The Unexpected.
By Em.
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of any of the characters or of any of the places. As many fanfic authors say, I am just taking them all for a spin. The characters and their personalities as well as many other things I've mentioned were made up by the renowned JKR. Whom I'm sure you're all familiar with.
Authors note: I have yet again been very nice and not given you a cliff hanger…of course I might next time. Before I just wrote whatever came into my head, but as I was writing this chapter a plot began to form in my head, its not fully developed, but I with what I have done I must say I am a genius. Maybe not a genius, but I am devious. This chapter is a bit boring and depressing, but don't worry the next chapter is nothing of the sort, but I couldn't let Harry be portrayed as someone not affected, could I? I hope you enjoy this and tell me how to improve it or give me some ideas.
I have, on my bio written a challenge…does anyone want to take it up?
I'd like to thank all my reviewers at this point:
Vmr…whoever you are, thank you. If you have written anything, let me know.
Sharte…Thank you and you're welcome. In this chapter I've really strayed from JKR's style, but I'm going to try and go back.
Megan…what's going to happen next, you'll have to read to find out and thank you.
Jessica…you've got a good imagination. Thank you.
Skye…I've noticed my story is up in your favourites…I hope it stays there and I can't wait to read yours.
Captain Antilles…I will and thank you.
JillZee…thank you, you're so nice.
Jill…Thank you, sorry about the wait. In the future I'll be dishing my chapters out before you've even got round to finishing the last one.
Tree upon tree whizzed past the window. Ron and Hermione had been flirting for nearly an hour, and although Harry had found it amusing at first he was now bored. 'I'm happy for them, but if they do this for the whole year I am going to loose my mind!' He sighed and looked out the window again before finally saying out loud.
"Tree, tree, tree…ooh a telegraph pole. We haven't had one of those for a while. Pole, pole, tree, pole…and now a barn, well that's interesting. I'll just get out my trusty note pad and write that down. Perhaps I should write a logbook on everything I see! Yes a log book with little diagrams all shaded in!" His voice had gradually become more and more sarcastic and the pitch higher and higher until Ron and Hermione looked over.
"Are you alright?" Ron asked, wondering if an occasional outburst of insanity was an effect from last year's ordeal.
"Of course I'm alright." Harry snapped, how blind could Ron be. The two of them hadn't said a word to him for almost an hour.
"Of course you're alright. Why wouldn't you be? I'll just go look in my trunk for a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink so that you can do your log." He grinned nervously; hoping his friend wasn't about to chop him up into tiny pieces. He looked up at Harry whose face had gone red with what looked like anger and bent down to look for the items. Then he looked at Hermione and instead of seeing a face of fear, he could see a broad smile and that she was trying to stifle a laugh. "What's so funny?" Ron asked and she began to let out the loud giggle that she had tried so hard to suppress. Harry began to see the funny side and laughed too. Ron on the other hand looked extremely confused.
"He was being sarcastic, silly." Hermione said as she wiped a sole tear from her eye. Ron poked her and said he knew all along. Harry sighed; the flirting had begun again.
He looked out of the window again, resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get a conversation out of his friends. Gradually night began to fall and when the outside world was nothing but black objects set against a slightly less black sky, his mind turned to the future.
There had been no sign of Voldemort and Harry wondered if everyone including Dumbledore might think that he was making it up. But no, Moody or the impostor moody had them told everything after drinking the truth potion. The ministry however had begun to think that he was insane, just like Ron. The future was looking dim. 'Hmmm," He thought, "who's going to be the next defence against the dark arts teacher this year?' Harry inwardly hoped it would be Professor Lupin, but knew that the odds were against that.
The train began to slow down and he managed to break up the happy couple and change just in time.
"I wonder why we didn't have a visit from our dearest friend Malfoy?" Ron asked as they clambered into the coach after waving at an overly cheery Hagrid. Hermione smiled mischievously and they remembered what she did on the train ride home last year. Over the years she had grown into someone that even the Marauders would have been proud of. Brains with mischief, a dangerous combination.
After entering the great hall Harry skimmed the teachers table with his eyes. Dumbledore was there and so was McGonnagall. He saw Snape and groaned, he'd hoped that that Snape would still be on his mission that he overheard Dumbledore send him on. Then there was Professor Moody, he groaned again; All he needed was a reminder of last years events continually there, everyday. He was broken from his thoughts.
"A defence against the dark arts teacher has survived more than one year." Harry turned to the voice. It was Neville Longbottom and was about to say that actually the first one was an impostor, but thought better of it and just agreed. He looked up again. There was Mrs figg and now Hagrid had joined the table. 'Hang on. Mrs figg is a muggle that lives in private drive.' He thought and began seriously doubting his insanity, 'maybe Ron was right? Perhaps I am loosing my mind.' He was disrupted from his musings when a hand fell heavily on his shoulder.
