Harry pushed his way through the crowd of bustling Hogwarts Students and
stepped onto the train. He looked over the heads of the crowd, trying to
spot Hermione or Ron, but he couldn't see them, he sighed and just as he
was about to turn, he noticed a nastily familiar face watching him. His
shining, blonde hair, a pale pointed face, and icy blue eyes made him stand
out in the crowd; not that he needed to, he was standing quite alone, no
Crabbe or Goyle were flanking him now. Draco Malfoy was staring at him, his
eyes fixed into Harry's. Their gaze met for a few moments, and Harry
suddenly felt the smallest of twinges in his scar, but then he was shuffled
forward and Malfoy was out of sight. Harry turned and walked down past all
of the compartments, Malfoy's eyes still fresh in his mind; they were
rimmed with dark lines, a sure sign of sleepless nights and what was more,
there had been something there Harry had never seen before, a terrible
hatred. Of course, Malfoy had always hated Harry, always, but this time it
was different; this time, it was quite strange.
He moved past a few more compartments, rubbing his scar, puzzled. As he passed one he noticed a patch of vivid red hair visible through the gap in the compartment door. Harry recognised this immediately as Ron's. He pushed open the compartment door, and Ron and Hermione turned round. Both their faces broke into grins.
"Harry!" said Hermione. Harry sat down opposite the two of them. They looked different, both of them.
"Hi," grinned Harry.
"Alright?" he asked them. They both nodded. Ron sighed happily, openly expressing his happiness at them all being together again. But Harry doubted even Ron was more pleased to be back with them both than he was. He had missed them a great deal over the summer, even though they both sent letters, and rung him on the "felly tone" as Ron had called it, quite often. Dumbledore had written to him over the summer, too, keeping him updated on everything that was going on, but not releasing too much in case it fell into the wrong hands. He had asked Harry how he was, and asked him to tell him if anything was wrong. Harry had felt a bit guilty for the way he had treated Dumbledore in that meeting they had had after Sirius' death, and realised that Dumbledore was only trying to protect him.
Sirius. Harry had tried to put Sirius to the back of his mind over the summer, but during those long, lonely hours at Number Four, Privet Drive, Sirius kept appearing in his mind. Guilt, despair and sadness were all he had felt when he thought of Sirius, there was no escaping it. But towards the end of the holidays, the pain lessened slightly, as the thought of returning to Hogwarts captivated him.
"Well, I have to say, Harry, you missed a great laugh when you missed the "home-coming" of Percy." Ron snorted when he mentioned Percy's name. Harry laughed too, and Hermione frowned but she did smile slightly. Percy has completely disowned himself from the Weasley family last year, when he had joined the Ministry of Magic's defiant campaign of ignoring the fact that Lord Voldemort had returned, and wasting no time in announcing to the world that both Dumbledore and Harry were disturbed in the mind; in other words, lunatics.
"He came home somewhere at the beginning of August, we heard Mum scream from downstairs, and all ran down. Honestly, you would have thought she had been attacked the way she screamed! Anyway, we got down there and looking like a droopy duck, there was Percy with his head drooping, looking very ashamed of himself." Ron was telling them this with what looked like disgust.
"Mum started hugging him and crying her eyes out, and we all just stood there, you know, Dad too, looking at him. After a while, he pushed Mum away and made this speech about how foolish and arrogant he had been, how sorry he was, blah blah blah. Dad walked over to him, and hugged him and the great idiot started crying. Finally we all forgave him, and he's now back to his normal, bossy self. He's in the Order, now and seems to have lost a lot of respect for Fudge which is a good thing, believe me." Ron sighed and started rummaging about in his bag.
"Well I'm so glad Percy's seen sense. He was being so childish before.it's nice for you to all be a family again isn't it, Ron?" Hermione asked. Ron gave a short "Mmm" and carried on rummaging through his bag. Finally he pulled out an envelope.
"Here you are." He passed the envelope to Harry. Harry took it, and read his name written in black ink on the front. Harry looked up at Ron, puzzled.
"From Percy." Ron explained.
"He's given me one for Dumbledore as well. He says he has to apologize to the people he has upset." Ron rolled his eyes and grinned. Harry slit open the envelope and read.
Dear Harry,
I am writing to apologize most sincerely for my behaviour this year. I was foolish to believe the false and prudent words of the Daily Prophet, and Cornelius Fudge. You were telling the truth all along and.
But Harry stopped reading abruptly when pain seared through his scar. He clamped his hands over his forehead and shuddered. White-hot pain was creeping down the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, his ears were ringing and his head felt as though it might split. Then, just as soon as it had come, it was gone. The volume had turned back up, and he heard Ron and Hermione's frightened voices.
