Disclaimer: These people don't belong to me...wish they did, but I can't write as well with them as Joanne K. Rowling does. I just own this little scene:
Harry packed his final things, closed his trunk, and sat on it. His room looked very empty now that everything was packed away, but he was too busy looking forward to Hogwarts to be unhappy.
His fifth year had been his worst ever at Hogwarts. He hadn't had Quidditch for part of it, he had had several weeks of detentions with Umbridge (their last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher), and no one had believed that Voldemort had come back.
Now, however--mainly because of Umbridge's departure of Hogwarts--he wanted to go back to school more than ever. He wanted to play Quidditch.
Not only was it the best sport in the world, but there were going to be three new chasers and two new beaters on the team this year. The only people still on the team were he, Harry, and Ron.
Harry got up to leave the room when there was a loud popping noise just in front of him. Then, with a crash, he ran into George, who had just apparated.
"Hi Harry, you're late for the train. It leaves in less than an hour. Mum sent us to fetch you. Oh, and long time no see," George said.
"Yeah, the only time we've really gotten to be here has been during dinner--what with the joke shop and all--and you haven't been down in the kitchen since last week. At least, that's what Mum says," Fred added.
"I wasn't hungry," Harry said, grinning at the sight of the Weasley twins. It had, in fact, been a while since he had eaten dinner. He had lunch, but only because Mrs. Weasley made him.
"Well, the shop's been a hit, even old Ollivander came by for a squirming sour worm and a couple levitating earrings. Here, look," George said, taking out two very real-looking diamond earrings and dropping them.
The earrings looked as if they would hit the floor, but just an inch before impact, they flew into the air and became eyelevel with Harry. He grinned, made to grab the earrings, but couldn't. They continued to dodge Harry's hand, like a couple of snitches.
"They avoid people, so that when they try to take the earrings, they end up chasing them throughout their houses. And the best thing is that if you put them on, they make you float a few feet off the ground. Obviously only witches would put them on, but that's what these are for," Fred said happily, pulling out some shoelaces.
"They do the same thing as the earrings, only wizards can wear them. That way we all won't have to pierce our ears like Bill and Kingsley," added George.
Harry smiled, made a very fast move for the earrings, and caught them. Fred frowned.
"Er--you ARE the youngest seeker in a century, Harry..."
Harry laughed. "They're brilliant," he said, handing the earrings back to the twins. They grinned, grabbed Harry by the sleeve of his robes, and pulled him downstairs.
"Fred--George--!" Harry shouted over the crashing footsteps of the twins as they jumped down the stairs dragging Harry. Both stopped, turned, and raised their eyebrows questioningly.
"My trunk--" Harry said, pointing upstairs.
"Ah, we'll get it," Fred said. And with a flick of his wrist, the trunk flew down the stairs and passed the three boys. Then, with a large crash, Harry watched, horrified, as it ran into Ginny.
"SECOND TIME IN ONE YEAR--DON'T BELIEVE YOU TWO--COULD HAVE KILLED YOUR OWN SISTER--WHAT YOUR FATHER WILL SAY WHEN HE SEES--!" Mrs. Weasley was screaming. Harry got out of the way as Fred and George were getting told off. He decided on helping Ginny up.
"Ow, Harry--it's my ankle..." Ginny said when he tried to pull her up from under the trunk. He noticed that the same ankle that had broken in the Department of Mysteries had been crushed under his heavy trunk.
"Don't worry. Look, I'll get Remus to look at it, he's good at this sort of thing--" Harry was saying, just as Lupin came strolling into the room looking intrigued.
"Ah, of course. Mustn't break the tradition of hitting Ginny with a trunk before school starts," he said. He looked slightly amused, but worried for Ginny all the same. He strode over to them, waved his wand, and Ginny's ankle straightened itself.
"You might want a splint..." Lupin added, waving his wand again (and sure enough, there was a splint tied to Ginny's ankle). "Oh, and you should walk lightly and stay seated on the train, Ginny."
Ginny nodded, reached out her hand to Harry, and he tried to pull her up again. She was surprisingly light, and she was on her feet in an instant, gingerly trying to stand on her foot.
Hermione came up from the kitchen with Ron, and she asked, "Who's in the guard?"
Lupin answered, "Moody, Tonks, Arthur, Kingsley, and myself."
"I still need a guard?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"Yes Harry. I was prepared for you to ask why you needed one last year, but I thought you'd expect it this summer."
