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A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed, I love your opinions!
The Ancestor's Call
By Princess Hermione
Chapter 4
Hogwarts At Last
***** means change of scene
===== means a dream
It was the 1st of September, at 9 am, and Harry was packing his trunk for Hogwarts. The Dursley's had agreed to take him there on the condition that Harry stay for the Christmas and winter breaks, like every year.
Harry had just stuffed the last thing into his trunk, when he heard his aunt holler.
"BOY!!! Up NOW or you'll be late! You have to cook breakfast first!"
"Coming, Aunt Petunia," he called as he heard the door being unlocked. He quickly headed down the stairs and began cooking breakfast.
Five minutes later, Dudley and Uncle Vernon cam thundering down the stairs. Harry quickly served his uncle bacon and eggs, while giving Dudley grapefruit. He then served Aunt Petunia and sat down to eat his own cold soup. Harry saw the disgusted look Dudley directed first at the grapefruit, then at his mum and finally at Harry.
As soon as he had finished, Harry whisked away his plate and washed it up, before returning for Aunt Petunia's, Uncle Vernon's and Dudley's. He had learnt the routine last summer, and had it still perfected.
Minutes later, Harry was rushing up the stairs to get his trunk and then back down. He quickly went to the door and waited. Seconds after he came down, his relatives appeared and headed out to the car silently. Uncle Vernon shoved Harry in and then sat down. They drove in silence. Harry could sense that they were nervous about being seen by wizards, or worse still, muggles who saw him with them.
When they arrived, Uncle Vernon quickly helped Harry pull his trunk out of the car, and then got back in and drove away. Harry began to move through the crowd, making his way to the platforms 9 and 10. As he shoved his way through the jostling crowd, he kept an eye out for his friends. Harry casually lent again the barrier and fell through into Platform 9¾. The large purple stem engine was a welcome sight, as was the crowd of wizards and witches.
"Harry!" a feminine voice shrieked. Harry fell over as a figure flew into him.
"Ooh, off Hermione," he gasped, "can't breathe!" She got off him and held out a hand to him. He grasped it and pulled himself up. Hermione wore a muggle T-shirt saying 'Girls Rock', and a denim skirt.
"Oy, Harry!" another voice called. Harry spun around. The Weasley family was heading their way.
Fred and George's eyes shone with thanks, and mischief, but Harry didn't notice, he had eyes only for the young woman at their side. A spaghetti strap t-shirt and knee-length skirt showed off her figure, and with her hair cascading down her back in gentle waves she looked stunning. Ginny's brown eyes sparkled with life and warmth. When she spotted Harry watching her, she blushed.
"Hi, Harry," Ron broke Harry's train of thought.
"Hi," Harry returned the smile. He wrenched his eyes away from Ginny and looked up at Ron. He looked nice, and it was quite obvious that he had fallen for Hermione hard. Though he had said hello to Harry, his eyes were fastened on Hermione, who was blushing. Harry grinned and discreetly withdrew. He moved to beside Ginny.
"Hi, ready for your fourth year?" he asked her cheerfully. This broke Ron's trance, and he quickly took his eyes away from Hermione.
"Shall we go find a carriage, I don't want to go the prefect's one," he suggested brightly, blushing. Fred and George struggled to contain their laughter, broad grins splitting their faces. The had seen what had happened, and Ron knew they had caught him staring at Hermione. Harry smiled and led the way to an empty carriage at the back of the train, Ginny followed them, while Fred and George moved off.
They dumped their trunks in and then sat down. Harry noticed that Ron made sure to sit on the same side as Hermione, as close as he could without her noticing. Harry stole a glance at Ginny, to see that she too had spotted it and looked like she was struggling not to grin.
All throughout the train ride, Harry and Ginny caught Ron stealing longing glances at Hermione, and even more surprising, Hermione shot a few of her own glances. Harry could see that Ginny nearly laughed out loud when she saw this and so nudged her. Ginny quickly schooled her expression before they noticed.
The trip was pretty uneventful, except for the time when Malfoy decided to make his appearance.