"Harry! Harry!" Hermione called, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. Her face looked scared and he eyes were wide. Ron had gone slightly pale and looked very anxious.
"Are you alright?" he said in a shocked voice. Harry sat up and put his head in his hands, then looked up at them.
"Yeah, yeah..I'm fine, I think I'll just go to the - er, the toilet.." He stood up, and walked over to the door, swaying slightly; he pulled it open, and walked out, closing it behind him. There was sweat on his face and around his neck, as he leant against the compartment door. Why had his scar just hurt him so much? Was Voldemort angry? But his scar hadn't hurt him much over the summer at all, just the few odd pangs, and Voldemort surely must have been angry at some point, mustn't he? Harry looked from left to right down the corridor, it seemed deserted, he walked towards the toilet at the end. As he walked, he heard footsteps approaching swiftly behind him, he looked over his shoulder, and seeing who it was, Harry spun around.
Malfoy was standing there, the same height as Harry, his cold, blue eyes piercing him. His hand was halfway into his robes, but he withdrew then quickly as he looked over Harry's shoulder. Harry looked around, too. Colin Creevey and another fifth year boy were walking down the corridor towards them. Colin saw Harry and his face lit up.
"It's Harry!" he said to his friend, excitedly.
"Hiya Harry!" he called to Harry. Harry smiled politely.
"Er, hi, Colin." He said.
"Good Summer?" Colin asked, beaming. Colin's friend looked very pleased that Harry was standing in front of him. Harry thought that this time last year, he would have been cowering or edging away from him; but now the truth was out, people were starting to think he was something of a hero.
"Yeah, great." Harry lied quickly. Colin beamed even more.
"Well, me and Andy here are looking for Simon Pyke, have you seen him, Harry?"
"Um, no. Sorry." Harry had never heard of, or seen a Simon Pyke in his life. Colin sighed, still smiling.
"Oh, well. See you, Harry!" he called walking past him and Malfoy. Harry turned back to Malfoy. His hand was back in his robes. Harry frowned.
"Did you want something?" he asked coldly. Malfoy's eyes flashed, and Harry thought he saw, with horror, a slit instead of a pupil. But when Draco blinked again, his eyes were still their normal, cold blue. He edged closer to Harry, pulling out his wand and pointing it at him. Harry's scar was starting to tingle now as he stared into Malfoy's eyes, and then it happened again.
His scar burst open with pain and he fell to the floor. He clutched the pain intensifying swiftly in his head. White-hot and blinding, he could not see anything around him. He was screaming with a voice that he could not hear. Help! He was yelling. Somebody help me! The pain was so terrible he felt as though he was dying. In the distance he heard voices, very distant voices calling to him, shrieking. He opened his for a brief moment and saw that Malfoy was gone. Then, blackness.
* Reviews please!!!
He moved past a few more compartments, rubbing his scar, puzzled. As he passed one he noticed a patch of vivid red hair visible through the gap in the compartment door. Harry recognised this immediately as Ron's. He pushed open the compartment door, and Ron and Hermione turned round. Both their faces broke into grins.
"Harry!" said Hermione. Harry sat down opposite the two of them. They looked different, both of them.
"Hi," grinned Harry.
"Alright?" he asked them. They both nodded. Ron sighed happily, openly expressing his happiness at them all being together again. But Harry doubted even Ron was more pleased to be back with them both than he was. He had missed them a great deal over the summer, even though they both sent letters, and rung him on the "felly tone" as Ron had called it, quite often. Dumbledore had written to him over the summer, too, keeping him updated on everything that was going on, but not releasing too much in case it fell into the wrong hands. He had asked Harry how he was, and asked him to tell him if anything was wrong. Harry had felt a bit guilty for the way he had treated Dumbledore in that meeting they had had after Sirius' death, and realised that Dumbledore was only trying to protect him.
Sirius. Harry had tried to put Sirius to the back of his mind over the summer, but during those long, lonely hours at Number Four, Privet Drive, Sirius kept appearing in his mind. Guilt, despair and sadness were all he had felt when he thought of Sirius, there was no escaping it. But towards the end of the holidays, the pain lessened slightly, as the thought of returning to Hogwarts captivated him.
"Well, I have to say, Harry, you missed a great laugh when you missed the "home-coming" of Percy." Ron snorted when he mentioned Percy's name. Harry laughed too, and Hermione frowned but she did smile slightly. Percy has completely disowned himself from the Weasley family last year, when he had joined the Ministry of Magic's defiant campaign of ignoring the fact that Lord Voldemort had returned, and wasting no time in announcing to the world that both Dumbledore and Harry were disturbed in the mind; in other words, lunatics.
