A/N: All characters are the property of J.K.Rowling, whose genius no words can describe. I know very well that there are spelling errors, but unfortunatly for me the program I use to type the stories doesn't have spellcheck. I own the names of the first years, because I made them up. If they sound like yours, too bad. I own them.
Cornelius Fudge stood, there, a blank look on his face, devoid of thought or emotion.
"A fate worse than death is all that our dear Mr.Fudge deserved," cackled a cold, cruel voice. Voldemort was standing beside Lucius in a second.
"Master, I hope you are pleased," muttered Lucius, kneeling and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Yes. You have proven great worthiness. Fudge is out of our way, and the Dementors have proven they're on our side. But there is little time now. I have another task. There is something I want you to get. It may take a long time, but if you succeed, I will give you great powers."
"What must I retrieve, Master?"
"Get me Harry Potter."
* * *
"Hullo, Harry!" a familiar voice echoed acros Platform 9 3/4. Harry Potter glimpsed a shock of red hair and a head of bushy brown bobbing up and down over the crowd and rushed over.
"Sorry I couldn't come this summer; the Dursleys weren't very keen on letting me go after what happened last year," Harry explained. Ron Weasley grimaced at the memory of it.
"Don't worry about it Harry, you explained it in the letters you sent. We've got a year ahead of us," consoled Hermione Granger, patting his shoulder.
"But I don't know if its going to be a very enjoyable one." The trio was silent. From what Harry had heard from Ron, the wizrding world was in very bad shape after the return of Voldemort. The Dark Mark was showing up everywhere, though no deaths were heard of yet.
Harry didn't want to think about Voldemort, or how he got back. It had happened through a complicated chain of events which included the return of the Triwizard Tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory, an aspiring student at Hogwarts whose life was cut short in front of Harry. He wanted badly to believe it wasn't his fault but he just couldn't rid his mind or his dreams of that picture of Cedric collasping, dead before he hit the ground...
Hermione and Ron quickly saw what he was thinking about, and hurried him on the train. Like usual, the goodbyes on the platform took a while, but this year was different. Hogwarts was one of the most safe places in the wizarding world, other than Gringotts. But the children didn't know, in the wake of Voldemort's rising, if their family was going to be there to come home to.
Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor fifth year, and Ginny Weasley, Ron fourth year sister who had a huge crush on Harry, joined them in the compartment. They began to chat about what they did that summer as the train pulled away. Harry spoke little during the conversation,as summers with the Dursleys was never enjoyable, and concentrated on the passing scenary.
As a storm of orange and pink settled on the west horizon, Harry suddenly felt a painful jolt.
His scar hurt horribly, like it was on fire. It lasted only a moment but it pained him so he was nearly doubled on the ground.
"What is it?" The compartment was suddenly standing around him, worried. He glanced at Ginny, and pushed himself back on the seat.
"I...um...," he didn't want to say his scar hurt, they'd get all worried. It only hurt when Voldemort was around or feeling murderous, or happy, not that there was a difference.
"Your scar?" mouthed Hermione, and Harry nodded.
"Does it still hurt?" said Ron.
"No." Neville and Ginny looked confused.
"Then that means he's not around," muttered Hermione,"And of course he'd be feeling murderous..."
"Who?" squeaked Neville, sounding as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"My scar hurts if Vol...sorry...You-Know-Who is around or feeling happy, or evil," Harry explained. Ginny gasped and Neville looked quite pale.
"He couln't be near, then, could he?" said Neville, looking nervously out the window into the darkening twilight.
"Thats what I thought," replied Hermione,"But it would hurt constantly if he were around. You ought to tell Dumbledore when we get there. Its almost 7:00; we'll be there in a couple minutes."
They changed into their robes and sat in silence. The train stopped after about 15 minutes, and they clambered out and into the horsless carriages that took them to the castle.
"I'll wait until after the feast to tell Dumbledore," said Harry. Out of the past four years he had only seen two of the Sortings. Hermione looked as if she objected to this, but she kept her mouth shut.
The night was almost warmer than the castle. Harry caught a glimpse of Hagrid leaving the first years to Professor McGonagall.
The four house tables spread out in front of them; Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. The teacher's table was at the farthest end.
"I wonder who the new Dark Arts teacher is," whispered Ron. Harry shared the same thoughts. When they sat down he took a closer look at the staff. There was Hagrid, a good friend of the trio who was twice the height of a man and at least five times as wide, then Professer Sinistra, who taught Astromany, Snape, who hated Harry as much as he hated him, an empty seat for McGonagall, Headmaster Dumbledore, the ghost of Professor Binns, and, my God, was that Lupin?
