Disclaimer- any character you don't recognize is ours.

A/N- Thanks for every-ones reviews.  Keep reading and enjoy.  We know the accents aren't great, but we're English not French or anything else!

Harry Potter and the Return of the Dark Lord

Chapter 4- The Journey

            On the morning of September 1st, the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Dudley packed all their school equipment into the boot of the Ford Anglia.  They all got into the car and drove to Kings Cross Station.

They got quite a few funny looks and Dudley felt rather embarrassed with everyone staring at him.  Harry wasn't surprised.  Between them they had three owls, Hedwig, Pig and Tilly, Dudley's owl and Crookshanks.

Mrs Weasley showed Dudley the way onto the platform and as he ran through the barrier he saw the gleaming, scarlet steam train.  As they boarded the train, Harry and Ron found a compartment.  Fred and George went and sat with Lee Jordan while Hermione and Dudley waved goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley. 

As they sat down someone came through the door.  Harry looked up and blushed; suddenly he had a very funny feeling.  "Hello Cho!  Have a nice summer," smirked Ron looking at Harry.

"Yes thanks, can I speak to you for a minute Harry?" she asked.

"Yes, sure," stammered Harry turning a deep shade of pink.  He got up and lightly kicked Ron in the leg.  Hermione shook her head and tutted something that sounded like "Boys."  As Harry stepped outside Cho hugged him and thanked him for bringing Cedric back.  "How are you Harry?" asked Cho, "your not blaming yourself are you? Because I don't."

"Yeah," said Harry who was unsure of what to say.

"I'd better go," said Cho, "my friends will be wondering where I am."  Cho left and went back to her friends.

As Harry sat back down in his seat the smiling, dimpled witch came through the door pushing the refreshment trolley.  "Hello dears, anything you would like?"

As Dudley bought a couple of items a couple of students looked through the door.  No one had ever seen them before.  They knocked on the window and one of them slid opened the door.   There were five girls standing at the door.  Hermione waved at the smallest girl who waved back.  "Erm, hello," said Ron looking at them.

"Bonjour, we are ze new transfer students from Beauxbatons," said the tallest girl with long blond hair.

"And Durmstrang," said two of the girls, "may we join you?  There is no room in ze other compartments."

As they sat down Harry asked their names.  "I am Luci," said another girl with blond hair, "ziz is Nathalie and Nicole," pointing to her two friend, "we are from Beauxbatons."

"Hallo.  I am Louisa and this is Katie.  She is Viktor Krum's little sister.  We are from Durmstrang."  Hermione let Katie sit down and started chatting to her.

"So, what year will you be in?" asked Ron.

"Vell, ve vill all be in 5th year except for Katie," said Louisa, "she vill be in the 4th year."

"Oh!  My sister Ginny is in her 4th year.  You'll have to meet her."

As the nine of them talked a familiar, annoying person stepped into the compartment.  "Oh, hello Potty, Weasel and the Mudblood!  Did we have a good summer!"  Draco Malfoy smirked at them.

"Look who's turned up!" said Ron looking at Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in disgust.

"Who are your friends?"  Sneered Malfoy, "do you want to get into trouble all the time?  Hang about this riff-raff and you sure will!  They are good for nothing!" he said dully talking to the new students.

"Hallo," said Louisa to Malfoy smiling sweetly, "I'm Louisa, who are you?"

"I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he said rather taken aback that one of Harry's friends had spoken to him.

"Vould you like a sveet?  They are from my county, Bulgaria," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah, k, whatever, bye!" said Malfoy who quickly walked out of the compartment.

"Vait! Vait!  You have not had one of my sveets yet!" shouted Louisa as she ran after him.

"She is nuts trying to make friends with him!" cried Ron.

"Vhat is so vrong vith him?" asked Katie.

"Oh! You know things- his father is a Death Eater, friends with You Know Who and he is our enemy!" exclaimed Harry.

At that point Louisa walked back into the compartment.  "How vill I ever get Draco to love me?" asked Louisa gloomily.

Everyone stared at her.  Hermione chocked on her Bertie Bott bean and Ron turned green!

"You all right Ron?" asked Harry.

"Yeah.  Why?" asked Ron

"You're not feeling a bit off-colour?"  Everyone burst out laughing.  Ron looked at his hand and saw that it was bright green.

"AHHHHHH!!!!" cried Ron.  Luci and Nicole turned and looked at Nathalie who was silently giggling in the corner. 

"Do you know anything about ziz, Nathalie?" asked Nicole.

"I bet that was Fred and George!" said Ron.

"Oui!  It was probably them.  Who are zey?" she asked

"My brothers," said Ron indignantly.

"It wasn't your brozers," said Luci, "it was Nathalie!  She loves pranks!"

"I am just going to ze toilets!  See you in a minute," said Nathalie leaving quickly.

"Have a look in her trunk, Luci!  See what else she has got in there!" said Ron picking up the bag.

"I will have a look," said Nicole taking the bag off Ron.

"Whoa!  She has ten Chocolate frogs, 4 cans of Butterbeer, fizzing whizzbees and a massive book, A to Z of Pranks!"

"Whoa!  Fred and George will love that.  I've gotta show it them.  Give it me!" said Ron with his hand out.

"No.  She will know we have been in her bag if you take it out!" said Luci pushing away Ron's hand.

Just then Nathalie walked.  "Why is Nicole holding my trunk?" she asked.

"Er, um!  It fell of the rack," Nicole replied quickly.

"You've been looking through it haven't you?" she asked turning red.  She looked around at Hermione.  "Did they look in my bag Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading with a blank look on her face.  "I'm sorry, I don't know, I was concentrating on my book.  It's really good!  It's called…………." She said looking at the cover.

"Yeah, whatever!  Did you?"  Nathalie had her had on her hip and was giving the evil eye to everyone.

Harry, Ron and Dudley burst out laughing.  "We didn't look in it, Nicole did!" said Ron.

As they arrived in Hogsmead Station, Hagrid greeted them on the platform.  "Hullo, Harry, Ron, Hermione!  Firs years, firs years and transfer student!  Over here!"

"Cya in a bit," said Nicole.

"Ve hope ve are in Gryffindor," said Katie.

"What is this sorting hat?" asked Luci nervously as she was dragged away by Hagrid.