many times in his lifetime. He didn't think he would veer get that image out of his mind, and he felt bad that the rest of the people in the hall would hear what was under a Dementor's hood; even if they didn't see it, just the description of it wasn't something that would easily be forgotten.

But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it,

"A Patronus," Remus said.

"You can produce a Patronus Professor?" Susan asked.

"I can. A lot of us learnt how during the last war, since the Dementors sided against us, and since Patronuses can be used to send messages."

"What form does yours take?" Remus sighed.

"A wolf."

Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt, gave a small sob;

"I was back in the Chamber again," Ginny whispered, hugging herself.

Why had he gone to pieces like that, when no one else had?

"Your past is littered with darkness that no one else's is," Luna said dreamily as she wrapped her arm around Ginny comfortingly. Harry smiled at Luna, her words reminding him of what Remus had said when he had asked him about his reaction; 'the dementors affect you worse than others because there are horrors in your past that others don't have'. And at the time, Remus would have only heard rumours about his first two year and had no clue about his childhood.

Is Longbottom telling the truth?

"I didn't tell him Harry. I swear. He must have overheard me and Ginny talking when we mentioned that we hoped you would be ok after how you reacted," Neville said.

"I believe you Nev. You're not one to spread rumours. Especially to Malfoy," Harry said with a smile.

I want to see you both!"

"What did you do?"

"Term hadn't even started."

"How could they already be in trouble?" Harry, meanwhile, was glaring at Remus, in a playful way. If he hadn't sent that letter, he wouldn't have had Poppy fussing over him before the term had even started. He got enough of that during the term, thanks.

Ron stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry and Hermione away from the chattering crowd;

"'Course I was staring. She was taking my two best friends for Merlin knew what. I knew they couldn't have done anything without me being involved because I was with them both all day," Ron said.

She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter."

"Traitor," Harry muttered.

"Oh, it's you, is it?"

"The number of times I see him a year. I don't know why I was surprised that he was affected like that by Dementors," Poppy said, shaking her head.

"Professor Lupin gave me some.

"Because he's a chocoholic," Ginny said, smiling innocently at Remus when he turned his accusing eyes on her.

"You too Ginny? I thought you were above that."

"I can't help it if it's true."

"So we've finally got a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

"A Defence teacher who actually knew what he was doing rather than pretending or being completely incompetent," Harry added.

"Yes," said Harry.

"You would say you're all right or that you're fine if you were bleeding out," Ron said.

"You were literally bitten by a basilisk and dying and all you did was tell Fawkes that he did great," Hermione added. Harry just shrugged.

Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule,

"So unfair. Hermione got to stay while they talked to me," Harry said.

"Still can't believe you didn't tell us," Ron muttered.

"It was a secret. She made me promise not to tell," Hermione said.

"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!"

"So your fourth year was the first sorting you saw other than your own?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. And they thought it was weird when I didn't realise the song would change."

Had the story of his collapsing in front of the Dementor travelled that fast?

"It's Hogwarts. What did you expect?" Ginny asked with a shrug.

"Plus, Malfoy was the one spreading it," Neville added.

"And you should know by now Harry. Nothing stays secret at Hogwarts," Fred said.

"I don't know brother of mine. The Golden Trio managed to keep many things a secret during their years here," George contradicted him.

"Very true brother of mine. Very true. And Rogue has indeed managed to keep their secret," Fred agreed, nodding sagely.

Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks,"

"Yeah, that was directed purely at me," Harry said.

"It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses.

Harry wined. He had learnt that the hard way. He had kept repeating that Sirius was innocent at the end of that year by the make when they were swarmed. At the time he hadn't known if he was pleading for the Dementors to understand that he was innocent, or if he was trying to remind himself to power happy thoughts for his Patronus. He still didn't know. But either way, the Dementors had ignored him and just kept coming. And then tried to Kiss him and Hermione as well as Sirius.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The hall was filled with loud applause. Even the worst Slytherins had to admit that Remus had been one of the best teachers for years. Especially compared to Quirrell, Lockhart, and Umbridge. The only one who had matched him was Moody, and even the retired Auror had his drawbacks – he was extremely paranoid, and that didn't always make the best teacher.

Remus blushed at the loud applause that had spread through the hall at the announcement of his teaching. He knew that he had been liked, but he had honestly expected most of that popularity to disappear when he was outed as a werewolf.

"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear.

"Do we have too?" the twins whined.

Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry.

"I had no clue how to react to the fact that apparently someone else had managed to gain as much loathing from him as I did – even if I had no clue what I had done to receive that loathing at the time," Harry said. Remus sighed; he had really hoped that Severus would have grown up by then and not hold such petty grudges, but he had still held them when he taught at Hogwarts, and they were worse, if that was possible, now.

"Who else would have assigned us a biting book?"

"That's true," Lee said.

He always had trouble remembering the passwords.

"You are getting better at it, Nev. You only forget the password about once a week now, rather than every day. Give it time and you won't forget it at all," Harry said.

"It doesn't surprise me that you inherited your mum's memory. Lily ended up getting her a heap of muggle memory games to help her improve her memory," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Really?" Neville asked.

"Yeah. I can see if I can find anything for you like what Lily got Alice when the time bubble disappears if you want," Remus offered. Neville nodded slowly; if it had helped his mum, he at least wanted to try.

They reached their familiar, circular dormitory with its five four-poster beds, and Harry, looking around, felt he was home at last.

Dumbledore paled slightly at that last statement. He knew that Harry wasn't treated well at Private Drive – especially after all the books had said – but he had at least thought that Harry still considered Private Drive home, despite his terrible treatment there. But if he considered Hogwarts home… well, it was a good thing that Voldemort and his Death Eaters didn't know that Harry considered Hogwarts his home rather than Private Drive, because that meant the blood wards would have fallen, leaving Harry open to be attacked while he was there.

He would need to check his monitor that was attuned to the blood wards; he hadn't checked it since before Harry came to Hogwarts, especially since the protection had still been active in Harry's first year. He would never have set Harry up to go down there and face Voldemort, but the results from that had assured him that Harry still considered Private Drive his home. Now that he knew Harry didn't consider that place his home, combined with the treatment Harry received at the hands of his relatives, meant that he would start looking into different places Harry could spend the summer and the different protections that could be put on that place. Grimmauld Place would probably work, and Sirius was there. He knew that Sirius and Harry really wanted to live together, and Grimmauld Place was extremely well protected…

Well, something to look in to.

He didn't have much time to continue thinking about the implications behind Harry considering Hogwarts his home over Private Drive and what that meant for the blood wards around the Dursley's house, as the book continued to read.