Harry Potter and the Light of Darkness

Here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I was being really lazy and wasn't in the mood for typing lately, but it's here now, so enjoy!

Earlier Than Expected

Harry was momentarily stunned. And he couldn't seem to hear the people he could see cheering for him. He, Harry, had just been awarded an Order of Merlin!

He didn't move until Dumbledore nudged him gently. He walked forwards towards Fudge and shook his hand. The air was thick with smoke being emitted from various cameras. Fudge pinned the medal to the breast of Harry's robes.

Harry went and sat back down. He was hardly aware as the people began to file out, though not before shaking his hand. Soon Dumbledore, Fudge, and himself were the only ones left.

"Well, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, "I must express my gratitude. That was most generous." Harry nodded dumbly at his side.

Fudge didn't say much except for a bit of mumbling that gave Harry the impression that the whole thing hadn't been his idea.

"Unfortunately Harry and I must be on our way," Dumbledore said. He grasped Harry's shoulder and steered him through the curtain and back into the Atrium.

Harry finally emerged from his daze far enough to speak again. "Professor? Where are we going now?"

"Diagon Alley," Dumbledore said. "I don't believe you were able to purchase your school things while at your aunt and uncle's this summer."

Harry opened his mouth to question him, but Dumbledore continued to speak. "I have to apologize for leaving with the Dursleys for the entire summer."

They had now joined a queue for a fireplace. "You must understand, Harry, after what I told you in June. Voldemort cannot harm you while you are living with your mother's sister. After you stopped him once again, I thought that Voldemort would be angrier than ever and it would be a good idea to leave you somewhere you would be safe."

This wasn't news to him. His dream of Lupin and the others had explained all this already. It didn't make his whole summer with the Dursleys any more bearable. Though he did feel a bit of gratitude towards Dumbledore.

Soon it was their turn. "Go on, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I'll meet you on the other end."

Harry took a handful of Floo powder, threw it into the flames, said "Diagon Alley!" and was whisked away.

It didn't take long for the two of them to gather what Harry needed for his sixth year. When they were done, they went back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Are we going back to Grimmauld Place?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"No," Dumbledore said. "I'm taking you straight back to Hogwarts."

"How come?" Harry asked, trying to hide the relief in his voice. He didn't know if he could bear going back to Sirius's old house.

"I'd much prefer it if you were somewhere that I could keep an eye on you," Dumbledore said. "I'm sorry, Harry, but you'll be able to see your friends when they arrive tomorrow."

With that, Dumbledore ushered Harry through the fire.

* * *

A few hours later Harry was to be found sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room, the remains of a solitary supper on the table beside him. He was so bored he had been reduced to reading his new school books just for something to do.

Unfortunately, restlessness was beginning to consume him. I don't know how Hermione does it, he thought.

Putting his book aside, he got up and made his way to the window. He looked out at the crimson sky as his thoughts began to wander.

Harry had not been looking forward to coming back to school. Actually, for the first time he half-wished he was back at Privet Drive. He wasn't looking forward to the moment Ron and Hermione arrived either. He had been too busy this summer doing nothing that he hadn't bothered to write to either of his best friends. Harry could just imagine them tomorrow: Hermione bristling with questions and brandishing her OWLs (she was bound to have gotten perfect) and Ron hushing Hermione and acting much to cheerful in a feeble attempt to cheer him up.

When he thought about Hermione and her OWLs, his stomach clenched. He wasn't sure why though. He had managed to scrape good marks along with six OWLs.

Soon, the feeling of restlessness that had plagued him earlier began to drain out of him to be replaced with a heavy fatigue. Harry decided that if he was going to act like everything was OK to avoid awkward questions he had better get a decent night's sleep.

The next evening, Harry sat in the Great Hall awaiting the rest of the students on the Hogwarts Express which should have been arriving soon.

Harry had not done much that day. He had remained in bed for much of the morning as he had had trouble finding the energy to move. He had only gotten up when Dobby the house elf arrived carrying a tray of sandwiches for lunch.

He soon heard the doors in the Entrance Hall open and the babble of voices that could only mean that the students had arrived.

Sure enough, a stream of black-robed students was making its way into the Great Hall. Harry could see some of them glancing at him, leaning to their friends, and whispering amongst themselves. He suspected they were wondering why he was already here. But quite apart from annoying him this muttering hardly phased him at all.

Harry turned away from the throng of students coming into the Hall. He was trying to ignore all the muttering around him, felling slightly paranoid. He was jerked roughly from his thoughts when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He started and turned to find himself face to face with Luna Lovegood.

"Hello, Harry," she said in her usual dreamy voice. "Did you have a nice summer?"

"Yes," Harry said with barely any emotion to spare.

Luna's pale eyebrows twitched and she stared at him for a minute, not saying anything. Harry could tell she didn't believe him.

"OK, no, it was terrible," he said, "but I suppose it could've been much worse. What about you?" he asked.

"Oh, it was quite enjoyable, thanks," she said. "Unfortunately we didn't get to see the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. They're harder to track then Daddy thought."

"It's pretty hard to track something that doesn't exist, I expect," said a famaliar female voice in Harry's ear.

He turned and saw that Ron and Hermione had arrived at the Gryffindor table.

