Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter, I'm not making money with this story, etc…
Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Ginny traveled by Floo powder to Diagon Alley the next day, accompanied by Mrs. Weasley. After buying new books, rolls of parchment, and quills, Harry and Ron set off to find Hermione.
"Make sure you be careful!" Mrs. Weasley called after them. "And no trouble!" she shouted to the twins, who waved back.
As the two of them wandered Diagon Alley, wishing they'd asked where Hermione would meet them, they began to notice the Alley was a bit different from previous years. Families seemed to be sticking together more than they had before. They waved at Neville Longbottom who was shopping, as usual, with his grandmother, a daunting older woman, as well as what looked like his uncle. Mothers were keeping sharp eyes on their younger children and cautioning their older ones. Looking around Harry asked Ron, "Do they know that Vol – I mean You-Know-Who is back?"
Ron nodded. "Those that believe Dumbledore at least. Most of them know through the Ministry, I'd imagine. All the overtime my dad's been putting in has been helping Dumbledore convince the people who need convincing. And most of us take Dumbledore pretty seriously. But You-Know-Who wouldn't come here, would he? I mean, Diagon Alley? With so many people around?"
"He might." Harry said glumly, remembering Wormtail, Voldemort's servant who blasted a street full of Muggles apart. If Wormtail did it, Voldemort certainly could.
Harry and Ron found Hermione sitting at a table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, closely watched over by Florean himself. As usual, she sat immersed in a thick book. Harry and Ron both ordered a peanut butter and marshmallow ice cream and the three of them spend the next several hours catching up.
As they finished the last of their melted ice cream, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley strode up to their table, followed by Fred and George.
Mrs. Weasley greeted Hermione and looked around. "Where are your things?" she asked.
"I left them at The Leaky Cauldron, Tom said he'd watch them for me." Hermione replied, gesturing toward the pub.
"Good. We can take that fireplace home." Mrs. Weasley started towards The Leaky Cauldron, calling back, "Got everything? Good, let's go."
Harry enjoyed the last two weeks of holidays with the Weasleys, but began to look forward to his return to Hogwarts, especially as things at the Weasleys began to get tense. Mr. Weasley came home later and later and began to look more and more exhausted. Harry, Ron and Hermione began finding ways to stay out of the house. Despite their protests that it was the summer holidays, Hermione tried to convince Harry and Ron to spend their time studying. ("We've got the O.W.L.s. coming up this year, don't you want to be ready?") Harry and Ron, along with the twins, also filled their time with Quidditch practice every day. Harry found himself both surprised and relieved when Mrs. Weasley reminded them to make sure their trunks were packed, as they were leaving early in the morning for King's Cross.
After dealing with more Muggle taxicabs and getting on to Platform nine and three quarters, Harry, Hermione and Ron found an open compartment at the very back of the train and shoved their trunks on board. Back outside the train, the three of them received hugs and a kiss from Mrs. Weasley, who looked uncharacteristically nervous sending her children off to school. After promising to send her an owl after they arrived, the three of them turned back to board the train. Several compartments down, Harry caught a glimpse of Cho, who gave him a small smile and wave. For the first time in a while, Harry didn't feel the need to be right near her. He knew he would talk with her at Hogwarts.
Slouching on to a seat in their compartment, Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "As much as I hate to say it, I'm glad to be going back to school. I couldn't take much more of being at home, everyone being so tense. It probably would have been easier if everyone knew You-Know-Who was back or if he had done something."
"Ron!" Hermione looked shocked. "If You-Know-Who had done something, we might not be going back to Hogwarts! Or I might not have been able to come back." She said pointedly.
"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed in unison, turning to look at Hermione.
"Since my parents found out about You-Know-Who, they've been really worried about me. They were thinking about pulling me out of Hogwarts and going to a Muggle school instead. I had to get Professor McGonagall to assure them that Hogwarts was the safest place I could be."
"Wow." It was Ron's turn to look shocked. "I knew they were nervous, but taking you out of Hogwarts? I mean, you're the best student in our year!"
Hermione shrugged, obviously wanting to find a new topic of conversation, and pulled out a book just as Fred, George and Ginny came through the sliding door. The boys immersed themselves in more Quidditch talk and were surprised by Ginny, who interrupted with a few thoughts of her own.
The five of them were in the middle of another debate over who the new Gryffindor keeper should be when the door slid open and Draco Malfoy stuck his head in. Behind him were Crabbe and Goyle, both who looked slightly uneasy. Malfoy looked like he wanted to say something to Ron, but changed his mind and shifted his gaze to Hermione, still engrossed in her book.
