A/N: EVERYTHING BUT THE "PLOT" BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.
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Chapter FOUR: The Hogwarts Express and Beyond
As it had been the year before, the weather on September first was wet, giving the parched countryside a long, well-deserved drink. Harry pulled on his sweatshirt and went downstairs with Ron for a quick breakfast, the puddles outside the windows plunking heavily with raindrops and the formerly dry, crusted moss once again soaked with water.
Both of the twins were wolfing down toast and marmalade and Ginny was also at the table, spearing her eggs quickly. Harry and Ron sat down only to stand right up again.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!!" screeched Mrs. Weasley, pointing at her watch. "GET UPSTAIRS THIS INSTANT AND GRAB YOUR TRUNKS!!"
There was a sudden scuttling to get to the stairwell and Harry didn't even have time to snatch any toast before he was pushed up the steps by Ron. They arrived at the landing breathless and managed to haul their trunks back down, although Hedwig's cage was almost crushed. Just as they got downstairs a horn outside honked impatiently, and off they went again, Ginny thunking down the flight behind them with her luggage.
When everyone was inside the Ministry cars and their baggage had been safely stowed in back, the two vehicles started off for King's Cross. The traffic was especially bad today for some reason, and up in the passenger seat Mrs. Weasley sat nervously biting her thumb nail, her eyes constantly on her watch. They made it to the station with enough time though, and soon they had their trunks rolling through the platforms on carts.
Between nine and ten the group stopped and Fred went first through the wall, going at a run. George followed, then Harry and Ron, and finally Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, each of them trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. On the other side of the barrier Harry found the scarlet steam engine waiting for the last passengers to board. He hurriedly put Hedwig's cage in a compartment toward the back of the train then loaded his trunk on as well, finally sitting down, breathless, as the train whistle blew. Ron joined him soon after.
They both sat puffing, as they caught their breath, and Harry heard his stomach rumble, remembering his breakfast, or lack of one. He frowned at the thought that lunch would be quite a while from now.
Ron stood up. "Well, I'm going to find Hermione," he said, opening the compartment door. "You want to come?"
"Sure," Harry replied rather apathetically, thinking more about food. They left, peering through the windows to see if they could spot anyone that might know where Hermione was. Finally they found her, sitting with Parvati and Lavender, chatting happily away about her summer with Krum.
Hermione looked up when the door slid open. "Oh hello Ron, Harry! I was just telling Parvati and Lavender about . . . Oh never mind, then," she said, blushing furiously. Ron was glaring at her and she avoided his eyes as she got up. "Goodbye!" she said to the two girls. "I'll see you at the Feast!"
They left and Ron walked quite fast, leaving Hermione and Harry in his wake. As soon as they got to the compartment Harry expected him to burst out savagely at Hermione, but instead he only sat down and ignored her.
"D'you want to play a game of Exploding Snap, Harry?" he asked, brandishing a pack of cards.
Harry nodded. "Hermione?" Harry asked her, narrowing his eyes at Ron. Hermione, however, shook her head and looked out the window, so the game started.
Lunchtime arrived and by then both friends had calmed down. Ron even helped carry some of Hermione's food back from the cart, and Hermione smiled and accepted when he offered her a Chocolate Frog. Harry, however, didn't pay much attention, as he was so engulfed in his meal.
The rest of the trip passed uneventfully, an occasional friend dropping by to say hello from the summer's gap. Harry, quite happily, did not see any sign of Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle, and he rather hoped to keep it that way. Eventually, too, the clouds disappeared, leaving a sunset of blazing red behind the mountains and a reflection of pink off the rock walls. Soon all that was visible were the bright, twinkling stars and the navy stretch of sky as it covered the earth like a heavy blanket.
The train stopped at its station at Hogsmeade and Harry yawned and got out of his seat. As usual when he stepped outside, he heard Hagrid's voice booming out over the crowd of heads to greet the first years.
"Firs' years, firs' years!" it called, and as Harry passed the lantern-lit figure to get to the carriages, Hagrid waved at him. "Harry! Yeh'll get a big surprise when yeh get to the castle – it's not exactly how Dumbledore wanted it or anythin' but it'll do fine. Jus' be sure that yeh stick close to Ron and Hermione, alrigh'?"
"Alright, Hagrid," said Harry with curiosity as he waved goodbye.
Harry got into a carriage with Hermione and Ron and they only waited a short time before starting off, heading toward Hogwarts.
"A surprise...." said Harry, wondering aloud. "You don't think it's a kind of magical creature do you?"
"I bet it's a whole lot of Blast-Ended Skrewts," said Ron glumly. "Knowing Hagrid...You know this is probably what he was talking about, when he said he was going to work on something over the summer, with Madame Maxime."
"I rather think that's a different matter, although I could be wrong...." said Hermione.
"Yeah, great, Hermione," Ron replied sarcastically. He was still glaring into the darkness, probably waiting for an explosion to occur somewhere behind the trees.
The coaches moved constantly on, and then suddenly stopped. Ron, Harry, and Hermione stayed in silence for a moment, then Harry opened the door to see what had caused the trouble. He was not alone. Along the entire line of carriages, heads were peeping out and looking around. Nothing seemed to be wrong, except that the whole procession of the black, horseless vehicles had come to a halt.
Harry dropped onto solid ground. "I'm going to go see what the matter is," he said. Just as he was about to start off for the front of the line, Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified, came through.
"Stay in your carriages please, as they will be starting again in a few moments," it said. Harry raised his eyebrows but got back inside.
"I wonder..." he said curiously, sitting back down.
The coaches did indeed continue in a matter of minutes, and Harry sat back and relaxed.