"So, Scar-face still hanging out with the mud blood, and weasel, even adding another weasel to the group," he taunted. Ron leapt up enraged, but Hermione grabbed his shirt and yanked him back down. Ginny calmly looked up at him,
"Was that supposed to annoy us?" she inquired, "if so, I suggest you think up a few new lines, or at least practice them on some else first."
"We are not going to start screaming, simply because you decide to use a petty insult or two," Hermione added, although she was still restraining Ron.
"What has happened to the boys?" Malfoy sneered, "have they become so cowardly they live the talking to the girls? Oh, I forgot, they are girls." Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter at this. Ron once again tried to leap up, but Hermione kept her hand on him.
"Oh, no," Harry smirked, "we just thought we'd let them have a chance at some fame. They agreed, but then, Gryffindor girls have always been more sporting then the Slytherin ones, aren't they Malfoy?" Draco spluttered, and then calmed,
"Don't try any tricks or insults on me, Potter," he spat, "I'll take house points from you!"
"And I'll just give them back," Hermione said calmly.
"You won't be able to hide behind the mud blood's prefect badge for much longer," Malfoy snapped, "you'll be the first to go!"
"Then, we'll have to hide behind our own," Ron and Harry said at the same time. Malfoy looked startled, Harry used that as an opportunity to quickly cross the carriage and shut the door in Malfoy's face.
The four of them burst out laughing, and didn't stop till they arrived at Hogwarts.
***********************************Later that evening********************************
Harry was sitting between Ron and Ginny that evening, listening to Ron and Hermione argue over who the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would be, as there was three new teachers at the table. The sound hushed as Professor McGonagall led the first years in. She placed a stool with the Sorting Hat on in front of them, and a rip in it opened and it began to sing.
(A/N: So sorry about the lack of song, I am simply not poetic!!)
When it finished, everyone burst into applause. McGonagall quickly opened a scroll and began to read the names.
Ten minutes later, everyone was sorted, and Gryffindor had received eight students.
"Tuck in," was the command from Albus Dumbledore. Food appeared on the plates, and the noise level rose as every one began to talk while they ate. Ron and Hermione continued their argument, so Harry turned to talk to Ginny.
"Does Ron always argue like this at home?" he asked. Ginny smiled,
"With Fred and George, yes, though not to this degree," she pointed at the arguing pair.
"You, know, they remind of an old married couple," Harry muttered, but loud enough for Ginny to hear. She giggled,
" I agree with you there," she replied. The girl on the other side, tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to talk with her. Harry turned his attention to the first years, who were discussing families and lessons.
"Well, I'm a half-blood. My mother is a witch, but my father is a muggle," a girl who was named Celina said, "of course, he knew about it before they were married. He saw my mother doing some magic, he wasn't supposed to be in the room at that time." She giggled.
Across from her, a young boy was talking to a fourth year.
"I can't wait to do Potions, (Here Harry almost snorted into his pudding) my dad says I have real talent. Last year, I sneaked into his lab and created a invisibility potion all by myself," he said proudly.
"You'll change your mind," the older boy promised, "our Potions teacher isn't very nice. He hates students other than Slytherins, and Gryffindor especially. We suffer wore than other houses, because he has some personal hatred towards Harry Potter, so he is harder on him than anyone else."
"Harry Potter!" the boy squeaked, eyes wide with amazement, "where is he?"
"Right here," Harry sighed. The boy spun, and gaped at his forehead, before turning back to the fourth year.
After the feast, Dumbledore got up.
"I have some start of term announcements," he said, "first, the first years should note that the Forbidden forest is out of bounds, now more than ever. Some of our older students would do well to remember that as well," his twinkling eyes darted in the direction of the Weasley twins, Harry and Ron.
"Also, it is with great pleasure that I can say that as our defence against the Dark Arts teacher, we have Professor Figg," more applause followed. The teacher nodded, smiling. Harry looked at her carefully, she looked an awful lot like the Mrs. Figg who lived on Privet Drive, except younger.
"And, this year we will have optional classes. At 7:30 pm every Tuesday and Thursday we will have Healing in this room, taught by Professor Brown. Each Wednesday and Friday we will have duelling at the same time same place, taught by Professor Evans." Both teachers nodded to the students.