No, it wasn't. Harry felt his heart, which had soared to his throat, drop. It could have been Lupin. He had Lupin's hair and features, but the shape of his face was different, and he was taller.
"Can't be Lupin!" gasped Hermione.
"No, he looks different." Gryffindor table, and probably all the other tables, exploded with conversation on who the new teacher was.
After a few moments, Dumbledore stood up and the hall was silent,"Welcome to yet another year at our dear Hogwarts. First, the Sorting." He sat down again and McGonagall entered carrying a stool on which was perched the familier Sorting Hat. A line of nervous looking first years followed.
The hat opened its brim, and began to sing:
Long ago,there were four wizards,
The greatest of their kind,
For each and every one of them,
Owned a superior mind,
They created Hogwarts,
And houses numbering four,
In which each one of you belongs,
Whether from mountain or shore,
Slytherins likened unto the snake,
Ambitious they will always be,
Hufflepuffs are always helpful,
They show great chivalry,
Ravenclaws are smart and witty,
Clever than the rest,
Though for showing bravery,
Gryffindors are best,
So put me on you head,
There is nothing to fear,
For with the brains I've got,
Which house you belong in will be clear.
Not one to waste time, McGonagall started to call out names.
"Agott, Nicholas!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Brenski, Brita!"
"SLYTHERIN!" It pained Harry to see Malfoy, his enemy, smiling and clapping, but seeing as Malfoy hadn't spoken to him yet. Maybe he would leave him alone this year.
Samantha Caer also became a Slytherin but Yasmine Chrim and Julius Hattstad became Gryffindor. Gaia Hermy became Ravenclaw and sat down beside Cho Chang.
Once 'Wenchester, Andromeda' sat down at Hufflepuff Dumbledore stood again,"Welcome to Hogwarts! As usual, the Forbidden Forest is off limits. We have yet another new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Romulus Lupin!"
"Lupin!" cried Harry, as the hall exploded with sound,"Its his brother!"
"Of course!" said Hermione, and launched into an explaination. Remus and Romulus, it seemed, had been a twins out of a Roman legend. Harry tuned out as the plates filled with food, and the feast began. Herring, stews, pork chops, salads, all sorts of mashed potatoes.
Harry thought quite blissfully as he cut himself a slice of pie,"Hogwarts is where I belong. This is my home."
A/N: Yeah, this chapter is boring, but in the wake of the Fudge incident, the next one should be a bit more interesting.
Cornelius Fudge stood, there, a blank look on his face, devoid of thought or emotion.
"A fate worse than death is all that our dear Mr.Fudge deserved," cackled a cold, cruel voice. Voldemort was standing beside Lucius in a second.
"Master, I hope you are pleased," muttered Lucius, kneeling and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Yes. You have proven great worthiness. Fudge is out of our way, and the Dementors have proven they're on our side. But there is little time now. I have another task. There is something I want you to get. It may take a long time, but if you succeed, I will give you great powers."
"What must I retrieve, Master?"
"Get me Harry Potter."
* * *
"Hullo, Harry!" a familiar voice echoed acros Platform 9 3/4. Harry Potter glimpsed a shock of red hair and a head of bushy brown bobbing up and down over the crowd and rushed over.
"Sorry I couldn't come this summer; the Dursleys weren't very keen on letting me go after what happened last year," Harry explained. Ron Weasley grimaced at the memory of it.
"Don't worry about it Harry, you explained it in the letters you sent. We've got a year ahead of us," consoled Hermione Granger, patting his shoulder.
"But I don't know if its going to be a very enjoyable one." The trio was silent. From what Harry had heard from Ron, the wizrding world was in very bad shape after the return of Voldemort. The Dark Mark was showing up everywhere, though no deaths were heard of yet.
Harry didn't want to think about Voldemort, or how he got back. It had happened through a complicated chain of events which included the return of the Triwizard Tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory, an aspiring student at Hogwarts whose life was cut short in front of Harry. He wanted badly to believe it wasn't his fault but he just couldn't rid his mind or his dreams of that picture of Cedric collasping, dead before he hit the ground...
Hermione and Ron quickly saw what he was thinking about, and hurried him on the train. Like usual, the goodbyes on the platform took a while, but this year was different. Hogwarts was one of the most safe places in the wizarding world, other than Gringotts. But the children didn't know, in the wake of Voldemort's rising, if their family was going to be there to come home to.
Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor fifth year, and Ginny Weasley, Ron fourth year sister who had a huge crush on Harry, joined them in the compartment. They began to chat about what they did that summer as the train pulled away. Harry spoke little during the conversation,as summers with the Dursleys was never enjoyable, and concentrated on the passing scenary.
