(G'day all. Hasn't it been yonks since I looked at this fic? Sorry for the
wait, I hope this chapter satisfies everybody. I suggested reading it with
a couple of powerful songs lined up. I was listening to a few when I wrote
it and it just made it a tad bit more emotional, so try it out. )
"I can't believe we're actually going!" Jess squealed in delight as she wheeled her trolley along the platform.
"This is going to be so amazing!" Nada added, flashing white teeth as a broad smile lit up her face. Harry didn't seem to agree. He had a tight frown on his face as the wall to Platform nine and three quarters came into view. He was going to have to face his friends. First they'd exclaim, "Where have you been?" and he'd have to fob them off without a reason, then they'd probably say, "You've changed heaps Harry." referring to his appearance and lastly they'd probably end with something like, "We don't understand. What can't you tell us Harry? Maybe we should just go." And that would be that, a four-year friendship gone to waste. Guilt swept over him, he was going to hurt them big time. Maybe it wasn't on purpose but it was still going to happen. And if he did tell them the truth, they would be endanger with that information and they'd probably alienate him anyway, the boy-who-lived with more powers and all. Hell if he were them he'd alienate himself too, what's more scary then someone with more power then Albus Dumbledore himself? Well at least that's what Sara had told him. And gee, wasn't he excited about being far more powerful then Dumbledore. Harry shook himself, dispelling the sarcasm welled up inside. From beside him, Anna seemed to sense his thoughts. She slid an arm around his waste and hugged him on the side as they walked.
"No matter what Harry, you have us." She whispered. He looked down at her and smile gratefully. By that time they were at the barrier, Jason had already gone through and Jess was just following. Nada darted through and then, Anna reached down and grabbed Harry's hand as they stepped through the barrier together.
Familiar noises reached his ears, as if he hadn't heard them for centuries. Everything seemed so out of place to him, strange and distance. Students milled around, with happy smiles greeting friends. The Elementals quickly, hurried on to the train and into a compartment. They needed to be secluded from everyone else, so as not to draw to much attention to themselves. Amazingly Harry wasn't recognised, he hadn't realised it but he had changed a hell of a lot.
"That was really easy." Jason stated as he shoved his trunk under a seat.
"How come you weren't recognised Harry?" Nada asked as she flopped onto a seat with the others.
"I have no idea."
"It's probably cause we're so used to him, we've been seeing him everyday, the students haven't seen him since last year." Anna spoke up as she curled up next to Harry. Giving him reassuring smiles. They lapsed into a comfortable silence that was interrupted a few minutes later by a girl. Cho Chang to be exact.
"Excuse me?"
Harry glanced up at the familiar voice and almost swallowed his tongue.
"Have any of you seen Harry Potter? I'm meant to give him his Prefect badge." Harry coughed loudly and she focused her gaze on him.
"That would be me?" Cho looked taken a back to say the least, she gasped.
"Harry? Wow, you've changed!"
"Yeah big growth spurt," He laughed casually as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Well here's your badge. The Prefect compartment is at the front of the train." She handed him the badge. "You were meant to get this in your letter but for someone reason you never received it so I was asked to give it to you." She explained at his curious glance.
"Oh. Thanks."
"No problem." Cho turned her attention to the other people in the compartment and gave Harry an inquiring glance.
"Cho, this is Anna, Jess, Jason and Nada. They're new students this year."
"In fifth year?"
"Yeah, we were given a sort of scholarship pass to Hogwarts," Nada interrupted. "I'm so excited." She beamed snapping into acting gear.
"Where did you go before?" Cho asked. Nada perfected her next expression brilliantly as her face became soft and forlorn. She answered with a detached look on her face,
"A wizarding Orphanage."
"Oh." Cho didn't know what to say. She looked at Harry strangely, millions of questions milling around in her head. How did he know them? Why did they go to an orphanage? Had they all lost their parents? But she didn't ask any of these questions, she felt awkward as if she'd over stayed her welcome and left quickly.
"WELL, that put her on the spot!" Jason exclaimed loudly and then chuckled. "Did you see her face? She's probably never associated with so many parentless kids before." He stopped then. Another silence filled the compartment, this time a melancholy one.
"You know, it's strange," Nada whispered. "How all our parents are gone."
"All targeted by the same person." Jess added wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"As if he knew what potential we had." Anna continued.
"We'll get him." Harry finished with a determined look in his eyes.
"Just gave Harry his badge."
"You what?" Before Cho could answer, Hermione was sprinting down the corridor darting her head in and out of compartments in a mad search.
"Herm!" CRASH! The two of them toppled to the ground. "What's the hurry?" It was Ron.
"Cho said she saw Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, her face was as white as a sheet and she was breathing heavily. Ron's eyes widened and he dragged her up off the ground as they continued down the hall.
