A/N: Once again, this has been reverted back to the ORIGINAL version of the chapter. The revised chapters are going to be put all together, details on my author's page.

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"Harry!"

Harry began to turn towards the familiar voice when a pair of arms was thrown around his neck.

"Hey 'Mione," he said with a bit of a chuckle as Hermione stepped back.

"Wow, Harry, I haven't seen you all summer! I'm sorry I didn't write more, but we were traveling you know, and guess what! I have a surprise that I've been waiting to tell you, but I'll tell you on the train when Ron gets here and…."

She was cut off by Ron, who had just come through the barrier and was walking towards them.

"Oi! Harry, Hermione!" he called to grab their attention. Hermione turned around and gave Ron a quick hug, turning Ron's cheeks a nice shade of red. Hermione didn't seem to notice this and started to guide the two boys towards the train so they could get settled enough to hear Hermione's surprise.

"How many sugar quills did she have this morning?" Ron muttered to Harry, earning himself a nice "Oh shut it Ron!" from Hermione who had overheard. Harry laughed as he was dragged along. It was good to be back.

When the three had finally found an empty compartment and settled down, Hermione pulled out a badge from her pocket and held it up for the boys to see.

"Look I was made prefect! Can you believe it?" she squealed with joy.

"Hermione, I would've died of shock if you hadn't been made a prefect," Ron said. "Anyways, you weren't the only one who was made a prefect." Ron took out an identical badge and held it up, but far less conspicuously than Hermione. In fact, Ron looked a little stressed out about the whole thing. "Fred and George have been teasing me mercilessly ever since I've got it, calling me Percy Jr. and such. What a nightmare!"

Harry and Hermione laughed at this, though Ron couldn't seem to find the humor in it.

"That's great Ron, I'll have a friend to be a prefect with!" she said. Harry could see that Ron was relieved, probably having thought Hermione might have been upset that her news was made less glorious.

"Well, it looks like they gave us a matching set," Harry said, pulling out his own badge. He had been utterly shocked when he had found it in his Hogwarts letter. He couldn't figure out why he would be made a prefect when he spent half of every school year breaking the rules. It seemed Ron shared his thoughts.

"Well it's understandable with Hermione, but I think with you and I, they're trying that 'give them responsibility and they'll be more responsible' method. Mum tried that with Fred and George once. That poor cat…"

"So Harry, how was your summer? You didn't really mention it in your letters." Hermione asked with interest. Harry knew it was just a friendly question, but he still felt his stomach tighten and his pulse quicken with the thought of them finding out the secret that had already once that summer been found out.

"Oh, er, it was fine," he muttered fingering his badge. "Better than usual, for staying in Little Winging."

"Yeah, who was that girl you mentioned in your letters? Dakota? Does Harry have a little crush?" Ron asked, nudging Harry playfully with his elbow and shrugging his eyebrows.

"Dakota? No, definitely not a crush. Just a friend," Harry said with the utmost sincerity. It just wasn't like that with them. "How was Rome, Mione?"

With that change of subject, the subject of Harry's summer was forgotten, and the rest of the train ride was relaxing and enjoyable.

IiIiI

The weather was much like the last year when they arrived, pouring rain and with the added bonus of wind strong enough to push a few of the younger students over. There was a mad dash from the train to the carriages, but even despite their quick speed, by the time Harry, Ron and Hermione scrambled into a carriage, they looked like they had decided to go swimming in their clothes. Hermione started to pull shut the carriage door, which the wind was holding open, to stop the rain from coming in, but stopped when she heard, "Hermione, wait! Please!" Neville came racing up and stopped right in front of their carriage door, or tried to stop. He skidded on a puddle and ended up sliding past their door, and finally landing on his butt in a puddle. He quickly got up, slightly blushing, and tried to push his way against the wind towards the carriage. Ron and Harry each grabbed an arm and helped pull Neville into the carriage, as Hermione used all of her strength to pull the door closed.

"Thanks guys," Neville said as he got up off the floor and started to wring out his robes. "I didn't know if I'd be able to get a carriage, or even get to a carriage in this weather." He plopped down on the seat next to Harry.

"Hey no problem! Let's just hope we don't get blown back to King's Cross Station," Ron laughed. "I mean it's like a hurricane out there!"

"Well I'm just glad to be here. Gram almost didn't let me come."

"What? Why wouldn't she want you to come to school?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"Well, she was scared about You-Know-Who being back. She says Professor Dumbledore is a brilliant wizard and if he says You-Know-Who's back then it must be true," Neville explained.

"But Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world!" Hermione protested.

"Well it's supposed to be, but she's having her doubts. I mean with the Chamber of Secrets incident in second year and with what happened last year…" Neville said, cautiously eyeing Harry with that last part. "But I convinced her to let me come. I told her that Dumbledore's prepared now and if You-Know-Who's back then I couldn't be in safer hands."

Harry was shocked at this information. He could understand Neville's grandmother being worried, especially with what had happened to Neville's parents, but had Voldemort really caused as much panic as to have her consider pulling him out of school? From the gaping expression on her face, Hermione looked horrified as well, but probably more at the mere idea of missing school. Ron, however, looked less than surprised.

"Well actually, Neville's grandmother isn't the only one who thinks that," he hesitantly began to explain. "Some people seem to think that Hogwarts might be a target. I mean there are a few key people that we know he's after who are at Hogwarts." He slipped a glance at Harry at this. "Others had such a violent reaction to Dumbledore's speech at the end of last year that they're calling him crazy and don't want their kids in a school run by him. Mom never considered pulling us out, she has too much faith in Dumbledore for that, but a lot of her friends were considering it. Some are even trying to kick Dumbledore out of his position as headmaster, but that's not going to happen. Too many people support Dumbledore and wouldn't feel safe with their kids under anyone else's care."

