Harry heard explsions. It was pitch black. He couldn't see a thing. He tried to scream, but he couldn't move his lips. He tried to move, but he was rooted on the spot. Another explosion. He then heard laughter. But he was confused. The laughter was warm, not cold, and the voice was not high pitched. He realized he was lying down. A face came into view right above him.

" Ron?!" he asked, startled.

" Yeah! Come on! You have to see what Sirius did to Fred and George!" said Ron. He ran out of the room while Harry sat up. He was just now realizing that he was still in his warm bed at the Burrow. He scrambled out to follow Ron. He could faintly see dust just around the corner.

When he turned the corner he immediately started laughing. Fred and George were standing there with what looked like cookie dough all over them. They were laughing despite there current appearence. Sirius was standing there laughing with them and looking very proud.

" I guess we deserve that." said Fred.

" Yeah, after what we did." said George.

" What did you do?" asked Harry.

" These young men decided that they would play a slight trick on me. After Arthur showed me where I was to sleep, I went to brush my teeth. I had just put the toothbrush in my mouth and was brushing when I was surprised to see that my toothpaste bubbles were sticking to my teeth. By then my mouth was filled with bubbles that wouldn't come out, and that tasted like tar." said Sirius. Harry snickered.

" I looked down to see what kind of toothpaste it was and I saw three W's on the tube. I was grateful this morning when I woke up and found that the bubbles were gone." said Sirius." I have to admit that I myself would never have thought of such a trick."

" We haven't exactly perfected it yet." said George.

" Oh, but it did work very well. Not very many people have been able to get a Marauder like that." said Sirius." We're usualy smarter than that."

" You're a Marauder?" asked Fred.

" Yes, of course. I'm Padfoot."

" Because you can change into a dog." said George.

" What are the others?" asked George. So Sirius explained who and what the Marauders were.

" And now I must change into my animal form for fear of being caught." said Sirius with a smile. He morphed into a dog and proceeded downstairs-that is after helping the twins clean up the doughy mess with the wand Mr.Weasley had lent him.

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Hermione came and spent the rest of the summer with them. Now it was time to go back to Hogwarts for what Harry was sure was going to be another exciting year.

They boarded the train, along with "Snuffles". After the Weasley family disappeared from view, they began to settle in for the long ride. As usual they were interupted fairly quickly by Malfoy who was shielded by his boulder-like freinds. Harry heard Hermione, Ginny and Ron stiffle laughs. Harry understood why. There were tiny tentacle studs all over his face where the tentacles had grown out of his face last year when they had all zapped him with different curses.

" I suppose you think this is funny, do you? Well, the tentacles should be gone within a month. Oh, I see you have a new friend. Horrible taste as usual Potter. What an ugly black dog." he said. Sirius growled. Ginny stroked him on the head. Malfoy glared at the dog, then at Harry.

" Your going to get yours this year Potter." he said. And with a sneer on his face, he walked off.

The ride went on, and eventually everyone got bored and tired. Sirius lay curled up in a seat beside Ginny, Crookshanks lay in Hermione's lap. The rest were trying to find a way to get comfortable enough to sleep.

" I wish we could just get there and go to bed..." said Ginny.

" Me too." agreed Ron.

Within just a couple of minutes they were sitting in the Great Hall and eating after watching the sorting. They were grateful when Dumbledore announced that it was time to go to their common rooms. They were all talking as they went. They were following Hermione, considering she was a prefect this year. Harry caught Ginny's eye at one point, but quickly looked away. Harry had a kind of exciting feeling in his stomach when he went to bed. He figured that it was just because of how happy he was to be at Hogwarts. He had no idea how wrong he was.

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Ron groaned.

" We have Potions first thing in the morning this year." he said at the breakfast table." And we're still with the Slytherins."

" We have Care of Magical Creatures next though!" said Hermione." And we have it with the Ravenclaws too!"

" Good, one less class with the Slytherins." said Harry.

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Their first week of school went by quickly. They had only one class with the Slytherins so they didn't have to put up with them much. Harry was beggining to feel completely safe for the first time when it happened.

They had been sitting at breakfast one Saturday morning. Hermione had just had her paper delivered to her. She unfolded it and began to read the front page. She went slightly pale.

" What's it say?" asked Ron. She began to read.

" He Who Must Not Be Named Gaining Power. Death Toll Rises. Many Are Missing." the front page read. They looked at each other.

" Well at least we're safe here." said Ron. But Harry had a horrible feeling. Hermione seemed to be feeling the same way too.

" I don't believe in superstition, but I have suddenly gotten this horrible feeling like something's coming." she said. They dissmissed it and went back to their chatting. After about ten minutes Harry was overcome with the urge to stand up and run, and he did stand along with many more students in the Great Hall. Everyone seemed to have the same urge to run. The hall got quiet. Suddenly Professor Trelawny stood up.

" Professor McGonagall!" she screeched. The Professor came bounding through the huge doors that led into the Great Hall.

" Albus! Albus!" she was yelling as she was running, long robes of dark blue flowing behind her. Everyone watched in amazement as she ran up to the headmaster.

" They're here!!" she choked out.

" Who?" asked the headmster.

"He Who Must Not Be Named!! Get your wands-everyone!" shouted Professor Trelawny. Even though they were scared out of their wits, the hall did as they were told. Harry heard the deep bark of a dog. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Harry turned around just in time to see the huge black dog running into through the doors, eyes flashing, as the ground began to shake and dust from the falling pillars in the entrance hall came gushing through the doors behind the dog. Debri flew everywhere. Harry grabbed Ginny, who was closest to him and ran toward the doors that he had been through only once. The doors behind the staff table. He yelled at Ron and Hermione to follow. Harry could see Professor Dumbledore running into the dust as Death Eaters began to swarm around the room on brooms. Harry shoved Ginny and the rest into the small room and stood in the doorway and watched the terrible scene of destruction. Girls were being pulled into the air and thrown over the broomsticks by their hair by deatheaters. Boys were being pulled up by the scuff of their necks like dogs. He noticed that Sirius had become human and was fighting alongside the professors and the students that were trying their best to help.

" HARRY! GET IN HERE!!!!" Ginny shouted. Harry looked at them. A good many students had ran into the room with them. Harry took a good long look at Hermione, Ron and Ginny. He knew what he had to do. He turned and faced the scene before him. And shut his eyes.

" This is for you, Cedric." he said to himself as he ran into the crowd-his wand held high.