Harry turned around and looking right at him was Professor Moody. His face more mangled than Harry remembered and the skin that was showing resembled knarled bark.
"Harry…" The professor began, but seeing the startled expression on the boy's face trailed off. The dazzling emerald eyes that reminded him so much of Lily were wide with fear and remorse. His face now composed was rigid, not with fear, but courage and determination and a false smile played on his lips. "I just wanted to say sorry and that I never wanted what happened to happen." A pang of pain passed through Harry's chest. The memory of the previous events too distressing. He had felt guilty about Cedrics death, even though he knew it was not his fault, but there had been times during the summer holidays that he had almost felt that he was the murderer. Suddenly he felt a deep understanding.
"It wasn't your fault." He paused, but decided to continue anyway. "I felt the same way you do, but about Cedric. I know that it wasn't my fault, but sometimes you can't help feeling that way." He looked up at the professor, who under the scars was smiling. "But when you do feel like that, I want you to know that you're for given." He finished. The professor mumbled a thank you, too astounded that a boy his age could be so mature and went back to the staff table. The sorting hat was brought out by professor McGonnagall. Harry didn't listen to the song, but looked at his two friends who looked really confused and then let his eyes follow the path of the man, who was so familiar, yet he knew nothing about.
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Unknown to Harry and Professor Moody, Dumbledore had watched the whole scene. He smiled; Harry had grown a lot since his last encounter with Voldemort. The battle against the darkness had only just begun and Harry was already showing signs of being able to fulfil the prophecy.
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"Griffindor!" The hat screamed and the first of the new students was sorted. The load clapping and screams that erupted woke Harry from his thoughts and he clapped wildly too.
"Harry." Hermione said a she nudged his elbow. "What did he mean?" She asked.
"Nothing." He replied blandly as the painful memory resurfaced to his mind again. He didn't like shielding himself from his friends, but he just couldn't find it in himself to tell them yet.
Normally she would have pressed him further, but whatever happened last year she knew that it included Voldemort's return and that it wasn't pleasant.
A little while later, after several more first years had been sorted, the sixth Griffindor made her way to the table and incidentally sat across from Harry. She looked a little nervous and smiled weakly at everyone in eyesight. She slowly observed everyone within close proximity to her and eventually stopped at an unfortunate individual.
"I don't believe it you're." She was cut off by a cheery voice a few seats down.
"Harry Potter." It was Colin Creevey and he was absolutely beaming. Harry inwardly groaned. He looked away from the stage and turned to face her. She had really curly hazel hair, grey eyes and abundant freckles over her nose and cheeks.
"Yes I'm Harry." He said, trying to act pleased. Her mouth had dropped slightly and her eyes were glued to his scar. Ron who was sitting the other side of Hermione and just out of Harry's kicking under the table range was sniggering loudly. Harry shot him a quick glare in an attempt to shut him up. Remembering the insanity thing, Ron did.
"Hufflepuff." The hat called and the last student had been sorted. Every student who had attended a previous sorting looked down at their plates in anticipation and then the mountainous food arrived. After six weeks of leftovers Harry was ravished and ate anything that was in sight.
"For someone so skinny you sure eat a lot." The girl stated. She was right he was skinny, very skinny. "I'm Melinda by the way." She added as Harry swallowed.
"Hi." was all he said before shovelling another mouthful of mashed potato into his mouth.
"Didn't you get fed over the holidays and what happened to your eye?" Harry chose not to answer her and just kept eating, but Hermione did.
"No, he didn't get fed very much at all and he got hit by his Uncle, which shows exactly how horrible his life can be." She finished her cheeks slightly red.
Melinda looked shocked, but whether it was Hermione's angry voice, what she said or both no one was sure. A few moments passed and Melinda muttered an apology before getting back to the task of eating. The short silence on their side if the vast table was interrupted by a scream, followed shortly by Fred and George's laughter. The school year had only just begun and they were up to mischief already.
"That has got to be a record." The already calm Hermione stated.
"Actually." Ron began," The year before we came, they…" He stopped, realising that he was about to tell everyone in hearing distance (a lot of people) a huge secret.
"Tell me please." Hermione asked, giving him a winning smile and leaning closer, harry followed suit.
"Well, on their way to the great Hall they spotted Mrs Norris and well you know what she's like. So they cast a spell on her so that her hair kept growing and growing. Halfway through the feast Filch came running in rolling a huge ball of fur along the ground…it was Mrs Norris. It took Snape three hours to make the cure and all the time her fur kept growing. Filch was furious, he kept muttering that he'd catch the culprit. No-one found out, I wish I had been there." He finished and Harry and Hermione kept giggling at the vivid image that played in their minds.
The feast went on until Dumbledore gave his annual speech, a childlike shadow in his voice, as if his childhood had been stolen from him and he wanted to gain some back through his students.
The trio made their way up to their common room and as if they'd never left, went to bed. It was if nothing had changed; what had happened was just a bad dream and what was going to happen never would.