"But Lupin, just because I'm supposed to have some sort of power to--"
"Exactly Harry. You have the power to destroy Voldemort, so we have to keep you safe."
Harry frowned, but turned to Ginny. She nodded at him, and together, they left Grimmauld place surrounded by the guard, Hermione, and Ron.
The journey to Kingscross was boring as always. Without Sirius, Harry's only entertainment was Tonks's outrageous disguise. Her hair was done in long blue ringlets that reached the sidewalk. Her eyes were orange, and she was extremely tall.
"Anyone looking at us will be staring at me so much they won't even notice you," she had whispered to Harry.
When they got to Kingscross, Harry found that it was harder than usual to get through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, mainly because of Tonks. People kept staring at the group, so that they had to get Mr. Weasley to stage a loud conversation with Moody in order to allow the four students through the barrier. Eventually everyone was through, Mr. Weasley was saying goodbye to Ron and Ginny, and Lupin was talking to Hermione hurriedly. Only Harry went unnoticed.
Then, as Harry was looking at the train, Lupin came up behind him and said, "Be careful. Alright?"
Harry turned to face his young ex-teacher. Lupin looked much to old for his age.
"Alright. See you then."
Harry saw Arthur walking quickly up to him as well. The first whistle sounded, and Harry felt he ought to get on the train.
"Harry, you're like a son to Molly and me. Promise you'll be alright."
Harry turned to Mr. Weasley as well, and nodded. Then, turning, he ran to the train with the other students.
There was an empty compartment at the back of the train, and Harry stood up and waved out the window. Tonks, Moody, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Kinsley were all waving back at him. Mr. Weasley had a crease between his eyebrows, and Lupin was staring at Harry, his eyes unfocused, as though seeing the past. Soon, the guard was out of sight.
Sitting down, Harry saw a look of comprehension on Ginny's face. She looked whiter than usual and her freckles contrasted with her skin.
"What is it?" Harry asked. She sat down slowly, feeling for her seat as she did so.
"This is the compartment when you--" she started.
She didn't have to finish. Harry just remembered what compartment they were in. It was the one that he had first seen both a good friend and his worst fear. He was in the compartment from the beginning of his third year, when he had seen Lupin and his first Dementor.
Harry packed his final things, closed his trunk, and sat on it. His room looked very empty now that everything was packed away, but he was too busy looking forward to Hogwarts to be unhappy.
His fifth year had been his worst ever at Hogwarts. He hadn't had Quidditch for part of it, he had had several weeks of detentions with Umbridge (their last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher), and no one had believed that Voldemort had come back.
Now, however--mainly because of Umbridge's departure of Hogwarts--he wanted to go back to school more than ever. He wanted to play Quidditch.
Not only was it the best sport in the world, but there were going to be three new chasers and two new beaters on the team this year. The only people still on the team were he, Harry, and Ron.
Harry got up to leave the room when there was a loud popping noise just in front of him. Then, with a crash, he ran into George, who had just apparated.
"Hi Harry, you're late for the train. It leaves in less than an hour. Mum sent us to fetch you. Oh, and long time no see," George said.
"Yeah, the only time we've really gotten to be here has been during dinner--what with the joke shop and all--and you haven't been down in the kitchen since last week. At least, that's what Mum says," Fred added.
"I wasn't hungry," Harry said, grinning at the sight of the Weasley twins. It had, in fact, been a while since he had eaten dinner. He had lunch, but only because Mrs. Weasley made him.
"Well, the shop's been a hit, even old Ollivander came by for a squirming sour worm and a couple levitating earrings. Here, look," George said, taking out two very real-looking diamond earrings and dropping them.
The earrings looked as if they would hit the floor, but just an inch before impact, they flew into the air and became eyelevel with Harry. He grinned, made to grab the earrings, but couldn't. They continued to dodge Harry's hand, like a couple of snitches.
"They avoid people, so that when they try to take the earrings, they end up chasing them throughout their houses. And the best thing is that if you put them on, they make you float a few feet off the ground. Obviously only witches would put them on, but that's what these are for," Fred said happily, pulling out some shoelaces.
"They do the same thing as the earrings, only wizards can wear them. That way we all won't have to pierce our ears like Bill and Kingsley," added George.
Harry smiled, made a very fast move for the earrings, and caught them. Fred frowned.
"Er--you ARE the youngest seeker in a century, Harry..."