Harry heard the collision in the hall and the voice that claimed Cho had seen Harry. He jumped to his feet with wide eyes. This was the confrontation he had been dreading. He wasn't sure he was ready for it yet. Anna stood up beside him as they peered out of the corridor. He could just see Ron and Hermione inquiring in another compartment.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Anna whispered next to him.
"Yeh, fine." Harry shook himself. "Wait, here. I have to talk to them."
"Harry you're not alone." Nada stood up and smiled at him.
"Thanks guys. I'll be back." He then strode out into the hallway and up to his unsuspecting friends. He stood silently in the hall and waited for them to turn around.
"Haven't seen him then? OH. Thanks anyway." Hermione pulled her head out of the door and turned to face Ron. As she did her eyes caught sight of a guy standing diagonally behind them. His arms folded across his chest, and a blank look on his face. Ron turned to follow her gaze and narrowed his eyes at the guy who had drawn Hermione's attention.
"Hey."
Ron's eyebrows scrunched for a second in confusion. The guy sounded exactly like Harry.
"Can we help you?" Hermione asked politely.
"That really depends." Came the reply.
"On what?" Ron asked impatiently, his arms now folded across his chest too.
"Whether you'll want to help me after we're through talking."
"Harry?" Hermione breathed softly in a whisper.
"The one and only." He grinned softly, but it was a grin that didn't reach his eyes. He lifted his mahogany coloured hair and flashed them the famous scar.
"Where have you been!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger as she rounded on him. Harry frowned, trying to put an answer together that would satisfy them.
"I've been.away." He finished lamely.
"Away? What do you mean away? Everyone's been searching for you!" Ron began, his voice raising.
"I know. Can we talk somewhere else? Everyone's listening." Harry indicated the students that were standing in the doorway, having heard the raised voices. He walked down the hallway till he found an empty compartment, and waited for Hermione and Ron to enter. He then pulled out his wand a cast a silencing spell around the room as he closed the door. "I'm sorry guys. I didn't want to worry everyone so much."
"Well then why did you?" Ron asked with a glare. Hermione stayed silent.
Harry's brain clicked into gear as he came up with an explanation. "I've told you both what its like at the Durlsey's. After a while I couldn't take the verbal abuse anymore. I had to leave. I'd discovered an orphanage close by, by accident. I talked to a councillor there and was offered a sanctuary. It had one price, I couldn't tell anyone where I was. It was that way so that the kids had protection and privacy from abusive relatives and the likes. That's why I've been missing." Harry hated himself for lying, but there was no other way. This was the only plausible explanation he had.
"You're lying." Harry jumped at the fierce tone of voice coming from Hermione. "I know you too well Harry. I also know that whatever it is that's kept you away, you can't tell us." Harry hung his head and rubbed his forehead with one hand as if he had a headache.
"I'm sorry Herm. You're right. I can't tell you, and its not because I don't want to, it's because I can't. Not even Dumbledore can know. I'm really sorry. I hope that maybe one day you'll forgive me."
"One day?" Ron scoffed giving Harry a dark look. "Come on Hermione, let's go." They both stood and left, but as Hermione passed Harry she touched his arm lightly and said, "I know you didn't mean to hurt everyone Harry. But the fact is you can't trust us with your secret, and what is the point of being friends with people you can't trust?" She left quickly. Inside, Harry screamed. It hurt to have his friends dump him like that. Hermione had it all wrong, he did trust them. He'd trust them with his secret but he couldn't risk their death. Maybe one day he'd tell them the truth and like a fairy tale everything would be all right in the end. But for now they'd rejected him. They weren't willing to trust him. It seemed Hermione had been right about one thing, trust was a key aspect in a friendship. But it wasn't him that had the trust problem it was them. Inside, he cried.
The train slowly screeched to a halt, and they got off the train. Word had got around of a fight between the dream team, word had gotten around that Harry was looking very different, word had gotten around about the new students. Basically, gossip was the word. Harry was in a silent foreboding mood, he had his arm around Anna as she had hers round him. Giving him as much comfort as she could. When they stepped out into the chilly air of the night, a wind seemed to sweep up, clouds swooped in low over the sky and all at once a storm seemed to brew as rain began pouring down. The students shrieked and darted for the carriages but the elementals stood in a line, looking up at the sky curiously, bar Harry was biting his lip and thinking.
"I don't know how, but I know you're doing this Harry," Anna whispered from beside him, and squeezed him round the waist.
"We'll have to talk to Sara when we get in." Nada said, as she studied the stormy sky. Her eyes drifted down till they rested on the carriages and the student's faces peering out at them with studying looks. "Shit, guys we're drawing attention to ourselves." They all snapped out of it and clambered into the last carriage just as it took off towards the Hogwarts castle.
