The last week of the school year passed fairly quickly, and finally the day came when Harry found himself standing on the platform in front of a steaming Hogwarts Express.
He was searching the crowd, unsure of where he was supposed to go. His friends had gone on ahead without him.
The crowd thinned as more students boarded the train, and he saw Draco Malfoy sitting on a bench not far from where he was standing.
"Where's Professor Snape?" he asked, walking over to him.
Malfoy looked at him with visible distaste. "He said to wait here."
Harry sat down, and Malfoy shuffled away, pulling his robes closer around himself.
"I'm not contagious," Harry said sarcastically.
Malfoy ignored him.
A few minutes later they were the only ones left on the platform.
"Where is he?" Harry said impatiently, looking around.
"Patience is not one of your virtues, is it Mr. Potter?" Snape's voice asked coldly from behind him.
Next to him, Malfoy smirked. Harry stayed silent.
"Come along," Snape said, striding past them.
They boarded, and Snape led them to an empty compartment in the last car. Malfoy sat down next to Snape, and Harry opposite them, in the corner.
The whistle blew shrilly, and the train began to move, gathering speed as it rolled downhill.
Snape read from an ancient looking book, and Malfoy stared out the window. Harry wished he had thought to brought a book, at least. He should have guessed he would be ignored like this. The peaceful, semi-aware feeling that usually overwhelmed him when he was left to himself refused to come this time. He stared dully out the window at the unchanging scenery that flashed by. Hills, valleys, trees, all exactly alike; a blur of green.
The witch with the food cart opened their compartment door. Harry's mouth watered at the sight of the snacks laid out on the trays. He sighed, remembering that he hadn't been to Gringotts since the start of the year, and had no money.
Snape pulled out a money bag, looking resentful. "Order whatever you want, it's a long trip."
Harry chose Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and pumpkin pasties, before noticing Snape glaring at him.
Looking smug, Malfoy took two cauldron cakes and iced pumpkin juice. Snape ordered the same. Malfoy practically glowed.
Harry studied his Wizards Cards until he knew every word by heart, then returned his gaze to the window.
He was surprised to feel the train slowing down. He knew they were nowhere near London, and he had never known the train to stop anywhere other than Hogsmeade and Kings Cross Station, except for the one time when Dementors had boarded the train back at the start of his Third Year.
Snape stood up and gathered up his cloak and book. Malfoy and Harry followed suit, though Harry noted that Malfoy looked confused, too.
The train halted, and Snape opened the door and led them out into the corridor. They walked through the car and into the next, ignoring the curious stares and whispers they elicited.
"Pssst, Harry!"
Harry turned around and found Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George peering at him from a doorway.
"Are you going with Snape?" Ron asked, wide-eyed.
Harry nodded. He suddenly realized that he had never got around to telling his friends where he would be spending the summer. It had been easier to put it off than to face their questions.
"Can we write?" Hermione asked, looking every bit as shocked as Ron.
"Uh... I don't know the address. I'll have to owl you," Harry told her hurriedly, because Snape had turned around and was giving him a deadly glare. He hurried to catch up.
"Good luck, Harry!" Hermione's high-pitched, anxious voice followed him out of the train car.
They stepped off the train, and it immediately began to move again, momentarily surrounding them by a cloud of steam and dust. When it settled, Harry looked around.
They were standing on a small platform, overgrown with weeds. Even the train tracks were lost in thick grass. The air was balmy and fragrant, and a light breeze played with the hems of their robes. There was not another living creature in sight.
Harry and Malfoy's trunks and Snape's many small crates and boxes stood at the other end of the platform, Hedwig's cage perched precariously on top.
Snape looked around impatiently, an annoyed expression on his face. He fixed his eyes on a spot on the horizon, and Harry squinted in that direction.
There seemed to be a small cloud of dust moving toward them. It rolled up to the edge of the platform, and stopped.
The dust cleared, and in front of them stood an old fashioned coach, missing its team of horses. A man with a flushed, cheerful face beamed down at them.
"Blimey's 'ot today!" he exclaimed, jumping down to the platform. "'An I reckon'll jus' get 'otter."
He began to load their things into the back compartment.
"Yeh should've 'eard the wife complainin' this mornin', 'twasn' pleasan' I can tell yeh."
Ignoring the man's babbling, Snape opened the coach door, motioning for Harry and Malfoy to get inside, then went to help with the larger of the crates.
"So tha's 'em lads of yer's, Severus," the man said when the last of the luggage was stowed away. He wiped his brow on his sleeve and looked at them scrutinizingly.
"Yes," Snape replied dryly.
The man nodded thoughtfully. "Look like fine fellows. The wife'll wan' ter meet 'em."
Snape ignored this. "We should get going, don't want to be out in this sun longer than necessary."
They stayed silent throughout the short ride, while the man kept up a steady stream of conversation.
The road took them down a cobblestone road along a stone wall overgrown with moss and wines. Finally the coach stopped in front of an iron gate.
"Here's where I leave yeh," their driver announced pleasantly, winking.
Harry got out of the coach, his feet kicking up dust. He looked through the gate and the overgrown tangle of trees and brush beyond it, trying to catch a glimpse of the house hidden in the shadows they created. It looked abandoned, or at least very neglected.
"Leave your things, they will be brought in later," Snape said, struggling with the gate and its massive lock. It creaked open.
Malfoy followed Snape, but Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage first. It didn't escape Snape's notice, and earned him another black look.
"Take the owl in there," he said, motioning toward a stone structure with a domed roof.
Harry did so, and Hedwig settled happily next to a large, shaggy gray owl that reminded Harry of Erroll. It looked as neglected as the rest of the place.
When Harry emerged a minute later, the front door was open and there was no sign of Snape and Malfoy.
With one final look around the untidy yard, Harry mounted the wide front steps, mindful of the cracks, and went inside.