Without warning, there came screams and shouts from ahead of them. Harry sat up straight, and looked quickly through the window, but not fast enough. The yells turned into mere echoes before he could see properly, and when he DID look, everything appeared normal – the carriages were all steadily moving up the road toward the castle entrance.
"What's going on, Harry?" asked Hermione anxiously. She couldn't see from where she was sitting.
"I'm not sure," he said, squinting hard. There came another wave of screams which were instantly mirrored...Harry saw a carriage pass through the gates of Hogwarts. "What the....?" said Harry, gaping.
Ripples had appeared in the clear air and had bounced away as the carriage went entirely through the gates. It reminded Harry of a stone being dropped into water, the stone still visible as it traveled on, leaving only ripples behind.
At this Ron peeped out the other window and Hermione got out of her seat to join him.
The next carriage was almost to the invisible wall, which seemed to start at the gate. Harry saw Malfoy's stunned face just as the coach went through, and he heard Ron and Hermione gasp at what they saw. "What WAS that?" asked Ron, his eyes as big as saucers.
Hermione looked speechless. She sat down again, thought for a moment, then just shook her head. "I don't know," she said.
No one said anything else, and when Harry looked out the window again, he found that they were only a few carriages away from the gates.
"Alright," said Ron, looking scared. "Well it can't be that bad. They – " he gulped " – made it to the other side, after all."
Harry just looked straight ahead, then sat down without saying anything. The other two did the same, and together they waited for what was bound to happen.
The first intimation that Harry had of what it was like to go through the barrier came when the front of the carriage plunged into it. All of a sudden there WAS no front of the carriage, only a gigantic cloud of color that seemed to swirl endlessly, and before Harry knew it, he was inside it.
Roaring sound filled his ears – freezing water flew around him – he felt as if he was moving backward very rapidly, but that didn't make sense because he knew the carriage was taking him forward – he couldn't hear Ron and Hermione's yells – couldn't hear his own –
Without warning Harry landed back on the carriage seat. He looked around him and sure enough, Hermione and Ron were sitting opposite him, and outside the coach was moving on uphill.
"What – was that?" said Ron, clutching his heart with a pained expression
Harry felt dazed, but he seemed to recall something like this happening to him before. "I think I remember...." he said, cutting off...he couldn't quite put his finger on it.....
"We've gone back in time," said Hermione as though she'd just had a light turned on in her head. "It's only that – Dumbledore – he's done it! He's – well, never mind, he'll tell you at the Feast of course," she said.
"He's done what?" asked Ron, who was beginning to look like a cornered mouse. "You mean to tell me that he's sent us back – how far has he...?" Ron was pale as a sheet but Hermione gave him an unsympathetic look.
"Oh, stop that! He's done it for a good reason, and it's nothing to be afraid of!" she said rather impatiently.
Ron swallowed. "Right," he said.
"But this can't be the same as before – with Sirius...." said Harry, puzzled.
"It's not. It must be an enchantment over the whole castle or something like that," Hermione answered.
Harry tried to continue. "But why – "
"Dumbledore will tell you," she said quickly, and looked out the window.
They were soon stopped at the doors of Hogwarts, and exited the carriage along with the rest of the dazed students. The three climbed the stone steps to the entrance hall warily. Just after they gotten inside, however, Harry heard an all-too-familiar voice sound behind him.
"Hey Potter, how have you been over the holiday? Bet you're keen on getting some publicity now that you have a fan club again!"
Harry turned around and, sure enough, Malfoy stood leering at him with Crabbe and Goyle on either side.
"Stuff it, Malfoy," growled Ron, turning back to wait for the throng to move into the Great Hall.
"Stay out of this, filth," Malfoy sneered, shooting a withering glance at Ron, who whirled around and stepped forward.
"Say that one more time, Malfoy, and you'll have so many bruises on you, you'll never show your face in public again," he said.
Malfoy ignored him. "Well, if I were you, Potter, I wouldn't have even STARTED handing out signed photos if I had that tatoo of a scar on my head...practically takes up the whole of yours, doesn't it? But then, who could possibly bear to look at that rubbish pile you call a face totally mystifies me....."
Before Ron and Harry could even lunge forward, an earthworm the size of Harry's arm suddenly dropped from above and landed directly on Malfoy's head.
"What – " was all that Malfoy managed to get out before the worm wriggled down his neck and twisted itself around his face. Malfoy's hands flew up to try and pull it off but it seemed to be secreting a sticky substance, and soon his hands were attached too. The worm had managed to elongate itself so that it covered his entire head, neck and shoulders, and Malfoy began to run around wildly, Crabbe and Goyle chasing after him, until he smacked straight into the banister of the marble staircase. Crabbe and Goyle tried to stop before they slammed into him, but their bulk would not allow it. They both collided with Malfoy, stuck to him, and all three fell to the floor, thrashing.
Everyone was laughing. Despite the rather frightening entrance into the school, it was irresistible to anyone but Professor Snape.
Snape himself hurried down the staircase and offered a hand to Draco. He muttered something and the earthworm shrank suddenly and landed on the floor with a splat, then the professor looked around at the abruptly silent crowd of students.
"Who did this?!" he demanded loudly.
No one responded but Malfoy, who had bright yellow mucus covering his entire face. "It was Potter! He threw the worm on me!" he said.
"Is this true?" Snape asked of Crabbe and Goyle, totally ignoring Harry. They nodded dumbly.
"It is not!" cried Harry, glaring at them.
"Potter, you are in no place to tell me what is true and what isn't," Snape growled. Then, more quietly, he added, "I'm sure that bit with the carriages must have upset your memory...."
Harry opened his mouth in anger but Dumbledore was already at the foot of the staircase. "Is there a problem?" he asked mildly.