(Hope u enjoyed it. Please review, I love encouragement!)
~Emily
"I can't believe we're actually going!" Jess squealed in delight as she wheeled her trolley along the platform.
"This is going to be so amazing!" Nada added, flashing white teeth as a broad smile lit up her face. Harry didn't seem to agree. He had a tight frown on his face as the wall to Platform nine and three quarters came into view. He was going to have to face his friends. First they'd exclaim, "Where have you been?" and he'd have to fob them off without a reason, then they'd probably say, "You've changed heaps Harry." referring to his appearance and lastly they'd probably end with something like, "We don't understand. What can't you tell us Harry? Maybe we should just go." And that would be that, a four-year friendship gone to waste. Guilt swept over him, he was going to hurt them big time. Maybe it wasn't on purpose but it was still going to happen. And if he did tell them the truth, they would be endanger with that information and they'd probably alienate him anyway, the boy-who-lived with more powers and all. Hell if he were them he'd alienate himself too, what's more scary then someone with more power then Albus Dumbledore himself? Well at least that's what Sara had told him. And gee, wasn't he excited about being far more powerful then Dumbledore. Harry shook himself, dispelling the sarcasm welled up inside. From beside him, Anna seemed to sense his thoughts. She slid an arm around his waste and hugged him on the side as they walked.
"No matter what Harry, you have us." She whispered. He looked down at her and smile gratefully. By that time they were at the barrier, Jason had already gone through and Jess was just following. Nada darted through and then, Anna reached down and grabbed Harry's hand as they stepped through the barrier together.
Familiar noises reached his ears, as if he hadn't heard them for centuries. Everything seemed so out of place to him, strange and distance. Students milled around, with happy smiles greeting friends. The Elementals quickly, hurried on to the train and into a compartment. They needed to be secluded from everyone else, so as not to draw to much attention to themselves. Amazingly Harry wasn't recognised, he hadn't realised it but he had changed a hell of a lot.
"That was really easy." Jason stated as he shoved his trunk under a seat.
"How come you weren't recognised Harry?" Nada asked as she flopped onto a seat with the others.
"I have no idea."
"It's probably cause we're so used to him, we've been seeing him everyday, the students haven't seen him since last year." Anna spoke up as she curled up next to Harry. Giving him reassuring smiles. They lapsed into a comfortable silence that was interrupted a few minutes later by a girl. Cho Chang to be exact.
"Excuse me?"
Harry glanced up at the familiar voice and almost swallowed his tongue.
"Have any of you seen Harry Potter? I'm meant to give him his Prefect badge." Harry coughed loudly and she focused her gaze on him.
"That would be me?" Cho looked taken a back to say the least, she gasped.
"Harry? Wow, you've changed!"
"Yeah big growth spurt," He laughed casually as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Well here's your badge. The Prefect compartment is at the front of the train." She handed him the badge. "You were meant to get this in your letter but for someone reason you never received it so I was asked to give it to you." She explained at his curious glance.
"Oh. Thanks."
"No problem." Cho turned her attention to the other people in the compartment and gave Harry an inquiring glance.
"Cho, this is Anna, Jess, Jason and Nada. They're new students this year."
"In fifth year?"
"Yeah, we were given a sort of scholarship pass to Hogwarts," Nada interrupted. "I'm so excited." She beamed snapping into acting gear.
"Where did you go before?" Cho asked. Nada perfected her next expression brilliantly as her face became soft and forlorn. She answered with a detached look on her face,
"A wizarding Orphanage."
"Oh." Cho didn't know what to say. She looked at Harry strangely, millions of questions milling around in her head. How did he know them? Why did they go to an orphanage? Had they all lost their parents? But she didn't ask any of these questions, she felt awkward as if she'd over stayed her welcome and left quickly.
"WELL, that put her on the spot!" Jason exclaimed loudly and then chuckled. "Did you see her face? She's probably never associated with so many parentless kids before." He stopped then. Another silence filled the compartment, this time a melancholy one.
"You know, it's strange," Nada whispered. "How all our parents are gone."
"All targeted by the same person." Jess added wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"As if he knew what potential we had." Anna continued.
"We'll get him." Harry finished with a determined look in his eyes.
"Just gave Harry his badge."
"You what?" Before Cho could answer, Hermione was sprinting down the corridor darting her head in and out of compartments in a mad search.
"Herm!" CRASH! The two of them toppled to the ground. "What's the hurry?" It was Ron.
"Cho said she saw Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, her face was as white as a sheet and she was breathing heavily. Ron's eyes widened and he dragged her up off the ground as they continued down the hall.
