Chapter 6: A stranger on the Hogwarts Express
The weeks ticked by uneventful but contently. Harry had the best summer of his life. Today was
September 1st, and it was time to enter his fifth year Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He hoped that nothing bad would happen this year. In face, the whole summer, he rarely thought of the horrible experiences he had in his forth year. He was all too thankful that the Weasley's had been able to keep that off his mind. He still had nightmares, and the most recent one, happening last week, was the oddest of them all.
He was tied to a rock, not a grave as his dream usually started. Lying yards away was Cedric Diggory, although Harry could vaguely notice whom it really was. He was reaching upward toward a red feather, when he woke up.
Now, he was in the front seat of a packed company car once again. The car was much larger than the one that Mr. Weasley had driven the Dursley's and him in. It was made to fit all the Weasleys.
Amazingly, they all did fit in the back, but just barely. The Weasley twins were beginning their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.
The car ride to King's Cross station consisted of talks of their final year, Percy's success (although he spoke most about it).
Finally there, they made their way inside King's Cross.
Mr. Weasley got them each a cart for their luggage, and they each wheeled on towards platforms nine and ten. It was at that point, Harry saw the Dursley's.
They were standing in a close nit group of three, with Uncle Vernon staring at a piece of paper Harry knew was the ticket on to Platform-nine-and-three- quarters. After all, he had his own in his hand.
'Ah! Mr. And Mrs. Dursley!' shouted Mr. Weasley.
Uncle Vernon gave him a grave stare and replied, 'so, you expect to go on some invisible platform or some rubbish!' he chuckled at his own joke.
'Yes indeed! So, ready Dudley?'
Dudley gulped.
'First of all!' said Uncle Vernon. 'I want you to promise me, that all that rubbish the white haired man told me in that letter will not happen to my Dudley! Just get his, test thing or whatever, and bring him back to us! And I swear, if just one hair is hurt on his head, I'll... I'll...'
he had stammered because Mr. Weasley took out his wand.
'Oh don't worry Mr. Dursley, I just have my wand out here to tell you that everything will be fine, because if it isn't, I will personally break my wand in half.'
This was just a quick thinking, and last ditch effort by Mr. Weasley to both scare and do something that will put confidence in Uncle Vernon, but the fear was good enough.
'I'll... send for an attorney! That's right, yes...'
Aunt Petunia burst into tears as she wrapped her thin arms around Dudley's fat upper half and planted a big kiss on his cheek, which Harry had to turn away from.
'You'll... be... fine dear!' she said between sobs.
He too began to cry.
'I DONT WANT TO GO!'
'You have to!' yelled Uncle Vernon.
Harry felt the need to but in.
'Mr. Weasley, why does he have to come if they don't want him too?'
'It's time Dudley, we must be going,' said Mr. Weasley ignoring Harry's question and walking Dudley over to the brick wall.
'This should be good,' laughed Ron, coming to Harry's side.
They could see twenty feet away by the brick wall, Mr. Weasley hunching over just a bit to whisper into Dudley's ear, no doubt giving him instructions on how to get onto the platform.
Then, Dudley began to shake his head furiously.
Harry and Ron both chuckled.
Mr. Weasley bent again to talk, but Dudley shook his head and began to back away. It was going to get worse for Arthur because the Dursley began walking back toward him and Dudley.
'Come on you two, follow us,' said Mrs. Weasley, leading the rest of the Weasley family.
Harry was close enough now to hear a few words.
'You see, Mr. Dursley, all he has to do is take several steps backwards and run at full speed through the brick wall!'
Aunt Petunia gave a squeak.
'Harry, your his cousin, show him how.'
Harry, who has never been any kind of a teacher or role model for Dudley, wore his happiest of face and said, 'all you do is this.'
With that, Harry walked back about twenty feet from the platform and began a flat run.
As the wall came, he burst through and came out the other side, onto the sunlit platform-nine-and-three-quarters. He saw the steam pouring out the Hogwarts express as the Weasley twins burst through.
Followed by Ginny and then Ron.
'Where's Dudley?' asked Harry to Ron.
'He's putting up a good fight!' he said with a smile, as Molly Weasley came through.
'What's happening?' asked Harry.
'He tried to run away, then your Aunt nearly fainted when dad tugged on his arm rather hard.'
