Chapter Five: Returning

That night Harry found he couldn't sleep, not for fear of dreams, in fact he almost welcomed his sometimes prophetic glimpses of the future, the present. No, he couldn't sleep because he was scared what the next day would bring. He was going back to Hogwarts, but instead of his usual nervous energy he felt a cold doubt, as if something dangerous or fearsome awaited him.

Seeking to escape the darkness of Ron's room he had crept down the stairs to the kitchen, his eyes flickering in the firelight as he settled down into a chair. Resting his head in his hands, Harry didn't hear the soft creaking of the stairs as someone followed him down.

'Can't sleep?' Ginny asked quietly, her soft voice making Harry jump slightly nonetheless.

He smiled ruefully as she sat down opposite him, 'It's just…excitement,' Harry said.

'You don't mean that,' Ginny replied, taking in the look on his face. 'You're worried, just like I was,' she continued, and then stopped at the blank look on his face. 'The Chamber, Harry…'

'Sorry,' he mumbled, 'it's just…' he looked up, trying to control the conflicting emotions within him. 'Every time I shut my eyes I see Cedric…just lying there…and I feel terrible. But tomorrow I know I'm going back…I'm going back home and I'm happy…but what if no one else is?' A single tear crept out of his eye and fell down his cheek leaving a wet trail as he closed his eyes tightly, preventing any more tears from spilling.

A light touch made him flinch as Ginny rested her hand on his arm as she wiped the tear away with her other sleeve before pulling him into a comforting embrace. Letting his shaking body relax into her arms. After a few minutes she lifted his head and softly wiped away the tears that had flown down his face, 'If you weren't thinking like that,' she said with a small smile, 'I'd be really worried.'

'Thanks,' Harry replied, 'I think…' he added, smiling at her through tired eyes.

'I better go upstairs, if mum finds me up there'll be trouble,' she said quietly, then quickly disappeared back up the stairs.

Harry sat dry-eyed now, but he felt warmth spreading through him from his chest that was real, reaching beneath his shirt he lifted Sirius's pendant from within. The tear shaped stone was lit from inside, brilliant red patterns swirling on the surface, emanating a heat that was swiftly spreading through Harry, warming his heart once more. Grasping the pendant lightly he let the smooth stone pass the heat into his hand, let his eyes close once more…within seconds he was sleeping.

'What news?' a familiar voice hissed as footsteps echoed around it.

'Kilmorie says he can be taken,' the older voice replied.

'When?' the question was sharp as the footsteps ceased.

'Anytime and anywhere,' the old voice answered in the echoing silence, 'including Hogwarts.'

'Then why hasn't it been done yet?' the voice hissed with anger, or was it something else?

'It was tried, he was protected,' was the calm reply.

A laden silence followed as the first person digested the information, 'Cambirer?'.

'Yes,' the older one replied, 'Cambirer.'

'Kilmorie will take care of it,' the first voice said confidence. 'He's come up against Cambirer before.'

'That didn't end well…'

'This time it will…see to it.'

Footsteps receded once more.

He was alone again, alone in the rain and cold, apart from the shadows, shadows all around him. There was a flash of light and another figure appeared, crumpled on the floor. Stumbling over mud and grass he turned them over to reveal Ginny's face, pale and lifeless. 'No!' he heard his own voice as he lifted her, shook her shoulders in vain, 'Ginny, no! Wake up! WAKE UP!'

'Harry! Wake up!' Ron's hand shook Harry awake with a jolt as he climbed out of the taxi at King's Cross, Harry sat breathing steadily with wide eyes inside the car, unnoticed by everyone else who was bustling around outside amidst the other taxi. Taking a moment Harry found himself trembling with a clammy forehead, his dream had been a realistic and frightening terror coursed through him after the previous night's calmness.

He'd seen Ginny dead.

Climbing out, he barely remembered unloading his trunk with Mr. Weasley, his daze lasted all the way through the station and he didn't even recall passing through the sign into platform nine and three-quarters. His first moment of clarity came when, after loading his luggage, Mr. Weasley had pulled Harry aside as he had done so two years earlier. As he spoke, Harry recalled Mr. Weasley's eyes were darting about nervously, as if expecting the station to erupt around him, 'Listen Harry, I want you to be safe this year, stay in the castle or near the teachers…it's just that if you go somewhere Ron or the twins or Ginny might follow you, make them stay with you in safety…it isn't just you we're worried about anymore.'

Harry nodded numbly and boarded the train as it began to pull out of the station, leaning out of the door he watched Mr. And Mrs. Weasley wave before Apparating from sight. Walking away from the door he found the others putting up their bags in the opposite compartment, sitting down Harry leant against the window, the sun pouring through and warming the carriage. Putting away their bags Hermione and Ron sat down opposite Harry, while Ginny to the seat to his left and the twins sat by the doorway. Within a few minutes Harry had dropped off to sleep again while the others chatted quietly until the twins left to find their friends, without any visitors to disturb them the other three soon joined Harry in dozing quietly.