Harry laughed. "They're brilliant," he said, handing the earrings back to the twins. They grinned, grabbed Harry by the sleeve of his robes, and pulled him downstairs.
"Fred--George--!" Harry shouted over the crashing footsteps of the twins as they jumped down the stairs dragging Harry. Both stopped, turned, and raised their eyebrows questioningly.
"My trunk--" Harry said, pointing upstairs.
"Ah, we'll get it," Fred said. And with a flick of his wrist, the trunk flew down the stairs and passed the three boys. Then, with a large crash, Harry watched, horrified, as it ran into Ginny.
"SECOND TIME IN ONE YEAR--DON'T BELIEVE YOU TWO--COULD HAVE KILLED YOUR OWN SISTER--WHAT YOUR FATHER WILL SAY WHEN HE SEES--!" Mrs. Weasley was screaming. Harry got out of the way as Fred and George were getting told off. He decided on helping Ginny up.
"Ow, Harry--it's my ankle..." Ginny said when he tried to pull her up from under the trunk. He noticed that the same ankle that had broken in the Department of Mysteries had been crushed under his heavy trunk.
"Don't worry. Look, I'll get Remus to look at it, he's good at this sort of thing--" Harry was saying, just as Lupin came strolling into the room looking intrigued.
"Ah, of course. Mustn't break the tradition of hitting Ginny with a trunk before school starts," he said. He looked slightly amused, but worried for Ginny all the same. He strode over to them, waved his wand, and Ginny's ankle straightened itself.
"You might want a splint..." Lupin added, waving his wand again (and sure enough, there was a splint tied to Ginny's ankle). "Oh, and you should walk lightly and stay seated on the train, Ginny."
Ginny nodded, reached out her hand to Harry, and he tried to pull her up again. She was surprisingly light, and she was on her feet in an instant, gingerly trying to stand on her foot.
Hermione came up from the kitchen with Ron, and she asked, "Who's in the guard?"
Lupin answered, "Moody, Tonks, Arthur, Kingsley, and myself."
"I still need a guard?" Harry asked, annoyed.
"Yes Harry. I was prepared for you to ask why you needed one last year, but I thought you'd expect it this summer."
"But Lupin, just because I'm supposed to have some sort of power to--"
"Exactly Harry. You have the power to destroy Voldemort, so we have to keep you safe."
Harry frowned, but turned to Ginny. She nodded at him, and together, they left Grimmauld place surrounded by the guard, Hermione, and Ron.
The journey to Kingscross was boring as always. Without Sirius, Harry's only entertainment was Tonks's outrageous disguise. Her hair was done in long blue ringlets that reached the sidewalk. Her eyes were orange, and she was extremely tall.
"Anyone looking at us will be staring at me so much they won't even notice you," she had whispered to Harry.
When they got to Kingscross, Harry found that it was harder than usual to get through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, mainly because of Tonks. People kept staring at the group, so that they had to get Mr. Weasley to stage a loud conversation with Moody in order to allow the four students through the barrier. Eventually everyone was through, Mr. Weasley was saying goodbye to Ron and Ginny, and Lupin was talking to Hermione hurriedly. Only Harry went unnoticed.
Then, as Harry was looking at the train, Lupin came up behind him and said, "Be careful. Alright?"
Harry turned to face his young ex-teacher. Lupin looked much to old for his age.
"Alright. See you then."
Harry saw Arthur walking quickly up to him as well. The first whistle sounded, and Harry felt he ought to get on the train.
"Harry, you're like a son to Molly and me. Promise you'll be alright."
Harry turned to Mr. Weasley as well, and nodded. Then, turning, he ran to the train with the other students.
There was an empty compartment at the back of the train, and Harry stood up and waved out the window. Tonks, Moody, Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Kinsley were all waving back at him. Mr. Weasley had a crease between his eyebrows, and Lupin was staring at Harry, his eyes unfocused, as though seeing the past. Soon, the guard was out of sight.
Sitting down, Harry saw a look of comprehension on Ginny's face. She looked whiter than usual and her freckles contrasted with her skin.
"What is it?" Harry asked. She sat down slowly, feeling for her seat as she did so.
"This is the compartment when you--" she started.
She didn't have to finish. Harry just remembered what compartment they were in. It was the one that he had first seen both a good friend and his worst fear. He was in the compartment from the beginning of his third year, when he had seen Lupin and his first Dementor.