Just then, a screaming Dudley Dursley came flying through the air as if he had been thrown, through the brick wall and onto the floor.
Mr. Weasley came through as well, with a rather red face.
'Arthur! What did you do?'
'I couldn't take it anymore! I just picked him up and threw him in here!'
She gave him a scolding look, but it was the only way to get Dudley on the platform.
'Ah! Loutipia! Come now, here he is!' shouted Mr. Weasley.
Loutipia was a thin man, in his forties. He was wearing a cloak.
'This is the boy?' asked Loutipia.
'Yes, and this is my family, along with Harry Potter. Everyone, this is Alex Loutipia, he is with the department of overaged wizards, and he will be taking you cousin, Harry, to the... well the place that gives him that test.'
'Alright then, lets get on the train, nice meeting you all! Say goodbye to your cousin, Mr. Dursley.'
Dudley gave Harry a dirty look that said, 'good riddance', as was returned by Harry.
'Boy, I hope we don't sit near him on the train,' said Harry.
The Weasleys, along with Harry, walked to the door of the train, and said their good-byes to a very teary Mrs. Weasley, and a rather glum Mr. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley planted a kiss onto each of them, and they boarded the train.
'Ron, have you seen Hermione?' ask Harry.
'No, but she could be on it already... yeah! That's her over there, the one that has a book for a head.'
They walked over to Hermione, who had been reading a book, sitting in an empty compartment.
'Hey guys! How are you!' she said.
'Fine,' said Harry and Ron together.
'May I sit?' asked Ginny, pointing to an empty seat next to Harry. Harry nodded, and she sat.
'So, Harry, how did your cousin take platform-nine-and-three-quarters?' asked Hermione.
'Like a fish out of water,' replied Harry.
'Ron, your twin brother's are in their final year, do they have anything planned?'
Ron shrugged.
'What do they ever do? I'll expect them to try and pull some kind of prank on me... or get themselves expelled trying to put a prank on Snape in their final day, something outragous,' he laughed. Hermione didn't find this funny, she knew he was only joking.
'What's Percy up to?' she asked next.
'Just... doing his job I guess. He came over when Harry first stayed with us-'
'He thinks he is Minister of Magic!' exclaimed Fred, sticking his head in the compartment.
'He should be buying his bowler's hat in a few days,' said George, now poking his head in.
They all laughed.
The train began to roll along.
'Speaking of Minister of Magic, I wonder if Fudge has finally excepted the fact that Harry wasn't lying about you-know-who,' said Hermione.
'Yeah, well... Dumbledore will convince him!' said Ron, in a hopeless voice.
After a bit of chattering and laughing, the ride began to get boring, and Harry became very sleepy.
'I am very tired, I must take a nap, wake me when the food cart comes,' he said, moving to the other side of the compartment for he could stretch.
At least ten minutes later, he was out.
Ron, Ginny and Hermione were discussing what they had done over the summer.
'Well, me and my parents went on a little vacation, nothing fancy,' said Hermione.
'We didn't do anything special either,' said Ginny.
Within five minutes, the train was taking a rather long winding turn around the countryside, and it was still hours before they would arrive.
Just then, the compartment door opened a bit, and a thin, older woman appeared. She had white hair and a mad gleam in her eye.
Around her ankles, a cat roamed.
'Stay, Mr. Paws,' the lady said.
'Can we help you miss?' said Hermione.
'I have been going around the train, introducing myself.'
They stared at her, bewildered. They had never suspected that this mad looking woman was their new defense against the dark art's teacher.
'Oh, oh! Hello! Well, My name is Hermione Granger. This is Ron and Ginny Weasley, and over there is-'
'Yes... I know. HARRY POTTER!' she yelled, making them all jump.
Harry woke at this, and when he saw who was standing there looking at him, his jaw dropped.
'Harry! Bet you didn't expect to see me here, did you?'
Harry was speechless.
'Who are you?' asked Ron.
'She!... She's! I!' said Harry.
'Yes, what Harry is trying to say,' said the woman with a smile, 'is that I live just two streets down, and that he has visited my house many times on his cousin's birthday.'
'Mrs. Figg!' yelled Harry in bewildered disbelief.
'Yes, Arabella Figg. Your new defense against the dark arts teacher.'