"You are dismissed," Albus Dumbledore's voice rang out. Hermione grabbed Ron and Harry as they stood up.
"We are supposed to stay here," she hissed, "for the talk!" Harry and Ron promptly sat down again.
When the hall was cleared of students and the majority of teachers, the four head of houses approached.
"Gryffindors, this way," Professor McGonagall snapped. They silently followed her to a room off the great hall. They sat down and received a lecture on how they were supposed to behave, how to give and deduct house points, how to arrange detentions, what their duties were, what the password for the prefect's bathrooms was etc.
Then they had to decide to on a password for the next week.
"Prongs," Harry said before the other two could say anything. They nodded, a smile crossing their faces. The told Professor McGonagall of their choice.
"Very well, it will be implemented on Monday, come next Monday for another meeting, here," she ordered, before telling them they could go.
The trio quickly hurried out and up to the tower. The sixth years had already shown the rooms to the first years, and so all the trio needed to do was sleep. They headed upstairs and changed. They fell asleep very fast.
========================================================================
Harry was walking in a cloud. Suddenly before him a single figure appeared.
"So, you have touched your talents without knowing it," he said, with a smile.
"Merlin," Harry gasped, recognising him from pictures.
"Yes," he said as he slowly began to fade away.
Another four figures appeared. Their voices were comforting, and were raised in song.
"The Time of Darkness
When Chaos reigned
The Time of Darkness
When anger ruled
The Time of Darkness
When pleas went unheard"
They were approaching and seemed more distinct, they clearly wore robes.
"An evil laugh,
A piercing scream,
A single spell,
An empty shell"
They began to slowly create a circle around him.
"A swish of a cloak,
A deathly spell
Two babies laughs
An unexpected turn"
As they came closer, Harry could see that two were men and two were women
"The curse rebounded,
Upon it's stunned sender
Then a soul went fleeing
Into the night,
Filled with hatred and fury"
Their voices rose in a swelling crescendo, as their voice mingled to sound like one.
"The most feared Dark lord defeated,
By two simple infants,
born of lines of pride
Filled with delight
Protected by love
The-Boy-Who-Lived and the Crown Princess"
Slowly the figures let their voices go down. One of the men stepped forward,
"The-Boy-Who-Lived," he said softly, "the one whose destiny is entwined with the past!"
"A couple of people want to see you," one of the women said, as they slowly faded away.
========================================================================Harry woke from his dream, to see a figure at the base of his bed. She came up the side, and leaned over him.
"Mum?" he whispered.
"Yes, child, now go back to sleep and know that I love you, always have, always will," she withdrew to the base of the bed and began to sing.
"Times of Pain, and times of Darkness, fifteen long years the battle was fought. One night the darkness struck, at the heart of the light. An evil cackle, a swish of a wand, a shouted curse, a dead body. A command, a plea, a spell, an empty shell. Two laughs from two babies rebounded the third curse. Horrified, a dark soul fled, leaving two one year old babies with the sign of the sky. Both born from a prophecy, one lived as a legend, one returns to the past, the immortal stories of the children of light.
The dreaded Dark Lord, defeated, by two babies simple laughs and their mother's true love. Thousands of hundreds had fallen to the evil lord, and then he is defeated by two simple babies, born from five lines of pride. The founders of Hogwarts reign supreme in their two heirs, and above and before comes the wizard named Merlin. Five lines full of pride, and bursting of power, hidden in a boy and a girl. When he returns to his ancestors times, to find his sister, the phoenix shall burn once more. From the darkness, there shines a great light, leading the order of the phoenix. From among the desolate comes forth a hope, bringing warriors behind it."
As Harry fell asleep again, soothed by the sound of his mother's voice, another figure came from the shadows.
"Come, my love, we must leave, if we wish to one day return," James whispered, taking her his arms. As they gazed together on their only son, Lily dropped her head to his chest.
"Good Luck, child of power," James whispered, as they began to fade out of sight.
"Good Luck, my one beloved son," Lily whispered to the sleeping child. As they faded, Harry smiled in his sleep.
A/N: So how do you like this one?