"No, Professor,"said Snape silkily. "It's just that Potter – "
Dumbledore held up his hand. "One moment, Severus," he said, then addressed the crowd. "Everyone into the Great Hall, please!"
Those who had gathered around disappointedly filed into the other room, muttering to themselves. When there was once again a steady flow of the arriving students, Dumbledore continued.
"Now, I believe there has been a mistake, as I don't think Mr. Potter can fly without a broomstick. Unless I'm quite wrong, the worm came from above, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did, Professor," said Hermione, her wide eyes truthful.
"But – " said Malfoy, however Snape cut him off.
"If that is so, Miss Granger, would you care to explain exactly WHO could have done it?" he said, snarling.
"I-I don't know," she stuttered.
"Well," said Dumbledore lightly, "I don't think we need to worry about who it was, just as long as Mr. Malfoy is unharmed. I'm sure the boys can find their way to the hospital wing to get cleaned up. Off to the Feast, then!" he concluded.
"But Professor Dumbledore, surely you don't want to let a guilty student go free, especially after Mr. Malfoy has just been through such a shocking experience as – "
"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore more sternly. "That will do." Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, trailed by a seething Snape, and Harry couldn't help noticing the headmaster's twitching mustache as he left.
He and Ron were about to follow them when Hermione said that she had to go somewhere.
"Not to the library?" said Ron as she left, making her way through the crowd.
"I don't think so," answered Harry. He dismissed it and entered the Great Hall, then found a spot at the Gryffindor table. Strangely, Fred and George were missing also....
A few minutes passed and Hermione joined them again, looking flushed and excited. "Where'd you go?" Ron asked her, puzzled.
Before she could answer, though, the hall got quiet as the first years filed in. Harry had never seen a set that looked so terrified, but, as usual, they lined up facing the older students. Professor McGonagall carried in the stool and Sorting Hat and placed the pair in front of the staff table. Harry watched and waited, and sure enough...
"I'm not the best that best can be
In terms of dressing hats, you see.
But if you find a smarter hat
I'll prove you wrong, be sure of that.
For I'm the Sorting Hat of old,
Legends, myths, do I hold.
But also judgement which you will
Be subjected: Where to fill?
You could be a Gryffindor
Whose brav'ry heightens them for score.
Or a gentle Hufflepuff
Working hard they don't find rough.
Two houses down and now two plus
I'll tell you here and tell you thus:
Perhaps a Ravenclaw would match
For clever ones this house would snatch.
Or finally a Slytherin
The cunning, ambitious make it in.
All these houses, founders four
Promised students wisdom pour.
And yet there to this very day
Hogwarts stays without decay.
The vow of magic knowledge still
Fresh alive, with learning will.
So don't be scared to try me out
For you won't get a painful bout.
Put me on, the choice I'll make
To see the house that you will take."
A pause after the Sorting Hat had finished, and then the Great Hall sounded with applause, though less enthusiastic than usual. After it had died down, Professor McGonagall again stepped forward.
"You will come out and sit on the stool when I call your name, then I will put the Sorting Hat on your head," she told the first years. "After you have been sorted, you will take your seat with the appropriate House." And with that, she produced the list of names from the depths of her robe, adjusted her glasses, and began to read. "Ackalade, Jacob!" she called, and a small boy with black hair and freckles reluctantly made his way to the stool. Professor McGonagall waited until he had sat on the chair, and then set the Sorting Hat on his head. As always, it slipped down and covered his face. A short wait and then –
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Sorting Hat. The Hufflepuff table brightened suddenly at having the first new student of the term, and they gave him a warm welcome....
"Anderson, Kathleen!" called Professor McGonagall.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table clamored up and down its length as Kathleen took her seat.
"Burnes, Amanda!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Someone hissed Amanda as she sat down; only then did Harry notice that Fred and George had appeared, for some reason looking very satisfied....
Cobb, Rebecca became a Hufflepuff and Douglas, Mortimer joined the Slytherin table. Just as Greickor, Stefan was being pronounced a Ravenclaw, Harry saw Cho for the first time since last year. She looked different somehow; not as happy as she had been. He looked away...it was HIS fault that she looked like that – from Cedric....
Jeppson, Hilary sat down with the Hufflepuffs, and Kitch, Nathan was put with the Ravenclaws. Harry looked up at the enchanted ceiling, which was a deep, twinkling blue. He gazed around at the congregation of students, and noticed Nearly Headless Nick sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table. For some reason, the ghost looked more pronounced than usual; quite bright against the black robes of everyone else.
Stromwick, Lawrence became a Slytherin, and then after a few more first years, Williams, Jessica was pronounced Gryffindor. Ron leaned over to Harry and shouted through the cheering, "We haven't got many new ones this year in our House, have we?" Harry shook his head with a slight frown, but didn't have a chance to reply, as Dumbledore stood from the center chair.
"A new year," said the headmaster gravely. "I have no doubt that it will bring surprises, as it already has for you entering the school. You are all probably wondering what happened when you passed the gates, and went through that interesting transformation.
"Last year, after Cedric Diggory was killed, our faculty had a meeting, and decided that some measure had to be taken to prevent, as best we could, something like that from happening again. We concluded from past experience that Dementors are not a safe option, and so we took a more drastic step. We agreed to put up a kind of barrier against the things outside of Hogwarts. This barrier is only opened three times a year: the beginning of term, Christmas, and the end of term. All mail has to be scanned first, but owls are free to pass. And I'm afraid, due to complications with the villagers of Hogsmeade, that weekend trips have been canceled."
At this, a breathless but outraged rumbling came from the students. Fred and George gazed at Dumbledore as if he was absolutely out of his mind. The Slytherins looked mutinous.