The weeks ticked by uneventful but contently. Harry had the best summer of his life. Today was
September 1st, and it was time to enter his fifth year Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He hoped that nothing bad would happen this year. In face, the whole summer, he rarely thought of the horrible experiences he had in his forth year. He was all too thankful that the Weasley's had been able to keep that off his mind. He still had nightmares, and the most recent one, happening last week, was the oddest of them all.
He was tied to a rock, not a grave as his dream usually started. Lying yards away was Cedric Diggory, although Harry could vaguely notice whom it really was. He was reaching upward toward a red feather, when he woke up.
Now, he was in the front seat of a packed company car once again. The car was much larger than the one that Mr. Weasley had driven the Dursley's and him in. It was made to fit all the Weasleys.
Amazingly, they all did fit in the back, but just barely. The Weasley twins were beginning their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.
The car ride to King's Cross station consisted of talks of their final year, Percy's success (although he spoke most about it).
Finally there, they made their way inside King's Cross.
Mr. Weasley got them each a cart for their luggage, and they each wheeled on towards platforms nine and ten. It was at that point, Harry saw the Dursley's.
They were standing in a close nit group of three, with Uncle Vernon staring at a piece of paper Harry knew was the ticket on to Platform-nine-and-three- quarters. After all, he had his own in his hand.
'Ah! Mr. And Mrs. Dursley!' shouted Mr. Weasley.
Uncle Vernon gave him a grave stare and replied, 'so, you expect to go on some invisible platform or some rubbish!' he chuckled at his own joke.
'Yes indeed! So, ready Dudley?'
Dudley gulped.
'First of all!' said Uncle Vernon. 'I want you to promise me, that all that rubbish the white haired man told me in that letter will not happen to my Dudley! Just get his, test thing or whatever, and bring him back to us! And I swear, if just one hair is hurt on his head, I'll... I'll...'
he had stammered because Mr. Weasley took out his wand.
'Oh don't worry Mr. Dursley, I just have my wand out here to tell you that everything will be fine, because if it isn't, I will personally break my wand in half.'
This was just a quick thinking, and last ditch effort by Mr. Weasley to both scare and do something that will put confidence in Uncle Vernon, but the fear was good enough.
'I'll... send for an attorney! That's right, yes...'
Aunt Petunia burst into tears as she wrapped her thin arms around Dudley's fat upper half and planted a big kiss on his cheek, which Harry had to turn away from.
'You'll... be... fine dear!' she said between sobs.
He too began to cry.
'I DONT WANT TO GO!'
'You have to!' yelled Uncle Vernon.
Harry felt the need to but in.
'Mr. Weasley, why does he have to come if they don't want him too?'
'It's time Dudley, we must be going,' said Mr. Weasley ignoring Harry's question and walking Dudley over to the brick wall.
'This should be good,' laughed Ron, coming to Harry's side.
They could see twenty feet away by the brick wall, Mr. Weasley hunching over just a bit to whisper into Dudley's ear, no doubt giving him instructions on how to get onto the platform.
Then, Dudley began to shake his head furiously.
Harry and Ron both chuckled.
Mr. Weasley bent again to talk, but Dudley shook his head and began to back away. It was going to get worse for Arthur because the Dursley began walking back toward him and Dudley.
'Come on you two, follow us,' said Mrs. Weasley, leading the rest of the Weasley family.
Harry was close enough now to hear a few words.
'You see, Mr. Dursley, all he has to do is take several steps backwards and run at full speed through the brick wall!'
Aunt Petunia gave a squeak.
'Harry, your his cousin, show him how.'
Harry, who has never been any kind of a teacher or role model for Dudley, wore his happiest of face and said, 'all you do is this.'
With that, Harry walked back about twenty feet from the platform and began a flat run.
As the wall came, he burst through and came out the other side, onto the sunlit platform-nine-and-three-quarters. He saw the steam pouring out the Hogwarts express as the Weasley twins burst through.
Followed by Ginny and then Ron.
'Where's Dudley?' asked Harry to Ron.
'He's putting up a good fight!' he said with a smile, as Molly Weasley came through.
'What's happening?' asked Harry.
'He tried to run away, then your Aunt nearly fainted when dad tugged on his arm rather hard.'