Harry couldn't help but feel a little guilty about this whole thing. Not only did he play a role in bringing Voldemort back to power, but he was also putting Hogwarts and the people in it at risk just by being there. He pushed the thought back in his mind. It was either Hogwarts or the Dursleys, and he would rather battle Voldemort a hundred times than going back to the Dursleys year round.

Finally, they reached Hogwarts. They all braced themselves as Hermione opened the door, which the wind caused to rip out of her hands, opening as wide as it possible could without being ripped off its hinges. They one by one jumped out of the carriage, Ron and Harry quickly pulling Neville back up after he slipped on another puddle, and began to push their way against the wind toward the castle. At one point a small second year was pushed backwards by the wind and would have kept going if Harry had not responded to his pleas for help as he slid by. He held onto Harry's arm for the rest of the way, making Harry's trip doubly difficult.

Finally they had pushed through the doors and into the entrance hall. It was as if someone had turned off a giant fan and every step Harry took seemed easier than it had ever been before, like he was as light as a feather. The small boy that had been using Harry as a guide thanked him, a little embarrassed, especially upon realizing who's arm he had latched onto, and then hurried away with a group of his friends.

Harry did the best he could to wring out his robes (until Hermione cast a quick-drying spell on him) and made his way into the Great Hall.

Apparently, Ron was right about Neville's Grandmother not being the only one with her views, as there was a significant lack of students, even after everybody had made their way out of the storm. All of the fifth-year Gryffindors were still there, though it seemed like there might have been a few missing from the other years. Ginny sadly told them that one of her friend's parents had apparently decided to keep her home. They had been debating it for a while, up until the last second, but her absence told Ginny that they hadn't listened to Mrs. Weasley's arguments.

The Hufflepuffs seemed to be missing the most, probably because Cedric's death had hit so close to home for them. The Slytherins, on the other hand, didn't seem to be missing anyone at all. Ron voiced his opinion that most of their parents were Death Eaters and would be safe from Voldemort, or at least know when and if they needed to leave.

The mood definitely wasn't the same cheer as was usually felt at the beginning of the term. Most people were whispering about the absence of people. The Hufflepuffs seemed especially distraught as many people had friends missing.

Dumbledore rose to make his speech and the Hall quieted.

"Another year of learning has begun. I see the weather attempted to quench your thirst for knowledge, and though rather unsuccessful at making you more wise, it certainly blew you away," he said with a smile. Many students chuckled at the pun, glancing up at the enchanted ceiling to see the rain still pouring down. "As many of you have noticed, there are a few students absent from our number this year. I hope you all will recognize that they had their reasons. I will not lie and say the wizarding world does not have rough times ahead of it. Whether Hogwarts itself will be affected or not is unknown, but it is without a doubt that each of your lives will be affected; many already have. I assure you that this school is a very safe place with a staff that would die defending it and you as students. (At this Ron nudged Harry and asked if Dumbledore had forgotten that Snape worked there.) As I watched you all make your way to the castle from my office window, you know what I saw? ("And he didn't think to help us?" Ron whispered.) I saw courage. Most of you didn't think twice about facing the storm outside or getting into the boats to cross the lake, and those who had their doubts at first overcame them. (Many students glanced at Malfoy at this, who had been making a large scene, refusing to get out of the carriage until someone brought him an umbrella or got the carriage closer to the door, but eventually gave in as no one seemed to be paying attention to his demands besides Crabbe and Goyle.) I saw determination. You faced your challenge with all the strength you could, never giving up. Most importantly, though, I saw you help each other. Working together and helping those who need it is what is going to help you face your future, whether it be life in general or for a more immediate cause. I firmly believe that no kind gesture goes un-rewarded, though it might not seem that way at times. (Harry noticed Dumbledore briefly looking at him and thought he might have been partly referring to Harry saving Wormtail's life.) I assure you all that despite our smaller number this year, it will be a year to remember.

"On a lighter note, I am happy to announce that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is not all that new, but has returned at the request of myself, many parents, staff, and students. Though he was not able to make it to our welcoming feast, I assure you that he will be here for your first day of school. That professor is Remus Lupin, and I'm sure you all will welcome him when you see him."

Harry's mouth dropped open at this, along with Ron's and Hermione's. Most people cheered and clapped at this, Harry joining in once he got over the initial shock.

"I didn't know he was coming back, Snuffles never mentioned it in his letters." Harry laughed, calling over the din.

"They probably wanted to keep it a surprise! This is great!" Hermione said clapping and smiling.

"Hey, look at the Slytherins," Ron sniggered. "They're taking it well, wouldn't you say?" Harry looked over to see a look of horror on many of their faces. Malfoy was yelling "No!" and pounding his fist on the table like a little child having a tantrum. He couldn't be heard over all the clapping. Harry laughed.

After the cheering died down, and the sorting was over, the feast began. Harry ate as much as he could, but neither he nor Ron could really fit much in their stomachs. On the train, they had had a contest to see who could eat the most chocolate frogs. When they ran out of those, they had turned to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Ron had won when Harry had to stop or risk losing everything he had just put into his stomach. Even though it felt good to have a full stomach for the first time in awhile (the Dursleys still didn't feed him very much and he had only really eaten a satisfying amount on the days he spent with the Stensons), the combination of the two sweets was enough to make anyone loose their appetite. The announcement of Professor Lupin's return, along with the sorting and the wonderful feast, had been enough to raise the spirits in the Great Hall up. Harry felt like he was at home again.