Professor Snape stood up and looked around at everyone with a strange expression on his face that Harry had rarely seen before. There was something angry, but just in his voice; a very odd combination for someone like Snape. He spoke louder than Harry had ever heard him do. "Would you rather be protected or in danger? The Ministry of Magic is unhappy about this as it is, and you all find yourselves forgetting the reason for which these precautions have been taken. The Death Eaters are coming back; every one of you is quite aware of that. Should you be so careless as to shun the rules, just so that you can find yourselves in a mess, Dumbledore has warned you. If by some way it is possible that you disobey this warning, do not blame him for the consequences. You do not know the depth of this matter."
Snape sat down again, and the entire hall was silent, rather in awe at his out-of-character words. It also seemed to impress upon the students that this was not a joking matter.
Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "The Barrier is quite unusual, and has aspects that are very interesting, if you will give me a moment to explain them. We are all, at this moment, inside a dome-like bubble, as you have probably guessed. The dome encompasses the Hogwarts grounds, but no farther. The most peculiar thing about this Barrier, however, is that it supports a different time than outside of its boundaries. That is to say, we are in a different time than the outside world; we have gone exactly seven years into the past – "
At this, a gigantic outcry, followed by loud talking, washed up from the assembled students, and mostly everyone but Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked surprised. Some people had even gone into hysterics.
"You may be wondering why, then, the PEOPLE from seven years ago are not here," continued Dumbledore in a loud voice, "It is simply because this spell excludes them.
"What happens when someone hits the Barrier, then? From both the inside and the outside, the wall is invisible, and whenever someone touches it, it only feels like something solid. From the outside, however, it is impossible to see what is happening within the Barrier. For example, if a passer-by from Hogsmeade happens to travel by Hogwarts, he will only see the castle in its untouched form. Any person out on the lawns, playing Quidditch, or anything of that sort, is unseen. The only time there is an exception to that is when the Barrier is open to cross. We, however, from the inside, have the capability to watch anything on the outside. Therefore, if you spot someone strange continually lurking outside the Barrier, we ask you to alert a staff member immediately.
"We would also like to inform you that no correspondence about the Barrier, outside of school and through mail, will be tolerated. As I have mentioned, all mail will be scanned by magic.
"Now, on to a lighter note. We have a new staff member this term, taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Figg.
Harry sat staring hard as he looked up at the staff table, where Professor Figg was beaming out at the sea of applauding students. She looked particularly familiar, and that name...Figg. ARABELLA FIGG. The old lady he had stayed with when the Dursleys had gone on vacation! She was – she was a witch! And what was more, she was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!
"Ron!" said Harry, jabbing him in the ribs. "That's my old neighbor from the Dursleys! I didn't even know she was a witch!"
Ron looked at Harry strangely. "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.
"Yeah!" Harry said, nodding vigorously.
Ron shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Coincidence," he said, as Dumbledore started to continue.
"The Forbidden Forest is off-limits, as usual. Also, Mr. Filch has advised that anyone entering the castle this year with muddy feet is expected to scrub an entire floor, which floor to be assigned on penalization, and including classrooms." Dumbledore's beard twitched. "Now, I trust that we are all hungry. Let the feast begin!"
And with that, the golden plates filled around them, and Harry immediately dished himself some steak and kidney pie. No one, however, seemed in their usual rush to eat. It was quite understandable, considering they had just been told that they were actually seven years in the past. Within ten minutes, however, the usual buzz of the Great Hall was back in full swing.
After dinner had been cleared away, dessert eaten, and the plates wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. "And now to bed, after an excellent meal, if I do say so myself," he said.
The students got up from their seats and Hermione seemed particularly eager to go.
"You never told us where you went before dinner," said Ron, sensing something different.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall," Hermione told him.
"For what?" he asked, getting more and more curious.
"I – I was sent a letter over the summer asking me to be a prefect," she said quickly. Harry hadn't noticed the silver badge before, and he realized that she must have pinned it to her robes just before dinner.
"Congratu – " started Harry, but was cut off by Ron.
"WHAT?" he said, scowling at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well...er...because," she said, blushing.
"Why didn't you sit with the prefects in the front of the train then?" he asked moodily.
"Because I don't think it's right to flaunt those things," she told him hurriedly. "I have to go show the first years to the common room. The new password is 'Marzipan,'" she told them. And with that, she left.
Ron glared after her. "Honestly, she can TELL us these things..."
"Why does it matter to you if she waited?" asked Harry, making his way up the marble staircase. He was starting to get tired of Ron's pessimism toward Hermione.
"I don't know...it just does," he said, frowning at the steps as he marched up them.
They went the rest of the way to the common room with the other Gryffindors, and then Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville continued up to their dormitory. They entered, the sign on the door now saying "Fifth Years."
Their minds were all too full to talk as they changed into their pajamas, so Harry only said, "Night, Ron," before he pulled the hangings on his four-poster shut.
"G'night," responded Ron, through a yawn.
Harry lay in bed, thinking about the Barrier. It was such a big change, and now they would never get to go to Hogsmeade again, except for when they got off the Hogwarts Express. But it was all for the better, he told himself. Everyone would be much safer, and it was still Hogwarts. And nothing could ever change that, he thought contentedly.
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A/N: THANKS FOR READING...MAY I ADD THAT IT IS VERY SAD NOT TO GET ANY REVIEWS, AS I EXPERIENCED LAST TIME I POSTED A CHAPTER. PLEASE, DO ME A FAVOR (WHICH YOU ALREADY HAVE BY READING) AND REVIEW. THERE'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY THAT I WON'T POST NEXT TIME, IF I DON'T GET ANY FEEDBACK.