"Well, bye Harry," Luna said.

Harry turned back around in time to see Luna shoot what he thought was a jealous look in Ron and Hermione's direction. "Yeah, see you, Luna," he said.

She turned and headed back towards the Ravenclaw table.

"As nutty as ever that one, eh?" Ron said sitting down beside Harry..

Harry was still watching Luna make her way towards her table. When she sat down, he turned to his best friends. "You know, I think you guys are a bit too hard on her," he said.

Ron merely shrugged and Harry could hear his stomach growling. He turned away from Ron and looked at Hermione who had been staring at Harry intently and quickly looked up at the staff table. Harry knew she was probably bursting with questions to bombard him with but was seeming to hold back, most likely by Ron's persuasion. He felt a twinge of gratitude towards Ron.

Harry followed Hermione's gaze up to the staff table where Hagrid was just taking his seat. He waved at Harry and Harry waved back, though half-heartedly.

Once again Harry heard the door to the Great Hall open and he looked over to see Professor McGonagall leading the usual line of scared-looking first years to the front, alongside the staff table. She put the stool she was carrying on the floor and placed the school Sorting Hat on top. The students fell silent as a rip near the brim opened wide:

"I may be old and patched and frayed,

But looks can be deceiving.

Listen to my song again,

You'd better be believing.

The one that many of us fear

Has finally come to light.

Though we must not be discouraged

Or doom may be our plight.

Once again I'll sort you into

Houses, though I fear,

This quartering of students may

Bring the end this year.

And so I tell you newcomers

Hold onto friendships true,

Do not be blinded by your house

No matter what you do.

So whether brave or smart or sly,

It matters not to me,

This year I'll sort you into houses

In a different way you see.

Whether Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw,

Gryffindor or Slytherin,

This year I'll put you where I see

You will most fit in.

Although change is most unwelcome

You will see I'm right.

You may not see the benefits,

But thankfully, I might."

The Great Hall broke out in applause and again this year the applause was punctuated by muttering. Professor McGonagall had her scroll of parchment out in front of her and was staring down the mutterers. Soon silence fell and she began to call out the names of the first years.

The Sorting Hat seemed to be calling out the names of houses much more quickly than usual. In fact, it almost seemed to Harry that it was calling out houses at random. Many of the students seemed to be thinking along the same lines as they were exchanging anxious glances.

When the last student had been sorted, McGonagall picked up the Hat and stool and left the Hall. No sooner had she left then Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome back to what I am sure will be an eventful year," Dumbledore said. "I know that many of you are probably very hungry so I'll save my ramblings for later."

With that Dumbledore sat down and food suddenly appeared on the golden dishes lining the tables.

With a moan of longing, Ron pulled everything within reach towards him and began piling the food onto his plate.

"Well that was interesting, wasn't it?" Hermione said. He didn't need to ask what she meant.

"It certainly was," said Nearly-Headless Nick drifting through the table before Harry could answer. "The Sorting Hat has given out warnings before as I told you last year, but this is the first time it has varied the form of the Sorting process."

Harry used the time during which he was spared answering Hermione to scan the staff table. He received a shock that caused him to punch Ron in the arm.

"What?" Ron said angrily after he finally managed to swallow his food.

"Where's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry said. "There's nobody new at the staff table."

"Hey, you're right, Harry," Hermione said.

"Maybe Dumbledore finally gave Snape the job," Ron said.

"But they'd still need somebody new for Potions then," Harry said.

The three of them were left pondering this dilemma for the rest of the Feast. When the noise level in the Hall began to rise again, Dumbledore got to his feet and the students immediately fell silent.

"I beg your attention for the usual start-of-term announcements," he said. "First years are reminded that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. And I am pleased to announce that for the first time in many years our staff roster will undergo no changes. Quidditch tryouts will be held…"

Harry squatted down a bit in his seat and Ron and Hermione leaned in towards him. "What is Dumbledore playing at?" he asked.

"Maybe they got rid of the whole subject," Ron suggested.

"Don't be stupid, Ron," Hermione snapped. "This isn't Divination we're talking about. Defense Against the Dark Arts must be one of the most important subjects there is, especially since the return of Voldemort – for heaven's sake, Ron, get a grip," she said as Ron had flinched horribly at the sound of the name.

There was a rustling as the students were getting up to leave.

"I suppose we'll have to wait until tomorrow when we get our timetables," Harry said.

Harry then caught a glimpse of Ginny making her way past the three of them followed by a line of first years.

Ron noticed where Harry was looking and said, "Yeah, you should've seen Mum. She was hanging off Ginny like she was the only one in the family. She got a new broomstick too," he added, answering Harry's unasked question.

"We better get moving you two," Hermione said, "or we'll be the only ones left behind."

They left the Great Hall and made their way to Gryffindor Tower, taking a few concealed shortcuts along the way. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady Harry gave the password (Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes) and they all climbed through the portrait hole.

When they were all through, Harry turned and saw Hermione opening her mouth to say something. Without waiting he cut her off. "I'm really tired you guys. I'm going to bed." With that he left Ron and Hermione staring after him as he climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories.

Well? What did you guys think? I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, I'm going to try and finish the next chapter of A Place Unknown first. Well don't forget to review.

- Kero.