Harry heard the collision in the hall and the voice that claimed Cho had seen Harry. He jumped to his feet with wide eyes. This was the confrontation he had been dreading. He wasn't sure he was ready for it yet. Anna stood up beside him as they peered out of the corridor. He could just see Ron and Hermione inquiring in another compartment.
"Are you okay, Harry?" Anna whispered next to him.
"Yeh, fine." Harry shook himself. "Wait, here. I have to talk to them."
"Harry you're not alone." Nada stood up and smiled at him.
"Thanks guys. I'll be back." He then strode out into the hallway and up to his unsuspecting friends. He stood silently in the hall and waited for them to turn around.
"Haven't seen him then? OH. Thanks anyway." Hermione pulled her head out of the door and turned to face Ron. As she did her eyes caught sight of a guy standing diagonally behind them. His arms folded across his chest, and a blank look on his face. Ron turned to follow her gaze and narrowed his eyes at the guy who had drawn Hermione's attention.
"Hey."
Ron's eyebrows scrunched for a second in confusion. The guy sounded exactly like Harry.
"Can we help you?" Hermione asked politely.
"That really depends." Came the reply.
"On what?" Ron asked impatiently, his arms now folded across his chest too.
"Whether you'll want to help me after we're through talking."
"Harry?" Hermione breathed softly in a whisper.
"The one and only." He grinned softly, but it was a grin that didn't reach his eyes. He lifted his mahogany coloured hair and flashed them the famous scar.
"Where have you been!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes flashing with anger as she rounded on him. Harry frowned, trying to put an answer together that would satisfy them.
"I've been.away." He finished lamely.
"Away? What do you mean away? Everyone's been searching for you!" Ron began, his voice raising.
"I know. Can we talk somewhere else? Everyone's listening." Harry indicated the students that were standing in the doorway, having heard the raised voices. He walked down the hallway till he found an empty compartment, and waited for Hermione and Ron to enter. He then pulled out his wand a cast a silencing spell around the room as he closed the door. "I'm sorry guys. I didn't want to worry everyone so much."
"Well then why did you?" Ron asked with a glare. Hermione stayed silent.
Harry's brain clicked into gear as he came up with an explanation. "I've told you both what its like at the Durlsey's. After a while I couldn't take the verbal abuse anymore. I had to leave. I'd discovered an orphanage close by, by accident. I talked to a councillor there and was offered a sanctuary. It had one price, I couldn't tell anyone where I was. It was that way so that the kids had protection and privacy from abusive relatives and the likes. That's why I've been missing." Harry hated himself for lying, but there was no other way. This was the only plausible explanation he had.
"You're lying." Harry jumped at the fierce tone of voice coming from Hermione. "I know you too well Harry. I also know that whatever it is that's kept you away, you can't tell us." Harry hung his head and rubbed his forehead with one hand as if he had a headache.
"I'm sorry Herm. You're right. I can't tell you, and its not because I don't want to, it's because I can't. Not even Dumbledore can know. I'm really sorry. I hope that maybe one day you'll forgive me."
"One day?" Ron scoffed giving Harry a dark look. "Come on Hermione, let's go." They both stood and left, but as Hermione passed Harry she touched his arm lightly and said, "I know you didn't mean to hurt everyone Harry. But the fact is you can't trust us with your secret, and what is the point of being friends with people you can't trust?" She left quickly. Inside, Harry screamed. It hurt to have his friends dump him like that. Hermione had it all wrong, he did trust them. He'd trust them with his secret but he couldn't risk their death. Maybe one day he'd tell them the truth and like a fairy tale everything would be all right in the end. But for now they'd rejected him. They weren't willing to trust him. It seemed Hermione had been right about one thing, trust was a key aspect in a friendship. But it wasn't him that had the trust problem it was them. Inside, he cried.
The train slowly screeched to a halt, and they got off the train. Word had got around of a fight between the dream team, word had gotten around that Harry was looking very different, word had gotten around about the new students. Basically, gossip was the word. Harry was in a silent foreboding mood, he had his arm around Anna as she had hers round him. Giving him as much comfort as she could. When they stepped out into the chilly air of the night, a wind seemed to sweep up, clouds swooped in low over the sky and all at once a storm seemed to brew as rain began pouring down. The students shrieked and darted for the carriages but the elementals stood in a line, looking up at the sky curiously, bar Harry was biting his lip and thinking.
"I don't know how, but I know you're doing this Harry," Anna whispered from beside him, and squeezed him round the waist.
"We'll have to talk to Sara when we get in." Nada said, as she studied the stormy sky. Her eyes drifted down till they rested on the carriages and the student's faces peering out at them with studying looks. "Shit, guys we're drawing attention to ourselves." They all snapped out of it and clambered into the last carriage just as it took off towards the Hogwarts castle.
(Hope u enjoyed it. Please review, I love encouragement!)
~Emily