Just then, a screaming Dudley Dursley came flying through the air as if he had been thrown, through the brick wall and onto the floor.
Mr. Weasley came through as well, with a rather red face.
'Arthur! What did you do?'
'I couldn't take it anymore! I just picked him up and threw him in here!'
She gave him a scolding look, but it was the only way to get Dudley on the platform.
'Ah! Loutipia! Come now, here he is!' shouted Mr. Weasley.
Loutipia was a thin man, in his forties. He was wearing a cloak.
'This is the boy?' asked Loutipia.
'Yes, and this is my family, along with Harry Potter. Everyone, this is Alex Loutipia, he is with the department of overaged wizards, and he will be taking you cousin, Harry, to the... well the place that gives him that test.'
'Alright then, lets get on the train, nice meeting you all! Say goodbye to your cousin, Mr. Dursley.'
Dudley gave Harry a dirty look that said, 'good riddance', as was returned by Harry.
'Boy, I hope we don't sit near him on the train,' said Harry.
The Weasleys, along with Harry, walked to the door of the train, and said their good-byes to a very teary Mrs. Weasley, and a rather glum Mr. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley planted a kiss onto each of them, and they boarded the train.
'Ron, have you seen Hermione?' ask Harry.
'No, but she could be on it already... yeah! That's her over there, the one that has a book for a head.'
They walked over to Hermione, who had been reading a book, sitting in an empty compartment.
'Hey guys! How are you!' she said.
'Fine,' said Harry and Ron together.
'May I sit?' asked Ginny, pointing to an empty seat next to Harry. Harry nodded, and she sat.
'So, Harry, how did your cousin take platform-nine-and-three-quarters?' asked Hermione.
'Like a fish out of water,' replied Harry.
'Ron, your twin brother's are in their final year, do they have anything planned?'
Ron shrugged.
'What do they ever do? I'll expect them to try and pull some kind of prank on me... or get themselves expelled trying to put a prank on Snape in their final day, something outragous,' he laughed. Hermione didn't find this funny, she knew he was only joking.
'What's Percy up to?' she asked next.
'Just... doing his job I guess. He came over when Harry first stayed with us-'
'He thinks he is Minister of Magic!' exclaimed Fred, sticking his head in the compartment.
'He should be buying his bowler's hat in a few days,' said George, now poking his head in.
They all laughed.
The train began to roll along.
'Speaking of Minister of Magic, I wonder if Fudge has finally excepted the fact that Harry wasn't lying about you-know-who,' said Hermione.
'Yeah, well... Dumbledore will convince him!' said Ron, in a hopeless voice.
After a bit of chattering and laughing, the ride began to get boring, and Harry became very sleepy.
'I am very tired, I must take a nap, wake me when the food cart comes,' he said, moving to the other side of the compartment for he could stretch.
At least ten minutes later, he was out.
Ron, Ginny and Hermione were discussing what they had done over the summer.
'Well, me and my parents went on a little vacation, nothing fancy,' said Hermione.
'We didn't do anything special either,' said Ginny.
Within five minutes, the train was taking a rather long winding turn around the countryside, and it was still hours before they would arrive.
Just then, the compartment door opened a bit, and a thin, older woman appeared. She had white hair and a mad gleam in her eye.
Around her ankles, a cat roamed.
'Stay, Mr. Paws,' the lady said.
'Can we help you miss?' said Hermione.
'I have been going around the train, introducing myself.'
They stared at her, bewildered. They had never suspected that this mad looking woman was their new defense against the dark art's teacher.
'Oh, oh! Hello! Well, My name is Hermione Granger. This is Ron and Ginny Weasley, and over there is-'
'Yes... I know. HARRY POTTER!' she yelled, making them all jump.
Harry woke at this, and when he saw who was standing there looking at him, his jaw dropped.
'Harry! Bet you didn't expect to see me here, did you?'
Harry was speechless.
'Who are you?' asked Ron.
'She!... She's! I!' said Harry.
'Yes, what Harry is trying to say,' said the woman with a smile, 'is that I live just two streets down, and that he has visited my house many times on his cousin's birthday.'
'Mrs. Figg!' yelled Harry in bewildered disbelief.
'Yes, Arabella Figg. Your new defense against the dark arts teacher.'