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Chapter FOUR: The Hogwarts Express and Beyond
As it had been the year before, the weather on September first was wet, giving the parched countryside a long, well-deserved drink. Harry pulled on his sweatshirt and went downstairs with Ron for a quick breakfast, the puddles outside the windows plunking heavily with raindrops and the formerly dry, crusted moss once again soaked with water.
Both of the twins were wolfing down toast and marmalade and Ginny was also at the table, spearing her eggs quickly. Harry and Ron sat down only to stand right up again.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!!" screeched Mrs. Weasley, pointing at her watch. "GET UPSTAIRS THIS INSTANT AND GRAB YOUR TRUNKS!!"
There was a sudden scuttling to get to the stairwell and Harry didn't even have time to snatch any toast before he was pushed up the steps by Ron. They arrived at the landing breathless and managed to haul their trunks back down, although Hedwig's cage was almost crushed. Just as they got downstairs a horn outside honked impatiently, and off they went again, Ginny thunking down the flight behind them with her luggage.
When everyone was inside the Ministry cars and their baggage had been safely stowed in back, the two vehicles started off for King's Cross. The traffic was especially bad today for some reason, and up in the passenger seat Mrs. Weasley sat nervously biting her thumb nail, her eyes constantly on her watch. They made it to the station with enough time though, and soon they had their trunks rolling through the platforms on carts.
Between nine and ten the group stopped and Fred went first through the wall, going at a run. George followed, then Harry and Ron, and finally Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, each of them trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. On the other side of the barrier Harry found the scarlet steam engine waiting for the last passengers to board. He hurriedly put Hedwig's cage in a compartment toward the back of the train then loaded his trunk on as well, finally sitting down, breathless, as the train whistle blew. Ron joined him soon after.
They both sat puffing, as they caught their breath, and Harry heard his stomach rumble, remembering his breakfast, or lack of one. He frowned at the thought that lunch would be quite a while from now.
Ron stood up. "Well, I'm going to find Hermione," he said, opening the compartment door. "You want to come?"
"Sure," Harry replied rather apathetically, thinking more about food. They left, peering through the windows to see if they could spot anyone that might know where Hermione was. Finally they found her, sitting with Parvati and Lavender, chatting happily away about her summer with Krum.
Hermione looked up when the door slid open. "Oh hello Ron, Harry! I was just telling Parvati and Lavender about . . . Oh never mind, then," she said, blushing furiously. Ron was glaring at her and she avoided his eyes as she got up. "Goodbye!" she said to the two girls. "I'll see you at the Feast!"
They left and Ron walked quite fast, leaving Hermione and Harry in his wake. As soon as they got to the compartment Harry expected him to burst out savagely at Hermione, but instead he only sat down and ignored her.
"D'you want to play a game of Exploding Snap, Harry?" he asked, brandishing a pack of cards.
Harry nodded. "Hermione?" Harry asked her, narrowing his eyes at Ron. Hermione, however, shook her head and looked out the window, so the game started.
Lunchtime arrived and by then both friends had calmed down. Ron even helped carry some of Hermione's food back from the cart, and Hermione smiled and accepted when he offered her a Chocolate Frog. Harry, however, didn't pay much attention, as he was so engulfed in his meal.
The rest of the trip passed uneventfully, an occasional friend dropping by to say hello from the summer's gap. Harry, quite happily, did not see any sign of Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle, and he rather hoped to keep it that way. Eventually, too, the clouds disappeared, leaving a sunset of blazing red behind the mountains and a reflection of pink off the rock walls. Soon all that was visible were the bright, twinkling stars and the navy stretch of sky as it covered the earth like a heavy blanket.
The train stopped at its station at Hogsmeade and Harry yawned and got out of his seat. As usual when he stepped outside, he heard Hagrid's voice booming out over the crowd of heads to greet the first years.
"Firs' years, firs' years!" it called, and as Harry passed the lantern-lit figure to get to the carriages, Hagrid waved at him. "Harry! Yeh'll get a big surprise when yeh get to the castle – it's not exactly how Dumbledore wanted it or anythin' but it'll do fine. Jus' be sure that yeh stick close to Ron and Hermione, alrigh'?"
"Alright, Hagrid," said Harry with curiosity as he waved goodbye.
Harry got into a carriage with Hermione and Ron and they only waited a short time before starting off, heading toward Hogwarts.
"A surprise...." said Harry, wondering aloud. "You don't think it's a kind of magical creature do you?"
"I bet it's a whole lot of Blast-Ended Skrewts," said Ron glumly. "Knowing Hagrid...You know this is probably what he was talking about, when he said he was going to work on something over the summer, with Madame Maxime."
"I rather think that's a different matter, although I could be wrong...." said Hermione.
"Yeah, great, Hermione," Ron replied sarcastically. He was still glaring into the darkness, probably waiting for an explosion to occur somewhere behind the trees.
The coaches moved constantly on, and then suddenly stopped. Ron, Harry, and Hermione stayed in silence for a moment, then Harry opened the door to see what had caused the trouble. He was not alone. Along the entire line of carriages, heads were peeping out and looking around. Nothing seemed to be wrong, except that the whole procession of the black, horseless vehicles had come to a halt.
Harry dropped onto solid ground. "I'm going to go see what the matter is," he said. Just as he was about to start off for the front of the line, Professor McGonagall's voice, magically magnified, came through.
"Stay in your carriages please, as they will be starting again in a few moments," it said. Harry raised his eyebrows but got back inside.
"I wonder..." he said curiously, sitting back down.
The coaches did indeed continue in a matter of minutes, and Harry sat back and relaxed.