"You really think you're safe here?" He asked her, a smug look on his face. "Well, you're not. Better watch your step, you little Mudblood." Malfoy's face kept his smirk as Harry, Ron, Fred and George jumped up, wands in hand, but he left rather quickly, followed by Crabbe and Goyle, each taking a paranoid glance over their shoulder.
"One of these days…" Ron voiced angrily, glaring down the hall.
"Let it go, Ron." George told him. "We're here."
They had been so absorbed in their conversation they hadn't noticed where they were or that the sun had gone down. But sure enough, the Hogwart's Express was slowing to a halt.
Stepping off the train, Harry was relieved to see Hagrid at the station, gathering all the scared looking first years. Hagrid gave Harry a wave and led the first years toward the lake.
After the carriage ride to the entrance of Hogwarts, the group narrowly avoided being hit by pieces of rotten fruit thrown by Peeves in the entrance hall and entered the Great Hall. The six of them crossed the hall to the Gryffindor table and sat down near Angelina, Katie and Alicia, and talk of the Gryffindor House Quidditch team began again. They quieted down, though, when the doors to the Great Hall opened and the group of terrified first years found their way to the front of the hall where the Sorting Hat was waiting. As the hat began its song, Harry felt his stomach growl and wished the sorting would hurry up. As the last student was sorted into Gryffindor and sat down, her hands shaking, several seats down from Harry, Dumbledore stood and the Great Hall quieted again.
"I have several notices for you, but first, we shall eat!" Dumbledore said, and the golden plates in front of them were suddenly filled with food. Harry, Ron and Hermione, all starving, ate in silence for a few minutes until Ron brought their attention to the teacher's table, where there were several empty spaces.
"Snape's not here." Ron mumbled thickly through a mouthful of potatoes. "Do you think," he swallowed, and looked around. "Do you think," Ron began again, his voice noticeably lower, "he's still working for Dumbledore?"
Harry shrugged and looked up as Hagrid entered the Hall from a door behind the teacher's table and took his place. Harry jerked his head in the direction of the head table, "There's only one empty place now. Who are we missing?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Hermione replied quietly. "That's odd though," she continued, "I would think Dumbledore would be putting more emphasis on that class, especially now." Harry shrugged again and turned his attention to Dumbledore who was now standing.
"I must ask all of you for your attention, as these notices are very important. The Dark Forest is, as usual, off limits to all students, as is the town of Hogsmeade." He held up a hand as nearly every student above third year groaned. "No student is to leave the Hogwarts grounds under any circumstances, unless accompanied by a faculty member. First through fourth years are not allowed out of the castle unless accompanied by a teacher or fifth year or above student." Harry and Ron glanced at each other; at least they had one freedom. "House Quidditch teams will have set practice times and practices will be overseen by Madam Hooch."
"There will be no Potions classes held during the first two weeks of classes," Harry laughed at Ron cheering quietly beside him, "when Professor Snape will return. After his return, classes will be held as normal. And I will be taking on the responsibility of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts classes." A murmur of disbelief rose from the tables; Dumbledore teaching? Harry knew Dumbledore had once been a teacher at Hogwarts, but that was fifty years ago. Harry couldn't imagine him teaching now.
"And now it is time we all got some rest." concluded Dumbledore, and students began to leave their tables. Harry and Ron reached the entrance hall and waited for Hermione, who had been summoned by Professor McGonagall. Hermione joined them and they maneuvered their way around younger students to the Gryffindor Tower.
"Password?" the fat lady in the portrait asked them. Harry and Ron looked at each other in frustration; they had forgotten to find out the password.
"Polaris." Hermione replied calmly and the portrait swung open. Harry and Ron gaped at Hermione as she climbed in to the Gryffindor common room.
"How did you –" Ron stopped short as Hermione turned to face them and they noticed for the first time the shiny prefect badge on her robes. Ron stared at her in shock.
"You're a prefect? Why didn't you tell us?" he sputtered. Hermione just shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the girls dormitory, leaving Harry and Ron staring after her.
"I can't believe she didn't tell us." Ron said as they walked up the stairs to their dormitory.
"I know." Harry absentmindedly replied, his mind still on Professor Dumbledore.
"Well," Ron thought as they climbed into their beds, "at least she's not like Percy, who reminded us every day when he became a prefect…" Ron yawned and continued mumbling as Harry rolled over and got lost in his sleep.
R/R!