As a storm of orange and pink settled on the west horizon, Harry suddenly felt a painful jolt.
His scar hurt horribly, like it was on fire. It lasted only a moment but it pained him so he was nearly doubled on the ground.
"What is it?" The compartment was suddenly standing around him, worried. He glanced at Ginny, and pushed himself back on the seat.
"I...um...," he didn't want to say his scar hurt, they'd get all worried. It only hurt when Voldemort was around or feeling murderous, or happy, not that there was a difference.
"Your scar?" mouthed Hermione, and Harry nodded.
"Does it still hurt?" said Ron.
"No." Neville and Ginny looked confused.
"Then that means he's not around," muttered Hermione,"And of course he'd be feeling murderous..."
"Who?" squeaked Neville, sounding as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"My scar hurts if Vol...sorry...You-Know-Who is around or feeling happy, or evil," Harry explained. Ginny gasped and Neville looked quite pale.
"He couln't be near, then, could he?" said Neville, looking nervously out the window into the darkening twilight.
"Thats what I thought," replied Hermione,"But it would hurt constantly if he were around. You ought to tell Dumbledore when we get there. Its almost 7:00; we'll be there in a couple minutes."
They changed into their robes and sat in silence. The train stopped after about 15 minutes, and they clambered out and into the horsless carriages that took them to the castle.
"I'll wait until after the feast to tell Dumbledore," said Harry. Out of the past four years he had only seen two of the Sortings. Hermione looked as if she objected to this, but she kept her mouth shut.
The night was almost warmer than the castle. Harry caught a glimpse of Hagrid leaving the first years to Professor McGonagall.
The four house tables spread out in front of them; Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. The teacher's table was at the farthest end.
"I wonder who the new Dark Arts teacher is," whispered Ron. Harry shared the same thoughts. When they sat down he took a closer look at the staff. There was Hagrid, a good friend of the trio who was twice the height of a man and at least five times as wide, then Professer Sinistra, who taught Astromany, Snape, who hated Harry as much as he hated him, an empty seat for McGonagall, Headmaster Dumbledore, the ghost of Professor Binns, and, my God, was that Lupin?
No, it wasn't. Harry felt his heart, which had soared to his throat, drop. It could have been Lupin. He had Lupin's hair and features, but the shape of his face was different, and he was taller.
"Can't be Lupin!" gasped Hermione.
"No, he looks different." Gryffindor table, and probably all the other tables, exploded with conversation on who the new teacher was.
After a few moments, Dumbledore stood up and the hall was silent,"Welcome to yet another year at our dear Hogwarts. First, the Sorting." He sat down again and McGonagall entered carrying a stool on which was perched the familier Sorting Hat. A line of nervous looking first years followed.
The hat opened its brim, and began to sing:
Long ago,there were four wizards,
The greatest of their kind,
For each and every one of them,
Owned a superior mind,
They created Hogwarts,
And houses numbering four,
In which each one of you belongs,
Whether from mountain or shore,
Slytherins likened unto the snake,
Ambitious they will always be,
Hufflepuffs are always helpful,
They show great chivalry,
Ravenclaws are smart and witty,
Clever than the rest,
Though for showing bravery,
Gryffindors are best,
So put me on you head,
There is nothing to fear,
For with the brains I've got,
Which house you belong in will be clear.
Not one to waste time, McGonagall started to call out names.
"Agott, Nicholas!"
"RAVENCLAW!"
"Brenski, Brita!"
"SLYTHERIN!" It pained Harry to see Malfoy, his enemy, smiling and clapping, but seeing as Malfoy hadn't spoken to him yet. Maybe he would leave him alone this year.
Samantha Caer also became a Slytherin but Yasmine Chrim and Julius Hattstad became Gryffindor. Gaia Hermy became Ravenclaw and sat down beside Cho Chang.
Once 'Wenchester, Andromeda' sat down at Hufflepuff Dumbledore stood again,"Welcome to Hogwarts! As usual, the Forbidden Forest is off limits. We have yet another new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Romulus Lupin!"
"Lupin!" cried Harry, as the hall exploded with sound,"Its his brother!"
"Of course!" said Hermione, and launched into an explaination. Remus and Romulus, it seemed, had been a twins out of a Roman legend. Harry tuned out as the plates filled with food, and the feast began. Herring, stews, pork chops, salads, all sorts of mashed potatoes.
Harry thought quite blissfully as he cut himself a slice of pie,"Hogwarts is where I belong. This is my home."
A/N: Yeah, this chapter is boring, but in the wake of the Fudge incident, the next one should be a bit more interesting.