Without warning, there came screams and shouts from ahead of them. Harry sat up straight, and looked quickly through the window, but not fast enough. The yells turned into mere echoes before he could see properly, and when he DID look, everything appeared normal – the carriages were all steadily moving up the road toward the castle entrance.
"What's going on, Harry?" asked Hermione anxiously. She couldn't see from where she was sitting.
"I'm not sure," he said, squinting hard. There came another wave of screams which were instantly mirrored...Harry saw a carriage pass through the gates of Hogwarts. "What the....?" said Harry, gaping.
Ripples had appeared in the clear air and had bounced away as the carriage went entirely through the gates. It reminded Harry of a stone being dropped into water, the stone still visible as it traveled on, leaving only ripples behind.
At this Ron peeped out the other window and Hermione got out of her seat to join him.
The next carriage was almost to the invisible wall, which seemed to start at the gate. Harry saw Malfoy's stunned face just as the coach went through, and he heard Ron and Hermione gasp at what they saw. "What WAS that?" asked Ron, his eyes as big as saucers.
Hermione looked speechless. She sat down again, thought for a moment, then just shook her head. "I don't know," she said.
No one said anything else, and when Harry looked out the window again, he found that they were only a few carriages away from the gates.
"Alright," said Ron, looking scared. "Well it can't be that bad. They – " he gulped " – made it to the other side, after all."
Harry just looked straight ahead, then sat down without saying anything. The other two did the same, and together they waited for what was bound to happen.
The first intimation that Harry had of what it was like to go through the barrier came when the front of the carriage plunged into it. All of a sudden there WAS no front of the carriage, only a gigantic cloud of color that seemed to swirl endlessly, and before Harry knew it, he was inside it.
Roaring sound filled his ears – freezing water flew around him – he felt as if he was moving backward very rapidly, but that didn't make sense because he knew the carriage was taking him forward – he couldn't hear Ron and Hermione's yells – couldn't hear his own –
Without warning Harry landed back on the carriage seat. He looked around him and sure enough, Hermione and Ron were sitting opposite him, and outside the coach was moving on uphill.
"What – was that?" said Ron, clutching his heart with a pained expression
Harry felt dazed, but he seemed to recall something like this happening to him before. "I think I remember...." he said, cutting off...he couldn't quite put his finger on it.....
"We've gone back in time," said Hermione as though she'd just had a light turned on in her head. "It's only that – Dumbledore – he's done it! He's – well, never mind, he'll tell you at the Feast of course," she said.
"He's done what?" asked Ron, who was beginning to look like a cornered mouse. "You mean to tell me that he's sent us back – how far has he...?" Ron was pale as a sheet but Hermione gave him an unsympathetic look.
"Oh, stop that! He's done it for a good reason, and it's nothing to be afraid of!" she said rather impatiently.
Ron swallowed. "Right," he said.
"But this can't be the same as before – with Sirius...." said Harry, puzzled.
"It's not. It must be an enchantment over the whole castle or something like that," Hermione answered.
Harry tried to continue. "But why – "
"Dumbledore will tell you," she said quickly, and looked out the window.
They were soon stopped at the doors of Hogwarts, and exited the carriage along with the rest of the dazed students. The three climbed the stone steps to the entrance hall warily. Just after they gotten inside, however, Harry heard an all-too-familiar voice sound behind him.
"Hey Potter, how have you been over the holiday? Bet you're keen on getting some publicity now that you have a fan club again!"
Harry turned around and, sure enough, Malfoy stood leering at him with Crabbe and Goyle on either side.
"Stuff it, Malfoy," growled Ron, turning back to wait for the throng to move into the Great Hall.
"Stay out of this, filth," Malfoy sneered, shooting a withering glance at Ron, who whirled around and stepped forward.
"Say that one more time, Malfoy, and you'll have so many bruises on you, you'll never show your face in public again," he said.
Malfoy ignored him. "Well, if I were you, Potter, I wouldn't have even STARTED handing out signed photos if I had that tatoo of a scar on my head...practically takes up the whole of yours, doesn't it? But then, who could possibly bear to look at that rubbish pile you call a face totally mystifies me....."
Before Ron and Harry could even lunge forward, an earthworm the size of Harry's arm suddenly dropped from above and landed directly on Malfoy's head.
"What – " was all that Malfoy managed to get out before the worm wriggled down his neck and twisted itself around his face. Malfoy's hands flew up to try and pull it off but it seemed to be secreting a sticky substance, and soon his hands were attached too. The worm had managed to elongate itself so that it covered his entire head, neck and shoulders, and Malfoy began to run around wildly, Crabbe and Goyle chasing after him, until he smacked straight into the banister of the marble staircase. Crabbe and Goyle tried to stop before they slammed into him, but their bulk would not allow it. They both collided with Malfoy, stuck to him, and all three fell to the floor, thrashing.
Everyone was laughing. Despite the rather frightening entrance into the school, it was irresistible to anyone but Professor Snape.
Snape himself hurried down the staircase and offered a hand to Draco. He muttered something and the earthworm shrank suddenly and landed on the floor with a splat, then the professor looked around at the abruptly silent crowd of students.
"Who did this?!" he demanded loudly.
No one responded but Malfoy, who had bright yellow mucus covering his entire face. "It was Potter! He threw the worm on me!" he said.
"Is this true?" Snape asked of Crabbe and Goyle, totally ignoring Harry. They nodded dumbly.
"It is not!" cried Harry, glaring at them.
"Potter, you are in no place to tell me what is true and what isn't," Snape growled. Then, more quietly, he added, "I'm sure that bit with the carriages must have upset your memory...."
Harry opened his mouth in anger but Dumbledore was already at the foot of the staircase. "Is there a problem?" he asked mildly.