A rude awakening interrupted them halfway through the journey, waking up as the door slid open to their compartment, Harry found Ginny sleeping gently on his shoulder. But instead of Fred or George returning he looked, saw, and heard, Draco Malfoy, his voice drawling through the compartment and waking Hermione and Ron as well. 'Potty and the Weasel,' he commented with a smirk that appeared on the ever-attending Crabbe and Goyle as well, 'Together again, and looks like they brought their girls as well this time,' but instead of feeling embarrassed, Harry felt only a cold rage inside him.

Lifting Ginny's head carefully he left her lying asleep against the seat and rose to face Malfoy, gripping his wand in his hand, squaring up to his sneering opponent in front of Hermione and Ron. 'Leave. Now.' It wasn't a request.

'It's a free country,' Malfoy countered, taking a step as far forwards as Harry would permit him, also drawing his wand, 'although that will change soon.'

'Do you want another mushroom plantation on your excuse for a face so soon?' another voice asked as Fred, George beside him, appeared in the corridor, wands drawn and blocking the Slytherin trio's retreat. As he spoke, Ron and Hermione also drew their wands and joined Harry, blocking off the interior of the compartment entirely from Malfoy's view.

'Just watch your back,' Malfoy spat at Harry, putting his wand away and turning to leave, 'and watch hers too,' he added with a sneer towards Ginny's still slumbering form.

'You-!' started Ron, lunging forward, but he was interrupted by Harry.

CRACK! His fist connected solidly with Malfoy's jaw sending the boy sprawling backwards into the aisle, the sound of bone-on-bone resounding throughout the compartment.

'Back off,' Harry snarled at Crabbe and Goyle, who backed of in confusion at Harry's sudden rage. Then instead of facing the five simply lifted the dazed Malfoy by his arms and led him staggering away. Breathing angrily and shortly, Harry sad back down, nursing his sore knuckles and glaring out the window, fuming silently until four pairs of eyes drew his attention back inside. 'What?'

'Well…nothing,' George replied, 'apart from where the bloody hell did that come from?' he added in exasperation to a general consensus of nods.

'He was asking for it!' Harry replied. 'He threatened Ginny, it made me mad.'

'Which part? The threat, or that it was Ginny he threatened?' Hermione asked with a mischievous glint in her eye that only Harry caught sight of.

'Both,' he replied firmly, 'first of all he can't be allowed to threaten us, and second, Ginny is the youngest one of us, why should it make her a target?' Harry's statement met a wall of silence, although from Ron's lunge at Malfoy he could tell that he'd also been ready to clout him stupid for what he'd said. Fred and George just glanced at Harry, then at each other before leaving again while Hermione continued to stare at Harry and Ginny. Sitting back Harry let his mind wander for the rest of the journey, not noticing that Ginny had once more turned in her sleep and was resting against him again, only regaining his attention as the train pulled into the small Hogwarts station.

Exiting the train Harry stepped back into a world he had feared returning to, on the platform he could already sense people avoiding him despite the crowding of Hermione and the Weasleys, but still he could feel the gaps in the crowd. Walking slowly forwards he took in the noises around him, the laughter and chatter, but it was still penetrated with silences, one silence however was soon broken:

'Harry!' his name was shouted over the length of the platform, looking up from his slow trudge he felt an irresistible grin tug at his face. Hagrid was there, towering over the new first years gathering, and cowering, near him. 'See yeh at the feast!' Hagrid continued shouting as Harry sent a short wave before stepping off the platform and walking to the carriages.

Harry piled in with Ron, Hermione and Ginny while Fred and George joined Lee Jordan for the journey, looking outside the window as the carriages jolted forwards, Harry stared uneasily as the castle grew larger in the darkness, its usual sense of security was now lost on him. Pulling up, the carriage doors all swung open and the students began to pile out, assembling in a crowd that slowly shifted forwards and inside, standing with Ron and Hermione, Harry stood staring at the looming silhouette above him before walking forward with the others.

Walking towards the Great Hall, Harry was stopped by a firm hand that grasped his shoulder and pulled him away from the others, off to the side of the entrance hall. Harry looked up into an old and grizzled face, two orange eyes, one hidden behind a vertical scar, stared back at him, the man was shrouded in a long cloak and Harry saw that his wand was held in place on an ornate belt. 'With me if you please Mr. Potter,' he said in an even voice.

Drawing his cloak about him, the man strode off quickly with Harry following after a glance at the others, Hermione saw him go and so he offered a shrug with a gesture after the retreating man. They reached their destination quickly, arriving at a familiar gargoyle. 'Jelly Slugs', the man said and the stone creature hopped aside. 'Go on up Harry, he's expecting you, see you at the feast.'

'Thank you Professor…?' Harry left the question hanging, still under the gaze of the orange eyed man.

'Kilmorie,' he replied stonily, walking away with his cloak wrapped around him.