"He came home somewhere at the beginning of August, we heard Mum scream from downstairs, and all ran down. Honestly, you would have thought she had been attacked the way she screamed! Anyway, we got down there and looking like a droopy duck, there was Percy with his head drooping, looking very ashamed of himself." Ron was telling them this with what looked like disgust.
"Mum started hugging him and crying her eyes out, and we all just stood there, you know, Dad too, looking at him. After a while, he pushed Mum away and made this speech about how foolish and arrogant he had been, how sorry he was, blah blah blah. Dad walked over to him, and hugged him and the great idiot started crying. Finally we all forgave him, and he's now back to his normal, bossy self. He's in the Order, now and seems to have lost a lot of respect for Fudge which is a good thing, believe me." Ron sighed and started rummaging about in his bag.
"Well I'm so glad Percy's seen sense. He was being so childish before.it's nice for you to all be a family again isn't it, Ron?" Hermione asked. Ron gave a short "Mmm" and carried on rummaging through his bag. Finally he pulled out an envelope.
"Here you are." He passed the envelope to Harry. Harry took it, and read his name written in black ink on the front. Harry looked up at Ron, puzzled.
"From Percy." Ron explained.
"He's given me one for Dumbledore as well. He says he has to apologize to the people he has upset." Ron rolled his eyes and grinned. Harry slit open the envelope and read.
Dear Harry,
I am writing to apologize most sincerely for my behaviour this year. I was foolish to believe the false and prudent words of the Daily Prophet, and Cornelius Fudge. You were telling the truth all along and.
But Harry stopped reading abruptly when pain seared through his scar. He clamped his hands over his forehead and shuddered. White-hot pain was creeping down the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, his ears were ringing and his head felt as though it might split. Then, just as soon as it had come, it was gone. The volume had turned back up, and he heard Ron and Hermione's frightened voices.
"Harry! Harry!" Hermione called, grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly. Her face looked scared and he eyes were wide. Ron had gone slightly pale and looked very anxious.
"Are you alright?" he said in a shocked voice. Harry sat up and put his head in his hands, then looked up at them.
"Yeah, yeah..I'm fine, I think I'll just go to the - er, the toilet.." He stood up, and walked over to the door, swaying slightly; he pulled it open, and walked out, closing it behind him. There was sweat on his face and around his neck, as he leant against the compartment door. Why had his scar just hurt him so much? Was Voldemort angry? But his scar hadn't hurt him much over the summer at all, just the few odd pangs, and Voldemort surely must have been angry at some point, mustn't he? Harry looked from left to right down the corridor, it seemed deserted, he walked towards the toilet at the end. As he walked, he heard footsteps approaching swiftly behind him, he looked over his shoulder, and seeing who it was, Harry spun around.
Malfoy was standing there, the same height as Harry, his cold, blue eyes piercing him. His hand was halfway into his robes, but he withdrew then quickly as he looked over Harry's shoulder. Harry looked around, too. Colin Creevey and another fifth year boy were walking down the corridor towards them. Colin saw Harry and his face lit up.
"It's Harry!" he said to his friend, excitedly.
"Hiya Harry!" he called to Harry. Harry smiled politely.
"Er, hi, Colin." He said.
"Good Summer?" Colin asked, beaming. Colin's friend looked very pleased that Harry was standing in front of him. Harry thought that this time last year, he would have been cowering or edging away from him; but now the truth was out, people were starting to think he was something of a hero.
"Yeah, great." Harry lied quickly. Colin beamed even more.
"Well, me and Andy here are looking for Simon Pyke, have you seen him, Harry?"
"Um, no. Sorry." Harry had never heard of, or seen a Simon Pyke in his life. Colin sighed, still smiling.
"Oh, well. See you, Harry!" he called walking past him and Malfoy. Harry turned back to Malfoy. His hand was back in his robes. Harry frowned.
"Did you want something?" he asked coldly. Malfoy's eyes flashed, and Harry thought he saw, with horror, a slit instead of a pupil. But when Draco blinked again, his eyes were still their normal, cold blue. He edged closer to Harry, pulling out his wand and pointing it at him. Harry's scar was starting to tingle now as he stared into Malfoy's eyes, and then it happened again.
His scar burst open with pain and he fell to the floor. He clutched the pain intensifying swiftly in his head. White-hot and blinding, he could not see anything around him. He was screaming with a voice that he could not hear. Help! He was yelling. Somebody help me! The pain was so terrible he felt as though he was dying. In the distance he heard voices, very distant voices calling to him, shrieking. He opened his for a brief moment and saw that Malfoy was gone. Then, blackness.
* Reviews please!!!