"No, Professor,"said Snape silkily. "It's just that Potter – "
Dumbledore held up his hand. "One moment, Severus," he said, then addressed the crowd. "Everyone into the Great Hall, please!"
Those who had gathered around disappointedly filed into the other room, muttering to themselves. When there was once again a steady flow of the arriving students, Dumbledore continued.
"Now, I believe there has been a mistake, as I don't think Mr. Potter can fly without a broomstick. Unless I'm quite wrong, the worm came from above, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did, Professor," said Hermione, her wide eyes truthful.
"But – " said Malfoy, however Snape cut him off.
"If that is so, Miss Granger, would you care to explain exactly WHO could have done it?" he said, snarling.
"I-I don't know," she stuttered.
"Well," said Dumbledore lightly, "I don't think we need to worry about who it was, just as long as Mr. Malfoy is unharmed. I'm sure the boys can find their way to the hospital wing to get cleaned up. Off to the Feast, then!" he concluded.
"But Professor Dumbledore, surely you don't want to let a guilty student go free, especially after Mr. Malfoy has just been through such a shocking experience as – "
"Thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore more sternly. "That will do." Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, trailed by a seething Snape, and Harry couldn't help noticing the headmaster's twitching mustache as he left.
He and Ron were about to follow them when Hermione said that she had to go somewhere.
"Not to the library?" said Ron as she left, making her way through the crowd.
"I don't think so," answered Harry. He dismissed it and entered the Great Hall, then found a spot at the Gryffindor table. Strangely, Fred and George were missing also....
A few minutes passed and Hermione joined them again, looking flushed and excited. "Where'd you go?" Ron asked her, puzzled.
Before she could answer, though, the hall got quiet as the first years filed in. Harry had never seen a set that looked so terrified, but, as usual, they lined up facing the older students. Professor McGonagall carried in the stool and Sorting Hat and placed the pair in front of the staff table. Harry watched and waited, and sure enough...
"I'm not the best that best can be
In terms of dressing hats, you see.
But if you find a smarter hat
I'll prove you wrong, be sure of that.
For I'm the Sorting Hat of old,
Legends, myths, do I hold.
But also judgement which you will
Be subjected: Where to fill?
You could be a Gryffindor
Whose brav'ry heightens them for score.
Or a gentle Hufflepuff
Working hard they don't find rough.
Two houses down and now two plus
I'll tell you here and tell you thus:
Perhaps a Ravenclaw would match
For clever ones this house would snatch.
Or finally a Slytherin
The cunning, ambitious make it in.
All these houses, founders four
Promised students wisdom pour.
And yet there to this very day
Hogwarts stays without decay.
The vow of magic knowledge still
Fresh alive, with learning will.
So don't be scared to try me out
For you won't get a painful bout.
Put me on, the choice I'll make
To see the house that you will take."
A pause after the Sorting Hat had finished, and then the Great Hall sounded with applause, though less enthusiastic than usual. After it had died down, Professor McGonagall again stepped forward.
"You will come out and sit on the stool when I call your name, then I will put the Sorting Hat on your head," she told the first years. "After you have been sorted, you will take your seat with the appropriate House." And with that, she produced the list of names from the depths of her robe, adjusted her glasses, and began to read. "Ackalade, Jacob!" she called, and a small boy with black hair and freckles reluctantly made his way to the stool. Professor McGonagall waited until he had sat on the chair, and then set the Sorting Hat on his head. As always, it slipped down and covered his face. A short wait and then –
"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the Sorting Hat. The Hufflepuff table brightened suddenly at having the first new student of the term, and they gave him a warm welcome....
"Anderson, Kathleen!" called Professor McGonagall.
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table clamored up and down its length as Kathleen took her seat.
"Burnes, Amanda!"
"SLYTHERIN!"
Someone hissed Amanda as she sat down; only then did Harry notice that Fred and George had appeared, for some reason looking very satisfied....
Cobb, Rebecca became a Hufflepuff and Douglas, Mortimer joined the Slytherin table. Just as Greickor, Stefan was being pronounced a Ravenclaw, Harry saw Cho for the first time since last year. She looked different somehow; not as happy as she had been. He looked away...it was HIS fault that she looked like that – from Cedric....
Jeppson, Hilary sat down with the Hufflepuffs, and Kitch, Nathan was put with the Ravenclaws. Harry looked up at the enchanted ceiling, which was a deep, twinkling blue. He gazed around at the congregation of students, and noticed Nearly Headless Nick sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table. For some reason, the ghost looked more pronounced than usual; quite bright against the black robes of everyone else.
Stromwick, Lawrence became a Slytherin, and then after a few more first years, Williams, Jessica was pronounced Gryffindor. Ron leaned over to Harry and shouted through the cheering, "We haven't got many new ones this year in our House, have we?" Harry shook his head with a slight frown, but didn't have a chance to reply, as Dumbledore stood from the center chair.
"A new year," said the headmaster gravely. "I have no doubt that it will bring surprises, as it already has for you entering the school. You are all probably wondering what happened when you passed the gates, and went through that interesting transformation.
"Last year, after Cedric Diggory was killed, our faculty had a meeting, and decided that some measure had to be taken to prevent, as best we could, something like that from happening again. We concluded from past experience that Dementors are not a safe option, and so we took a more drastic step. We agreed to put up a kind of barrier against the things outside of Hogwarts. This barrier is only opened three times a year: the beginning of term, Christmas, and the end of term. All mail has to be scanned first, but owls are free to pass. And I'm afraid, due to complications with the villagers of Hogsmeade, that weekend trips have been canceled."
At this, a breathless but outraged rumbling came from the students. Fred and George gazed at Dumbledore as if he was absolutely out of his mind. The Slytherins looked mutinous.
Professor Snape stood up and looked around at everyone with a strange expression on his face that Harry had rarely seen before. There was something angry, but just in his voice; a very odd combination for someone like Snape. He spoke louder than Harry had ever heard him do. "Would you rather be protected or in danger? The Ministry of Magic is unhappy about this as it is, and you all find yourselves forgetting the reason for which these precautions have been taken. The Death Eaters are coming back; every one of you is quite aware of that. Should you be so careless as to shun the rules, just so that you can find yourselves in a mess, Dumbledore has warned you. If by some way it is possible that you disobey this warning, do not blame him for the consequences. You do not know the depth of this matter."
Snape sat down again, and the entire hall was silent, rather in awe at his out-of-character words. It also seemed to impress upon the students that this was not a joking matter.
Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "The Barrier is quite unusual, and has aspects that are very interesting, if you will give me a moment to explain them. We are all, at this moment, inside a dome-like bubble, as you have probably guessed. The dome encompasses the Hogwarts grounds, but no farther. The most peculiar thing about this Barrier, however, is that it supports a different time than outside of its boundaries. That is to say, we are in a different time than the outside world; we have gone exactly seven years into the past – "
At this, a gigantic outcry, followed by loud talking, washed up from the assembled students, and mostly everyone but Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked surprised. Some people had even gone into hysterics.
"You may be wondering why, then, the PEOPLE from seven years ago are not here," continued Dumbledore in a loud voice, "It is simply because this spell excludes them.
"What happens when someone hits the Barrier, then? From both the inside and the outside, the wall is invisible, and whenever someone touches it, it only feels like something solid. From the outside, however, it is impossible to see what is happening within the Barrier. For example, if a passer-by from Hogsmeade happens to travel by Hogwarts, he will only see the castle in its untouched form. Any person out on the lawns, playing Quidditch, or anything of that sort, is unseen. The only time there is an exception to that is when the Barrier is open to cross. We, however, from the inside, have the capability to watch anything on the outside. Therefore, if you spot someone strange continually lurking outside the Barrier, we ask you to alert a staff member immediately.
"We would also like to inform you that no correspondence about the Barrier, outside of school and through mail, will be tolerated. As I have mentioned, all mail will be scanned by magic.
"Now, on to a lighter note. We have a new staff member this term, taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Professor Figg.
Harry sat staring hard as he looked up at the staff table, where Professor Figg was beaming out at the sea of applauding students. She looked particularly familiar, and that name...Figg. ARABELLA FIGG. The old lady he had stayed with when the Dursleys had gone on vacation! She was – she was a witch! And what was more, she was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!
"Ron!" said Harry, jabbing him in the ribs. "That's my old neighbor from the Dursleys! I didn't even know she was a witch!"
Ron looked at Harry strangely. "Are you sure?" he asked skeptically.
"Yeah!" Harry said, nodding vigorously.
Ron shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Coincidence," he said, as Dumbledore started to continue.
"The Forbidden Forest is off-limits, as usual. Also, Mr. Filch has advised that anyone entering the castle this year with muddy feet is expected to scrub an entire floor, which floor to be assigned on penalization, and including classrooms." Dumbledore's beard twitched. "Now, I trust that we are all hungry. Let the feast begin!"
And with that, the golden plates filled around them, and Harry immediately dished himself some steak and kidney pie. No one, however, seemed in their usual rush to eat. It was quite understandable, considering they had just been told that they were actually seven years in the past. Within ten minutes, however, the usual buzz of the Great Hall was back in full swing.
After dinner had been cleared away, dessert eaten, and the plates wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. "And now to bed, after an excellent meal, if I do say so myself," he said.
The students got up from their seats and Hermione seemed particularly eager to go.
"You never told us where you went before dinner," said Ron, sensing something different.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall," Hermione told him.
"For what?" he asked, getting more and more curious.
"I – I was sent a letter over the summer asking me to be a prefect," she said quickly. Harry hadn't noticed the silver badge before, and he realized that she must have pinned it to her robes just before dinner.
"Congratu – " started Harry, but was cut off by Ron.
"WHAT?" he said, scowling at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well...er...because," she said, blushing.
"Why didn't you sit with the prefects in the front of the train then?" he asked moodily.
"Because I don't think it's right to flaunt those things," she told him hurriedly. "I have to go show the first years to the common room. The new password is 'Marzipan,'" she told them. And with that, she left.
Ron glared after her. "Honestly, she can TELL us these things..."
"Why does it matter to you if she waited?" asked Harry, making his way up the marble staircase. He was starting to get tired of Ron's pessimism toward Hermione.
"I don't know...it just does," he said, frowning at the steps as he marched up them.
They went the rest of the way to the common room with the other Gryffindors, and then Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville continued up to their dormitory. They entered, the sign on the door now saying "Fifth Years."
Their minds were all too full to talk as they changed into their pajamas, so Harry only said, "Night, Ron," before he pulled the hangings on his four-poster shut.
"G'night," responded Ron, through a yawn.
Harry lay in bed, thinking about the Barrier. It was such a big change, and now they would never get to go to Hogsmeade again, except for when they got off the Hogwarts Express. But it was all for the better, he told himself. Everyone would be much safer, and it was still Hogwarts. And nothing could ever change that, he thought contentedly.
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A/N: THANKS FOR READING...MAY I ADD THAT IT IS VERY SAD NOT TO GET ANY REVIEWS, AS I EXPERIENCED LAST TIME I POSTED A CHAPTER. PLEASE, DO ME A FAVOR (WHICH YOU ALREADY HAVE BY READING) AND REVIEW. THERE'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY THAT I WON'T POST NEXT TIME, IF I DON'T GET ANY FEEDBACK.